Elsa exited her bathroom and towel dried her hair. "Anna, could you please pour a cup of tea?" She moved to her walk-in closet then stopped abruptly. "Anna?"

Anna was slumped in the chair by the fireplace, snoring loudly, her hand clutching a cup of tea that was still steaming.

The blonde watched her sister for a moment, a warm smile on her face. "Oh, Anna… you're too good to me." Discarding her robe, she put on a simple button down shirt and loose fitting trousers, her clothes for when she did her gardening.

Elsa noticed that the servants had also brought breakfast and had set it on a small table near Anna's chair. She grabbed another chair and dragged it over towards the table and her stomach growled when she saw her favourite morning dishes. Her eyebrows rose slightly at the bottle of whiskey but she didn't hesitate to add some to the tea that she poured.

The Queen reached over and gently took the cup of tea from her sister's hand and placed it on the table. "Anna?"

The redhead mumbled something in her sleep and turned her body slightly, but continued to snore.

Elsa sat and watched her sister sleep, realizing that the previous night must have been hell for her to go through. Guilt started bubble to the surface—monster—but Elsa held it in check, not wanting to make matters worse by berating herself. Anna was right, what happened to her wasn't her fault.

"Anna…" Elsa reached over and gently shook Anna's shoulder. "Come on, sleepyhead, breakfast is ready."

Anna opened her eyes and yawned before sitting up. "Oh, Elsa, I'm sorry for falling asleep."

"Don't be. Last night must have been rough on you." The blonde helped herself to the salmon and spinach omelet and piled her plate high with food.

Anna rubbed at her eyes and yawned again. "You must be really hungry."

"Unusually so, I think," Elsa replied. She scooted closer to the small table and then added fruit and nuts to her plate.

Anna picked up her plate of food and placed it on her lap as she poured herself more tea. "Did you take some whiskey?"

"Yes, I thought it would be good for my nerves." Elsa devoured the omelet like a ravenous animal.

"Whoa, slow down, Elsa. You're going to give yourself a stomach ache."

"I don't think my body could hurt any worse than it already does." She reached up and lightly touched the top of head where the horns had been. "Especially here."

"May I take a look?" Anna put her food down and then stood to examine her sister's head. She felt around and then parted her hair and saw too small bumps. "Yes, I can see something here—two bumps are red and swollen."

Elsa closed her eyes at the gentle ministrations, and then suddenly remembered that Anna should not be touching her. "Anna, remember our agreement?"

The princess removed her hands. "Sorry, I just wanted to see, that's all."

"I know." Elsa resumed her meal.

Anna sat back down and regarded her sister. "Elsa, did our parents talk to you at length about your powers?"

"How do you mean?"

"Well, I was wondering if they told you how you got them." Anna picked her plate of food and started eating.

Elsa thought about it for a few moments. "Father told me that I was born with them. I guess that means I had them when I was a baby, but he never told me how I received them—I don't think he knew."

"What about mother?"

Elsa put her plate down and poured more whiskey into her tea. She took a long drink of it. "Mother didn't like to talk about them."

Anna offered her cup to Elsa and the Queen poured whiskey into it. "Why do you think she didn't?"

"For some reason it made her very uncomfortable." Elsa put her cup down. "I don't think she liked the idea of me having them."

"What about Father?" Anna asked while putting jam on a croissant.

"He was mostly concerned with me not wanting to show my feelings. He always thought that my feelings controlled my powers. Hence, the gloves." Elsa frowned. "Conceal, don't feel. Don't let it show."

"That's what he always told you, wasn't it?"

Elsa put down her plate of food. "Yes—and I grew to hate it." She poured more tea. "So when do you want to start?"

"Start what?"

"You know—figuring out my predicament."

Anna smiled. "We're doing it right now. This is the first step, Elsa. We need to know exactly what mother and father knew about this—because I think it is all connected in some way. I want to know what they knew, when they knew it, even what they suspected. You were saying that father spent a lot of time showing you how to conceal the powers… why?"

Here it is, Elsa thought. Here is the thing that I have yet to tell her about my powers. Why I concealed them from her for all those years. Elsa put down her cup and turned to face her sister. "Anna, there is something that I need to tell you."

Anna's eyes widened for a brief moment. "Why do I have the feeling that I'm not going to like this."

"I'm not going to tell you anything bad, Anna. But I haven't told you the real reason why my powers were hidden from you for all those years."

Anna nodded. "I just figured that you would tell me when… well, the time was right."

The blonde sat up. "It is now. With everything that has happened—I can't abide to have any secrets anymore." Elsa took in a deep breath. "Anna, when we were little children you knew I had powers. We played with them all the time."

"But, Elsa, that's impossible because—"

"No, please, Anna, listen to me. This is going to be a long story, and I need for you to hear the entire story without interrupting, okay?" Elsa began the long tale of their childhood, and of building snowmen. She told Anna everything about that one early morning when everything changed for both of them—for good or for ill, and the princess listened in rapt attention as Elsa told the story. When Elsa was done she sat back in her chair, exhausted.

Anna remained silent for quite a long time, absorbing the truth. After awhile she looked up into Elsa's eyes as a vague sense of understanding stole over her. "I can't believe you've carried this burden for so long, Elsa—and to never tell me!" The princess cringed, as her voice carried more aggravation than she intended. "Gees, Elsa, father and Pabbie did all of that just to protect me?"

"Yes, Anna. I will admit that sometimes it was hard not to resent you. But then I would remember it wasn't your fault." Elsa got up and stoked the fire. "I would watch you from my window as you played outside, or I would sneak at peek at you while you were in the portrait room, talking to the artwork." She poured herself another cup of tea and whiskey. "I envied your life."

The princess remained still as Elsa spoke, but her heart hardened a little at the memory of her parents. "How could they have been so mean towards you."

"It wasn't meanness, Anna, but a sense of familial self-preservation. It was all they could think of doing to make sure both of us remained alive."

"But to shut you away when I had all the freedom I could ever want." Anna shuddered and wrapped her arms around her knees. "I'm so sorry."

Elsa returned to her chair. "Don't be. The past is in the past, Anna."

The princess nodded. "And now the powers are gone."

The Queen sighed. "Yes."

Anna sat up. "Maybe not gone, but changed somehow."

"I'm not following you, Anna."

The redhead stood and began to pace. "The storm, the storm—what was it about that storm? Perhaps we a looking at this all wrong. Are we assuming that the weather took away your powers?"

Elsa shrugged her shoulders. "I… I don't know. But I felt something when it passed over us—a strange sense of foreboding. I felt something in the storm itself. It was beckoning to me, Anna, making me feel—scared."

"Do you have any memories after that?" Anna sat back down and faced her sister.

Elsa paused and thought about it, searching her mind for anything useful. "The clock struck midnight when the heaviest part of the squall passed over Arendelle. After that, nothing—not until you woke me up in the stables."

"Is there anything significant about this date?"

Elsa shrugged in embarrassment. "I've been so busy that I don't even know what date it is."

"October 12th."

Elsa paused, and then her eyes widened. "It is?" Something nagged at the back of mind causing her to feel an immediate unease. She shook her head a little to clear it, and then suddenly remembered. "Fimbulwinter."

"What?"

"Didn't mother or father ever tell you tale of Fimbulwinter on the autumnal equinox?" Elsa looked expectantly at her sister.

Anna shook her head. "No, they never did. Is it a Faerie Tale?"

Elsa looked incredulous. "No, it is from Norse Mythology. Fimbulwinter—Fimbulvetr in the old tongue—tells of the harsh winter that will precede the end of the world. Fimbulwinter is three successive winters where snow comes in from all directions, without any intervening summer. There will be war and rumors of wars to come. Blood ties will wither away and kin will lie with kin; brothers will kill brothers without remorse."

Anna was still for many moments, and stared at her sister wide-eyed. "Today is the autumnal equinox?"

Elsa nodded. "I believe it is."

The princess continued to stare at her sister until the silence became awkward. "Are you kidding me? The end of the world?" Anna laughed. "Oh, Elsa, you had me going there for awhile, but…" Her laughed stopped at the serious look in Elsa's eyes. "No, you can't possibly think that an old wives tale is talking about you and the end of the world."

Elsa stood and began to pace. "I don't know what to think, Anna. You wanted me to make a connection about this day and I did. What more do you want from me?"

"I want you to make some sense and not talk gobbledygook."

"You know me, Anna. I'm the most rational person that you know. Don't you think I know how crazy all this sounds? But it seems to all fit together."

Anna indicated herself. "This is me you are talking to, Elsa. I'm the most impulsive and irrational person that you know—and I have a problem with your reasoning."

Elsa stopped her pacing and turned to her sister. "My powers are gone. Well, maybe not gone but changed to something else. What if they—our parents—were trying to prepare me for something, but were cut short by their untimely deaths? What if I'm some sort of catalyst for war, Anna?"

"It's a story, Elsa."

"These stories are part of us for a reason, don't you think? They last for centuries, passed on from one generation to the next. For what purpose?"

Anna felt a coldness steal over her heart at Elsa's words. "I don't know the purpose. Perhaps to teach us something?"

Elsa began to pull at her hair, as the pain in her head worsened. "Or to warn us!"

"This is crazy, Elsa." Anna couldn't believe the direction their conversation was taking. "I can't believe that you are seriously believing all this."

But Elsa wasn't paying any attention to her. "The end of all things…"

At that moment there was a knock at Elsa's door. The blonde sat down abruptly, clutching at her head. "Will you get it, Anna? I'm not feeling well."

Anna moved to the door and opened it. "Yes, oh, hi Gerda."

The older woman blushed a little. "Pardon the intrusion, Your Highness, but I have two messages for you."

"For me?"

"Yes, madam. First, the Ice Master Kristoff wants to know when he can see you and Captain Gunnar of the Royal Guard wishes to convey his concern and hopes that you are doing well."

"You may tell both of them that I'm doing fine and will contact them as soon as I can."

"Very well, good day, Your Highness."

Anna closed the door. "Hey, Elsa, I've got to…" She stopped speaking as she walked over to where Elsa was slumping in her chair, apparently asleep. She looked at her for a few moments before retrieving a blanket to drape over her. "You sleep well, Elsa. I'll be back later."

Anna ignored the messages from Kristoff and Gunnar at the moment and made her way to the castle Library on the first floor, near Elsa's meeting hall. The massive two story room was lined with mahogany book shelves, and filled with thousands of books, tomes, and maps that didn't appear to be in any order. There were scattered tables about the room and those were piled high with various books, untouched for many years.

Anna looked around her and sighed. How was she supposed to find anything in this mess? She realized that this giant room had not been used since their parents died and was in dire need of some attention.

As she was about to leave a middle-aged woman entered and looked at her quizzically. "May I help you with something, Princess Anna?"

"Yes—and you are?" Anna smiled and extended her hand.

The servant awkwardly shook the princess's hand. "Miss Beatrice, Your Royal Highness. I am the current Librarian—so to speak."

"Oh? What do you mean?"

"Well, I was trained to be a royal tutor. But after Henric left I was put in charge of maintaining this library. As you can see, I'm not very good at it." Beatrice blushed then looked to her feet.

Anna's smile widened. "Well, if it makes you feel any better, I'm not very bookish myself. But I was hoping you could lead me in the right direction."

Beatrice looked up. "What is Her Highness looking for?"

Anna looked about the room. "I was wondering if we had any books on folklore and mythology."

Beatrice indicated the other side of the room, near the fireplace. "Over here, Your Highness." She strolled to the shelves and swept her hand over them. "Henric told me that your mother had these volumes placed here for easy access."

The redhead looked surprised. "My mother did? Did Henric tell you why?"

"Apparently her former Majesty had quite the interest in subjects like mythology, astrology, and the interpretation of signs and wonders."

"Beatrice, do you know if Henric still lives in Arendelle? I would very much like to talk with him."

"I'm afraid that Master Henric died a few years ago, Your Highness." Beatrice paused in her thinking, looking somewhat troubled.

"What is it, Beatrice?"

"Well, I seem to remember Henric mentioning something about a box of letters."

Anna stepped towards the older woman. "What kind of letters?"

"A series of letters and journals that your mother kept. After your parents died, Your Highness, Master Henric was tasked with discharging a lot of the personal papers of the King and Queen."

Anna looked horrified. "Were those records destroyed?"

"No, Your Highness. But I am at a loss as to where Henric filed those archives. But I am sure they are somewhere in this—room."

Anna's eyes raked over the massive library, again noticing its complete disarray. "Beatrice, I'm going to give you a new assignment. I want you to find those records—and as soon as you can, okay?"

"Yes, Your Highness. May I start after lunch?"

Anna waved her hand. "Of course. Be sure to find me as soon as you have any news, okay?

"Very well, Your Highness."

When the servant was gone Anna moved to the shelf of mythology books and was a bit overwhelmed by the number and titles, not knowing exactly what she was looking for. She passed over the tomes about Greco-Roman myth and focused on the other works. After a few minutes she found an old leather bound volume entitled, Codex Regius.

Anna stopped and blinked several times. There was something very familiar about the title that had her feeling a little uncomfortable. Where have I heard of that before? She reached into the shelf to retrieve the book, it started to crumble so she eased it out of the shelf very carefully.

She took it to a nearby table and set it down gingerly. After opening it to the first page she saw handwritten notes all over it, written in a familiar style. Anna sat back as she recognized her mother's handwriting; there was no mistaking the elegant scrawl. As Anna read she realized that her mother wasn't so much taking notes on what she read in the tome but was leaving instructions of some kind. She's not writing this for herself, but, to Elsa, maybe?

Anna realized then she may have not really known her parents at all, because there was obviously much that they had kept hidden from her.

Kristoff waited patiently in the castle kitchen around lunch time, waiting for Anna to appear, as she usually did. But as the time passed and she didn't appear he lost hope of seeing her that day and left for the city, where he intended to drown his sorrows in many pints of ale. But Anna did enter the kitchens, only a few minutes after he left, and sat down at a table near a small fireplace.

She watched the cooks for a few minutes as they prepared the midday meal and thought about the events of the last two days. It was almost too much to think about, and truth be told, she wished none of it happened at all. It wasn't fair. She had just gotten her sister back less than a year ago, and now there was something threatening to take her away again. A lone tear slowly fell and reached up to harshly wipe it away.

"Princess Anna?"

The redhead turned to the servant's entrance to find Captain Gunnar there. "Oh, hi."

The man's smile faltered at her crestfallen look. He walked over to her table. "May I sit down, Princess?"

Anna sat up and clasped her hands in front of her. "Of course, Captain."

"Gunnar," the man prompted. When Anna shyly smiled at him he pressed forward. "Princess, there are still three companies of soldiers patrolling the city, and, well, the citizenry are beginning ask why they are there. I was hoping you could order them back to their barracks."

"I completely forgot about them, I'm so sorry! Yes, see to right away, Gunnar. I surely don't want the people speculating and worrying over nothing."

The Captain eyed Anna. "Forgive my boldness, Your Highness, but is it truly nothing?" He lowered his voice. "What about those killings?"

"Have rumors started already?" Anna's eyes widened. "What have you heard?"

"So far nothing, as we've been able to quell the incident and swear to secrecy those that did witness the crime."

Anna sat back at the Captain's words. It was a crime, and her sister was the one who committed it. "Thank you, Gunnar. If you don't mind, could you see to the soldiers now, and have the guard report back to the castle?"

"Your bidding, my Lady." The Captain rose an bowed with a flourish before leaving.

When the Captain was gone one of the junior cooks approached the princess. "Forgive me for intruding, Your Highness, but would you be interested in lunch right now?"

Anna felt her stomach growl. "Sure, what is it?"

"A lamb and cabbage stew, Your Highness."

"Sounds great. Will you send two large bowls to the Queen's room, plus some bread and tea."

The young man bowed. "Very well, my Lady."

Anna returned to her sister's rooms with the Codex Regius, carefully wrapped up in a cloth. She put the book down on the table next to the fireplace and noticed that Elsa was not in the chair she left her in. She went into the bedroom itself and found the Queen sleeping in her bed. Anna slowly approached her and noticed that Elsa was mumbling in her sleep, apparently having a vivid dream.

The princess carefully sat down on the edge of the bed and gently shook Elsa's shoulder. "Come on, Elsa, time to wake up."

The Queen swatted the hand away and moaned in pain. "No… no…"

"Elsa, please, wake up." Anna's brow furrowed in worry.

With a yelp the Queen abruptly sat up yet her eyes remained unfocused. She grabbed at Anna and held onto her fiercely. "I…I had a nightmare."

Anna rested her head on Elsa's shoulder, holding her protectively. "You don't have to tell me if you don't want to."

Elsa shuddered and squeezed her eyes shut. "It was horrible, Anna. I dreamt that I was some sort of enormous, insidious monster—terrorizing Arendelle and slaughtering my own people."

The redhead gently rubbed her sister's back. "It was nothing more than a dream, Elsa. You see, you are awake now—and look at you. You're not a gigantic monster, you are you."

Elsa held on tighter, relishing her sister's comforting words. They flitted within her, and helped to dispel the darkness that was threatening to engulf her. "I'm not a monster."

"No, you are not. So please stop thinking about it."

Elsa pulled Anna closer. "Thank you, Anna."

Anna smiled into Elsa's shoulder. "You know that we're not supposed to be touching each other."

"I know." The blonde looked up into her sister's eyes, and sighed. "I really appreciate you, Anna. I—" She was cut off by a knocking at the door.

Anna withdrew from Elsa's embrace. "I'll get it. I arranged to have our lunch in your suite again. I hope you don't mind."

"I don't mind at all." Elsa's eyes lingered on Anna for a moment before turning away to get dressed. She didn't tell Anna about her entire dream, and left out the first part of the nightmare… Blood ties will wither away and kin will lie with kin…