Author's Note: So, I've decided to turn this story into a place for random Once Upon a Time one-shots, that all have something to do with being alone (either feeling alone or curing loneliness). I will take requests, seeing as this story was a request from serenityskywalker, but I'd prefer if they weren't romantic, since I can't write romance. I hope you like it!
The Snow Queen got what she wanted. She turned everyone in Storybrooke against them, and she took Elsa and Emma back to Arendelle, completing her perfect family. Of course, a little troll memory magic was needed to succeed in this, dearie. (I stole your line, Rumple. How does that feel, dearie?) As I was saying, Emma and Elsa "remember" growing up in Arendelle as royalty, alongside their "sister", Ingrid. Elsa knows nothing of Anna, and Emma knows nothing of Storybrooke. Of course, they always felt like something was missing. Will they find that something? We'll see about that, dearie…
Elsa sat in her bed, fiddling with the yellow ribbon around her wrist. She couldn't sleep. Of course, she hadn't been sleeping very well for the past five months, so this felt completely normal. Even though she was surrounded by the love of her two sisters, she felt alone. Elsa had admitted this feeling to her sisters, hoping that they could help her and assure her that she wasn't alone, but Ingrid got angry and, with the authority of being the eldest sister, sent Elsa to her room. (Which Elsa found extremely unfair, by the way. She wasn't a child; she was 26!) But, eventually, Emma told Elsa that she had that same lonely feeling as well.
CRASH!
Elsa pulled herself out of her thoughts and bolted upward. "Emma? Ingrid? Are you alright?"
Before she could get a response, she had ran out of the room to find the source of the crash, leaving a trail of ice behind her.
Emma came running out into the hall and stopped in front of Elsa. "Shhh!" She hissed. "Be quiet! I don't want Ingrid to know what I'm doing."
"Well, what are you doing?" Elsa had slight suspicion in her voice, but she kept it quiet, trusting her sister.
"I'm looking around in the east wing," Emma whispered.
"What? Ingrid told us not to go in there!" Elsa responded in quiet disbelief. "She said that it's dangerous!"
"I-I found something interesting in there, though," Emma said, sounding as if she were deciding whether to be scared or excited. "Just, come on."
Elsa followed Emma unsurely. "I really think we should listen to Ingrid." She muttered, her panic starting a light flurry around her.
Emma opened the door to the east wing and hurried inside, motioning for Elsa to follow her. "I found all of these things in the dresser."
"What type of things?" Elsa questioned.
"These things," Emma opened up the dresser to reveal a book, a necklace, a painting, and an ice statue of a princely looking man.
"Did Ingrid make that?" Elsa asked, pointing at the statue.
Emma shrugged. "If you didn't sculpt it, then Ingrid must have."
"Who is it?" Elsa raised an eyebrow skeptically.
"Maybe it's some prince Ingrid had a crush on," Emma joked. "She sculpted it too woo him."
"Yeah, because Ingrid certainly seems like the wooing type." Elsa said sarcastically. "What else is in there?"
"Look at this painting," Emma said. "It has Mama and Papa in it, you, and some girl with braids. Not Ingrid nor I. Why aren't we in it, and who is that girl?"
Elsa frowned. "I know that girl."
"You do?" Emma asked excitedly.
"Well, I recognize her, but I don't know who she is." Elsa explained.
"Do you recognize any of the other stuff in here?" Emma asked, beaming.
"The necklace…" Elsa reached out and picked it up, but her eyes widened and she immeadietly dropped it, gasping. She stumbled backward, clutching her head. She would have collapsed if she hadn't grabbed the wall for support. The wall instantly froze at her touch.
"Elsa!" Emma exclaimed, rushing to her side. "Are you okay?! What's wrong?!"
"I…kn-know that girl," Elsa panted.
"You already told me," Emma said, concern clear in her voice. "What's wrong, Elsa?"
"N-no, I know that girl," Elsa repeated in a shaky voice. "I know her. H-her name is Anna, a-and she's m-my…my sister."
"Elsa, you don't know what you're saying," Emma replied, shaking her head. "Ingrid and I are your sisters. We don't have a sister named Anna."
The lights in the room were flickering rapidly and frost was climbing up the walls, clearly showing the panic of the two girls.
"N-no," Elsa sputtered. "Ingrid l-lied to us. You're from Storybrooke, and w-we're not your sisters. Your family is David a-and Mary Margret a-and your son, Henry."
At that moment, Ingrid burst into the room. "What's going on?" She asked. "Why are you two awake? You know that it's not safe to come in here!" Then, she spotted Elsa, who was still on the ground, clutching her head. "What happened to Elsa?"
"Something's wrong with her," Emma responded. "She's saying that we aren't her sisters, and- Elsa!"
Elsa suddenly scrambled to her feet and pointed her arms threateningly at Ingrid. "You!" She cried. "You lied to us! Tell me where Anna is! And, give Emma her memories back!"
"Elsa!" Ingrid gasped. "Please, calm down! You must be sick. You need to lay down."
"No!" Elsa refused as a blizzard started swirling around the east wing. "You're the sick one! You took our lives away from us, you twisted woman! I'm not listening to you anymore!"
Ingrid took a step toward Elsa. "Elsa, please. You're not thinking straight."
"Stay away from me!" Elsa shouted, sending a blast of ice from her hands.
Ingrid fell backward, but she wasn't hurt by the blow; she was only stunned.
"Emma!" Elsa grabbed her arm. "The necklace triggered my memories to come back! Get the book, Emma! The Once Upon a Time book!"
"Why-"
"Just do it!" Elsa hissed.
Emma ran over to the dresser to get it as Ingrid got back up. "No, Emma, don't!" Ingrid commanded. "Elsa isn't in her right mind right now! Don't listen to her! The book is dangerous!"
Emma hesitated, her hand hovering over the book.
"No, Emma, she's the insane one!" Elsa told her desperately. "Just grab the book and find a picture of your parents!"
"Emma, don't!" Ingrid shouted.
Emma looked from Ingrid to Elsa, not knowing who to trust. The lights were pulsing as Emma panicked. With one last look at Ingrid, Emma grabbed the book.
"Emma, what are you doing?!" Ingrid questioned, fear in her voice.
Elsa rushed to Emma's side. "Yes! F-find the page with your parents! There it is!"
Emma, with shaky hands, turned to the page that pictured a joyful woman with billowing black hair whose arm was linked with a man who had sandy hair and a kind smile. The lights in the room turned off.
"Emma?" Elsa asked quietly. She put her arm around Emma, just in case she were to collapse.
"I…I'm sorry, Elsa," Emma whispered. "I don't remember anything."
"What?" Elsa's eyes started to tear up. "No, Emma, please! You have to believe me!"
"I can't," Emma sighed. She walked over to help Ingrid up. "Come on; let's take Elsa to the infirmary."
"Thank you, Emma," Ingrid smiled. "Come, Elsa. We want to help you."
"I'm not going!" Elsa yelled. "I trust Emma, but I can't trust you!"
"Elsa," Emma walked to Elsa and took her arm. "Please, come on. Trust me."
Elsa sighed. Maybe they're right, She thought in defeat. Maybe I am crazy and this is all in my imagination. She nodded. "Alright; I'll go."
The next morning, Elsa awoke to both Emma and Ingrid by her sides, along with some of the castle nursing staff.
"Hey," Emma smiled half-heartedly. "How are you feeling?"
Elsa sighed. "It's probably not real, but I still remember Anna and Storybrooke."
Emma frowned and looked up at the staff and Ingrid. "Do you think I could talk to her? Alone?"
The staff nodded and left, but Ingrid stayed. "Do you want me stay with you guys and talk too?" She offered.
Emma shook her head. "I'd just like a moment alone, if that's alright," Emma said.
Ingrid hesitated for moment, but eventually accepted and left them.
Emma glanced at the door, and when she was sure that it was closed, her face grew serious. "I lied to you." She whispered.
"What do you mean?" Elsa asked, pushing herself up on her elbows.
"I remember everything," Emma told her, whispering so quietly that she was almost silent. "I remember Storybrooke, I remember my family, I remember everything. I remembered it when I saw the book, but I pretended not to so that Dairy Queen wouldn't go crazy."
Elsa's eyes lit up. "Really?"
Emma nodded. "Really. And, we're going to get our families back."
"I'm afraid that I can't allow that," Came a voice from the doorway.
Emma and Elsa turned to see Ingrid standing there, holding pieces of broken glass in her hand. "Now, who should have shattered sight?" She smirked. "Emma, maybe? This way you'd leave Elsa alone so that I can redo my memory spell on her. Maybe you'd even help me cast the spell. Then, Elsa and I would cast the spell on you. Unless, of course, you would like to stay with the family who acctually understands you. Remember how your 'family' turned on you, Emma? That's why you left."
"That's only because you cast that spell on them!" Emma accused.
"That's right," The Snow Queen smiled sinisterly. "And, now, I'm going to cast that spell on you."
"No! Let them go!"
Anna came running into the room.
"Anna!" Elsa cried.
"Surprise!" Anna grinned. "Nailed it!"
"Anna," Ingrid breathed. "Y-you were frozen! I hid you under the bed in the east wing!"
"Correct," Anna noted. "But, love thaws, and when Elsa regained her memories, all of her love for me came back. Her determination to find me thawed me."
"That doesn't matter," Ingrid huffed. "Elsa destroyed the urn. You can't stop me!"
With that, Ingrid threw the broken glass.
"Close your eyes!" Anna screamed. She grabbed both Emma and Elsa by their arms and they ran out of the castle. They dashed across the bridge and into the woods, where they hid behind some trees.
"Anna!" Elsa laughed breathlessy, throwing her arms around her sister. Her real sister.
"Oh, Elsa!" Anna cried. "I thought I'd never see you again! I can't even begin to tell you how sorry I am that I put you in that urn! I swear, I would never do such a thing on purpose!"
"It-it's okay," Elsa panted. "I'm just so glad that I've got you back."
Emma tapped Elsa's shoulder. "Um, Elsa, I hate to break up the reunion but she's coming!"
Elsa whipped her head around to see the Snow Queen running toward them.
"Oh no," Elsa shook her head. "C-come on!"
The trio ran as fast and as far as they could, but there was no way to escape.
"I'm so sorry," Elsa sobbed as they ran. "If I hadn't been so interested in that dumb urn, Ingrid never would have gotten out, and this wouldn't have happened."
"A door!" Anna shouted, pointing.
Sure enough, there was a blue door floating in front of them.
"Do you know where it goes?" Anna asked.
"It goes to my world," Emma said. "Remember, Elsa? Ingrid took us through it when she took us to Arendelle."
"We can get you back to Storybrooke!" Elsa smiled.
"But, if we leave Ingrid here, and lock the door so she can't get through, then you guys can't come back to Arendelle without being in danger," Emma pointed out.
Anna took Elsa's hand. "If it means being safe with my sister, then we won't come back. We'll stay in Storybrooke, if that's okay by you."
Emma nodded. "But, are you sure?"
"We either stay here in the hands of our evil aunt, or we live in Storybrooke," Elsa said shakily. "We're sure."
"Hurry!" Anna shouted.
Emma took Anna and Elsa's hands, and without a second guess, they leaped into a world without magic, ready to go to the only city there that was filled with magic.