Anna couldn't believe what she had just heard. Why would Elsa suddenly be losing control? It didn't make sense. She thought that Elsa had mastered her powers over the past few years, aside from a few mishaps with suitors, she thought she was doing well. Anna thought that Elsa had found the beauty in her magic.
Confused, Anna knew that she needed to go talk to her sister, but she was afraid. She was afraid of further upsetting Elsa, she was afraid of hurting the people of Arendelle again, and she was afraid becoming a victim of Elsa's powers once again. Although she knew Elsa didn't mean to harm anyone, the chilling memory of the excruciating cold still sent a shiver of fear down her spine.
The traumatic memory of the moment she turned to solid ice was etched into her mind and haunted her thoughts. Remembering the of look of hatred on Hans' face, the terrified expressions of Elsa and Kristoff's faces, and the splintering icy pain that consumed her mind and body still aroused a horrific panic in her.
As she continued to processes what had just happened to Lena and the news of Elsa's volatile state, Anna's breathing quickened. She remembered the blood stained sink and rags, and she began to pace around the kitchen. She was terrified of seeing her sister in an unpredictable state, but she knew she had to talk to her. She took a deep breath, straightened her dress, and marched towards Elsa's room.
Anna muttered to herself as she walked down the long corridor and up the winding staircase. "Everything will be okay, it will be fine. You have nothing to worry about. She's your sister. She'd never intentionally hurt you. It will be fine." She continued to reassure herself, repeating the phrases like a mantra, "You can do this. It will be fine. It will be fine. Don't worry that will just make it worse. It will be fine. You'll just knock on her door and try your best to talk to her. It will all be okay. Everything will be fine. You can do this." Her breathing quickened as she neared Elsa's room and her hands began to shake.
When Anna reached the towering white and cerulean blue door, she froze.
The massive threshold had always felt ominous to her, but this made Elsa's normal entry look welcoming. The door was encased in dense, dark, sharp ice. The glassy solid was tinted a dark midnight blue, almost black, and frozen sheets were layered one on top of the other. The crystals that encased the smaller crevices looked like jagged blades; and webs of icicles protruded out from the door like fangs of a snake. The sharp fragments were clearly trying to deter anyone one from speaking to Elsa and they stirred a sense of fear and uneasiness in her.
Trembling with fear, she tentatively found a smooth patch of ice and knocked. Anna's usually sweet and cheerful voice was now shaky and uncertain, "Elsa? Please, I know you're in there. I saw Lena. What happened? Are you alright?"
Anna was met with a haunting silence. Elsa hadn't shut her out in such a long time that Anna had almost forgotten how painful it felt.
She felt defeated, like a failure. Her own sister was shutting her out again. Anna sank onto the floor next to the door and waited, hoping that Elsa would respond. She didn't know what else she could do.
The minutes passed slowly, as if time itself was frozen. The eerie ticking of the grandfather clock echoed throughout the corridors and each tick of the second hand seemed to last forever. With each click, the sound hung suspended in the air like it was being pulled through molasses. The ghostly silence on the other side of the door frightened Anna. What if Elsa had hurt herself?
After what felt like an hour had passed Anna tried again, "Elsa? Please, just say something."
A chilling quiet echoed through the air.
"Anything," Anna tried to hide her tears. She feared what would happen to Arendelle if Elsa shut out everyone again, but she shoved that thought aside; she couldn't be frightened, not now.
Suddenly, Anna heard a meek response, "Anna, please go away . . ." Elsa's voice was defeated and heartbroken.
Anna choked back tears, "Elsa? What happened? Please, just tell me what's wrong." She could sense that her sister was in pain and she wanted to help.
"Please leave . . ." The Queen's voice was hollow and lifeless, and with each word she spoke an icy chill filled the long corridor.
Anna stood and gingerly placed her hand on the frozen door, "Elsa, please. I want to help; just tell me what's wrong."
There was no response.
"Elsa?"
"Just leave already! I DON'T want to talk about it!" Elsa's voice cracked and thundered through the door, and the sting of her words pierced Anna's heart.
Struck with fear, Anna quickly ran away from Elsa's room. She was terrified. The only other time she had heard Elsa yell like that was when she froze Anna's heart. Once she reached the stairs, Anna collapsed onto the top step. She buried her face in her hands and quietly began to sob. She was afraid for Arendelle, she was afraid for Elsa, and she was afraid for herself. What was going to happen now that the Queen was in such a dark place? And what on earth had made her act out like that. Anna hugged her knees and shook with fright and sorrow.
Slowly she heard heavy footsteps approaching from behind her, and a strong comfortable arm wrapped around her small shoulders. It was Kristoff.
She nestled her head into his chest and let out a small sob. Kristoff sat quietly with Anna and held her as she cried. He stroked her back and kissed her forehead in hopes of calming her down.
After a short while, Kristoff spoke. His deep voice was calm and genuinely concerned. "Anna, I saw Elsa's door. What happened? Are you alright?"
"I, I'm fine. It's Elsa. She, she's shutting everyone out again." Anna sniffled as she spoke to Kristoff. His big brown eyes had a soothing effect on her and she felt safe in his arms. "She's refusing to talk to me, and she screamed at me to leave her alone . . ." She felt ashamed; her own sister wouldn't talk to her.
Anna's voice grew quiet and soft, and trembled slightly as she spoke, "Kristoff, I'm scared."
He pulled her into a tight embrace and tried his best to reassure her, "Everything will be alright, don't worry."
Anna slowly began to explain what had happened to Lena to Kristoff " . . . She told that me that she was simply talking to Elsa about her engagement to Eldon, and then she hugged Elsa and everything turned cold . . ." Anna chocked on a small sob as she remembered the red blood that stained the brandy soaked rag, "Kristoff, her hands were bleeding when I saw her."
Kristoff had an idea of what caused Elsa to loose control, but he looked extremely concerned at the mention of blood and his expression grew serious. He pulled Anna into a protective hug, wrapped his strong arms around her, and reassured her, "Everything is going to be alright Anna, don't worry I'll go talk to Elsa."
"But, Kristoff, I don't want you to get hurt; and Elsa won't even let me talk to her," Anna sounded confused and hurt. Why would Elsa be more comfortable talking to Kristoff than her own sister? She knew they were pals and had a shared love of ice, but she was upset that her sister wouldn't tell her what was wrong.
"Don't worry I'll be fine. It will all be okay, I think I have an idea of what happened," Kristoff lovingly kissed Anna on the cheek, causing her to blush, and ventured towards Elsa's room.