Chapter 2

On the rest of their ride Kristoff tried the best he could to warn Anna about his family without outright saying the truth, that they were trolls. He told her all about their nosy nature, that they were extremely loud but loving folk. Anna didn't seem at all concerned. She had spent the majority of her life basically alone thus she was always thrilled to meet new people. When they arrived at the glen Kristoff excitedly got down off Sven's back and rushed over to what Anna thought were merely rocks. She began to think that he was out of his mind when he started talking to them. Debating internally Anna considered her options if she ran away right now. How else was she going to stop this winter, she definitely would not have even made it this far without him. Sven was excitedly bounding around the rocks now too. Maybe she could make it back to the castle and Prince Hans could help her, and there were plenty of soldiers that would aid her as well. Resolute in her newly discovered decision she decided to make a run for it. Stepping backwards to run, her foot rolled over a smaller rock. Barely managing to catch herself from falling, Anna's concern for Kristoff's sanity turned to a mixture of wonder and fear when the rocks began rolling towards him. With a sudden burst of light and magic all at once the rocks burst into little trolls.

"Trolls!" Anna exclaimed, relieved that her guide wasn't completely insane.

Kristoff knelt down his face drawn with worry he didn't waste any time, "Where's Grandpapi?"

"He's napping!" one of the younger trolls replied lightly not caring to notice the evident gravity of the situation.

His eccentric family nosily carried on, 'it must have been a while since he's been home', Anna remarked to herself. She chuckled at how they tugged at him. These trolls looked just like the one that had kissed her in the dream she had years ago. A sudden pang of chill brought Anna to her knees. The ice was spreading. The chill was spreading through her limbs she could feel it slowly engulfing her. "Anna!" Kristoff rushed to her side.

"Very strange magic indeed." Grandpapi made his way over to Anna through the crowd of trolls. He placed his hand gently on her head as he had done once before. "There is ice in your heart." he looked sorrowful and concerned as though they were old friends. "Your life is in danger, dear one. If not removed," he spoke slowly, "to solid ice you will freeze. Forever."

Kristoff pulled Anna to him. The reflex confused Anna.

"You can remove it, can't you?" Anna asked the old troll.

"I can not. Were it your head," his rough hand rested on the top of her head, "That would be easy." Kristoff stared at the ground, his thoughts running wild. That night, so many years ago, when he had first heard the troll speak he had said much the same thing. The first time, he thought, the first time Elsa had struck her sister. He remembered well the look of fear in Elsa's face when Grandpapi removed the ice from Anna's mind. Perhaps this had been simply another accident. Anna gripped his arm pulling him back to reality. He had to save one sister before he could think about the other.

"What can we do, Grandpapi?" Kristoff asked.

The old troll thought carefully before answering. "Only an act of true love can thaw a frozen heart."

Anna shivered. "Hans." the name fell out of her lips softly. She closed her eyes as she fell into Kristoff. Kristoff held her close, her body was so cold. "We have to get you back. Come on, Sven." Kristoff lifted her up onto Sven's back and they were off again.

Elsa sat on the hard cold stone in the dungeon. Prince Hans had brought her back here with his search party that had broken into her castle, nearly killing her. So much for being free, Elsa said to herself. The price her country had paid for her freedom pained her greatly. She gazed out at the frozen fjord through a tiny window in her cell. It was all her fault. This curse had ruined her life for a second time. Tears made their way to her crystalline eyes yet again. How was she supposed to fix things now? Footsteps resounded in the corridor. Elsa looked down at her hands. The iron shackles seemed to have been made for her, they completely covered her hands. Fitting, she retorted, the people were all too ready to fear and persecute her just as her father had said years ago. Lines of blue and tiny snowflakes began to dance across the iron as she stared. The cell door slowly opened and Prince Hans quietly stepped into the cell.

Elsa glared. "Why did you bring me here?" she stood and demanded from him. "I am a danger to you all here, why can't you see? Get Anna. I can not help you."

Hans shivered, an icy breeze had found its way inside. "I couldn't just let them kill you," he walked up closer to her. "And Anna hasn't returned."

Elsa turned to the window, she couldn't still be out there in the freezing cold, surely.

"If you would just," Hans paused looking Elsa over, "stop the winter. Bring back summer. Please." He stepped even closer to her, too close for Elsa's comfort but the chains wouldn't allow her to move any further away.

"I can't. You have to tell them to let me go!" she practically begged him.

Hans stood up taller and looked at her a way she had never seen before. Was that hatred in his eyes. The look lasted only a second before softening again. He reached his hand out to caress her pale cheek. "Surely there must be something." the pleading in his eyes could not be mistaken.

Elsa merely shook her head as she looked out at the fjords.

His voice quivered in anger, "I'll see what I can do." He turned around and walked out slamming the door behind him.

Elsa's breath left her as she sank down on the stone. Anna was missing it was all her fault. Her kingdom was frozen, she couldn't stop it. How many more people was she going to hurt? Her head was spinning. She had to get out that was it. Before anyone else got hurt. If she didn't leave worse things would happen. As her emotions continued to grow wilder she began to try to focus on breaking the cuffs. The iron splintered with the shards of ice moving through it. Just a little more effort and they shattered off her hands in an explosion of ice. There was no hope in controlling it now. Her curse was too much for her to handle. Trying to save herself would come later for now she had to focus on getting away from everyone. When she is alone she could try again to control her curse. Elsa closed her eyes, there was nothing she could do to save her country or her people. So much for being a good queen. Raising her arms before her she shot another blast of ice destroying the wall before her. She ran. Where she didn't know but she knew she had to leave. She had to go further than last time. She had to find somewhere where she couldn't hurt anyone else. As fast as she could she ran across the icy fjord. A snow storm brewed in her wake.

The weather was getting worse very quickly. Sven could barely see steps in front of him, but it didn't matter. He had to run. Kristoff squinted in the blinding snow prodding Sven to go faster. He had left Anna in the care of her fiance moments ago, but something was wrong. He had glanced over his shoulder as he had been trotting away when he noticed a giant cloud form around the castle. The snow and furious wind seemed to ingulf the entire castle. He had to make it back.

"Faster, Sven!" He yelled over the roar of the winds. It was getting harder and harder for the reindeer to avoid the shards of ice that kept flying out of the ground. But Sven kept running with all his strength.

Breathing was beginning to get harder and harder for Anna. Doubled over in pain and freezing she cried. How could it end like this. The man she thought loved her only wanted to steal her kingdom. She was a pawn. And now it seemed that this would be her end. Hans had extinguished the fire, the only warmth she had left was a single blanket. Curled up in the floor she waited for death. What else was there for her to do. She shivered. She had failed. Even she couldn't save her kingdom, she couldn't even see her sister, realizing how useless she felt Anna wept. Her hair turned completely white. It was over.

Anna had given up. No one was there for her after her parents had died and it looked like no one would ever again.

Having been given orders to find more blankets, a servant ran through the castle and down the hall when he heard soft crying. He stopped at the door, "Princess Anna? Is that you?"

He fought to unlock the door. Anna could barely move, too broken hearted to answer she wiped away a tear that ran down her face.

"Are you alright, princess?" the man questioned rushing to his lady's side as he burst through the door. It was all Anna could do to simply breathe, barely managing a nod in reply. The servant pulled her to her feet. He wrapped his arms around Anna's freezing body.

"I have.. to.. find.. Krist.. off." her shoulders shook as she spoke.