It had been several hours since the sun had started shining again, but for Elsa it was as though the storm had never left. Her office in the palace was large by any standard, but the veritable throng of advisors, servants, and officials still made it feel crowded. Elsa maintained a proper, authoritative posture as she was trained to do, with her back straight, a neutral expression, folded hands, and carefully maintaining eye contact with all who spoke to her. Though she feigned interest and poise, all she wanted to do was scream, cry, or hide in her room. Unfortunately, all of Arendelle was in an uproar, and there was too much work to do for her to be able to indulge herself. The captain of the guard, Alistair, a dark-haired, broad-shouldered man who insisted on wearing the official armor even when just doing administrative work, as a matter of principle, bowed before consulting with the queen.
"Your majesty, the snow has not melted, even in this heat. We retrieved the snow plows from storage as you ordered, but the horses were scared stiff by that unnatural storm. Even our best handlers can't coax them out of the stables. Would it be possible for you to melt the snow?"
Alistair bowed his head in apology, a comical sight considering that with his height that just meant looking Elsa directly in the eyes. Elsa felt a rush of affection for the old man. He was a good worker, and she knew it stung his professionalism to ask his queen to perform a menial task.
"Unfortunately not," Elsa replied, twining her fingers and not letting her frustration with her helplessness show. "That storm was not natural or of my control, so I can't melt the snow. Please look into hiring horses from the neighboring villages. In fact, let them know that you might need to hire them for the next few days as well."
Elsa had a feeling that their troubles were not yet over.
"It will be done." Alistair opened his mouth to say more, but was cut off by the cough of a portly bureaucrat holding a thick sheath of papers in his hands who Elsa recognized as the head economist, Johansen. His manners could use improving. Still, he was loyal and decent at his job, so Elsa rebuked herself for thinking poorly of him.
"Your highness, you must address the crop situation somehow. The farmers managed to replant their crops after the early winter destroyed them, but this second frost killed the crops again, and they don't have any more seeds. At this rate, many farmers will end up in debtors' prison and Arendelle will starve over the winter."
Johansen nervously shuffled his papers, searching in vain for a figure that didn't spell doom. Elsa frowned and gripped the bottom of her desk, where no one could see. The recovery effort had been going fairly well, but her hopes had been dashed already. If she had only not lost control at least the seeds wouldn't have been an issue.
"Prepare a tax rebate for the farmers affected and grant them an official hold on their loans for now. The bankers will have to tolerate it so long as we pay the interest in their stead." Elsa demanded as Johansen took notes. "Also, grant hunting permits for the royal hunting grounds and prepare a subsidy for food products this winter."
Economic policy, at least, was within her control. The people should be able to survive on meat, fish, and imported grains until the next harvest, though the royal coffers would take a hit. Additional hunting permits would also give the farmers some means to earn a little money. Johansen gave his thanks and left, finally granting Alistair the opportunity to speak again.
"Your highness, there is one other issue," he said slowly, betraying his reluctance to broach the topic. Elsa thought she knew what it was, and wasn't eager to hear it either, but it couldn't be put off. "Some of the guards who spent their last shift in town mentioned hearing rumors spreading throughout the city. Most people are afraid of what that storm was and what was in that carriage. And some people are saying that only you could have made that storm."
His words stabbed at her heart. She had expected it, but had, perhaps unreasonably, hoped that the people would trust her. She allowed herself to look away briefly to compose herself before returning Alistair's gaze. Seeing that he had her attention, he continued.
"I would recommend that you make a public appearance in the town square this evening and address these concerns. It would put the people at ease."
Elsa nodded as a queasy feeling entered her stomach. She didn't need to worry about hiding her powers anymore, but even now her least two favorite words were "public appearance."
"Yes, that would be for the best. Please make the arrangements."
Anna paced nervously as she waited for the last of the officials to leave Elsa's office. In the turmoil following the storm, she and Elsa hadn't been able to talk about what had happened, and Anna didn't have anyone else to confide in with Kristoff gone. She had already explained everything to Olaf, but the snowman had been unable to do anything but give her a warm hug. Which did help, Anna grinned briefly as she remembered him accidentally detaching his arm in the process, but she was also worried about her sister, and talking to her was the only way to deal with it.
Finally, the stream of people leaving the office ended and Anna took a peek inside. Her sister was alone, and slumped over her desk, which was unusual. The door was open, so Anna knocked on the doorframe. It wasn't strictly necessary since they'd adopted an open door policy after the Great Thaw, but when Elsa had a lot on her mind Anna still felt the need to knock, as though Elsa might change her mind about wanting to spend time with her sister.
"Come in, Anna," Elsa said, getting up from her desk and waving her in. "You know you don't need permission to see me anymore."
Anna stepped inside and gave her sister a hug. Elsa stiffened up and patted her on the back awkwardly, thirteen years out of practice. Anna had missed this, too, especially when their parents died and she felt more alone than ever in her life. The pain of their deaths was new all over again. She wanted to discuss it, but she couldn't address it directly. Not yet.
"Are you alright, Elsa?" She asked instead once they parted.
She looked directly in her sister's eyes, already expecting a lie. Elsa sighed.
"Not really." Hours of masking her feelings had left her too tired to lie even to support Anna.
Elsa looked away as she searched for something else to talk about before remembering a crucial detail that temporarily covered her worries.
"I should be asking you that, Anna! What were you thinking, attacking that thing? You could have been hurt!" Elsa said, waving her arm and accidentally snuffing out the lamps in the room.
She dropped her hand hastily. Anna knew she had much better control of her magic than she used to, almost never shooting ice by accident, but she couldn't help letting a little chill out sometimes.
"What was I supposed to do? He was going to hurt you! Besides, you shot ice at him." Anna crossed her arms.
"That was an accident. Anna, please. You promised you'd stay by my side, not jump in all by yourself." Elsa pleaded, taking Anna's hands. Anna looked guilty.
"Heh heh, I did, didn't I?" Anna did her best to look apologetic. She hadn't meant to break her promise, especially considering how insistent she'd been that Elsa keep their promise to be more open from now on.
"Anna, I don't like it when you do this. It was just like that time with Hans." Elsa shuddered. "I'm grateful that you want to protect me, I really am, but I'm your big sister. I know it's late to be acting like it after all these years, but I should be the one protecting you."
"You don't have to protect me, Elsa. You're my big sister, but I can take care of myself." Anna bit her lip. "But I can try to be a bit more careful from now on."
Elsa smiled in relief.
"Thank you, Anna. That's all I can expect from someone as stubborn as you." Elsa relaxed and let go of Anna's hands, flashing her a grin.
"Says the pot calling the kettle black!" Anna giggled.
They both laughed for a minute, finally letting the tension out, before they remembered the reality of their situation again.
"Elsa, I'm not a burden to you, am I?" Anna asked, her voice small.
When she looked up, she was surprised to see a fierce expression on Elsa's face, her eyebrows narrowed.
"Of course not, Anna! You worry me sometimes, but if you weren't stubborn you would be…" Elsa frowned. "Well, I can't imagine it, but my point is that it's not a bad thing. I just want you to be more careful." Anna giggled again.
"Anyway, I need to get ready to go out. I have to make a public appearance." Elsa said with barely concealed distaste as she left for her room with Anna following her.
"You make that sound like a bad thing. Didn't you like making that ice skating rink?" Anna looked up at her sister, curious.
"I didn't have to make a speech then." Elsa explained, not meeting Anna's gaze in the hope that she would leave the subject alone.
"A speech? You mean about what happened?" Anna again avoided directly discussing them. Elsa grunted. "Come on, Elsa, I know there's something else bothering you."
"It's just that I know some of them think it was me who caused that blizzard." Elsa's face was dark. "I can't blame them. I would think the same thing, if I were them. I just don't know how I'm supposed to convince them that I have everything under control when I can't even protect you." She clenched her fists.
"They can't all believe that. The people trust you, Elsa. You've worked so hard on the recovery. They know you wouldn't do that."
Anna hoped that her words were reaching her sister. Even after these three weeks, it could be hard to do so. Elsa's frown had yet to disappear.
"Even if I can convince them, I don't know if I can convince myself. What can I do if they come again?"
Elsa used the word if, but her eyes told a different story. She knew it was inevitable.
"We don't know that. They might not come again." Anna did her best to sound confident, but it came out as more like a question.
The two continued walking in silence, neither one of them able to come up with something more encouraging to say.
In the end, all Anna could do was insist on accompanying Elsa to the town square. Elsa told her that it wasn't necessary, but Anna wouldn't budge and Elsa didn't bother to argue a relatively minor point. At least Anna wouldn't be in danger this time, and to be honest, she would feel better with at least one person there who she knew didn't think she was a monster. The two of them walked side by side through the streets of Arendelle with Alistair following close by, the people making way for the royalty as they passed. The streets were still covered in snow, which ironically made the hot weather much more pleasant. Elsa smiled as she saw some children having a snowball fight. At least something good had come out of that blizzard. Alistair stopped for a moment to shield Elsa from a wayward snowball.
He had wanted to bring at least three other guards with them, but Elsa didn't want to seem intimidating. After all, the people of Arendelle had better reason to fear her than she had of them. Indeed, though many people waved friendlily towards Elsa, who made certain to smile and wave back when she could, there were others who didn't seem comfortable in the queen's presence, or who began whispering as soon as they saw her. Elsa wondered if this was what their mother had meant by showing her a glimpse of her future: one in which the fear of others ultimately destroyed her. That fear had subsided since the Great Thaw, but had Elsa been naïve? People didn't trust others that easily, especially when those others had powers like hers. Noticing her sister's wandering gaze, Anna decided to bring up the topic they'd been avoiding. It wasn't a happy topic, but they had to discuss it eventually, and now was as good a time as any since Elsa wasn't in a good mood anyway. Perhaps it would have been better to do it in private, but Alistair could be trusted and was maintaining a respectful distance.
"What are you going to tell them about what those things were?" Anna whispered, not turning her head so that hopefully no one would notice their conversation.
"I'm going to tell them most of what we know. Which isn't much." Elsa said, her smile becoming more strained, though she continued waving. "There's no need to mention what they look like for now, though. It would only confirm the rumors and cause unnecessary panic, especially considering how superstitious some people are."
Anna hesitated, fumbling with her hands, as she considered how to broach the next topic, the one she'd dreaded even thinking about.
"Elsa, what if they were really our parents? The things they said…no one else could have known them. What if our parents really thought that about us, and it's kept them in this world." Anna shuddered.
She didn't want to believe that of her parents, but what else could explain it? Perhaps she hadn't known them as well as she'd thought. They'd kept Elsa's powers secret and Elsa had shut herself off at their suggestion; who knows what else they'd been keeping from her?
"I don't know." Elsa stopped waving and frowned. "Maybe it's like in those stories, where the dead are twisted versions of the people they used to be. If they come back, we will have to ask the trolls, but I don't want to think about it until then."
Anna took the hint and stopped talking. Before long, they reached the square, where a large crowd was gathered before a wooden stage, and Alistair stepped in front of them to announce the queen's presence. Elsa stepped onto the stage in front of the crowd, took a breath to steady herself, and began to speak.
"People of Arendelle, I am here to inform you about the blizzard that arrived at noon today. We have yet to determine exactly what caused the blizzard, but since I was unable to disperse it or melt the snow, it could not have been a natural storm." Elsa paused at this point to consider her next words, and noticed that the audience was listening attentively. Hopefully that meant they believed her. "We are also taking measures to address the lost harvest. Farmers will have their loans placed on hold and receive a tax rebate. Hunting permits for the royal hunting grounds will be issued to provide extra food for the winter." Elsa noticed some scattered applause, no doubt from the farmers.
"In addition, the snow is being plowed as we speak. This year has been a difficult one, but I will not allow the people of Arendelle to come to harm. You have my word." Elsa finished and was relieved to hear applause ringing from the majority of the crowd. It could be disheartening how some people thought the worst of her, but Elsa was always surprised by how many continued to trust her despite her missteps.
She turned away and walked back down the stage to Anna, who beamed proudly at her, getting a small smile in return.
"That wasn't so bad, was it?" Anna said smugly.
Elsa suppressed the urge to roll her eyes.
"I suppose it went better than I expected." She conceded.
The two sisters were in slightly better moods when they returned to the palace and retired for the night. But in their sleep, nightmares of dead parents tormented them.
The next day, Elsa got up earlier than usual to do her paperwork and ensure that her orders were being carried out effectively. At 11:30 a.m. she took her lunch break, but instead of heading to the dining hall, she proceeded to the throne room. On the way there, she instructed two guards that she passed to head to the tower and keep an eye on the horizon. They saluted and departed. Elsa had a hunch that if they were going to arrive today, it would be at the same time, and she wanted to at least know where they were coming from. She would have asked one of them to come with her, but she still clung to the hope that those things would not come. And if they did, she did not want to get anyone else hurt. When she got to the throne room, she was surprised to see that Anna was already standing next to the throne, waiting.
"What are you doing here?" Elsa asked, eyebrows raised.
"I should be asking you that. Did you think you could just confront them without me?" Anna's hands were on her hips. Elsa smiled weakly.
"I guess I should have known better." She sat down on the throne, gripping the armrests. Sitting here made her feel lonely and sometimes uncomfortable, but it also helped her draw strength from the role she played as Queen, and she needed that strength now. "Grab a chair. With any luck, we'll be waiting for a while."
Anna lifted a chair up and promptly dropped it again, making a loud crashing sound. Elsa winced.
"Heh heh, whoops." Anna said, rubbing the back of her head.
"Do you need help with that?" Elsa asked, looking concerned.
"No, I'm good." Anna dragged the chair next to the throne and they waited.
Neither of them spoke a word despite the awkward silence, as though they thought it would jinx them. They needn't have bothered, because at noon another blizzard swept over Arendelle.
Again dark storm clouds blocked out the sun, and again heavy snowfall blinded all who were unfortunate enough to be outside. The royal carriage creaked as it passed through the roads, heading inexorably towards the palace. The figures inside cast twisted shadows as they spoke with the voices of the damned. How many more times would this happen, the onlookers wondered. Would the kingdom ever be freed from this curse? There was no relief in sight, as the carriage once more passed through the gates unimpeded and the dead King and Queen entered the palace. All the torches and lamps inside flickered and died.
Elsa was still gripping the armrests of the throne as the doors blew open and they stepped inside, barely visible in the darkness of the storm. The chill cut Elsa to the core. She was unused to being bothered by the cold. They stayed in the shadows once more as they stepped closer, closer, and closer. Elsa's breath quickened. She really should not have allowed Anna to stay here.
"Stay back!" Elsa commanded as sternly as she could, standing from the throne.
She was surprised when they stopped. But then they stepped forward again, as if mocking her.
"Elsa, why haven't you listened?" Her father spoke first, circling around her. Elsa turned, unwilling to show her back to him. "You're putting this kingdom at risk. You are putting your sister at risk."
"Why are you doing this?" Elsa choked on a sob. "Why can't you just leave us be? You shouldn't be here." Her father tsked.
"You are asking me that? Elsa, why won't you let your parents rest in peace? This would all be so much easier for all of us if you just listened." Her father looked disapprovingly at her, as he would on the rare occasion that she did something naughty as a child. Anna clenched her fists.
"We're not going to do what you want! Haunt someplace else!" Anna stood as well, waving her arm angrily at him.
"You too, Anna." Her mother spoke. The two of them circled their children, and Anna and Elsa instinctively moved to put their backs to each other. "You have been encouraging Elsa to ignore us, haven't you? We had hoped that a simple warning would be enough, but we should have known better. It seems the two of you together are simply too dangerous."
"It would be better for everyone if you were apart." They both spoke, and they suddenly lunged, faster than Anna or Elsa could react, grabbing Anna's arms in their freezing grips and pulling her back.
They began to slowly drag her towards the doors, hindered by Anna's ceaseless flailing.
"Let go of me! Elsa! Help me!" Anna screamed.
She attempted to kick them, but couldn't land a hit without leverage. Elsa's eyes were wide with horror. She couldn't even use her ice without fear of hurting Anna.
"Wait! Wait!" Elsa ran forward, nearly tripping as she tried to keep up.
Tears fell from her eyes. "Please, I'll do everything you asked, just please, don't take Anna away. Please." Elsa was wracked by rasping sobs as she spread her arms, begging for mercy.
"Elsa, no! You can't give in to them!" Anna yelled, but she was ignored. Her parents dropped her on the floor and stepped back.
"We'll be watching." Her father said, looking down at Anna, and a harsh, blinding wind blew. When it ceased, they were gone, and the sun returned.
Elsa rushed forward, lifting Anna up and hugging her, still sobbing. Anna hugged her back, too shocked to cry.
"Elsa, you didn't mean that, did you? We can't go back to the way we used to live." Anna pleaded once Elsa had regained control.
She stepped back from the hug and searched Elsa's eyes, but found an expression that was both regretful and unyielding. This Elsa might not be closed off from her, but she could not be budged.
"I'm sorry, Anna, but I can't risk any harm coming to you. If we can't come up with a solution, then tomorrow the gates will close."