I am really sorry for the delay again! Unfortunately it might be the norm with the way my schedule's looking. Anyways, time for part 2 of that chapter! Thank you again for all the reviews and follows.

Anna was unable to get to sleep. Even though she hadn't slept for well over 48 hours, she still was unable to rest. Thoughts and memories kept rushing though her head; she had given up laying on her bed and counting reindeer. All of this was tinged with sadness. Elsa should be here. The two had been separated for many years, so one would think that another couple days wouldn't make much of a difference. Anna tried to convince herself of this, but was simply unable to. Even the brief contact the sisters had had was enough to touch the princess deeply. For the longest time, Anna had held Elsa in the highest esteem, even though she had almost never seen her. Her memories of her sister consisted of playing together in their youth, then years of shut doors. Normally she would wait for a few minutes a day for her sister, hoping beyond hope that the handle would turn and she would finally see her sister. However, on Elsa's birthday, Anna waited for hours, just talking without expecting a response. After a time, the door had begun to become Elsa in her mind in some strange way; she hadn't seen her sister in so long she only had vague memories of platinum blonde hair and blue, blue eyes. Some may have taken this constant rejection hard, but not the princess. She had elevated her big sister to such a high status in her mind that Elsa was incapable of any wrongdoing. Stemming from this was the thought that perhaps Anna herself had done something wrong that caused her sister to lock herself away from her. The thought saddened her greatly, and it wasn't until the coronation ball that she realized the real reason. In that moment, when the new queen had cast her magic for the first time before her sister, everything came together for Anna.

Ever since the coronation, her emotions had been in turmoil. The realization that she wasn't at fault for her sister's self-imposed exile – at least the one in her childhood – sent her feelings into upheaval. On one hand, she was relieved that she hadn't hurt her sister. Right on the heels of that was a deep sadness, that Elsa was still blaming herself for something that had happened years ago and kept all that guilt and hurt buried inside, sealing it away from everyone, possibly even herself. The admiration for her older sister was still there, but joining it was something akin to pride, that her sister had command – at least somewhat – over snow and ice. Overarching all of this was a love for Elsa that was so deep it almost seemed elemental. It seemed to Anna to be one of the cornerstones of her existance: that the reason – partly at least – for her to be on this earth was to love her sister. She thought it must have begun when they played together, and her admiration for her sister and her talents had morphed into love at some point before Elsa had locked herself away, and then been compounded by the time spent apart. This love was a pure, selfless, giving love that is so rarely found. Not to say that Anna found her sister unattractive; far from it. Rather, her love was so much more than just a feeling. The princess had come to the realization some months ago that if it came to it, she would be willing to die for her sister.

Anna looked over to the stables where Kristoff had just led Sven. I hope he'll be alright – they seem to have a great – albeit kinda weird – friendship. She then turned towards the castle and walked through the doors that Hans' body had just been pulled through. The trail of blood had faded to a pathway of droplets once it entered the castle; the doctor had rebandaged the prince once he came in. Not wanting to confront the man, even if he was unconscious, she worked her way up stairs and through halls until she reached the hallway her and Elsa's rooms were located on. The princess paused outside her sister's room, then gingerly turned the handle and entered the one room in the castle she had never been in before. Instantly, Anna was struck by the austerity of the room. Other than a single painting of their parents that hung opposite her sister's bed, nothing adorned the walls. From her position in the doorway, she could see outside the massive window that took up almost the entirety of the far wall. The room even smelled like her sister; fresh like the first snowfall of the season, with a hint of sharp mint. Anna's surroundings made her sad somehow. Elsa stayed in here all the time? I would go crazy. There's nothing to do! There was of course a small bookshelf near the bed, but a quick glance at it revealed titles such as "The Legacy of King Ulfric III" and "A Geographical History of Arendelle and the Surrounding Country." Gross. With a sigh, she left the room and closed the door behind her.

The princess knew there was no way she was going to be able to get to sleep in her present state of mind, no matter how tired she was, so she did what she did whenever she had such a mentality. Down the stairs at the other end of the hall and to the right was a small chapel, installed by the girls' father just after Elsa had been born. King Adgar had been a devout Catholic, and he had instilled the same faith in his daughters. Upon their parents' deaths, however, Anna fell away. She couldn't understand how a caring God would allow such a thing to happen – leaving the two girls orphaned, and forcing the responsibility of ruler down upon Elsa's shoulders years early. She had no idea how her sister took it, other than lock herself in her room more often; the servants talked about how Elsa didn't even come out for meals – she had them brought up to her. However, whenever a situation's circumstances grew to be too much, or her emotions threatened to overwhelm her, the princess went to the chapel. The room brought her back to simpler, peaceful times when her parents were still alive. It had room for only a few pews, and had two stained glass windows flanking the altar, located on the back wall. The one on the left was an image of St. Francis of Assisi, the king's patron saint, and to the right was the Blessed Mother. Upon entering the small room, Anna looked around briefly, then sat in a pew against the wall. I know we're not really on speaking terms, but I just hope Elsa's alright. If you would – hell, if you're even listening – keep an eye on her. Please? I know I haven't done much to endear myself to you, but just – please. Make sure she's safe.

After continuing this looping train of thoughts for a few minutes, she cut herself off. The princess was beginning to feel out of place, thinking to a supernatural entity in an empty room. She stood and walked out, closing the door behind her. Almost instantly, she ran into the Duke of Weselton, who was walking rapidly down the hall, nearly knocking him over in the process.

"P-Princess Anna?" he exclaimed, regaining his balance. "We-we heard you were dead!"

"I'm so sorry! Wait – who said I was dead? Was it Hans?" Anna's eyes narrowed.

"Yes. I take it that you're not, though. What happened?"

"Well, it –" Anna paused. "You know what? I'd rather tell everyone at once. Gather everyone who Hans was in direct communication with and bring them to the throne room. I'll explain everything there." The princess was shocked at her commanding tone and language, but she didn't feel a need to apologize. Especially to this odd man.

"A-alright your highness." The duke walked away quickly to the point of almost running, looking back every few steps as if to make certain that he wasn't seeing things and Anna was actually there.

The redhead sighed. I didn't really mean to say it like that – but it did get the job done. I guess this whole ruling thing sneaks up on you. She continued down the hall after the duke, stopping and looking up when she passed by a painting of her parents. After the customary month of dark drapery covering them, all such paintings were once more allowed to gaze upon the halls of the castle. What would they think of Elsa now? What would they think of me? I hope they'd be proud. Anna remained there for a few more moments, pleasant memories – what few there were – of the three of them together dancing through her mind, then resumed her journey to the throne room.

By the time the princess had reached the room, all the foreign dignitaries were already there. They had been talking before Anna had arrived, but upon her entrance, all turned and bowed. She blushed lightly at the attention, then continued across the room and stopped in front of the throne.

She cleared her throat. "Um- Hi gentlemen," she began hesitatingly, giving a brief cheery wave at the assembled men. Some of them blinked, others shifted uncomfortably. She continued. "You may have heard from a certain prince that I was dead. Clearly, heh, as you can tell, that is not the case. Now I haven't been told the full story of what you heard, so if someone could, well, enlighten me, that would be awesome."

They continued looking at her for an uncomfortable moment until a tall, skinny man with dark hair and a large nose stepped forward.

"Princess Anna, Prince Hans told us that your sister killed you." The small smile that was customarily on Anna's face disappeared. "He said that you two said your vows before you died, though."

"We most certainly did not! I can't believe I ever trusted that –" She cut herself off before she said something she would regret gathered herself, then continued. "Prince Hans wants to rule Arendelle himself, using whatever means necessary. He almost killed me on the fjord." Anna let that sink in, watching the men's reactions, which ranged from shock – the skinny man – to something akin to disappointment – the duke. "Well, long story short, Hans is seriously hurt, possibly dying, right now. The doctor's looking after him, but I don't know how he's doing. If he does recover, though, he will immediately be put under arrest." She didn't mention Sven, considering they didn't know him. And even if I told them, they probably wouldn't even care.

"It doesn't look good."

That was the man's verdict upon inspecting Sven. "Of course, I'll do what I can, but there's not really much I can do for head injuries."

Kristoff was in shock. He had been ever since he had caught sight of his best friend's mutilated face. The doctor had injected the reindeer with copious amounts of morphine so that he could do his work.

"The wounds themselves aren't dangerous – except for the eye. I'll need to watch that closely. Rather, it's the infections that can come from such injuries," the doctor continued.

"But... he'll make it, right?" Kristoff said woodenly.

"I can't make any guarantees. However, this one's young and healthy – he ought to pull through."

At least there's some good news. "Thank you," he said.

"Of course," the man said, distracted, his attention already back on Sven.

Flash

"C'mon, Sven!"

Kristoff had just finished pushing his block of ice onto their little sled; the reindeer was already harnessed in front. We need to catch up with the guys! By the time the two of them had already made it to the top of the icy rise, the group of ice harvesters was already at the bottom of the slope and moving quickly. He wasn't worried about being left behind, since Sven and him knew their way around the woods already. Rather, he wanted to get to know the men better. It was his dream to be an ice harvester, and had become an apprentice of sorts to the group.

Sven and Kristoff entered the forest where the harvesters had, following the downtrodden grass trail the men had left. As they were travelling, the boy heard galloping horses, coming fast. He stopped at the edge of a small clearing – and was almost trampled by a pair of horses, one of which was trailing –

"Ice?" No way! Quickly, he detached Sven from the sled and hopped on his back. "Let's go!" The reindeer hurried off down the trail of ice, Kristoff bouncing on his back. They were being led to a place he had never been before, deep in the wooded foothills of the mountains. As the duo was coming to an opening in the rock in front of them, he could see the horsemen dismounting beyond the entrance. Kristoff hopped off of Sven's back, not wanting to be known he had been following these people. The reindeer, of course, continued on its way.

"Sven!" the boy called, and the young reindeer rounded the corner towards Kristoff's voice. They crept up onto a rise overlooking a depression in the ground, and saw who the horsemen were. It's the king and queen! And – the princesses!

Flash

"C'mon, Sven! Let's get it!"

The pair was headed to a new lake, untouched by a harvester's blade. So far, at least. The patch of ice was nestled high in the foothills of the mountains, just below the treeline. Recently, the trolls he had been growing up with were beginning to get under his skin to an extent. He still loved them and was appreciative of all they had done, raising him, but Kristoff was growing restless, as all men of that age do. It had been years since he had sunk his blade into fresh ice, and was itching for a chance to do so. So as soon as he had finished his chores around the cave he lived in with Bulda, his adoptive mother, he hopped on his sled and started out to this lake. As far as he knew, only the trolls knew about it, which explained why the harvesters hadn't reached that ice yet.

As the duo approached their destination, Sven began letting out moans of excitement.

"Woah, boy!" The reindeer skidded to a stop, the sled whipping around to his right. Kristoff jumped off, saw in hand, and jogged to the frozen shore. As soon as his boots hit the ice, he stopped churning his legs, allowing the minimal friction between his feet and the ground to slow him to a stop, which turned out to be a good twenty yards from shore. Once he slid to a halt, the young man raised the saw above his head and with a yell, plunged it into the ice between his feet. He quickly slowed down to a more steady rhythm, and within minutes had produced two parallel lines forty yards long, five feet apart. He made the cuts at either end of the lines to create a long rectangular block of ice, then proceeded to cut perpendicular to his original lines every five feet or so, making enormous ice cubes.

Once he had harvested that line of ice, he secured it on his sled, then hopped on behind his product. What he had learned during his brief stint as an apprentice ice harvester was that when any new location was being reaped of ice, they collected a sample and brought it to the market for the people to see. The ice from each lake was similar, but unique – slight variances in the mineral content of the water and the location of the sources led to the small changes in texture and hint of flavor. There was a lake rumored to be hidden on the western slopes of the North Mountain, with waters so pure one could see clear to the bottom even at night. He disregarded these as exaggerations, but it was still his goal to make it there one day and see for himself.

The closest city or village of any significance was Arendelle, so he pointed Sven in that direction and they took off. In fact, Monchstad was closer, but only two hundred and fifty people or so lived in the small foresting community, so he didn't consider the one hour travel difference worthwhile, especially since Arendelle had well over seven thousand inhabitancts within the city walls. Upon reaching said walls, they notified the guards at the gate of their presence, then continued in. Every time Kristoff visited the capital, it seemed that ten new buildings had sprung up in his absence. One that caught his eye was a store specializing in climbing supplies. I gotta check that out! Business first, though. When the pair arrived in the town square, he stopped then began to announce his arrival. This consisted of shouting, yelling, waving his arms, and basically doing everything he could to draw attention to himself and his sled as he could in the noisy, crowded marketplace. Kristoff succeeded in attracting a handful of customers who each took home a chunk of ice that he chipped off of the larger blocks. He managed to convince a few to even purchase an entire block each. In the distance, he caught sight of a royal guard approaching toward him. Right next to him was -

"P-Princess Anna!" he stuttered out as the pair neared, bowing.

"Hi! Oh – good afternoon," the redhead said as she recovered her stately bearing. "Are you new here? I mean, I don't think I've seen you before. Of course, Arendelle is kinda big, but still."

"No, your highness – I actually live outside the city, but came in today to, well, sell ice," Kristoff explained, gesturing toward his sled. Sven lowed.

"Aw, he's so cute! What's his name?" Anna asked as she stroked his face.

"It's Sven – we pretty much grew up together," he replied.

"Princess Anna, may I remind you we have a limited time here," the guard stated.

Anna gave an apologetic look to the ice carver. "Sorry. Um – could we have a sample to take back to the castle?"

"What? Oh – yea- yes, your highness, of course!" Kristoff quickly grabbed his pick and hacked off a section of a block, handing it to the girl.

"Thank you, kind sir," Anna said with an exaggerated air and a curtsy.

"My pleasure, your highness," he replied, bowing again. The ice harvester watched as the princess and her guard threaded through the crowd that split at their passing, headed towards the castle. Kristoff couldn't take his eyes off of her as they walked off. Sven nudged his side and grunted.

"Shut up."

Flash

"Sir? Sir?" The doctor shook Kristoff out of his reverie. He looked up and met the doctor's eyes.

"How is he? How is Sven?"

The doctor sighed. "He – he's alive." Kristoff let out a breath he didn't realize he had been holding.

"Thank you."

"Don't thank me yet," the man warned. The ice harvester stood up.

"What?"

"I had to – he," the doctor began.

"WHAT!" Kristoff thundered.

"Go and see," the man said wearily. Kristoff hurried over to his friend in the next room, then came to a sudden halt, nearly toppling over.

"SVEN!" he cried. The right side of the reindeer's face was covered with a metal plate, covering even the eye. Kristoff rushed over and threw his arms around his best friend. The reindeer moaned weakly.

"I had to remove his eye due to its wound – there was nothing I could do for it. I'm sorry."

"But he's alright now, right? There's no chance for infection, is there?" His voice came muffled, as the man's face was buried in fur.

"Well, no. But the metal has to stay on, or untold problems could arise."

Kristoff rose and strode over to the doctor and clasped his hand firmly. "Thank you so much – I don't know what I would do if I lost him."

Anna had retreated to the sanity of her room after the meeting ended, unable to handle any more cynicism for the day. Christ Almighty – I can't believe they thought this would somehow be good for the kingdom! She shook her head at the memory, then sat with a poof on the bed. Lowering her head into her arms, the princess' thoughts turned to her sister. How can she stay up there? No one wants to really be alone. This must be killing her. Anna didn't really have much of an idea as to why Elsa chose to remain in exile out on the North Mountain, but she was sure the elder sibling had her reasons. Two thoughts struck her at once. She needs someone to talk to. And I should go visit her! The memory of her last visit loomed in her mind, dark and foreboding. What's the worst that can happen? If she freezes my heart again, I can just get Kristoff to kiss me again.

The princess had been able to keep the ice harvester from her mind for a while, but with that, Kristoff rushed to the forefront of her thinking. In all honesty, she wasn't really sure what to think. On one hand, Anna was supremely grateful that the man had saved her life and done everything within his power to keep her safe. He had guided her up the mountain, saved (kinda) her from the snow giant, took her to the trolls, and raced back to Arendelle to watch her leave him, possibly forever. On the other hand, though – he isn't Elsa. Anna's train of thought screeched to a halt. Wait – what? Of course she loved her sister, but like the way Kristoff loved her? Well, I would do anything for her. But – she's my sister! What the hell?! She shook her head, red locks flipping about her head, trying to put that line of thought out of her head, but it merely receded into the background.

Filled with a sudden excitement for her impending excursion, the princess grabbed a bag from her room and threw an extra cloak in it. I get to actually prepare for this trip. She then walked down to the kitchens, servants stepping out of their way and bowing all along her path. Upon reaching her destination, she looked around for any sort of food fit for a journey. Anna ended up taking a hunk of bread and a couple links of landjäger. Thinking about it more, she also grabbed another link and a few hefty slices of cheese to (hopefully) share with her sister. Having gathered all she could until her excitement got the better of her, she left the castle and ran out toward the stables, bag in hand.

As soon as she entered the low wooden building Anna caught sight of Kristoff.

"Kristoff! How is he? Is Sven okay?" Her eyes had grown to the size of saucers when the princess saw him.

"He's alive, but – well, he's kinda got a metal plate on his head," the man said without emotion.

"Oh my God! Where – what – how big is it?" Anna's words came rushing out.

"It covers pretty much the entire side of his face," Kristoff said, gesturing to his own face as he spoke. "He-" He paused, tightening his lips and furrowing his brow. "It'll take some time for him to recover and get used to the thing. That bastard!" he shot out, furious.

"Kristoff – Hans is still in the castle. He's recovering, but then he'll be locked up and put on trial. Justice will be dealt," Anna reassured him.

The man looked at her with dark eyes. "I want to see that man dead," he ground out.

"That very well may happen," she said, "but it needs to be lawful." Thank God I'm not tripping over my words – I need to make sure he doesn't go all vigilante on Hans' ass. Kristoff merely grunted and turned away, walking back over to Sven and sitting on a stool near his right leg. Anna gazed sadly at the two, then turned back to her original purpose to come to the stables: to find a horse. Which she promptly did because after all, it was a freaking stable. A stable hand was nearby, and had her saddle fixed on her horse within minutes. Anna mounted, placing her provisions in the left saddlebag. As she left the stable, she turned right, as was her custom when riding out, but then realized that the goddamn fjord's still frozen and simply rode the way she had earlier. As she neared the gate, she caught sight of Olaf – the snowman had completely slipped her mind once she had entered the castle.

"Olaf! I'm going to visit Elsa – want to tag along?"

The snowman chortled. "Of course! Wait - " he gasped. "Does this mean we'll bring back summer?" He gazed at Anna with massive eyes.

The girl laughed. "That's the plan!"

Olaf cheered. "Well let's get going!" He hopped on the back of the horse, which reared slightly at the sensation, but Anna rapidly regained control and began their journey out of the gate. Their path took them near where Sven and Hans had clashed, marked by a massive puddle of frozen blood. She lowered her head at the memory, then looked up with determination at the opposite shore, and beyond, her destination.

The sun was peeking over the eastern mountains by the time Anna had reached Oaken's shop.

"Yoo hoo! Ooh – welcome back! That – ah – friend of yours isn't here, is he?" the enormous man asked, fingers waggling at chest level as he talked.

"Kristoff? No, he's not. He's – well, long story." Anna knew if she started, she wouldn't stop, and she just needed to see Elsa. Speaking of – as she opened her mouth to speak, Oaken continued.

"There was a girl in here looking in for you, you know," he said. He looked up briefly as if remembering something. "Ah, thin, blonde hair – I gave her some food. She seemed very hungry – I gave her some from my own supply. As you can see, we're all out of foodstuffs for sale." He waved his hand apologetically at the empty shelves behind her. Oh Elsa! I am so glad I'm bringing you something to eat.

"Oh, it's fine. I actually just topped by to, um, just warm up I guess?"

"Ooh! Okay, well, take your time. There is a sauna, you know! Yoo hoo family!" How long have they been in that room?

"Thank you, but, um, I should really get going, you know?" Anna said with a smile. Right then, the door opened again.

"Wow! This building is warm – and so bright! Hey Anna, what's a sauna?" The snowman waddled forward, speaking the last word slowly, sounding it out.

"Olaf! This is Mr. Oaken – he owns this shop." She gestured back to Oaken sitting behind the counter. The man for his part had frozen with his hand in midair, partway through his customary wave, instead letting out a weak "yoo hoo" at this visitor's entrance. "Oh – um, well, a sauna is-" then she remembered what a sauna in fact was and who she was talking to. I can't be held up. Anna continued. "A sauna is like a storeroom where they store cheeses and meats and stuff."

"Oh, okay." Olaf continued looking around the store, and dropped the subject. Thank you.

"Well, Mr. Oaken, thank you again – but we should really be going. Bye!" The princess walked out, grabbing Olaf's hand in the process. Luckily, the rest of the snowman followed.

Once outside, the pair remounted, and they continued their journey to the North Mountain.

"Hey Anna! What are we going to do once we see Elsa again? I mean, she kinda threw us out last time. Well, it wasn't really her – it was Marshmallow – and while it was fun flying through the air and everything I'm not saying it was something I really want to repeat-" Anna cut him off, laughing.

"Olaf! Actually, I don't really know. All I've done is bring food – she's been up there for days already; she's got to be hungry. Hopefully, we can work something out." And not get thrown out again. Even though Anna was almost painfully optimistic as to the upcoming encounter, she couldn't get the events that had transpired at their last meeting out of her head.

Partway up the mountain, her horse began whickering and snorting. "What is it?" Anna began looking around the lightening surroundings. The trees were not much more than tall dark smudges, but she was beginning to be able to discern branches and bushes.

"Anna?" Olaf asked. "Is something wrong?"

"I – I don't know..." she said softly. Suddenly, her horse stopped dead in its tracks, then took off at a canter from the scene, nearly throwing Anna and Olaf from the saddle. "Woah!"

It took a couple of minutes to calm the horse down, but once they had done so, she began recognizing the terrain. "Come on," the princess said cheerily, trying to lighten the suddenly dampened mood. "We have places to be."

Olaf returned to his previous state. "Yeah! Let's go get Elsa and bring back summer!" Anna grinned. Within minutes, the castle came into view on the side of the mountain, the sun reflecting off its facets and angles. It's beautiful – just like Elsa. Wait – no. She's my sister. Elsa is my sister. Unwilling to start down that path, especially when she was about to see her sibling, Anna pushed it down again. Once they reached the bridge in front of the castle, though, Anna realized something was different. For starters, the bridge was a mere shadow of its previous glory. I mean, it works, but I liked the old one better. Without a second thought she dismounted, grabbed her bag of food and crossed the span of the gorge, Olaf close behind. Once she reached the door, the princess paused. She began second-guessing her decision to come up her again. She seemed really angry last time – I probably shouldn't even have came. Well, Anna, you're here now, so you damn well ought to make the most of it. Anna drew in a deep breath, let it out, and after briefly looking down at Olaf for reassurance, rapped her knuckles sharply against the ice.

Holy Moses the word count is blowing up. But the plot is moving forward, as is the Elsanna goodness – do y'all want to see more movement plot-wise or keep it the way it is going with thoughts and details? I won't know unless you review ;) . Also, in reviewing this I noticed the continuity of the chapter is a bit out of whack – basically the first segment is a look into Anna's thoughts/feelings and isn't really placed anywhere chronologically. Or maybe it takes place over the entire chapter. Take your pick. Oh and don't worry – the lovable Hans returns next chapter.

Landjäger – German/Swiss dried sausage. It's pretty good. They probably imported it – this is the nineteenth century, folks.

Update as of 25 December – Had to correct a few details here to keep in line with other edits. Chapter 5 still ought to be up sometime next week.