A/N: Thanks to everyone who's followed/favorited and/or is reading but not reviewing!:)

Thanks to CieloFede for beta-ing!:)

princessdianaofparadiseisland-Yes, Elsa should have let Anna explain, but her mind just jumped to (what was to her) the most likely reasoning.:/ Olaf is in the cellar. And the hurricane is still going on.:)

johnpatgillespie-Thanks for the review! Elsa isn't quite ready to say her speech yet, but she will soon. Promise.:)

dmcreif-Yep! Just "my" Frozen Fever will be in the winter since the girls' birthdays are reversed in my story-verse.:) Elsa's better now, but she's still easily upset.:/

BellaCullen931-I just couldn't see Elsa enjoying a party in her own honor with a zillion people around. So she gets a family type party instead.:) I'm glad you liked Elsa's presents.:)

raven678-I'm glad you're enjoying it!:) Here's the next chapter.:)

Protoestrella1-It always bugged me that Anna had two dolls (one of which looks like Elsa...) and little Elsa had none. I thought Elsa might have left her doll with Anna after the accident. Little Elsa had to grow up way too fast. Which is why twenty-one-year-old Elsa is older than her age in some ways and younger than her age in others.:/ I'm glad you liked Elsa's party!:)

Fatten Saad-Let's all give Elsa a great big hug. She deserves it.:) Lol, that's mean, but it sounds funny.:P That would have been about the absolute worst thing Anna could do to Elsa if that was really what she'd done.:/ Here's the next update!:)

On to the story! (And please excuse the meh chapter title...:))

Early the next morning, Elsa jerked awake, sensing that something was wrong. A single lamp sent a dim flickering light around the cellar, making everything appear distorted and spooky. And…wet?! Elsa closed her eyes and concentrated on her inner connection to the hurricane outside. A flood! She hopped up, carefully put all her presents in the box her dolls had been in, and ran over to the wall. Water ran in a steady stream down to the floor. Elsa jumped back when she stepped in a large puddle on the floor. Just then, something crashed somewhere above, and another leak opened up. Now water was gushing into the cellar, and Elsa backed away, her blue eyes wide. This place is going to flood! We could drown in here! Elsa began shaking her sister roughly, shouting to everyone else that they needed to wake up. "Anna, please! You have to get up! It's flooding down here!"

Suddenly realizing she might be able to halt the flooding at least in the cellar anyways, Elsa quickly sealed both leaks with ice; then let the ice spread over all four walls of the cellar, leaving the cellar an impenetrable icy hideout. Safe. But what about the rest of Arendelle?! There could be mudslides or something coming down from the mountains! And…and… "And I can help," she whispered.

"You can help what?" Anna asked sleepily.

Elsa's expression grew determined as she gave her sister a hug. "My country's people are in trouble. I c-can help. I know I can…somehow," she said quietly. Traces of fear remained in her voice, but she sounded much more confident now. Elsa knew she could help; she just needed to pull herself together and do it.

"What's going on?" Anna asked in confusion. "Why's there ice all over the walls?"

"It was flooding in here, Anna. If it's flooding in h-here, what do you think it's like in the rest of Arendelle? Not everyone has a c-cellar like we do," Elsa explained. I have to help! I don't know exactly how, but I know I can do something!

Anna frowned. "Elsa, what exactly are you going to do? It's still dark outside; you're hurt; and you can't possibly help everyone in the country fast enough!"

"I don't care! I can at least help s-some of Arendelle's citizens; I know I can. I'll be fine, Anna-I'm n-not incapacitated or anything," Elsa replied. She hugged her sister one last time before climbing up the ladder leading out of the cellar. "I promise I'll be back!" Elsa called down into the cellar.

Using her powers to create a blue glow in her hand for a lamp, Elsa quickly made her way through the castle to the main entrance. Elsa's heart pounded, and she still wasn't sure exactly what she was going to do about whatever she encountered outside. And what on earth was she thinking, going outside in the middle of a hurricane?! She was apt to literally get blown away or something. Maybe she should just go back and hide out in the cellar.

Elsa jerked the main entrance door open and stepped outside into the howling storm. Oddly enough, the storm did not scare her in the least-it was the knowledge that she wasn't sure how to help that unnerved her. A branch whipped through the air, and Elsa dropped flat on her tummy to safety…and slipped down the steps into three inches of water all over the courtyard. She bit back a scream and scrambled to her feet, the water lapping at her ankles. Elsa remade her blue glow and held it high above her head, trying to see the extent of the water. "It just gets worse the farther out it is!" she shouted into the storm.

I know what I can do. I think… Splashing through the water toward the gate, Elsa immediately slipped and fell again. Elsa struggled back to her feet and rubbed her sore shoulder. The water seemed to have a strong current that pulled at her legs, and as the water grew deeper, it was harder to stand up in it. While Elsa had her powers, she was otherwise a small girl with no strength against forces like that. The strong winds buffeted her about, and while she knew she could just make an ice bubble, that made her unable to actually do anything else. If I make ice on top of this water, I'm going to get dumped right off because the water is so rough… Elsa slipped out of the castle walls into deeper water that had to have been over a foot deep and shuddered as something slippery brushed against her legs. Without thinking, she bent and grabbed for the something…and came up holding a very disgruntled snake.

A quick look with her blue glow lamp told her that the animal was harmless, so Elsa didn't mind holding it. When she was little, she had loved finding little green garter snakes in the garden and chasing her sister, who hated snakes but loved practically every other creature they found, with them. Elsa yelped and dropped the snake when the irritated creature bit her hand; grew scared for a moment, thinking she was poisoned or something; then remembered the snake had been harmless and went back to her original mission.

Facing out to the fjord, Elsa "picked up" a huge ball of ice from the flowing floodwater and threw it into the fjord. Target accomplished! Elsa smiled and did the same thing again and again. Realizing she was making no headway, Elsa simply froze all of the floodwater solid and went walking in the direction where it had been flowing from-the mountains. I froze Arendelle by accident. I can fix Arendelle now. I know I can.

As the sky grew lighter, Elsa felt much more at ease with what she was doing now that she could see more easily. The sky remained droopy and gray, and it did not stop dumping rain; but at least it was light outside now. Elsa's platinum hair annoyingly stuck to the back of her neck; her shoulder ached; and she felt like a soaked cat or something, she was so wet. Elsa didn't mind going swimming, but this was definitely not the same thing. I need to find some way to get all this ice into the fjord…as water. I think. Wait a minute…if I can get up to the North Mountain, I can 'move' the storm and ice up there and let it blizzard up there and fizzle out on its own! I made it blizzard all over Arendelle before, so I know I'm strong enough to do that. I just need to stay in control.

Elsa kept up a fast pace as she speed-walked toward the North Mountain. She could hear water flowing under the ice she was walking on, which creeped her out. How much floodwater was coming down from the hills and mountains?! What if there's a mudslide or something? I have to keep my eyes peeled… Elsa kept going, set on her mission.

A suspicious rumbling startled her a while later. Elsa glanced ahead of her to see small rocks beginning to tumble down the slope towards her. A second later, the ground shook, and a torrent of mud, branches, and who knew what else poured down the slope. On instinct, Elsa scrunched her eyes shut and threw out her hands, forming a huge ice wall in front of her. Please hold…please hold…come on, Elsa. Did it work? She risked a glance just in time to see the entire wall slowly sliding towards her. The ice I'm standing on isn't the same as the ice wall! That's why it's slipping! Running parallel with the wall, she quickly sealed the wall to the ice on the ground…or rather, the ice allowing her to walk on the floodwaters. Safe. Okay, Elsa, now what?

Elsa frowned and rubbed her aching shoulder again, trying to figure out how to get past the halted mudslide. Her ice wall had stopped it in its tracks, yes; but it also blocked her 'shortcut' path up the North Mountain. "I'll have to go over it," she muttered to herself. Elsa brushed her wet hair out of her face and went to work. A simple staircase to the top of the ice wall. Then a narrow icy path that simply led her over the mudslide and the treetops straight to the summit.

An hour later, Elsa was right outside her ice palace. This place makes me feel more sure of myself. I can do this. I made my ice palace; I can direct the storm. I know I can. Elsa closed her eyes, concentrating on her connection to the storm. Wind speed has dropped slightly. Traveling speed…30 miles per hour. Wait…I know the hurricane is moving forwards at a specific speed?! Wow. Okay…reverse direction. Is it silly to name a storm? I don't care. Hurricane Elsa, come up here. Come up here now. Elsa could somehow feel the storm reacting with her movements and thoughts as she held out her hands, as if she were pulling the storm towards her. Elsa's shoulder screamed in protest, but she didn't budge. You can do this, Elsa. It's working! She grinned as the rain changed to sleet and then snow as the huge storm changed its course toward her. Elsa backed up onto the staircase leading to the entrance to her ice palace. She would retreat inside once the storm was trained directly on the summit.

Concentrating with all her strength, Elsa closed her eyes again and concentrated on shrinking the now-wintery storm so it only wreaked havoc on the North Mountain. My ice palace can withstand a strong storm. I know it can. Almost there…come on, Elsa, just a bit more… She shook her head against the wave of exhaustion that washed over her. "I can do this!" she shouted into the swirling snow. "I can! I know I can!"

Contained on the North Mountain, the storm seemed to say, although it was just Elsa's 'sixth sense' telling her that was the case. Elsa sighed in relief and nearly collapsed the second she retreated inside her ice palace. "I did it! I really did…" Elsa's voice trailed off and she let herself slump to the floor and promptly fell asleep. I did something good, and caused a storm...well, sort of. I just moved it and turned it into a winter one. Amazing.

Elsa blinked tiredly up at…something a short while later. Oh. It's Marshmallow. That's okay. She felt so, so exhausted, but also very relieved and contented. There would be a big clean-up job to take care of back in Arendelle, but everyone was safe. Somehow she was absolutely, positively certain of that. I'll stay here until I feel refreshed enough to walk back. I'd probably collapse or fall asleep on my feet if I tried to get back anytime soon. Plus I have to wait for the storm to die out.

"ELSA LOOKS TIRED. SHE DID GOOD JOB," Marshmallow rumbled.

Elsa smiled a bit and slowly sat up. "Thank you, Marshmallow. I am exhausted…I think I'll go upstairs and s-sleep for awhile," she said quietly. Elsa pushed herself to her feet and winced at the pressure on her injured shoulder. I hope I didn't make it worse. Well, even if I did, I helped my country. I don't care. She sighed and climbed upstairs to the icy bedroom adjoining the main room with the snowflake-designed floor on the second level of the palace.

"MARSHMALLOW KEEP WATCH FOR ELSA. SLEEP SAFE. NO BREAK-IN THIS TIME," Marshmallow assured her.

"Thank you. I know there won't be," Elsa replied, giving her snow creature a slightly lopsided smile. It's still storming outside, so no one's going to come up here. But I'm glad Marshmallow is here with me.

Elsa had no idea how long she had slept when she woke up to Anna gently shaking her non-injured shoulder. "A…Anna?" she asked sleepily. Then, "What time is it?! Is Arendelle okay? I-"

Anna smiled at Elsa and gathered her into her arms. "You left super early in the morning yesterday. It's around eleven A.M. right now. And everyone's so proud of you for what you did. Arendelle would have been devastated by all that flooding and that mudslide if you hadn't gone out in the storm and intervened. There's a lot of cleanup to be done, but no one drowned and no buildings got knocked over. Just broken windows and missing shingles. Stuff like that."

"I did something right," Elsa whispered happily. I did something right. A big something right.

"Yes, you did do something right, Elsa. But quit sounding so incredulous about it!" Anna scolded. "Also, turning the storm to a blizzard and containing it up here was ingenious. I talked to a few people in the marketplace and they said they were afraid you were losing control for a second when it started snowing, but then realized what you were doing when all the bad weather abruptly stopped. They're REALLY happy about what you did."

Elsa smiled and hopped to her feet. "Let's go home. And also…I just thought of the perfect punishment for those mercenaries. And it w-won't hurt them anywhere except their a-avaracious desires."

"What's avaricious?"

"Money-grubbing."

Anna giggled. "You're gonna make them pay a fine? I hope it's a really big one!"

"Of sorts," Elsa replied, half-giggling herself. She gingerly moved her aching shoulder a bit and sighed. "I bet I made that w-worse, but I'm still glad I took action," she said. "Wait a second…how did y-you get up here with a sprained ankle?"

"Firstly it doesn't hurt much anymore and secondly Kristoff's sled," Anna announced.

When they arrived home late that afternoon, Elsa immediately headed to her room and plopped down at her desk to write up a document detailing what the mercenaries had done and what she requested as restitution. Those papers Anna and I got from the library that one time said that Hans planned to pay each mercenary 150 speciedaler upon completion of their job with half that amount up front. That's…nine hundred speciedaler altogether. They can pay that amount directly to the royal treasury, and then I'll immediately withdraw it and donate half to the Arendelle school and half to the orphanage. Perfect. Win-win for everyone. And they're permanently banished from Arendelle. Elsa smiled and handed the document to Anna, who was lounging comfortably on Elsa's bed. "What do you think?"

"I think it's awesome and you're hitting those mercenaries where it hurts-their money! That is a ton of money, even to me," Anna told her. "I bet the kids will be really happy to get some new stuff. Well, the kids at the orphanage will be; I don't know what kid would be happy to get new school stuff."

Elsa laughed at that. "They might like new d-desks or something. I've never been to the s-school in my life, but if the seats are old, they're probably uncomfortable," she offered. "I know I hate sitting i-in uncomfortable chairs or seats."

"Me, too! Remember that super hard really annoying time-out chair we had when we were little?" Anna asked. "That thing made your butt hurt!" she added, giggling herself.

Elsa did remember that chair from before the accident, but only in the context that Anna had had to sit in it mostly. If Elsa had been naughty when she was little, more often than not she was simply verbally scolded and sent to her and Anna's room. Or if she had been especially bad, she had to wear gloves for a certain amount of time. Now Elsa frowned and bit at an already very short fingernail, questioning whether that had really been a fair punishment or not. Mom and Dad wouldn't have punished me by making me wear gloves if I didn't have ice powers. They never did that to Anna…

Anna's giggles abruptly ceased when she noticed her sister's sudden mood change. "Elsa, come here. I'm sorry I brought that up." She paused for a moment as Elsa sat down next to her. "And quit biting your nails! You're gonna mess your hands up or something."

Elsa was only too happy to let Anna put one arm around her and give her a hug. She glanced at her hands and shrugged her good shoulder. "My nails are just r-really short. Doesn't matter," she said softly. I didn't even really realize I was doing that. Terrific. Another thing to make sure I don't do in public so I don't look like an idiot.

Anna scowled and looked closely at one of Elsa's hands. "You bit a couple of 'em so short they're almost bleeding, you stinker!" I wonder if Elsa even knows she did that…

Elsa curled her fingers into a fist and just bit her lip for a minute. "I didn't know I did it," she replied quietly. "I couldn't have done that b-before…because of the gloves…so it has t-to be a bad habit I picked up just recently. Right?" I need to stop doing that. I mean, it doesn't hurt anyone, but it's germy and it looks bad.

"That's all right. I'll just remind you to quit it if I see you doing it. It's not like you're purposely hurting yourself or something. Then I'd say I gotta get you help, like, instantly." Anna gave Elsa's hand a reassuring squeeze and smiled at her. "Elsa?" she asked a minute later.

"What?"

"You smell like rainwater," Anna announced. This was true, but mostly Anna just wanted to add a bit of humor and silliness to their conversation.

Elsa burst into giggles and promptly scooted away from Anna and hopped to her feet. "I'd better; I practically went swimming in f-floodwater!" she exclaimed. "I think I'll go t-take a bath before dinner, okay?"

"Brush your hair, too. You look like a wet cat," Anna teased.

Elsa let her tangled hair fall in her eyes and shook her head, undoing the last bit of her braid. "Is that better? I'm now presenting the l-latest fashion: How To L-Look After Halting a Hurricane," she quipped.

"Now you just look ridiculous! You're so weird! In a super awesome way," Anna made sure to add. Elsa really did look ridiculous; she always looked absolutely perfect and right now she had her long platinum hair all dangling in her face.

"I prefer to say outré," Elsa retorted good-naturedly.

"What does that mean?"

"It means 'weird'," Elsa said, disappearing into the bathroom as she tossed a snowball at her sister. Thank you for that, Anna. I was being weird. And that doesn't mean…bad. It meant I was being funny.

Late that evening, Elsa carefully arranged her birthday dolls on her nightstand. I love those dolls, Anna. Thank you. Then she climbed into bed, consciously deciding to leave her gloves on the nightstand. I slept in the cellar without messing up. I slept in my ice palace without messing up. That means I can sleep here in my room without messing up.

Anna hesitated in the doorway to her sister's room. "You want me to stay or are you all right on your own?" she asked.

Elsa smiled and scooted over, leaving more than enough room for Anna. "I'm all right on my own, but I w-want you to stay," Elsa replied. And that's the truth. I think I'd be okay if Anna stayed in her own room, but I'd like her to stay anyways.

Anna grinned and practically flew to the space Elsa had left for her, despite her ankle. "I like staying with you. You make me happy. And besides, if I'm in here, I can see for myself that's you're all right and not just claiming you are so I don't worry about you." And I'm not going to mention it-at least not yet-but I know you left the gloves off purposely, and I'm proud of you for doing that.

Elsa held out her bare hands for her sister to see and gave her a hopeful smile. "See? No gloves. I think I can d-do it now," she said softly. "I just left them out j-just in case."

On second thought…I will mention it. "That's good, Elsa. I'm proud of you for doing that," Anna told her. "I bet you won't even have to leave them out soon."

Elsa turned over, yelped when she realized she was lying on her sore shoulder, and then turned onto her other side and couldn't help giggling. "I'm such a nincompoop sometimes. You'd think I'd r-remember which shoulder I hurt." What an idiot. Oh well. I wonder if my shiner has faded any. "Does my eye look any better?" she asked.

"Um…it's not so swollen anymore?" Anna offered truthfully. "Really, Elsa, it's still all black and blue. But I think you look fine. I just don't like seeing you like that 'cause it reminds me somebody hurt you on purpose."

"You'd tell me I look fine even if I w-were wearing a potato sack," Elsa teased. It's fine, Elsa. People get black eyes all the time. No big deal. I just…don't want to explain myself to every person I see.

Anna rolled her eyes at that comment. "Well, unless you, like, really really don't want to leave the castle at all until your shiner disappears, maybe we could go visit the school and the orphanage and stuff tomorrow? I can walk enough to just do that for a little while."

"Anna…I…I'm…what if the children d-don't like me?" Elsa asked quietly. "I know little kids won't c-care about a shiner, but what if…what if they're scared of me?" Elsa felt absolutely terrified to go visit a bunch of children. Even if they didn't mind her, what if she lost control in front of them? Made some child slip on ice? Come on, Elsa. You know that won't happen. Not as long as you stay near Anna. "I hurt y-you when you were five," she whispered almost inaudibly, her blue eyes filling with tears. "It s-scared…m-me, and…and…" 'Catch me!' 'Wait, slow down!' One slip, one miss. One slip, one misaimed blast of magic that ruined everything. Elsa just lay flat on her back with her hands clasped together close against her chest, her eyes scrunched shut as she tried not to cry.

Anna quickly put her arm around Elsa and pulled her close. "Breathe, Elsa. It's all right. Deep breaths, remember?" She frowned as her sister curled into a ball on her side, trembling all over as she struggled to calm herself down. Elsa's better now, but she's still hurting inside. She's thinking about that accident from when we were little. "Elsa, I'm ok now. That's old stuff that's never gonna happen again. I won't let it. I love you. You're gonna be all right, too. I just know it."

Elsa concentrated on listening to Anna's soothing voice and not that awful memory as she tried her best to control her breathing. Anna is fine. I am fine. We're both safe at home together. And I did not completely freak out, just…partly. That's better. She sighed in relief when she finally felt herself completely calm again. "Anna…why do you love me?" Elsa asked finally. "Don't you ever wish y-you had a sibling that you didn't have to take c-care of all the time? One that could simply talk properly? I'd be completely s-sick of me. I'm sick of me sometimes…"

"Elsa…I'd be lying to you if I said I didn't wish you didn't have emotional problems," Anna started. "But only because you're my sweet big sister and I hate seeing you hurt. I don't mind taking care of you one bit. I can never get sick of helping you, not after all those years before. Also you talk loads better now and I'm positive the other things that bother you inside will go away eventually. It's just going to take time, and that's all right. And I love you 'cause you're my sister. My sweet big sister who sacrificed practically all her life in the past because of something that wasn't even her fault. Because nobody showed you what love is for your whole life and you don't deserve to live in fear and self-loathing with no one that will be your friend. Because I think you're the best person in the world-and no, I'm not exaggerating or being dumb. Because you deserve all the love in the world and then some. Because-"

Elsa found herself quickly falling asleep, feeling completely safe and content, completely warm and happy. There was Anna's soothing voice talking softly to her, and Anna's arm holding her securely. She wasn't a defective freak. A freak of nature, yes, but that didn't have to be a bad thing. She was just a twenty-one-year-old girl who happened to have ice powers that she needed help controlling sometimes. Thank you, Anna. I'm so tired. I feel safe. That's a strange emotion for me. Okay, Elsa, your sleepy thoughts are so random and crazy. I don't care…I'm okay. I'm really, truly okay.

Anna let her voice trail off as Elsa's breaths became slow and even as she fell completely asleep. "I love you, Elsa," she whispered. "And I'm going to help you go back to your confident happy eight-year-old self if it's the last thing I do."

A/N: So...Elsa can move an entire storm system and turn it into a blizzard. It just makes her tired.:)

Next chapter coming soon!:)