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

Thanks to CieloFede for beta-ing!:)

QueenIcelandia-Here it is!:)

Dragonheart35-Elsa knows she's been crying a lot for different reasons, so...yes, she called it 'random bawling'.:P Lol, I'm not sure I could get into Anna's head properly during that scene to make a good one-shot.:/ Maybe I'll try sometime, though...I don't know.:) That's fine:)

Elsa Tomago-The Elsa from before the Great Thaw makes Anna herself sad...present Elsa is much happier, even if she still hurts inside sometimes.:)

princessdianaofparadiseisland-Hi sis!;) Uh, that song is the one the choir sings at Elsa's coronation, you goof! I can't write a song like that.:P I like Elsa's ice-crown, too.:) Elsa chewing her nails sometimes was not supposed to be funny, just so you know.:/ She probably doesn't even know she's doing it.

johnpatgillespie-That would be cool!:)

BellaCullen931-I'm glad you liked it!:) Yep, Elsa's speech is in this chapter.:)

Fatten Saad-Lol, Elsa's long-awaited speech is in this chapter.:) I'm glad you enjoyed the chapter! I just thought Anna probably wouldn't forget that any too easily, if ever. Yes, Elsa's happy and she isn't going to want to try that again, but I'm sure Anna would still be concerned that thoughts like that might get in her sister's head again.:/

Protoestrella1-Yes, last chapter.:) But I'm going to quit writing or anything! 'Mind Games' isn't done, and I have two other story ideas floating in my head, too.:P Thank YOU so much for saying thank you for sharing it!:) I've listened to that song before! It's so pretty, but it's kind of...depressing.:P It makes you just want to give Elsa a great big hug.:/

On to the last chapter!:)

"Oh my goodness, Elsa, look how many people came!" Anna exclaimed as she looked out the window down into the courtyard. "I think all the adults wanted to play in the snow too!" I knew Elsa was popular; I just knew it! I just didn't know how much.

Elsa's eyes went wide the second she peeked out the window. "Anna, that's…that's too many…too many for me," she whispered frantically. "I just thought a f-few of the children would come and that w-was it…" There are more adults out there than children! What am I supposed to do?! Frost quickly began spreading under Elsa's feet, and she began backing away and bumped right into a wall, which startled her and caused the frost to spread all the more. Calm down, Elsa. Calm down.

Anna quickly ran over to her sister, took her by the hand, and dragged her back over to the window. "They're cheering for you, sis, see?" she said softly. "Don't be nervous."

"They'll want to t-touch me and shake hands or hug me or something!" Elsa blurted as she wrapped her arms around her middle, hugging herself. "I'm not good at socializing like you-I'll make my speech and then I'll have to talk to all those p-people and…and…and I'll mess up and look stupid!"

"Elsa, nobody is going to try to hug you," Anna assured her. "You're the queen. Well, the little kids might try to hug you, but the adults won't. And you aren't going to mess up and look stupid." She pulled Elsa over to the mirror and smiled at their reflection. "Do you really think that girl in the mirror looks stupid?"

Elsa scowled at herself in the mirror. "Not stupid, exactly…she looks about twelve or thirteen instead of t-twenty-one, though…I look just like I did when Mom made m-me start putting my hair up when I turned thirteen," she said softly. I don't look any different at all. Same too-big blue eyes, same odd platinum hair, same silly freckles.

Anna considered Elsa's words for a minute; turned her big sister around to face her; then stared at her critically for a moment before reaching a conclusion. "I don't think you look that young…I'd say more like sixteen or so, probably," Anna announced truthfully. "You look like a much, much happier version of sixteen-year-old you. I remember exactly what you looked like then-I got an image of you stamped in my head from that first time I saw you 'cause I was so afraid I wouldn't get to see you again…"

"Thanks a lot!" Elsa replied, half-frowning and half-giggling. Well, I can't help that. It's just…me. Just plain Elsa. If I look like I'm sixteen, then oh well. I suppose it doesn't matter. "Well…" she paused and took a deep breath, "what am I waiting for? Let's go."

A few minutes later, Elsa hesitantly walked out on the balcony overlooking the courtyard with Anna right by her side. Deep breaths, Elsa. You can do this. You'll be fine. If you stutter, just slow down and keep going. Anna is right next to you. You can do this. "I can do this," she said to herself. Elsa held her head high and tried her best to smile convincingly at all the people. She spotted Daisy standing with who Elsa assumed were her parents and almost immediately relaxed. She would give her speech directly to that little girl. She could do that. I'm glad Daisy came…

"Go ahead, sis. I'm right here for you," Anna whispered. Come on, Elsa, you can do it. I know you can.

Elsa closed her eyes and took a deep breath; then focused on Daisy and the fact that Anna was holding her most likely chilly hand tightly. Hurry up, Elsa. Begin. You've rehearsed this speech so many times. You know what to say. "As sovereign monarch of Arendelle, I, Queen Elsa, apologize f-for…" Slow down. Slow down. You can do this. "…for the events surrounding my coronation nearly a month ago." Pause. Elsa found herself blanking and plastered the neutral expression she had relied on for so long in the past on her face to keep anyone from knowing that. Think, Elsa, think! You know this speech. You had it memorized ages ago. And it's really rather short. You can do it.

" 'As you now know'," Anna prompted almost inaudibly so only Elsa would hear her. Elsa's nervous. She knew that thing inside out. I know she's blanking…

All Elsa's carefully written words flooded back into her head at Anna's prompt, and she smiled and kept going, the words easily flowing off her tongue now. "As you now know, I was born with extramundane powers over ice and snow. I previously ofttimes had much difficulty controlling it when I was younger, and failed entirely. This is why my f-father…" Elsa stammered over the word and squeezed her sister's hand. I can't do this. What would Dad say if he found out I'm telling my whole country what's so-called wrong with me and why the gates were closed? She looked at Daisy, who was still beaming at her like she could do no wrong. She would not let that little girl down and run and hide in her room. She would finish this, and then she would go down to the courtyard and make the snow for the snowball fight like she had promised she would do.

"This is why my father…may the late King Agdar rest in peace…concluded it was in the best interest…of Arendelle…to close the castle gates for…all those years." Elsa knew she was starting to slow down and pause too much, but she didn't break down. "I sincerely apologize…for being the one and only reason…of all the secrecy." She paused again, feeling hot tears burning in her eyes, and tried to blink them away. Don't you dare cry in public, Elsa. Finish your speech. You can do it.

"Not your fault, Queen Elsa!" someone shouted in the midst of the dead silence.

"You saved us all when you stopped that hurricane!" someone else yelled.

Elsa smiled a bit and held up her hand to gesture for silence before continuing. "I would like to apologize for any and all damage that the imbroglio I caused might have made. If anyone lost any goods or crops or anything else, please feel free to let me know and I w-will do my best to make fair reparations to you." This was where her original speech ended with a simple 'Thank you for listening', but now Elsa suddenly realized something else she thought she needed to say. Say it, Elsa. Just say it.

"If anyone should feel that they do not wish to have m-me on Arendelle's throne, please speak up. I will abdicate in favor of my s-sister, Princess Anna, if need be. I know someone like me…may not be the first choice in many of your minds if you were deciding who should t-take care of your country." Elsa could feel Anna glaring at her, but she didn't stop. This needed to be said. I have to say it. I have to. "I give my word that I will not punish anyone who decides to speak up." Elsa was positive at least some of her people would want her off the throne, but she was willing to do so if it would maintain peace in Arendelle. She would not force people to accept her authority, as a few of the tyrannical monarchs of Arendelle had done in the past.

Silence.

Then a single voice, "Neither of you should be ruling this country! How's that?"

Elsa scanned the crowd, searching for who had said that, but she needn't have bothered. Everyone else in the crowd took up much different words. "You saved all of us from that hurricane!" "I saw the princess sacrifice herself for you on the frozen fjord!" "Yeah, sisters that are willing to sacrifice themselves for each other are exactly the type of people that ought to be on Arendelle's throne!" "They'll do the same for our country!" "Long live Queen Elsa of Arendelle!" "Long live Queen Elsa and Princess Anna of Arendelle!"

Soon the entire crowd took up the cheer. Elsa felt very uncomfortable with all the attention centered on her and Anna, but she was smiling now as she tried to hold back happy tears. "Thank you for listening!" Elsa shouted, but she was pretty sure no one even heard her. She turned and went back inside with Anna following her. The second the door was shut, she collapsed to the floor in tears, her hands covering her face. I did it! I really did it. And all those people don't mind me…all except one. All those people! All those people!

Anna was more than a bit miffed at Elsa's spur of the moment addition to her speech-why on earth would Elsa even think that anyone wanted her to abdicate?!-but she knelt next to her big sister and pulled her close. "I knew you could do it, Elsa," she said softly. Elsa's speech wasn't "perfect", but she was sincere and everyone knew she was telling the truth. I think she did amazing. Actually, it was perfect. Absolutely, positively perfect.

Elsa pulled away from Anna and took the ice-crown off her own head and placed it on Anna's. "You deserve it far more than stupid m-me," she whispered. "I wouldn't have been able to do it without you."

Anna scowled at her and simply put Elsa's ice-crown back on her sister's head. "No, Elsa. That's yours. Yours and no one else's. And you aren't stupid," she said firmly.

I'm stupid compared to Anna. She could have spit out that whole speech with no problems whatsoever. But I did do it. "I did do my best…" Elsa gave her sister a lopsided smile. "Come on. Let's go have a snowball fight. Just like when we were little. Except this time, all those children w-will be playing with us too." She got to her feet and held one hand out to Anna. "Ready?"

A few minutes later, Elsa stood in the center of the courtyard, half-scared but half-excited at all the cheering directed at her. Stay calm, Elsa. You can do this! You made an ice skating rink about a month ago, and you're better now than then. So you can do this. Elsa spotted Daisy a few feet away from her and smiled as she quickly but carefully covered the entire courtyard with a thick layer of snow.

Daisy jumped up and down and clapped her hands. "C-Can I be on y-your t-team, Q-Queen Elsa?" she asked excitedly.

All manner of chaos broke loose as all of the adults moved to the edges of the courtyard and all the children ran up to Elsa. Elsa tensed up at the wave of children coming toward her, but then smiled as Daisy gave her a hug. "Thank you, Daisy," Elsa whispered.

Daisy beamed and hugged Elsa tighter, but didn't say anything.

"Half of you go to one side of the c-courtyard, and the other half go to the other," Elsa announced, still smiling. This isn't so bad. The children didn't try to jump all over me. Actually, this is fun.

Anna went over to one side of the courtyard with half the children, and Elsa followed the other half to the other side. Elsa immediately began strategizing. It was a snowball fight after all. "If you're tagged twice, you're out. I trust everyone t-to play fairly. I promise I will not make any ice bubbles…And Team Anna better watch out! Ready…set…go!" Elsa announced, and the fight was on.

All the children on Elsa's team gathered around her, asking what they were supposed to do. In seconds, each child on Elsa's team had a small ice shield in one hand. "You avoid snowballs with those," Elsa explained. "'Kay?"

Seventeen heads quickly nodded, all smiles.

"And-" Elsa felt something hit her in the back, and turned around to see a very gleeful Princess Anna.

"I got you, Elsa! I so got you!" Anna squealed. "You and your overplanning! Everyone get her!" All the children on Anna's team started making snowballs, but Elsa was ready this time.

Elsa just stood smiling behind a tall and long wall of snow that she had formed almost instantly. "Still want to repeat that, Anna?" she shouted back.

"No fair!" Anna yelled. "Hey, Team Elsa, d'you guys really wanna play on a team captained by someone who's got way too much of an advantage?"

"Yeah, we do!" seventeen voices called back.

Elsa stifled a giggle; then realized there was something on top of her snow wall. Without missing a beat, she whipped around and made a direct hit on her sister. "We're even now!"

Anna giggled and jumped down (very clumsily) from the wall of snow, and Elsa chased her around the wall into the center of the courtyard with her entire team trailing behind her.

A second later, Anna yelled "Truce!" and whispered something in one of the children on her team's ear. The child whispered the same thing to a child on Elsa's team. Soon, all the children shouted "For chocolate!" and went after Elsa all at once. Elsa's blue eyes went wide, but then she just started running and throwing snowballs as fast as she could, trying her best not to break down in laughter. That sneaky Anna! What a stinker. Getting all the kids to go after me by promising them chocolate.

Anna hid behind Elsa's wall of snow and practically body-slammed Elsa as she went by. "I got you, Elsa! You lose, you lose!" she squealed.

Elsa lay flat on her back in the snow, slightly irritated, but mostly giggling madly. She had to admit Anna's ruse was funny. Elsa's long hair had come loose from its pins, and all that remained of her original style were the two tiny braids…and her ice-crown had somehow stayed on. "All right, all right! Let me get up!" she exclaimed.

Rather than reply, Anna pulled Elsa to her feet and pushed her toward the children, who all threw their snowballs at Elsa. Elsa shielded her face with her arms as the snowballs rained down on her. Then she smirked and let a giant…no, enormous snowball form between her hands. "Oh, Anna…I think you may have underestimated me," she announced in a cool, neutral tone, although her face was all smiles.

Anna squealed in surprise and ran.

Elsa dashed after her. "Don't you want me to return the favor?" she teased.

"It was a joke, Elsa! Just a joke, I-" Too late. Anna found herself buried up to her neck in snow, and she stuck out her tongue at her sister. "Stinker."

"I think I win," Elsa said calmly, her expression completely impassive aside from the twinkle of amusement in her blue eyes. She quickly helped her little sister out of the snow pile and just hugged her close. I already look like a mess; I don't care who sees me right now. "Thank you, Anna," she said softly.

"For what?"

"Making me give my speech and c-come outside and do this today."

A few minutes later, the children were having a much less intense snowball fight by themselves while Elsa and Anna walked about and greeted some of the adults. "Elsa, you should go up to some people by yourself," Anna whispered. "You don't have to have me right by your side. I know you don't."

Elsa bit her lip, but nodded. "Okay. If I have trouble, will you please come, though?" Anna is right. I should be talking to people on my own. I don't know how to socialize easily with people like Anna does, though…Elsa, just try. You'll never get any better unless you try.

"Of course!" Anna watched as Elsa slowly went up to a girl that appeared slightly older than Elsa herself. You'll be fine, sis. Anna turned and ran back over to the children. While she liked socializing a lot, a snowball fight was much more fun to her than chatting with the adults.

Elsa just stood awkwardly in front of the girl for a moment, wondering what to say; then finally settled on, "Hello, miss…" hoping the girl would say her name and start the conversation herself. Please answer. Please. I don't have 'people magic' like Anna does. I didn't when I was little and I certainly don't now.

"Jade," the girl said flatly. She scowled at Elsa and gestured at the snow all over the courtyard. "Why don't you just take all this back up to the North Mountain and leave it there? Or are you going to abuse the authority you have simply because of your birthright like your father did?"

Elsa flinched backwards at the unexpected accusation, unsure what the girl even meant. She can't be more than twenty-five. What could she be talking about? "Are you the one who yelled that neither I nor m-my sister should be on the throne?" she asked, stalling for time.

"Yes. Are you going to freeze me or something now?" Jade asked nonchalantly.

"Of course not! I would just like to know exactly why you d-don't want either of us on the throne," Elsa replied quickly. Elsa, you're speaking much, much better, but you're still messing up now and then. Slow down. Making her speech had somehow made Elsa feel quite a bit more comfortable simply speaking, but she didn't want to mess that up by trying to talk too much, too fast, too soon.

Jade seemed almost surprised at Elsa's reply, but then her expression darkened. "Well, it isn't because you stutter. Yes, I think everyone knows you don't…or can't…talk properly," the girl said conspiratorially, as if she were Elsa's best friend. "It's that!" she spat out, pointing at the snow. "I'm jealous. You were locked away thirteen years because of that?! So dumb!"

"I couldn't control it before," Elsa said softly, ignoring the older girl's snide comments about her stuttering. I'm better now. Anna and Gerda have helped me so much, with both the stuttering and maintaining control.

"I know that. You were a caged monster, then. A valuable one," Jade replied, not caring how much those words might hurt.

Elsa forced herself to hold Jade's gaze, but she couldn't keep snowflakes from beginning to fall around her. Elsa, calm down! Calm down. You don't know what Jade wants. She called you a monster, but she's also jealous of your abilities and said you were valuable. Ignore her.

A woman with a baby suddenly turned from where she had been talking to someone else when she heard Jade's words. "Excuse me, miss! Do remember the girl you are speaking to is the queen. A mighty fine one, I daresay. Don't you remember the hurricane not so long ago? Queen Elsa saved all of us completely on her own. Leave her be. She deserves respect, just like any other human being, if not more, since she is our reigning monarch," the woman said firmly. She turned to Elsa and gave her a smile as she dropped a curtsy. "Don't mind the one dissenter, Queen Elsa. There's always at least one," she told Elsa.

Elsa's eyes grew big. She knew this woman. Not personally, but Elsa knew she had seen her before. I saw her when I ran away from Arendelle. She's the same woman that asked me if I was all right. The one that shielded her baby from me in the courtyard after I froze the fountain. "I recognize you," Elsa said finally.

"You do?" The woman was surprised that Elsa would remember her out of all the Arendelle citizens that had been in the courtyard that night. She knew Elsa had been terrified out of her wits, and she was also surprised that the queen would specifically remember one of her subjects in the first place.

"You…you asked me if I was all right. Out in the courtyard. And you…shielded your baby from me after…after I froze the fountain by mistake," Elsa said quietly. I'm not sure why she defended me from that girl Jade… "Why did you defend me just now? You didn't have to…"

"The girl was wrong, your majesty. You are not and were not a 'caged monster'. Such nonsense. I have a suspicion no one helped you control your abilities since you were a little girl. Of course they exploded everywhere in dramatic fashion at your coronation. Yes, you genuinely frightened me in the courtyard that night, but you had to have been more terrified than any of us. If anyone holds those events against you, they are illogical and have no heart." The woman shifted her baby in her arms when it began whining. "Shh, Eva…shh…Mama's busy at the moment," she told the baby. "Excuse me, Queen Elsa."

A hesitant smile spread across Elsa's face at the woman's words. She doesn't hold a grudge against me at all! She even admitted I scared her. And…she's right…no one helped me control my abilities properly since I was a child. "I…I know your baby's name…may I ask yours?" Elsa asked.

"Netta, my queen. Little Eva is half named after you, actually. We wanted her to have her own name and we also did not want to steal yours. So she's Eva. It is somewhat similar, don't you think?" Netta said.

Elsa's smile grew bigger and she clasped her hands behind her back as she looked at the baby. Eva is half named after me? Why would Netta want to name her baby after me?

Netta noticed Elsa smiling at Eva and held the baby girl out to the queen. "Would you like to hold her?" she offered.

"You…you would let me hold your baby?!" Elsa asked incredulously. You'd let me hold Eva even after seeing me freeze everything? Still, Elsa found her hands slowly falling to her sides; then ever so slowly holding out her arms for the baby. Elsa, what are you doing?! You can't hold Netta's baby! It's not safe!

Yes it is. I can too control it. I can hold Eva without hurting her.

Netta put baby Eva in Elsa's arms and gave the twenty-one-year-old a reassuring smile. "It is an honor, Queen Elsa. I know you won't freeze or otherwise hurt her. See, just support Eva's head like so…everything is fine," she said quietly. Netta paused for a moment; then added gently, "For the record, I don't think your stuttering is any big deal whatsoever. It's barely noticeable. Also, I remember your father stuttering quite badly the first speech he made as king, although every one I heard him say after that was perfectly fine. I was a little girl then."

My own father had a stutter?! I never heard him do that in my life! Maybe I had some gene or something inside me already that just accentuated my propensity for stuttering after everything that happened? I don't know…wait, Elsa, stop jumping to conclusions. Probably Dad just got nervous that first time he made a speech. That's understandable. Elsa just kept smiling down at the baby girl in her arms. Eva's little body felt warm against Elsa's cool skin. "Thank you…for everything," Elsa whispered.

Eva spotted Elsa's sparkling ice-crown and pulled at her long hair trying to grab it. Elsa giggled and sat down right there in the snow, not caring in the least who saw her. Then she carefully supported Eva with one hand and took off her crown with the other. "Is that what you want, Eva?" Elsa asked happily.

Eva babbled contentedly and held Elsa's ice-crown in her tiny fist. Then she stuck it in her mouth, much to Netta's consternation and Elsa's amusement.

"Eva! Queen Elsa, I am so sorry!" Netta apologized frantically, trying to take the crown away from the baby. Eva began screaming and bawling in protest and refused to let go.

"It's fine. Really," Elsa said quickly. I could let Eva keep that permanently if it's unmeltable ice… She closed her eyes and put one hand on the crown for a moment; then looked up at Netta. "Eva can keep it. I can make another," she assured the embarrassed mother. "I made it so it won't melt."

"You don't have to do that, Queen Elsa," Netta told her.

Elsa just smiled. "I know. I want to." I don't know what I must look like sitting here in the snow holding Netta's baby with my hair all loose, but I don't care. I'm happy right now.

You shouldn't be acting like this, Snow Queen Elsa of Arendelle.

I don't care. Anna said to socialize, and I am. I'm not losing control or bawling or otherwise acting like a complete idiot. "I like you, Eva," Elsa whispered. "May you always live a happy life with a mother who loves and cares for you. I promise I'll do my best to…to ensure your country is always safe as long as I live."

That evening, Elsa dug through every single drawer and container of any sort in both her dresser and her closet, searching for every single pair of gloves she owned, including the smaller ones from when she was little. They're going in a separate box and getting put away somewhere I never have to see them again. I'll keep them just in case, but I'm putting them out of sight. I don't want those things anywhere I have to see them ordinarily. Elsa dumped them all on her bed, finally satisfied that she had found them all. "Well, now they know," Elsa said softly to herself. She remembered clearly how purely liberating it had felt to discard her glove on the North Mountain. I wasn't purely happy there, but I was purely happy at that one moment. I got to be really, truly just plain me for the first time in my life. No one trying to stuff me in a…a gilded cage any longer.

Elsa's eyes went wide as she realized that girl Jade she had met earlier did indeed have one point, even if she had been terribly insulting. I was caged. I am not a monster, but I was in a cage… She looked up when she heard a quiet but familiar rhythmic knock on her door. "It's open, Anna. Come on in," she called.

Anna tiptoed in with a slightly sheepish look on her face, her hands hidden behind her back. What's Elsa doing with all those gloves on her bed?! Good grief, she must have enough for every single person in Arendelle! "Elsa, I just wanted to…to give you back something that was yours," she said finally.

"And what might that be?" Elsa asked, smiling contentedly as she began carefully folding all those gloves and putting them in an empty box she had found. Good riddance. If I ever need some again for some reason, I'll dig them out, but I am not leaving them 'easy to get to' anymore. I hate them.

"First I just wanted to make it clear I don't want you wearing them again…I just thought I should give this back to you," Anna said quietly, holding out the glove she had taken from her sister at the coronation party. "It's yours and I shouldn't have taken it. I…I'm sorry. You prob'ly wouldn't have lost control if I hadn't taken it. It was mean and I'm sorry."

Elsa smiled and just hugged her little sister close. "Anna, don't apologize for that. Just think…it was your impulsive action that m-made it so I can be with you safely today. I also am quite sure I would h-have exploded eventually anyway." She pulled away and took the blue glove from Anna and just stared at it for a moment. That one "wrong" action of Anna's is what set off the entire chain of events that left us really, truly together again for the first time since we were eight and five… "Let's just put this in the box with the others," Elsa added.

"Elsa…what did you do with its match?" Anna asked curiously.

Elsa gave Anna a lopsided smile. "It's somewhere near the North Mountain's summit. I threw it away before I m-made my ice palace." She put the lid on the now-full box and shoved it to the far back of the highest shelf in her closet, out of sight and out of easy reach. "There. Adiós, guantes," she quipped in Spanish.

Anna laughed and gave her sister's hand a squeeze. "Jeg er stolt av deg, Elsa," she replied. I'm proud of you, Elsa. She bit her lip as she thought for a moment; then asked, "How many languages are you fluent in, sis? Just curious…"

"Five. Norwegian, English, Spanish, German, and Latin. I also know s-some Irish, Swedish, Danish, and French. And obviously Old Norse, since I used it to t-tell you to climb a tree not so long ago," Elsa said, a slight edge of pride to her voice. With so much empty time isolated in her room when she was younger, Elsa had become practically a language guru. Although she preferred math, especially geometry and drawing blueprints, Elsa had found herself quite adept at learning new languages.

"Why on earth are you fluent in Latin?" Anna asked.

"'Cause it helps you learn a lot of other l-languages much more easily," Elsa explained. "I could teach you if you like," she offered.

"More lessons? Meh, no thanks…but…could you maybe show me just a little? I think it'd be fun if I got to learn with you," Anna said excitedly.

Elsa found her old Latin book in her closet and plopped down on the floor with Anna. "Aurem interiorem tempestas tamen placidus," she said quietly. "Can you translate that?" My inner storm is calm.

Anna frowned, but scooted closer to her sister. "No. I caught 'storm'…does 'placidus' mean 'placid'?"

"Min indre storm er rolig," Elsa repeated, switching to what she knew Anna would know.

"My inner storm is calm…oh, Elsa…" Anna just hugged Elsa tightly, knowing exactly what Elsa meant. She's happy.

"I mean it, Anna. It's true. The storm is calm. It feels…happy inside me. I think my 'inner storm' is r-really my powers flowing through me. The ice feels content. Like it's at home…where it belongs," Elsa whispered, holding her hands to her heart. I don't know what it is, but…but it actually feels nice. Just pure, unadulterated cold. But it's not that nasty, sick cold that feels like it's…tormenting me and taunting me all the time like before. It's just cool. A pleasant coolness flowing through me. "Anna…I don't know if I'm thinking right s-since I don't experience actual 'cold'…I'm immune to it…but have you ever felt a…a pleasantly cool feeling all over?" Elsa asked.

Anna thought that over for a minute and then grinned. "You mean like a cool breeze in the fall where it's cold but not biting and icky feeling. I know exactly what you mean! It feels nice," she said.

"Well, that's what my powers feel like now. They're making me cold all over, but it's just…pleasantly cool. And it feels nice, like you said," Elsa replied as she held out one hand and made her signature snowflake. Elsa smiled at her snowflake and just made it bigger. I think I've accepted you, signature snowflake. It's mine and nothing can take it away from me, for better or for worse.

I will make it for better. I will be me and I will be the best queen I can be for Arendelle. Just plain me. Just plain Elsa is really Snow Queen Elsa of Arendelle. She's not broken or defective or anything else. She may have a few still-mending cracks in her mind and heart, but that's okay. She's me. Elsa stood up, still holding her snowflake, and covered her entire floor with snow. "Snow Queen Elsa of Arendelle wishes for the Princess Anna to build a s-snowman with her," Elsa announced.

"My pleasure," was Anna's instant reply. She dropped Elsa's Latin book on the bed and ran over to Elsa.

Elsa smiled as Anna grabbed her hand and tugged her over to the window. Stars lit up the night sky. Elsa could see the Milky Way "poured" across the sky. It looked absolutely beautiful to Elsa's mind. "I think it looks beautiful," Elsa said softly, pointing up at the sky.

"I think this is the bestest day…night…whatever since the Great Thaw. You seem completely, entirely happy, and even your powers are happy with you," Anna replied, putting her arm around Elsa's shoulders. Then she quickly moved, wondering if her sister's shoulder still hurt.

"My shoulder just aches a tiny bit," Elsa said, as if she were reading Anna's thoughts. "It should too, the way you knocked me over outside earlier!" she teased.

Anna stuck out her tongue once she realized Elsa was teasing. "Stinker!"

"Stinker yourself!" Elsa replied, giggling. "Jeg elsker deg, Anna," she added quietly.

"I love you too, Elsa."

Elsa just stood contentedly looking out the window, her head leaning on Anna's shoulder. Thank you, Anna. Thank you for everything. My inner storm is calm. I don't know if it's gone permanently, but it's calm now.

I'm home. I'm free.

I'm calm.

The End...for now.:)

A/N: I am so, so sorry for the long wait for this chapter! Elsa's speech was giving me trouble...:/

Thank you to everyone who's read this story all the way through! Especially those who have left constructive criticism, because it's really helpful.:)

Now the next story in my story "series" timeline should be 'Adventures of Elsa and Anna', but since the writing in that is terrible (that was the first ever Frozen fanfic I started...:P), please skip it and read 'Mind Games' instead if you'd like to read more.:)

Thank you again!