Anna sat comfortably in the large sled, feeling deeply proud of herself and a bit embarrassed to be so proud.

It was out of proportion really. So, she has persuaded the ice merchant to make a deal with her, had negotiated a trade. So what? People did that every day.

Except, she had never thought she was good at that sort of thing. She had always considered herself cheerful and friendly but not clever. She had always been glad that the ruling of the country with all of its complications would be left up to Elsa. Now, she suddenly felt a speckle of...regret. She might have been born first. It was pure chance that she wasn't. She might have been good at the whole queen thing.

The ice merchant sat next to her. He seemed like a decent sort. Knowledgeable, organized. Handsome too, though that was besides the point.

"Do you hear that?" He said, forehead creased with worry.
Anna listened. She heard the howling begin and her arms were suddenly covered with goosebumps. She glanced at the ice merchant. Surely, there was some kind of trick or strategy for this sort of thing? A shot from a rifle? She could probably shoot a rifle. She could probably kill a wolf to get to her sister. She could probably kill anything that wasn't human, she was that determined.

Elsa killed a rabbit for dinner.

The blast of ice went straight though the creature's chest. Once it was dead, the skinning and cooking was easy. She had often thought that she would be good at cooking. She was precise and careful and she never dropped or lost things like Anna did.

Her stewed rabbit tasted good. Still, Elsa rushed through her meal and went back to playing with magic. Eating made her feel somehow lonely, which didn't make sense because at home she had always eaten alone as well. It shouldn't make a difference that she was hundreds of miles away from other human beings. It really shouldn't.

Somehow, it did.

"So how do you plan on stopping this weather?" the ice merchant asked her eventually.

"I'lI talk to my sister," Anna said brightly.

"That's it? My entire ice business is riding on you talking to your sister?"

Anna felt a quick spark on anger. He had saved her life. That alone should be reason for her to be nice, even if he said stupid things.

Should she reassure him that he would never need money again, that she would make him more than comfortable? Somehow, she had a feeling that if she did, she would be missing the point. After all, it was the business itself he valued, not only the money it brought in. So she only nodded.

"You're not at all afraid of her?"

Anna stared. "Of course not," she said automatically.

It was a lie. She was afraid. Afraid Elsa would say, just as she had said so many times in the past, go away. I love you. But go away and leave me alone.

Each time she said it, it hurt more.

Elsa stood on the balcony of her castle, staring at the silver moon. When she was younger, she used to whisper messages to the moon. She had hoped that somewhere Anna was looking at the moon as well and had hoped that the moon would pass the message along.

Now, she knew better. Anna wouldn't waste her time meditating on the beauty of nature. She was too busy with her fiancé.

Suddenly, she heard a male voice, jovial and loud, saying, "This way, this way. Follow me!"

Elsa jerked away from the balcony.

People? Here? Her arms began to tremble, her breath to come in short bursts. Were they here to capture her? To question her? What did they want?

Then, another voice, "This is so beautiful."

Anna.

Anna had come to find her.

How could she have found her and so quickly? Elsa felt a surprising respect at her sister's competence. She also felt her own panic rising as she heard the voices getting louder.

"You'd better wait here," Anna was saying to someone. "Last time, I introduced her to a guy, she froze everything."

Anna sounded so lighthearted. Didn't she have any idea what danger she was dealing with?

Knock.

The sound startled her, threw her back to her childhood days. She had never opened the door. Not once. But that had never stopped Anna from trying again. Maybe, a few words of explanation would work better. After all, Anna had gone so far. At least, she deserved that much.

I mustn't touch her. No matter what. And I mustn't bring up the prince either. That's her affair now, not mine.

She willed herself to walk down the staircase, her whole body rigid and under tight control.

"Anna?"

Anna's head jerked up. Her sister stood by the staircase, a vision of pale blue and white.

"You look different!" Anna blurted out. "And this place...is amazing!"

Elsa smiled. Her eyes, though sad, were still the eyes of a proud artist.

This warmed Anna, encouraged her. Perhaps, she had said something right, finally.

"I'm so sorry about what happened," she went on, climbing the staircase. "If I had known..."

It's all right," Elsa said. "I never told you. How could you have known? Anyway, let's forgive and forget, shall we?"

"That would be wonderful."

"Good. You can rest for a few minutes. I'll pack you some food and you can head back home."

Anna stopped. The familiar hurt was coming back, tapping at her chest, burning in her eyes. "But I thought you…would come with me," she said.

Elsa took a step back. "You belong down in Arendelle. I belong here."

But don't you want to come back? We can fix things, we really can."

"I don't know what I want."

The bitterness in her voice gave Anna hope. "You don't know what you want? Why, the same thing as anybody. Love, friendship and getting to do things you like. You think you're so different, Elsa. Really, you're just like everybody else. We'll head down this mountain together and - "

" I don't like people," Elsa interrupted sharply. "That's the first way I'm different. … And I'm dangerous. That's the second. Yes, I'm alone but I'm alone and free while you're safer without me."

"Me?" Anna thought hard. Had Elsa been worried about her safey the whole time? Was this whole thing a sort of sacrifice for her? But she had also said that she didn't like people. Her motives were so complicated that Anna felt entirely out of her depth.

"All right," she said. "But before I leave, there is something you should know."