Rapunzel was hanging up her cloak by the door.

She turned around and stared. "Oh!" she breathed. "It's the queen!"

"We met by chance," said Eugene. "And have you been out? I thought I told you to stay inside."

"And when did I ever listen to what you say?" Rapunzel was stroking the fireplace. "Come in and get warm, queen Elsa. You must be freezing in that gown."

Elsa didn't correct her. She sat by the fireplace.

"You have a cold, Blondie," Eugene said. "You have to stay inside."

"Nonsense! I met the most charming, talking snowman out there," Rapunzel said. "I'll get to write about him in my book on Arendelle. It was a very productive afternoon."

"You met him?" Elsa asked. "He's my snowman. I created him." She didn't know why she felt a need to say that. It sounded like she was boasting. But she had so little to be proud of, that perhaps it was all right?

"You can create living things?" Eugene asked, intrigued. "That's something more than just art. That's, well, functional. Perhaps, if you - "

"Wait," said Rapunzel. "Before we get into that, I think there's something queen Elsa should know."

She reached for Elsa's hand, a compassionate look on her face.

Elsa withdrew her hand automatically. Rapunzel's eyes frightened her. People did not look that way unless they were about to hurt you.

Rapunzel spoke very gently. "Your sister was brought back to the palace. But she's very ill. It seems that she needs to be kissed to be made well."

Ill? Elsa felt her heart pounding quickly as once again, fear rose inside of her, wild and uncontrollable. She pictured the letter she had received at her parents' death. Remembered the emptiness of the days after that.

Not Anna too. Please, God, no.

"Now, you must not panic," Rapunzel said. "The snowman said that all she needed was a lover's kiss and there's prince back at the palace who loves her, isn't there?"

"He doesn't love her," Elsa said. She had met the prince and she was certain of this.

"Well," said Rapunzel. "Perhaps, you should tell your story from the beginning."

"What for?" Elsa said despondently. "She may die. And then, nothing else will matter."

Rapunzel folded her arms. "Tell us everything," she said firmly. "And we can decide what matters and what doesn't."

Elsa blinked. That feeling of being ordered about by someone, of having no choice but to do something, was so unfamiliar, so reassuring...it was as if her mother had come back to scold her.

She started talking.

Anna lay on the cold floor, shivering violently.

You were right, Elsa. You were right, Kristoff.

She could understand it now, see her own desperate need to see Hans as she wanted to see him, not as he really was.

But she wasn't hurt by Hans really. She was angry at him, she was furious, she was sick and scared but she didn't feel betrayed. She had never trusted him enough for that.

I wanted you to love me, Hans, because I wanted to be loved. But I didn't love you, after all. You didn't capture me as completely as you had thought.

Presently, roast beef was brought in and they made a small break to eat. Elsa ate little. There seemed to be a lump in her throat. When they were finished, Eugene and Rapunzel began to discuss the situation animatedly. According to them, things were far from terrible.

"There's the snowman," said Eugene. "He loves your sister, I suppose."

"And plenty of servants who care for her," added Rapunzel. "Suppose that one of them loves her enough to give her a true love's kiss."

"And another remedy may yet be found," Eugene added.

"Anyway, some people live on and on after a physician's prediction that they will die," Rapunzel said. "And happiness does wonders for one's health."

"Perhaps, if she knew that you loved her, it would make a difference," Eugene said to Elsa.

Rapunzel stood sharply. "How dare you?" she snapped. "Do you think her sister does not know it by now? Get out of this room."

Eugene stood too, a little startled. "But Rapunzel..."

"Really, Eugene, you'd better leave us alone for a while," Rapunzel said, with a little less venom. "It would help."

Eugene shrugged. "I shall go and sulk alone," he said.

"You must forgive him," Rapunzel said, when he was gone. "He doesn't understand."

"He was right," Elsa said. "Anna never did seem to believe that I loved her, although I told her so several times."

"Well, she loved herself, even if she thought nobody else did," Rapunzel said thoughtfully.

"But Anna isn't at all selfish," Elsa said, startled. "She's warmhearted and generous!"

"I never said that she was selfish. I said she loved herself," Rapunzel said steadily. "Can you understand the difference?"

'I don't think there is one," Elsa muttered.

Rapunzel started to say something, then, stopped. Before Elsa could stop her, she put an arm around her, warm and solid. "We will go to your sister. I'm sure that something can be done."

Anna was trying desperately to be brave. She was failing. Wasn't there a book that said that to die would be an awfully big adventure?

Only the person who had written it had been alive.

As she said this to herself, Olaf burst into the room.

"Anna?"

His eyes widened as he took in the scene before him and he bustled about, throwing wood into the fireplace, throwing a cloak around her shoulders. His feet left wet spots wherever he went.

"You have to get out of here, Olaf," Anna said.

"I'm not leaving you," Olaf said.

""You'll melt!"

Olaf considered that. "Is that what happens to snowmen when it's warm?"

Anna tried to say something but failed. She couldn't answer that. "Where's Kristoff?"

"He's waiting outside the palace," Olaf said. "I saw him from a distance. But I was in a hurry to get to you."

Anna realized suddenly that if she had to die, if there was no way out of it, she wanted to be with Kristoff. She wanted to rest her cheek on his shoulder as she passed on. Maybe it wouldn't be so terrifying then. Maybe she wouldn't think about the pain so much. "Can you help me get to him?"

"I always thought that he was your real true love," Olaf commented, as he helped Anna to her feet.

Anna stared. "Kristoff loves me?"

It was like Olaf had lit a candle in a very dark room.

"You don't know much about love, do you?" Olaf muttered.

"About as much as you know about summer," Anna retorted. She could joke again. This was good.

They were struggling against the icy wind and the whirling snow as they moved towards the palace.

"They may not let us in!" Eugene hollered through the roaring wind. "What will we do then?"

"We will demand it!" Rapunzel shouted back.

"What if they threaten us?"

"They wouldn't dare threaten me. I have diplomatic immunity!"

"Nobody can tell who you are under all of that snow!"

"I brought my crown!" Rapunzel replied.

"Yes, because that has always been immensely helpful!"

They bantered like this as they moved because it kept up their spirits. Elsa understood the impulse but could not join in. She was too frightened for Anna. Was it too late?

As they stepped onto the frozen lake, they began to make out a figure in the distance.

Someone was walking towards them.

"It's the prince," Elsa said. "He is coming to meet me." And she began to shake although she wasn't at all cold.

"Beside her, Rapunzel took her hand and she didn't pull it away. "We're here with you now," Rapunzel said. "And he's alone."

The prince was indeed alone. They got closer.

"Prince Hans," Elsa said. "What news of my sister?"

Hans looked at her and his eyes burned with hatred. "She returned from the mountains weak and cold. She said that you froze her heart."

Beside her Rapunzel cried out, "Don't tell her that, you fiend!"

Elsa turned to Rapunzel. "Did you know that...I caused it?"

Rapunzel bit her lip. Then, she nodded. "I hoped you would not need to know."

Elsa turned back to Hans. "How ill is she?"

"Your sister is dead," Hans said. "And it's all your fault."

"Don't listen to him," Rapunzel was saying and Eugene was saying, "Don't do this to her, sweet. Perhaps, it's the truth and giving her hope is the cruelest thing you can do." Meanwhile, Elsa was becoming slowly aware of someone's deep wracking sobs. She realized that they were her own.

My fault, my fault, my fault.

"I want to see the body," Rapunzel declared beside her.

The prince gave an exasperated sigh. "Go on to the castle then. My servants will have moved the body. It may take awhile before they let you see it."

"I will see it!" Rapunzel said, weeping as well, and Eugene said beside her, "I'll go with you."

Elsa felt Eugene trying to help her up but she did not want to be taken care of. She struggled against him.

"Elsa, come with us, come," Rapunzel urged but Elsa remained on her knees in the snow. "Leave me alone," she said. "You knew and you didn't tell me. Do you expect me to listen to you now?"

Rapunzel turned away.

"We'll be back, queen Elsa," Eugene said gently. "Just don't run away again. Don't do anything wild. Just wait a bit."

As if she cared now about running away.

She remained huddled in the snow.

Her body was grieving loudly, a reaction she could not control.

But deep inside, everything was still.

She wanted nothing.

She cared for nothing.

Anna had almost reached Kristoff when she turned her head.

She could see the sword gleaming in the sunlight.

She could see Elsa on her knees in the snow.

She could see the sword coming down.

As she ran forwards to shield her sister, she only had one triumphant thought.

You couldn't shut me out. Hard as you tried, I spent my early years by your side and this is where I will my life will end.

I couldn't ask for a better death.

The servants could not produce the body.

This did not surprise Rapunzel. She had had her doubts about Prince Hans' words from the first moment.

When, she and Eugene rushed back to tell Elsa, they came upon both sisters at once, arms wrapped around each other, sobbing in the snow. The snowman and a young man with messy blond hair stood nearby.

Prince Hans was nowhere to be found.

Rapunzel tried to rush forward and Eugene took her hand. "Give them some space," he said.

"But what if Anna's still sick?" Rapunzel asked. "She mustn't stay here."

Princess Anna looked up, grinning. "I'm fine!" She called out. "I feel wonderful! Really, Elsa, I do, stop crying! Stop!"

But Elsa kept on crying. She would not let go of Anna's hand. It was as if something had broken within her.

People were gathering.

"What happened?" Rapunzel ventured to ask.

The young man with blond hair explained it all to her.

"Do you mean to tell me that Anna healed herself?" Rapunzel asked.

"Only Anna could do it," the young man said. "Isn't she great?"

And Anna blushed.