A/N: Please note, I fixed an error I made in chapter 8. I changed one line from " feeding could wait another day. After all, she wouldn't die of starvation. Sun exposure was a different story, though" to "feeding could wait another day. Being caught in the sun would be extremely painful, much worse than anything she was feeling now."

I previously did not mean to suggest that Elsa dies in sunlight, she does not, I just missed that when editing. You will find out exactly what happens to Elsa in the sunlight very, very soon (but not this chapter).

On another note, I have lots of downtime up here at night and in the mornings so I've been writing. This chapter is the longest, at 3,000 words, so enjoy!

Thanks to you all for being awesome!

"I want to tell you everything." -Elsa, chapter 8.

"Everything? Are you sure? That's a lot-"

"Yes, I'm-"

"'Cuz I mean that'd be like your life story and I don't even know much about you yet-"

"Anna, hush."

"I mean, I wouldn't tell me everything I-

"Anna."

"Okay." Anna fiddled with her thumbs in her lap.

Elsa thought for a long time, trying to find the best place to start. She was already having doubts about telling Anna absolutely everything and there was so much that it was almost overwhelming. It wasn't just one skeleton in the closet, but a treacherous mountain of old, decaying skeletons to reveal. She took a deep breath. "Anna, do you believe in magic?"

The red head furrowed her brow. "No, yes, well I don't know. I've never seen it, so I guess not, but if I saw it, that'd be a whole other story." She didn't have a clue what that had to do with anything, but Elsa never did anything without purpose.

"Well," the shopkeeper began. This was weird, opening up. She was about to tell one of her deepest secrets to Anna. She couldn't just go around letting people know that she practiced spells, she'd be hung for witchcraft. The hanging would fail, obviously, but it was a pain to start over in another town. Then, remembering the bloody glass, Elsa had an idea. "You cut yourself on the window breaking in, right?"

For some reason, the fact that this woman completely ignored that Anna had essentially burgled her shop made her very uncomfortable. "Err, yeah." She was as lost as a ship with no navigator.

"Where'd it cut you?"

"On my hand, but I don't see where you're going with th- okay then." She was interrupted by Elsa abruptly yanking her arm forward.

The woman inspected the flesh wound. It was about half an inch long and a little deep. The bleeding had stopped due to coagulation on the blood, but the skin hadn't begun healing yet. Perfect. "Watch."

Elsa closed her eyes and murmured something, holding Anna's hand very gently. The red head couldn't help but enjoy the contact of satin-like skin, the soft brushing of her fingers. It gave her pleasant jitters. She didn't feel anything in her hand at all, though.

After a few confusing moments, the pale woman pulled away and looked at Anna expectantly. The girl knit her eyebrows together in befuddlement before slowly inspecting her hand. "There's no cut- wuh- how- you- magic-" It was one thing to hear stories, a entirely new feeling to see magic first hand. The room began to droop and spin as Anna used all of her power to try and process what she had just witnessed. "How? Oh gods, Elsa-"

For the first time, the shopkeeper seemed genuinely frightened. "Please, don't freak out!" She felt like she had opened up her head and Anna was prodding at the contents.

Anna breathed deeply until her nerves settled slightly. "Okay, okay, I'm calm, I'm calm. So you're...?"

"Yes. And there's much more." Elsa couldn't help but let nervousness slip into her heart like an unseen snake. Unseen, that is, until it bit. And its bite was potent. I shouldn't tell her about the necklace or my need for blood. That would scare her away, right? She decided she'd tell Anna the truth, just not everything.

Anna leaned in, greatly intrigued.

"Now that you know that, I can tell you that I'm old."

"Like, how old?"

Elsa sat on the bed next to Anna. "Do you know when the Southern Isles was formed?"

Teal eyes widened in disbelief. "I know it was a long time ago."

"Five-hundred-and-sixty-three years ago to be exact."

Colored impressed, the red head inquired further. "So you're... that old?"

Elsa breathed deeply to untwist her knotted stomach. "Not exactly. I'm a little older: five-hundred-and-eighty-four."

"Whoa. So you've-"

"Yes."

"And-"

"Yep."

There was a long silence. Elsa could see the story not quite stick, like a spear that just missed it's mark. "I don't believe you, there's no way."

"You saw me heal a wound magically and you don't believe this?"

The nut-shelling seemed to tip Anna from her balance of disbelief. "Well yeah, but-"

"What reason do I have to lie about this?"

The younger girl bit her lip in thought. "Um, I- I don't know. I guess it's just hard to believe it when someone tells you that they're over half a millennium old."

Elsa pursed her lips. Opening up was hard. It was draining both physically and mentally. It was like her hundreds of years of isolating herself had sealed shut the path to company and she was digging under the gate. "Then you'll find this part even harder to swallow."

Anna crossed her arms. "Try me."

"Okay. It all started the year the Southern Isles was founded. There was an uprising, the 'revolutionaries,' as they called themselves, burned and killed everything in their path."

**563 years ago**

"No, no! Elsa sweetie, hold on, don't go to sleep!" A ragged woman covered in burns and blisters carried her daughter away from a village set ablaze as fast as she could. The girl was limp, a series of punctures left by a pitchfork oozing blood onto the fiery ground below. All of her color was gone, leaking out drop by drop with her blood.

The older woman made for the tree line. The forest was dark and imposing in the night, but it looked like a safe house compared to where they were coming from. "Elsa, hold on, you'll be okay."

She sprinted in, twigs snapping under her feet. Deeper and deeper she descended into the somber forest, swallowed alive by the souls of those who had died braving the very same area. Whenever a group foolish enough to enter did so, only one came out. There was a reputation about what lurked amongst these trees, and no one wanted to be the ones to confirm it.

Except for Elsa's mother in that moment. This was her only hope, lest her precious daughter die that night.

Even though she had been running straight, the woman was lost now. The terrain seemed to change, living just like any person, animal, or plant within it. It played tricks on the mind. Landmark trees moved; in the periphery of one's vision was always a figure, always watching. It came and went, hiding behind trees or just out of site, taking the bravest man's sanity bit by bit.

"Hag! Show yourself, I have a deal to strike!"

She turned around, and sure enough, there the disgusting woman was. Straw-like hair centuries old. Boils that had had lifetimes to grow and putrefy, gruesome warts flanking her face. The smell was reminiscent of decaying swine, vulgar in the woman's nostrils. As the witch moved, the crackling of her joints prickled nearby eardrums, and one could almost hear creaking as she moved her ancient bones. She was hunchbacked and appeared frail, but underestimating her power would be a fatal mistake to anyone. It all added up to one vomit-inducing nightmare. Luckily, Elsa's mother hadn't eaten that day.

In a raspy, sandpaper-like voice, the hag spoke, pleased as anything. "A deal, you say? And what might it be?"

The woman looked at the lovely, dying girl she was carrying. "You save my daughter, at any cost to me!"

Tapping her chin with her wretched finger in thought, the witch taunted "any cost, you say?" Her nails were cracked and blackened with age, just like her heart.

Elsa's mother nodded. "Yes. Any."

Suddenly, she was flanked by the same creature she was just conversing with. "Very well. We have a deal." The hag flicked her finger and the pale girl levitated into the air.

"Thank you. And what be the cost?"

The most vile, malevolent grin that had ever appeared covered the gait of the witch's face. Her teeth were rotting and falling out, worms living in them like they would apples. "She will be immortal, she will watch everyone she ever cares about die for all of eternity and be alone. The only thing she will never lose is life itself."

The mother's heart raced. Her blood boiled in fury and veins bulged in her forehead as she yelled. "That wasn't the deal! I said 'any cost to me!' Not to her! We have no deal."

"Too late, the deal has been struck, there is no turning back. And it is a cost to you, woman, because you will have to live out the rest of your days carrying the guilt that you brought this upon your daughter."

The woman's heart shattered, already crushed by the weight of regret. She felt a putrid amphibian trying to crawl up her throat and her eyes welled with tears. "No- I... Elsa, I- I'm sorry-"

But she was gone. The hag and her daughter, along with the shifting shadows of the forest. She now knew why no one went to the witch.

"Oh gods, is that all true?" Anna was quite literally on the edge of her seat, frightened to death by the despairing tale.

Solemnly, Elsa nodded. She had left out two key elements: how the witch had given her the necklace and her thirst for blood, but Anna didn't need to know that. The hag's actual words were "She will be immortal, she will watch everyone she ever cares about die for all of eternity and be alone, and have a thirst for blood. The only thing she will never lose is life itself." The shopkeeper altered them with good reason.

Elsa let a tear trickle down her cheek and drip onto her lap. A tentative exploring had started the pale woman as it rested on her back. Elsa allowed it, even swaying slightly towards the red head. The contact was like a medicine taking away her agony.

Anna was petrified of how the shopkeeper would react to her action, but was greatly relieved when she leaned into the touch. "I'm so sorry Elsa, I can't even imagine- I mean, I don't know what to say."

"It's okay."

The younger of the two bit her lip. She wasn't sure if she was pushing her boundaries. "What does that have to do with the Southern Isles?"

Elsa looked her in the eyes. Anna froze. There was something detached about that stare. "Those so called 'soldiers' that burned our village? They were fighting for the liberation of the country. At least, that's the term they used. 'Liberation.'"

Not quite following, Anna said "okay" very slowly.

The shopkeeper shook her head. "It wasn't liberation, not even close. It was just a complex move in the never ending game of political chess that nobility plays for power. They were the first solders fighting for the family that now owns the entirety of the Southern Isles. The original bloodline, if you will."

Anna was completely frazzled. This was... this was monstrous. She could understand Elsa's hatred of Hans now. His ancestors tore apart Elsa's life.

"But that's not all," Elsa said weakly.

"What?"

"It's- it's really what the royal family did l-later that made me despise th-them."

Seeing how broken this woman was, Anna held her tightly. To her relief, Elsa didn't fight it.

"A-after they conquered the land, they made anyone they could capture into- into s-slaves."

Anna gasped. "Oh my-"

It was clear that Elsa was losing control of her emotions now. The red head didn't blame her. "The men they w-worked to death, but the women- they had other plans for the w-women."

Infuriated teal eyes widened then narrowed in absolute disgust at the blatant vulgarity of the Southern Isles. She knew where this was going and it made her stomach sick.

"They- they used her! Whenever a guard or soldier needed release they'd- they'd- they'd take her to a room and- and rape her to their heart's content!" Elsa was shouting now.

Anna almost did throw up. She felt like she needed a bath just hearing about these horrendously filthy swine they called people. She knew the Southern Isles had a bad reputation, but never thought it was this bad.

"They raped her until it killed her! Her body couldn't keep up and it made her ill! The sickness killed my father, too! They raped her to death and- and I blamed her for so long, Anna!" Elsa was balling now, clutching the safe-haven that was the red headed girl she was confiding in like a rock in a rolling river. "I didn't talk to her for years, I- I wish I could take it all back. I should have stayed with her, I should have tried to help her more!"

"No, Elsa, you couldn't have known any better. It's okay." Anna rubbed Elsa's back, feeling her own heart sink and be overcome with vicarious despair. It made her want to cry, too.

After several minutes of sobbing into Anna's shoulder and being comforted, the pale woman finally pulled back slightly. "I know it's not my fault she's dead, it's the royal family's. That's why- that's why I had to take my revenge."

Understanding clicked like a complex series of gears in the red head's mind. "That's why you murdered Hans' brother."

"Exactly." Elsa was once again gaining control of herself, turning back in to herself. Anna thought she understood the mask now.

They sat in silence for a long time, neither knowing exactly what to say. This was a lot for the red head to process. Finally Elsa deeply inhaled. "Ever since then, I've tried to recreate the immortality spell the hag cast on me. But so far, I've failed every attempt."

Anna furrowed her brow. "But.. why?"

Elsa uncharacteristically hugged herself. "So I'm not alone."

The red head felt as dumb as a sack of hammers. Her heart broke in two and she hugged the shopkeeper. "You have me," she hummed.

Elsa grabbed tightly. "Thank you." The hug made her stomach crawl with fuzzy caterpillars. She enjoyed it as the sensation leaked through her body, warming her digits like a hot bath on a cold night. It had been a long time since Elsa felt wanted. She relished in the soft brushes of a tender hand on her back, the goose-skin expanding around the area. It felt so good.

After several minutes of embrace, Anna feverishly decided whether to push for one last answer. The only one she hadn't gotten yet. She finally built up her courage enough and asked. She clutched her crocus she wore around her neck. "What about the necklace?"

Elsa froze. She couldn't tell Anna about that, not now, she'd lose her. "I can't tell you that."

"But you said everything!"

For some reason, this actually gave the immortal woman pause. She was softening up to Anna. One more half-truth won't hurt. "It's how the witch bound the spell."

That didn't answer anything! Anna needed to understand, not be thrown a useless bone. "But why give it to me? Why couldn't you take it back?"

"I'm sorry Anna, that's all I can tell you."

"Elsa! Please, what is this thing?"

"Enough!" The shopkeeper was getting angry now.

"After all that, what could it possibly be that you still have to hide from me!?"

"I said, enough!" The shopkeeper slammed her food against the ground, snapping a floorboard.

Anna's eyes widened and her heart skipped a beat. She'd never seen someone preform such a feat of strength. Suddenly, she was frightened to be sitting next to Elsa. In defeat, she whispered "okay" and slumped away from the woman.

Elsa felt a sting in her heart. She swallowed the pain, just as she was accustomed to doing. After a few moments, she took several deep breaths and closed her eyes. She had to sizzle away the fires of anger within. "I'm sorry, Anna, I just- I'm just not ready, okay?"

A little disappointed, the red head accepted. "Okay. I'm sorry I pushed you."

The next phrase was barely audible. "Thank you for not running."

Suddenly, the awkward moment turned to touching as Anna's heart melted. She wrapped her arms around the pale woman once again. "I don't plan to." Elsa returned the hug.

After a short time of enjoying the embrace, the pale woman recapped what she had gone through that night. "Hans trapped me on a ship by stabbing me with the one dagger that will hurt me. I broke his wrist and two of his ribs, but he'll be back. He has his own healers, so I have to leave Arendelle tonight if I want no trail to be here when he's returns." For some reason, the next part was extremely difficult to say. Her heart raced and anxiety wiggled like an angry snake in the pit of her stomach. She looked Anna in the eyes and spoke rapidly. "I w-want you to come with me. Will you?"

Anna couldn't even begin to think. "I, uh..." She was startled, worried, scared, and joyful all at the same time. Spiders, butterflies, and warm honey fought in her stomach as she processed the request. Elsa really does like me. She looked the other woman in the eyes and saw sincerity. "Yes."