Hans arrived in Corona early the next morning. His horses didn't have a chariot to pull, after all, so it was with ease that he was able to catch up. He decided that the best course of action would be to linger in an alley by the marketplace. This way, he could keep an eye out easily. Anna will need to buy supplies at some point soon.

Later that morning, the red head made good on her promise to Elsa. She dressed herself and wandered off to the market, intent on finding Elsa the very best remedies for her discomfort. Elsa's immortal, so it's not life or death, she mused, but she deserves to be relaxed and comfortable. With a silly grin on her face, she made her path down the streets. It was about an hour's walk to the market, but Anna didn't mind, it was a pleasant morning for a stroll.

Elsa laid in bed, too tired to bother trying to stand. She pondered her situation. Did she make a mistake agreeing to practice the spell on Anna? Anna will have to feed, too. She'll find out about everything. She may hate me.The woman's heart sank. Doubts swam through her mind like toxic eels. She purged herself of them as best she could. You already agreed to. But I can always take it back, right? Unfortunately, once these thoughts left, new monsters took their place. She dreamed of blood, visions of the succulent liquid pouring from Anna's neck.

Her stomach turned in, none too happy about her abstinence from feeding.

Finally, at nearly eleven in the morning, Hans spotted the familiar hair of Anna. Such a distinct hair color makes you easy to pick out of a crowd. He smiled at her natural giveaway. Discretely, the prince moved through the crowed to follow her. Guards flanked, making sure there was nowhere she could go to get out of sight.

For fear of being recognized, Hans didn't get close enough to see what Anna was buying, but he did notice that each item was very small. She glanced at several stalls, but only bought anything from two, totaling less than half an hour spent in the marketplace. She knew what she was coming for, then.

Hans ordered two of his goons to very discretely follow Anna when she left, find out where she was hiding out with Elsa, and report back to him. "If you get caught, they'll know we're here and Elsa will disappear for another five years, maybe longer. If that happens, I will have your heads, understood?"

One of the guards gulped, nervousness paling his face. "Yes, your highness."

"Good."

Following the red head proved to be difficult in broad daylight. She was hiking several miles out of town, where no one else crossed. To simply follow the roadway behind her would essentially be telling her of their presence.

On the bright side, with the sun out, the guards could see perfectly, making it easier to hide themselves way off the beaten path and watch Anna from afar. The girl didn't seem worried about being followed, which is more than likely what made this job possible. If she had checked her surroundings closely, they would have been made in no time.

At last, she walked up to the door of a peculiar house. With a quick glace around, the red head vanished through the portal. They went to notify Hans.

"It's easy to spot," one said when the two men found their boss. "No windows, large, and miles outside of town."

"And she didn't notice you?"

"No, sir. She didn't seem very alert, especially for someone in hiding. Shall we prepare to capture them tonight?"

Hans' voice was stern. "Anna may not be on the lookout, but Elsa certainly will be. We have to wait until she starts to let her guard down, or we'll have no hope of success. We'll prepare for a week from tonight."

"Understood, your highness."

Hans played with the dagger, running his finger down the blunt side of the blade from the tip, and circling the now dark crocus on the handle. His eyes became caliginous. "One more thing."

"Sir?"

"We're not capturing them, we're killing them."

When Anna got back, she heated some water and mixed her remedy. Steam crept into the air, warming the girl's nostrils. Even though she herself didn't feel sick, it cleared her sinuses of any minor perturbations. On top of that, it smelled spicy and piquant. This will help Elsa feel better for sure! The red head smiled and practically skipped over to her patient.

Elsa grinned as Anna's virulent behavior phased itself into her own skin. It lifted her heart and distracted her a little bit from her pain.

"Here," the younger woman chirped, extending a piping hot cup.

"Thank you." Elsa grabbed it and steadily brought it to her lips. She could feel the boiling hot, humid air rising from within coat her upper lip and tip of her nose.

"Careful, it's really hot!"

With a sure smirk, Elsa responded "I'll be fine."

She took a gulp of the scalding liquid. It didn't taste quite as good as it smelled, but it still was a pleasant sensation brushing atop her tongue. Anna was impressed.

They sat there for about fifteen minutes, the pale woman savoring her drink and Anna sitting beside her on the bed. It was another one of those precious moments, the ones that made Elsa want to make Anna immortal. Even though the spell had never worked before, Elsa longed deep within her heart to succeed now. These moments could be forever. The peaceful memories forming almost made Elsa's mouth water more than the treat she held in her hands.

"So... how do you feel?"

Elsa hadn't even thought about that. She felt a little better now, but it wasn't because of the medicine that Anna whipped up. It was because of the diversion that being with Anna created. "A little better." She gave an appreciative smile.

Anna perked up. "Great!"

Elsa leaned forward. It made her dizzy, but she hid it. "I'm ready to try the spell."

Anna froze momentarily. Her heart skipped a beat and her limbs felt like wet parchment. Excitement overtook her like lightning consumes the black of the night sky. "I- yes- okay!" She started bouncing in her spot on the bed while Elsa leaned over and retrieved a book from the night stand. The younger woman's mouth hung agape. She recognized to crocus etched into the leather binding of said book. She grabbed her necklace. It's the same book that was in her drawer when I... well when I broke in to her store- er, her home. Anna finally knew what was in the book, but that just raised another question: why is there a crocus identical to the one on my necklace carved into it? She was about to ask when she thought better of it and deflated.

The pale woman opened her book and read a few pages very quickly. Anna watched in silence. Uneasiness was creeping through her being like a snake creeps through grass. But I want to do this.

Elsa thought for a moment, reminding herself of some possible ramifications. She'll have to feed, too, if I do this. She'll never- no, she'll forgive me when she finds everything out, right? She felt dirty, like she was betraying Anna in some way. I guess I am...

Finally, Elsa spoke. "Okay, I need something to bind the spell with."

Anna thought for a few moments. She wasn't exactly sure what would qualify, but she had an idea. "How about this?" She handed her necklace back to Elsa.

Reluctantly, the immortal took it. She was unsure. That's what the spell on me is bound to. She thought about it for a long time. What would happen, would there be any adverse effects? Elsa didn't even know what would happen if Anna became immortal, anyway. She had bound herself to Anna by bestowing the necklace upon her. Anna was the one and only person she could feed off of. Until the red head died, of course. Only then would Elsa be able to find a new target. Either that or destroy the spell on me.

Then, a tantalizing idea popped into her head. Maybe, if Anna becomes... well, if she becomes like me, the bond that forces me to feed from her will be broken. Now that idea excited Elsa. She took the necklace. "This is what bound my spell, but it should work," she said, absentmindedly.

"Wait, what?"

I shouldn't have said that. "Nothing, just-"

"No, Elsa, I think if I'm gonna do this I deserve answers. Why did you give the necklace to me? Especially if it bound your spell? And why couldn't you take it back!? This just isn't making any sense!"

"I'll tell you when I'm ready, I promise."

Now, Anna was angry. She stood abruptly. "No, I'm getting sick and tired of that answer! I want a real answer. Elsa, what, by the gods,is going on?"

Elsa felt like a rotting building, trying desperately to cling on to dear life, but just not strong enough to hold herself together. Her voice wavered. "You- you'll find out if the spell works."

"Promise me, Elsa, that no matter what, you'll give me the answer."

"I... I promise."

Anna sighed and sat back down. "Okay." It was clear that she was displeased.

"Are you sure you want to do this?"

"Yes."

"You won't be able to go out in the sun, just like me."

Anna shrugged. "I know, but I'll be able to be with you."

"I also need to add a... well, a weak link to the spell."

Anna furrowed her brows. "What do you mean?"

"Well," the pale woman pondered what to say for a moment, searching for a good way to explain it. "A spell is like a string. It has a beginning, which is the object that you bind the spell to, and an end, which is the weak link. After all, everything has to be balanced somehow. Does that make sense?"

"Yeah." Well, as far as magic goes. "So this weak link thingy, would it have the power to break the spell?"

Elsa nodded. "It would be the only thing in the world capable of such an act."

"Why haven't you, you know," the red head played with her fingers in her lap, "used the weak link of your spell to, well, if you've been so miserable, why haven't you, used, the... to just... end it?"

Time stood still. The air didn't dare breathe. In the most vulnerable tone that Anna had heard come from Elsa yet, she got her quiet response. "I... I've thought about it. But... the weak link- it's a dagger created by the hag centuries before I was born. And- and when the royal family of the Southern Isles took power over five hundred years ago, it fell into their hands. I could- I could never get to it." There was a tear dribbling down the vrykolakas' face. She sniffled.

Anna wiped the offending saltwater away gently. "I- I'm so sorry, I shouldn't have asked, oh, Elsa..."

Doing her best to shake it off, the landowner said "It's okay, I'm glad I never succeeded."

They sat for a few moments before the red head asked "so, what's going to be the weak point of the spell you're casting on me?"

"There's only one item suitable for the job. The same dagger used for the spell over me. The hag created it for this specific purpose, this particular spell. Luckily, unlike the binding item, you don't have to hold the weak link, it simply has to exist."

"Oh, okay. I'm- I'm ready."

Elsa took a deep breath. Her nerves were on edge, her heart pounding. If anything went wrong, she'd never be able to forgive herself. She closed her eyes and held out trembling hands. She started muttering in a low, distant voice.

It was in Latin, so Anna couldn't understand a word of it. She did notice, however, that it rhymed. It reminded her of a hymn. It was quite frankly a little unsettling. Her skin crawled like cockroaches.

Next, Elsa clamped the necklace between her palms and talked directly to it. It was a bizarre sight, but Anna said nothing.

After about another minute of muttering, Elsa opened her eyes. "It's done."

"Really? I thought- well, that was a little anticlimactic."

With a giggle easing the sewage in her stomach, Elsa teased. "What did you expect? An explosion of light and a tornado in the room?"

"Well, yeah, pretty much!" The red head laughed a little to get it out of her system. "How do we know if it worked? I don't feel any different."

If it worked you'll soon have a hunger for blood. "We have to see if you age."

"Okay... how do we do that?"

"Like this." Elsa very, very carefully measured the length of Anna's hair. "If you're not aging, your hair won't grow, so we wait about a week and see if there's any change."

"Wait, what? Your hair doesn't grow?"

Elsa smirked. "No."

"That would make it a million times easier to deal with! now I'm really hoping this works!"

Despite her mind wanting to let go and relax alongside the now lighthearted mood lingering in the room, Elsa's more base urges arrested her attention. She still lusted after the crimson flow within Anna's veins. Does that mean it didn't work? "Me too."