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

Pizzaeater2000-Lol, I thought it was funny too...XD Honestly I think he deserves far worse than that, lol:P

dmcreif-Yes, that did cross my mind.:P And regarding chapter 5...Cool, another person agrees with me that Elsa had a right to be angry! Yeah, well, that's not cynical. I wrote it that way on purpose so the readers could decide what happened. I wasn't sure what the appropriate punishment for trying to kidnap the Crown Princess of Arendelle should be, so I left it ambiguous. A private execution for the would-be kidnappers sounds logical enough to me.:P Yay, someone noticed the parallels between that scene and the attack on the ice palace!:) (In chapter 8, Elsa thinks to herself for a moment that she wishes she had defended herself with her powers before dumping the idea. Well, guess what she's doing in the ice palace five years later...:P)

bananas-rule-2015-You're welcome! It was a good idea.:) It is really sweet; Elsa deserves lots of hugs and comfort from Anna after trying to deal with things like that alone for so long.:/ I'm glad Elsa's stuttering seems logical...I mean, I don't want to dump a ton of problems on her, but it seemed like something that probably would happen if Elsa were a real girl in our world.:P No, this isn't the last chapter! There will be one, mayyyybe two after this. (I'm thinking one though.:))

Fatten Saad-Thank you!:)

olaf99-I like to fancy myself a Frozen expert, But I don't think I am really. At least no more than everyone else on here writing Frozen stories.;) There's a little more story after this chapter still.:) P.S. I love replying to my reviews:)

minerbuilder12-Yikes, that'd be some story! *shudders* Poor Elsa! She'd either be a more villainous form of herself or she'd have some awful PTSD problems after Anna found her, or she'd actually succeed in committing suicide eventually...I'll think about it. Maybe I could change the timeline so it wouldn't be ten whole years before the shipwreck and Anna found her and stuff, because that's horrible.:/ I thought I wasn't being very nice to Elsa in this story, but she wasn't living in the horrid old dungeon all that time, either.:P I'm glad you like 'Secret Passages' though!:)

On to the story!:)

Elsa awoke early the next morning, pleased to notice that her nasty headache from the day before was much better. Okay, Elsa, keep it together today. You need to start making decisions, fixing stuff, and explaining things. She closed her eyes and took several deep breaths before taking her gloves off and leaving them on the nightstand. No ice, Snow Queen. At least not unless you're trying to on purpose. Elsa slid out of bed and left a still-sleeping Anna under the covers. Thank you for all your help, Anna. I don't know what I would do without you.

Elsa tiptoed over to her closet and debated whether or not to put her ice-dress back on, which was what she really wanted to do. That's probably not a good idea…it's like saying 'Hey, I froze the whole kingdom but look at the epic awesome dress I can make!' Yeah, I don't think so. I'd better wear a regular dress. Elsa slipped on a dark blue dress out of her closet, sans any itchy scratchy corset; and realized that even if she wanted to put on the itchy thing, she couldn't, because it had literally been disintegrated when she made her ice-dress. "That's one thing I don't mind destroying because of my powers," Elsa said to herself, half-giggling at the thought that the thing quite honestly did not exist anymore. Wait a second…I didn't stutter when I said that! I'm going to start practicing talking properly with Anna as much as possible, as long as Anna doesn't mind.

Elsa quickly brushed her hair and put it back in a single braid. That she was going to keep whether she was wearing her ice-dress or not. My braid doesn't label me as 'the girl with the ice powers that froze the whole country', so it can stay. Maybe it would be all right to leave a snowflake on the end. I can have one little thing that's part of what makes me me, even if 'just plain me' is…defective. I can't change myself, and if just plain Elsa is defective, then so be it. I don't want to completely hide myself away again. Everyone knows what's wrong with me now anyway; it'd be pointless. "I am the Snow Queen. I might also be d-defective and abnormal and whatever else, b-but that's okay. I suppose," Elsa said, talking to her reflection in the mirror. She frowned at her bare hands, wondering if she could really, truly make it through the day without freezing something. Just go test yourself with liquid water from the bathroom faucet, Elsa. Simple enough. If you freeze the water, you aren't ready. If you don't, then you're probably safe.

Setting a bucketful of water on the floor in the bathroom, Elsa bit her lip before hesitantly touching a finger to the water. It stayed liquid. Elsa smiled and put her whole hand in the water. No…ice. NO…ICE…NO ICE! "I did it!" she shouted happily. "I can touch liquid water!" As an experiment, Elsa purposely froze the bucket of water to solid ice; then attempted to thaw it. It works! It really works! She ran over to the still fast asleep Anna and started shaking her in excitement. "Anna, Anna! Come see what I did! Please?"

"Go 'way, Elsa…me sleepin'," Anna mumbled.

Elsa's happy smile faded. "Okay," she said softly. I forgot Anna hates getting up in the morning. I'll show her when she gets up, I guess. She quickly wrote Anna a short note and put it right in her sister's hand. That way Anna will know where I went. I need to know just where Hans and the Duke of Weselton and his guards are. I should have done that yesterday immediately after Anna helped me thaw everything. I'm lucky those loons didn't try to come kill me in my sleep during the night or something. Elsa shook her head, trying to get rid of that morbid train of thought. Then she smiled. She knew exactly what to do with the duke and his guards. Something I've wanted to do for literally years but that I didn't have the authority for before and didn't have concrete reasons to do so. Elsa paused next to the nightstand; then changed her mind.

Elsa left the gloves behind. She could always come back later if she felt like she needed them. For now, Elsa was confident enough to just be herself.

Elsa stopped in her tracks when she heard loud fussing from farther down the hall. That sounds like the Duke of Weselton…I'm going to go investigate. She closed her eyes and took a few slow breaths, willing herself to stay calm. If he yells bad names at me again, I am not going to freak out. I will not react. That's what he expects and probably wants me to do. I'm not going to be that emotional young girl that can't hold herself together after an insult. "Elicit calm, Elsa," she muttered to herself.

"What is all the c-commotion about, sirs?" Elsa asked the two Arendelle guards outside one of the guest rooms. Quit stuttering, Elsa. Just think carefully before you say anything.

"When your majesty and the princess returned to the castle yesterday, we took the liberty of confining the Duke of Weselton's two guards in the dungeon due to the events on the North Mountain. The duke has been confined to his quarters, and Prince Hans of the Southern Isles has also been confined to his quarters as well. We did not think we had the authority to lock him in the dungeon as he did to you without your permission, Queen Elsa, although it would be our pleasure to move him to the dungeon if you so desire."

Okay, at least someone had the sense to actually do something yesterday. Thank goodness. "I see. Move Prince Hans t-to the dungeon. I should like to speak w-with the duke, please," Elsa replied after a moment. Argh, Elsa, stop it! Talk slowly and carefully…maybe that will help.

The guard gave her a funny look for a moment, but he simply replied, "Certainly, Queen Elsa," and opened the door to that guest room.

Elsa instinctively jumped back when the duke came storming out of the guest room, ranting about something having to do with incompetent little girls running kingdoms and monsters freezing things and the unfairness of being confined to his quarters. Elsa, you knew he was going to be like this. Don't give him the satisfaction of letting him get to you. "Be quiet," she ordered, trying to take control of the situation.

The duke was so surprised he did as Elsa said. For a moment. Before Elsa could say anything else, the duke said, "Your guards confined me to my quarters! They locked my guards in the castle dungeon! Where you should be," the last four words were muttered nearly inaudibly, although Elsa could hear them.

Elsa flinched, but she didn't otherwise react. She felt frost forming on her palms and gripped the skirt of her dress in her fists. I will not lose control. Anna doesn't mind who I am. It doesn't matter what the stupid duke thinks. Elsa took a deep breath before replying. "My guards t-took action when I was in no c-condition to do so. They did exactly what I am confirming m-myself right now." Pause. Stay calm, Elsa. You can do this. "You are confined to your quarters until such time that you leave Arendelle," she finished in one breath. Okay. I didn't stutter that time. I'm still in control.

"You can't do that! Why are my guards in the castle dungeon and an ice witch is roaming free?! That's ridiculous! You're a mons-"

"ENOUGH!" Something inside Elsa snapped. She was trying to be as nice as she could, but even if she still thought a lot of bad things about herself, there were a few things she knew she was most definitely not. Elsa stood tall and stared the duke right in the face, her blue eyes flashing. "Sir, I am many things. I am a freak. I am abnormal. I c-control ice and snow. I am d-defective. I am an aberration, a mutant, whatever else you would l-like to call it. But I am not a witch. I was born this way. And I am not a monster. I hurt m-my sister by accident. I froze Arendelle by accident. I will not stand here a-and let you insult me with your l-lies," she finished. Did I actually say all that?! Good grief, maybe that wasn't such a good idea. And I stuttered several times…

Elsa didn't see Anna watching from down the hall. Anna stood grinning madly a ways down the hall. She had heard every word her sister said. Elsa just defended herself! She didn't exactly paint herself in a favorable light, but she did speak up. Anna came running down the hall and stood right next to Elsa. "Hi, Elsa! Why aren't you wearing your ice-dress?"

"Good morning, Anna," Elsa said, smiling. Even if Elsa supposed that saying all that wasn't the best thing she could have done, it felt good to speak up in her own defense for once, unlike the silent reactions she had made most of time to anything that had happened to her when she was younger. And Anna, I didn't think it was a good idea to wear my ice-dress today because it probably wouldn't make a good impression politics-wise…

Anna grabbed Elsa's cold hand, making both of them jump. "Lemme go!" Elsa hissed quietly when she noticed the frost on her skirt where her hand had been. Don't notice; please don't notice…

"She's doing it again!" the duke exclaimed.

Anna jutted out her lower lip and marched right up to the duke, not caring a bit if she was rude. "You WILL respect my sister! She is the queen of Arendelle! One more stupid word out of you and I will tell Elsa to freeze your butt!"

Elsa's face turned bright red with embarrassment. Anna, why did you have to say that?! She bit her lip and reached for Anna's shoulder to pull her away from the duke. "I do apologize f-for my sister's outburst. I will n-not be freezing anyone's…derriere," Elsa finally said, figuring that was about the least embarrassing way to refer to someone's backside. I need to hurry up and get this conversation over with. I feel like I'm about to lose control. Can't do that unless I'm alone in my room or something.

"Well, you should," Anna muttered to Elsa. Why is she being nice to that stupid creep?! He called her rotten names. Elsa oughta punch him. Or freeze him. Or both. Yeah, both would be PERFECT.

"Anna, please. Could you go check m-my nightstand, just in case?" Elsa whispered, hoping Anna got the point that one, Elsa wanted to handle this herself, and two, Elsa wanted Anna to get her gloves just in case she couldn't stay in control on her own anymore.

Anna frowned, but she nodded and ran off down the hall as Elsa asked.

Elsa turned back to face the duke. Deep breaths. Deep breaths. I'm going to stay calm. "Why did you send your g-guards after me? You had n-no right to do that. You attempted regicide." I've been wondering that since the get-go. I'd left; I wasn't going to cause anyone any more trouble. Arendelle would have been permanently frozen with no way out if they had succeeded in killing me.

"Why are you stuttering every time you say anything?"

Shut up. I know I'm stuttering; I can't help it. "I asked my question first. And, may I a-add, I have the authority h-here whether you like it or n-not. Answer my question," Elsa said firmly, determined not to let that man get under her skin any more than he had already. She clasped her hands behind her back, figuring if she did make a mistake, that way the duke would not see it.

"You have unnatural, out of control powers over ice and snow and who knows what else! Could I please have an answer to my question now?"

Elsa immediately caught the faux patronizing tone of that question. "I daresay the way I t-talk is my own business, not yours," she said sweetly, ignoring the other things the duke had said. I am not even going to try to explain my personal problems to someone like him. Okay, so he wanted to kill me simply for being…me. Great. What if people in Arendelle think the same way? Elsa's worries didn't show on her face-years of concealing her emotions assured her of that-but inside she was very agitated. No ice, Elsa. Not here. Not now. Stay calm. Think of Anna. Happy thoughts.

"Well, you need to fix that."

"Queen Elsa needs to fix what?" Anna asked, suddenly appearing next to her sister again. Don't you dare hurt my sister's feelings. She's had quite enough of that.

"She stutters. She must not be able to handle the stress of ruling a kingdom."

Elsa bit her lip, but she was not going to run away again. She wouldn't. Elsa felt ice forming in her clasped hands behind her back and clenched her hands together harder. I'm not giving him the satisfaction of making me lose control. No, no, no. I can't help it that I'm talking funny. Maybe I should practice more…like every chance I get…

"My sister has taken care of Arendelle for the past three years with no problems whatsoever! What does it matter if Elsa stutters a bit when she talks sometimes?! If you say ANYTHING else derogatory to or about my sister, I will make sure you're sorry! That's all I have to say!" Then Anna turned to Elsa and said in her normal happy voice, "Let's go downstairs, Elsa."

Elsa shook her head. There's nothing else to talk to that duke about. He's not going to tell me anything useful. "Okay, Anna. Good day, sir," she said, giving the duke a polite nod. Then she turned her back and strode off down the hall with Anna at her side.

"I need to go to an empty r-room. Any empty room," Elsa whispered to Anna. I need to let that ice out. I'm going to keep feeling like I'm about to lose control until I do. She peeked inside the doorway to her parents' old room, figuring there would be no one in there. There wasn't. Elsa darted inside and shut the door. "Anna, stay away f-from me, please," she said quietly but firmly.

Anna frowned, but she did stay by the door while Elsa headed to the opposite side of the room. "Elsa, what are you doing? Why are we in here?"

Elsa iced over one wall and threw a few icicles at it. Then she smiled and made her signature snowflake in one hand. Much better. Much, much better. "Okay, I'm good now," Elsa said a moment later. She closed her eyes and concentrated on thawing the ice she had made. Did it work? It did! Elsa smiled and ran back over to Anna. "Shall we go d-downstairs? I'm ready. And you asked why I w-wasn't wearing my ice-dress…I thought i-it was going to look like 'Oh, I'm s-sorry I froze the kingdom, but hey, l-look at the cool dress I made!' That's why."

Oh, Elsa just wanted to release her pent-up emotions by herself so no one could say she was 'losing control'. That makes sense. "You did good holding it together around that stupid duke, Elsa," Anna told her sister, giving Elsa's shoulder a reassuring squeeze. "And coming in here for a minute to let the ice out was a great idea! Lemme know if you need to disappear for a minute to do it again later in the day, 'kay? And I think you should wear your ice-dress if you want to-you look pretty in it and it's you. If people think like that, that's just stupid. Oh yeah, and you looked positively happy when you made that cool snowflake thing-your face, like, lit up. I like seeing you happy. And your snowflake thing was really pretty!"

I like my ice-dress too, and yes, it is me, but I want to make a good impression politically and I don't think that's going to do it. People are not only going to think who knows what about my powers, but they'll probably think I look like a little girl playing dress-up…except I know I don't. I look like me in that dress. A girl who's also the Snow Queen. Elsa smiled and stepped a bit away from Anna, just in case, before making her signature snowflake again. "It's my signature snowflake," she said softly. Someone else likes it. Anna likes it. My baby sister likes it. Elsa remembered when she had 'discovered'-okay, technically rediscovered it by accident-her signature snowflake four and a half years before. 'I have a signature snowflake!' sixteen-year-old Elsa blurted. 'Look!' She pointed to the ice barrier, which was now covered with three large, clearly defined identical snowflake patterns in the cracks. 'You're supposed to be taking the barrier down, not reinforcing it with your ice snowflake patterns.' Elsa's face fell. Of course Dad doesn't care. Probably doesn't even want to know. 'I am trying to take it down. The snowflake patterns are cracks, not more ice.' Elsa's mind suddenly registered Anna's concerned voice in reality trying to talk to her. "Anna?" Elsa asked, sounding a bit confused.

"Elsa, are you all right? One second you were smiling and telling me about your signature snowflake, and then you like zoned out or something," Anna said. "You looked all upset and I was talking to you and you were staring into space and wouldn't respond…"

Oh. Oh yeah. I had a flashback. Why did I have a flashback just about that?! "I'm okay now," Elsa mumbled, staring down at the floor. I'm sorry, Anna. I wasn't trying to ignore you.

Anna hugged her sister close, and Elsa instinctively flinched, but she didn't pull away. "You must have had a flashback or something. It's okay, Elsa. Whatever it was is over and it's not gonna bother you anymore. Do you…wanna talk about it? Maybe it'd help." Oh, Elsa. My sweet big sister should not have to deal with this sort of thing. She never did anything to deserve this. I'm never, ever leaving Elsa alone again. I'm going to help her be her old carefree self again. I know Elsa is mostly happy now, but there's still things hurting her inside from before.

"You liked my snowflake?" Elsa whispered. And no, I don't want to talk about it. It's just…stupid. It doesn't matter anymore.

Anna jerked away from Elsa and put both hands firmly on her shoulders. "Who saw your signature snowflake and didn't like it, Elsa? What happened? Of course I like your snowflake. It's pretty!"

"It doesn't m-matter anymore." Elsa just shook her head and didn't say anything else.

"It matters 'cause whatever it is still bothers you. When it doesn't bother you anymore, then it 'doesn't matter anymore'. Elsa, please tell me what happened. Maybe we can come up with something to do that'll get rid of it," Anna said.

Anna isn't going to hate me if I tell her. I should just tell her and get it over with. It can't hurt anything, I suppose. Elsa sighed. "Remember how my d-door used to lock on the outside?" (Anna nodded and made a face.) "Well, I used t-to put ice b-barriers up a-against the door so nobody c-could come in… That Christmas I was s-sixteen and we were out in the c-courtyard together and you f-fell off the roof…after I ran inside and g-got help, our father t-took me back to my r-room… I still had an i-ice barrier up on my side of the d-door, so he took the door off t-the hinges to break the ice d-down behind it…for whatever reason, it w-wouldn't break for him, so I started b-banging on it myself and that's when I f-found my signature snowflake pattern… It was s-stupid, but I was really h-happy I'd found something a-actually pretty my powers made i-instead of creepy-looking icicles…" Elsa paused for a moment, trying to blink back tears. Elsa, stop it. It does not matter. Come on, you know you like that snowflake pattern and you know Anna likes it. Let it go. That's a good memory to let go of.

"And you told Dad about your snowflake and he either didn't like it or got mad at you. Right?"

Elsa's sad blue eyes immediately told Anna her guess was correct. Yeah, Anna, that's exactly what happened… "After I'd s-sealed myself back in my r-room, I wanted t-to see my snowflake again…I knew I was s-stuck being like I was p-permanently, so I wanted t-to see the one pretty thing I knew th-they could make. I was so happy for a m-minute, and then I was wishing I c-could show you-and then I thought 'Anna d-doesn't want to see that. You're d-dangerous. You're an a-abnormal freak.' I ended up d-dropping the ice snowflake I'd m-made on the floor and i-it shattered…just looking at it b-broken on the floor made a-actual me broken inside. I felt l-like that stupid shattered s-snowflake was me. Ruined a-and impossible t-to fix."

Anna hugged Elsa tight, not caring that there were cold snowflakes falling around her sister. She bit her lip when she realized Elsa was shaking with sobs and just kept her arms wrapped around her sister. That's not happening again, Elsa. EVER. Then the perfect idea hit Anna. "Elsa, make an ice snowflake again. Right now. You can show me now. I want to see it."

Elsa let her sister keep one arm around her shoulders as she held out a shaking hand and made the exact same intricate, delicate ice snowflake she had made years before, whose same pattern was all over her ice palace. I'm not going to drop it this time. And I am not ruined or impossible to fix. Anna will help me. I know she will. "If I can keep i-it intact after I release c-control on it, d-do you…do you w-want to k-keep it?" she asked quietly.

"I'd love to!" Anna exclaimed. "Now, Elsa, that snowflake is not shattered or broken. And neither are you. It's probably identical to the one you made before-you made it insta-perfect. I'm not going to say you're going to turn instantly to that happy carefree little girl you were at age eight, because you're a human girl, not a snowflake, and you've been hurt inside since you were little. Way too long. But you are not broken, and I think whatever stuff still bothers you inside will go away eventually. And you'll always be perfect just the way you are to me. I don't care if you get upset or have flashbacks or icky nightmares or if you stutter. Well, I do care, 'cause I don't like seeing you hurting inside, but I'm not going to think anything less of you because of it. You're my sweet big sister, no matter what."

Anna doesn't mind me, so I'm not going to mind me either. It's okay to be 'just plain Elsa' now. I'm not broken. Cracked, maybe, but not broken. And cracks can be fixed. So there. Elsa bit her lip in concentration as she carefully dispelled the shimmering blue glow that kept the ice snowflake in place hovering over her palm. The snowflake fell to the floor, and Elsa scrunched her eyes shut, not wanting to see her creation shattered again like before.

"Elsa…what's wrong? You might want to look down at the floor for a sec," Anna informed her with a slightly pleased tone.

"I don't w-want to see it shattered a-again like before…" Elsa's voice trailed off, but then her curiosity got the best of her and she chanced a quick glance at the floor. There lay the ice snowflake perfectly intact on the floor. It didn't break?! It didn't…break. I dropped it and it didn't break. Elsa picked up the ice snowflake and stared at it closely. What was different about this one that kept it from breaking? I'm stronger now than when I was sixteen, but ice is just ice, right? Wait a second...is this one indestructible? Or at least stronger than normal ice? She handed the snowflake to Anna and said, "Throw it as hard as you can. I want to t-test a theory I have."

Anna made a face. "What if it does break?"

"I'll make you another one. Just d-do it, okay? Please?" Elsa was smiling now, not bouncing on her toes like her sister might do, but close enough.

"Ok…" Anna hurled the snowflake against the wall, and it fell to the floor, making a quiet ting sound.

"It worked!" Elsa exclaimed happily.

Anna ran to pick up the snowflake, realizing just what Elsa had been trying to test. "You can make indestructible ice. That is so awesome! It must be special ice, 'cause it's not even starting to melt when I'm holding it."

Elsa's expression became impish as she thought of something else she could try. "I'm going to s-stick that snowflake in the fire in the kitchen and see if it melts," she announced.

Anna laughed. "Are you sure that's not too childish for a queen or something?" she teased. Wait, why did I say that?! Elsa was actually happy to do something with her powers. I can't take that away from her.

"Well…" Elsa's mischievous, happy expression faded for a moment, but then her face brightened again. "It probably is, but Gerda w-will be in the kitchen a-and I don't think she'll mind." She paused before adding, "I do not want them r-right now, but did you get m-my gloves off the nightstand? I'm r-ready to go downstairs for b-breakfast, but I th-thought I'd better bring them j-just in c-case…" Good grief, Elsa, just slow down and think carefully before you try to say anything. Anna may not mind me stuttering, but I don't want everyone in the whole castle to hear it. I already did it in front of that stupid duke and two guards…

"Yes, I got 'em, Elsa, but you're gonna be fine. If you need to, just excuse yourself and go let the ice out in another room and come back," Anna suggested. "What are you worried about now?" she asked, noticing Elsa's changing expression.

"I can't even talk r-right," Elsa said softly. What if everyone else thinks like the duke does? That I talk like that because I can't handle the stress of ruling a kingdom? Or that I should be killed or put in the dungeon because of my powers? "What if-"

Anna interrupted. "Elsa, are you worried that everyone else is going to treat you like that stupid Weaseltown duke did?"

Elsa slowly nodded. "What if I go d-downstairs and everyone's like, 'Why are y-you talking like that? And you should b-be in the dungeon' or something?" I know nobody even technically has the authority to do such a thing, and I know I could get out if I did get put down there again, but…I don't want to hear anyone saying that to me again…it hurts and I'll probably end up losing control again.

Elsa, nobody is putting you in that stupid dungeon again. Mom and Dad should not have put you down there in the first place. "Then you either freeze their stupid mouths shut or turn your back and ignore them. But I really don't think anyone's going to say or think anything of the sort. Elsa, listen to me. Can you take a deep breath and say something for me? Say this: I can talk without stuttering." Anna gave her sister an expectant smile and waited for her to reply.

"I can…talk w-without…Anna, I told you I couldn't do it!" Elsa blurted, annoyed with herself for messing up something so simple.

"Elsa, you just said 'Anna, I told you I couldn't do it' without stuttering at all. Try again. I know you can do it!" Anna squeezed Elsa's shoulder, trying to encourage her. I know Elsa can talk without doing that. She did before, and she doesn't do it every time she talks, either.

Elsa bit her lip for a minute before trying again. Anna is so sure I can do it. I don't want to let her expectations down again like I did for all that time when we were little. I'm going to do it right this time. "I…cantalkwithoutstuttering," she finally said all in a rush. "Did I do it right?" Elsa asked hopefully.

Anna was torn between being amused that her twenty-one-year-old sister quite honestly sounded like she was five with that 'Did I do it right?' question and being upset that Elsa had to ask a question like that in the first place, especially about something that she shouldn't have had trouble with in the first place. The upset-ness won out, and Anna just hugged Elsa close. "You did it just right, Elsa."

"I did something right f-for once…?" Elsa didn't quite sound certain whether she meant for that to be a statement or a question. She had been so used to feeling like she had done the wrong thing no matter what she did for so long that it was hard for her to believe that Anna really thought she had done something right. Anna told me I did something right. I must have done something right then, because I know Anna wouldn't lie to me.

"Of course you did…hey wait a second, what did you mean by 'for once'?"

Elsa sighed. You probably already know, Anna. I don't want to talk about it. "Take a guess," she replied a moment later.

Anna thought for all of about two seconds before exploding. "Our parents made you feel like you had always done the wrong thing, no matter what you'd done, I'll bet! Right? Everything that happened to you was their fault! You tried to do the right thing by, like, giving storm warnings, and they didn't believe you; you tried to-…And wait, another thing; it's their fault my sweet big sister tried to kill herself" she grabbed Elsa's hand and pointed at the faint pink line on her wrist "and has got a scar on her wrist because of it! What if you'd actually succeeded?! It would have been their fault I lost my sister and you'd have…died all alone feeling awful! THAT IS NOT FAIR! NOT FAIR, NOT FAIR, NOT FAIR!" Anna paused with her rant, realizing Elsa was just standing stock-still watching with her blue eyes wide. "What Elsa?! It's true! I know it is!"

Elsa looked down at her wrist and answered slowly, "I…don't think…what I did…was our parents' fault…it's complicated, but…I think it was…mostly because I just…felt like I couldn't…do this anymore…just life, you know? I'd hurt you…I couldn't a-apologize…I thought Mom and Dad dying…was my fault…I couldn't undo anything…I was still messed up a-and dangerous…I had been stuck in…that room for ten years…by then. I'd had enough…all I was good for was…destroying things and…hurting everyone I c-cared about. I thought it…was best for everyone if…I just d-disappeared. The only reason I…didn't try it again…was because of you. You were the one…thing that k-kept me going…all that time…" Why did I say all that? I sound pathetic. What a drip. "You can pretend you d-didn't hear any of that," she added in a flat voice.

"It's still their fault 'cause you wouldn't have been locked in your room for those ten years if it wasn't for them! And-"

"Anna, I want to go downstairs now," Elsa interrupted firmly. I don't want to talk about this anymore. It's over; that was three years ago, and I have Anna back. I may still have some problems, but I'm mostly okay. "May I please have m-my gloves now? I want to put them i-in my pocket." Yep, this dress does have pockets. Good.

"You don't need those, Elsa," Anna said, frowning as she watched her sister carefully tuck the gloves into her own pocket.

"I'd rather be safe than s-sorry." Elsa smiled a bit and hesitated before holding her still-bare hand out to Anna. It's okay now, Elsa. You can hold Anna's hand like a normal sister would.

Anna grinned and promptly grabbed her sister's hand. "C'mon! To the dining hall!"

Elsa giggled as she let Anna pull her out of the room and downstairs. I love you, Anna. You never gave up on me. And you don't mind, well, me. I can only hope at least some of the people won't mind me, either.

A/N: The next chapter will probably be the last...there MIGHT be two more, but I'm thinking just one. (I don't know how accurate my guess is, lol; I know what's going to happen, but not how many words it will be.:))

So Elsa's figured out a way to let her feelings out even if she's still trying to conceal in front of people like the Duke of Weaseltown.:P Elsa, you're awesome; don't worry about what that dumb duke thinks.:)

Next chapter coming soon!:)