It was cold; colder than Elsa had ever felt before. As she staggered through the dark, empty hallway, she felt as though the cold was trying to suck the life out of her, making her feel weak and helpless.
It also didn't help that most of these doors that lined the hallway were locked, forcing her to continue her journey; the ones that weren't locked, were just rooms that seemed to resemble a lonely child's bedroom, covered in ice and snow.
The woman tried to recall how she got there, but all should could recall was her own voice, mocking her for some reason; everything else was hazy, as if she was looking through a fog that was ever shifting, giving her short glimpses that whenever she tried to think about it more, it would slip away, back into the mists.
As she continued on, she noticed that the way she was heading seemed to be growing darker, making her feel colder, and while she wanted to turn back, head back toward to where it was lighter, she seemed to be pulled back toward the darkness.
"Do you want to build a snowman?"
Elsa paused for a moment, confused about what she was hearing, but after a few moments of silence, she assumed that she was just hearing things, and continued on, farther into the darkness.
"Come on, let's go and play."
She whirled around and strained to hear more, feeling as though she had heard that voice before, but once again, after a few moments of silence, the pull of the darkness forced her to continue on.
"I never see you anymore, come out the door, it is like you've gone away."
This time, she was certain that the voice came from behind her, and she was now positive that she had heard the voice before. Willing herself to go back, she only managed a few steps before she felt the cold overtake her, and the darkness pull her back. Elsa strained against it, desperate to hear more, feeling as though the voice was something important to her.
"We used to be best buddies, but now we're not; I wish you would tell me why."
Elsa fought against the darkness, struggling to reach the voice, putting one foot in front of the other, each step becoming more difficult than the last, but with each step, she felt that she was gaining something back...something important. And while the she could still feel the cold throughout her body, the farther she got toward the light, the warmer she seemed to feel.
"Do you want to build a snowman? It doesn't have to be a snowman."
The voice seemed to becoming from a door, one that Elsa was sure was locked earlier. She slowly opened it, and peeked inside, only to throw open door once she saw what was inside.
While all the other rooms had been that lonely bedroom, this one was a room that had two beds, each looking as if they belonged to young children. Elsa took a step in, and then noticed that there appeared to be a little girl, sitting on one of the beds, facing away from the woman. From the way that the girl's shoulders were shaking, it appeared that she was crying.
"Ok...bye..."
With that, the girl started to fade, disappearing right before the eyes of Elsa, and almost immediately, she began to feel the pull of the darkness grow stronger.
"No! Please, don't go!" Elsa cried out, silently begging that the girl would listen.
The girl stopped fading, and slowly turned around, allowing Elsa to see her face for the first time, and immediately, Elsa felt all of her memories come back: the kingdom, her family, everything that led up to her being there, and of course, Anna. Suddenly, she could feel the pull of the darkness decrease, until it was almost nothing, and the cold that had been bothering her the entire time, seemed to fade as well.
"Elsa?!" Anna jumped up from the bed, and ran toward the woman, who met her halfway, scooping her up and holding her in her arms as the girl broke down. Elsa could feel tears start welling up in her own eyes, as she held the young version of her sister.
"I was worried you wouldn't find me in time," the girl sobbed into Elsa's shoulder, as the former queen rubbed her back.
"So was I," Elsa replied softly, feeling the tears start to spill over, and run down her face.
They stayed like for several minutes, just enjoying the feeling of being close to one another, before Anna, finally gaining control of her emotions, pulled herself free from Elsa's grasp and stared into her eyes.
"Did all your memories come back?"
"I believe so. How did I lose them in the first place, and where am I?"
"Yourself, and in your own head," Anna stated sadly, as she turned and started walking back toward one of the beds.
"What do you mean?" Elsa asked confused, as she followed after her sister. The girl sighed, stopping and turning to face the woman.
"First, I am not really your sister; I am the personification of the love that you feel for her in order to help fight the freezing of your heart. Second, I'm not strong enough by myself to stop it; eventually, I will fade and while you will keep your memories, all the joy, happiness, and love that you felt in them, will be stripped away, leaving you with nothing."
"Wait, so why did I lose my memories in the first place? Are you saying I caused it?"
"Yes and no. When your body was struck by the ice by your alternate self, in order to protect the love you feel for Anna, your mind removed all your memories, in order for it to take longer for the freezing to find them and destroy your emotions. However, the freezing would have happened at a much faster rate than if you hadn't found me."
Elsa was shocked; she had remembered being struck by ice by that alternate version of herself, but only then, did she remember what the Ice Queen had told her what was going to happen. "How much time do I have before...I lose you forever?"
"I don't know," Anna said, as she suddenly shimmered, aging in mere moments from Anna, age 5, to Anna, age 8, "but, guessing on how fast I have been aging, I would say you would most likely have a day before I am gone completely gone."
Elsa sat down on the bed, trying to process what Anna had said, as the girl sat down next to her. "So, I am guessing that I am unconscious at the moment?"
"You mind couldn't cope with amount of pain that your heart was feeling as it was being forcibly changed, so it shut your body down, and brought you here to the deep recesses of your mind, in order to give a chance of fighting it."
Elsa laughed suddenly, causing Anna to look at her funny. "I'm sorry, but I have been thinking that while you look like Anna, you sound nothing like her."
Anna giggled at that statement. "Well, I am in your mind, so I guess that I am a mix of what Anna is, and what you wanted Anna to be. I mean, you didn't get to see her much after...the..." She left the final words unspoken, as the atmosphere became very somber, . "Sorry."
Elsa had to stand up and move away from the girl, as the guilt of what happened that night came flooding back. Slowly taking a deep breath, she pushed the guilt away, knowing that at the moment, it would just be something else in the way of freeing herself. "Am I trapped here until my heart is completely frozen, or can I try to find another way out?"
Anna thought about this for a few moments, before answering. "No, there isn't any way out; not if you wanted to keep your memories of your sister without losing your love for her. If you tried to leave through the door, the cold would overtake you as the darkness engulfed you, stripping away the emotions slowly, and painfully. As long as you are here with me, I can give you longer with your memories of your sister."
"Anna, there has to be something I can do!" Elsa nearly shouted, as she began to pace around the room; while she knew that it would do her no good, it felt better to be moving around than just sitting on a bed, waiting for the end. Anna sighed, hopping down from the bed and moving to stand from of the woman, forcing her to stop
"Elsa, I'm sorry; I really am, but there really is nothing else you can do. Eventually, you will lose the emotions that you have for your sister, and she will be lost to you, forever."
AN: As I told you earlier, here is the next chapter. I am hoping to have the next chapter out by Saturday.
Also, thank you to everyone who reviewed, followed, and/or faved. It really means a lot when I receive notification that someone is enjoying the story and wishes to continue reading it.
Now, please, don't stop reviewing; it let's me know what you are thinking, and if you have anything that you would wish to let me know, don't hesitate to leave it in a review, or shoot me a PM. So, thanks again, and I hope you enjoy it!