Anna pulled Elsa through the castle's doors without breaking her furious pace. Elsa wondered where the trolls had managed to remain hidden for over a year, unsure as to how exactly her sister had found the creatures at all. Questions aside, however, there was one thing the Queen of Arendelle had to admit. The timing is impeccable. It was as if the trolls had revealed themselves just in time for Elsa's imminent demise to make itself known. Continuing to race through the courtyard, Anna seemed to read Elsa's mind.
"I'm sure the trolls will be able to fix...whatever..." she said, trying to sound cheerful, turning her head toward her sister as she ran, "...whatever's going on." Anna gave Elsa an anxious smile before turning back in the direction of her movement. Her grip around Elsa grew tighter. Not thinking to comfort her sister, the Queen asked the question that was undoubtedly on both of their minds.
"What if," she started, but her voice caught. She tried to cover the severity of her words with a mildly pleasant tone, continuing to speak, "what if they can't help me?" The words filled the air, crashing to her sister's ears as Anna instantly came to a halt. Elsa, not expecting the sudden stop, barely had time to slow down before she flew into her sister, sending them both to the ground. The older of the two girls spoke first.
"Anna, are you okay?" Elsa asked, frantically. Anna grabbed her sister and pulled her close for a compassionate embrace.
"I'm fine," she said. Elsa heard the faintest hint of a giggle, but it quickly subsided, Anna's voice turning to one of despair, "but what about you, Elsa? You're not okay." The realization of the situation's gravity was hitting Anna like a freight train, "What if the trolls can't fix you?" The sadness taking hold of her sister was enough to arouse Elsa's nurturing instincts. Remember to smile. She tried to give solace to the girl.
"They're going to make me better," said Elsa uncertainly, though she covered the true nature of her voice with a falsely confident tone. "And then we can cry on the ground by the gardens as much as you like," she joked, now sounding playful. Thrown back into reality, Anna looked toward the gardens.
"Oh," she exclaimed, smiling once more, "I hadn't even noticed we were so close." Anna stood, helping her sister to her feet.
"What?" replied a slightly confused Elsa, looking to the stretch of plant life, "What are you talking about?"
"The gardens, silly," quipped a buoyant Anna, "Where else did you think the trolls would be?" She began walking towards the gardens, but turned to face her sister, "you coming?" Elsa managed an affirmative as she too approached the foliage.
Just moments later the two girls were standing in the center of the gardens. The clearing, surrounded on all sides by trees, was barren of any plant life, aside from the thick green grass which kissed the bottom of Elsa's feet. A waterfall cascaded from above, emptying into a small pond. Anna rushed to the water, pulling her dress above her knees as she extended a foot into the cool rippling of the pond.
"Isn't it beautiful?" asked an eager Anna, breathing in the beauty around her as she sat down on the grass, gracefully placing her other leg into the water. Elsa had to agree. Flowers of assorted colors dotted the ground, making the grass seem even softer than it already was. The light flowed over the tops of the surrounding trees and into the waterfall, creating a rainbow, and the only sound was the gentle bubbling of the pond. But all of this was unmatched by the beauty of the girl smiling at the Queen with teal eyes.
"I've never seen anything more beautiful," Elsa admitted, "it's perfect." She smiled and slowly moved towards her sister.
"This is where I go when I feel alone," Anna said, tentatively, extending her hand toward a duck in the center of the water. It swam to the princess, gracefully climbing onto her hand. Running her fingers through the creature's golden feather's, she turned her head to Elsa and spoke. "I've been coming here a lot lately." The crestfallen expression on her sister's face made it clear to Elsa that Anna was hurting. The Queen changed the subject.
"So, these trolls," she shrugged, "where are they?" The question served its intended purpose flawlessly, the look on Anna's face transforming to one of excitement as she stood. The duck returned to the pond with a quack, and the girl motioned for Elsa to follow, walking toward the waterfall at a brisk pace.
"All the times I came to this place," she said, stepping onto a rock by the base of the waterfall, "and I never knew." Anna jumped from the rock and disappeared behind the waterfall.
"Anna?" yelled Elsa, running to the place from where her sister had jumped, "Is everything okay?"
"We're fine," called the princess from behind the water, "just jump across. Trust me." Elsa hesitantly did as her sister asked, and climbed onto the rocks, realizing what the girl had said. We? She jumped into the waterfall, trusting her sister's words, and landed on soft patch of grass. Looking up, she realized that she was staring into a huge cave. In front of her stood Anna, accompanied by a dozen trolls, all gazing at the Queen.
"This is-" Elsa began, standing from the soft grass to an upright position, but she was interrupted by Anna.
"Amazing," exclaimed Anna, grinning, "I know."
"How did you find this place?" asked Elsa, mouth hanging wide open as she examined the expanse of rocky terrain. Strange vegetation covered the bottom of the stream that flowed through the room, giving off a blue, fluorescent light all throughout the cave.
"Well," the princess said, interrupting Elsa's visual investigation of the cave. "I might have slipped on the rocks out there," she said, shyly, pointing in the direction from which they had just entered.
"Why were you on the rocks in the first place?" asked Elsa, jokingly. Anna began to answer, but she was interrupted by the Queen. "Never mind, I already know," she said with a laugh, "you were dancing."
"And singing," Anna added with a chuckle, "don't forget about these vocals," Anna sung the last few words of her statement for emphasis. Elsa covered a grin with her hand.
"I wouldn't dream of it," Elsa said with a smile, continuing to giggle. But the girls' mood was interrupted by a somber recollection. Anna was the first to speak.
"We need to see Pabbie," she said to the trolls, the smile gone from her face. She looked at Elsa with hopeful eyes, "We need his help." The trolls all began to mutter assorted phrases to one another, but one troll spoke above the noise.
"Follow me," he said, motioning for the girls to follow as he walked deeper into the cave. The sisters obeyed, glancing at one another for just a moment before going after the troll as he disappeared further into the expanses of rocky walls and blue light.
In a matter of a few minutes, the two girls arrived at a room that appeared to have been dug out by the trolls, separate from the natural depths of the cave. Their guide broke the silence, approaching the center of the dimly lit room. "Wake up, Grand Pabbie," he called to the ground, stomping his foot on the smooth stone floor, "Queen Elsa and Princess Anna are here. They need your help." In an instant, the elder troll emerged from the rocky ground, leaving a tunnel in his wake.
He quickly approached Elsa, not wasting a moment, motioning for the Queen's hand.
"Let me see," Pabbie spoke with a rushed yet tender voice. She extended her arm, the troll placing his hands on either side of hers, while Anna watched nervously, placing her hands over her mouth to hide her worry.
"Can you help her?" Anna asked, contributing her voice. Elsa could see the fear in her sister's eyes. "Can you help my sister?" The troll matched Anna's worried look with his own sympathetic gaze.
"She is dying," he spoke, calmly, though he clearly felt for the girls. "Elsa's powers were the first part of her to go," he paused, shifting his gaze to the girl whose hand he grasped, "and her life will be the last."
The words echoed through the silent room, smashing against the two sisters' ears like waves against a rock. Anna fell to her knees, a look of shock on her face, only now fully understanding the true direness of her sister's condition. Elsa remained on her feet, unmoving, as the troll removed his hands from hers.
"I am truly sorry," he said, turning away and beginning to move toward the tunnel from which he had emerged. Elsa called out.
"Is there anything I can do?" she pleaded, now falling to her knees as well. The troll turned.
"Your heart is not whole," he said, plainly, "There is a part of you missing. Unless you can reunite with the missing part..." he trailed off, not needing to say more. His message was clear. With those words, however, Elsa heard the sound of Anna rushing toward her. When she turned to face her sister, Elsa's lips were met by those of Anna, who gently placed her hands on Elsa's cheeks while remaining lip-locked with her sister.
After a few moments, Anna slowly pulled away a few inches, staring at Elsa with bright eyes, leaving Elsa surprised to find herself disappointed by having now only the sensual feeling of her sister's warm breath on her face.
"Anything?" asked Anna, hopefully, awaiting a response from Elsa. The Queen shook her head. "Well, it was worth a shot," she said, winking. Elsa changed the subject, now addressing the troll.
"Why is it that I'm only now being affected? I haven't lost anything," The troll looked at her, shrugging.
"I don't know what keeps your heart from being whole," he said, "but it is possible..." he trailed off, deep in thought. He looked at the girls with a new realization, "It's possible," he continued, "that whatever your heart is missing, whatever you need to stay alive," he was now looking solely at Elsa, "is something new."
"What?" asked Elsa, "What does that mean?"
"There's something new to this world," he answered, surer of his idea now, "a few years, perhaps" He spoke with certainty, nodding as he spoke, "something you need," he paused, glancing at Anna, and then returned his eyes to Elsa, "quite desperately, I'm afraid."