If you're reading this page, then you must actually be enjoying the story so far. Or you're anxious to read about more familiar characters. Either way, here's the next chapter of Blazed. One thing I noticed from both the Frozen movies is this: At no point do Elsa and Anna discuss the accident from their childhood. And I figure Anna must have a dozen questions about how Elsa kept her powers a secret from her their whole lives. Other fanfiction writers have tried to address this. The least I could do was take a crack at it. So here goes.

Chapter 1: The Truth.

The Royal Palace of Arendelle

July 29, 1839

"Goodbye, everybody! Thanks for coming!"

Princess Anna waved as the last of the palace guests departed from the courtyard. Today was a day that the Kingdom of Arendelle would never forget. Their rightful monarch, Queen Elsa Stark I, had gone from highborn recluse, to apprehensive ruler, to frightened exile, before finally being accepted by her people for who she was, all in the same week. Upon Elsa's return, her people surprised her by asking her to demonstrate her magic for them.

Given recent events, Elsa had anticipated a more frightened or hostile reaction from her people. And she would not have held that against them, considering she had almost destroyed Arendelle with her magic. But how could they have forgiven her for everything she had done? Perhaps they were intimidated by her after seeing what she could do when pushed to the brink. Perhaps they were simply obeying the letter of the law. Perhaps they felt sympathy for her because she was forced to become queen at such a young age. In any case, she remained grateful that her people had welcomed her back to the kingdom so readily.

Anna turned to hug her sister. "That was so much fun! Thank you for doing all that, Elsa."

"I… You're welcome. I'm glad you had fun today, Anna."

With their arms around each other's shoulders, Elsa and Anna went inside to have lunch in the banquet hall. They did their best to stay out of the way of the servants while they cleaned up the mess of the past week.

"Did you see the looks on their faces when you made those sculptures? It was like, 'Ooohhh', and then it was like, 'Ahhhh', and then they were all, 'WHOO-HOO!' Oh, does this mean they've forgiven you? Oh! I'm so sorry, that came out completely wrong. I just meant—."

Elsa chuckled at her sister's youthful energy. "Anna, settle down. I see what you were getting at. Unfortunately, it'll take more than some spectacle to make up for the damage I caused. There's the withered crops, the vessels that were frozen into the harbor, my falling out with the Duke of Weselton, the unbalanced supply and demand of our ice exports… But for now, I guess they have forgiven me…"

"You'll figure something out, Elsa. I have faith in you. You just need to have more faith in yourself."

Elsa chuckled at that. "It feels strange relying on my younger sister for emotional support."

"We're sisters, Elsa. You've been hiding these powers, hiding yourself, for such a long time now. You deserve to have someone to confide in, and I'm more than happy to fill that role."

The smile on Elsa's face could not be contained. "You've grown up so fast in such a short time. All those wasted years shutting you out…"

"Well… if you don't mind me asking, Elsa… Why did you shut me out all this time? Why didn't you tell me about your magic? Did mom and dad know about it?"

"… I can't talk about that, Anna. It's just too difficult. You would never understand, and even if you did, you certainly wouldn't forgive me."

"Forgive you? Elsa, what are you not telling me?"

Elsa stood up from her chair. "It's not important. Just forget I said anything."

"Elsa, no." Anna jumped out of her seat and put a hand on Elsa's shoulder. "Please don't do this. Don't shut me out again, don't run off into the mountains… don't go where I can't follow." Elsa hesitantly turned back to face her sister. "Whatever you're afraid to tell me, I think I'm old enough to handle it. Just please… tell me the truth."

Elsa sighed in resignation. "All right," she conceded, "but not here. Let's take this somewhere a little more private."

Elsa and Anna made themselves some tea and retired to Elsa's bedroom. They had made it very clear to the staff that they wanted privacy. While many of the staff respected their wishes, a few of the servants remained just outside the room with their ears pressed up against the door.

Anna rolled her eyes at the group of shadows peaking under the crack in the door. "Well, seeing as things are as private as their going to be…"

Elsa produced a shawl from her closet and wrapped it around her shoulders before sitting down on the bed next to her sister. It was their mother's shawl, and Elsa only wore it when she was nervous about something. The warmth of Iduna's clothing, with the lingering smell of her perfume, evoked a distant, faint memory in Elsa's mind of the late queen's embrace, and it made her feel safe, protected… loved.

She breathed in the scent of her mother's shawl and exhaled slowly. "Anna… What I'm about to tell you has been a closely guarded secret for thirteen years. Only Mama, Papa and I, and perhaps a few servants, know about this."

"I'm listening, Elsa."

"The night of my coronation, when I revealed my magic to everyone at the ball… I realize that felt like a new experience for you when you witnessed that, but… there was a time, in our youth, when you knew about my magic. We used to play with my magic all the time when we were children."

Anna slowly became confused. "I… I must have been a little too young to remember, because my mind is a total blank. I mean, I remember us playing in the snow, but I'm pretty sure that was…"

"Think about how well you remember. I mean, really think about it."

"I remember… bits and pieces. In my mind I recall the two of us ice skating, or riding on a sled… You know… now that I think about it, the memories don't seem… real. They don't… feel real."

"Well, that's because they're not."

"So… I don't understand. If I knew about your magic, why can't I remember it?"

Elsa sighed. "… Because when we were younger… I made a mistake. A horrible, horrible mistake." She collected herself and looked her sister in the eye. "One night, years ago, you snuck into my room while I was sleeping. You couldn't sleep that night, so you begged me to get up and play with you. We snuck into the ballroom and I conjured up a blanket of snow for us to play with." A smile grew on her lips. "Heh. I still remember the way your eyes would light up when you saw my magic at work…"

"Well, that doesn't surprise me. From what I saw of it this past week, I can't imagine a more beautiful sight. Uh, sorry. So, we were playing in the snow?"

"Yes, and after a while, we were playing this… makeshift game we'd invented. You were hopping across these piles of snow while I was conjuring them up. Then the mounds kept getting higher and higher, and you were climbing faster and… f-faster…"

Elsa withdrew into herself. Anna slowly reached out and put her hand on Elsa's cheek. "Elsa… It's okay. I promise everything will be fine. Just relax."

Elsa took a deep breath and released it. "… I tried to keep up with you as best I could, but then… my foot slipped—I-I think some of the snow had melted into slush by that point. My magic wasn't quite that strong back then… Anyway, I slipped, and you had just made a jump from about ten feet off the floor. I was desperate to conjure up something, anything, to break your fall, but…" Elsa's eyes began to tear up, and Anna put both of her hands on Elsa's shoulders. "Sniffle… I reached out with my hand, and… I accidentally shot you in the head! I'm so sorry!"

"What?"

"I… I didn't mean to, I swear… When mom and dad found us, you were unconscious and I couldn't wake you up. Father… He took us to the Valley of the Trolls… They cured you, but…"

That last part got Anna's attention. "Wait a minute… He took us to the Valley of the Trolls?"

"Yes, why?"

"With Grand Pabbie and Bulda and all them?"

"I suppose. I didn't learn everyone's name when I was there."

"Yeah, I get it. It's a pretty big colony. Anyway, Elsa, you're not gonna believe this… That's where Kristoff grew up. He was raised by those trolls! And, and get this: When you chased me and Kristoff away from the North Mountain, and he saw how sick I was from… you know what… He said the trolls could help me. He said he saw them… he saw them do it before. Elsa, you don't think he was there that night…?"

"I guess stranger things have happened."

"Huh… Uh, I'm sorry. I keep interrupting the story. So, Papa took us to the trolls, and…?"

"Well, they managed to cure your head injury, but… they were afraid that your memories of my power would be a source of trauma for you… so they erased your memory, and we had no choice but to go along with it. Papa locked me away for everyone's safety. To this day, I have never, ever forgiven myself for what happened… what I set in motion… or the pain I caused you by shutting you out for all those years... Oh, God…"

Elsa pulled back from her sister and hung her head in shame as she curled up into a ball. She pressed the fabric of her mother's shawl into her cheek. She was desperate for some reminder of the last time she was truly happy, as if by concentrating real hard, she would be sent back to that time, during her childhood, before all of this had happened.

She felt a second pair of arms enfold her, and she dared to open one eye. Mother…?

But it wasn't her mother. It was Anna… full grown, very much alive and well, with her unfrozen heart aching at the sight of her older sister in tears.

"No… stop… don't look at me, please."

Anna's response was to hold her sister tighter. Having just heard her greatest shame, all those years of being shut out finally made sense to her. And seeing her big sister reduced to such a sobbing, hot… cold mess… After everything she had endured, Elsa deserved to know that someone in this world still loved her, and Anna would do anything at all to make Elsa feel loved again.

Anna:

Look around, look around,

At how lucky we are to be alive right now.

Look around, look around…

How long has it been?

Elsa, you could have told me.

Elsa:

It happened almost thirteen years ago.

I wish you hadn't been so alone.

Anna:

You could have told me.

Elsa:

I'm so sorry.

Anna:

I know you wanted to protect me then,

But you deserve a chance to start again.

Look around, look around,

At how lucky we are to be alive right now.

Elsa:

Will you relish being the Snow Queen's heir,

And facing all the judgment out there?

Anna:

I relish being your heir.

Look around, look around…

Look at where we are.

Look at where we started.

The fact that you're alive is a miracle.

Just stay alive. That would be enough.

For all my life,

I just wanted to see you smile.

If it's more than you can bear,

Let me help.

That would be enough.

I don't pretend to know

The challenges your facing.

The sense of self-degrading emanating in your mind.

But I'm not afraid.

I know we'll get through this,

So long as you don't shut me out again,

That would be enough.

I don't want to punish you,

I don't want to shun you,

I don't want to see you cry,

I don't want you to live in fear.

I just want to be a part of the narrative

In the story they will write someday.

Let this moment be the first chapter

Where no one goes away.

Would it be enough?

Elsa:

That could be enough.

Together:

It'll be enough.

Author's note:

See, I told you there would be Hamilton references in this story. Anyway, I hope this fills a long-standing gap in the Frozen canon.