Chapter 4

All of Tomorrow's Open Doors

A.N. I have two announcements to make. First, I apologize for the amount of time it took to get this chapter out.

Second, the review section is for reviews, or at very least comments on the story. So will whoever's writing fanfiction in the reviews please stop? Your story doesn't have anything to do with mine and it's cluttering up the review section. As long as you're over 13, will allow you to make an account where you can post it like you're supposed to. Here, it just discourages me from sifting through the section to find actual reviews that might contain real advice.

Update: While I was going back through the reviews to delete the spam that has nothing to do with my story, I noticed that there were, along with the (bad) fanfiction, posts that seemed to be reviews of Frozen itself, other Disney princesses, and Once Upon a Time. These also have nothing to do with Anna, and will be summarily deleted if I find any more of them. If you believe that Anna is being a spoiled brat in this story, send me a review detailing why and I will attempt to fix it. Otherwise, keep your opinions to yourself or to a place actually dedicated to reviews of Frozen. This is your only warning.

Questing Anna was a little overwhelmed by this new her. This Anna was very different than Mourning Anna. Questing Anna didn't think she'd ever really seen Mourning Anna happy under any circumstances (although, then again, she hadn't known Mourning Anna very long), much less excited. This Anna didn't seem to have a switch off of excited. It took some getting used to.

Of course, Questing Anna was happy to find that spark of hope, after her conversation with Mourning Anna. She needed it. Even someone as bright and bubbly as Anna couldn't fight alone against the darkness forever. It was nice to see that it was only one part of her (so far) that was cynical. This one appeared to be anything but.

A tap on her shoulder brought Questing Anna out of her inner monologue (she had been incredibly prone to those recently- perhaps that was a result of literally being in her own mind, or spirit, or someplace) and back into sorta-reality. The new Anna asked Questing Anna:

"So? What do you think?"

All Anna could think of to answer was: "That's my gown for tomorrow!"

"Oh, real smooth, Anna," she quietly reprimanded herself. Really, of all the possible lines, 'That's my gown for tomorrow?' She could have done so much better.

The new Anna didn't seem to care. She nodded happily and said:

"Yep! I changed my clothes when I learned about the coronation. It's going to be the first time we actually meet other people since forever! I'm really looking forward to it. It'll do us good to actually make friends. Maybe we can reconnect with Elsa. You know that she isn't going to be able to shut the door when we're in that party! I can almost see all of tomorrow's open doors from where I am, and, well, you can see the results!"

Questing Anna most definitely could. With the introduction of the new Anna, she could feel her good mood returning, lifting away the metaphorical dark cloud that Mourning Anna had cast over everything with her resentment of Elsa. It was a nice reminder that, among everything else, Anna was essentially a hopeful person. Anna could hope that she could reconnect with her sister. And not just that hope- the Coronation was a time when she could actually meet people, make friends, and find someone who she could share her life with.

Perhaps, the One.

The new Anna read the look on Questing Anna's face and smiled even wider.

"You know, don't you? Oh, It's my biggest dream of tomorrow. Just seeing him, a handsome stranger, and then he'll look at me, and I'll be in this gown, leaning against the wall like this," (she then demonstrated said position) "and then... well, I don't quite know what will happen then. But we'll just click, and then we'll just... be together all evening. It'll just be so fantastic- the best day since I was five. Other Anna, you know we really weren't meant to be alone all our lives. It'll be so wonderful to have someone we can actually be close to."

The Anna would probably have said more, had Mourning Anna not interrupted her just then with a scornful rebuttal.

"What you said in the last sentence was true, but nothing else was. You aren't looking for romance- you don't even know what romance is! None of us do! We've been alone too long, and you've gone stir-crazy from it. You're just so desperate for companionship you've convinced yourself you want romance. Well, you don't. You're just like me in that you hate this life, but you, unlike me, are deluding yourself about how you're going to get out of it."

The hopeful Anna glared back at Mourning Anna, and said:

"You, not deluding yourself? You're stuck in the past! You can't accept that we have a chance to actually be happy for once in our life! You're just being whiny about it, and I'm trying to move on!"

Mourning Anna pointedly noted: "You haven't answered my statement about romance. Perhaps because it's true and you know it? Just because I may be deluded-which I don't believe- doesn't mean that you aren't. This. Is. Not. Romance. It's a desperate projection of your wishes to leave this blasted castle onto some random stranger that you think you might meet at the party. You need to get it into your thick skull that Elsa's coronation won't change anything. It'll be there, it'll be over, and then you'll be back to living a lonely life shut into the castle. Nothing you can do can stop that."

The other Anna did not look convinced. She countered with: "If I don't try, I'll never know and I'll be just as shut-in as I would be if I tried and failed. I'll take the option that at least has a chance of working, thank you kindly. That's better than what you're doing- If I followed your advice, I would be stuck in this castle being completely miserable, and there'd be no way that I could ever escape, because even when I could, I never would!"

Mourning Anna retorted: "You're just proving my point here. You aren't looking for romance, or even love. You're looking for your ticket out. Even if he loved you, you wouldn't love him. You would just love what he could bring you."

This angered the new Anna. She yelled at Mourning Anna: "You know that I wouldn't do that. I'm not that kind of person!"

Mourning Anna told her, in a tone that, though measured, was obviously annoyed, "It doesn't matter whether you're that kind or not. What it matters is that you just can't do that. That's not how romance works. Didn't you remember Mom telling us about how she met Dad back when we were nine? She said it right out: it took months for her and Dad to really come to love each other enough for marriage. Did you forget that, or were you just distracted by the part of the story where she met Dad at a wedding she'd been invited to, and they struck up a relationship?"

The other Anna replied: "It doesn't have to be that way! Once Elsa opens up the gates, we can spend as much time as we want together."

Mourning Anna, her voiced infused with serious skepticism, said: "I see a major problem with that plan."

The new Anna glared at her and came up with a retort, but it was about this moment that Questing Anna stopped listening. She had been silently watching herself argue (it was a very weird sight) with growing discomfort as both sides of her brought up points that she hadn't wanted to think about, but now was forced to (which was, she admitted, probably for the best), and at this point, she figured that she'd heard all the intelligent arguments that were to be had.

Questing Anna didn't like Mourning Anna. She reminded Questing Anna of the worst moments in her life, and represented what Questing Anna felt was the antithesis of her whole philosophy. She had already given up that most important commodity, hope. She disliked Elsa and tried to make Questing Anna give up on saving her sister.

So why, oh why did she have to be right?

Questing Anna remembered her mother telling her about how she met Anna's father. She remembered that her mother had emphasized that they had known each other for years before they were married. She remembered her mother saying how happy she was that circumstances had meant that her marrying her father was in the interests of Arendelle and Anna's mother's homeland, the name of which Anna could never remember.

She even remembered thinking how romantic the story of how they got to know each other was. How they'd managed to foster love in the midst of diplomatic meetings (she'd never know how that happened- diplomatic meetings were the most boring things imaginable), and how they'd helped create the agreement that resulted in their marriage.

She remembered what a long story their love was. When she was a little kid, she'd aspired to have a romance as epic as theirs. But now, she wanted her love rushed, over with before the day's end. What had caused the change?

Why, exactly what Mourning Anna had said caused the change. Anna was desperate. She'd only have one day to find some way to escape her dreary, loveless existence, which she hated so much that she would jump at any chance to leave. Even if it would mean making a mockery of real, true, and heartfelt romance. She was so desperate that she convinced herself that true love could easily be found in a day, and kept for a lifetime.

Questing Anna was horrified at what that implied about her, but she didn't get too long to dwell on it. Mourning Anna and the new Anna had gotten to yelling at each other, and looked like they might soon come to blows. Questing Anna knew that she had to intervene, but she didn't know how. Anna may have been a princess, but she didn't know the first thing about asserting authority.

While she was desperately searching for a way to intervene without getting thrown out by the other Annas, she noticed that the Guide was still in the room, trying desperately to be Not Part Of The Argument. Anna sidled over to the Guide and whispered:

"What should I do?"

The Guide responded, with an ordinary level of volume:

"Whispering is unnecessary. They are not going to listen, even if they do hear."

And that was quite correct. The two Annas were paying no attention to anything but their heated argument. It had gone beyond reasonable points, or even unreasonable points. There were no logical fallacies being used, simply because there wasn't enough logic to use fallacies on. Debate had gave way to argument, argument to insults, and it looked like insults were about to give way to a fistfight.

Anna acknowledged the Guide's point, and her next question was spoken in an ordinary tone. She asked:

"Okay, but what should I do?"

The Guide considered that question, and answered:

"They are you. Be yourself."

Anna was about to ask the Guide to elaborate, when suddenly she got what the Guide was trying to tell her. Both of the arguing Annas were still Anna.She could probably get them to stop by doing what she would do to quell conflict within herself, because that's exactly what she would be doing.

And to do that, she'd need to interrupt them. So Questing Anna steeled her nerves and walked in between the other Annas, interrupting the argument as they both turned to stare at her. She almost wilted under their combined looks before she realized that both of those looks were her own, and it would be rather silly if she were to wilt in front of herself. So she didn't, and instead addressed both of them:

"Look, guys...girls..mes...whatever- I'm both of you. And I understand both of you. And… really, Mourning Anna is right."

This proclamation would probably have made the argument even worse, had it not shocked both of the Annas into silence. Questing Anna took advantage of that to continue:

"Let's face it, I was being naive about the coronation and finding love there. Love is too big a thing to happen in just one day. If I'm going to find love, it may start at the coronation, but it won't finish there."

Questing Anna took a breath and went on:

"But the thing is, it's not really that simple. Mourning Anna, the coronation won't just be a time for love. It'll also be a time when Elsa can't hide from me. It'll be a time when we can reconnect with her. And that's what this journey I'm on is about. So, other Anna- can I call you Coronation Anna? Yes? Okay, great- you're right about that. I can still have hope for the coronation, just not about romance."

Mourning and Coronation Anna thought about that, and eventually both seemed to decide that that was a decent compromise, as they didn't start arguing again. Questing Anna decided that that was a good enough resolution, and told them:

"Alright, now let's go continue the quest!"

The Guide then walked up behind Questing Anna (who would later deny the startled squeak she let out), and told Coronation Anna:

"You know where we should go next. Please, tell us and lead the way."

Coronation Anna looked rather surprised at the Guide's request, but she gave it some thought, and eventually said:

"The garden. Let's try the garden."

Questing Anna looked around at the other versions of herself, and said:

"Then, to the garden."

She led the way in walking to the small, enclosed garden that the castle sported, which had been Teenaged Anna's favorite place to hang out when she wasn't supposed to leave the castle. She rarely got the opportunity to go out to actual nature, but the garden was an acceptable substitute. As the group walked along, Anna wondered who the next version of herself would be, and as they neared the gate to the garden she thought to herself:

"Well, time to open the door and find out."