Moonlight pooled in through the cavern entrance and glittered off amethysts in the walls. Anna followed close behind Hilco, careful not to trample over him in her eagerness. She sensed Hans trudging along behind her, but his irritation didn't concern her right now. If the Pabbie of the past was the Grand Pabbie she knew from her own time, he would surely be able to help her.

Hilco turned left and stopped short. He made sure both humans had followed him to this point before he led them into a separate cave in which Anna could not even see a ceiling. Glowing fire crystals took up several spots along the walls, providing light to what appeared to be a massive shared bedroom. There were several rows of long rocks sticking up out of the floor. Atop each of these were thick layers of moss that looked gross at first, but oddly comfortable. These 'beds' were empty save for one in the far left corner of the room.

Hilco tiptoed up to the lone occupied bed and gently tried to rouse the troll resting there. "Sorry, I know you're sleeping, but you have visitors," he whispered.

"Ahh… I can't right now… I need to rest. We'll play later," Pabbie answered, trailing off into a snore. He turned over on his side with his back to the visitors.

"I'm not here to play. There are two people here to see you!" Hilco explained, shaking Pabbie by the shoulder.

Pabbie instantly shot upwards, sitting upright. He turned to the two humans and snarled.

"That woke him up," Hans mumbled.

Anna gaped at the messy bandaging around Pabbie's abdomen. There was one small spot of pink, but it otherwise looked like his bleeding had stopped. "Grand Pabbie?! It's me, Anna! You won't know me yet, but…"

As Anna went on to vocalize the complications of time travel, Pabbie hopped out of the bed. His outline twitched and blurred as he started to grow…and grow. Seconds later, he stood towering over the three of them, completely transformed into a Stallo with gnarly trees sticking out of his shoulders. Anna stopped mid-sentence and stared in horror at the angry giant before her.

Hilco squeaked and jumped up and down, waving his arms to draw Pabbie's attention. "They're not here to hurt anyone! They just want to talk to you!"

"Talk?" Pabbie said, his voice like rocks. The trees sticking out of him receded as he gradually shrank back to his smaller form. He climbed back up onto the bed but remained standing so that he was at eye-level with Hans, who just gaped wide-eyed like he'd just sat on a pine cone.

"So…" Hans said, clearing his throat as he regained his composure. "Your trolls and the trolls that have been attacking people are one and the same."

"We haven't attacked anyone!" Pabbie snapped. "The people of Arendelle are the ones destroying our forest!"

"Wait… what?" Anna said, holding her hand up to stop Hans from antagonizing the troll further. She was not up to the task of facing Pabbie as a Stallo again. She thought about what she knew, or what she thought she knew. The trolls had blocked passage between Arendelle and northern territories, but for how long? King Olaf and Queen Elsebet had sent for a renowned troll hunter who'd sacrificed himself to save Hans, whom she had accidentally punched into the past. But how was any of it connected?

"What happened to all the mill workers?" she asked Pabbie, careful with her tone.

Pabbie's face grew dark. "Hilco, you should leave."

The young troll groaned in defiance. "But I want to hear this. I've never seen a human before today!"

"I said you should leave."

Anna looked between the two. Pabbie was obviously older than Hilco, but still very young; perhaps he was a teenager in the 1700s. Anna did not let herself get distracted by the aging process for trolls. But she did notice she could see a little of Pabbie's future self in him. But his eyes were the youngest part of him now. In the future, Grand Pabbie's eyes—kind eyes—had lost that youth.

Hilco whirled around and stomped out of what Anna now decided was a recuperating cave.

Once Hilco was gone, Hans spoke again. "Is there something you didn't want him to hear?"

"There is one among us," Pabbie began, pausing to adjust the bandaging. "Who would harm humans, even though it is not in our nature to injure and kill… the guise you saw a moment ago is only meant for self-defense. Every creature needs to be able to defend itself."

Anna nodded.

"But… our leader Volco has had a change of heart after seeing what humans are capable of. He was going to raid the mill and kill every human he found there. As a sort of example."

"And you went to warn them," Anna said.

Pabbie glanced at her in surprise when he nodded. "But they thought I was there to attack, and they struck me with their axes. By night, we are very strong in our larger forms. But it was morning, and I was not strong enough. I knew the millmen would not flee in time unless I scared them, so I destroyed the place. That scared them off. Then I ran home before Volco and his party would find me."

"That was very brave of you," Anna said. She could barely imagine what it was like to be attacked by those whom one risked so much to help. "What would this Volco do if he knew what you'd done?"

Pabbie gave them a bitter smile. "Long ago, he never would have thought of violence. Now? I'm not sure what he'd to do me for interfering."

"There's a blood trail leading right back to this valley," Hans said flatly. "He's going to know."

"Hans!" Anna hissed.

"What he says is true," Pabbie said. "Which is why you should go. Volco's party will return soon, and if he finds humans, it will look like I brought you here. I won't be able to help you."

"Wait!" Anna interjected, recalling the trolls' mirror. This was possibly her only shot at getting back home. "I'm looking for a magic mirror. I've heard that the trolls have something like one. We're not supposed to be here, and only a mirror like that can send us home. Do you have anything like that here?"

Pabbie's brow wrinkled at Anna's question. "I have heard of truth mirrors. In fact, Volco once went on a quest for one rumored to be in another kingdom. That was some time ago. Volco returned changed, but empty-handed. I assumed he had too many bad encounters with humans while on his quest, for that was right about the time he began to hate them."

Anna held her breath, waiting for Pabbie to tell her more.

"But I've never seen such a mirror," Pabbie finished.

Anna sighed, disheartened.

Pabbie hopped off of the mossy bed and looked from Anna to Hans. "I'm sorry I couldn't be more help. You should leave before Volco and the others return." He hurried past them toward the exit. "Quickly!"

Outside, they were greeted by some of the younger trolls. Two held out a flower crown each for Anna and Hans.

"Thanks for coming! You're not as big and scary as the stories say," the one handing a crown to Hans said.

Hans put the crown on his head before he squatted down with a stern face. "Now see here… I happen to be very big and scary!" The children laughed and pulled at his face, stretching Hans's cheeks. A third troll scampered up and began playing with Hans's hair, seemingly intrigued by the copper color.

As Anna watched all of this, she felt strange. She was reminded of the prince she first met at the docks; how sweet and awkward their encounter had been. She also recalled the Hans she'd left to take care of Arendelle. It seemed that there were too many sides to him. There was actually a gentleness in his face here in the Valley of Living Rock as he let the young trolls poke and adore him. One of them stole his flower crown to put on their own head. Hans pretended to be very distraught by that. He was not at all like the Hans who'd smiled at her when he was certain she would freeze to death. That Hans was comprised of cruelty and manipulation. Anna glared at him now for behaving like a 'normal' adult who humors children.

Suddenly a horn sounded out from the forest. The young trolls' heads snapped back toward the trees.

"Volco is coming back!" one said. Instantly, they all scattered off into different directions, some yelling out about chores.

Pabbie, now pale, hurried Hans and Anna back into the caves. "There's no time. You'll have to go this way." Anna and Hans exchanged concerned glances but followed him.

This time they walked past the opening that led into the recuperation cavern. Pabbie took them around several corners until they came to a fork of three different tunnels. The one on the left was lit by green, glowing crystals. The middle tunnel was pitch black. The tunnel on the right glowed bright with light blue crystals. Pabbie gestured toward the three entrances and told Anna to choose one. "They all empty out into different parts of the forest. I'll give you ten seconds. Then I'll close all three tunnels to throw him off," he said, turning away so as not to see which way they'd go.

Anna glanced at three boulders resting against the far left wall. She wondered if Pabbie would even be able to move them by himself. Anna started toward the blue-lit passage, but Hans grabbed her and dragged her into the pitch-black one. Fortunately the light from behind them lit the way a little.

"What are you, crazy?!" she asked as he broke into a run with her in tow. Seconds later, Anna heard the sound of the entrance being sealed off behind them. Now Anna could not see where she was going. Fearful of tripping, she came to a forceful stop and pulled back as Hans's momentum kept him in motion for a couple of steps.

"Why this way?!" she protested.

"Because if we're followed, we won't be found as easily!" Hans answered.

Anna shivered, realizing now that she could not see him made her feel uneasy.

"I guess that makes sense…" she admitted.

Without warning, he pushed her up against the cold, hard cave wall. Anna yelped and dropped her flower crown when the back of her head hit the wall. If he had pushed her with any more force, it would have hurt. Her heart yammered a warning in her chest as Hans held her in place.

"What was all that about a mirror?!" he demanded.

"What?"

"Why didn't you mention it sooner?! You just kept it to yourself!"

He was close enough in the darkness that she could feel his breath on her face. Gradually dizzying, she tried to wriggle away to the side, afraid of him for the first time since he tried to kill Elsa. Somehow not being able to see him made him more frightening.

"That's just how the trolls were able to send me to you… they used some kind of magic mirror," she explained. His fingers digging into her arm started to sting. "Let go. You're hurting me!"

She was released abruptly. Anna felt Hans back away as she rubbed at the sore spots on her arms and glared into the darkness. That's right. She kept the part about the mirror from him because he didn't seem to want to go home. She hadn't quite expected this reaction though.

"Don't keep things from me," he said quietly.

"I beg your pardon?" she asked, thinking of everything he had kept from her.

"Please," he added. Anna was sure she heard confusion in his voice.

"Fine, but from now on you have to do the same. Crystal clear. No hidden agendas," Anna bargained. She knew even if he agreed to this, she would have to take it with a grain of salt.

"Fine," he agreed. Then, she felt his hand search hers out.

"Fine?" she asked, completely bewildered as his fingers closed over hers.

"We're in this together now. We have to trust one another."

Oh, sure. Trust, she thought wryly. She moved along with him as he started to walk again. "Speaking of which… what are you planning now?"

"Hm?"

"The trolls. They're not wreaking havoc for no reason. We understand them now. They may have a leader whose methods are violent, but there are trolls like Pabbie and the children who wouldn't hurt a fly."

"I know…"

"Don't tell me you want to slaughter them all."

"Of course not," Hans snapped. "But it's complicated now. We have the King of Arendelle who hates trolls."

"And a troll leader who hates humans," Anna added.

"Two societies who know nothing about the other," Hans continued, impressing Anna by looking at it that way. Perhaps there was a shred of decency in him after all.

"But there's something bothering me," Anna admitted.

"What?"

"Why are we holding hands?" she asked.

Hans let go. "Better?"

Her hand grew cold almost at once, and she wondered at that. She was about to make a sarcastic response when the entire cave shook, making her almost fall over.

"I'm guessing that's Volco. We should run," Hans said, grabbing her hand yet again and sprinting ahead.

"Be careful! I can't see!" Anna whined, terrified as she could feel and hear the cavern trembling all around her. Rocks groaned everywhere, but she could barely see them!

"Neither can I!"

Now the cave shook with the distinct stomps of footsteps far behind them.

"What's that up ahead?" Anna asked, seeing they were coming up fast to a soft white glow.

It was a bright dead-end with a pit in the ground. The light came from shining white crystals sticking out of the earth that made up a hole in the ground. Below was some sort of running stream. The trembling of the cave worsened. Anna's bones could feel each of the troll's steps.

"We have to," Hans said, gazing down at the water. It looked like a ten foot drop.

"We don't know where it goes! We don't even know if there's space for breathing!"

"Do you want to wait around to ask Volco?" he asked.

A furious roar filled the entire tunnel and their ears. Hans grabbed Anna and pulled her close.

"What are you doing?!" she yelled.

"Being heroic," he answered. Then he jumped down into the crystal pit, taking her with him.

They plunged into the cold, running water. It struck Anna like pins and needles as she quickly struggled to surface. She felt for Hans as her head came up. She thought she could see a shadow looming above the pit, but the water quickly pulled her out of sight and into the currents of a rushing subterranean river before she could tell if she'd been seen.

A/N: Thank you for reading! Someone said they stumbled upon this through tumblr. I'd just like to thank whoever made the recommendation. I hope you all continue to enjoy the story.