"I, Elsa of Arendelle, hereby solemnly swear, in sickness and in health, to govern the people and territories of Arendelle, and to uphold the laws and customs of this nation. I promise to put the needs of my kingdom above my own, and to never falter in the face of danger and adversity. I promise to devote my heart, my soul, my mind, and my strength towards the well-being of the nation of Arendelle, and more importantly, the people who inhabit it. I promise to treat all my contemporaries, be they peasants or princesses, with equality and love. So help me God."

And then the bishop placed the crown on my head. And just like that, I was Arendelle's queen. From that moment forth, the people of Arendelle looked towards me, expecting me to carry out those promises.

But as I ran further into the howling blizzard, I couldn't help but think of how I had broken every single one of those promises. I had selfishly run away from my kingdom when my secret was discovered. It wasn't a measure taken to protect my people, but an act of pure cowardice. I had shattered my sister's only chance at happiness, widening the rift that had torn us apart for thirteen years. Furthermore, I had pushed my sister away when she only wanted to help me, injuring her both physically and emotionally. Finally, I had placed an icy curse on my kingdom, sentencing all my subjects to lonesome, miserable deaths.

But instead of trying to fix the problem, here I was, running away from it, breaking the royal oath once more. I didn't dare to think of what Papa would have said.

If only he can see me now, I thought grimly, advancing forward in the relentless blizzard I had unwittingly created.

All around me, there was nothing but white. I held my arm out in front of myself, doing little to block my face from the relentless torrent of snow that buffeted me from all sides. The magic in my heart was growing stronger with every step I took. My powers were consuming me from the inside out; with every fearful step I took, I could feel my body growing colder and colder. I didn't know what was happening to me, or why my powers seemed to be growing more uncontrollable as I ran further from Arendelle. All I could think about was Anna, and that I had to get as far away from her as possible.

I kept running for as long as my limbs would allow. My legs were growing painful, and my breathing was growing heavier. No matter how long I ran, it seemed like I wasn't getting anywhere. Everywhere I looked, it was always the exact same sight: a vast expanse of white that stretched on for as far as I could see, sparsely littered with frozen ships that jutted out of the ice. As I continued fleeing further into the swirling blizzard, I started to get the dreadful feeling that I was running in circles. The black ships started to look familiar to me, colossal structures that seemed to mock me with every useless turn I took. I couldn't see where I was going. I was trapped in my own storm. Overwhelmed, I stumbled backwards, shoved back by the powerful wind.

It was then when I noticed the dark outline of a man behind me, obscured by the whiteness of the storm. I gasped and tried to run away, but he quickly called out to me, like he had something important to say. Despite the howling winds that drowned out all noise, I immediately recognized the man's voice.

It was Hans. My captor. He had somehow managed to follow me out here, despite the growing blizzard. How he had managed to do it, I'll never know. But there he stood, right behind me, a look of worry on his face.

"Queen Elsa!" he yelled, trying to keep his volume above the storm. "You can't run from this!"

I turned around to face him. He was bravely fighting against the blizzard, trying to stand upright against the powerful winds as he walked towards me. He looked right into my eyes, the anxiety on his face as plain as day. I stared back at him, trying to find the right thing to say. But the words didn't come to me.

Doesn't he see? I thought. It's no use trying to talk me down. I can't go back. I won't go back. He needs to go away, before I harm him, too.

"Just...take care of my sister," I said sadly, struggling to keep my voice above the roaring winds.

Hans' brow pinched in sorrow. He seemed hesitant to respond. "Your sister?" he said slowly, treating the subject delicately. "She returned from the mountain, weak and cold. She said you froze her heart."

My heart coiled tightly at the news. "What? No..." I whispered. It was all I could manage to articulate. So it was true, then? I really did freeze her heart? And she really was back at the castle, dying? My mind was unable to bear the news, but it was incredibly hard not to believe it.

Hans continued, his face wrought with pain. "I tried to save her, but it was too late! Her skin was ice, her hair turned white." My heart was furiously pounding in my chest, sending cold tremors throughout my body. I looked at Hans with wide eyes, silently, desperately pleading for him to drop the subject.

I stood frozen in fear, pain, and guilt. I stared right through Hans, wanting to shut him out. Wanting to shut everything out. Don't say it, Hans. Please, I beg of you, don't say it...

Hans threw his arms down in despair, fighting tears. And then he said it. The single most harrowing sentence I would ever come to hear in my life.

"Your sister is dead...because of you."

I felt every word. Every painful, excruciating word. It felt like I had just been stabbed in the gut.

But instead of a violent storm of emotions, there was absolutely nothing. No anger, no fear, no guilt. Just a dreadful silence, and an intense ringing in my ears. I stared at Hans, wide-eyed, feeling the cold, empty void that had torn itself into my heart.

I...killed her?

And then, without warning, everything came tumbling down.

A painful feeling built up in my stomach, knocking all my breath out of me, preventing me from speaking another word. My legs gave out on me, causing me to stumble backwards helplessly. My mind was reeling; all my thoughts swirled together in a dark, chaotic haze that blocked my senses, causing the world around me to fade in and out of existence. A dull, thrashing pain whipped around in my chest as my eyes filled with tears. All around me, the blizzard increased in strength as my vision grew blurry. The storm, my thoughts, my emotions - everything grew stronger and stronger, until I started to feel faint.

And then, it was all released. Unable to take it anymore, I fell to my knees and broke out into a full sob, feeling my magic flow out of me as the storm came to an abrupt halt. Snowflakes hung in the cold air, suspended by grief.

And then everything was silent. The wind had died down completely. The only sound that broke the silence was my own quiet sobbing. I kept my head low and held my hand up to my face, watching through blurry eyes as my tears fell onto the cold, hard ice. All the while, I felt a dark, gaping expanse of nothingness within me, tearing me apart from the inside out. Time seemed to stand still. For what seemed like hours, I seemed to be trapped in that one moment, broken, crying, and empty, while Hans stood behind me, silently observing everything.

It was then when I heard the sound of steel running against steel, the resulting shing resonating ominously throughout the cold air. It was an unfamiliar sound, but I was able to recognize it all too well: it was the sound of a sword being unsheathed.

I didn't bother looking back. I knew where the sound had come from. Hans, slowly approaching me from behind, was wielding his sword menacingly, preparing to strike. At that moment, his intentions became all too clear. Everything he had done was all part of his master plan. His plan to gain power, and as much of it as possible.

Hans wanted to become Arendelle's king. That was why he had gotten engaged to my sister, and brought me back from my palace in the North Mountain, only to end up killing me. It was all planned by him. But the realization didn't shock me as badly as it should have. After hearing of my sister's death, Hans' attempt to seize power was nothing but an afterthought. At the moment, the only thought on my mind was that Anna was dead, and it was all my fault.

As I knelt weeping, I slowly became aware of Hans' towering presence looming behind me. But I didn't bother turning around, I didn't bother trying to defend myself. There was no use going on. Everyone I held dear to me was dead. There was nothing left for me to live for.

Let him do his worst, I thought. It's what I deserve. As Hans raised his sword above his head, I cried harder, afraid to die, yet perfectly willing. I'm sorry, Mama. I'm sorry, Papa. I'm sorry, Anna. I've failed. I bowed my head in defeat, and prepared to meet my death.

But that blow never came. Now, in my shocked, overwhelmed state, I wasn't quite able to process what happened next. But after the story was told to me a few days later, the details became clear.

Hans, a sadistic smirk on his face, slashed downward, intending to drive the blade of his sword into the base of my skull. But at that very moment, he was stopped by Anna, who, as it turned out, was still alive, but clinging on for dear life. My sister used the last of her strength to throw herself between me and Hans, screaming for him to stop. And then, a split second before Hans struck her, my sister finally succumbed to her frozen heart. Ice spread rapidly from her heart into her limbs as the curse took full effect, the force of it knocking Hans backwards, unconscious.

And then, once again, all was silent. My sister gave one last, faint breath before finally surrendering to the icy magic that had consumed her.

It took me a few seconds to notice Anna behind me. But when I turned around to face her, all I saw was a blue statue of ice, standing tall and protective, its back turned towards me. I looked at it with wide eyes, suddenly realizing the full gravity of the situation.

"Anna!" I screamed, getting up to face her. My dear sister, forever frozen in a state of fear. She held one arm out before she died, attempting to stop Hans' sword. To protect me.

She had used the last few precious seconds of her life to defend me. Her sister, who had shut her out, destroyed her chance of happiness, and frozen her heart. Despite all of it, she still loved me. Anna, the sister I had tried to push away, still loved me more than anyone else in the world.

At that time, Olaf and Anna's friend - the one who I had seen a few days ago at the ice castle - gathered around, devastated expressions on their faces. I looked at them with desperate eyes, silently hoping, begging them to do something. But they only reciprocated my pained expression, bowing their heads and mourning the loss of their friend.

I turned back to my sister, gazing deep into her anxious eyes. "Oh, Anna," I whispered, trying in vain to think of something I could do. "No...no..." I traced my fingers along the frozen contours of her face, which was eternally trapped in an expression of deathly fear. "Please, no..." I placed my hands on her cheeks, remembering the warmth they once held.

Suddenly, the black, empty void within me was filled with a chaotic mess of emotions - fear, anger, guilt, but mostly despair. Black, immeasurable despair that consumed me from the inside out as I fell to my knees, wrapping my arms around my cold, dead sister. For the first time in thirteen years, I allowed myself to cry. Not the quiet, controlled sobs that had frequently afflicted me over the past few days, but pure, unadulterated weeping that echoed softly into the cold, otherwise silent air. I didn't care how miserable I must have looked. I just buried my face in Anna's cold shoulder and let my tears cascade down her ice-cold corpse. As I knelt before my dead sister, I remembered the life we shared together. I remembered her as a baby, when I saw the little bundle of joy that was wrapped in Mama's arms. I remembered teaching her how to be a princess, and visiting her bedside every day while she was sick. I remembered the unconditional love she always held for me, and the special, undeserved place I occupied in her heart as she eagerly knocked on my door every day, asking, begging for me to come out and play with her once more. She had always been such a warm, playful girl, so full of life and energy. She was my source of strength, my best and only friend. She had never stopped loving me, despite everything I had put her through.

But now here she was, a silent, lifeless statue of ice. Dead by my own hand. Memories were all I could hold on to. I cried harder as I wrapped my arms tighter around her ice-cold body. Once again, my sister's life had been endangered by my magic. And this time, I couldn't save her.

Or so I thought. Now, I'm not exactly sure how long I stayed kneeling before my sister, weeping uncontrollably. But I can say, without a doubt, that it was the lowest point of my entire life. I genuinely thought I had lost my sister.

It took around a minute before the magic finally took place.

It started as a small source of warmth, originating in her heart. In my state of despair, didn't notice it at first. But slowly, gradually, it spread outwards, causing her entire body to warm up. Her frozen figure grew softer in my arms, like the ice was being replaced by something new. Then, my head still pressed against Anna's bosom, I heard a faint, rhythmic beating initiate somewhere inside her. It sounded like...a heartbeat? I stared at the floor with wide, teary eyes, unable to process what was happening.

Is she really...?

Anna's body grew softer and warmer in my arms. I could sense magic flowing out of her as she took a more relaxed position, letting out a single breath.

My eyes, wide with disbelief, filled with fresh tears.

I looked up and, with an overwhelming feeling of euphoric relief, saw Anna, my sister, looking exhausted and mildly confused, but perfectly alive and well. "Anna!" I cried, smiling. She weakly grinned back in response. Then, before she could say anything, I quickly stood up and wrapped her in a tight embrace, filled with all the love and passion that had been missing between us for the past thirteen years. My head rested on her shoulder as I closed my eyes, feeling her warm body in my arms, making sure this was all real. In that moment, it was just the two of us - me and Anna, finally reunited after so many years of separation.

"Oh, Elsa," she breathed, resting her head on my shoulder.

I pulled away from my sister and gazed into her deep, blue eyes. "You sacrificed yourself for me?" I still couldn't believe it.

Anna smiled, as if the answer was obvious. She took my hands into hers. "I love you," she replied simply, her voice still weak.

I heard a loud gasp from my right. I turned and saw Olaf, a big smile on his face. "An act of true love will thaw a frozen heart!" he eagerly explained, as if reciting something he had heard before.

I looked at Olaf, mulling over his words. An act of true love will thaw a frozen heart...? I thought. True love will thaw a frozen heart. True love will thaw... What did that mean? I went over the words out loud, feeling like I was on the verge of something great. "Love will thaw."

And then it dawned on me. A smile crept across my face as I finally discovered the answer to my problem. The problem that had afflicted me for over thirteen years. The problem that my parents had tried so desperately to solve.

The secret to controlling my powers.

"Love," I said softly, looking back at Anna. "Of course!" How could I have been unable to figure it out before? The answer was so simple, so obvious!

"Elsa?" Anna asked, smiling, as I released her hands from mine.

"Love!" I repeated eagerly, spreading out my arms. And then, with a confidence that I had never known before, I once again summoned my powers, which were accompanied by a warm, fiery feeling that I hadn't felt in years. Magic flowed out of my heart and into the air around me, causing the snowflakes to gradually start receding upward.

Anna gasped, realizing what I had meant.

I raised my arms higher, waves of icy magic surging through the air, counterbalanced by the new, warm feeling that was quickly building in my chest. I watched from the fjord as the frozen town of Arendelle slowly returned to normal. Water that had been frozen began to flow as usual. The snow and ice that lined rooftops and windows rose into the sky. The dark storm clouds that hung over Arendelle gradually parted to reveal bright, blue skies that shone cheerfully over the town. Citizens began to open their windows and step out their doors, eagerly taking in the light of the sun.

Meanwhile, the fjord started to thaw as a ship rose up from beneath us. All the snow and ice that had previously covered Arendelle gathered into sparkling streams of magic that rose higher in the sky, culminating in a gigantic snowflake that hovered over the town. With a wave of my hands, the snowflake dissolved into the air, sending cloudy wisps of snow and magic outward. At last, the eternal winter was lifted. From the town of Arendelle, the sound of cheering gradually came forth.

Anna put a hand on my shoulder. "I knew you could do it," she said, the optimism in her voice quickly returning.

"Hands down, this is the best day of my life," Olaf said happily, despite the fact that the summer sun was quickly turning him into a puddle. "And...quite possibly the last."

"Oh, Olaf!" I said, giggling. "Hang on, little guy." I waved my hand, restoring Olaf to his full, completely solid form. Then, with a flick of my wrist, a small cloud poofed into existence above him. It followed him as he moved around, providing him with a constant flurry of snow. This way, he wouldn't have to worry about melting, even in the heat of summer. A stroke of genius on my part, if I do say so myself. With the fascination of a young child, Olaf looked at the cloud and jumped up and down in excitement.

"My own personal flurry!" he squealed in a very Anna-esque fashion. He chuckled and clasped his arms together, grateful.

Anna and I briefly smiled at each other before we heard a grunt come from the side of the ship. We turned in unison and saw, of all people, Hans, regaining consciousness as he shakily stood up, propping himself against the side of the ship. At that moment, Anna's friend - whose name I still didn't know, for some reason - stormed angrily towards the disoriented prince, intending to teach him a lesson. But he was quickly stopped by Anna, who had a reassuring expression on her face that I had seen multiple times when we were kids. It's alright, she seemed to say through her smile alone. I'll handle this.

Anna calmly walked towards Hans, her face as blank and emotionless as she could manage. He looked up at her, utterly bewildered at the turn of events, as he slowly stood up straight. This was most definitely not what he had planned. "Anna?" he asked. "But...she froze your heart!" His eyes darted towards me, his intended victim. I smiled and subtly waved at him, showing him that I was perfectly alive and well.

"The only frozen heart around here is yours," Anna replied in the most serious tone she could muster up. Instead of being intimidated, Hans only stared at her dumbfoundedly. Anna turned away from him, a smug grin on her face. Then, without warning, she whipped around, grabbed Hans by the collar, and delivered a swift punch to his face, sending him careening over the ship's edge and into the water below. I giggled politely as Olaf fell to the ground, laughing hysterically. As uncouth as it was, the guy deserved it.

Anna turned back towards me, opening her arms lovingly. I smiled warmly at her, and then noticed something extraordinary: the white streak in her hair was finally gone. It was probably removed when she was healed of her frozen heart. I let out a breath of relief and embraced her tightly, not letting go for the world.

The pain of the past had been erased. At long last, peace had finally come between us.