6 years later

"Kristoff, Kristoff!" Anna yelled at her husband, while jumping and running back to the house from inside.

Kristoff, who was folding clothes into a suitcase, stopped his action and worriedly tried to hold her wife still. "Honey, please, don't jump like that. It's scaring me."

"But look Kristoff! Look, it's a letter from Elsa! She's finally coming back!" Anna couldn't contain her excitement and kept bouncing on her feet while waving an envelope.

Kristoff got the envelope from Anna; it was already opened. Kristoff wondered how she had managed to read the letter already but didn't let it bother him. He started reading the letter himself.

Dear Anna and Kristoff,

I'm so excited about my very first niece. I can't wait to meet her! I'm coming back home, and I hope I get to be there when she is born. If I can't be there that day, please give her the biggest kiss from me. And tell her that we'll meet soon. I love you all.

My travels here are over now. I'm so happy and content with the way everything turned out. I've seen so many amazing things, met so many amazing people. We saved a baby elephant from mud one day with my fellow volunteers, it was awesome. I have tried to avoid all those tourist attractions with elephants, the way they are abused is horrible, but this one was a wild one and it will hopefully get to live the rest of its life free.

The work we do here feels so important. The things these young girls have gone through, it feels good to help them. It's been rough everywhere I've been, but for some reason India has felt the roughest. There's this one girl I'm really fond of, Nidhi, she's only nine. She got raped by a village gang. They poured acid on her afterwards, it burned half of her face badly. Her father wanted to murder her for bringing shame into their family, but luckily, she escaped. She's been with us for 2 months now.

She's amazing, you know. When she smiles, it lights up the whole room, and it makes me feel like everything will be fine, that human truly can survive through anything. I wish I had been as brave as her when I was a kid. But I think it's still okay. I maybe took a little longer to get better, but I'm so happy where I am right now.

I just wish I could help her more. My friend, Honeymaren, is trying to find a way to adopt her. It would be great. I wish I could do that, but at the moment, it's just not possible. It pains me how I can't save all these girls the way I was saved. But I've done all I can, it's been really healing for me, and I really hope it has been healing for all these girls all over the world, also.

But now I'm just ready to come home. I don't think there's more I can give to this world. All I want to do is see my family, hug you both, and meet my new baby-niece. See you soon!

With all my love,

Elsa.

"Our sister is coming home." Anna said dreamily, tears in her eyes.

"So it seems." Kristoff smiled and pinned the letter on the fridge door with care. "But now we really gotta go, my love." He added and ushered his wife towards their packed belongings.


Anna was scared if she was honest with herself. And she tried to be, so much unnecessary suffering had been caused by lack of honesty. She was terrified. Birthing an actual human being sounded like an impossible task by itself, but what after that? She came to this hospital with just her husband, and then she would leave with a tiny person she had never met before.

How was she supposed to know what to do? She was the youngest child. Only child, most of her life. How would she know what to do with the baby? What if Kristoff didn't carry on his part, leaving all the labor and responsibility to her? A position so many women before her had unfortunately found themselves in. But then Anna gazed at her man, on his fours on the floor, trying to find the cork for Anna's soda bottle she had clumsily dropped. That couldn't happen to them, right? But damn her if she wasn't scared out of her mind. This waiting was pure agony.

Just as her beaming husband gave her the cork he had found, there was an unsure knock at the door. Both Anna and Kristoff turned to look in time to see familiar blonde peek into the room with shy smile. "Hello, I hope I'm not interrupting, but I asked—"

Neither Anna nor Kristoff let her finish that sentence before exclaiming in unison: "Elsa!" Then Kristoff rushed to the door, pulled Elsa into a tight embrace, and twirled her, lifting his sister from the ground. Anna envied him being able to do that when she was awaiting her labor and bedridden.

Elsa chuckled and softly punched Kristoff on the shoulder when he let her down. Then Elsa smiled warmly at her sister and took long steps to close the distance between them. The blonde took Anna's hand into hers and said: "I'm sorry for interrupting. I know you are close to labor, and I didn't let you know about my arrival beforehand, but I just really needed to see you both immediately. I've missed you so."

Elsa's eyes were tearing up and Anna pulled her sister into tight hug. "Silly girl, I'm so glad you came." Anna let Elsa pull away from the hug, and then took Elsa's hand into her own. "Having you here gives me strength, please don't leave, I want you here."

And this time Elsa didn't leave her when she asked her not to. She just smiled and took a seat next to her, never letting go of her hand. "I'll stay as long as you need me."

Now that Elsa was sitting in front of her, Anna had time to really look at her beloved sister. She had a bright smile, wet eyes, and a hint of melancholy on her face. Elsa seemed to have lost some of that great tan Anna had seen on her back at Pabbie's funeral a year ago, since she looked somewhat pale. That was slightly strange, since she had just arrived back to Norway. Elsa's hair had lost some of its volume and shine, and it seemed even lighter than before, if possible. Most likely from the sun. She had even lost some weight from when they had last seen each other. From constant traveling, Anna guessed.

But the most important difference was the lightness in Elsa. She seemed so much more at ease, like all the weight of the world had been lifted from her shoulders. Anna had noted the change at her earlier visits too, but now Elsa looked positively radiant from the lightness of life. It was a good look on her sister, Anna decided. And now Elsa would be here for the birth of her child, everything seemed to go as it should. Anna squeezed her sister's hand and smiled wetly.


When the squealing babe was lowered into Anna's arms, she was instantly in love. Kristoff looked queasy, but smiled and wiped sweat away from his wife's forehead anyway. Elsa was stroking her arm with a loving gaze, as if she had been watching an angel playing a harp instead of grueling birth. Anna was so glad to have them both here, but at this moment she could only look at the tiny miracle in her arms.

The baby had short, blond whisp of hair. Her eyes were clear teal, a much brighter color than Anna's, but they would probably darken with age. There was a small, button nose and chubby cheeks. Some people would say she looked like Kristoff, some that she looked like Anna, some even claim she looked exactly like her aunt Elsa, but for Anna, she looked just like her. The baby was her own person, and Anna would never mistake her for anyone.

"Can I hold her a bit?" Elsa asked, with an adoring smile.

Anna nodded and gave the small baby in her sister's arms. She looked a little bigger on Elsa's frail hands, but Elsa's arms were holding her strongly and Anna would trust her to climb Mount Everest with her at that moment.

"She's perfect," Elsa whispered after rocking the baby in her arms a while. Tears were slowly streaming down her cheeks, but she had a wide smile plastered on her face. Elsa didn't lift her gaze from the babe, and Anna's daughter seemed enamored by her aunt too, reaching with uncoordinated hands to hold on Elsa's platinum locks. "Absolutely perfect."

After some time, Elsa finally gave the girl back to her mother's awaiting arms. Anna noted slight tremble coursing through Elsa, she had never seen her as emotional before. "I must go now." Elsa said and got up. For a moment Anna feared she might faint, but then Elsa collected herself and leaned to kiss Anna's forehead. Then she reached the baby's head, and lastly pulled Kristoff for a sisterly kiss.

"I love you all, you know that, right? I love you all so much." Elsa told them, tears running through her smile. "But now I really must go. Rest well Anna, you're going to need it with this one," Elsa said and softly stroked Anna's child's cheek. Then she turned to leave.

When Elsa reached the door, Anna called out: "Elsa!" Elsa turned her head. "Thank you for coming, for this. It means a lot to me. I love you."

Elsa smiled even more; her face flushed from tears. "I know. I love you so much, little sister. And you too, brother. Just rest now."

"See you soon," Anna bid her farewell. And then Elsa was gone.

If Anna had known this was the last time, she would ever see her sister, she would have said more. There were so many things she didn't yet have time to tell Elsa, so much time they had lost to be together.


Anna was in Elsa's childhood room. It was the first time she had found courage to go in that room after Elsa had died at the day her daughter was born. She had gotten the news from Bulda the next day. Elsa had died in the hospital bathroom, less than a half an hour after leaving her and Kristoff. She had succumbed to kidney cancer, which she had refused to treat. She had told everyone else but her and Kristoff.

At first, Anna had been furious. How dared Elsa to die without even warning her, how dared she not to seek help. But after Bulda had explained how bad the prognosis had been and how content Elsa had been with the life she had already acquired. How Elsa didn't want to go back to being ill and worried all the time. And how Elsa hadn't wanted to ruin the biggest moment in Anna's life with grief she could do nothing about, Anna had learnt to accept Elsa's choices.

Often, she wondered, would knowing before made it any easier for her. It felt like it should, but then she thought about all the excitement she had felt when she had first held her daughter, how perfect that moment had been when Elsa had the baby in her arms and a huge smile on her face. It felt selfish and wrong, but she couldn't help but feel like knowing would have ruined those perfect memories she now had. And no amount of time knowing would have eased the pain she felt when she knew she had lost Elsa for good.

Now all there was left was to find comfort in the fact that Elsa had truly enjoyed the last years of her life. She had been so happy when traveling the world. And she had been so happy, when holding her only niece in her arms. Elsa had been so happy and fulfilled, she had been ready to go when she had to. Anna took all the comfort that she could. If Elsa had been ready, she would learn to accept it.

Deep in her thoughts, she had pulled the book she remembered all too well, from one of the boxes. She hold the Swedish copy of My Brother Lionheart in her arms like it was fragile antique. She softly stroked the slightly worn-out cover of the book and asked. "Are you waiting for me somewhere, dear sister? I hope it won't be as long time for you as it is for me, and I hope there's all the loved ones you've lost. Grand Pabbie and Axel and maybe even little-Elsa."

During her monologue a European turtle dove had flew on the window frame. She had never seen one in Norway before. The bird was modest looking with its slight body and brownish coloring, but Anna's breath was still taken away. Her fingers were crushing the book in her hands, knuckles white, while she was staring at the dove.

"Elsa?" Anna whispered breathlessly. The dove tilted its head slightly and watched her for a moment, before flying to the tree near the window. Anna dropped onto her hands, her whole body trembling while she took shaky breaths. It hadn't been a white dove, it hadn't even been some ethereal looking bird, but still she couldn't shake the feeling that it was her, it had to be.

She rushed downstairs. Anna saw Kristoff pacing around, softly rocking, and murmuring their daughter some nonsense. Any other time she would have melted from the view, but now she really needed to have her daughter in her arms. Kristoff was alarmed when she suddenly pulled the girl from him, and the baby squalled, but seemed to settle soon in the arms of her mother.

"Anna, what's going on?" Kristoff yelled at her, confused, when she was already half-way back upstairs.

"It's her! Isla must see her!" Anna yelled, even though it would not make sense to him. But right now, it didn't matter.

Anna reached Elsa's old room and looked out of the window. She gasped out of relief when the dove was still on the tree. Anna lifted her daughter to see the bird when Kristoff reached them. "Anna, what's going on?" Then he saw what his wife and baby were looking at. "Is that a European turtle dove? This far up north?"

Anna ignored Kristoff and whispered against her young daughter's ear: "Isla Lotta Bjorgman, that dove is your aunt Elsa." Tears Anna hadn't even noticed pouring from her eyes were now streaming against her daughter's soft cheeks. It was her sister, she was sure of it.

The end.


A/N First of all, I want to say I'm sorry. I'm sorry for taking so long to finish this and I'm sorry ending it this way. But this was actually the happier versio which I had in my mind. Anyway, I hope you have enjoyed this story. I hope some of you my earlier readers got to finish this story and I hope all of you new ones who got this far, enjoyed your time.

I have an idea of a new story I might or might not publish. Well, more than an idea, I have already written some of it. Though, it would be something different from these two stories I've written here. But we'll see. Until then, adieu! Have a wonderful life.