High in the sky, the sun blasted into Elsa's bedroom and illuminated the marks on the walls. The gashes were a reminder of the scars that ran even deeper into Elsa's skin. They watched over Anna, both in her present and in her past. Desensitized, she rarely paid them any mind. When Anna opened her eyes she recognized the beams of light and the lash marks on Elsa's arms. This wasn't the memory Anna asked for. Granted she hadn't been specific and the cold behind her eyes wasn't always generous. It knew what the Queen wanted. The memory Anna needed right now was of any old night. One where the moon was awake, shining through the tall windows and keeping Elsa from sleep. Elsa was a bad sleeper. Yes, if taken back to any old night, Anna could glide into Elsa's room and crawl into her bed. She could lie on Elsa's lap and make believe she was a part of that moment. Anna could pretend a version of life existed where Elsa had the comfort of her sister.

In this memory, Anna was settled on top of Elsa. Her sister sat upright with her bare back pressed against the headboard. Elsa was completely naked, her light skin still flushed from the rush of blood Anna's touch had elicited. Her wedding gown had been torn off. It did get tossed too far. With her own dress bunched at her waist, Anna's knees chafed against the discarded white gown. The bucking hips drove her skin into the elaborate embroidery. Elsa was deep inside of her.

Anna had been in this moment too many times. She could anticipate each twitch of Elsa's fingers. She did not want to be here. While she could step out of herself and roam the room, to do that would be to face Tarik. He was ever looming within this moment. This memory was the epitome of Anna's cruel life. She could feel the elation brewing inside of her old self. It had nothing to do with the pleasure of Elsa's confident touch. The Princess here was enraptured by joy. While she was afraid, belly full of fear and anxiety, all that was overwhelmed by the loving look in her sister's eye. Not once in her life had Anna ever doubted that love. This Princess was such a fool. Tarik was at her back, ready to kill this love. Like their father had done. The Queens of Arendelle were never allowed this happiness. Someone was always there to take it away.

Anna could take her former self's position, grinding into her sister, but she could not recreate the sweet feeling of naivety. Though she had not asked for this memory, the gleam in Elsa's eye was too rare to let pass by. Anna held that contact in a way she hadn't been able to when the sensation of Elsa inside her had been too new. She rode it, feeling her skin prickle as she focused all her attention on her core. Right on time, Elsa flicked her thumb over Anna's clit.

This memory was almost over. It had been Elsa's intention to make Anna cum fast. A wedding celebration was alive on the other side of the castle. They did not have time to savour each other. Anna didn't want to get to the part of her orgasm. It was then that Elsa would see her husband at the doorway. So Anna took control of the moment. She slowed it down. Not wanting the pleasure to go to waste, she continued to rock her against Elsa. Anna closed her eyes.

The body below her did not relent. It thrust faster. Anna felt a new sensation in her stomach as she felt herself being filled deeper. The tact of Elsa's touch was gone; it was replaced by jerking hips. There was a low-toned ring in her ear. She opened her eyes again, unsure of what had changed the memory she knew so well. Elsa's deep blue eyes were on her. Anna caught herself smiling, her stupid mouth matching that of the Princess she used to be. She decided to give in to Elsa. Her head rolled back as the Princess leaned in and braced herself with the headboard. Anna let herself be overcome with the delirium of not having to care about what was going to happen next.

There was a tapping at the center of her chest. Something cold was rubbing against her, between her breasts. The feeling in her stomach came back. She looked back down at her sister. Elsa was there, covered in fog that did not look like it was conjured by her. Anna's breasts were exposed. The tapping there moved faster as two hands landed at her hips and swayed her harder. It was Hans' necklace knocking on her chest. Elsa's ice caused a cold friction there. It was the only spot in her body where she felt a chill. The rest of the air around her was tepid.

Something was wrong. Everything was slightly different. Anna was still in Elsa's room. It was her sister's wedding day. Wasn't it? Elsa was looking up at her. Anna felt a throbbing inside of her. It was familiar but it wasn't Elsa. Anna suddenly felt desperate for the memory she hadn't even wanted a moment ago. She thought back at the Princess who was in control of that memory. She channeled the girl who had orchestrated this connection. To ground herself back into that memory, Anna spoke to that girl's true longing.

"I want to be your wife," she told the fading memory below her. Elsa cracked a smile. Anna knew where and when she was. That smile meant Elsa had just realized Anna was coming.

"I want to be your wife," she said again because the Princess hadn't. The pendant around her neck was still rubbing up against her, except now the black end was radiating heat. Anna was hot, she hated being hot. Elsa was present but so was the set of hands on her hips dictating the tempo of Anna's sex.

"I want to be your wife," she pleaded with Elsa, hoping her sister could pull her back into the past. It didn't work. There was a blur. Still, Anna fought for control. She looked over her shoulder where Tarik was meant to be but only saw a shut door. It taunted Anna more than the late King could. Something about this memory had gone wrong.

"Help," she called out. The Queen below her could do nothing. Her finger eased out of Anna as the hands on her hips let go. They both grabbed Anna by the shoulders.

Kristoff spoke first as he pulled his Queen into his chest. "Hey, are you alright? It's okay, I got you," he was saying. Following a kiss to the temple, Elsa's voice was in the opposite ear. "Okay love, why don't you go clean yourself up and we'll meet back at the reception?" Anna felt the necklace on her chest, in the past, it was feeding her cold and in the present, it was radiating heat. Her past self listened to her sister, never once absorbed the goodbye in Elsa's words. She never said I love you, too. The Queen Regent cried about it in Kristoff's arms. Tarik's voice began to ring in Anna's ear. She'd never been stuck between waking life and the past before.

"Help me," she said, this time to the cold behind her eyes. It rushed to aid as the sun that shone over Elsa's last day dimmed. Anna collapsed on her back. She felt the memory of Tarik threatening the Queen fade away as quickly as Kristoff's comfort did.

Anna landed in a beam of moonlight. Her head was already in Elsa's lap. Anna was so relieved to see her sister. From the look of her, she was around eighteen. She was sitting up in her bed, in the exact spot she'd taken Anna as her wife. There was no storm in her bedroom but every inch of it had a thin layer of frost over it. It made the ragged markings on the walls look deeper and darker. Anna greeted them. She could tell by which were there and which were missing an approximate date. News of their parents' deaths had already made it back to Arendelle. Elsa was awake asking herself to feel grief.

The sound of footsteps retreating could be heard down the hall. Anna just missed herself knocking. Elsa was chastising herself for not answering, but she hadn't even so much as looked at the door. Anna took Elsa in. Poor thing didn't know that Anna was actually there now. She was offering Elsa the comfort she had refused to allow in. Anna took in her own comfort. She let go of the fear and confusion she'd felt and ran her fingers over Elsa's silky nightgown. It was cool to the touch. The room was freezing cold. Anna was where she belonged.

Only hours later, the sunrise defeated the cold. The sunbeam that crawled into the bed used to wake Anna up, acclimating her to a day without Elsa. Without her sister's cold chill to ward off, the air felt stagnant. Frore wasn't close enough to give Anna the dose of cold she liked to start her day with. She almost asked the cold behind her eyes for an extension. Anna wished to spend her day in bed reliving Elsa. But she wasn't alone. There was a dip in the mattress where Kristoff sat on the edge of the bed. His back was facing Anna. He was curled into himself. His palms were digging into his face and his fingers pulled at his dirty blonde hair. He must have heard Anna stir.

"We need to talk about last night," Kristoff said while straightening his back and rolling his shoulders. Anna felt very awake and squeamish. Save for the pendant around her neck, she was naked under a large fur throw. She wasn't shy around Kristoff. Their relationship had never veered away from its sexual nature. Desperate to find solace, Anna had sought out Kristoff's touch. Being with him made Anna feel small. He was a safe haven where she could reduce her emotions into one thing. Kristoff gave Anna space to explore her bitterness and her anger. She would sometimes fantasize that Elsa had the power to visit her memories. Anna savoured the idea of Elsa watching her. She sometimes wanted Elsa to sting. Elsa's sister sharing love with someone else would feed Anna a certain satisfaction.

And it was loving. Anna was jaded. She used her sex to get a taste of her bitterness. But there were many tender moments. Kristoff always followed Anna's lead. When the door was open for them to actually make love, he poured himself into Anna. She was able to explore the other side of her spite. She felt sadness in his arms; she felt pleasure and acceptance. It was loving. Grief was less lonely when Anna allowed herself to connect. But, she had never invited it in while in Elsa's bed before.

"I'm sorry. I don't know what I was thinking. I wasn't myself last night." Her shame barely carried her voice to the other side of the bed. Anna wondered if that was why the memory had been active in her present. The last thing she remembered with any clarity was embarrassing herself in the foyer. She was having an argument with the cold, in the public eye no less. It was somehow worse that it had happened right in front of Cassandra than it was Prince Caleb and Pietro.

"I know," Kristoff responded. The defeat in his voice was a reminder to Anna. She was needed in the present. She let thoughts of Cassandra's worried eyes go. "I knew something was off. But I thought you were just upset. I should have left it at that."

Anna was surprised at the insinuated apology. She was dosed by guilt as she wondered what it would have been like to be on the other side of her dissociation. When she reached out to offer a comforting hand on Kristoff's shoulder, he flinched. "Kristoff? It's okay," Anna said. She sat up, letting the fur fall off her shoulders, content to escape its heat. She hung her arms in the air, inviting him to find forgiveness there. "We've been through hard nights before."

"This was different. I knew you were different and I didn't stop." Anna could see a wave of anger in his pacing. His rage was usually reserved for so many other people or things. Tensed muscles ran the entire length of his body. "You kept saying you wanted to be my wife. And I got lost in it. In being with you. I spent my life knowing the day would come when you were mine. So I fell back into you." Anna was aware it was her fault Kristoff had turned his anger on himself. She was so focused on her own shame that she hardly absorbed what Kristoff said next. "Everything this last year has been so hard, except when I get to be with you. But you're right. You weren't yourself."

He was expecting a reaction from Anna. "Are you hearing me?" he lashed as she spoke. Anna's shoulders jumped. He suddenly was back on the bed. The sudden movement scared Anna. He moved on all fours until his hot breath was an inch away from her.

"I need you to understand this," he bore down. Anna instinctively curled her shoulder away from him but did not drop hold of his eyes. "You weren't lucid, something kept changing. Eventually, you were crying and reciting every single thing Tarik said to Elsa that day. I didn't know what to do. But then you left. The white of your hair is in your skin now Anna. And it expanded right then." Kristoff reached out. Anna let him run the tips of his fingers over her forehead on the left side near her temple.

"I should have known better at the start. I did know better. I should have stopped," Anna was now focused on the bigger picture rather than their shared guilt. She ignored his comment.

"I was in another memory by then. What happened here?" She questioned. Kristoff's eyes glazed over, and Anna imagined that was what she looked like when she fell into the past.

"I asked you what had happened. She answered." Anna's hand replaced Kristoff's. The skin under her fingers was smooth and unblemished. The Queen was now very aware of who Kristoff was talking about.

"The cold."

"Yes," Kristoff confirmed—the cold behind Anna's eyes. "The cold you say gives those memories. Her name is Firn. She says that she likes little things."

"Firn," the name felt so natural as it rolled off of Anna's tongue. "Wow."

"No, Anna. Not wow. This is dangerous." Anna heard the warning but it had no effect on her. She wanted to repeat this name, to call on it. She wanted to explore it. She felt herself sink into Elsa's bed, ready to be taken away. Gone was the fear of the unknown in her experience the night prior. It was replaced with excitement to meet something that was Elsa's. As if on cue, Anna felt a wisp of cold enter the space. Frore sped through the room. It pushed its way through the fur blanket lamely covering up the Queen and settled in her bare lap.

Kristoff reached over and practically plucked Anna back to sitting. He had a hand on each one of her shoulders. "She had control of you," he drove his point by giving the Queen a shake. "She said she wants to marry me," he added.

"She wants to be Queen?" Anna's skin prickled as Frore lapped at her. It wanted her attention. While it had shifted the air around the room, the goosebumps on Kristoff's skin came from his fear.

"You need to stop going into Elsa's memories. Firn is using them to lock you up. " That got Anna's attention. She remembered Grand Pabbie's words but she also knew his actions were driven by a fear of Elsa's power. Anna refused to be afraid of the cold she had grown so fond of. Bulda had warned it could overtake Anna. She understood why Kristoff would consider this threat. The trolls weren't only a guidepost for him as they had been for Arendelle's Royal Family. They were his parents.

"No," Anna said. It was simple for her. She would never threaten Elsa's magic the way her mother and father had. Perhaps, it was selfish but she didn't care. "I won't lose my memories. I need them."

"The trolls were wrong. They did see me married to you. But, Anna, it wasn't you. It was her. She kept saying it. She kept saying she'd be my wife." There was fear in Kristoff's eyes. He swallowed hard and pushed his fingers deeper into Anna's skin.

"No," Anna was confident she could fix this. This was a miscommunication. Anna had been erratic. She'd put Kristoff in this position. "That part was me. Only I didn't mean you–"

"It's never been you!" Kristoff raised his voice as he cut Anna off. He used her body to push himself away from her. He was again on his feet pacing as he cursed. "You were never meant to be my wife. That's the only reason this Gods-awful year makes sense!" He seemed too angry to let the tears at the corner of his eyes drop. His teeth were barred, and his eyes were jumping around the room as if he were looking for something to pummel.

"That's not true Kristoff. We've been in this together. We're all we have left." They had been in this position many times, only Anna had never been on the receiving end of it.

"Together?!" He spat his wrath at her now. It felt like payback for the thousands of cuts Anna drove into him. "You have lorded over me every single day. Still, I have been everything you've asked me to be. Your punching bag, and councilmen, your lover, and your friend. I have opened my door to you every time you've knocked. And I did because I thought it was my destiny. I have been playing my part and fulfilling our prophecy by atoning for my mistakes."

Anna was holding her blanket close to her chest. It made a feeble shield against the anger Lord Kristoff pointed at her. He left space, perhaps for her to defend herself, or maybe to take a breath. He was sucking in air through his teeth. Finally, he shook his head at Anna. She tried to reject her fear as he approached again. She realized that Tarik had pounced at Elsa exactly this way. She had to remind herself that this was Kristoff and not a foe.

"If I am not actually destined to you. Then I can finally, with all honesty and without the fates' coercion, say I love you." This time he spoke on the complete opposite side of malice. His tone was that of great displays of affection and marriage proposals. A small sob shook inside of Anna's throat. "I'm leaving the castle."

"I don't understand."

"You're never going to let go. You'll keep looking in the past for something you'll never have tomorrow. You'll let the cold consume you. I'm not becoming her King. I reject that future. I refuse that destiny." Kristoff's refusal was his turned back. He made his way to the door.

"Don't you dare go," Anna commanded in a way she was never capable of when wearing her crown. "You're overreacting. We don't know anything about Firn. We have no reason not to trust her."

"She's been locked up inside of you since you were a child Anna. She wants out. She wants Arendelle." Kristoff did not look back at Anna. His hand was on the doorknob. Anna tried to keep herself level, to channel the Ice Queen. Elsa was so good at keeping herself steady, even in desperation. That's what Anna felt now. Kristoff was daring to leave her when he was the only human touch she had left.

"Well, she can get in line, behind Tarik's little bastard son. You'd leave me to deal with that on my own when the Southern Isles is so closely tied to that family?" The Queen stood up. Completely naked she faced this, just as Elsa had.

"Anna, I need some control." Kristoff turned back at Anna as he begged. This was a lesson Anna had learned the hard way. One Elsa had tried to instill in her little sister during their short time together. Control was something you had to fight for. Anna was ready to fight Kristoff and to fight for him.

"No. I'm the Queen. I swear to the Gods, if you go, I will head to the basements. I will unshackle Prince Hans and I will make him my husband." There was no room for Kristoff to roll his eyes at this. Nothing in her tone was open to interpretation. "If you want to throw everything away then so will I!"

The simple ice harvester was shaking his head again. His chin was at his chest. Anna did not know who he was cursing. Was it the fates, or the trolls? Was it her? Or Elsa even? But Anna couldn't stand the silence that settled. She reached out for her robe. She was still throwing it on as she pushed past Kristoff. She was halfway out the door when he wrapped his arms around her waist.

"I'm not afraid of the cold," Anna said as she let herself be taken into his arms.

"I know, that's the problem," he answered. Anna felt the love he confessed to have for her. She knew it to be true. When he let go he took it with him. She knew that he would still be her King but that was all.