Finding home

Elsa kept looking at the notebook as she tried to come up with a solution to the Maths problem in front of her. She had already surpassed the stage where she wanted to pull her hair out, and she was now simply looking at it with disdain. Part of her believed life was torturing her for lying to her brother the previous night.

It didn't matter how hard she tried, or how many times she looked at her notes, she couldn't think of a possible solution. With a tired sigh, she threw her pencil on the table and exclaimed, "I give up. This is impossible."

"For the last time, it's not impossible. Have you-?"

"... checked my notes? Yes, I have." Elsa didn't care if it was rude to interrupt her teacher, the Maths problem had drained all her will power, and she just wanted the answer. "I've got no idea what I have to do."

"Yes, you do," said Anna laughing. "Think of everything we've talked about so far… What do you-?" Anna's question was interrupted when the door of the cottage suddenly opened and her boyfriend came in. "Kristoff?"

Taken aback, Kristoff could only look at Anna sitting at the table. When his initial surprise wore off, he asked back, "Anna?"

Saved by the bell, thought Elsa as she closed her books. She liked Anna's Maths classes; but the fact they had been working and practicing since early morning was making Elsa feel exhausted. And she guessed her tiredness was the main the reason she couldn't come up with a logical answer to the annoying Maths problem.

"Elsa…?" It didn't take long to realise his sister had planned their meeting behind their back and he wanted an explanation.

Anna, noticing Kristoff's warning tone, looked at her stunned too. Until that moment she thought it had been a coincidence Kristoff showed up when he did, but Elsa's calm expression let her see she had been expecting her brother all along.

She looked at them both and only offered a sheepish smile. Truth was she had no idea what to say in her defense. She put her books away as quickly as possible and hurried to the door. Before Kristoff or Anna had the chance to complain, she said, "sit down and talk. Don't you dare look for me until you solve your problems." And with that, she walked out the door leaving the couple alone in the cottage.

Even if she knew Kristoff was going to get revenge for what she'd just done, Elsa couldn't stop feeling proud of her decision the previous night. In the few seconds she shared with them, she was able to notice they seemed happy to see each other, though a little nervous.

I'm sure they're already putting their differences behind to plot my murder. Elsa chuckled at her silly thought and tried to choose what to do next. She wanted to give them some privacy, so staying in the house was out of question. She looked around and smiled when she noticed her motor sled was a few meters away from the entrance. She cleared the path leading to the vehicle with her powers, making sure she could get to it, and soon she was riding North towards her slope. She hadn't been there since the accident, and part of her wanted to see how the place looked like after two months.

The last thing she expected when she got to the slope was to find it in perfect shape. There weren't excessive amounts of snow, and every single flag she had used to mark the limits was still standing. Making Elsa wonder if someone had been working, or using, the place regularly.

She got off her snowmobile and stayed on the edge of the cliff, looking down at the forest and enjoying the view for some time. It had been so long since she had taken the time to drink in the view and truly appreciate how peaceful the North mountain was. She couldn't understand why people would pick the city and its apartment buildings over something like that. There, in the middle of nowhere,she was free. She had a world to explore and a life to live. Far away from the constricting walls that had hidden her existence for years.

She still remembered clearly the first time Kai and Gerda had showed her the mountain, letting her explore a world she didn't know existed. It had been the first time someone told her she was allowed to have fun with the powers too. Gerda had explained that, there, her powers could become part of the landscape and no one would ever complain, because in the North mountain snow was always welcomed. Her mother's words were still ingrained in her brain and Elsa guessed they were part of the reason she found inner peace in that place. They were the reason she had found her place in the world all those years ago.

Her memories were interrupted when she heard footsteps behind her back. Very few people roamed around that part of the mountain, so she turned around to see who was interrupting her peaceful moment. To her happy surprise, it wasn't some lost tourist. It was Marshall.

"For a moment I thought you were frozen. You weren't moving," said Marshmallow, waving at her.

"You didn't look too worried if that were the case."

"What was the point of hurrying up if you were already dead?" he asked with the most neutral expression he could master. Marshmallow had the tendency to make the most unsettling comments in such a calm and collected way, he always made people believe he was being serious. Only a scarce group of people understood his humour, while the rest simply looked at him as if he was mad as a hatter. To his good luck, Elsa was one of the few who understood the different tones he used when he was trying to be humorous.

"It's nice to see you care," she said as she tried to stifle a giggle. It didn't matter how hard she tried to pretend his jokes were inappropriate or unsettling, she always ended up laughing at them.

He smiled at her and sat down by her side.

"What are you doing here?" asked Elsa when she noticed he was not going to say anything else. She considered herself a person of few words, but Marshmallow could easily beat her at that.

"I wanted to ski on my own, and I knew your slope was a great place to do so."

"You've been using the slope?" She should have known he was the one behind the slope being in such good shape.

"I have." He looked at her to make sure she wasn't bothered. "I hope you don't mind."

Elsa looked at him and smiled. "You've been taking care of it too, right?"

He nodded and explained, "I tried to make it more safe. Finish some of the work you started."

"Marshmallow…" Elsa's eyes widened at the thought of him doing so much work. She knew the ski resort demanded a lot of time from him and he was usually exhausted afterwards. "That's a lot of work. You didn't have to."

"Well, I had a lot of clients this season thanks to you, the least I could do was make sure this place was being taken care of."

"It's more than you should have done."

"It's my way of saying thank you," he answered and returned his sight to the mountains in the horizon.

Elsa kept looking at him with amazement. Even if she knew Marshmallow was hard working to a fault and he rarely complained about the things he had to do, she was surprised to find out he had been working so much only to thank her for a few extra clients. "Well, thank you. It's nice to know my work didn't go to waste."

"It's an amazing slope. And the view is beautiful. I've been coming here whenever the tourists get on my nerves."

She smirked and asked, "You've been living here, then?"

He laughed and pushed her slightly with his arm. But he didn't complain, he had to admit he wasn't the most patient instructor out there.

They continued talking about work and life at the mountain during some more time until it began to snow. Marshall got up, complaining about being cold, and suggested it was best to leave. She was about to get up on her own when Marshmallow surprised her by picking her up from the snow. Elsa shrieked and put her arms around his neck, not wanting to be dropped. She was thankful they were in the middle of the mountain and he couldn't notice the snow around her. "Marshmallow, what are you doing?!"

"You are going to hurt your leg if you keep walking in the snow," he said, matter-of-factly. "I'll take you to your snowmobile."

Elsa was mortified by the fact he was carrying her in his arms. She wanted to tell him she wasn't sick, and that she could walk with the help of her crutches perfectly well; but he was being so careful and sweet, she didn't find in herself the will to do so. "You could have warned me, though," she chose to say instead.

He chuckled as he sat her on the vehicle. "You were going to go on for minutes explaining why you didn't need my help. Picking you up like that was faster."

"I don't care," she said, crossing her arms. "Warn me next time you do that."

"Aye. Aye." He moved his hand from side to side dismissing her request. He picked up his skis and began walking in the direction of the path that led to his home.

"Where's your motor sled?" asked Elsa as she looked around trying to find it.

"I thought it was a nice day to walk earlier today," he sighed. "Now I regret my decision." He wanted to ask her for a ride, but he just continued walking instead.

"I'll take you home," offered Elsa.

"Are you sure?" Part of him wondered if she had just read his mind.

She stopped the snowmobile right in front of him. "Of course."

Marshall was more than thankful Elsa had offered to take him home. The snowfall was getting stronger, and his cottage was quite a far distance from the slope.

"I almost forgot," he said as they were getting closer to his cottage. "I've got your gear at my place."

"What gear?" asked Elsa, loud enough for him to hear over the sound of the snowmobile.

"Your skis and other things I found at the slope. I think they are yours, they were close to the cliff."

Marshall jumped off the motor sled and helped Elsa get down. He wanted her to wait inside while he looked for her things. He opened his door and five kittens rushed outside to play in the falling snow. "No, no," he complained, running after the cats. "Stay inside you creatures."

Elsa burst out laughing at the sight of Marshmallow running after the animals. The cats were white as snow, making it difficult for her to spot them in the distance. So all she was seeing was huge guy running from one side to the other in the snow.

After a minute, he was able to pick the last one up and walk back towards his house. The cats playfully biting and scratching his hands, begging to be put back down. "Ow! Stop it."

Elsa laughed once again and helped him by keeping the door opened for him. "I didn't know you liked cats."

"I found them on the side of the road. Some ass left them on a box." Once inside his home, he let go of the cats, which soon began playing and wrestling each other.

A tender smile plastered on Elsa's face. She still couldn't understand why some people would consider Marshall intimidating. He was only taller than average and somewhat shy, making him seem more serious than he really was; but it only took a few minutes to realise he was softer than most. "And you kept all of them?" she asked, surprised he hadn't gave the animals away.

"I felt bad separating them," answered Marshall from the other room where he was looking for her things.

"Have they got names?"

"Not really. But I do call them Snowgies."

"How fitting…" She watched them wrestle one another on the floor, making her giggle at the their antics. She had always liked cats, but she rarely had the chance to be around them. Sven and his distaste for cats being the main reason.

Before she knew, Marshmallow was back, standing in front of her with several things in his arms. "Here. This is all I found. I couldn't find your skis though."

Elsa recognised the gear immediately. The skis were the ones she had lent Anna the day of the accident, together with a couple of gloves and poles. "One of them broke in half when I fell. The other must be somewhere in the forest." She pursed her lips at the thought of her own skis. They were a lot more expensive than the ones she lent her students, and she was sure she was going to miss them.

"It's a shame, they were a good pair."

"Thanks for picking these things up. I can't afford losing any more equipment." When Elsa picked all the things Marshall was handing her, she realised there was no way she could travel back home with all the stuff. However, she soon came up with a solution to her problem. "Have you got any plans this evening?" she asked, hoping Marshall would say no.

"Not really. Why?" He bent over to pick one of the gloves he had dropped, before the cats used it as a toy.

"Would you like to help me carry these things home and stay for dinner?" Before you know it, you'll be asking him to stay for dinner,Anna's teasing voice resonated in her head the moment she asked the question, making Elsa feel really embarrassed all of a sudden. Before he got the chance to answer, she said in a hurry, "my brother and his girlfriend will be there too."

He opened his eyes, not really understanding Elsa's clarification. "O- okay?" he said, not sure what to answer, as he handed her the missing glove.

"Okay," she repeated, taking a few steps back and avoiding his eyes in the process. She knew she liked Marshmallow as friend, and she believed there was nothing wrong with wanting to share some time with him; but Anna had a way to mess with her head. Resulting in her friendship - if she could call it that - with Marshmallow becoming more awkward than it already was.

If Marshall noticed Elsa's embarrassment, he didn't comment on it. He simply picked his keys and walked out the door, holding it open for her as he admitted, "I like the idea of sharing a meal with you and your family."


Idunn sat uncomfortably in the Bjorgmans' living room. Agdar and Kai were exchanging pleasantries while they waited for Gerda to prepare some coffee before they began discussing the matter at hand. Even if the older woman was still against the idea of sharing Elsa's past without her consent, she had explicitly asked for them not to start without her.

In the meanwhile, Idunn took the time to look around the room, trying to find a photograph of Elsa on the weren't many photos in the room, but she hoped she could at least see a glimpse of Elsa in one of them. She was so focused on her task at hand, she didn't notice the steaming hot coffee Gerda was offering her. She apologised for her distraction, and focused once again in the people around her. She hadn't slept much the previous night, her anxiety keeping her awake for most part of the night. She, like her husband, wished to find out more about her daughter; but she wasn't sure she was ready to face the truth.

"Thank you for giving us a chance," said Agdar once Gerda was sitting beside her husband. The man was used to take the lead in important meetings at work, and he was usually the first to break the ice whenever a delicate subject needed to be addressed.

"I think it was necessary to meet and talk. I'm sure we can all agree we want what's best for Elsa." Everyone in the room nodded, understanding the girl's well being was more important than their inner wishes. "I know you wish to know more about Elsa and her life before she came to live with us," explained Kai to Agdar and Idunn. "However, I'd like to hear your story first."

Idunn opened her eyes at the request. "Is that absolutely necessary?" Talking about her past to Anna had taken a emotional toll she wasn't expecting, and she was sure retelling the whole story to the couple was going to be just as hard. Especially knowing they were going to judge their decisions more severely than Anna.

"I won't let you get close to my daughter unless you do," replied Kai in a firm voice. He believed the Arendelles deserved to know what had happened to their biological daughter; but after Agdar had said they deliberately left her in the hands of Weselton, he thought it was best to know their story before he could trust Elsa's past to them.

It was a shock to hear Kai speaking in such a way. Even Gerda turned to look at him with worry. He was usually one to jump straight into business, but he rarely let his feelings show. This time, however, he made sure the couple understood his love for Elsa and how serious he was about his request.

"I understand," said Agdar, trying to avoid a confrontation. He chose to believe the man had a justified reason to hear their past first. "We are here to take responsibility for our actions. Telling you our part of the story is the least we can do." And with that he began telling the older couple their story.

They made sure to explain everything they had gone through. They knew it was possible Kai and Gerda weren't going to understand their motives, but being a hundred percent honest was going to help them a lot more in the long run. It took them almost an hour to tell their full story. Including the time they had tried to find Elsa in the different orphanages. As their story progressed, Agdar could notice how Gerda and Kai were becoming more invested in in it, asking questions and clarifications.

"As you can see… We tried to make the right thing. But life had a very peculiar way of telling us it was too late," said Agdar as he finished their story. "We accept our mistakes and we know Elsa's got the right not to forgive us, but all we want is for her to know we did care about her."

Gerda stayed silent while Kai continued asking a few more questions. She knew he was already trying to tie their story to what they already knew about Elsa, and see if it matched.

Before hearing their story, Gerda had been completely against the idea of sharing Elsa's past with the Arandelles. But now, knowing they had been lied about Elsa's whereabouts, only made her think that maybe Kai was doing the right thing. She wasn't completely sure their reasons for leaving Elsa behind were justified, but it was obvious they had truly tried to do what they thought was right. Being young and inexperienced had forced them to abandon their daughter in a desperate attempt to give her a better life; but their plan had backfired, resulting in Elsa enduring things a child shouldn't have been exposed to. She couldn't help but feel bad for the couple, they seem guilty enough as it was.

"Well, that's our story," concluded Agdar, once Kai's questions were over.

"I guess that means it's our turn," said Kai, looking at his wife.

Gerdad nodded but stayed silent, thinking it was best to let Kai handle the situation and explain Elsa's past to them. It was hard for her to talk and explain everything that had happened before Elsa entered their life.

"Days ago you asked where we had found Elsa," began Kai. He wanted to answer their main question before he told them how everything had happened. "Well, to put it simply, we adopted her after Douglas Weselton's clinic was searched and seized by the police in Romsdal."

Idunn and Agdar gasped at that. They had tried to come up with different scenarios where the couple had found Elsa; but, the possibility of the police being involved, had never crossed their mind.

"But Weselton's clinic was closed… How is that possible?"

"I'll try to explain everything that happened in Romsdal during those years as best as possible. However, I need your word that you will keep everything I'm about to tell you to yourselves. I'm taking a personal and professional risk by letting you know all these details."

Kai's seriousness made them accept his request in a heartbeat. They knew the man was a respected police officer and they believed in his words. After all, he had never given them a reason not to trust him.

"You are correct about the place being closed to the public, Agdar. It was no longer working as a clinic at the time, but for years it worked as a center of illegal medical procedures and experimentation. There were a couple of doctors who valued more the profits they could obtain from their experiments than the health of the people they treated."

A sudden sense of coldness took over Idunn's body. She knew she needed to listen to everything Kai was about to tell them, but she already could tell it was going to be harder than she imagined.

"Let me start from the beginning, before the official clinic was closed…"

The police department in Romsdal had the lead something dubious was going on in the clinic before its original closure. Following the legal procedures, they requested information to its owner, Douglas Weselton. The man in charge of the institution and his collaborators complied to the request, giving the authorities the permission to search the place.

At the time, they couldn't find anything atypical about it and, since both the clinic and its orphanage followed the correct standards, the original suspicions dissipated. Forcing the police officers to think the lead was the result of false accusations and professional jealousy.

However, to everyone's surprise, a year after said event, the clinic legally closed its doors. Weselton referred his patients to other clinics in town, and he made sure every child in the orphanage was taken to different institutions in neighbouring cities. Every step for its closure followed all the legal requirements. Not raising any suspicions, and resulting in the authorities dismissing the event to a personal decision on Weselton's part.

Everything remained more or less the same in Romsdal for the following four years. Until one day, the police department began receiving information about illegal medical procedures taking place in the city. Doctors and nurses claimed someone in town was treating patients outside the medical system.

The complaints stated people with the lowest incomes were leaving the official medical centres in favour of unregistered clinics. No one knew exactly who the responsible were, but the old clinic soon resonated in the head of those who had taken part in the original investigation.

Without proper evidence, it took the police department a few months to gather enough information and evidence against the illegal doctors. It didn't come to a surprise when the new evidence linked the old clinic and orphanage to these practices, giving the police the opportunity to search and seize the now 'abandoned' place.

By seizing the place, the police officers in charge of the procedure were able to find Douglas Weselton, among other doctors and nurses, working illegally in the abandoned building. But that was not the only thing they found. They were shocked to find a teenage girl - no older than thirteen - in one of the rooms. To make matters worse, she had been drugged minutes prior to the police intervention, and she was in a deplorable health condition. The state the girl was in forced Romsdal to get in contact with Trollheim's police department and arrange for her to be transferred to the city's main hospital.

Romsdal authorities requested the girl's existence to remain secret during the first few days, trying to keep the minor away from undesired attention until they knew for certain who she was and where she was from. To their bad luck, she didn't exist in the clinic's registries and everyone of the defendants denied ever meeting her, making the task of finding out her identity a lot more difficult.

By a whim of fate, Kai and Gerda ended up being part of the selected group of people that was allowed to stay in contact with the girl after Romsdal's request. Kai was part of the police division in Trollheim which had been sent to assist Romsdal's officers, and help in the NN girl's case. While, Gerda, on the other hand, happened to be working in Trollheim's main hospital at the time, being one of the selected nurses to attend to the girl in question.

Against the doctors' initial guesses, it took the girl several hours to wake up after she was admitted into hospital. It also took several minutes for her to understand she was in a different environment. She wouldn't allow doctors and nurses get close to her and she would remain silent whenever they tried to find out information about her. It didn't matter how many times they reassured her they were there to help her feel better, she remained silent.

Gerda, not agreeing with the doctors and officers' methods to approach the girl, had taken the time to stay in the room longer than necessary each day, trying to earn the girl's trust. It was only after three days, and a lot of work on Gerda's part, that they were able to find out her name. Elsa.

At the beginning the relationship between Elsa and Gerda had been awkward and difficult. Elsa didn't seem to trust anyone dressed as a doctor or nurse, making her work a lot harder than it already was. Whenever Gerda tried to do her job - instead of simply keep the girl company - Elsa would stop cooperating. Taking Gerda a lot of time to complete her tasks.

The girl wasn't bad perse, and she didn't fight her back like other nurses complained she did; but she wouldn't let Gerda come close to her. Always begging and resisting her attempts to approach her.

Elsa's constant begging to be left alone pained the old woman deeply, but it only fuelled her will to help her. Day by day, Gerda was able to find out more and more about her. But to everyone's disappointment, the little information Elsa could provide was useless to the police investigation. She had no surname. She had lived all her life behind closed doors, spending most of her life in Romsdal clinic. And as far as she knew, she didn't have a family.

In the meanwhile, the evidence against Weselton and his colleagues kept piling for their illegal medical practices, but the police officers had no information they could use to link Elsa's existence to them, besides the fact she had been found in one of the rooms of the clinic. To make matters worse, there were no records of a girl of her characteristics disappearing. And every piece of information the girl in question could provide was a dead end. Making everyone wonder who Elsa really was.

The head of the police department in Trollheim had been ready to go against Romsdal's requests and reveal Elsa's existence to the public in a desperate attempt to find out something about the girl, when he received a disturbing call from the hospital. One of the doctors in charge of Elsa's case called claiming the girl was nothing but 'the result of the creepiest kind of experimentation.' Out of thin air, Elsa had frozen the hand of Gerda, after the nurse had unintentionally hurt the girl with a needle.

This new piece of information stopped the decision to let the public know about Elsa. Those in charge of the investigation made sure no one outside the selected group of people was informed of the incident. Dealing with an NN was hard enough as it was, to now have to face the challenge of said person being the result of illegal experimentation. Only a few police officers and doctors were trusted with Elsa's secret in fear people would try and hurt the girl, or demand impossible answers.

The incident between Elsa and Gerda had caused concern among those involved too, changing the way some of the doctors and officers treated the girl. Most of them stopped their visits, and the very few who still dared enter the room were more careful around her. Making Elsa feel more isolated inside the hospital room than she already was.

Gerda, in spite of being the one who had been in the receiving end of Elsa's powers, kept visiting Elsa, making the accident a turning point in their relationship. Elsa began to open up more to her when she noticed the old woman could see past her powers and still treat her like a normal person; not forcing her to take drugs nor changing the way she treated her.

As time passed, her pleadings to be left alone transformed into requests for Gerda to be careful around her. Showing she wasn't against the offered care and treatment, as they had originally imagined. On the contrary, she was only afraid of hurting those around her and being punished for it.

Elsa's health began to improve after the first month. She looked more healthy and had more energy, driving Gerda to spend more and more hours with her, taking a more nurturing role than her job required. The two of them spent their time talking, drawing and reading stories together. From time to time, Gerda tried to get Elsa to share things about her childhood and her time in the clinic, but to her disappointment she never shared much.

There came a day, however, when Elsa got carried away in a conversation and told Gerda about a boy her age named Kristoff, her first and only friend. Gerda, curious to know more about her past, prompted her to tell her more about her friend. Great was Gerda's surprise to find out she was the girl her son talked so much about.

Once Gerda told her husband the news, and the police department found evidence that Elsa had in fact lived in Trollheim's orphanage; the head of the police department asked for the orphanage to be searched. This gave them access to the orphanage's registries, where they found more than enough evidence linking Weselton's clinic with the institution. Unauthorised money movements and new nurses becoming part of the staff in dates that matched the time Elsa had been transferred. Elsa's identity was still a mystery, but at least they had more information about the girl's past.

A month and a half after Elsa's hospital admission, the doctors considered she was healthy enough to be discharged, requesting the authorities to find a new place for Elsa to stay. But no one knew for certain what to do with her. Her powers were dangerous and she could barely trust other people.

"Please, tell me that's when you adopted her," begged Agdar, interrupting Kai. He had been doing his best to help Idunn calm down, and he wanted the story to be over. He desperately wanted to reach the part where Elsa found a family. His wife had begun crying uncontrollably when Kai explained the state Elsa was found inside the clinic, and she hadn't stopped. She kept blaming herself over and over again for leaving Elsa in the hands of a monster like Weselton.

Telling the whole story had been more difficult for Kai than he originally imagined. He knew the couple was going to have a hard time accepting the things Elsa had been through, but he hadn't imagined Idunn was going to break down the way she did. He had been patient and had tried to give the woman enough time to pull herself together, but as soon as he mentioned something unpleasant she would break down once again. Not finding the strength to continue, he looked at his wife requesting her help.

Gerda, who had been silently crying, understood her husband's silent request and continued, "the idea of leaving the hospital caused Elsa great distress, resulting in her freezing her bed and almost hurting the police officer standing close to it." She took a deep breath to calm her nerves down. Remembering that day still made her blood boil. "The man was an intolerant prick who began to yell, demanding the doctor to sedate Elsa. Not thinking twice about it, I stepped in front of Elsa and begged for them to be reasonable and give her some time to calm down on her own…"

"What happened then?" Agdar's broken voice prompt Gerda to continue.

"Contrary to what one would believe, my intervention only infuriated the officer and I was kicked out of Elsa's room. The moment I was taken out of the room, Elsa began to cry and beg for me not to leave her alone. The ice around her bed began to advance towards the men still inside the room, making me fear Elsa was going to something she could regret." If she closed her eyes, Gerda could still hear the cracking sound of the ice on the walls. "Luckily, Kai and his superiors arrived just in time to see what was going on." Gerda looked at her hands, she remembered that day vividly, Elsa's cries resonated in the back of her head.

"We took them out of the room before the ice reached them, avoiding a disaster," said Kai.

"I stayed with Elsa that night," continued Gerda. "And I think that was the first time she truly opened up to me. She explained she tried her best to control her powers, and how it was really difficult to do so. It didn't matter how hard she tried, the ice manifested whenever she was stressed. And people punishing for her mistakes only made matters worse." That night was the first night Elsa had accepted a hug from Gerda too. The little girl had been so scared she was going to be left alone, she had clung to Gerda. "At that moment I knew I couldn't leave her side."

"By the time Elsa and Gerda woke up the following day, I had all the necessary papers for her custody." Kai thought it was time to wrap up their story since they had shared the most important details of Elsa's childhood. At least those they knew. "We were the best chance she had out there. We both wanted to be the family she needed and we thought we had the means to help her find justice."

"A couple of months after we were given her custody, the judge granted us the possibility to give her our last name and formally adopt her," finished Gerda. The heartbroken and guilt-ridden expressions on Agdar and Idunn didn't go unnoticed by the woman. She knew their world had come crashing down on them, and she felt truly bad for them at that moment. Hoping to lift their spirits, she offered some comforting words. "But as you can see, things worked out for the best, one way or another. She found a home, and she's been part of our family ever since."

Agdar dried a couple of tears and looked at the older couple. The immense gratitude he was feeling towards the older couple couldn't be put into words, but he tried anyway. "Thank you so much for loving Elsa just the way she is." He averted his eyes, feeling immeasurable shame. "Something we clearly couldn't do."

"You may have made a mistake, a terrible one. But for what you told us, you did it because you were trying to find a better future her." Kai could see the love they felt for Elsa was real. And In Kai's opinion the man to blame for Elsa's suffering was no other than Weselton. Their story only convinced him that the unscrupulous doctor had played with the young couple from the start.


To be honest, this chapter was hard to write and edit. There were so many things I wanted to include and explain, but I didn't want to make it long and boring. There are still a few things to explain along the way but we can finally say Elsa's past has been revealed. I hope things are clearer now. Many of you already had the idea Elsa had been subject of illegal medical practices, but here's the confirmation. You were right. Elsa powers are not magical, they are just the result of Weselton's experiments.

I hope you enjoyed this chapter just as much as the previous ones. I would like to know what you think of Elsa's back story. Does it make sense to you? Was it what you were expecting? Feel free to comment and share your thoughts.

I wanted to thank everyone who had taken the time to read, like and review this story so far. I hope this story is living up to your expectations.