"I didn't think Anna had it this bad." Elsa admitted.
"Don't blame yourself, Elsa." Kristoff said. "I didn't notice either."
"I can't believe I was so blind to what Anna was trying to tell me." Elsa said.
"At least those walls and blocks have been removed." Kristoff said. "And you're trying to undo the damage now."
"Ahtohallan repaired the damage while I was calming down from my argument with Anna." Elsa confirmed. "I was blind and oblivious to so many things, Kristoff."
"Like what?" Kristoff asked.
"Father had ulterior motives when he separated the two of us." Elsa admitted.
"What?" Kristoff asked flatly.
"He really loathed my sister." Quickly, Elsa explained what happened the night Anna was born. How her sister was left to rot in a cold, dark nursery while Agnarr devoted all of his attentions towards caring for his ailing wife.
"If he wasn't dead already, I'd kill him myself." Kristoff muttered.
"Father blamed Anna for what happened to Mother." Elsa said.
"But she was only a baby!" Kristoff protested.
"People react to grief in different ways." Elsa said.
"Don't tell me you're defending him." Kristoff was aghast.
"Of course not!" Elsa exclaimed. "But I know I went to a dark place after Mother and Father died in that shipwreck. I'm not trying to excuse what he did or how he behaved towards Anna. But to Father, Mother was everything. The sun rose and set on her."
"I can't help but wonder what other skeletons Agnarr was hiding in his closet."
"Right now, let's focus on Anna." Elsa said.
"What about him?" Kristoff jerked his thumb over his shoulder at Grand Pabbie.
"We'll take him with us." Elsa said darkly. "Anna can decide his fate."
He was still brooding over his failure to place those spells on Anna.
He was also furious that Ahtohallan got to her first.
On the bright side, at least Anna was finally being trained in her powers. He consoled himself on the fact that eventually, the two of them would meet.
Destiny was clear on that.
There was another reason to celebrate.
For so long, Agnarr got away with his crimes against his daughter. He was still seen as a beloved king by the people. The history books would portray him as a good and loving king. A handsome, devoted family man, husband and father.
Fortunately, Agnarr's lies would explode in his face.
Especially when-not if-his deepest, darkest secrets were exposed.
In other words, it was just a matter of time before his family learned that he tried to kill Anna when she was only a baby. Agnarr was lucky that he failed in his attempt.
Or he would have been put out of his misery years before it was fated to happen.
Agnarr would have also become a permanent guest like his grandfather.
Another piece of good news was that Grand Pabbie's days were numbered. It was why he turned the troll elder and his underlings into pawns. They would have become dangerous adversaries in the future if he didn't intervene.
Now, people would be less apt to trust the trolls.
Even if they learned the trolls were influenced by his spells.
After all, who would trust someone that was easily influenced by someone's magic? Especially a respected, supposedly wise being like Grand Pabbie?
He couldn't wait until Grand Pabbie became ensnared in his web.
The chains binding him would weaken that much further.
Like he said, it was a shame about Grand Pabbie. The troll proved himself a useful tool in regards to sacrificing thousands of victims. It was a shame that many children had to die. But he was able to feed on their blood as it soaked the grounds of Arendelle, the Enchanted Forest, the Southern Isles and other countries and kingdoms.
Grand Pabbie's reach was vast.
Naturally, he took advantage of Ahtohallan's arrogance.
The ancient edifice actually thought that he was sealed away for good. He took advantage of its complacency after it went dormant and carefully nudged tragic events along from behind the scenes.
He knew he hit pay dirt when he carefully orchestrated the death of Queen Asta.
Her death set forth a chain of events that nobody could have stopped if they tried.
It was a shame that she had to die. But her sacrifice was necessary, especially when it came to eventually gaining both his freedom and his future queen.
He would do nothing to interfere with Anna's training.
Volva and Laeknir would help mold her into a worthy queen to rule by his side...
Hans took another goblet of water from a passing servant.
His body was sore all over.
At least the neighboring islands were willing to lend a hand. Even his cold grandfather, King Hrae, was aiding his "weakling" grandson. Hans didn't care what his motives were, as long as it helped his people. They desperately needed food, clothing and money.
Not to mention doctors and nurses.
Medicine and medical supplies.
Hans was grateful for another reason. His brothers were too busy fighting each other and vying for the throne to worry about the royal treasuries. True, the funds were limited.
Apparently, the Southern Isles were going through an economic crisis.
But there was just enough money to aid in his kingdom's recovery.
Well, he thought with a grimace, the Southern Isles and its people would recover as much as they could. Building repairs would take time and the islands were still a wasteland.
It would take decades for the land to recover completely.
Hans didn't get a wink of sleep.
He worked all throughout yesterday and the following night into morning. He was finally sitting down on a large boulder to take a breather. They made great progress.
But there was still a long way to go.
Hans felt his heart break as he witnessed the pain and suffering of his people.
Burying so many in mass graves was hard for everybody. The wailing of women filled the air as they had to help bury their husbands, sons and daughters. As was the case with any war, too many innocents were caught in the crossfire.
Becoming little more than collateral damage.
Hans was bound and determined to keep going.
He also had to keep the mental promise that he made to himself. He was going to take the first ship to Arendelle and demand that Grand Pabbie come to the Southern Isles to face his long-awaited justice and comeuppance.
His people deserved that much as far as he was concerned.
And more.
"Who are you?" Anna said.
At last, she thought, she was going to get some answers.
The woman was no longer wreathed in shadow. With a start, Anna felt the woman looked similar to her. Both of them had long red hair and blue eyes. Unlike Anna, who was still wearing her green-and-black gown, the woman was clad in a simple light blue shift.
"Call me Jord." She said. "I am the avatar for Ahtohallan."
"You're Ahtohallan?" Anna gasped.
"In a manner of speaking." Jord said. "I have been watching over you and your sister your entire lives. I wish I could have helped you more, but there was damage done to Ahtohallan and the Enchanted Forest after Runeard murdered that tribal leader."
"Why do you look like me?" Anna asked.
"I can take on any form I choose." Jord said. "In this instance, I've chosen to assume the identity of your Northuldran grandmother, Volva."
"You know about Mother's family?" Anna said. She was hoping against hope that Jord said yes. Mother always refused to talk about her family and her background. Whenever Anna would get the courage to act, Mother would deliberately change the subject. She would even snap at Anna and read her the riot act for daring to bring it up in the first place.
"I know everything." Jord confirmed.
"Please, tell me." Anna begged. She was sick and tired of being left in the dark.
"Powers run in your family, from your mother's side." Jord said. "Your grandmother Volva was an extremely powerful seeress. She could see into the past, present and future."
"Is that how Elsa got her powers?" Anna asked.
"No, her powers came from Ahtohallan itself." Jord said.
"What about Hefnd?" Anna asked.
"She was your great-grandmother." Jord admitted.
"What?" Anna gasped.
"She was a powerful witch." Jord said. "Once, she was a good woman who desired nothing more than to bring peace and heal those all around her. People would come from the various tribes due to her immense healing gifts. But as soon as your great-grandfather massacred her village, she became mad with grief. So, she sought out an evil that existed in a land that everyone was forbidden to ever approach."
"Why didn't you prevent the massacre?" Anna asked.
"Ahtohallan was lying dormant, until Hefnd approached the tree." Jord said.
"Did the tree really create a doppelganger of Hefnd?" Anna asked.
"Yes. The real Hefnd became trapped and drained by the tree." Jord nodded.
"No wonder Ahtohallan showed me those images." Anna shuddered.
"No Anna, you didn't need Ahtohallan to witness the past." Jord said.
"I don't understand." Anna said.
"You inherited Volva's abilities." Jord said.
"What?" Anna gasped. "That's impossible. I don't have any powers!" As much as she loved and supported her sister, a part of her was secretly jealous that Elsa had such amazing abilities. Elsa viewed her powers as a curse, but they made her stand out. Anna couldn't help resenting the fact that she was stuck in her sister's shadow. She always felt like she was worthless and hated the fact that she was so ordinary.
"No Anna, you have powers of your own." Jord said. "Remember what you have seen in your nightmares. You have witnessed images of the past, present and future. The reason your gift never fully developed was due to Grand Pabbie's interferences."
"I have powers." For Anna, it was a shocking revelation that turned her world upside down. She wasn't an ordinary human stuck with her sister's leftovers. She felt a huge weight lifting from her shoulders that she didn't even realize she had. This would set her apart. The distance between her and Elsa wasn't so huge anymore. "How could I train this ability?"
"The spirits of your grandmother and her apprentice, Laeknir, were transported here after they were murdered." Jord explained. "Once they wake up, your training will begin."
"Wake up?" Anna echoed. "What happened to them?"
"The entity trapped to that tree attacked them and rendered them unconscious." Jord said.
"Why did it attack?" Anna asked.
"It was trying to put some spells on you." Jord said.
"Why?" Anna demanded.
"I cannot tell you." Jord replied.
"Why not?" Anna asked.
"The Powers That Be have decreed there is only so much information I could tell you." Jord said. "I can only interfere so much where your destiny is concerned."
"What destiny?" Anna asked bitterly. "Grand Pabbie told me I was fated to be nothing more than Elsa's emotional anchor and her link to humanity."
"Grand Pabbie was wrong." Jord said. "You DO have a destiny."
"What is it?" Anna could feel her mind racing. Could it be true? Did she have an actual purpose aside from supporting her sister? Anna could feel that weight lifting further. A curious excitement began welling up inside her. Maybe she was more than the powerless extension of her sister.
"I cannot tell you." Jord said.
"Let me guess." Anna said. "The Powers That Be?"
"Yes." Jord said.
"What about the entity?" Anna asked. "Did you protect me when I was attacked?"
"No, Anna. You protected yourself." Jord said.
"How?" Anna asked.
"You will find out in time." She held up a hand to forestall Anna's protests. "I know you're confused and frustrated, Anna. But the answers will reveal themselves in time. For now, you need to focus and develop your powers with Volva and Laeknir's assistance."
"What's my other power?" Anna said.
"You're an empath." Jord said.
"Of course. It explains so much." And it did. How many times did Anna seem to sense what someone was feeling? Of course, no one believed her. They yelled at her and told her to stop making up such wild stories. "But what about Hans? I didn't sense anything wrong with him."
"Your gift was erratic, due to Grand Pabbie effecting your memories." Jord said.
"You said Volva would train me?" Anna asked.
"Yes." Jord said.
"How? It would take time to develop my powers." Anna said.
"Fortunately, you're in the realm of dreams." Jord said. "Time passes differently in dreams. Every time you fall asleep, your soul would come to Ahtohallan to continue your training with Volva and Laeknir. By the time your training is complete, you'll be ready."
"Ready for what?" Anna asked.
"To begin a journey of your own." Jord said.