The Nokk did not break its stride when it reached the mainland, and kept galloping up the shore and into the forest just as fast as on water. It only slowed down when large, moving shapes appeared in the distance. The children let out cries of awed surprise when the horse ended its run in a clearing, at the foot of a group of earth giants.
"Gerda, Kai," Elsa said, "since you may have forgotten them, let me introduce you again to the nature spirits. You have already met the Nokk, and Gale," she added, pointing to the bunch of dead leaves twirling in the wind near them. "Here are the stone giants, the earth spirits. They brought you here."
"But… I have not seen them!" Kai exclaimed. "I only slept in a cave and woke up on the shore."
One of the stone giants moved toward them, its rocky features slowly moving into what was undeniably a smile. It brought its cupped hands together and turned them so that the group could see the space between the palms. It did look like a small, rocky cave, with strange ridges on the floor and the ceiling that it would have been quite easy to ignore at night.
"That's… that's like the cave where I slept…" Kai said in awe.
"And the one I slept in too," Gerda said. "Only mine was taller, my horse could enter."
The stone giant moved its hands again, forming a narrower but taller cave. Gerda giggled.
"And here's who kept you warm at night," Elsa said, showing them a small salamander that had jumped into her hand. "This is the fire spirit Bruni."
"It's so cute!" Gerda said, looking at the small reptile who was rolling over in Elsa's hand, making small cooing noises. Elsa sprinkled it with a few snowflakes that it tried to catch with its tongue, not unlike what Sven always tried to do. "I think I remember them, Aunt Elsa," Gerda added. "But they had become stories for me."
Elsa jumped from the horse, then carried Kai to the ground while Gerda slid down rather gracefully. The Nokk shook himself, then went to stand on a puddle. Elsa waved a hand in his direction, thawing him. Then she took the children by the hand and faced the four spirits.
"Thank you all," she said gravely, "for reminding me what was important."
There was a silence in the clearing. Even the bird songs seemed hushed. Bruni jumped up and down excitedly, the Nokk reared in his puddle, Gale twirled faster in the air and the earth giants slowly nodded.
"But next time," Elsa went on in a voice like steel, "do not drag Anna's children into this!"
The clearing seemed to freeze. This time the silence was complete. The salamander and the horse lowered their heads, the leaves carried in the wind slowly descended toward the ground, and the giants looked down.
"Not that there will be a next time, of course," Elsa said after a moment. Life seemed to return to the clearing. Bruni somersaulted, the Nokk splashed in the puddle, the leaves danced, and the giants straightened up and smiled.
"Er, I wouldn't mind a next time, Aunt Elsa," Gerda said. "I mean, I would like to come back here."
"Oh, you will, Gerda. And your brother too, of course. Or I'll visit you. It's just… next time, and all the times after that, you will be properly invited."
The Northuldra camp was only a short walk away. The spirits accompanied them, each in their own way – the Nokk erupted from every puddle on the way, the leaves danced above them, the fire spirit ran around the small group and the earth giants stomped behind.
They slowly walked past the tents, Elsa greeting everybody they passed by, with Gerda and Kai imitating her with some delay. Then they reached the centre of the camp. A large carriage stood in the middle. Sven laid on a straw bed not far from it, with some Northuldra standing around him. Olaf could be seen in the distance playing with the children.
"Mama! Papa!"
Gerda and Kai let go of Elsa's hands and ran toward their parents. Anna had been talking with Honeymaren and Yelena, while Kristoff had been nervously hovering around the Northuldra tending to Sven. They both turned at the sound of their children's voices, and all four of them went into a large hug. Elsa looked at them all lovingly. She caught Honeymaren's eyes on her, and the two exchanged a smile. Then Anna looked up from the hug with her family and looked at her sister.
Time seemed to stand still for a second as their eyes met. As she had expected, whatever shock Elsa had felt as seeing her nephew and niece in the flesh was nothing compared to what she felt now when finally seeing her sister again instead of an ice memory of her.
They both started to walk toward another at the same time.
After a few paces, they broke into a run.
The hug lasted longer than any hug they had shared before – at least it seemed that way to Elsa, who had an extensive knowledge of their hugging history. Then again, maybe a second of real hug felt like a minute of an ice memory one.
"I'm sorry Elsa."
"I'm sorry Anna."
"Wait, what?" Anna said, leaning backward. "What are you sorry for? I am the one who stopped visiting you and sending you news from us."
"Funny," Elsa said, smiling. "I thought that was me."
They set out to walk, hand in hand, away from the camp and toward the forest. Once again, Elsa reflected how memories were different from the real thing. She had watched them walking like that countless times, but now she did realise it had been years since they had last done this for real.
"There was so much to do," Anna said after a while. "With the children growing up, and the kingdom to rule. And… well… I did not stop thinking about you, no, but… it was… less intense. I mean, I never stopped loving you with all my heart, Elsa, but… it became… I mean…"
Anna took a breath and started again.
"When I went back to the castle without you I… I did not know how I would cope without seeing you every day. I told you that, back in the day. Then I got all these things to do, the coronation, and the statue, and my betrothal with Kristoff and… well, it helped me pass the time between our reunions. I told you that too."
Elsa remained silent. She had watched a few times the conversations Anna alluded to, although not recently.
"I mean, it's not that I had forgotten you or anything, it's just that… I had other things to occupy my thoughts, so I could still think about you but it helped me to bear the wait until we saw each other again… I have already told you that, didn't I?"
"Yes, Anna. And I have already told you that you did not have to feel guilty about not feeling sad from being away from me. If anything, I should be the one to apol…"
"No you don't," Anna said quickly. "You don't have to apologise, Elsa, I already told you that too. I'm happy that you found your place and yourself, that has not changed. What I wanted to say is that… in time, all the things that helped me pass the time… they helped more and more. And so in the end, they helped so much that… we stayed years away from each other, and I did not even realise it! It was Gerda who asked me yesterday, and told me that it had been years. Time was passing so fast that I had not even noticed. And it's this that I want to apologise for, Elsa. Nothing should have made me forget us. I mean, not forget, but… thinking less about. I mean… bearing not to think about..."
"I understand, Anna," Elsa said softly. "And what I want to apologise for is having been selfish."
"Selfish?"
They walked in silence for a while while Elsa searched for her words. Anna showed no sign of impatience.
"You do know that Ahtohallan is full of every memory there is to see?"
"Sure," Anna said calmly. Elsa knew that she knew. But in the same way that Anna had begun explaining herself by recounting facts they had both discussed, it felt easier to start explaining with a knowledge they shared. "You brought me there once to show me what it meant," Anna added," and it was awesome. But this was your special place, and it meant that you had to be there on your own for it to remain that way. So… not too many visits."
"Yes," Elsa said, gently stroking Anna's hand in hers with her thumb. "Er… I can see… Everything. From there. Every memory there is to see. All the memories we shared… I can see them all, as often as I want."
"Like a photograph, only alive, and moving, and with sound. Like real life."
"Not like real life, Anna. I was wrong about that. Ice memories… they are not like life at all. They are just… memories. Not the original. I… forgot that, after a while."
Anna remained silent.
"I spent all my time watching memories of you, and Olaf, and the children. Even those where I was not there. And after a while I… forgot what it was to live something."
They had reached a small clearing. Elsa stopped to face Anna and raised the hand that was holding hers.
"I forgot what it was like to really be with someone. Not a memory of them."
Anna smiled. It was still her warm, confident, loving smile, but there was something else there, too, the knowledge and experience the years raising a family had brought her.
"It seems we have both been a little too good at finding something to take our mind of when we were not together," she said with a little giggle.
The sisters pressed their forehead together, holding both hands.
"The spirits did this?" Anna said in a whisper.
"Yes. They probably sensed, or feared, our bond weakening."
"Or they missed seeing the children," Anna said with a smile. "So this explains the bad weather we had been having these past months. I will have to thank them and tell them to leave my children out of this the next time. Except there won't be a next time."
"I already told them that, but we will tell them again together."
They kept gazing at each other. Elsa could not help noticing the small wrinkles that the years had brought around her sister's eyes, and that she had failed to see even in the most detailed ice memories. Anna on her side was noting how time and life outdoors had ever so slightly hardened the features of her sister and darkened her complexion.
"There is… something… I never told you about, Elsa," Anna said at last, breaking eye contact and letting go of her sister's hands.
Elsa watched her silently as Anna took a few steps away.
"We swore to each other that there would never be any secrets between us. You told me about how the Trolls changed my memories when I was little. You showed me those memories. You showed me all the memories about our parents. I told you how happy I was for you to have found a place where you belonged…"
Anna turned to face her sister.
"There is something I never told you. Something I felt. It was the day… the day where you discovered Ahtohallan. When you… decided to go there alone. And, er… pushed me and Olaf away."
"Yes," Elsa said, looking down.
"I was… angry at you, that one time. I felt betrayed. And… I… I never told you about it. I mean, I understood what you did that day, why you did it, you were right but… even though I know this, I… I never dared talking to you about it."
Anna's hands moved as if she tried to give her thoughts a shape.
"You see, there have been times when I have been angry with you, or felt hurt by what you did, back when we were younger, when I had forgotten you had powers. But we talked about it, I told you that I would never have felt that way if I had known what you were going through. And… I forgot these times. I mean, they don't matter any more. But that time… I was too ashamed of feeling that way, after what happened to you afterward, and I never talked to you about it, and… it never went away." Anna looked into her sister's eyes. "Sorry. You see, when I realised we had drifted away so much, I wondered if… if that was because of it. If I had actually tried to punish myself for doubting your motives so much. Or if I had tried to get back at you for it. Not knowingly, of course, but…" Anna shrugged. "Anyway. Now I've told you. That's what I should have done years ago, Elsa. It… It can be hard to open a door, sometimes, even if it is small. I see that now."
"I understand," Elsa said softly. There was a silence, broken only by the chirping of distant birds. Then Elsa spoke again.
"There is something I have never quite told you either, Anna. About that day, when I went to Ahtohallan for the first time. I think… I think that on that day, I fell in love."
For the first time since they had reunited, Anna looked genuinely surprised.
"Oh? That's… that's good. Er… that's great. Er… I thought… You told me once that you never really thought about… There was that talk you had with…"
"I did not fall in love with a person, Anna. I fell in love with what I found in Ahtohallan. Maybe with Ahtohallan itself. When I arrived there, it was… what I felt there… well, I think it was like falling in love. You know, as if you finally came home."
Anna smiled and nodded wordlessly.
"It was… I mean, I had never felt like this. And I know, I told you what I found there that day, how I felt that I had found a place where I belonged. You understood, as always. What I never told you was how… how deep this feeling was. It… I mean, you talked to me about how you feel with Kristoff. It was… as if everything you told me you feel when you are with him, I felt it in the first minutes after I entered Ahtohallan."
"Love at first sight," Anna said softly.
"Seems like it," Elsa said apologetically. "Well, we got a rough start, with Ahtohallan freezing me soon after I arrived there, but... yes. It felt that way. And… I never told you how powerful this feeling had been."
Anna smiled warmly without answering.
"So maybe… maybe I was a bit ashamed too for not telling you that. Or for feeling it in the first place. I mean… I was in love with a place! That's not… that's not what people do..."
"People have no business telling you how you should fall in love," Anna said softly.
"Maybe that's also why I never was really keen to have people come with me to Ahtohallan," Elsa went on. "Maybe that's why I spent so much time there, in the end, and the memories were just an excuse. Anyway… I needed to tell you this too."
Both sisters smiled, then giggled, then laughed. They took each other's hands again and pressed their forehead together.
"That was the past," Anna said. "Now we have the future to look forward to."
"And we will do it together," Elsa said. "Again."
"Forever," Anna said.
There was another tender silence, that was broken by a chant coming from beyond the trees in the direction of the Northuldra camp.
"What is that?" Anna asked.
Elsa smiled.
"That's the rebirth chant. They sing it on the first day of spring… and also when someone recovers from a long illness. Come!" she said, turning toward the camp.
Both sisters ran through the forest, giggling as they jumped across logs and ditches.
All the adult Northuldra were gathered into a circle in the centre of the camp, singing. As Elsa and Anna came near, Gerda and Kai rushed toward them.
"Sven is cured!" Kai said excitedly, running into his mother's arms.
"They healed him!" Gerda added.
Sven was at the centre of the circle, standing on wobbly legs, but definitely upright. Kristoff and Ryder were on either side of him, supporting and encouraging him. Kristoff turned toward Anna, Elsa and the children and gestured for them to come closer.
"Ryder's remedy worked!" he shouted. "Sven will be fine!"
Gerda ran to her father and jumped into his arms, as Kai, still in Anna's arms, cheered loudly. Elsa walked to the large reindeer and gently stroked his flank. Sven emitted a few friendly grunts with only a hint of a wheeze.
"I told you," Ryder said confidently, "the old boy still has many years ahead of him. And come back to me next time he's feeling down. I still have a few more recipes in store."
Laughter and shouts of joy erupted around them, as the circle of Northuldra broke and some of them came to salute Elsa, while others went to check on Sven. The Northuldra children were dancing, along with some young reindeers. Olaf was trying to tell everyone a little known fact about reindeers but his voice was lost in the din.
"Mother?"
Anna looked down to see her daughter standing in front of her. Gerda curtsied nervously.
"I am sorry, Mother. I disobeyed. Everything is my fault. I hope you'll forgive me."
Anna gently let Kai to the ground and crouched to be at her daughter's eye level. Kai remained at her side, nervously twisting the buttons on his jacket.
"Gerda…" she sighed, "and Kai... You must understand that, when we forbid you to do something, it is usually for your own good…"
"Yes, I'm sorry, Mama," Kai said. "I'm sorry I disobeyed. Please don't be mad at me."
"Everything is my fault," Gerda repeated. "I am the eldest, I should have taken care of Kai. Please don't punish him, punish me instead. He was just sad."
"No, punish me!" Kai said. "I'm the one who ran away."
Anna could not suppress a small laugh.
"We'll talk about that when we are back at the castle. It's… we're all at fault here. I just want you to understand… The spirits helped you, this time. They wanted you both to come here. That's why they protected you. But you could have been in grave danger otherwise, going out with such a strong wind, and all alone in the mountains. Do you understand that?"
"I won't do it again," Kai said readily. "I'm sorry Mama."
"And I won't do it again either, Mother," Gerda said, a bit more hesitantly.
"And you must talk to us when you are not feeling well," Anna went on. "You must not keep things away from us and from each other. We are a family. This is important." She took a deep breath. "I'm sorry I did not listen to you more, Gerda," she added.
"So… we won't be punished?" Kai asked in a small voice.
"I told you that we will talk about that later," Anna added, unable to completely stop herself from smiling. "But did you understand what I told you?"
"Yes, Mother. You forbid us to do things to protect us, and if something goes wrong we should talk to you instead of doing foolish things by ourselves."
"Like Gerda said!"
"Err… Mother?"
"Yes, Gerda?"
"You, er, told us the story of, er, how you went to, er, look for Aunt Elsa, er, all alone in the mountain, er…"
"Yes, I told you that story, didn't I?" Anna said, biting her lip. "But I was an adult when I did this, Gerda. And… it was not a very good idea anyway."
"But that's how you met Father, right?" Gerda persisted in a small voice.
"Yes, Gerda. But I was lucky… very lucky, that day. You can't always hope to be lucky, or to have spirits helping you. We don't set rules just to be mean to you. We want to protect you. Is that clear?"
"Yes, Mama."
"Yes, Mother."
"Fine," Anna said, embracing her children. "I love you."
"I love you too, Mama."
"I love you too, Mam… Mother."
"And I love all of you!" said Kristoff, embracing the whole group into his strong arms.
"Oh, a hug! Can I join?" Olaf said excitedly, running to them.
Anna moved to include the little snowman into the hug, then took the opportunity to reach out and grab the hand of Elsa, who had been standing a few feet away from them, and pull her into the hug. It went on for a very long time.
"That felt good," Anna said as they eventually – and reluctantly – broke the embrace. "I'm sorry, but we'll have to go soon. We have a long journey ahead."
"Yes, I understand," Elsa said. "It was good to see you all."
"We'll be back soon," Anna said. "And it's charade night next week. You'll be there!"
There was a chorus of excited cries from Gerda and Kai.
"Are you leaving already?" asked Honeymaren, who had been hovering nearby.
"Yes, I'm sorry. But you'll see more of us from now on. I swear. And, you know, you can come visit us from time to time too! You'll be welcome at the castle."
"Thank you," Honeymaren said, smiling. "Are you sure you don't want to stay for the night? The day is already advanced, you will arrive at night anyway… And your horses need some rest, too."
"And Sven could do with a full night's sleep," Ryder said, joining them. "Reindeer doctor's orders!"
"We would have celebrated this evening. You can leave tomorrow early," Honeymaren said.
Anna hesitated. She took her kingdom seriously, and she had left it in a hurry. But she had a lot of lost time to make up for...
"Oh, can we stay, Mama? Please!" Kai said, tugging at her cape.
"Can we, Mother?" Gerda joined with the same eagerness, although she refrained from tugging at her mother's clothes.
"Fine," Anna said eventually, to a chorus of cheers. "I'll send a message to the castle." She looked up to some leaves dancing in the wind. "Will you please carry it, Gale?"
They stayed for a few days, eventually. There were dances, chants, and games. Kai and Gerda played with the Northuldra children. Anna and Elsa talked a lot, of memories, of important and unimportant things, and of the future. Elsa created an ice skating rink and ice slides for the children to play in. Anna discussed with Yelena about the burden of leadership. Kristoff discussed with Ryder about reindeers – being a King had been offering him less opportunities to spend time with them. The children played with Gale, flying around carried by the wind, and trying to outjump one another with the help of the wind spirit. Anna talked with Honeymaren about Elsa. Elsa went for a walk with Olaf, talking about Anna. Kai and Gerda rode reindeers through the forest with Honeymaren and Ryder. The days seemed to go on forever, but forever was too short.
Then came the time to go. Anna had kept in touch with the kingdom, thanks to Gale and couriers on fast horses, but there was only so much she could do while she was away, and she took her duties very seriously.
"We leave tomorrow," she said one evening as they all sat around the campfire.
"Can't we stay one more day, Mama?" Kai asked instantly, like he had always done whenever the subject had come up in the last days. "Just one day! Please?"
"No, Kai," Anna said gently but firmly. "We have spent enough time here already. But we will come back. You can be sure of that."
"But… we are having so much fun here!"
"I know," Anna said, smiling. "So am I."
"So why don't you want to stay?"
"Because I have work to do at the castle, Kai. And so do you. Your tutors are waiting for you. Yours too, Gerda," Anna added, turning to her daughter while Kai moaned his disappointment.
"Yes, Mother. I know," Gerda said bravely. "Thanks for letting us stay for so long. I never had that much fun in a long time. I mean," she added quickly, "I have had a lot of fun in Arendelle too, but, er, it is so different here, and, er, it was nice to see Aunt Elsa again…" she finished in a small voice.
"It was nice to see you too, Gerda," Elsa said. "All of you."
"You can come back whenever you want," Honeymaren said softly.
"We will," Anna said. "And you all can come to visit Arendelle whenever you want to. It does not have to always be us doing the travelling," she added with a smile.
There was some laughter around the campfire, to which Sven joined with a hearty grunt. The big reindeer was sitting close to the fire, with some Northuldra children resting against him.
"Now," Elsa said, "since this is your last evening, I think our spirit friends had something to show you."
Bruni jumped from her shoulder and ran into the fire, which rose upward while taking a purple tint. Wind rose, making the flames whirl and twirl into impossible shapes. On the ground, the fire spirit let out a new gust of flames which were picked up by the wind and illuminated the night for a few seconds before going out. Everybody around the fire let out various cries of surprise and clapped appreciatively.
Anna gathered her children against her, one arm around each of them, while holding Kristoff's and Elsa's hands in hers. Sven moved behind them, with Olaf sitting on his head. And the family watched the flames run across the sky.
Kai was still trying to bargain for one more day, or possibly following them with Sven, when they got ready to leave the following morning. Gerda was doing her best not to show her disappointment at leaving, which meant that she only asked a couple of times if the roads were really safe at this time of year and if it would not be better to leave in the afternoon. Kristoff said little, but it was clear that he too would not have said no to a few additional days in the wilderness where he had grown up.
Anna and Elsa's parting hug lasted a long time.
"I'm sorry to leave so soon," Anna whispered. "But I don't want to stay away from the kingdom for too long, and I didn't have the time to set anything up before leaving…"
"I know, Anna," Elsa said. "That's why I trusted you to become Queen. Don't worry, I'll be there for the next charade night. And for every one after."
"Together," they said in unison, pressing their forehead against each other's.
"I'll see both of you soon," Elsa said to Kai and Gerda. "Behave and listen to your parents," she added half-jokingly. "I love you both."
"We love you too, Aunt Elsa!" the children said.
"Oh, and Kai," Elsa said seriously as she hugged him, "remember this: when something is wrong, talk about it to the people you love. They will understand. Do not bottle everything inside, and take the time to explain."
"OK Aunt Elsa."
"And Gerda…" Elsa added, hugging her niece "don't be in too much of a hurry to grow up," she whispered in her ear. "It will happen soon enough and after that you can't go back."
"Thank you, Aunt Elsa," Gerda said gravely.
There were a few false starts, as Kai and Gerda made a point of saying goodbye to every Northuldra they could see passing by, then saying goodbye again to Elsa and the spirits. Eventually the carriage, with Gerda's horse in tow, rumbled out of the camp and away toward the entrance of the forest, with all of its passengers waving at Elsa, Honeymaren, Ryder and Yelena until they were out of sight.
Gerda and Kai sat at the bottom of the cart once the Northuldra camp and its dwellers had completely disappeared behind the trees, and they looked at the scenery around them. Sven was trotting alongside the cart, carrying Olaf on his back. The reindeer seemed fully recovered, but Ryder had said it would be best for him not to overexert himself in the next few days, which meant that carrying or pulling anything heavier than a snowman was out of the question for now.
The children looked at the scenery around the cart and commented on it, as the forest was slowly replaced by the jagged rocks of the mountains. Eventually they sank back side by side against the cushions at the bottom and looked at the sky, shouting every time they saw some dead leaves carried by the wind.
"Gerda?" Kai said after some silence.
"Yes, Kai?"
"I'm sorry."
"For what?"
"For saying I hate you. It's not true."
"I'm sorry for saying that to you too," Gerda said, pulling her brother closer to her.
"And I'm sorry for saying that you're shellfish."
"It's selfish, actually," Gerda said gently.
"You're not selfish either."
"No, I meant that shellfish doesn't mean… oh, never mind."
They were silent for some more time. Olaf waved at them from Sven's back, then disappeared from view as a low hanging branch swept his head away. The children giggled as his body clambered down and went to search for it before hurrying back to catch up with Sven and the cart.
"Gerda?" Kai asked again.
"Yes?"
"Sven will be all right now?"
"Yes, you heard Ryder, right? He knows a lot more recipes to cure him if he gets sick again."
"So he will never… die?"
Gerda paused. She remembered having a similar talk with her mother some years ago. She briefly considered calling her parents to answer that one, but decided against it. Her brother had asked her, she had to answer.
"Maybe he will," she said after some hesitation. "But in a long time."
"Oh."
Kai remained silent for a while.
"Will you die too, someday?"
"Yes," Gerda said after some hesitation, caused by her own partial disbelief of the fact. She knew that everybody died after a while, she just had trouble imagining it actually happening to her. "But in a long time too."
"Will I die, too?"
"I think so, yes. Everybody dies someday. But mostly when they are old. Or when they have an accident." She refrained from adding that obeying your parents allowed you to stay clear from accidents. She did not feel like moralising her brother after what she herself had done, even if magical spirits had been involved.
"And Papa and Mama?"
"Uh, I think, too…"
"Will you all die before or after I die?"
"I don't know that, Kai," Gerda said, pulling her brother closer and wondering if now was not a good time to ask her parents to answer in her place. "But I'll be with you forever whatever happens."
Kai raised his head toward his sister.
"Promise?" he asked in a small voice.
"I swear," she said heartfeltly. "Like Mother… like Mama and Aunt Elsa."
Kai smiled and cuddled against his sister.
"I love you, Gerda."
"I love you, Kai."
The cart rocked gently as it moved. Slowly, the two children fell asleep in each other's arms.
Anna turned in her seat to check on her children, and shared a smile with her husband. She waved at a few dead leaves that were twirling around them. The leaves flew away, crossing the distance to the forest in an instant, and came down dancing joyfully in front of Elsa, who was still standing at the outskirts of the camp, looking in the distance. She smiled as she saw the leaves whirling around her. On her shoulder, Bruni cooed appreciatively.
Elsa took a long, deep breath. Only a week ago, she would have thought it was a good day to ride to Ahtohallan and lose herself in memories, like every other day. But right now all she could think about was when she would see the real version of her sister and her children again.
She turned and walked back toward the Northuldra camp. It was also a fine day to spend with her friends, and the wait would feel shorter that way. Memories of the past were great, but promises of the future were better.
Author's Notes: This story was mostly inspired by me not liking one bit the sisters getting separated at the end of the film. But I did not want to write a different ending, so I decided to imagine where the situation would lead. It has been my personal experience that people founding families tend to have less time for their friends, even if they don't want to (at least I hope), and I decided to use that. I ended up focusing on various family themes along the way - then again, this is what Frozen has always been about for me.
Editing took me a lot of time, and I'm still not very happy with the opening chapter (it has not escaped my attention that some reviewers don't like it either). Maybe someday I will be able to improve it to my liking.
Anyhow, thanks for reading!