2/10/23: Started
6/20/23: Complete
NONE
Chapter Summery: With the sad truth known, Elsa and Anna give their grandma a delightful tour of their home.
Disclaimer: I don't own the characters of Frozen, Tangled or any other Disney characters or locations that appear or are mentioned in this work of fiction, Disney does.
"Well, that took awhile for a blanket." commented Elsa, standing in front of Rona as Anna walked out of her room with Olaf.
"Heh, yeah, well, I had trouble deciding which one." replied Anna as she walked in front of Rona and laid the blanket over her lap. "This should keep you comfortable while we're in the castle."
"Thank you." stated Rona with a smile as she lowered her hands to her lap, which Anna started to reach her right hand towards, but hesitated for a moment before pulling her hand back, which Elsa noticed with a raised brow before Anna stood, asking...
"How's your foot? Still feeling ok?"
"Yep, just fine." answered Rona.
Anna briefly considered whether the reply was truthful, but pushed the thought away with a smile.
"Great, so, ready for the rest of the tour?" asked Anna.
"Yep!" answered Rona.
Moments later, with Anna once again pushing Rona through the hall, with Olaf to her right and Elsa to her left, Anna saw movement to her left and looked to see Elsa silently waving her hand at her, before she saw frosty letters form above her hand that spelled out a phrase...
"Everything OK?"
Although puzzled by the silent question, Anna simply smiled and nodded her head, before turning her attention ahead of her, but thought...
'Of course she would realise that something was off with me. Grandma just wants to enjoy her visit though, I can tell her after it's over.'
However, resolving herself to keep the secret, Anna was a little surprised when she felt her left hand, which held the handle of the wheelchair, was lightly grasped by Elsa's right, prompting Anna to look back to her sister, who only smiled at her; confused, Anna simply smiled back.
- Ten Minutes later -
Following a brief tour of the upper floor of the castle, meeting other members of the castle staff, the group was currently on their way back to the Ballroom when they encountered Agnarr after turning a corner.
"Oh, hello." greeted Agnarr with a smile as she walked up to them. "I heard that Rona was visiting."
"Yep." replied Elsa. "We're just showing grandma around. We're on our way to town now."
"Well, it's lovely to meet you again, Ma'am." stated Agnarr. "Enjoying the visit, I hope."
"Yes, very much." replied Rona happily. "I was not expecting your home to be so big, and I've already met so many nice people. I'm looking forward to seeing the town."
"Well, that's nice to hear." commented Agnarr. "How long will you be visiting?"
"I don't know." replied Rona, before Elsa answered...
"We were just going to visit the town, and see how grandma's feeling after that." however, after a brief delay of thought, Elsa added, "Hey, how about you join us?"
"Hmm..." hummed Agnarr. "Maybe later." he answered with a smile. "This is Rona's first visit with her grand-children. I'll let you have that. I'll join next time."
"Oh, ok..." replied Elsa, smiling, but disappointed, thinking, 'Should I urge him to join us, or would it-' however, Anna quickly added...
"We don't mind. No reason to put off to tomorrow what you can do right now. You don't mind, do you grandma?"
"Not at all." answered Rona. "As long as you don't have anything important you need to take care of, I'd welcome your company."
"Yeah!" added Olaf. "There might not be a next time."
Following the snowman's comment, Elsa and Anna's hearts raced and Elsa gasped out...
"Olaf!"
"Oh!" gasped Olaf as he placed his hands over his mouth. "Uh, what I mean was since Elsa said her grandmother was ill-" he added, before Rona's chuckle interrupted...
"That's quite alright. The snowman is right though, many things could happen between this visit and the next. I don't want to pressure their father into joining us if he doesn't want to though." commented Rona, before Agnarr chuckled and commented...
"Well, now that, that topic has come up, it would be a shame if I missed out on your company, and Anna has a point. Why put it off when I can join you now, especially since you've invited me to join you; So I will, for a little while."
"Lovely." replied Rona with a smile, while Elsa and Anna both sighed in relief, before the group continued on with Agnarr now joining them, walking to Elsa's left, as Agnarr continued the conversation with Rona.
"So, Miss Rona-"
"Just Rona's fine." corrected Rona.
"Ah, right. Rona, how have things been? You're looking much better since I saw you last."
"I have good and bad days." answered Rona. "Today is a good one." she added with a smile. "And it's made even better that I get to spend some time with my extended family, and see their beautiful home."
"Well, that's good to hear." replied Agnarr.
"What about you?" asked Rona. "How are you doing? Anna tells me you've settled back into your role as King."
"Heh, yes, I have." answered Agnarr. "I needed to get caught up on some things from my absence, but I've readjusted nicely, and I'm proud to see Elsa fulfilling her role as Queen." he added, looking at Elsa with a smile, who smiled nervously at the complement, but said nothing, before Rona chuckled.
"It must be strange for your daughter to be the queen, right? Aren't the King and Queen usually husband and wife?"
"Hehe, yes, it is odd." answered Agnarr. "But we'll make it work."
Agnarr and Rona continued to happily chat for the next few minutes, while Elsa and Anna both, smiled at the interaction, glad that their father would have this last time to talk with her.
- 4:09 P.M. -
- Bridge leading to Town -
Upon exiting the castle and seeing that the castle's gates were open, and the town in the distance, Rona decided to amuse herself by closing her eyes, and requesting the sisters to tell her to open them at a 'good spot', to which the sisters gave an agreeing chuckle.
Rona could distinctly sense when she had passed through the gate by the change in the wind, and the faint scent and sound of the water. She felt herself pushed a few moments more past the gate, before she came to a stop, and she heard Anna announce...
"OK, you can open your eyes now."
Shortly after, blinking open her eyes, they widened in awe as Rona gazed upon the town of Arendelle. While the buildings in front of her were smaller than the castle, the number and size of the town itself was awe-inspiring, as homes occupied the higher elevations and even across the water.
"Ohh... wow!" gasped Rona. "This is... I-I'm speechless." she added. "I knew it would be big, but this... wow." she continued, looking to the left and right to the water around them, particularly to her right where the water leads out into the ocean.
"Hehe, yep." replied Anna. "Honeymaren had the same reaction." she added, before Agnarr chimed in, smiling at the sight...
"Yeah, it really is impressive when you take a moment to appreciate it."
"I wanna stand." commented Rona. "Help me up."
"Are you sure?" asked Anna. "Your leg's not bothering you?"
"No, I'm fine." answered Rona. However, she could feel a prickly numbness slowly traveling up her left leg towards her knee. Despite that, though, she wanted to enjoy a proper standing view before she was unable to, she would simply put most of her weight on her right foot and hope her strength remained.
Anna held the chair stable while Elsa and Agnarr helped Rona out of it. Despite taking Agnarr's offered arm for support, Rona found that although her left leg from the knee down was a bit numb, she still retained strength in it, despite the earlier failure.
Elsa and Anna attentively watched as Rona walked the few steps to her right, to the edge of the bridge, resting her free hand on the wall with a smile as she looked out to the water and the homes on the other side. The sisters joined Rona, Elsa to her immediate right, who used her magic to lift Olaf up to stand on the wall to see the view as well, while Anna stood to the right of Elsa.
Rona said nothing but admire the view for a few long moments, long enough for the sisters to appreciate that Rona had the opportunity to enjoy the sight of their home.
"It's so beautiful..." commented Rona with a smile. "I'm glad I got to see it."
Elsa and Anna both noticed the phrasing of Rona's comment, and Anna intended to look to her left to see Rona to comment, but in the process, as she leaned forward to look pass Elsa, Anna caught a glimpse of a snowflake that quickly faded, and reflexively looked up towards Elsa's face to see a brief look of sadness on her face, before she briefly closed her eyes and silently sighed, followed by smiling and turned her attention towards Rona and commented.
"Me too. I hope we get to show you more beautiful sights too, if your up to it."
"Heh, as long as my body's able, lead the way." replied Rona with a smile.
During this little exchange, Anna's eyes widened and thought...
'Does Elsa know? She only flurries when she's really sad. So, I don't need to keep this to myself.'
Elsa, meanwhile, saw Rona's smile fade as she turned her head to look out to the water again. However, while she simply assumed her expression returned to a neutral or resting one, Elsa thought she caught a glimpse of a look of sadness on Rona's face, before her smile returned. It was such a quick and unexpected expression, Elsa wasn't sure if it was simply an odd transition into a smile or something else.
'I wonder how she really feels.' thought Elsa, as she turned her attention to the water directly below, before she felt her right hand grabbed by Anna, prompting her to look and see her smile at her, followed by lifting her right hand with a 'come here' motion with her finger and Elsa did so curiously, nearing her face to Anna, who whispered...
"You know, don't you... about Grandma?"
Elsa's eyes widened at the question and she opened her mouth to speak, but failed to get anything out, before Anna gave a saddened smile and continued...
"I've realized that Grandma doesn't want us to be a worried, emotional mess during her visit. So, we should just carry on and make sure she enjoys herself. I'm just glad I don't need to keep this to myself."
Following the statement, Elsa sighed and smiled, nodding her head.
"Ok. I'm guessing Olaf knows too?" commented Elsa, glancing up to Olaf, who was still enjoying the view.
"Yeah, he knows." whispered Anna.
Meanwhile, as Rona looked out at the view again, she felt a sense of sadness.
'Such a beautiful sight.' she thought. 'It really is a shame that this will be my first and last time here... one visit simply isn't enough.' she continued, however, her thoughts were interrupted as she felt the numbness in her left leg strengthen and travel up past her knee which also made it difficult to put her weight on it.
"Alright..." stated Rona. "I'm ready to return to the chair and resume the tour."
"Alright." replied both, Agnarr and Elsa, who first lowered Olaf from the wall, before taking Rona by her free hand and leading her to the chair, which Anna held steady for her.
However, not only the sisters, but Agnarr also noticed, Rona appeared to be limping on her left leg.
"Your limping." commented Agnarr.
"Heh, it's fine." replied Rona with a smile, while Elsa and Anna shared concerned looks as Rona was successfully helped into the chair. "I've just been more active than normal today." added Rona, before lowering her left hand down to her knee and rubbing it, prompting Anna to immediately remember Rona collapsing earlier.
'She's getting worse right in front of us!' thought Anna. 'She was slow, but walking fine before.'
"I'll just stick to the chair for now, and let my legs rest." commented Rona.
"Alright." replied Agnarr. "Just make sure you let us know if you start hurting anywhere. I'd rather you be comfortable than pushing through any pain you have."
"I will, don't worry." stated Rona with a smile.
"And don't forget, Anna can heal you if you need immediate relief." added Agnarr.
"I know, thank you for the reminder, though." replied Rona, while Anna was glad that her father mentioned her healing ability. Perhaps the reminder would influence her to ultimately take her offer.
Deciding to remain cheerful for her Grandmother, Anna and the group continued on towards the end of the bridge, and the start of the town. However, they barely leave the bridge before a trio of children, two girls and a boy, no older than nine or ten, happily run up to them, in front of Rona.
"Hi Princess Anna and Queen Elsa, and the King, and Olaf!" greeted the children, and the four delightfully returned the greeting, before the boy, looking at Rona, asked...
"Who are you?"
"Which was followed up by one of the girls asking...
"Why are you in a wheelchair?"
Before Rona could answer though, the other girl gasped and commented...
"You're not supposed to ask that!"
Rona, though, simply giggled and answered...
"It's fine. Firstly, I'm Rona, Elsa and Anna's grandmother."
"Oh wow!" gasped the boy. "So you're their mom's mom?"
"I am." answered Rona. "And to answer the other question; I'm in this chair because I just have a bit of trouble walking, so it's better for me to be in this chair for now."
"Aww, I hope you get better soon." commented one of the girls, before the other added...
"Yeah, me too!"
"Me three!" chimed in the boy, prompting a chuckle from Rona.
"Well, thank you. What are your names?" asked Rona, while Anna and Elsa mentally noted that Rona didn't add what would assumed to be a variant of 'Me too' after thanking the children for their well wishes.
"I'm David." answered the boy.
"My name's Lisa." added the girl, followed by the other at her side.
"And I'm Alice."
"Hello David, Lisa and Alice." stated Rona with a smile. "So, what do you think of Elsa and Anna? Are they a good Queen and Princess?"
"Yeah!" answered the kids together, followed by the boy...
"They're really nice and friendly!"
"And their magic is awesome!" stated one of the girls, Lisa, who was then followed up by the other girl, Alice...
"Yeah, the Queen even makes stuff for us with her ice sometimes! She made me a horse last time."
"I had a lion!" added David.
"I got a tiara!" chimed in Lisa.
"Hehe, well that's very nice of her." commented Rona, before David added...
"Oh, and Anna does fireworks!"
"Fireworks?" asked Rona, before Anna smiled and clarified...
"I just shoot fire into the air and make it explode. It's a nice sight and sound the children like."
"Oh..." replied Rona, before looking back and up at Anna. "That sounds like something you do on a special occasion."
"Heh, yeah, normal fireworks are." replied Anna, before walking to Rona's left, so she wouldn't need to look back at her. "But my version is just a little show I give to the kids sometimes."
"Ah, that's nice of you." replied Rona.
Anna quickly noticed Rona stop herself from speaking further with a look of thought on her face, and Anna smiled at what she assumed Rona was thinking about.
"Would you like to see it?" asked Anna.
Rona seemed a little surprised, and before she could answer, the kids happily cheered and urged her to say yes, which prompted a chuckle from Rona.
"Sure." answered Rona. "If it's not much trouble."
"It's not any trouble at all." replied Anna with a smile and dismissive wave of the hand. "We'll just need to return to the bridge, and away from people for safety reasons." she added, before Lisa quickly asked...
"Can we go bring some other kids!?"
"Sure." answered Anna. "We'll be waiting on the bridge. Don't take too long, though."
The kids excitedly sprinted away, prompting smiles from the group, before they returned to the middle of the bridge, where Rona asked...
"Anna, how did this little show you give to the kids start?"
"Well..." answered Anna, walking in front of Rona. "After me having magic was revealed to everyone, I wanted to be able to show off like Elsa did. I couldn't really think of anything safe though, since my magic was fire. It was actually one of the kids that asked if I could make fireworks and it made me realize if I shot my magic high into the air, I could safely make it explode without hurting or damaging anything. The kids liked it, and I got the satisfaction of showing off my magic."
"That's sweet." commented Rona.
"Yeah, I don't do it everyday though. It would be a bother to everyone else." stated Anna.
"So it's a loud show then?" asked Rona.
"It can be, but I've gotten better at the explosions not being big booms that can scare people not expecting it, particularly older people just relaxing in their homes. Plus, the height of the explosions help."
"Well that's good." commented Rona.
The group waited for about five minutes, before the trio of kids returned, with a small group of additional children of similar age, eager for the show, totaling seven kids in all; among them was one of Isabelle's sisters, the short-haired one, Samantha.
"We're back!" announced David delightfully.
"I see." replied Anna, before looking at Samantha. "You're alone today, Sammy? Where's your sister?"
"At home." answered Samantha simply. "She didn't feel like joining me outside today." she added, before walking up to Rona and reaching out her right hand to her with a smile and greeting her, "Hi, I'm Samantha."
"Hello, Samantha." greeted Rona back with a smile and taking the child's hand. "I'm Rona."
Following the introduction, the other three children also greeted Rona, who happily returned their greetings, before Anna lifted her left hand and created a ball of fire hovering above it, drawing the children's attention.
"So, ready for the show?" asked Anna, prompting excited agreement from the children. "Alright then..." added Anna, before she walked a few steps towards the wall of the bridge and extending her left hand to the sky, however, before she launched the fireball, a small gasp left her as she lowered her hand and looked back to the kids.
"Hey, I just had an idea. Instead of you guys just watching, how about a bit of interactivity? There's seven-no, eight of you, counting our Grandmother. How about this..." continued Anna, before directing the fireball hovering above her hand to move out a couple yards beyond the bridge. "I'll do eight fireworks, one for each of you, and you just snap your fingers or count down from three and the fireball will shoot into the sky. How about it?" she asked, which was quickly followed with delight from the kids. "Alright then." replied Anna, before looking at Rona and asking, "You ok with it?"
"Sure." answered Rona. "The kids can go first." She added, before Olaf quickly chimed in...
"Oh, can I join in too!?"
"Heh, sure Olaf." replied Anna, before looking at Elsa and Agnarr, smirking. "What about you two, want in too?"
"Nah, I'm good." replied Elsa with a smile, which was followed by Agnarr.
"Same here, I'm good."
"Ok." replied Anna, then looking at the three initial children that first approached them. "We'll start with you three. Which of you wanna be first?"
"Me!" eagerly answered David as he raised a hand, but immediately after, Lisa asked...
"Oh, can you do more than one at a time?"
"Ohhh, that's a good idea!" added Alice.
"I like that idea too." commented David.
"Hehe, sure, that wouldn't be a problem." replied Anna, before she created two additional fireballs in each hand before moving them to join the other. "When your ready, just snap your fingers or countdown."
The trio briefly looked at each other with a smile, faced the three fireballs, extended a hand and began to count down, shaking their hands like they were playing rock-paper-scissors. With the end of the count, they each snapped their fingers, and gasped in delight as the three fireballs shot high into the sky, before they exploded with a muffled pop, creating a large cloud of fire that quickly dispersed to the delight of the children.
Rona, meanwhile, also watched the sight with delight, and continued to stare at where the cloud of flames once occupied.
'That is an impressive sight, though brief.' thought Rona, while the four remaining kids also asked to do their turn as a group, which drew Rona's delighted gaze at the children's happiness. However, while Rona still felt the persistent numbness traveling up her left leg, she now also felt the numbness in her right foot. '... My time is getting closer.' thought Rona, before she watched the four fireballs launched into the air with the delighted children's signal, and repeat the impressive explosive display high in the sky.
'It truly is a shame that that I won't be able to enjoy more of this with Elsa and Anna... and the children here, the people, the sights, the food, the fun; just... being here.' she thought, lowering her gaze to her lap as her smile turned somber. 'I'm ready, but... seeing all that I will be missing...' she added, before, eye's widening, she recalled Agnarr's reminder of Anna's healing ability. 'Oh, right... that's an option... but-'
However, before Rona could ponder the possibility further, she felt a hand on her right shoulder shake her a little, and the sisters both call to her, prompting her to gasp and lift her head to see Anna standing in front of her, looking worried and Elsa to her right, whose hand was on her shoulder, also looking concerned.
"Everything ok?" asked Elsa. "It's your turn. We called you but it seemed you zoned out."
"O-Oh, I'm fine." replied Rona with a smile and lifting her left hand to pat Elsa's on her shoulder. "I was just lost in thought."
"Are you getting tired?" asked Anna. "You want some food?"
"No, no, I'm fine." repeated Rona. "Really, I was just lost in thought. It's nothing to be concerned about."
"Oh, well... what were you thinking about?" asked Anna.
"The future." answered Rona with a smile, before looking at the children. "The people, and the sights."
"Oh, ok." replied Anna with a smile.
"Well then..." started Rona. "You said it's my turn now? Since everyone is doing it as a group, Olaf, how would you like to join me?"
"I'd love too!" answered the snowman cheerfully as he walked in front of Rona, followed by Anna prepping the last two fireballs at the same positions as the previous ones. "Let's countdown from three." suggested Rona to Olaf with a smile, which was joined by the snowman.
"Ok!"
"Three, two, ONE!" counted Rona and Olaf in unison, prompting the two fireballs to shoot high into the air, and explode.
After admiring the brief sight, Rona clapped in appreciation.
"That was a lovely display, Anna."
"Thanks." replied Anna, before the children also thanked her for the show. "You all are very welcome." added Anna with a smile. "Now, if you don't mind, we're gonna show our grandmother around town."
"OK." replied a few of the kids, before they all said good-bye, and began to depart, although two remained and asked if Olaf could come play with them, which the snowman happily agreed to, and left with the children.
"I think I'll depart as well." commented Agnarr, followed by an 'Ok' from Elsa and Anna, before Agnarr walked in front of Rona and offered his right hand to her, which she took and shook his hand. "It was a pleasure to meet you again, Rona. You're welcome to return whenever you like."
"Thank you." replied Rona with a smile, while Elsa and Anna shared a concerned glance, both also sharing the similar thought of informing their father of Rona's limited time.
"I'll see you two later." stated Agnarr to his daughters as he gave a farewell wave of the hand, and headed back towards the castle.
"Ok." replied Elsa, followed by Anna...
"See ya later."
After briefly watching Agnarr walk away, a small sigh left Anna as she smiled, and looked at Rona.
"Alright, let's get to showing you around the town. Are you ok with being around other people, or do you wanna go someplace quieter?"
"I'm ok with meeting more people." answered Rona. "Perhaps we can go someplace calmer after the next group or series of people I meet."
"Alright." stated Elsa, as she walked behind Rona to take the opportunity to push her, "We have a plan."
"Oh!" gasped Anna happily. "We can take you shopping! Since the sun is out, we can get you a nice hat!" she added, before her excitement faded a bit. "Oh wait, you might need to walk up a couple of steps, some of the shops have stairs in front of their doors."
"It's alright." replied Rona with a smile. "I may be up to it when the time comes, and if not, we can just go to a shop that doesn't have steps."
"Yeah." replied Anna. "Ok then."
- Twenty minutes later -
Remaining within the center of the town, Rona met many more people who were delighted to meet her, and briefly stopped at an outdoor flower stand where Rona admired the selection, and chatted with the stand owner, who gifted her a flower. Currently, by Rona's request, the trio now occupied the docks, near the end of one of the wooden walkways, where she admired the large body of water, and the homes on the other side of it.
"I think I said it on the bridge, but this is a beautiful view." commented Rona.
"Yeah, it is." replied Anna, standing to the right of Rona, while Elsa remained behind her.
Anna admired the view with Rona for a few moments, before she looked at her grandmother, and saw that she had lowered her gaze to her lap, rubbing her left leg, and Anna briefly worried if her leg was getting worse. The concern seemed to be confirmed when she heard Rona mutter lowly...
"I'll miss it."
At the same time, Elsa noticed the concern quickly come to Anna's face, who then saw Rona close her eyes and take a slow breath.
"Elsa, Anna... I need to-"
"H-Hey!" quickly interrupted Anna with a noticeable uncomfortable smile; heart racing, she had an idea of what Rona intended to say, but wanted to avoid it. "We haven't gone shopping yet! You need a hat! Right, Elsa?"
Elsa hesitated, only managing an "Uh..." also picking up on the topic Rona had attempted to bring up. Elsa couldn't respond though, as Anna walked up to her left, looking at her pleadingly and whispering, 'Please.' before walking past her and declaring happily as she quickly wiped a tear from her left eye...
"Let's get grandma a nice hat!"
Elsa then took a calming sigh and walked in front of Rona, knelt with a smile as she looked at her, who looked a little sad.
"How about it, Grandma? After shopping, you can tell us what you want."
However, try as she might, Elsa couldn't hold a brave face for long as her inner emotion began to come to the surface as tears left each eye, which prompted Elsa to quickly lower her head as she wiped away the tears, before she felt Rona's hand lightly pat her head.
"Alright." answered Rona with a smile.
Meanwhile, Anna had stopped at the end of the pier and looked back to see if Elsa was following and silently gasped as she saw Elsa kneeling in front of Rona, who was patting the top of her bowed head. The sight nearly caused Anna to lose her composer then and there, a single tear trailing out of each eye as her bottom lip quivered, before she closed her eyes and wiped the tears away and fought back the emotion threatening to overtake her.
"Keep it together." stated Anna to herself. "I can't break down in public."
'But it's pretty selfish of me to stop Grandma from telling us her time is coming close; but, if she says it, it makes it real.' thought Anna, before she opened her eyes and returned her gaze toward Elsa, and saw her standing in front of Rona with a smile. 'I don't want this to me real!' added Anna, before she saw Elsa return to the back of the wheelchair, briefly looking at her, nodding her head, before turning Rona around and heading towards her. 'I want grandma to stay with us, to live! A few more days just isn't enough!'
Once the two were within a yard of her, Anna continued walking, silent. Leaving the docks and walking towards the shops, the brief period was silent, which annoyed Anna, who was still about a yard ahead. The whole point of avoiding the topic of Rona's mortality was not to make the trip awkward or uncomfortable, which was now a failure.
'Come on, say something.' thought Anna. 'Things are going to stay awkward if no one talks.'
To Anna's benefit, however, Rona herself speaks up...
"So, Anna, what sort of hat do you think would look good on me?"
The question prompted Anna to look back and see Rona smiling, but before she could answer, Rona continued...
"I'm only familiar with the little hats we Northuldra wear."
"Well, one with a circular brim." answered Anna. "It would keep the sun out of your face, even the back of your head and neck. So like the little hat Honeymaren wears, but imagine the fur rim extending out a few inches." she added, which prompted a chuckle from Rona, which also brought a smile to Anna's face.
"That's a lot of fur." commented Rona, which brought out a chuckle from Anna and Elsa from the mental image.
"Yeah, it would." replied Anna. "If a brimmed hat is too much though, you can go the simple route with a cap with just a forward brim. Hehe, you'd probably look cute with a cap."
"You think so?" asked Rona with amusement.
"Yep, very cute." added Anna.
With the overall mood successfully lifted thanks to Rona, the group arrived at the first shop in a cheerful mood, which was made even better when there were no steps and the doorway was wide enough for Rona's chair to pass through.
- 5:12 P.M. -
- Fifteen minutes later -
"Well that was a lovely experience." commented Rona, as Anna now wheeled Rona out of the shop, who now wore a straw hat.
"I didn't expect you to be a straw hat type of person." commented Anna.
"Me neither." replied Rona, before removing her hat and placing it on her lap to look at it. "All the hats were very beautiful and well made, but this one just grabbed my attention." she added as she caressed the brim of the hat. "The texture and craftsmanship is amazing."
"Heh, well, we all have our preferences." commented Elsa, standing in front of Rona as she placed the hat back on.
"Yeah..." replied Anna. "So, where do you wanna go next?"
"Someplace private." answered Rona. "I have something to tell you two."
"Oh..." replied Anna, wide-eyed, remembering that Rona wanted to tell them something earlier, and her heart dropped. 'Right...' she thought, before looking at Elsa, who smiled somberly at Rona.
"Alright." stated Elsa, before she looked at Anna. "Let's return to the castle. My room, actually, plenty of privacy there."
The return to the castle was silent, and they only encountered one person on the way to Elsa's room, one of the castle staff, whom Elsa told that Rona was feeling a little tired and wanted someplace quiet to rest, so they were headed to her room.
"Well..." started Rona with a little smile, her hat now resting in her lap as the sisters sat on Elsa's bed in front of her. "Given your earlier reactions, and the looks on your faces, you likely know what I want to talk about."
"Yeah, we do." answered Elsa, while Anna simply lowered her gaze, fiddling with her fingers on her lap, before Rona took a slow breath, and stated...
"The reason for my sudden visit... is because today is the day I will be departing."
"W-What!?" gasped both, Elsa and Anna, looking at Rona in shock.
"Today!?" asked Elsa.
"But your fine!" added Anna. "You look fine! You were walking and talking and laughing! Why would you say your dying today!?"
"Anna's right." continued Elsa. "I thought you had a few days left at least. Not THIS soon." she added, which prompted a sigh from Rona.
"I know. I apologize for the sudden news." replied Rona. "The news came to me in something like a dream. I met my husband, and he told me today is the day. I was given enough time to say my good-bye's."
It was Elsa's turn to silently and sadly look down, but Anna, eyes brimming with tears, quickly asked...
"A dream? That's your evidence? Today can't be the day you leave us! You're fine! Sure, you're in a wheelchair and you can't walk very far, but you're FINE!"
"Yes, I am fine, visually." stated Rona with a smile. "But, I can feel my body getting worse." she added, before caressing her left leg. "My left leg has been numb for awhile now, and my right isn't too far behind. I doubt I could even stand now. All I need to do is let go." continued Rona, which Anna could only mutter out a 'No.' between sobs, while Elsa silently cried, wiping the tears from her eyes. "I wanted to honor my promise, and see your home, it was a very enjoyable visit." she added with a smile.
The sisters were silent for a few moments as they processed the information. Anna even stood and aimlessly walked around the room, before Elsa lifted her teary gaze to Rona and asked...
"So, you've held on for us?"
"Yes." answered Rona. "I can feel my time is coming up. So, I'd like to return home and depart by choice, and not because my body is failing me."
"No." stated Anna, returning to the bed and sitting next to Elsa. "Let me heal you. This doesn't have to happen!"
"Anna..." commented Elsa sadly as she placed her hand on Anna's shoulder.
"Please!" begged Anna, staring into Rona's eyes, pleading with her, who now looked a little saddened seeing the emotion on Anna's face. "Let me heal you! You don't need to die!"
"Anna, stop." stated Elsa. "She's made her choice." she added, before she was surprised when Anna, emotionally, snapped at her...
"Then it's a stupid choice! I have the power to save her! What's the point if I can't use it on the people I care about!?"
Elsa could only look at Anna in shock at the outburst, before Anna removed herself from the bed and knelt in front of Rona, removing the hat from her lap to the floor, and placing her hand to Rona's knees, who was equally as shocked by the outburst as Anna pleadingly begged her...
"Just tell me you want me to heal you, please! I can do it right now, and we can go back happy!"
Despite the emotional plea, Rona sighs sadly and replies...
"I'm sorry."
The response shocks Anna into silence and lowers her head onto Rona's lap, crying, before Elsa kneels next to her and places a hand to Anna's shoulder in comfort.
"I just don't understand." cries Anna, before lifting her gaze to Rona. "Do you WANT to die?"
The question prompts a smile from Rona as she places a hand to Anna's head, commenting...
"Of course not. I don't WANT to die, but death is part of life, and I've lived mine. I have an opportunity most don't have; the ability to say my good-byes and peacefully meet my end, while I'm still sound of mind."
"But, you won't get to see us live our lives, or our mother's." commented Anna, which earned her a saddened sigh from Rona.
"Yes, that is an unfortunate fact. That is my one regret."
"But it doesn't have to be!" urged Anna with a hopeful smile. "I can save you from that regret!" she added, however, Rona simply said nothing. "Why won't you accept my offer? You just said you regret not being able to see our lives."
"Anna." commented Elsa. "She's made her choice. I don't like it anymore than you do, but this is not our decision to make. You can't force it on her." she added, before Anna lowered her gaze and muttered...
"I could."
"But you won't, or you wouldn't have asked for permission." stated Elsa. "Besides, she's chosen to share one of her final moments with us."
"I-I know..." replied Anna, sadly, and lowered her head to Rona's lap again. "I just, don't understand it."
"We don't need to understand it. We just need to respect it." stated Elsa. "Grandma has chosen to meet her end with dignity. The least we can do is send her off with a smile." she added, looking up to Rona with a saddened smile, which Rona returned.
"Thank you." replied Rona.
"I don't know if I can do that." stated Anna, lifting her head, before looking up to Rona with a teary smile. "But... I'd like to be with you until the end."
"I welcome that, you too, Elsa, if your willing." replies Rona.
"I am." answered Elsa, with a smile.
To be continued