The procession wound its way across the countryside, through meadows, beneath proud mountain peaks, past roaring waterfalls, through lush forests. Anna's heart was filled with light and wonder with every step. Arendelle was truly a magnificent land!

The sisters led the way, with Kristoff and Sven accompanying them. Olaf, a handful of servants, a few couriers, and a squad of the royal guard came behind.

Elsa had been torn about bringing Olaf. On the one hand, he was proof of the power and goodness of her magic. On the other hand, he unnerved every adult he met, at first. She had ultimately decided to bring him, because she could always send him back if the people's initial reactions were too negative.

But Olaf had proven popular, primarily because he was so sweet, innocent and enthusiastic that he won people over through the sheer goodness of his heart. He truly did not know that the sight of a magical creature could make someone feel uncomfortable, and if anyone ever sat him down and explained that to him, his little spirit would be broken irreparably. So no one did, and he continued telling people, "Hi, I'm Olaf and I like warm hugs!"

Elsa also gave Anna and Kristoff some space to themselves occasionally. It made her heart soar to see her sister so happy, and she smiled at the awkward way they flirted with each other. She could tell that Anna wanted to declare herself betrothed, but her mistake with Hans still stung so badly that she was deeply hesitant to make another such commitment so soon.

Elsa also knew that Anna was terrified to ask her to bless any such marriage, lest she react the same way she did the first time. Elsa wanted to ease Anna's mind about that, but that was one of those delicate conversations which depended completely on timing, and the opportunity had yet to present itself. Elsa had no misgivings about Kristoff. In fact, she found herself constantly fantasizing what Anna and Kristoff's children would look like.

The royal procession traveled a route designed to take them to each village and hamlet in the kingdom. Along the way, they stopped at any homesteads they came across. The trip was originally planned to take five days, but Elsa met so many people, and insisted on visiting each one as long as necessary, that that schedule was quickly abandoned. She was always regal and friendly. Criers had already delivered her speech throughout the kingdom, but Elsa still made sure to communicate to her subjects her care for them, her feelings, her powers, her limitations, and her hope for the future.

Elsa also asked the people to tell her their problems and concerns, which led to a few interesting situations.

On the second day, people in one region told Elsa that the local bear population was growing, and coming into conflict with expanding settlements. Several people had already had frightening encounters. They had sent word for trappers to come into the area, but most trappers wanted beaver or fox, not bear, so the problem was unresolved. Elsa promised to send word throughout the kingdom, encouraging hunters and trappers to consider coming to the region and thinning the bear population. If hunters and trappers were still uninterested, she would intervene directly, perhaps sending soldiers to deal with the problem.

On the third day, Elsa learned that the people in one village were upset at the amount of tax they had to pay. This puzzled Elsa. Arendelle was a wealthy nation, so the taxes on its populace were very low, and no one else had complained. After a few inquiries, she discovered that the village had been overtaxed for years and the local tax collector had been pocketing the extra amount. Elsa flew into a rage. The tax collector was arrested and sent to the castle under guard, and all of his belongings seized. Elsa appointed a new collector on the spot and charged him with the duty of repaying the people from the old collector's money and belongings.

And so it went. Almost everyone she met was thrilled with her visit, and she left an ocean of goodwill in her wake.

Among the royal procession, the only oddity was Elsa's insistence on enclosing herself within a small structure of ice, with thick walls, every night as she slept. Only Anna knew why. Everyone else traveling with them, even Olaf, thought it strange, but no one dared question it. Anna sensed that Kristoff sensed that she knew the reason, but Kristoff never asked.

Externally, Elsa's sleeping house was a different beautiful work of art every night, so at least it was pretty to look at.

Anna and the servants slept in the royal tent. Kristoff did not sleep in the royal tent, as both he and Anna felt it would be improper for him to do so in this situation.

Each night, Olaf lay on his back and watched the stars, patiently waiting for the humans to wake.

Each morning, Elsa reported to Anna that she still had nightmares, but they were lessening considerably, and her sleep was becoming more restful every night.

And everywhere they went, Anna discreetly inquired about any other magical creatures or artifacts. But so far, no one knew of any.

 

As they broke camp on the fourth day, the sky was mostly overcast, but not gray. They could see rain several leagues to the south, but it would obviously pass them by. The clouds shaded them from the hot summer sun, and the wind was nice and cool without being too brisk.

Anna mounted her horse with a beatific smile, letting the wind cool her face and blow back her hair. (For the trip, she and Elsa had both elected to let their hair hang loose rather than waste precious time braiding it or winding it into a bun every day.) She turned to Elsa and noticed a slight tension in her face. It was something no one else would have spotted.

"What's wrong?" Anna asked.

"Nothing." Elsa gave her a tight-lipped smile.

Anna tilted her head, raised her eyebrow, and gave her a look. "Remember to whom you speak."

Kristoff and Sven came up to them. Behind them, the final servant mounted his horse, and the procession was ready.

"I'll tell you in a little while," Elsa said, quietly enough so that only Anna could hear. Then the queen smiled back at her entourage, raised her hand into the air, and swept it gently forward. The procession set forth.

The journey was pleasant. Almost immediately, they happened upon a cabin inhabited by a trapper who lived alone. He was so gobsmacked at being visited by royalty that throughout the entire visit, all he could really do was stare with wide eyes, blink stupidly, and give one-syllable answers to questions.

The conversation came to a halt when Elsa said, "I'm so sorry for the winter you recently experienced."

The man just blinked and said, "There was a winter?"

For a long moment, Elsa had no idea what to say. Finally, she just smiled and wished him a good day. They took their leave and rode on.

Looking back, Anna said, "He hasn't moved. I wonder if that poor man is going to stand in the same position, with a dazed expression on his face, until sundown."

"I rather think he might," Elsa said.

They forded a stream and began climbing into the mountains. Anna didn't think they'd meet anyone for a while, so she said to Kristoff, "Why don't you go check on Olaf?"

"Nah, he's fine," Kristoff said.

Anna gave him a look. Kristoff looked at her for several seconds, then finally got it.

"Oh. Uh...right. I'll just go check on Olaf and see how the guards are doing." He and Sven slowed, allowing the sisters to ride on alone.

"So," Anna said brightly. "What's up?"

Elsa took a moment to answer. "My reasons for taking this trip are genuine; I really do want to speak with our people. But I have another, secret reason. I need to speak with Grand Pabbie. It may well be the most important conversation of my life, and I expect it to happen before the moon rises."

"You have nothing to fear from Grand Pabbie."

"I don't fear him. I fear what I may learn."

Anna thought about this. They rode in comfortable silence for a moment.

"There's something else, isn't there?" Anna asked. "It's not just Grand Pabbie."

Elsa gave her an appraising look and a small smile. "Your insight really is remarkable."

"Only where you're concerned."

Elsa grinned. "I also intend to visit my ice palace on the North Mountain." She looked wistful for a moment. "We'll be there tomorrow. I'm eager to see it again, and yet dreading it. It's going to be very emotional for me."

"I know you probably want to see it alone, but I really want to go with you."

Elsa looked at Anna, and in that moment her heart melted and she knew her answer with a certainty rooted in her soul. "Of course you will come with me," she said softly, and took Anna's hand. "Of course you will."

 

They lunched by a stream, in a beautiful meadow overlooking a valley. At this point in its course, the stream was only a few inches to a couple of feet deep, rushing along a rocky stretch, forming tiny waterfalls in a few places.

"I wish we were alone up here," Elsa said wistfully, quietly enough so that only Anna could hear. "I would laugh, run free and frolic in the water for hours."

"You're the queen," Anna teased her. "You could do that anyway. We await your command."

"Ah, and yet, it is never that easy," Elsa said.

As Kristoff sat down next to them, Anna noticed something a little bit alarming. "Olaf," she said. "Don't get too close to the water. You're made of snow; it'll wash you away."

"I'm just gonna stick my hands in," Olaf said.

"'Stick' is right," Elsa said. "Your arms are sticks. They'll be ripped out and taken far away in an instant."

Olaf looked at his hands sadly, then at the rushing stream. "So I'll never know what it's like to touch running water?"

Elsa's heart went out to him. She knew how he felt.

"Come here, Olaf," she said. The snowman plopped himself down beside her.

"Sometimes, life is like that," she said. "Sometimes, people simply have to live with limitations that nature places upon them. And sometimes, we can figure out a way beyond those limitations, and sometimes we can't. Maybe you'll be able to touch running water someday. Maybe we can find a way. But for now, you have to accept that it's dangerous for you. But don't let it bother you, all right?"

Olaf smiled. "I can do that."

Kristoff held out a carrot for Sven and said, "Yeah, maybe the magic they're searching for will be able to help, Olaf."

Anna took a tiny, sharp intake of breath and stared at Kristoff with wide eyes.

"Uh...sorry," Kristoff said. "Was it supposed to be a secret?"

Anna glared at him.

"What are you talking about?" Elsa asked.

Anna kept her voice low. Although she wasn't truly angry, she still spoke sternly to Kristoff. "I was trying to keep it on the downlow."

"The down-what?" Olaf asked.

Sven grunted.

"Sorry, I didn't know," Kristoff said.

"Know what?" Elsa asked.

"How did you know?" Anna asked Kristoff.

"Well, you're not as subtle as you think you are," Kristoff said. "I've heard you asking about magic wherever we go, so it wasn't too difficult to figure out."

"Are you saying I have a loud voice?" Anna asked.

Kristoff turned red, wondering if there was any safe way out of this conversation. "No, that's not what I meant."

"I'm going to ask a third time," Elsa said. "And this time, I'm making it a royal command."

That got their attention.

"Sorry, Your Majesty," Anna said. She and Kristoff both bowed their heads.

"That's all right," Elsa said. "I just don't like being ignored when I ask a question."

"Quite right, and I do apologize," Anna said. "As part of my quest to help you, I have been asking everyone we meet if they know of any other magical powers or phenomena. For obvious reasons, I have tried to be subtle about it. For example, I may strike up a conversation by saying something like, 'Who knew there was this much magic in the world?' and then just letting the other person speak freely."

"That doesn't seem so bad," Elsa said. "Why is that something you would hide from me?"

Anna gave an embarrassed shrug. "Not hide, really. I just didn't want to bother you with it. It's my quest. I made you a promise, and you're already burdened enough."

Elsa smiled. "Well, I commend you for it. It's a good idea."

Anna smiled also.

"So, I'm curious," Elsa said. "Have you found anything?"

"Nothing," Anna said. "So far, the only magic I'm aware of are the rock trolls and you."

"Maybe you're asking the wrong question," Kristoff said.

Anna and Elsa looked at him inquisitively.

"What you have to understand is that the common person isn't very well educated," Kristoff explained. "The average person doesn't truly know what a sunrise is or why rain clouds form. To them, the whole world is really just one big land of magic. Perhaps what you should be asking people is if they know about anything unusual."

Anna and Elsa thought about this.

"Hmm," Anna said. "That's a very good point. I think we'll keep you around another day."

"Well, don't do me any favors," Kristoff said with a smile.

"So let me start with you," Anna asked brightly. "Aside from the rock trolls and the queen, do you know about anything unusual?"

"Well, there's this really spunky princess I know-"

Anna slapped his leg. They all shared a laugh.

Kristoff pondered for a long moment. Finally he said, "You know, I wonder...there is the Lake of Fire."

Elsa, Anna and Olaf all looked at him with astonishment.

Olaf said to Elsa, "I don't know about you, but that definitely sounds like one of my limitations."

"For all of us," Elsa said.

Kristoff chuckled. "The name is misleading, it's not what it seems. It looks like an ordinary lake, up in the mountains. It's not very big. What's unusual about it is that it never freezes, no matter how harsh the winter gets."

Elsa and Anna's astonishment grew.

"That definitely sounds like something we need to investigate," Anna said.

"It most certainly does," Elsa agreed.

"So where's the fire?" Olaf asked.

"Well, I don't know that there is any," Kristoff said. "People call it the Lake of Fire because everyone thinks there must be some kind of huge fire beneath it. I don't believe that, myself, because then the lake would boil in summer, right? But it doesn't."

"Have you seen this lake personally?" Elsa asked.

"I've passed by it a couple of times."

"So have you witnessed the lake's extraordinary properties yourself, or simply heard about them?" Elsa asked. "Could it simply be a legend?"

"I've never seen the lake in winter," Kristoff said. "But I don't think it's just a legend. It's common knowledge among ice men to avoid the Lake of Fire in winter because it's a waste of time to go there. The lake is in a great location, so it would be good business for us if it froze, and ice men are a very practical bunch, so I can't imagine them avoiding a good source of ice based solely on a rumor."

"Have we passed this lake already?" Anna asked.

"No," Kristoff said. "We'll be within a few leagues of it on the way home."

"Can you lead us there?" Elsa asked.

"Absolutely," he said, then turned to Anna. "Am I forgiven?"

"Come here," Anna said. "Lean over. Closer." She pecked him on the cheek. "There."

They smiled.

 

"Kristoff's home!"

"Kristoff's home!"

The shout echoed about a hundred times around the glen as a horde of rocks rolled towards them.

Anna heard Elsa's sharp intake of breath at the sight of dozens of rocks rushing at them. Anna quickly laid a hand on Elsa's arm. "It's all right," Anna said, chastising herself for failing to warn Elsa what to expect. "They're friendly! Just...really enthusiastic!"

Elsa put a hand on her chest and nodded, regaining her composure. She looked around in amazement as the rocks jumped all over Kristoff.

"You've been here before, remember?" Anna said.

"Only dimly," Elsa said. "And I certainly don't remember this much commotion!"

"Kristoff, what are you doing back?" one gruff-sounding troll asked. "You've only been gone an hour!"

"I've been gone seven days," Kristoff said. "You've just been asleep."

"Eh?" the troll asked. "Really? What year is this?"

The trolls parted to allow another to roll forward quickly. In an instant, Grand Pabbie stood before them. He bowed. "It has been a long time since trollkind has been blessed by a visit from a king or queen," he said. "We are honored by your visit, and we welcome you to our humble community, Queen Elsa and Princess Anna. I am most happy to see that you both are well after your recent ordeal. Peace be with you here."

The sisters inclined their heads. "Thank you, gracious host," Elsa said. "The pleasure is all ours."

 

Anna, Kristoff and Olaf laughed and danced with the trolls as night fell. Some of the servants joined in the revelry, while others stood back, not really knowing what to make of the strange creatures.

Elsa quietly slipped away with Grand Pabbie. She hadn't even asked to see him; he seemed to know why she had come.

She sat next to him on the floor of his cave. It was lit with firestones of all colors, giving it a surreal, yet very comforting feel. As the leader, his cave was at the top of the hill, so they were a little distance from the others. From the glen below came the faint sounds of people and trolls having a good time.

"Will Your Majesty please remove her gloves?" he asked.

Elsa did so, and Grand Pabbie took her hands in his. After a moment, he sighed.

"Your magical power is truly monumental," he said. "It has grown greater, and more quickly, than I originally anticipated."

"I think we already established that when I froze my entire kingdom."

"What you unleashed upon this land was merely a fraction of your power."

Elsa's face went white. "Please tell me you're joking," she whispered.

Grand Pabbie shook his head. "Unfortunately, I am not." He paced slowly.

"Am I the most powerful person in the world?" Elsa asked quietly.

Grand Pabbie stopped and stared sadly out the cave opening, gazing at the sky, at the ribbon of colors which silently streamed from the north. "Your power is so great that I cannot see its limits," he said, so softly that Elsa almost didn't hear him. "And if any others have greater power than you, I have never heard of them."

Elsa swallowed hard, and quickly put her gloves back on.

"Grand Pabbie, as much as it vexes me to do so, I must confront you about something. When I stood before you as a child, you told me my power contained great danger."

He turned to face her again. "Aye, and so it did."

"Yes, it did. But I think you forgot that you were speaking to a child. At that age, I wasn't able to comprehend your warning with a critically thinking mind." Tears began flowing down Elsa's face. "The only thing your words accomplished that night was to make me so terrified of my own power that it became self-fulfilling! That fear ruined my childhood and became the energy source which fed the power and allowed it to grow!"

Grand Pabbie sighed and lowered his head. "Aye. It is true that I may have spoken poorly that night. All I can claim is a lack of experience with human children. I know much, but I do not know all. Furthermore, your own father agreed with me, and as much as it would pain you to admit it, if I erred in the delivery of my message, he shares the mistake, for he could have corrected it, knowing his own child better than I."

"There is some truth in that, but if my father had any misgivings, he would have bowed to your wisdom, thinking it better than his own."

Grand Pabbie shrugged and nodded. "Whatever mistakes I made were certainly not intentional. I meant only the best, as did your parents. But you know that, of course. And I deeply, humbly apologize."

Elsa sniffled. "Thank you. I understand you meant well, so I am hurt, but not angry." She breathed deeply and wiped her tears away. "I need to know more about my power."

"What can I tell you?"

"Is there a practical way I can control it? Some magical talisman or spell?"

"If I knew of such, I would have given it to your father fifteen years ago."

"All right. What about the Lake of Fire?"

Grand Pabbie shook his head. "I do not know what that is."

"Supposedly, it's a lake north of here which never freezes, no matter how cold it gets."

"I have never heard of this lake, so I cannot tell you anything about it. But Elsa, if you seek magic to harness your power, I strongly suggest the utmost caution. Things are not always what they seem."

Elsa nodded, and asked, "Where did my power come from?"

Grand Pabbie gave a tiny snort, almost a chuckle. "Magic is fickle and abides by its own rules. I can sense it, even channel it sometimes, but I am not privy to its agenda."

"You mean some intelligent entity chose me for this?" she asked incredulously.

Grand Pabbie sighed. "That is a crude way of putting it. It is much more complex than that. Magic is something which exists in a realm which we mortals have no words to describe. Trying to understand magic with our clumsy way of thinking would be like an insect trying to understand international economics."

"But why me?"

"That, I cannot say."

"I have the Power of Winter, and I'm also the ruler of a kingdom. Is that a coincidence?"

"That, I also cannot say, but I doubt it. Elsa, it's very likely you were given this power for a reason."

"But what?!"

"I do not know. Perhaps some calamity will one day arise which only you can prevent. I know you view your power as a curse, for it has caused you to suffer. But there may come a day when the suffering you have endured will be as nothing to the suffering you will prevent."

"You really think so?" Elsa asked quietly.

"Oh, it's a theory," Grand Pabbie said. "Elsa, all I can tell you is what I feel in my heart, and that is that this power chose you for a reason, and it doesn't feel like a bad reason. It may be a reason so convoluted that neither of us will ever see it, but my heart tells me it is so."

Elsa gazed at her hands. "My heart doesn't know what to believe," she whispered.

Grand Pabbie took her hands in his. "Then trust mine. It may not be perfect, but it's in the right place." He smiled at her kindly.

Elsa looked at him for a long moment, then finally whispered, "Why do you feel it's a good reason and not a bad reason?"

"Because I believe that the same power which chose you also gave you the perfect sister to be your anchor, your guide, and your salvation."

Elsa wept.