Anna stood at the study window looking out to sea, desperately trying to be free of the black hole in the pit of her stomach which devoured her emotions, sapped her very will to live.

Gerda entered and said gently, "Your Highness, a coalition of the townsfolk are respectfully requesting the release of reparation funds. They say it's urgent."

Anna shook herself. "Yes, of course," she murmured. In a daze, she went to the desk and tried to write an order to the treasurer, but her hands shook so much that she knocked over the ink pot.

"Oh!" she cried.

Gerda rushed forward to clean it up. "It's all right, Your Highness," she said. "The spill isn't that bad."

Anna looked around for a moment, completely lost, then burst into tears.

Gerda sighed, walked around the desk and held Anna in her arms. Anna cried into her chest.

"It will be all right," Gerda said. "Whatever happens, it will be all right."

"She's three days overdue!" Anna wailed.

Gerda closed her eyes, wishing she could ease the pain of her princess. Just three years after losing her parents to the ocean, all the signs indicated that it had taken her older sister, as well. The storm which had rolled in off the Atlantic on the day the queen was due to return had been one of the worst in living memory.

"You need to be strong, Your Highness," Gerda said. "Strong for Elsa. Strong for your people. Barring the queen's return, you and Kristoff are all they have left. Make Elsa proud of you."

"I know," Anna said. "But I finally got her back after fifteen years, and now she's gone again! We only had a few weeks together!"

Gerda patted her on the back. "Treasure the time you spent together, and know that you will see her again. But you are the ruler of Arendelle, and you need to start acting like it." She let go of Anna and looked at her sternly.

Anna sniffed and wiped away her tears. "Yes, of course," she said. "Thank you, Gerda."

"We are all here for you, Your Highness."

Kai entered and said, "Your Highness, the mayor would like to know if you are going to declare the queen deceased. He wants to know if the people should mourn."

Anna took deep breaths and tried to bring her tears under control. "I will not declare the queen dead until I have proof, or until she has been missing for a year and a day."

"Let me get some soap to clean up this ink, Your Highness," Gerda said, and left.

Anna finished writing her order to the treasurer and gave it to Kai to deliver, then quickly left the study.

There was someone she needed to see.

 

Anna found Olaf on the terrace. The snowman looked strangely subdued, yet serene.

"Olaf, can you sense the queen?"

"Um...what does that mean?" Olaf asked.

Anna knelt in front of him. "Are you in communion with her somehow? Can you feel her presence? Maybe even hear her thoughts?"

"I don't think I can do any of those things."

"Can you tell me if she's alive?"

Olaf gave a gentle smile. "I think so."

Anna gasped. "Really?"

Olaf shrugged. "It's...just something I feel. That's all."

"If Elsa died, would you cease to exist?"

"Does a child die when a parent dies?"

"It's not the same thing. You're a product of the magic which lives within Elsa."

"She gave me a complete life, Anna, not tethered to her. Think about the kind of person Elsa is. She would never want the things she created to go away upon her passing."

Anna looked at Olaf with wonder, then stroked the side of his face. "That's so true," she whispered. "Thank you for reminding me."

 

At two in the morning, the dockmaster awoke to a pounding on his door. He ran to the docks while pulling on his coat, then stopped and stared as the ship encased in ice sailed into harbor.

As he watched, an iceberg formed around the ship, then the ice shifted and changed shape. More ice rose from the sea in some places and receded in others, and in so doing, maneuvered the ship into a position adjacent to one of the docks. The ice solidified around the ship and the dock, binding them together.

On board the ship, the crew were cheering and applauding.

A set of ice steps materialized, and Queen Elsa, Captain Danielsen, and the crew of the Andersen disembarked.

The dockmaster ran forward. "Your Majesty!" he cried. "Where have you been? We thought you were dead!"

"I am very much alive," she said, putting on her bracers. Her face was haggard. She was obviously exhausted.

"Our ship was blown against the rocks," Captain Danielsen said. "We all would have died were it not for the queen's magic. She formed an island of ice around us and kept us afloat."

The dockmaster looked in amazement at the Andersen and the ice which encased its hull.

"The Andersen needs major repair, and we need all baggage unloaded," Captain Danielsen said. "See to it at once."

"Yes, sir," the dockmaster said, and hurried off to wake the longshoremen.

"Captain, I'll be retiring immediately," Elsa said.

"Of course, Your Majesty. Let me walk you to the castle."

Upon Elsa's approach, the night watch woke the servants.

Gerda and Kai met Elsa at the door. "Your Majesty!" they both cried.

Gerda wept with joy. "It's a miracle!" she exclaimed. "Kai! Wake Princess Anna!"

"No," Elsa said, swaying on her feet. "Do not wake the princess. I need to go to bed immediately."

Gerda was horrified. "But...Princess Anna is worried sick about you!"

"I understand, but I need to sleep," Elsa said. "Anna would keep me awake...I just need...I need..."

Elsa collapsed. Captain Danielsen caught her and lifted her in his arms.

"Bring her to her room!" Gerda commanded.

They ascended the stairs and rushed to the queen's bedroom. Captain Danielsen laid Elsa on her bed, then quickly retreated to the corridor, feeling his presence in the queen's bedroom to be inappropriate. Kai joined him.

Gerda placed a pillow beneath Elsa's head, then left the room and closed the door behind her. "Is she ill?" she asked.

Captain Danielsen shook his head. "Not to my knowledge. She simply has not slept for two days. She singlehandedly brought us home."

"Thank you, sir," Kai said.

Captain Danielsen gave a polite bow.

As the two men walked off, Gerda rushed to Anna's bedroom and knocked on the door. "Princess Anna, please wake up! I have news!"

"One moment!" Anna called. Seconds later, the door opened to reveal Anna in her nightgown. Kristoff stood behind her, dressed in his bedclothes and a robe.

"Your Highness, the queen has returned safely!" Gerda said.

Anna's face lit up with the joy of a million suns. "Elsa's back?!" She started to head past Gerda, but Gerda placed a hand on her chest and held her gently but firmly.

"The queen has returned, but she collapsed from exhaustion," Gerda said.

Anna turned to Kristoff. "I must be with her!"

He nodded. "Of course. Of course."

Anna grabbed a lamp, lit it from Gerda's lamp, and rushed to Elsa's room, with Gerda on her heels. The princess didn't bother knocking, but ran straight inside, then stopped immediately.

Anna stood framed in the doorway, staring in wonder. Tears streamed down her face.

Elsa lay on the bed, still in her dress, snoring softly.

Anna slowly approached, set her lamp on the bedside table, and sat beside her sister. She put a hand on Elsa's arm and gazed at her, weeping. Gerda looked on from the corridor.

Anna turned to Gerda. "Thank you, Gerda. For everything. I will attend to the queen for the rest of the night."

Gerda bowed and closed the door.

Anna turned Elsa over and unlaced the back of her dress so she could breathe more easily. She knew Elsa had to be truly exhausted because the queen did not wake. Anna didn't want to pull down the bed covers while Elsa was lying on them, as she would have to roll Elsa around to do it, so she found a spare duvet in a closet and covered Elsa with it.

Then, still weeping with joy, she climbed into bed beside Elsa and wrapped her arms around her. She laid her head on Elsa's chest and cried herself to sleep.

 

Elsa slowly awoke with the refreshed soul of one who has just had a good, long, hard sleep.

Sunlight streamed into her room. After three weeks in foreign castles and in her cabin aboard the Andersen, her room looked strange. She suddenly realized that she had no idea how she'd gotten there or what her last memory was. She panicked for a few seconds, then it all came back to her, and she relaxed again.

Then she became aware of the snoring, and the slight pressure on her chest. She looked down and smiled, her heart filled with love.

Of course, Anna would hold her through the night. How could she have done anything else?

Elsa kissed the top of Anna's head and wrapped her arms around her. Anna made noises of contentment and snuggled more deeply into Elsa's embrace.

Elsa just lay there, lost in the feeling of holding Anna. Minutes later, Anna's breathing became normal, and Elsa knew she was awake.

Neither said anything. They didn't need to. They lay in each other's arms, perfectly relaxed. The sunbeams crept along the wall. The day took care of itself.

Elsa's stomach growled. Anna giggled.

Elsa kissed the top of her head again and said, "I have to get up."

Anna flung back the duvet, rolled away and sat on the edge of the bed, yawning and stretching. Then she walked to the window and looked out at the beautiful day before her.

After a few minutes, Elsa joined her and took her hand.

"I died a thousand deaths every moment you didn't appear," Anna said.

"I'm sorry. I hope I never put you through that again."

"What happened?"

"On our way back, the storm blew our ship onto the rocks. We would have died if it weren't for my magic and the fact that ice floats. I encased the ship's hull in a thick coat of ice. Once the storm passed, I created a rudder made of ice at the stern, and Captain Danielsen instructed me how to turn it. I kept having to reform the rudder because it kept breaking off. Between the rudder, my clumsy steering, and our sails, we slowly zig-zagged our way home. It took several days, and I had to concentrate on the rudder the entire way, because if I ever stopped, we would go off course and it would take even more time to get home, and our food was running low. When we returned I was so exhausted I could barely stand. I don't even remember coming back to the castle."

"You're amazing."

"I am blessed," Elsa whispered, tears in her eyes.

"We both are!"

Elsa looked at Anna with love in her eyes. "Look at everything we've achieved, and everything we've found, since that moment you placed yourself between me and a villain's sword. There has been a lot of damage in our lives, but together, we have healed."

Anna grinned at her, tears of joy forming in her eyes. "And now the future is boundless."

"And we need never be parted again."

They held each other for a long time.