This idea just came to me one day. Don't blame me, blame my muse.

Chapter 1

It was nearly midnight when High Queen Anna of Arendelle died. All her family had gathered around her earlier in the day, but all of them had been sent away, now. Only Princess Elsa, Warden of Arendelle, remained.

"Elsa..." Anna whispered, smiling as her silver haired sister swept in to offer her a drink of cool water.

"Hush," Elsa said softly, "Rest. You need to conserve your strength."

The High Queen snorted in a rather unladylike manner. "Have you ever noticed? Our hair matches now."

Elsa reached down and stroked her sister's silver hair back gently, "You're still far more beautiful than I could ever be."

Her sister laughed quietly, "Liar." She lay back and took several deep, straining breaths; even laughing was very tiring for her now.

"Rest, sister," Elsa said, worried, "What will your grandchildren say if they heard your were staying up later than them?"

"Cheer, I suspect," Anna wheezed softly, "Like I'd expect them to." She closed her eyes and took a deep, steadying breath, "Elsa, I need to talk to you. This could be the last time..."

Elsa shook her head rapidly, "Don't speak like that, Anna! You'll be fine, it's just a little fever. You'll get better!" she said, almost desperately.

Queen Anna smiled faintly, "No, I think not." She took another deep breath, "I've been waiting for this moment. I knew it would come soon enough. After Kristoff died..." she faded, and her eyes moistened slightly, but she smiled reminiscently at the memory of her longtime husband. "It was only a matter of time before I joined him."

"Don't talk like that, Anna, " Elsa pleaded, eyes beginning to tear up, "You can't-"

"Shhh..." Anna said, cutting her sister off. "No tears. Not now." She paused, taking another deep breath, "Bring me the mirror? The big one? I want to show you something."

Instead, Elsa willed her powers into being; an instant later, a mirrored piece of ice hovered at the foot of the bed, and Anna gasped slightly in wonder.

"A hundred years, and your powers never cease to amaze me," she whispered.

A hundred years? Had it really been that long? Elsa gazed into the mirror; Anna lay in the bed, deep wrinkles covering her aged face, her white hair around her head like a frizzy halo. Beside her...sat Elsa. Frozen. Unchanged, even now, a hundred years after the Great Thaw.

"Yes," Anna said, almost seeming to read her mind like she so often did, "Why have I aged while you remain unchanged? Perhaps it is because the world truly is unfair, after all."

Elsa's gaze jumped to Anna, startled; was her sister jealous of her powers? No, it couldn't be. "You have no idea what a burden these powers have been!" Elsa started, before being cut off again.

"Shhhh," Anna said again, "Not unfair for me. Unfair for you." She smiled sadly, "Do you think I haven't seen it on your face? The sadness as everyone you knew aged and died while only you remained the same? To watch that happen...it is a terrible curse. One I am afraid that I am unable to lift, despite the best efforts of all my scholars. Not even the Troll King could do it, despite all my pleading."

"Anna," Elsa said, frowning.

Anna waved off her complaint with a tiny movement of her withered hand, "Yes, Yes, I know how you feel about the Troll King. Perhaps one day you will see how his words turned out for the best." She sighed, "But that is not why you are here."

She closed her eyes again, and took another deep breath. "You are here," she said, opening her eyes and fixing them on her sister, "Because you deserve better. You do not deserve to be forced to watch over a kingdom that you no longer claim as your own. You do not deserve the feelings the people have for you. How could they fear you? You're cute as a snowman."

Elsa smiled faintly. If only Olaf were still here to cheer her up.

Anna took a deep, bracing breath, "So that is why I called you here. I do not want you to stay here, when I...am done. I want you to move on. You will find your happily ever after someday, sister." She looked earnestly into her sister's eyes, "I just know it. And when you do, the whole world will rejoice along with you. You don't deserve any less. Promise me, Elsa; promise me you'll try to be happy when I'm gone."

Tears were running down Elsa's face as she nodded. "I...I promise." She said quietly.

Anna smiled faintly, "Good. I know you'll be happy again, one day. Tell me about it...when we meet again."

She let out a last breath, and finally High Queen Anna, Beloved Ruler of Arendelle, was no more.

"Anna?" Elsa whispered, "Anna, you can't leave me." Tears dripped onto her dress, unheeded, "You can't leave me all alone. Please. Anna, no...no..."

The next day, Elsa found herself in the Royal Library. Somehow she had made her way there. She had no memory of walking here, and the door lay in frozen shards on the floor, but she didn't care. Nothing mattered now. She was alone.

So deep was she in her thoughts, she didn't even hear the door open and close, nor notice the quiet footsteps approaching, until a small pair of hands wrapped around her from behind.

"Louna?" Elsa said, looking back in dull surprise, "What are you doing here?"

The girl smiled dreamily, "The undergnomes told me you would be here, auntie, so I came too."

Elsa stared at the girl in consternation. While everyone else in the castle looked at her with fear or, at best, respect, Louna had never shown either. Perhaps that was why people always said there was something a little wrong with the girl.

Elsa smiled faintly, reaching out to pull an errant strand of the girl's white-blonde hair, almost as white as her own, behind her ear. It reminded her of Anna...she shook her head slightly, "There's no such thing as gnomes, Louna. Trolls yes, Gnomes no."

Louna frowned, "I don't like trolls. They act all nice and then they go all tricksy. The Troll King, he's the worst."

Elsa coughed half a laugh at that. It was true, to some extent; if the Troll King had been a bit more clear about what he'd told her and Anna, none of her childhood would have happened. After that incident, the Trolls hadn't been seen publicly in nearly a hundred years.

Suddenly Louna tightened her grip around her waist, a tiny furrow appearing on her brow, "You're going away," she said, sadly, "Far away. And I won't see you for days and days."

Elsa wasn't surprised; Louna always seemed to know more than she let on, even about things she had to rightful way of knowing. "You can come and visit me whenever you like," Elsa said consolingly, "I'll only be a mountain away. And if you ever have a problem, just whisper it to the statue of Olaf and I'll hear it."

Louna's face perked up at this, and she smiled and nodded. "Well, you'd better get moving, then," she said, releasing the Snow Queen, "You wouldn't want to keep him waiting."

Without waiting for an answer, she turned about and walked out the door, leaving Elsa behind with a bemused expression on her face. Louna was like that; always strange to be around, but always new, and always interesting. Shrugging, Elsa stood, her decision made. Louna was right; it wouldn't do to keep her subjects waiting.

High Queen Elsa walked out onto the castle balcony, high above her subjects below, and instantly the noise of the crowd subsided. All eyes fixed on her, as they waited to hear what the new monarch of Arendelle would say.

"People of Arendelle!" Elsa proclaimed, letting her voice echo from every surface that she controlled in the kingdom; every piece of enchanted ice, every magical fountain, every bit of snow within 200 miles abruptly surrendered itself to her control and echoed with her voice. "Many of you assume that I have come to lay claim to the Throne of Arendelle, as is my right. That assumption could not be further from the truth. Instead the time has come for me to, once again, Abdicate. I never wanted to be queen, and it is not right that our kingdom should have a timeless ruler. Anna and Kristoff, may the spirits bless their souls, led this country far better than I ever could. And so will their daughter, Queen Olivia the First. As for me? I will retire to my kingdom atop the icy peaks, and watch over our fair kingdom from afar. If ever there is a time when trouble disturbs our peaceful kingdom, call on my name and I shall answer."

Elsa looked down at her arrayed subjects; there were no shouts of joy or cheers, but no tears either. The crowd was eerily silent. The penalties of having a leader so much more powerful than her people, she supposed. With a sigh, she continued, "In my time as Princess and Warden of Arendelle, we have faced good times and bad. I ask only that when you write histories of this time, you remember both. Long Live Arendelle!"

With a flick of her wrist, enchanted ice formed beneath her feet, and a moment later she was aloft, her magic bearing her through the air, leaving the silent crowds behind. Her old palace. She had not been there in a hundred years, but she knew it still stood there, silent and cold, as if it were waiting for something. When she had once gone there, it had been with feelings of liberation, of freedom and, for the first time in many years, happiness. How ironic that now, on her first return since the Great Thaw, she should feel exactly the opposite.

Elsa gently lowered herself to the balcony of her old Ice Castle and stared, impassively into its dark confines. It was just like she remembered it; dark and cold. Perfect. She made it three steps before she collapsed to her knees, tears slowly working their way down her face. She could still remember Anna's face, crystal clear, the day she had come here to bring her home. Remembering that youthful face, she could almost imagine...she could almost imagine that she wasn't gone. Suddenly a sob wreaked her body, and she slowly fell to the ground, curling up on herself as powerful sobs overwhelmed her.

"It isn't fair," she managed through sobs. Why did Anna get to move on while she waited here, alone? "It just isn't fair..."

She closed her eyes and tightened into a ball, shaking as tears rolled down her cheeks unabated. In villages throughout Arendelle, Rainclouds suddenly sprung up, leaking miserable tears across the entire countryside. All of Arendelle wept for its lost queen.

Suddenly, a tremendous thundering shook the castle, echoing all the way down to its foundations. Then again, and a third time. Then it stopped. Elsa, distracted for a moment from her tears, wiped her face and looked around; had she accidentally caused an avalanche again? She hoped not, they caused a terrible mess.

Again, a thundering boom swept through the castle, then another, and a third. It seemed to be coming from...the door?

Elsa slowly crawled to her feet and straightened her features as much as she could. Whoever was disturbing her had better have a damn good reason, she thought darkly as she stalked towards the door, throwing it open...to find nobody there. She looked around, startled, before she heard a quiet *ahem* from below. Looking down, she suddenly found herself looking into the eyes of the last person she had ever expected to see here. The Troll King.

Heart still pumping irregularly from suppressed tears, she reacted instantly. "You," she snarled, drawing a clawed hand through the air and summoning a giant icy hand from the floor of her palace, seizing the diminutive king in its grasp and lifting him ten feet into the air, "How dare you come here after what you did!"

He, however, remained perfectly calm; "I told you the truth; no more."

"Only enough to make everything worse!" She said, "If it weren't for your stupid warning about fear and for erasing Anna's memories of my powers, none of that would have happened!"

The troll king chuckled quietly, "But what kind of story would that be?"

Elsa stared at the Troll King disbelievingly, "Story? Story? You think this is some sort of tale that you can read to your children at night? Those are people! Anna and I are people!" She froze, and slowly sagged, "Were people."

The icy hand sagged with her, releasing the Troll king onto the ground; he approached the Ice Queen without fear. "In my role as King of my people, I have been gifted with a certain insight into the nature of the world. This world, like many others, exists for the sake of the story. Do you remember, shortly before the Great Thaw, the story of Flynn Rider and Rapunzel?"

Elsa stared the ground, unseeing, until the Troll king reached out and gently shook her shoulder. "What?" She demanded.

The Troll king smiled lopsidedly, "It doesn't matter, I suppose. But True Love always rewards those who bear its burden, in one way or another. Every way it tried to repay you has been ruined; first by war, then by fear, and now by loss." he shook his head sadly, "It was meant to turn out better. Your powers were supposed to frighten the other nations into peace for long enough for it to become permanent."

Elsa smiled bitterly, "They did that. I just had to be a bit more...enthusiastic about it."

"Indeed," the Troll king said, "Thus negating the boon. And that led to the fear, and now the power it would take to bring you your happily ever after is higher than ever. But the debt must still be paid. So I am here to offer you...an option."

Elsa's mind went blank. The Troll king, offering something to her? His magic was some of the most powerful in the world. Even she would be wary of fighting him. But offering her a gift, of his own free will? Such a thing could shift the balance of the world. It could change everything. It could...

"Anna!" She said, not having to think about it for more than an instant, "I want Anna back!"

The Troll king's face dropped, "Alas, you ask for the one thing I cannot grant you. Anna is beyond anyone's reach, aside from death herself, and she does not play favorites." he shook his head, "No, I offer you something different. Something no-one in this world has ever had quite the same. I offer you...a new start."

Elsa blinked, "A new start? What do you mean?"

The troll stood and walked to the door, gazing out on the mountains far away, "Here, you have brought the happily ever after. The kingdoms live in peace, thanks to you. The last monsters sleep their eternal sleep deep in their caves, the last wars have already been fought. But Elsewhere..." he turned, a small smile on his face, "Elsewhere, there are still stories being written. Still monsters to fight, still happily ever after's to be won. And I can bring you there. If you will it."

Elsa's mind drifted back to her life; would she really like to live any of that over again? The darkness, the fear, the misunderstanding?

Suddenly, Anna's smile broke through the darkness like a searchlight, and Elsa's heart seemed to burn bright. It was all worth it, she decided, every bit of darkness was worth the fight, if only for those moments of joy in between.

But there was still her kingdom to consider. Still the rival nations, never quite satisfied by the Queen's Peace. "If..." she started, but her voice caught in her throat and didn't come out; she coughed before continuing, "...I accept-"

The Troll king responded instantly. "You will not regret this decision!" He said, raising his hands into the air, "Rumpere claustra esse, aperire ostium unum ad alterum saeculum pertinet, lapsus re commoveri!"

"Wait!" Elsa called out, "I wasn't-"

A swirling portal appeared around her, and an instant later she was gone.

Slowly the snow settled, and the Troll king nodded, "I know, my dear. I know. Fear not, I shall watch over it in your stead while you are away."

Turning around, he made his slow way to the door. It was a long walk back to the Troll Valley.

Colors and feelings washed over Elsa like a tide, filling her with sensations and tastes she had never experienced before. She watched a dozen worlds slide before her; in one, a great blazing eyes gazed down on an army of humans before a great black wall. Suddenly it shifted to look at her, and then it was gone. In another, a great monster with tentacles covering its face reared from the ocean. It's gaze latched onto her, and in a flash it was gone. And then, as suddenly as she had begun, she found herself in a very strange room. Lights of all sorts blinked on the walls and panels, and a window gazing into the night sky was directly in front of her. Empty seats were all around the room, as well as once larger empty seat, directly in the middle.

Suddenly, in a flash of light, an ordinary looking man appeared in the seat. "Well, well, well," he said, with a quirky grin, "What have we here? The Troll King is meddling in the multiverse again? He's been a naughty, naughty boy."

Elsa growled, reaching out with her powers; an instant later, the man was enshrouded in ice, several razorsharp spears held a hair from his throat. "Who are you?" Elsa demanded, "Where am I?"

"Well that's not very nice," the man said with a pout. A flash of light, and suddenly he was standing next to her. "You ruined my chair!" He complained, "How rude. For a royal you certainly aren't acting very politic. Even a Klingon could do better."

"I'm not in a very good mood," Elsa growled, spinning to enshroud the man in ice, but when she finished spinning, he was gone. Then he tapped her on the shoulder.

"Over here," he said. She spun again, only to find him sitting in the chair again, the ice gone as if it had never been there. "You may call me Q. Everyone else does, anyway. As for where you are...I find that why you are is much more interesting, don't you think?"

Elsa considered trying to hold him in ice again, but decided against it. She could always attack him later, if he proved to be uncooperative. Instead she just glared at the man expectantly. He pouted in return.

"Aww, of course you had to go and spoil my fun. Oh well, I guess I'm spoiling the Troll King's fun, so we can call it even. You see, your friend the Troll King wanted to send you to a world that was much like his. Yours. But I find that to be much too boring, don't you? I think you'd fare much better in a world a bit...darker." He grinned darkly, "Yes, lets see how you can do in a world spiraling towards its own destruction, hmm?" He held up his hands, fingers poised to snap, "Don't forget! I'll be watching with great interest."

He snapped his fingers, and suddenly everything was white, and then black, and then a weird sort of grey that was more nothing than something.

And the next instant, she found herself in a cupboard.

Harry Potter was out in the garden, carefully looking for any weeds he had missed, when the owl arrived. He stared at it, disbelievingly; it was the first owl he had received all summer! Finally, Hermione and Ron would be able to explain what had happened to them! He dashed inside to intercept it...just in time to see it crash into Petunia Dursley. He froze in place, waiting for her punishment...but oddly, he felt a faint flash, and to his surprise she blankly wandered off into the kitchen, leaving an expectant owl behind.

It held a very official looking letter in its claws. It was stamped by the Ministry.

It was from the improper use of magic office.

Anxiously, he tore open the letter, ignoring the owl as it officiously swept off through the open window. Then, he re-read the letter. Then he re-read it again.

"Dear Mr. Potter," it said, "The Improper Use of Magic office must inform you that magic use was detected at your location earlier today, at the time of 16:22 your local time. The spell in question was ∆∂╛╗▲ ≠≤▓░▓▓▒, with a power level of 16,234,251,785,323,091,148,723,182,062. Please remain at your current location, as a ministry official will be by shortly to take your statement."

Harry stared at the letter blankly. "This doesn't make any sense," he muttered.

"You're telling me," a voice responded. Harry spun around just in time to see a young woman emerge from the old closet that had been his bedroom. She looked at his confused expression, and sighed, "I am Warden Princess Elsa. Would you mind telling me where I am?"