Her Snowflake.

Winter had come, once again, to the icy fjord of Arendelle. The castle rose quietly above the cold blue waters, keeping watch over the often busy port and city. The town was thriving, despite the reduced trade from ships too shy to face the northern seas at this chilly time of year. Several months after Queen Elsa's rocky coronation day, the people couldn't be happier. The economy was booming, Anna could tell. It didn't hurt, however, that the man she was currently helping to load his sleigh was one of the luckier merchants to have benefitted from the people's new found confidence in their young ruler.

Heavily dropping a coil of rope onto the seat of the sleigh, the red haired princess grins. Kristoff Bjorgman, the kingdom's official ice master and deliverer, had never been busier. He and Sven were being run ragged, doing several excursions a month just to keep up with demand.

"Oh Sven..." Stepping to the reindeer's side, Anna gives him a good scratch behind the ears. "You'd think with all the snow and ice we've been getting this winter, people would let Kristoff catch a break."

The reindeer gave a curt nod and snort in agreement. Not that he minded the long journeys into the mountains, but it would be nice to stay and enjoy some pampering every now and then.

"Ah," spoke the rugged voice that Anna had come to know so well, "but a break doesn't pay for Sven's carrots, does it?" The blond man chuckles as he heavily trudges across the snow to the sleigh. His arms are loaded with provisions which he calmly puts down in the back of his vehicle. Playfully he picks a carrot from one of the bags and waves it at Sven's nose. "I hate to break it to you buddy, but I think you've been putting on some weight."

"Hey!" Anna chuckles as the reindeer goes to snap at the vegetable.

Kristoff, unfazed, keeps it just out of his childhood companion's reach.

"Hey, hey, hey... Do you have any idea how much these cost in winter?" With a snort, the reindeer lets him know just how little he cares.

"Yeah, I know." Kristoff smiles and relents from teasing his travel partner. Offering up the carrot for his pleasure, he finds himself having to pull on Sven's antlers to remind him to share. "Oi. Yes, they are too good to resist."

Munching happily on his half of the reindeer-bitten carrot, the outdoorsman looks wistfully at Anna. "You want some?"

"No thanks." As adorable as she finds the fact that Sven and Kristoff like to share their carrots, she has no urge to partake in that particular aspect of his life. She feels warmth spreading across her cheeks as she watches him finish the impromptu snack. "I'm going to miss you."

A warm glow spreads itself in turn on Kristoff's face. He smiles warmly.

"I'm gonna miss you too... Come here." His preparations for his journey now complete, he lifts her up and twirls her around with an ease that reminds her all too well of his strength and gentleness. Gently he puts her down.

"I won't be gone long this time: all of two, maybe three days. The winter brings the advantage that ice is easier to find."

"Good." Reaching up by standing on her toes, Anna pecks him on the cheek. "Say hi to Pabbie and the trolls for me."

"Will do."

And then they kiss, the warmth of his arms around her shoulders a welcome reminder of his affection for her.

She doesn't know yet if he is her one true love. She likes to think that he will be. She definitely wants to give him the chance to prove it. Meanwhile she will love and be patient, wait for the two of them to find what feels right. Just knowing that he loves her back lights a fire in her heart stronger than anything she has ever known.

"Bye! Be safe!" Enthusiastically she waves them off, trotting around the corner to watch them ride just that little bit longer. Now that they are gone, she feels the cold biting through her cloak and gloves. The streets are beginning to empty as the sky darkens and flecks of white begin to descend from the sky. "Huh. Looks like you left while the going was still good."

She pauses a moment, a distant childhood memory creeping into her thoughts. She smiles warmly as she reaches her hand out.

When she had been little, left on her own with nothing to do, she had once snuck out while it had been snowing. She had been hopeful that maybe Elsa would see her out there and sneak out too. It had been months since they had made a snowman together, and for some reason she had been certain that they had done it lots before then. Little Anna had wondered what had changed, had she misremembered the pure joy on her older sibling's face whenever the word had been mentioned? Of course, ever since the coronation, Anna now knew the true reasons for Elsa's long... What was the word? Confinement? No, that wasn't it. It hadn't been shyness either...

"Cold distance..." She muttered, as she managed to get a promising snowflake to land on her gloved fingers. "That's what it was."

She smiled sadly as she looked down at the miniature flower like shapes in her hand. The air had grown crisp with a bitterness that sent a shiver down her spine, but she was enjoying reminiscing. The cold had been no less clement back then.

Little Anna had sat nearly ten full minutes in the courtyard, at the spot nearest her sister's window. To pass the time, she had decided to put something to the test that one of the servants, Gerda, had mentioned.

No two snowflakes are ever the same...

Little Anna had marvelled at snowflake after snowflake, big green eyes peering close enough that her breath would melt them before she could count all the arms. She soon came to two conclusions. All snowflakes had six arms, and Gerda was right, no two were exactly alike. Each and every one was a marvel of beauty in its own right that rivalled the next. The young princess had felt so delighted over this finding, she barely noticed how she had been shivering, or that a heavy layer of snow had accumulated on her shoulders. It was only thanks to Kai, her father's closest man servant that she'd been brought in at all. Cold and weak, a smile plastered on her face despite the fever that was already starting, the young princess had got the scolding of a lifetime... Still, it had been one of the happiest moments of her childhood after Elsa had started locking herself away. Peering at snow had always made her feel closer to her somehow.

And now she knew why... Gazing down at the snowflake she now held in her hand, she felt the similar rush return, the exquisite beauty of it delighting her as it always had. Yet something felt wrong. This snowflake, why did it...

It looked familiar. The colour drained from Anna's face as her body relived the memory that plagued her now. Hands white, crystals forming within her skin, shapes biting into her flesh as she struggled against a frozen heart. No.

She had to check. She had to make sure. Reaching out again, she caught another snowflake. This one was a bit harder to look at, the wind picking up and threatening to blow it out of her hand. Yes, it was the same, maybe not exactly, but it was growing into the same shape that she had seen Elsa use before, be it during the great thaw or when making Kristoff's ice master seal.

Curses...

Looking up at the sky, she could see the clouds swirling, darkest above the castle's walls. There was no doubt.

"Elsa!" She cried, booted feet crashing and tripping through thickening heaps of snow that had accumulated on the road between her and the castle's gates. In the half year since her powers had been revealed, the queen of Arendelle had never summoned a storm again. Why now of all times? Had something happened to her? Had there been any forewarning signs?

Anna couldn't understand it. She had left this morning to meet Kristoff for lunch before he went off again. There had been no foreign dignitaries to see, and most of the kingdom's running issues had been seen to. Elsa had even mentioned at breakfast looking forward to a chance at sorting through the files in her office.

"It has been too long since anyone had a good tidy in there."

Anna would never understand how anyone could find enjoyment in sorting through old stuff, but the peaceful smile on Elsa's face had been genuine, and Anna had been glad. Had there not been her date waiting, she would have volunteered to help out. It was no regret though, the spritely princess knew that she was more likely to be a hindrance, and this way Elsa would be able to tell her all about any interesting finds at dinner time.

Only not if something had happened to her.

The second in line to the throne of Arendelle cared little for the confused looks of the people as she dashed down the port road. She wasn't fussed when she skidded on ice and fell. It was probably just a scrape. It didn't matter if she was getting soaked and cold, so long as she made sure that her sister was alright. She wasn't ever going to lose her again. She had made that promise. Anna had sworn it both to Elsa and herself.

It was with great concern that Kai greeted her at the door and Gerda was sent immediately to fetch the princess a warm blanket and some fresh clothes. Anna had no patience for it.

"Where's Elsa?" She gasped, eyes scrutinizing the halls in a desperate attempt to find some sign of a disturbance or intrusion.

"Her majesty is in the study. What is the matter, Princess Anna?" Concern from a lifetime of watching over her was etched on the manservant's face. She remembered him having a similar look back when he had found her catching snowflakes. "Are you alright?"

"Study? Right... This way isn't it?" And just like that she ran past him, down the hall to the main stairway. It was the same stairway she had cycled down when she'd been ten. The same steps that she'd climbed three at a time on a daily basis, on her way past Elsa's door... Only this time, she had to turn away from the old bedroom. She had to run down the wing to the study where she had often disturbed her father in the midst of an important meeting. There weren't any meetings on today though...

"Elsa!" She cried once more, her voice sounding strangely hoarse as she gasped for breath, legs starting to buckle as she finally reached the door, frozen limbs burning from the sudden warmth of being indoors. "Elsa?"

She hesitated a moment, faced with a closed door behind which... Was her sister there? Was she alright? Would she... let her in?

Timidly, she knocked. Then, when no response came, she turned the handle. Much to her relief, the door was unlocked. It opened quietly, smoothly. The room before her was tidy, as she remembered it though her vision blurred for a moment. She was starting to shiver from the cold and damp in her clothes.

"Elsa?" Ah, there she was. She could make out her head and shoulder on the chair near the window, piles of books and documents neatly stacked in piles at her feet. The freckled sibling felt both giddy with relief and stupidly foolish. She must have been imagining things. Her sister was there, she was fine.

But she wasn't answering. Suddenly Anna could sense the sharp coldness in the air, see the glittering ice accumulating on the inner sill of the window. She thought she could hear a quiet, muffled noise. It sounded like...

"Elsa, are you alright?" Cautiously advancing into the room, the freckled woman rubbed at her arms in an effort to push back the effects of the low temperature. As she neared the desk, she heard it better. Yes, it was definitely sobbing.

"Elsa, what...?" It took a moment for the scene to sink in, her older sibling sitting there, an old hand-written journal cradled in her lap, tears falling freely from her eyes as she vainly tried to hold back her cries. "Hey... Sh. It's alright."

Anna removed her soaking mitts before gently touching Elsa's shoulder. With a start, the snow queen's eyes opened wide in shock. Bolting upright, it took the platinum blond a moment to take in Anna's presence, the worry in her eyes and weathered state.

"Anna? I?" Shaking her head to try and regain some composure, Elsa removed Anna's hand with her own but did not let go. A shuddering breath and she shut the book. "Sorry... I didn't want you to see me like that."

A brave smile forced its way onto Elsa's face, one clearly well practiced. Still puzzled, Anna was at a loss for words.

"You... Why were you crying?"

Hesitantly, Anna squeezed Elsa's hand tighter in an effort to comfort her, give her courage. Kneeling by her sister's side, she waited for the answer.

Hesitantly, the older sister peered down at the book in her lap. Adjusting the cardigan she wore more for the comfort of others than her own need to keep warm, the queen then turned the book around so Anna could see. The leather bound tome was thick with inserted pages and bent corners. The paper inlet on the front showed the young princess a familiar hand-writing, giving the journal its title.

"I found father's journal..." She replied, her voice showing clearly the years of training in elocution despite the thin and shaky tone of it. "Even after all this time... I... I miss papa."

A sob made its way through the queen's shoulders as she gasped. "I never knew just how hard a time my powers gave him. How much he worried..."

"Shh..." No longer caring, glad that none of her worst imaginings were true Anna scooped her sister into a tight warm hug. "I miss him too..."

The hug felt right, and even if Elsa did let a few more tears fall, Anna couldn't imagine feeling any more relieved. Her sister was alright, her Elsa wasn't alone. If anything, Anna was sure, their father would be proud of the queen Elsa had become, of the daughter he and mama had brought up.

"Papa and Mama loved us both. This is the most important thing to remember."

A hesitation then a sigh, Elsa sits back straight again, her hand stroking Anna's hair and removing the hat. When she spoke again, the shakiness had vanished from her voice. "You're right." A smile, in earnest, and then she noticed the window. "Oh. Oh dear, was that me?"

"Don't fret too much about it..." Brushing at her locks, Anna sat back on her haunches, exhaustion and elation both kicking in. What she wouldn't do for a cup of hot chocolate right now. She gazed up at her sibling, a twinkle in her eye. "You can sort it out. I know you can."

And, as she had done back in the midst of summer, her sister the queen of ice and snow smiled warmly and spread out her arms. With a gentle glittering of magic, she lifted her hands, the ice and snow outside stopping and lifting in turn. With a slow, drawn out clap of her hands, the cold weather she had summoned gathered and then dispersed into nothingness, leaving only the snow that had already been lying that morning, and a bright blue sky above.

Feeling suddenly a lot warmer, Anna tapped down her cloak and dress. Now dry and free from ice, the only visible sign of her race through the elements was the scraped knee and sore ankle she was leaning on...

"Atchou!"

And maybe the cold she had caught in the process.

"Bless you," Elsa said, a familiar looking concern and worry twisting her eyebrows. "Are you okay?"

"Nothing that a hot cup of cocoa won't fix," Anna waved her sister's concerns away. She could hear voices approaching from the door she had left open. "Speaking of which..."

Bless Kai and Gerda, they were godsends. The big balding figure of their father's confident loomed with warm blankets and a neatly folded dress as Gerda bustled in, a tray of warm, steaming drinks in her hands.

"Pardon the intrusion, your majesty. We thought you might appreciate this." Sweet and to the point as always, Gerda never put up with any nonsense for long.

Kai, a man of few words when it came to such things, merely gave Anna a bemused smile before pulling a chair up for her next to Elsa's. Handing her the blankets, he bowed down to examine the princess's ankle.

"This will take but a moment." Whipping out a roll of bandages from his blazer, he set about doing what he had always done whenever Anna had fallen and hurt herself: he set it right. Once the boot was removed and Anna was properly sat and snuggled in a blanket, he tightly bandaged up the affected ankle. With a wink, he nodded at Elsa who took a moment to get his implied meaning.

"Me? I can do that?"

"Your majesty can do anything that she sees is right." Gerda smiled as she placed the drinks on the table.

"Just a little would do the trick."

A small, hesitant wave of her fingers, and Anna's throbbing ankle was gently covered with a soothing cover of ice.

"Oh my, that is better." Anna said, feeling both tired and happy once more. She was glad to see her sister smiling in earnest too.

"We shall leave you for now..." Kai said, standing straight before bowing reverentially. Gerda curtsied and led the way out with caring warmth in her features.

"Thank you, both of you." Elsa replied, standing to show them just how much she appreciated their constant aide and attentions. They nod in gratitude before leaving the two sisters together.

"So..." The older sibling turned to her, eyebrow arched. "Exactly how did you twist your ankle?"

Blushing from embarrassment, her freckles probably merging with the red on her checks, the princess mumbled the answer into her hands which now held their father's journal.

"What was that?" She recognised the ice queen's playful tone effortlessly, making her answer all the more difficult to say.

"I said..." It was hard to remember what little she had learnt from the few elocution lessons she hadn't skipped as a child. How did one make one's voice louder and clearer without overdoing it again? "I thought something had happened to you... Something bad."

Not wanting to look at Elsa's face, she stared at the book even more as she went on. "I recognized your snowflakes while I was at the edge of town. I ran straight here and stumbled on the way." Anna was pouting. She knew she shouldn't be, but somehow this whole incident made her feel like a five year old again.

"Oh Anna..." Surprised, Anna twisted in the sudden hug the better to hear Elsa's words. "I'm so sorry. I love you."

"I love you too sis." Anna smiled. Curiosity got the better of her and she held up the book. "Say, fancy drinking that cocoa with me while we read papa's journal together?"

"Of course," wiping away the last remaining tear from her eyes, Elsa squeezed Anna's shoulder before sitting down. "Just let me know if I regress again, okay?"

They both knew it wouldn't be an easy read... But so long as they did it together, they would be okay. They could already tell from what little had been read or gleaned that though the pages were full with pain and worry, their parents love for them shone through. They were probably watching over them still, proud to see that their daughters had turned out okay and happy.

"Oh..." Anna paused as she drained the last of the cocoa.

"What is it?" The light-haired queen looked around, curious at Anna's suddenly concerned look.

"I wonder if Kristoff got through that storm okay. He'd only just set out..."

Holding back a chuckle, Elsa tapped her sister's free hand.

"He'll be fine Anna. The blizzard never left the town."

"Oh. Oh good." Relief glowing from her cheeks once more, the red head let out a small chuckle. "Gods, if he found out what happened..."

"He's a good man." Elsa said simply, her gaze returning to the book that she held between them. She smiled at the happier passage that they'd found. Apparently teaching Anna to ride on horseback had been one of their father's more pleasant enterprises.

"Yes," Anna smiled, recognising in their Papa's words some of Kristoff's gruffer concerns. "Yes, he is."

Snuggled together by a now roaring fire, they read late into the night, stars glinting at them through the fogged up window panes, two sisters sharing a story, as a family together through good times and bad.

Fin