She opened the door just a tiny, tiny crack. Her parents had kept her busy the last couple days, setting up her new room, fussing until everything was 'just so.' While her mother had made it fun, the young princess was eager to be out and about in the castle and gardens again. Elsa peered through the narrow opening into the brightly lit hallway. All clear. Nervously, she opened the door just wide enough to slip out, then shut it behind her. Stop being so nervous, she chided herself. It's not like you're doing anything wrong. And she wasn't, was she? Her parents had never told her to stay in her room… Although, come to think of it, one of them had come with her every time she'd left it in the last two days. She had left it a total of what, three times? When she had complained of hunger, her father had rushed to the kitchens to snag something for her, while her mother diverted her attention, asking what colour of drapes she would like. They had done that so many times, Elsa was sure her new room must have four times as much stuff as the old one, with half the people!

The crown princess ducked her head as she took those first few steps out of her room, a fugitive in her own home. Soon, however, the brightness of the day and the familiarity of the armour attending the walls returned the typical serene lightness to her steps. Only one thought niggling at the back of her mind cast a tint of uncertainty onto this day - the new rule: Stay away from Anna.

What a troubling rule! Elsa understood that she had hurt Anna, and that her magic could be dangerous. But surely this ban was only for a little while? Had the two days since the incident been enough time? Well, at least I'll try not to run into her today. When I see Mama and Papa, I'll ask them!

With nowhere to go - her lessons had been temporarily cancelled - Elsa wandered about the halls with unusual aimlessness. Pausing at one of the many magnificent, triangular windows that lined the upper hallways, Elsa leaned against the sill and peered up at the azure sky, which looked hard as stone. The sight of her beautiful land, as always, filled her with inexplicable joy. Sparkling silver snowflakes began falling around her head, and she smiled, catching one in her hand.

Continuing on, Elsa opened door after door, stumbling upon the grand room where she and Anna had been playing the other night. All the snow and ice had been painstakingly chipped away and carried out, leaving only damp stains on the carpet. It looked strange to Elsa, and she found herself imagining the icy coating she'd made for it. Suddenly, the small sparkles of snow floating around her became thick and heavy. Heart racing, Elsa felt her fear and grief and confusion swirl up inside her again in a swift, visceral reaction. What did I do what did I do what have I done? I'm sorry Anna… But Anna was okay now. Right? But the troll said my magic is dangerous. He said I could have hurt her heart… He meant she would have died! A strangled choking noise escaped her, her realization sinking in. The frantic busyness of the last two days trickled swiftly away like a plug had been pulled, and in a moment of crystal clarity she knew…

My magic is dangerous. If I don't learn to control it… I might have to never see Anna again.

Never see Anna. It was unthinkable. Elsa tried to stop the mushy snowflakes from falling, but they only came faster and faster, until finally ice and frost poured out of her feet like it had when she cried holding her sister. Abandoning her attempts to rein in the magic, Elsa fled, going to the one place where she knew for sure she and Anna would be apart: her room. A trail of ice followed her, stopping at about the point where she forgot her terror, and simply ran.

Hugging her knees to her chest, Elsa shut her eyes tight again, trying to hold in her mind the image of the very plain, not-icy library. When she felt her magic arrest itself, she opened them to see snowflakes suspended in the air around her, a circle of frost imprinted on the couch and carpeting around her. It tugged at her, the magic, the winter wishing to expand itself, but the circle held like a wall under Elsa's will, and the magic's urging faded swiftly.

Running footsteps and a quick gasp sounded behind the Snow Queen. "Elsa!" Anna rushed to her sister, stopping within view just outside the circle of snow. "Elsa, are you all right? What happened?"

"Nothing," Elsa answered, ashamed. "I just… got scared. When you left. It felt like being alone again."

"Oh, Elsa - " Anna stepped toward her.

"No! Don't come any closer! I could hurt you…"

"Elsa," Anna said with uncharacteristic patience reserved for her sister, "Just relax. You are in control of your powers. Not your fear. You know you need to let me get close to you."

Elsa took a deep breath and nodded, focusing on Anna but trying not to think. Her imagination was better at coming up with frightening scenarios involving her magic than it was at anything else.

Anna perched on the edge of the couch and wrapped both arms around her sister's shoulders, drawing her close. Exhaling deeply, the queen rested her head on her sister's shoulder and willed her body to relax. Another breath in, another breath out, and she felt calmer. Raising her head, she focused her mind and willed the snow to vanish.

"There, see? You did it!" Anna crowed, standing as the frost and snow rose, scattered, and disappeared. The ice around the table quickly followed suit, splintering into tiny shards that shrunk out of existence.

Elsa smiled, warmed by her small triumph. A note of concern troubling her thoughts, she sighed, "I only wish it weren't so easy for my control to slip. What if it wasn't just a table that broke?"

"Hey!" Anna admonished, "You've made so much progress in the last couple weeks. You don't even need gloves and you're keeping it in just fine!"

"Mostly," Elsa replied, her optimism fading. "Except that time we left the castle. And now. And… sometimes, I have bad dreams, and I wake up with snow or ice around me…."

"Oh," Anna said, frowning for a second. "I didn't know about the nightmares. But it's okay! We'll think of something! Don't forget, Elsa, we're in this together, you and me!" Anna grinned. Nothing was going to get in her way. She and Elsa could do anything! With that thought, Anna wriggled a bit in an excited, happy dance.

"Oh, Anna!" Elsa laughed. "I suppose I have to believe you. After all, you did single-handedly save our kingdom from eternal winter."

Anna rolled her eyes. "What? Oh, I mean, yeah, sure, of course I did it! All by myself! You using your magic to move all the snow away probably had nothing to do with it."

"You know what I mean!"

"I know. But Elsa, really. We saved the kingdom together. And - I know what you're thinking - but it is partially my fault that the winter started. I made you angry and scared and I took your glove off. So we're even."

Elsa shook her head in defeat, gazing lovingly up at her spirited sister.

"Oh, and Elsa?"

"Yes?"

"Even if we fight, I want you to remember that I still love you. That will never change."

"I know, Anna. You've been through a lot because of me already… I love you too. And that will never change either."

The little cottage was just a bit tidier than usual, with extra care taken to get the dust off the furniture and doorways. Freyja cleaned with immaculate care, checking every now and then on the simmering pot of stew her mother had prepared that morning, while the aging woman napped.

A knock on the door made Freyja pause. Glancing out the window, she estimated that it was just past noon. Her uncle shouldn't be here for another few hours - she had thought he would be doing some trading today. Setting her rag down on the wooden dining table, she hopped over to the door and carefully drew it open.

"Kyra!" she yelled, flinging the door open all the way and pulling her cousin into a hug. "I wasn't expecting you for hours! Come in, come in!"

Smiling reservedly, Kyra returned the hug. "Papa is still out trading, but he said I could come here early." She sniffed. "Ooh, what's for dinner? Can I have some now?"

Freyja laughed, glad to be in her cousin's company again, even if there was a six year age difference between them. "You can't have any of that yet! It won't be ready 'til dinner. But come on, I'm sure we can scrounge up something for you, you little thief."

Kyra followed her into the little cellar in the back but didn't say anything. Well, Freyja thought, maybe she's just tired from her trip. They only have one donkey, and that's a lot of walking to get here from the village.

Freyja set out a couple carrots and some cloudberries for her cousin, while warming up a bit of leftover lamb meat from a previous dinner. Leaving the meat on a warm stone next to the fire, Freyja joined her cousin at the rough wooden table and asked her, "So, how was the trip down? Is everyone in the village still doing well?"

Kyra crunched loudly on a carrot and didn't answer, staring sullenly at the table. Concerned, Freyja asked, "Kyra, are you all right? What's the matter?" Still, Kyra only glared at the table, clenching her fists. Where was the bright and sunny girl Freyja had seen less than two months ago, just after seeding? Well, if she won't answer me… Freyja cast about in her thoughts, trying to come up with something to cheer her… "Hey, Kyra! You'll never guess what happened to me earlier this week! I was in town, selling a few products at the market, and on my way home I took a shortcut between some shops in a narrow alley. These men - or boys, I guess, I think they were about my age - came and ambushed me, and they took the satchel with my earnings, and my necklace - " she touched the gem at her throat - "and were about to get away with it - " she didn't mention what they said they would like to do with her, ten was still much too tender an age for her cousin to hear it - "when suddenly some men in uniforms came chasing after them, and before I knew it, a wall of ice appeared at the end of the alley! Next thing I know, I'm standing before the queen! The queen herself, Kyra! She saved me from a mugging! And her sister - "

"I hate the queen!" Kyra burst out. "I hate her, I hate her, I hate her!" Dropping her head onto her arms, the young girl shook violently, her face reddening with anger as she sobbed.

"Kyra!" Freyja exclaimed, alarmed. "Kyra, dear, what's wrong?" She stood and hastily moved to her cousin's side, crouching and putting a hand on her shoulder.

Kyra hiccuped and coughed loudly, trying to get her sobs under control. Her arms were folded in front of her… and with horror, Freyja saw that two of the fingers on her left hand were almost completely black. She touched the girl's uninjured fingertips. "Kyra…?" she squeaked.

"It was the queen," Kyra answered in a choked voice, her cries finally subsiding. "We were camping… me and Papa and Anabelle… to celebrate the coronation, since we didn't have time to come to Arendelle and see… Then it started snowing. We weren't warm enough, and we were too far from home. By the time Papa decided to start walking back, my fingers were already turning white. He had to carry Anabelle, because she was so cold, and she… she didn't make it." Quietly now, Kyra began to cry again.

Stunned, Freyja wrapped an arm around her, staring straight ahead without seeing anything. No. It couldn't be. Anabelle? An image of the young girl as she'd last seen her came to mind, a happy, carefree child who loved to pick flowers and present them to anyone around. She was a little young for work yet - last Freyja had seen, she had been just shy of her sixth birthday, hadn't she? - but she loved to follow her father around in the fields, pretending. Could she really be… gone? And because of the freak winter?

"I hate the queen," Kyra repeated fiercely. "It's her fault Anabelle died."

Freyja slumped, staring down at the table. She had no answer.

Elsa stared at the portrait of her father, holding the bronze candlestick and blue jar just like she had before her coronation. It was strange to think that she officially held the title of queen for almost three entire weeks - in two more days it would be exactly three weeks. Elsa planned to take Anna to see the travelling performers again, for their final and most garish show. Unlike the last time they had seen the performers, this time, Elsa planned to take a royal procession and have a special stand with the royal colours procured where she and Anna could have the best view of the proceedings. After her years locked up, her natural exuberance and adventurousness forcibly bottled up, the queen thought her sister deserved a little extra special attention and extravagance.

Elsa clunked the objects in her hands roughly onto the table. Before the performance, she had something she had to do. Reaching down, she picked up a leather satchel and set it on the table, rummaging through it once again to make sure it contained everything she needed. She refused to make the same mistake she had made the last time she had gone to the North Mountain. Subsisting on berries and damp leaves that she had uncovered from a layer of snow was not her preferred method of living! Fortunately, cold wouldn't be an issue, and she could make her own clothes, so she could at least travel light in that regard. All she really needed was enough to eat until the following evening.

Satisfied with her pack, Elsa walked briskly downstairs and to a side door of the castle, where Kai had a horse waiting for her. A few guards dressed in plain attire rode around her, and escorted her to the city's edge. Dawn was just breaking as they left her, so although she was wearing a dress made of ice (albeit more grey and less blue than was her preference), there were next to no people around to see her and identify their queen. After a last glance back at her city, the queen turned and trotted briskly into the hills, staying close to the trees where her horse would blend in with the shadows. This was a more roundabout route than running across the fjord - Another perk to my powers, she thought dryly - but she still hoped to made good time. All she had told Kai and Anna was that she was going to retrieve her crown from Marshmallow. Truthfully, though retrieving her crown was a more enjoyable errand than some others, what she really wanted was some space. She hadn't been alone for any meaningful amount of time since before her coronation. There was that, and she wanted to practice with her powers. Alone.

By mid-afternoon the ice palace was in sight. As soon as she approached the bridge, Marshmallow heaved his bulk out of the snow to greet her. "AAH-OO-AUGH!" he called happily, having a limited vocabulary for words other than those of the 'go away' variety.

"Hello, Marshmallow," Elsa called back, unsure what to make of her hastily constructed creation but pleased to see him again all the same. Remembering what crabby Lord Sundri had said at her council meeting, Elsa glanced up to the top of Marshmallow's massive head and, sure enough, there was the crown. "I'm going to need that back," she told him, pointing.

Marshmallow roared and pinched the crown between two fingers, delicately lifting it off his head and gently offering it to Elsa. "Thank you," she said, and he opened his mouth wide in a grin, a giant guard dog faithfully serving its master. Elsa raised the crown to her head, then lowered it and put it in her pack, with she dropped into the unmelted snow. She didn't want to be queen just yet. Instead, she walked to the foot of her icy staircase and rested her bare hands on the rails. Marshmallow hovered near her, fidgeting uncertainly. Sympathetically, Elsa smiled at him. He needed a purpose, when she was around. "Watch my stuff, okay Marshmallow?"

The snow giant grunted agreeably, stomping over to where she had left her satchel and crouching down by it, staring menacingly into the forest. That settled, Elsa began a slow hike up the steps, gazing wonderingly at the ice she had made, the sunlight catching and refracting into beams of gold and white with slivers of rainbows reflected all around.

At the palace itself, she stopped to take it all in. She had lived here, only three weeks ago. Built it with her own hands and her own magic. How strange! How… wonderful. How is it, she wondered, that I never knew what I was capable of? Already, the vast sky and looming behemoth mountains and crystal-clear air were stripping the clutters of life, the worries and fears, from her mind. But I must remember what happened here, she reminded herself. My magic can be dangerous here too. Sadly, she looked at her hands. The gloves would never help her again. After all, the handcuffs had proved futile, once she desperately wanted to use her magic in spite of them. It hurts a bit, Elsa thought, surprised, to know that nothing other than myself can keep the magic in anymore. I have no more props that can help me.

Finally entering the main atrium of her palace, Elsa took a deep breath and at last began to practice, first summoning only flurries of snow, then pieces of furniture made of ice, then finally massive pillars of ice that grew until they nearly struck the ceiling. Not one bit of magic, not one crystal flake, exceeded the bounds she had set for it. Pleased, Elsa decided to turn in for the night. She called out to Marshmallow, who with a giant leap landed beside her at the castle gates. He handed her her satchel, which she gratefully took, the cold meal inside most welcome. Once finished eating, the Snow Queen climbed the lowest tier of the many stairs and entered a room to the right, which had been her sleeping chamber. The bed she had made for herself was a good-sized, rectangular block of ice topped with a metre of snow. Throwing herself upon it, she closed her eyes and fell quickly asleep, as comfortable as if she had been on her down-feather bed back in Arendelle.

Morning dawned bright and cold and clear, and the queen allowed herself a few extra moments in the comfort of sleep before rising. After a quick breakfast, she returned to the main floor of her castle and prepared to practice again. Raising her arms, Elsa willed last night's icy experiments to disappear, and frowned when they didn't. She tried again. Why aren't they going away? Must I always have Anna near me? No, Elsa! Think! She tried to remember the details of the previous times she had successfully made her ice melt. There was the event that had come to be known as the Great Thaw, of course, when she had ended her kingdom's winter. Then there was the other day, when she had created snow in the library and diffused it out of existence. As she pondered her limited successes, Elsa came to a realization.

I have never made anything melt in my life. The snow doesn't just disappear.

Focusing intently on one of the ice-couches, the Snow Queen stretched her hands toward it and flung her arms outward. Just as she'd hoped, the divan splintered, and pieces scattered to the left and right. With her will, Elsa made the pieces even smaller, splintering and fracturing them until they vanished entirely.

Interesting, she thought. If I fracture the ice until it's small enough, it melts on its own. It vanishes into the air.

Later that day, Elsa threw her small pack over her shoulder and trudged down the mountain with Marshmallow. Her horse spooked at the sight of the snowman, so he followed a ways behind. The party had almost made it back to Arendelle, when a familiar figure came crashing through the trees on a reindeer-pulled sled. Pleasantly surprised, Elsa called out, "Krist- "

Without warning, Marshmallow jumped from the trees, landing in front of Elsa. He roared. "GO AWAY! GO AWAY FROM ELSA!" He raised his giant fist, unsheathing his icy claws, and struck at Kristoff with the speed of an avalanche.

The blow never fell. Sven scrambled, Kristoff nearly fell off the sled as it tipped precariously. When they looked up, there was only a large cloud of gently falling snow on an otherwise summery hill.

Behind the cloud was Elsa, standing beside her horse, her face buried in its side. She seemed to be weeping.