"You can run away from yourself so often, and so much, just because the broken pieces of you cut your feet too deeply if you stay around for too long. But then what if someone were to come along and pick up those pieces for you? Then you wouldn't have to run away from yourself anymore. You could stop running. If someone sees you as something worth staying with— maybe you'll stay with yourself, too."

― C. JoyBell C.

"His grief he will not forget; but it will not darken his heart, it will teach him wisdom."
― J.R.R. Tolkien, The Return of the King

There was a knock on Elsa's bedroom door. "Come in."

It was Kristoff. "Lady Elsa, Her Royal Majesty Anna, Queen Regnant of Arendelle requests and requires that you attend her immediately in her bedchamber!" he said in the haughtiest voice he could manage, then performed a sweeping bow that mimicked the snootiest Baroness he could remember seeing around Court.

Elsa giggled. "Seriously, Kristoff? She wants to see me now? It's bedtime."

"Now. She wants you to spend the night. I'm not kidding. Neither is she."

His sister-in-law (LIVE sister-in-law, thanks be to all the gods of whatever pantheon had brought her back to them!) put down the book she was reading and raised an eyebrow quizzically. "And where will YOU be, if I may ask? Threesomes are somewhat frowned upon in polite Arendelle society. Not that they are unknown, mind you – "

"I won't ask how you know that, but you will be in a threesome tonight. Just not with me. You, your sister, and your niece. I'll be in Anna's old room, getting eight glorious uninterrupted hours of sleep!"

Anna and Kristoff shared baby duties. Since he could not nurse the baby, it was his job to get out of bed, get the baby, bring her to Anna for feeding, burp her when she was done, change her diaper, and put her back in her crib. This repeated every two or three hours. Passing that duty to Elsa for one night was more than welcome for that reason alone.

Laughing, Elsa threw back the blankets and got out of bed. There was a dressing gown on the chair next to it; she put it on and followed Kristoff. The dressing gown was probably unnecessary because the Royal Apartments were several rooms joined by doors that allowed going from room to room without using the public hallways.

There was the master bedroom, large and well-appointed. One door led to the nursery, which had a door to a dressing room with all the things a baby would need, but no door to the hallway. Through the nursery was a door to a bedroom intended for a nanny or nursemaid. Elsa had moved into that room the day they had returned to the castle. Her door to the castle hallway was locked from the inside, so she didn't have to worry about uninvited servants barging in. But there was one servant who had her own key ….

When they had returned to the castle from Troll Valley, Elsa had kept her face concealed with the hood, and Anna had simply referred to her as 'the midwife who delivered Kristianna. She'll be staying with us for a while.' Everyone was so excited to see Anna and the new baby that Elsa was able to slip into the castle almost unnoticed. She found her way to the residence wing without encountering anyone.

Of course, once inside the Royal Apartments, she had discovered that Gerda was already there waiting to get Anna and the baby settled. The maidservant had looked up from fussing with the baby's crib, a frown of confusion creasing her face when a hooded stranger came halfway through the door from the master bedroom and stopped abruptly.

After a tense moment, the 'midwife' stepped fully into the nursery and closed the door behind her, then threw back the hood and shyly said, "Gerda?" The voice was one Gerda had thought she would never hear again.

She gasped and covered her mouth with her hands, then whispered, "Elsa?" The tears clouding her vision made it hard to be sure, but then Elsa closed the gap between them and opened her arms to the woman who had taken care of her for those long lonely years.

"I'm so sorry I left you, Gerda. I'm so sorry to have done that to you and Kai. Please forgive me." Elsa was sobbing now. Gerda wrapped her arms around her little girl, the little girl Elsa used to be and hugged her, hugged her tight enough to convince herself that this was real and not a dream.

"Of course, I forgive you, Elsa." Gerda held her at arm's length then, taking in the sight of her. "Oh, milady, you look a sight for these old eyes!" The woman she had taken care of for so many years did indeed look much better than she had the last time before Elsa's disappearance. She wasn't plump by any means, but she had filled out and the dark circles under her eyes were gone. "Thank the gods you're back!"

So Elsa's presence was known to both Kai and Gerda but no one else, and now she followed Kristoff through the interior doors to the master bedroom.

Once there, Elsa took off her robe and laid it neatly on one of the side chairs while Kristoff kissed his wife tenderly. He waved to Elsa with a big grin on his face as he left the room through the door leading to the hallway.

Anna was nestled into a mound of pillows with the baby in her arms. "Glad you could join us," Anna murmured. "Come under the covers, even though it's almost May, cold still bothers me!"

Elsa chuckled and slid into the bed next to her sister. "She's so beautiful," Elsa murmured, letting her fingertips caress the downy soft baby hair on her niece's head. Krissi was cradled against Anna's breasts, done feeding and beginning to doze off, a little milk dribbling onto her chin.

"I do good work, no?" Anna smirked as she kissed Krissi's forehead. "I can't even remember how much it hurt."

Her sister chuckled softly, "I suspect that's part of our nature, to forget the pain, or the human race would have died out after the first generation because no woman would want to go through that again." She continued to caress her niece as she cuddled her sister, the blessed wonder in her heart that she should have all of this, her sister, her family, her life.

"But you could never forget the pain, could you?" Anna was having an insight into Elsa that had never occurred to her before.

"No."

"But why not?"

Elsa thought about it, "Maybe because it was all I had, so I was afraid to let it go. If I let it go, it would mean that nothing that had happened was real. And if none of it was real, what was the point of going on? I wondered, even after we were reunited, if I forgot the pain would it mean that the sacrifices had all been for nothing? I had you back, but if I forgot how it had hurt to be without you, would that mean that what I did wasn't necessary?"

"Well, you're back now, and that's all that matters," Anna assured her sister. Elsa said nothing as she continued to stroke her niece's hair. "Right, Elsa?"

"I'm back, yes, Anna, and I love being here with you and Kristoff and this little one."

The silence dragged out until Anna said, "But? There's a 'but' in there somewhere, isn't there?" She was apprehensive, wondering what Elsa wasn't saying.

"But, I'm not sure I should stay." Elsa cringed a little because she knew that would get a rise out of Anna.

Anna surprised her, though. She remained calm, cooing a little to soothe the sleeping baby. "Okay, I promised you I would always hear you out. You have to have a reason to feel unsure of about staying, and if it is one thing I FINALLY learned it's that you always have really GOOD reasons. So, please, tell me why you feel that way."

"It's going to sound … trite," Elsa murmured.

"I just care about you, so trite or not, tell me," retorted Anna.

"I feel that I don't have a purpose here anymore. You're the Queen, and doing a great job as Queen. I kept getting news about the kingdom the whole year I was hiding, so I know. If I suddenly pop up again, it will take attention away from the real monarch, you." Elsa grimaced and continued, "That's assuming people don't just decide to run me out of Arendelle with torches and pitchforks, of course."

"They wouldn't do that, you should have attended your own funeral to see them grieving. And your purpose is to be my sister, Elsa. I don't care about the kingdom – I care about us. I want you here to watch my children grow up. To help me raise them, to help me be a better Queen," Anna implored. "Isn't that worth doing?"

"Yes, if it wouldn't cause trouble in the kingdom, cause trouble for you," Elsa said. "So … maybe … it would be better all around if I just slipped away, emigrated to America, where no one knows anything about Snow Queens." She lay back on the pillows and sighed. "Pabbie and I had talked about that before Kristoff came and told us you were missing. There are many people going from Scandinavia to America. I could vanish in the crowd."

"But you would be leaving us behind, again!" Anna kept her voice under strict control. She knew that if she cried, she could make Elsa feel guilty enough to drop the idea. But that wouldn't be keeping her promise. They would work this out the way they had said they would, or not at all.

"Yes. And I don't think I could bear that, now that I've experienced of the pain of missing you, again."

"Maybe … " Anna began, unsure of what Elsa would say to this idea, "Maybe you could go back to being Queen, take the throne back from me."

"Anna, I can't. Even if I wanted to, and I don't, I can't."

"Why not?"

"There's no way to undo an abdication. When I signed that decree, that was the end of it; Queen Elsa ceased to exist and there's no way to ever bring her back. Besides I think Arendelle's better for it."

Elsa could see Anna wasn't convinced. "Honey, I threw all that away and have no regrets. You're the Queen, you're a better ruler for Arendelle than I could be after everything that's happened."

She cradled Anna in her arms, Krissi still asleep making little burbling sounds. Elsa thought her heart would burst with the love she felt. She took a deep breath and appreciated the scent of Anna, a little strawberry and chocolate, some sweat, maybe a little spit-up milk and wet diaper. It was sweeter than roses and purer than new-fallen snow. It was life, and it was love, and it reminded Elsa why she was so glad to be back.

Anna let the silence go on for several minutes, then said, "Okay, let's put this aside for now. I made you a promise, and I'll keep it. You keep thinking about it, and we'll talk any time you're ready. But for tonight, let's just be sisters and tell each other silly stories and remember the good times, and – " She was interrupted by Krissi wiggling and making a snorting noise, then producing a rather strong odor.

Elsa giggled and finished, " – and change the baby's diapers! Here, let me." She got out of bed, took the baby to the changing table in the nursery and did what needed doing. When she returned, she placed Krissi in her cradle next to the bed, made sure she was comfortable and asleep, then crawled back under the covers with Anna.

"Elsa?" Anna's voice was sleepy.

"Hmmm?"

"I love you."

"I love you, too, Anna. I'll never give you a reason to doubt that again."

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Life went on around the castle as Anna resumed her normal duties. No one remarked on the existence of the 'midwife' who stayed out of sight most of the time. Although Naismith and Gunnarsson knew of Elsa's return, along with Kai and Gerda, they had all been sworn to keep the secret until … until Anna decided what to do.

Elsa had been firm about not retaking the crown, but Anna was being Anna and wouldn't take no for an answer. Besides she was concerned about Elsa feeling useless – she didn't want to lose her sister a third time. So, She decided that she could give Elsa a job as her right hand and make her the Duchess of Something or Other. She explained the plan to Kristoff one night as they lay in bed and asked, "Don't you think that would be a great idea? I could surprise her –"

"No." Even muffled by his pillow Kristoff's opinion was clear.

"What do you mean, 'No'?" Anna demanded.

Kristoff burrowed deeper into his share of the comforter. "Surprising her with something like this is the worst idea you've had since you dragged me to the North Mountain."

"Yeah but that worked out pretty well, didn't it?"

"Eventually. And remember all the trouble we got into before it did? You DIED, Anna. I'm not suggesting anything like that will happen again, but I am telling you that this is NOT the sort of surprise you spring on an unsuspecting victim."

She pouted. "I'm the Queen now. I can do this."

"Yes, you can. And no one can stop you. I'm just telling you it's a really bad idea. You need to talk to her about this. You have no idea if she would even agree to it. You already know she doesn't want to be the Queen again. What makes you think she would accept this?"

When he got no further answer from Anna, he rolled over and tried to sleep. He knew she had to come to grips with this on her own.

Anna mulled her idea over for a few days, then decided to seek another opinion. She summoned Chief Justice of the Courts Signe Kirstensdatter to her office for a meeting at Signe's earliest convenience. Since Anna was the Queen, Kirstensdatter's earliest convenience was as quick as she could get to the castle.

After ringing for tea and cookies and getting Signe settled into a comfortable chair, Anna swore her to secrecy and then revealed that Elsa was alive and in fact living in the castle but staying out of sight. Kirstensdatter took the news with equanimity and carefully poured herself a cup of tea. Anna then laid out the idea of ennobling Elsa and making her the Queen's most senior adviser. "I need you to tell me if this is legal."

"Yes, it is legal. This is within your power as Queen. Arendelle is an absolute monarchy, Your Majesty. There is no check on your power once you became Queen Regnant, short of a coup d'état."

"Then why couldn't I make Elsa Queen again, instead of just a Duchess or something?" Anna tried not to grimace at her overflowing in-basket.

"That … is somewhat of a paradox. Your sister abdicated. There is no going back from that."

"Could I make her my heir? And then I abdicate?"

"For one thing, you already have an heir; your daughter. Are you willing to steal her birthright? To give it to someone who has thrown away her crown? Twice?"

"Okay, but I still want Elsa to be my … I don't know what to call it, maybe, assistant queen."

"You can call it whatever you like, although 'assistant queen' doesn't have the right … gravitas."

"Okay, then. And I can make her a Duchess of Arendelle?"

"As absolute monarch, you can bestow whatever noble titles and lands suits your fancy."

"Great. She'll be so surprised." Anna now had the confidence that she could do something to make Elsa feel needed.

"Wait. You haven't discussed this with her?" Kirstensdatter almost spilled her tea.

"No, I wanted to surprise her."

"Your Majesty, forgive my presumption, but that is a terrible idea."

"Now you sound like my husband."

"Then I have to say You should have listened to him. This is not something you want to surprise Lady Elsa with."

"But … but why not?" Anna put down her tea cup and placed her hands flat on her desktop. She had hoped Signe would agree with her, not Kristoff.

"For one thing, it's not a gift, it's a burden. In effect, you are asking her to again take up a responsibility that she thought she had set down. That's most certainly not something to surprise her with. She abdicated for a reason, Your Majesty. I don't know what that reason or reasons might be, but my observations of her before she … left … would suggest that she did not do it lightly or frivolously."

"I don't understand why you think this is a bad idea." Anna slumped back in her chair and crossed her arms.

"Again, you must forgive my presumption. It's the surprise that's the bad idea, not necessarily the title or the job you want to give her. I was not privy to your lives before your sister's coronation. However, after the events of the Great Winter and subsequent Thaw, the entire kingdom became aware of what had happened to you both. Your sister spent 13 years trying to protect you and this kingdom from a magical power that she had good reason to believe was dangerous.

After your act of true love saved you, her and all of the rest of us, she settled into her reign and seemed to be recovering from her isolation quite well. Then Weselton attacked us, and she put herself into physical peril again for you and for the kingdom, and was badly hurt in the process.

She had to deal with the diplomatic fallout from that attack and her retaliation against that hideous little man. Then you both exposed and disrupted a plot to overthrow the monarchy and plunge this kingdom into revolutionary chaos. While doing so she was forced to kill the man who was holding you hostage. It was clearly justified as she was acting to save the life of another. But killing him was probably the last straw. She could no longer deal with the strain. It broke her.

Furthermore, because she had observed how well you performed as her regent, she knew that she was not abandoning the kingdom to suffer under an incompetent ruler. Perhaps she felt that you were a better choice for Queen than she was. It gave her the freedom to walk away from a role she could no longer handle and to do so without the guilt of abandoning her duty. We can argue endlessly whether she chose the right way to go about it, but she did it – she left.

And when that evil Prince from the Southern Isles came back and tried to kill you and your baby, she sacrificed herself one more time to save you, even though it meant that her ruse would be revealed. It is my understanding that she was willing to die if that was necessary, and it was only luck that she did not, is that true?"

"Yes, that's true," admitted Anna.

"So … chains of silk are no less binding just because they do not rust, Your Majesty. Are you really sure you want to surprise your sister with chains when she thought she was free of them? Do you love her so little that you wouldn't allow her a choice in taking on this role? "

"NO, I love her more than anything … I want her to be happy, I want everyone to know how much I love her."

"Then I suggest that trying to force her into doing this would make you happy, not her. Although I suspect she would do it out of love for you no matter her own feelings about the burden."

For several minutes the only sound in the office was the quiet 'clink' of tea cup being set on a saucer and the muted cries of the gulls over the fjord.

"What should I do?" Anna finally spoke.

"Why, ask her to be your strong right hand, Your Majesty."

"Wait, what? You just said she'd do it because I asked it of her. How is this different?" Anna was confused now.

"IF you offer this to her with no strings or conditions attached, IF you make it clear to her that this is something for her only if SHE wants it, and she accepts it willingly, then it will be worthy of her. Let me put this in terms very close to your own heart: when you married Prince Kristoff, did you feel it was a burden or a hardship? Did you feel you were entering into servitude?"

"NO, I love Kristoff, I wanted to marry him and he wanted me."

"Just so. You both entered into a contract as willing, consensual participants. As partners. That is what you must let your sister do. You want her as a partner; but she must be willing. You cannot order her to do this as her Queen. You must offer it to her as a sister. And, most importantly, you must be willing to accept 'no' as her answer, and convince her that you mean it, or you are not really offering her a free choice."

Signe finished her tea, ate one last cookie, then rose to bow to her Queen and take her leave.

Anna was so distracted by the thoughts whirling in her head she barely waved at Signe to give her permission to go. It was long after the sunset had faded in the sky that Anna stuffed the last cookie in her mouth and went looking for Kristoff to go down to dinner.

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That evening after dinner, Anna fed Krissi then turned her over to Kristoff and went to find Elsa. Her sister was in the library in front of a cozy fire, curled up on the couch reading a book. She glanced up when Anna entered the room and could tell that the book would have to wait. Elsa sat up, put the it on the side table and said, "You have that 'we need to talk' look on your face, Anna."

Anna sat down next to Elsa and said, "Yes, we do. But before I start, I want to make something clear, Elsa. I love you, no matter what. That will never change. I've got a proposition for you, but you need to understand that it's only going to happen if YOU want it. If you don't think my idea works for you, that's the end of it."

She took Elsa's hand in her own and explained what she wanted to do – give Elsa a title and a job as assistant queen, "– or whatever, Elsa, the title doesn't matter, it's the job of helping me run the kingdom and do the best job for Arendelle that I can. I know the title doesn't matter to you, but it's a way for me to tell the whole world how special you are."

Elsa had listened quietly to Anna's proposal and sat thinking about it once her sister had finished. She noticed that Anna didn't press, just waited patiently for Elsa to react. That was … new, and very not Anna-like.

Finally Elsa said, "Anna, one of the reasons I left was because other kingdoms saw us as a threat. They saw ME as a threat. The diplomatic problems were multiplying faster than we could get a handle on them. That pretty much faded away when you became Queen. If I come back as your Prime Minister or Chancellor or whatever we call it … I need to be sure that hostility doesn't become a problem again. I'm going to think this over very carefully, but would you mind if I discuss the diplomatic issues with Admiral Naismith?"

"No, Elsa. Go ahead. Take all the time you need. I meant it when I said I wasn't going to push you on this."

"It makes sense, it might work but I've been free of the responsibility of ruling a kingdom for a year now. It's hard to think of going back under the yoke."

"Elsa, I love you, no matter what your decision. This is your home, and always will be, and you'll have a place here until the day that I die and even afterwards; if you're as good a babysitter as you are an Ice Queen I'm sure Krissi will keep you on. Please believe me when I say that."

"I do, Anna, I do." She rose to leave. "I just need a little time to think about it."

"Take all the time you need, Elsa. I meant that. This is your choice and I'll accept whatever you decide is the right thing for you." Anna stood and took Elsa in a hug. "I'll wait patiently however long it takes."

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It was the next afternoon before Elsa could consult with the Admiral – a morning Royal Council meeting was scheduled and ran through a working lunch. When he finally made it to the small office he maintained in the castle, Elsa was already there, standing by the windows and looking out over the fjord. Naismith was alone, so he closed the door behind him and greeted Elsa.

"Milady, may I say how good it is to have you back? And how well you look? Your … absence was felt most profoundly." Naismith bowed, then gestured for Elsa to sit. He held the chair for her, then took his place behind his desk and continued, "How may I help you?"

Elsa explained Anna's idea quickly and succinctly. She then came to the key to her dilemma. "The reason I am seeking your advice, Admiral, is out of concern that my return in any official capacity in the governance of Arendelle would simply take us back to the diplomatic problems of a year ago. Do you think that is what would happen?"

Admiral Naismith fell into the pose that indicated that he was analyzing a problem carefully – he sat back in his chair, steepled his fingers and stared off at the ceiling with unfocused eyes. Elsa waited patiently – she had seen him in this pose many times.

Finally he sat forward again and addressed her. "No. No, I think that you taking on the role you describe would actually be beneficial to the kingdom."

Elsa was surprised. "Why is that, Admiral?"

"Lady Elsa, the problem when you were queen is that you were too powerful. As Queen, there was no check on your power within the kingdom, short of a violent overthrow of your regime. As we saw with the Duke of Weselton, even a corrupt, despotic ruler will be tolerated for a long time before their people are disgusted enough to take that step. You were not such a ruler. Arendelle has thrived under your family for many years.

However, when we add in your magic, a powerful magic that can devastate entire nations with almost trivial ease, our neighbors grew concerned. Your people were loyal and would follow you into battle willingly. Should you prove to be a power mad warlord, eager to expand your empire, your forces would be close to unstoppable."

"I am mortal, Admiral, I can be killed," Elsa's protest was vehement.

"Yes, but not easily, if you were indeed to embark on a campaign of conquest. You would be protected by conventional means while your magic did most of the destruction. So, in effect, you had unlimited power at your disposal to do whatever you wanted to do. That is a threatening scenario for our neighbors and even the Great Powers of Europe."

"So what would be different now?" Elsa still wasn't comfortable with his scenario.

"You would be subject to your sovereign Queen. If you were power-mad, bent on subjugating other realms, you would never have abdicated in the first place. As your sister's right hand, the powerful mage has no legitimate role in Arendelle policy except that which Queen Anna gives you. Without the Snow Queen Elsa as all-powerful ruler, Arendelle remains a small kingdom, no threat to anyone. This creates a balance of power that is far easier to present to our neighbors as benign to them, and in fact makes more credible our claims that your magic is only for defensive use."

Naismith waited for Elsa to absorb what he had told her. They had worked well together when she was Queen, he was familiar with how she processed information and made decisions.

Finally, she looked at him and smiled. "Admiral, thank you for your counsel. Your analysis touches on exactly those points that trouble me the most and will help me come to a decision before Anna goes mad trying to be 'patient' with her dithering older sister." She rose to leave and he rose as well.

"Milady, I am glad to be of service, to Arendelle, and to you. It is good to have you back."

She nodded her thanks and left.

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Elsa walked the ramparts of the castle and looked out over the fjord. She was considering the proposal Anna had presented to her and Naismith's analysis of the diplomatic implications.

Maybe the Admiral had the right of it; balance was the key. As Queen of a small kingdom she was no threat except to her own people. As SNOW QUEEN of a small kingdom, with a Navy to protect her while she conquered with her magic, she could take over the world.

"Oh, Papa, if only we could have figured this out fifteen years ago. Somehow, we should have realized that my powers weren't a curse, but they weren't something a Queen should have, either. Anna should have been named heir, then."

But they were who they were because of everything that had happened since that night, the night her magic betrayed her and hurt Anna, the night their destiny was set on the path to this night. Who could know what would have happened if her father had chosen another alternative for his children?

Would Anna be the same person? Would Elsa? Would their love have managed to survive? Anna could have become fearful and distrustful of a sister with magic powers who might seek to take back what she could consider her birthright. Elsa could have become resentful and jealous of a younger sibling taking a crown that should have been hers. With her magic, that could have played out like the worst tragedy in Shakespeare or Greek mythology.

No, for all the blood and pain it had cost them, their lives were the result of all the decisions made along the path that led to now. Good, bad, large or small, the choices we make define us. Elsa was who she was because of her parents' choices, Anna's choices, and finally and always, her own.

"I am Elsa, daughter of Agdar and Idunn, sister to Anna. And I am the Snow Queen," her thoughts echoed the jibe she had thrown in Hans' face as she killed him like the rabid dog he was. Now she amended those words. "I am Elsa. And I am my sister's strong right hand, and will serve as her liege until death takes me or the world ends."

That felt right. She was at peace with it. She turned to go down to the library and tell Anna her decision.

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"Books ought to have good endings. How would this do: and they all settled down and lived together happily ever after?"
― J.R.R. Tolkien, The Fellowship of the Ring

The courtyard was packed, more packed than the day Anna had been acclaimed as Queen, if that were even possible. The crowd spilled out across the causeway and into the marketplace again. The Royal Family stood on the portico, Queen Anna and Prince Consort Kristoff and the baby and Elsa. It was Elsa's first public appearance since her return.

Everyone knew she was back, of course. The story of Anna's disappearance and rescue from the erstwhile Prince Hans of the Southern aisles had spread through word of mouth and in the official account Anna had published in the Arendelle newspaper. The story had glossed over just where Elsa had been and what she had been doing for the last year. Little details like why she had felt the need to abdicate and fake her own death had been brushed off in the more engaging story of Anna's peril at the revenge plot Hans had put together. And if the tale of how Elsa had helped Kristoff rescue Anna to bring the Queen back to Arendelle was a little vague? What did it matter, the kingdom had its Queen back safe and sound, a new heir to the throne, and Elsa to boot.

"– and so, People of Arendelle, my sister has returned to us, to me, and I will be receiving her oath of fealty as she accepts the role of High Chancellor of Arendelle. As Chancellor, she will be at my side to provide counsel and guidance and also serve as a member of the Royal Advisory Council." Anna took a few steps to sit in the throne set up on the portico. Kristoff took his place at the right of the throne. A small pillow was placed at Anna's feet, and one of the guardsmen stepped up to lay a large sword across Anna's lap, which she held carefully. "Wouldn't do to drop it and cut off a limb, Anna. Or poke Elsa in the eye!" Anna suppressed the urge to bite her tongue in concentration while struggling to keep the sword firmly in her lap.

Elsa stepped forward to kneel in front of her sister, her Queen, and placed her left hand on the hilt of the sword and spoke the words of the ancient Oath of Fealty that had been part of Arendelle's heritage since their distant ancestors had found the spit of land where the castle now stood.

"Here do I swear fealty and service to Arendelle, and to the Queen of the realm, to speak and to be silent, to act and to let be, to come and to go, in scarcity or prosperity, in peace or war, in living or dying, from this hour henceforth, until my Queen release me, or death take me, or the world end. So say I, Elsa of Arendelle, daughter of Agdar and Idunn." Her voice was clear and strong and could be heard throughout the courtyard. She looked up into the eyes of her sister and saw the love within her own heart reflected there. Anna's eyes were bright with tears of joy, and Elsa felt tears running down her own cheeks.

Anna 's voice was choked with emotion as she began, but it rose until it was as bright and clear as Elsa's, "And I, Anna, daughter of Agdar and Idunn, High Queen of Arendelle, do hear and will never forget, nor fail to return that which is given: fealty with love, valor with honor, oath-breaking with vengeance."

Anna gestured and the guardsman stepped forward and took the sword carefully from the Queen. Free of the encumbrance, Anna stood and helped Elsa to her feet and hugged her, hard enough to squeeze the breath from her sister. The hug wasn't part of the protocol, but no one was going to argue with her about it, certainly not Elsa.

The Queen released her sister from the embrace, then pulled her a few steps forward, keeping her arm entwined with Elsa's. Her voice rang out to proclaim, "People of Arendelle, I would bestow a title upon my sister worthy of her service to Arendelle and to me. Therefore, I declare her to be Her Grace, Elsa, Duchess of Nordfjell, Chancellor of Arendelle!" The crowd in the courtyard erupted in cheers that echoed off the mountains surrounding the fjord and the castle.

Elsa let the roaring adulation of the crowd wash over her; she could feel it, like hot August sunshine on her face and it made everything seem right again. She clung to Anna on one side and Kristoff had stepped up on the other side, close enough for her to hear the deep rumble of laughter in his chest.

"Psst, Elsa?" She could hardly hear him over the roar of the crowd chanting her name over and over again. "Remember when you and Anna told me about how the Romans used to have some slave whisper 'thou art mortal, Caesar', so the emperors wouldn't get too puffed up about themselves during their triumphal parades?"

"Yes?" That seemed an odd although appropriate allusion for him to make – that conversation had taken place a year and a half ago.

"I just wanted to remind you that it's Auntie Elsa's turn for diaper duty tonight. Anna and I have … other plans." He grinned and waved at the crowd with the hand that wasn't cradling Crown Princess Kristianna Elsa Idun, heir to the Crocus Throne of Arendelle. Who had spit up all over the shoulder of his dress tunic while sleeping through all the fuss.

"Big plans. Plans involving strawberries and chocolate. And whipped cream." Anna smirked as she elbowed her sister. "So don't be late, your Queen commands it!"

Elsa couldn't stop the laugh that bubbled up. She had earned her happy ending after all.

" – the reign of Queen Anna I began with a mystery as her elder sister, Elsa, popularly known as The Snow Queen, disappeared after leaving a Decree of Abdication behind. Evidence led Queen Anna and all her advisers to believe that Queen Elsa was dead.

:

Of course, the mystery of the REAPPEARANCE of the Snow Queen was never explained in detail, even after Queen Anna bestowed the title of Duchess of Nordfjell and Protector of the Realm on Dame Elsa. It is documented that she served well as High Chancellor of Arendelle until Queen Anna turned over the kingdom to Crown Princess Kristianna after a 35 year reign.

The Queen, Prince Consort Kristoff and Dame Elsa then retired to a quiet life of study and travel, confident that Queen Kristianna had been well-tutored in statecraft by her mother and her aunt.

After the death of ..."

Froiland, Nils. History of Arendelle, 1800-1899. Arendelle: Royal University Press, 1907.

~FIN~

"And so it was, and so it ever shall be."
― Greg Farshtey, Legends of Metru Nui

"Endings to be useful must be inconclusive."
― Samuel R. Delany

"An end is only a beginning in disguise."
― Craig D. Lounsbrough, An Intimate Collision: Encounters with Life and Jesus

Author's Notes:

Well, after a three story arc that has produced more than 165,000 words, we have finally come to Elsa's happy ending. Whew! The trilogy that shall be known as "The Worthy Queen of Greatness Trilogy" is now a wrap.

Why those quotes after we are all finished? Well, the story of the Two Sisters of Arendelle will go on, in some way or fashion. My muse is a fickle one – she'll go to sleep for months, then wake up, slap my head and scream, "WRITE!"

One story that was alluded to several times was: what if Elsa emigrated to America? I'm actually going to write that story, because a lot of Norwegians and other Scandinavians wound up close to where I grew up and I can tap the local Historical Society for color background.

Other than that, we'll see.

All gratitude and blessings upon my beta reader and good friend, stillslightlynerdy. It's been more than two years since we started picking at each other's prose, and I know mine is the better for her suggestions. Thank you! (If you haven't read her stories, you are missing out on some good story telling. If you read it, leave her reviews begging for more; that's my nagging mission in the new year – get more stillslightlynerdy stories on the site.)

And recently I picked up another helper, jedijae, who will kick around story ideas and give me a thumbs up or down on plot points. She is also a Frozen author, and her modern AU's are some of the few I've seen where Elsa and Anna are absolutely in character, not cardboard cutouts running around at Starbuck's. I love them! You will, too! Go, read! Her current work in progress is a modern AU with Anna as a paratrooper. A perfect fit.

Last but never least, go to my tumblr and find the post with the notification for this chapter. I commissioned comickergirl to do one last picture for me, and it was the perfect expression of the happy ending depicted here. Grrlgeek72 dot tumblr dot com is my blog, and I tag my stories 'grrlgeek's fanfiction. Search on "Anna's Reign"

Til next time. Since today is December 22, 2016, I wish all my readers and followers greetings and blessings for the holiday season and the new year.