Author's Note/Warning: This will be an eventual Elsanna (Elsa/Anna) fic. If you have a problem with reading a story wherein the sisters are romantically together (incest) then I suggest you do not read this. To everyone else, do enjoy.

Disclaimer: I do not own Frozen in any way, shape, or form; and are only borrowing the characters for this work of fiction. All rights belong to their respective owners and I gain no profit in writing this story.

The Promise

Chapter I: The Separation

The night is silent. Nothing is heard throughout Arendelle except for the whistling of the wind and the lapping of gentle waves from the fjord. The northern lights dance across the night sky, drawing a princess from her slumber.

The princess, a five-year old child with strawberry blonde hair and a cutely freckled face, slides off her bed. Peering out a massive window, she smiles as she sees the beautiful spectacle of colours splashing across the heavens. She hurriedly scurries to the bed across from her own and looks at her sleeping older sister, an eight year old girl with platinum blonde hair.

"Elsa! Psst! Elsa!" The younger royal whispers to her slumbering sister, yet Elsa doesn't stir from her sleep. The smaller child huffs and climbs the bed, bouncing lightly as she exclaims, "Elsa, wake up! Wake up! Wake up, Elsa!"

"Anna," Elsa grumbles, "go back to sleep."

The strawberry blonde climbs on top of her sister, resting all of her weight on the other as if Elsa is just a mattress.

"I just can't." Anna dramatically says. She raises one of her arms to cover her face and continues to say, "The sky is awake, so I'm awake, so we have to play."

Elsa shoves her sister off herself and turns away to her side, trying to get back to sleep. "Go play by yourself."

Anna lands, rather ungracefully, on the floor and pouts. Then a rather mischievous thought runs through her mind. She quickly hops up the platinum blonde's bed again but instead of climbing on top of her sister, she lifts one of Elsa's eyelids.

"Do you want to build a snowman?" Anna says grinning at her sister. The older girl's eyes pop open and she smiles at the young princess.

Anna happily puts on her snow boots while Elsa wears her slippers. After that, the strawberry blonde pulls her sister out of their room.

They run across the halls, trying to be as silent as they can but failing miserably because of Anna's excitement.

"Come on. Come on. Come on." the younger princess says as she continues to pull her sister down the stairs.

"Shhh, Anna." Elsa shushes her sibling. "We don't want to wake anyone."

Anna just grins at her sister, making Elsa shake her head but a smile paints her face all the same.

They reach the ballroom, both going in and shutting the doors. They go to the center of the room, looking at each other with smiles on their faces.

"Do the magic! Do the magic!" Anna excitedly says, jumping up and down.

Elsa laughs at her sister's excitement but holds her hands out. Snowflakes magically appear from her fingertips, slowly forming into a snowball. She throws the snowball up into the air and it suddenly bursts. Making snow rain down from the ceiling, covering the entirety of the ballroom in a white blanket.

Anna spins around, trying to catch as much snow with her hands and mouth. "This is amazing!" she says as she looks at her older sibling, laughing giddily.

Elsa laughs back while saying, "Watch this!" She stomps her foot and ice creeps across the floor, making an improvised ice rink. Anna slides across the icy floor becoming even more excited than before.

The sisters play with the snow, gliding around the room without a care in the world. Making snow angels and sliding across snow banks, falling into the fluffy sheets of snow now covering the room.

The platinum blonde princess starts rolling around a ball of snow while the other royal rolls one of her own. Elsa's snowball doesn't turn out like a ball at all, instead it becomes a rather crooked rectangular block of snow trying to tell itself that it's round.

Anna's piece doesn't turn out so great either. Although the little girl made a ball from the snow, it is mashed together turning it slightly oval in shape. It doesn't stop the two princesses from making their snowman though.

When Elsa's done, Anna puts her smaller piece on top of her older sister's. They both start making the head of their snowman with the strawberry haired princess making funny faces for her sibling to copy.

Together they make the dorkiest looking head for a snowman ever. The snowman ends up with buck teeth and a silly grin.

When it's finished, Anna looks at it but something is still missing. She runs out to the balcony doors, almost slipping along the icy floor but escaping disaster when she finds her balance. The giddy child opens the doors and searches around the balcony, looking for something.

"Anna?" Elsa asks curiously. Before she can follow her sister, the younger girl returns with two long twigs, three short ones, and five stones in her hands.

Anna hurriedly goes back to their snowman and puts the longer twigs on its sides, making them the snowman's arms. She tries to put the rest of the twigs on its head but finds, to her annoyance, that she cannot reach it. Puffing her face, she turns to Elsa.

The older girl laughs at the ridiculous face her sister is making but reaches out and takes the smaller pieces of twigs from her sibling. The platinum haired princess places them on the head of their snowman thus making it seem to have hair.

Anna smiles at this and then puts two stones on the snowman's face for eyes and the rest on its torso as if they were buttons on a person's clothes.

"Wait!" Elsa suddenly exclaims. The smaller child jumps from the sudden outburst while her sister bolts up and runs out of the ballroom door.

The strawberry blonde looks at the open door with worry. She knows that her big sister won't leave her alone but that doesn't change how she's now in a very large room with no one there with her.

Before she scares herself more with thoughts of demons lurking in the shadows, the platinum haired princess comes back with her hands behind her back and a grin on her face. Anna looks curiously at her sibling and is about to question her when Elsa shows her a carrot.

"For his nose!" Elsa says as she puts the carrot on the snowman's face. Anna sits back and looks at their finished snowman, nodding to herself as if giving her approval to their creation.

Elsa smiles and slides towards the snowman's back, grasping the twigs and wiggling it around.

"Hi, I'm Olaf and I like warm hugs!" She says mimicking a goofy voice.

Anna squeals, hurriedly hugging the snowman. "I love you, Olaf!"

The siblings laugh at their silliness and fall back on the snow, both looking at the ceiling and enjoying their time together.

Anna looks at her side and sees Elsa still giggling lightly. She can't help the smile creeping upon her freckled face at the sight of her older sister like this, happy and free.

She knows Elsa can't always be like this. Papa and mama are always telling her big sister that she needs to be careful, always telling her to be responsible. Her sister is going to be the queen someday and she needs to do this and that.

Anna can't help but feel that their parents want Elsa to grow up right away sometimes, to not enjoy being a kid.

Or maybe they have a different reason. Maybe papa and mama are scared of her sister's powers, that explains why they always forbid Elsa from using them.

The strawberry haired girl knows that their parents love them both very much but there are those rare moments when Anna notices the horrified look on papa's face when Elsa's magic acts up or the disapproving stare mama has when her older sister freezes their tutors' teeth.

She isn't scared of her sister's powers though. On the contrary, the young princess thinks that it's very beautiful and not just because she can have her own personal winter wonderland in the ballroom just by asking Elsa.

The little girl believes that Elsa is Elsa, with or without powers. It doesn't really matter for Anna especially since she loves her sister very much. And Elsa loves her too.

The strawberry blonde believes her sister won't ever hurt her. She trusts Elsa with all her heart. And she knows that her sister trusts her as well.

But sometimes, her platinum haired sister just shuts her out. Especially on days when papa talks to Elsa about her magic, or about hiding those said magic over ice and snow.

It makes her very sad when those days come. Her big sister just sits quietly in their shared room, afraid to talk to Anna, even more so to touch her.

That's why the younger royal always pesters her older sister to play so they can spend time together. Anna will always try to cheer Elsa up no matter what.

Even for just a little while, the smaller princess wants her sibling to forget what papa said about not feeling and concealing Elsa's powers. Or forget about the tutors that always tell her and her big sister what a princess should be, Anna just shrugs them off anyway.

The two of them know better after all. When Elsa's queen, Anna will tell everyone about the magic things her sister can do. They'll take care of their people, and everyone will be happy.

That's all Anna wants, for everyone to be happy. Especially Elsa.

That thought brings an even bigger smile to the strawberry haired princess' face. And as if sensing Anna is staring at her, Elsa looks at her side, seeing the magnificent smile upon her little sister's face.

The platinum blonde feels warmth upon her chest. The concept of warmth is foreign to her because of her powers but that doesn't stop the warmth she's feeling from exploding across her body.

Elsa grins back at Anna, and is about to say something when her younger sister beats her to it.

"Elsa..." Anna whispers shyly, still staring at her big sister.

Elsa is taken aback by her sibling's tone. Anna is always excited and giddy, like a little ball of energy waiting to be let out. She is never shy, especially with Elsa.

The older princess doesn't know what's on her sister's mind but she moves closer to Anna, trying to comfort her by diminishing the space between them. She reaches out to hold the smaller royal's hand.

Smiling encouragingly, Elsa asks, "What is it, Anna?"

The strawberry blonde pulls the other girl closer through their clasped hands. She takes Elsa's other hand with her free one as well. The younger princess then looks at her sister seriously.

The platinum blonde can't help but gasp lightly at the emotions swirling around her sister's eyes.

Elsa thinks that Anna's eyes have always been beautiful. She believes every bit of Anna is beautiful, from her freckles to her strawberry blonde hair but her eyes are so much more.

Anna's eyes are one of the clearest blue Elsa has ever seen. It is electric, always full of life and there's a brightness to them that she can't help but be drawn to. If she is to pick a part of Anna that she loves best, it will always be her sister's eyes.

And those very same eyes that Elsa adores so much are looking at her as if she is the most important person in the world.

The older girl looks back at her sister with the same intensity that is being reflected in her sibling's eyes.

"We'll be together forever, right?" Anna asks her.

The strawberry haired girl doesn't want this to end. Not just this night but this feeling. This feeling of happiness that surrounds her when she's with Elsa. Anna can't explain it, she's just a child after all, but it just feels right for her.

It feels right to just be with Elsa.

The older princess pulls their intertwined hands up and lightly place kisses on her sibling's hands. "Of course, Anna. We'll always be together."

Anna shakes her head and Elsa looks at her with worry. "Why, Anna? You don't believe me?" The platinum haired girl asks with a slight tinge of hurt in her tone, slowly pulling away from her younger sister.

"It's not that, Elsa!" Anna hurriedly says and pulls her sibling into a hug. She wraps her arms around her big sister as far as she can reach, pulling Elsa closer to herself, burying her face on her older sister's shoulder.

"I just want you to promise..." Anna mumbles meekly.

The platinum blonde releases the breath she is holding, feeling the fear from thinking Anna doesn't believe her melt away from her heart. She chuckles lightly and tightly hugs Anna back.

The older girl pulls back a little and raises her hands to lightly touch the other princess' cheeks. Elsa stares at her sister's eyes, her own icy blue ones shining with the same emotions that her younger sibling had a few moments ago.

"I promise, Anna. We'll always be together. No matter what happens, we'll be together." Elsa says as sincerely as she can.

The smaller girl bites her lower lip and shyly raises her hand, closing her fingers into a fist with her pinky outstretched. "Pinky promise?"

Elsa smiles at her sister's adorableness and nods her head. She clasps Anna's extended pinky with her own.

"Pinky promise." The older girl replies resolutely.

Anna responds with a smile that lights up the room and hugs her sister tightly again. Elsa can't help but think that she'll go to the ends of the earth just so Anna will always smile like that.

Hugging her little sibling back, the older girl then pulls away a bit after giving her sister a squeeze, and smiles at her.

"In fact," Elsa says bringing her hands in front of their faces. "Let's try this."

Her face scrunches a bit from concentration but Anna doesn't notice this, too entranced with the ice and snow that is suddenly dancing between her big sister's fingers.

Elsa closes her hands together and a bright light envelops them. When the light subsides, she opens up her hands and there a snowflake lies with the words 'Elsa and Anna' engraved in the middle.

The snowflake is made of a thin sheet of ice but there is something more to it. It looks exquisite, like it is carved from more than frozen water, as if it is made by the heavens themselves.

It isn't big at all. It fits perfectly upon Elsa's outstretched palm enough that she can clutch unto it if she wants without hurting herself. But it isn't small either that you can't see the intricate details swirling around it.

But more than that, it looks like magic itself is infused in it, like a piece of Elsa is in the snowflake.

Anna's eyes widen in surprise and amazement. She knows that her sister has incredible powers but she doesn't know the older girl can do this.

"This will be a reminder of that promise." Elsa continues. "No matter where you are, Anna, as long as you have this, I'll always be with you."

Elsa slowly offers the snowflake to Anna, the younger girl was about to reach in and take it but she retracts her hand.

"What if it melts?" The strawberry haired princess asks with a slight pout on her face.

The older girl laughs lightly and places the snowflake in Anna's hand. "It won't." Elsa says determinedly, "It's a symbol of our promise, Anna. If it melts then it means that I'm breaking our promise and I won't ever let that happen."

Anna is shocked to hear that. She just wants her older sibling promising that she will never leave her alone but this, making something for her, it means so much more to the younger girl.

Anna looks down at the snowflake in her hand, normal snowflakes will start melting by now but true to Elsa's word, it's still in one piece.

An unmelting snowflake.

"See? I told you it won't melt!" The older royal says with pride in her voice. She isn't entirely sure that it will work, making an unmelting snowflake that is.

But she just badly wants to prove to Anna that she means to keep this promise no matter what. And making a snowflake is the first thing that came to her mind.

Not knowing if she'll succeed or not, Elsa just goes ahead with her plan and she makes it happen. She does hope the snowflake doesn't really melt though.

It'll be a shame if it melts when it comes in contact with too much heat. Her younger sister will be so disappointed in her that's why she focused so hard in making the snowflake, trying her hardest to fashion it like the one her mind has thought of.

Anna's heart swells with love. She looks up at her big sister and whispers, "Thank you, Elsa. I love it so much."

Elsa smiles back at her. Feeling that warmth enveloping her whole being again.

The older girl feels a bit drained now though, although she can still feel the warmth that Anna always seems to bring out of her.

Making something as special as an unmelting snowflake with her personalizing it with their names engraved on it took more of her energy than she thought. And a lot of concentration to boot but Elsa doesn't mind.

She doesn't mind at all if Anna will always look at her like she does now - with awe, wonder, pride, and love wrapped up together in the sparkling blue gems that are Anna's eyes.

The younger girl clasps the snowflake in her palms and brings it to her chest. Anna promises herself there and then to always treasure this gift that Elsa has given her.

This is the embodiment of their promise and she will not let anything ever happen to it.

"I love you, Elsa." Anna says as she kisses her sister's cheek.

Elsa blushes lightly as she whispers, "I love you too, Anna."

They smile at each other, just basking at the feeling of being together. Letting the love they feel for one another wrap around them like a blanket of comfort and warmth, as Anna continues to clutch at the snowflake in her hands.

Their peaceful moment shatters when they hear a deep chuckle from out of nowhere. The siblings sit up startled and search for the source of the eery sound.

Leaning against the open balcony doors is a man. He has unruly chestnut-brown hair and a malicious gleam to his mercurial eyes.

"Well, well, well." The man says walking towards the princesses. "What do we have here?"

As he gets nearer, his features can be seen more clearly. He has a ragged scar on his left cheek, shaped like the letter 'X' which looks to have been burned permanently against his skin. He is wearing a captain's uniform with the insignia of Weselton that Elsa recognizes because of all those lessons with their tutors.

The sisters hurriedly scramble off the snowy floor and back away from the approaching stranger. Olaf stands forgotten where they made him not but moments ago.

Anna holds the snowflake more fiercely with her left hand, fearing that she may lose it if something happens.

The soft crunch of snow can be heard against their feet and they both remember to thread carefully, unless they want to slip.

Elsa holds Anna's right hand while she stares at the intruder. He has a sword holstered at his side and the platinum blonde doesn't know if she can protect her sister and herself if he attacks.

Although Elsa knows that she has powers, she hasn't used them in combat before. She's a bit drained too, using her magic to make that snowflake really took more out of her than she'd like but the royal will not let the stranger know that.

Not to mention that her powers are closely connected to her emotions. If she loses control now and panics, she and Anna will have no hope of escaping.

The stranger stops his advance when he notices he is no longer walking on solid floors but instead in snow. He surveys the once pristine ballroom and sees a sheet of ice as its floor with flurries of white powder scattered around it.

His face contorts grotesquely, making him look more like a monster than a man. "It seems that Arendelle's princesses like to play at night." He sneers at the siblings. His eyes glinting malevolently.

Elsa shivers from his stare. Shivering is another thing that she isn't used to. The cold never bothered her but her shivering isn't from the cold but from fear. She's afraid of what this man will do to them, she's terrified of what he will do to her sister.

Anna steps closer to her big sister. She doesn't like how that man is looking at them, most especially at her older sibling. He is staring at Elsa as if she is a piece of meat to be devoured.

The intruder looks mad, and not the angry kind of mad but the crazy kind. Anna thinks that this man has slaughtered innocent lives without remorse and that thought frightens her.

"Your parents should have taught you that monsters come out to play at night." The man says while he pulls out his sword from its sheath, admiring its sharpness.

Anna's breath hitches at the sight of the gleaming metal. Even at this distance, she can see how deadly the blade is and imagines how cleanly it can cut through flesh and bone.

"W-who are you?" The platinum haired royal manages to stutter out. She cringes at herself for letting her fear be known to this man but tells herself that now is not the time for a self scolding.

If the older princess can just find a way to distract him, they can escape unscathed through the open ballroom door that she had thankfully forgotten to close.

The stranger raises an eyebrow and a devilish smirk forms upon his lips. He puts his sword back in its sheath with a flourish, bowing exaggeratedly to the sisters.

"I am Captain Tobias, Elite Guard of Weselton and Master Strategist, your highness." The man says mockingly.

Elsa's eyes widen a fraction. She has heard about this man. The man who has burned countless villages and has slaughtered hundreds just for the thrill of it. The man who was shunned by his own land but Weselton welcomed with open arms because of his prowess in a battlefield.

Tobias is not a man to be trifled with.

A loud explosion then occurs throughout the castle walls, which seems to continue out the gates and into the town. It is as if the castle itself will collapse from the force of impact.

The siblings crouch down to protect themselves if any debris will fall but Tobias stands uncaring, slightly bored with their display of weakness.

When the shaking stops, both sisters look up and check each other for injuries. Anna looks at her hand to see if her precious snowflake is still in one piece. She sighs upon seeing it as perfectly as it once was and holds unto it more tightly.

They stand and stare at the captain, whose back is still facing the open balcony doors, but instead of seeing the northern lights dancing with the evening sky they are startled to see the heavens tinged with orange and red.

The implication of it shakes the sisters to their core.

Fire

Arendelle is burning.

This realization starts a chain reaction, they can now faintly hear the people screaming along the halls, the clash of metal against metal. They can smell the burning wood and stone.

Their castle, their home is burning.

They can only picture the utter turmoil that is happening all around them, from the castle halls to the town square and connecting forest.

Their kingdom is burning and the castle is under seige.

"No!" Anna shouts once the realization sinks in. This can't be happening. Her mind is reeling. She can't grasp any of it, just a while ago everything was perfect and now it is chaos.

People can't be dying, their people can't be dying. A choked sob forces its way out of the strawberry blonde's lips at these thoughts, tears slowly forming upon her eyes.

Anna's sob pulls Elsa out of her trance which pushes her to hold her younger sister in comfort. Ice is slowly forming on the ballroom walls but she doesn't seem to notice this, her mind focuses on making her sibling calm and not her powers.

"Anna, it'll be okay. I'm here, Anna." Elsa whispers lowly, her arms enveloping her sister's form and bringing the other girl closer to herself.

Anna is openly sobbing now, the intruder momentarily forgotten.

Tobias raises one of his eyebrows and scoffs, "Princess, you shouldn't shed tears for something as inconsequential as this."

Anna stiffens upon hearing this and as if a switch is clicked inside her mind, she suddenly turns away from her sister and glares at the man before them. Her face still wet with tears but her eyes burning with a passion that makes the older man smirk.

"Inconsequential! Inconsequential!" the young royal's voice fills the room, one will wonder how such a big voice can fit such a small and young person. "Arendelle is burning! The people, our people are in pain! Can you not hear them?"

Elsa is taken by surprise with her sister's words. She knows that Anna is the kindest soul she has ever known in her short life but her younger sibling's love for their land and their people touches a cord upon the platinum haired princess' heart.

The older girl stands beside Anna and holds her sister's hand again as she stares at the intruder before them, feeling brave for the first time since they saw the man moments ago. The ice upon the walls stops growing when Elsa clasps her hand with Anna's.

Tobias just looks at the siblings amusedly. He knows of the rumor with the eldest Princess of Arendelle. Seeing the room filled with snow and the ice that was crawling up the walls moments earlier proves that the rumor is true.

He isn't afraid of a little girl who can play with ice though. He has played with fire after all.

The pair of princesses intrigues him. The younger seems to be a feisty one while her sister will be fun to play with considering her magic will put up an interesting fight.

It is just sad that they're so young now. If there's anything that Tobias' enjoys, it is a good fight. He can see the potential in these two princesses.

It's such a shame that he has to kill them now. A few years of training will probably mould the two of them into worthy adversaries.

But orders are orders, he'll find a decent opponent soon enough.

Their staring contest is interrupted when the ballroom doors burst open, banging along the walls.

The three people in the room look to see who the new intruder is when they all recognize him as the King of Arendelle, the children's father.

"Elsa! Anna!" He exclaims, running towards his children. He slips a bit on the icy floor but manages to catch himself before he falls.

"Papa!" Both girls say as they rush towards their father.

The children reach their father and he hugs them close to his chest. "Thank God, you both are safe. Your mother and I were both so worried."

Arendelle's king looks at his daughters, surveying them for any injuries. Aside from the snow covering the room which he knows is Elsa's doing and Anna clutching unto a snowflake, again Elsa's doing maybe, his daughters seem fine to him.

The sight of the ballroom covered in ice and snow slightly scares him. He knows that Elsa's powers are only getting stronger as time passes and he fears that it will one day harm those that his daughter loves most. His musings are cut off when the other adult in the room speaks up.

"I'd like to agree with you, sire." Tobias hisses as he advances towards the family before him. "But I was ordered to kill you so I wouldn't count on them being safe for long, your majesty."

The children's father turns toward the speaker who dares threaten his family in his presence. "Captain Tobias. I knew Weselton is responsible for all of this."

The king moves himself in front of his daughters, blocking them from the captain's view. He knows of Tobias' blood thirst and he'll die first before letting that man hurt his children.

Arendelle's king takes out his sword and puts on a defensive stance. He is scared of the beast of a man before him but he'll rather face a demon than let his flesh and blood be slaughtered.

The two girls clutch unto their father's back. This is the first time that they have seen their father draw a sword and they both know that something bad is going to happen.

The sisters are scared, agonizingly so. They don't know what else will happen to their kingdom and to themselves as well, and that terrifies them.

Tobias stops a few feet away from Arendelle's royalty. He can feel their fear and pain, this pleases him.

The agony and turmoil that he brings to this country exhilarates him. It is what he thrives for - for fear and ruin to envelop the world as he is enveloped in it.

Burning this country down is a step closer to accomplishing that goal. And now comes the next one, the slaughtering of the royal family. He is going to enjoy this immensely.

Tobias runs towards the king, pulling out his sword from its sheath. He has always loved to attack not defend.

Whatever the captain is planning to do, it is ruined when a solid wall of ice springs from the floor. It separates the rabid man from the family.

When Elsa sees the armed man running towards them, all she can think about is to make him stay where he is. She knows that if she doesn't do something, they'll be killed.

Her powers materialize in the form of a very thick and solid ice wall that cuts the captain's murderous sprint towards them. Elsa thinks that this will buy them some time to escape.

And they really need to escape as soon as they can for Elsa is now feeling weak. She doesn't know why this is. Using her magic before does nothing to her but after her impromptu snowflake making, it seems as if she needs all the rest she needs.

The platinum blonde braces herself through the exhaustion though. She doesn't want to alarm her father and Anna more than they already are. So she stands with as much strength as she can muster and acts as if nothing is wrong.

The king turns and sees his eldest using her powers. He smiles at her, glad that this is a very useful time for it. Most times, he'd be scolding Elsa due to the blatant display of magic by now but this time is an exception to that.

The reigning ruler knows that dueling with Tobias will only end in catastrophe especially if he is worrying about his daughters' safety as well.

Banging can be heard through the other side of the ice wall. The captain is using his sword to cut through the thick ice. His eyes shining with unadulterated fury for the intrusion of that little wench's powers.

The king hurriedly turns to his children. He knows that an ice wall will not stop Tobias in his quest for their blood.

"Elsa, Anna," he says to his children seriously. "Your mother is waiting for you in the Labyrinth. Go to her and get out of here. Kai is at the docks preparing a boat with Gerda. You must leave Arendelle."

"But papa!" Elsa tries to protest, "You must come with us!"

"Yes, papa! Come with us!" Anna says, tears sliding down her freckled face yet again.

The king's heart breaks at the sight of his daughters so distraught like this but their safety is his first priority.

"I can't, I have a duty to Arendelle and so do you." He says as he stares at his children. "You have to leave now but someday the both of you will come back and save our people. That is your duty."

Anna nods her head. She'll come back one day and she'll save their kingdom. She'll save Arendelle with Elsa and everything will be okay again.

The king smiles at his youngest and pats her head affectionately. He turns to his eldest and holds her hands in his. "Elsa, I want you to protect your sister. Do whatever you can so both of you can escape safely, do you understand?"

Elsa bites her lower lip. She understands the situation and knows in her heart that even without her father saying this, she'll protect Anna with her life.

"Yes, papa. I understand." She answers with conviction.

Arendelle's king smiles at Elsa and hugs her and Anna again. The cracking of ice can be heard more now and he knows that Tobias is almost upon them.

"Now go. Don't look back, run straight to your mother. And remember, I love you both so much." The king says as he clutches unto his daughters for maybe the last time and lightly pushes them to the direction of the open doors.

"We love you too, papa." They both say with tears streaming down their faces. Elsa sniffles and dries her eyes with her hands while Anna just continues to cry.

Elsa holds Anna's hand as they both look at their father one last time before sprinting out the doors, adrenaline pumping into their veins.

The siblings don't look around but they can hear the chaos happening a few halls away from them.

They don't spare this any mind, thankful that the explosion did not cause any damage in the hallway the ballroom is in and that the fighting seems to be concentrated in the entrance hall.

They just run towards the study wherein they know the hidden passageway to the Labyrinth is.

Their parents told them it was there for when an emergency occurs and now surely is an emergency. The Labyrinth is a series of tunnels running under the country. It was made by their ancestors in case the reigning royals need an escape.

They need to get to their mother, that is the sole thing on their minds at the moment so they sprint up the nearest staircase and weave through various hallways until they reach the right one where the study lies.

If they listen more closely upon the turmoil below them, they will be able to hear the unmistakable sound of shattering glass or maybe it is ice, following a very terrifying howl of rage that suspiciously comes from the ballroom moments after the girls enter the study.

Elsa immediately goes to the fireplace inside the room as Anna follows closely behind her.

The older girl touches a brick on the side of the fireplace, making it rumble before shifting to the side, showing a narrow passageway that leads to the hidden tunnels beneath Arendelle.

The platinum blonde looks at her sister and presents her hand, silently asking her little sister to trust her. She knows that Anna trusts her unconditionally but this is different. Their country is under attack and they don't know whether they can survive this or not.

The older girl needs her sister's assurance that no matter what, her strawberry blonde sibling will support her. That her little sister trusts her judgement especially if they don't reach their mother safely.

Anna looks down knowing that if she takes her sister's hand now, this may be the last time they will see their kingdom for years. She doesn't even know if Weselton will leave a country for them to go back to.

The young princess clenches her fists and that is when she feels the snowflake that she has on her hand. The same snowflake that Elsa has made for her earlier.

The strawberry haired princess smiles and looks up at her sister, taking Elsa's hand. Her big sister smiles back and leads them into the narrow hallway.

Upon entering, the fireplace rumbles again and slides back into place. It's dark inside but they can faintly see a lighted torch in the distance.

They silently walk through the narrow passage, heading towards the only source of light. They reach the end of the hallway where the torch is and sees a staircase leading down to the tunnels below them.

Elsa tries to reach up and the get the torch but it is too high up. Grunting uncharacteristically because of frustration, making Anna giggle at the sound her sister just made, Elsa holds up one of her hands and uses her magic to give them a bit of light instead.

The platinum haired royal doesn't really want to use her powers at the moment, she feels that if she overly exerts herself, she'll collapse but they need a light, no matter how faint it is.

The light from Elsa's powers isn't too bright, she does have ice powers and not fire, but the glow from the swirling snowflakes gives enough light for them to see what's in front of them without tripping.

The older princess leads the way down the staircase, being careful to thread cautiously down the steep stairs. It looks to be a long way down and Elsa doesn't want to find out how many broken bones they might get from the fall.

Anna holds tightly to her sister, she knows how clumsy she can be at times and doesn't want to start an accident, not now anyway.

The siblings slowly reach the end of the staircase and now face another dimly lit hall. Elsa stops using her powers, silently sighing in relief from having a moments reprieve from her magic, and walks forward with Anna trailing behind her.

They can see an opening just a few feet in front of them and walk towards it. The two royals suddenly find themselves adjusting to the bright lights that envelop the space.

When their eyes aren't seeing spots anymore, they notice that they are in the middle of a network of tunnels. They are at the heart of the Labyrinth. And a solitary figure stands there with them, waiting for their arrival.

"Anna! Elsa!" The Queen of Arendelle exclaims as she rushes to her children. She has been waiting for them for a while now and has grown worried.

The queen doesn't know whether her children are safe or even if her husband has found them. But seeing them there in front of her, she exhales the grief that has seeped into her heart.

"Mama!" Both girls cry out as they rush towards their mother.

When the queen reaches her children, she kneels in front of them and envelops them in a warm hug. Anna can't control the tears that are streaming down her face at seeing their mother safe.

Elsa clutches unto their mother tightly. She was so scared thinking that maybe the soldiers found out about the hidden passage, so scared thinking that their mother was harmed. But their mother is safe and now she can breathe easily.

The Queen of Arendelle pulls back slightly and looks at both of her daughters. She smiles at seeing them safe but frowns when a thought crosses her mind.

"Where is your father?" The children's mother asks, worry creeping back into her heart for her husband.

Elsa and Anna look at each other and the older decides to be the one to tell their mother what has happened.

"Mama, papa let us go before him." The platinum haired princess says sadly.

"There was a bad man who was saying he was sent here to kill us." Her strawberry blonde sister adds after, shuddering slightly upon remembering Tobias' malevolent stare.

The queen's heart falls. She knows that there is someone who is after their lives but to hear it being confirmed doesn't make her feel better.

She knows that her husband will fend off whoever is after them for as long as he can and she won't let that sacrifice be for nothing. The mother of the princesses just hopes that her husband lives after the ordeal.

The queen stands and composes herself. Now is not the time for grief and agony, her children need her to be strong.

"We need to go to the docks be-" Another explosion shakes above them, cutting the queen from finishing her sentence. She holds on to her children, protecting them if the ceiling above them decides to collapse.

The shaking stops but before any of them can breathe in relief, they hear solid rock breaking.

The three royals look up and see that the ceiling on top of them is about to give in. The queen quickly takes her daughters' hands and pulls them to the right tunnel that will lead them to the docks.

They start running, knowing that there is no time for etiquette and poise at the moment, and rightly so because a few seconds after they enter the narrow hallway, the ceiling falls.

The place where they have stood earlier is now covered with piles of debris, dust exploding upon the heavy rocks' impact on the ground.

The force of the falling ceiling blows out the fire on the torches enveloping the three royals into total darkness.

Elsa immediately uses her powers to give them some sort of light again. Her vision spinning from reusing her magic but her want to see if her mother and sister are safe overriding whatever she is feeling.

She looks at her mother and sees that she is fine. She then turns to look at Anna and thankfully, she too is safe.

"We must hurry. I don't think that the tunnels will hold for long." The queen says urgently.

"Wait!" Anna exclaims distraughtly. Her mother and sister look at her with worry, thinking that she is injured.

Arendelle's queen rushes to her youngest and asks, "What's wrong, Anna? Are you hurt?"

Elsa looks at them, ice slowly creeping on the narrow halls. She is concerned about her sister's safety and her worry manifests into the frost crawling the walls around them.

The platinum blonde feels uncomfortable now, her powers being used is bordering on agony but seeing Anna so crestfallen makes her forget about her own discomfort and focus on her sister.

The strawberry haired girl is almost on the brink of tears again. She doesn't know how it has happened but when they have reached the hallway, she checks if the snowflake is still in her hands.

But it's not there.

"I lost it!" Anna hiccups, sniffling pitifully. She looks up and stares at her sister, standing behind their mother. "I'm so sorry, Elsa! I lost it!"

The queen looks at her youngest with confusion. She turns and questions her eldest, "What did Anna lose, Elsa?"

Realization dawns on the princess, and she can't help but sigh in relief. Her sister is okay and that is all that matters. The ice on the narrow passageway stops from advancing towards them.

Elsa steps forward and crouches down in front of Anna. Her left palm still swirling with her magic to give them what little glow her powers can due to her exhaustion. She reaches out and holds her younger sister's hand with her free one.

Anna notices that her sister's hand is colder than earlier. Elsa's hands are always cool but now they're freezing. She thinks that it's because her big sister is using her powers at the moment and just shrugs the observation off.

She doesn't mind the cold anyway, she loves it when Elsa touches her, cold hands or not.

Her sister has always been reclusive, always second guessing herself because of her powers but Anna always tries to coax Elsa into letting go even for a little while.

She believes that Elsa won't hurt her. She never has and never will. Her big sister is always there for her and she thanks Elsa for that.

"It's okay, Anna. I can make you another one. Please don't cry." Elsa says as she squeezes her little sister's hand.

The strawberry haired girl shakes her head. "I don't want you to make another one! I want that one! It's special!"

Anna is bawling now, really heartbroken at the thought of losing the snowflake Elsa gave her.

The older girl turns to their mother with pain in her icy blue eyes, pain that she feels for Anna's sadness. "I made her a gift earlier but I think she lost it when the ceiling collapsed, mama."

The queen nods her head in understanding.

Her daughters have always been close.

When Anna was born, the king and queen were terrified of what will happen since Elsa doesn't have complete control over her powers.

It was to both of their surprise when they saw young Elsa cradling her baby sister one night, telling little Anna that she loves her very much, that she'll always protect baby Anna, and that she'll be the best big sister ever.

The siblings' bond only grew from there on out. Her oldest daughter does her best to take care of her little sister, going as far as distancing herself when her magic goes awry if Anna is around.

The queen knows without a shadow of doubt that whatever it is Elsa gave Anna, it is irreplaceable for her youngest.

She turns to her distraught daughter, still sniffling with tears running down her freckled cheeks, and decides then there.

"Let's go." The children's mother says as she stands and walks away. Instead of heading towards the path of the docks though, she is heading back to the piles of debris behind them.

Anna immediately perks up when she realizes that their mother is willing to let her look for her snowflake. She runs after her, Elsa being dragged by her little sister through their joined hands.

"What are we looking for?" The queen asks her children when they finally reach her, standing a few feet away from the debris. She tries to see anything other than rocks and darkness but can't due to what little light they have.

"A snowflake!" Anna says already on her knees, crawling around the floor.

The queen's eyebrow raises in silent question. It is for naught though upon seeing her daughter already crawling determinedly, not giving her any mind as Anna keeps looking for the snowflake in question.

Elsa just shakes her head at her sister's antics though she begins to look for the snowflake as well.

Seeing her oldest begin her search, the Queen of Arendelle decides to join in too.

They try their hardest to look for the snowflake with what little light the platinum blonde's powers can give but it is of little aid to them in the cavernous space.

The queen silently prays that they find her youngest daughter's snowflake soon for time is not by their side. She knows that they need to put as much distance between them and the enemy as possible, less they be caught and murdered.

Anna surveys the ground earnestly. She needs to find that snowflake. She doesn't want to lose it. Her big sister made it for her, a symbol of their promise to always be together no matter what, and she desperately needs it now since their kingdom is not safe.

The platinum haired princess is trying to look for the missing snowflake as well, trying being the key word. She doesn't really feel that well anymore, her vision slowly becoming blurry. The magic that she has on her palms for light is flickering now and then.

The older girl feels sick. Like she will collapse at any given moment now. She decides to lean against a pile of rocks beside where she has searched and wishes that they find the snowflake quickly.

The strawberry blonde huffs from frustration. She's getting dirt on every part of her body due to her thorough search of the floor but still she hasn't retrieved her snowflake yet.

She looks up and surveys her surroundings. Curiously, she finds something glinting a few feet away from her and the girl decides to see what it is.

She crawls over to it and gasps in relief. A shrill cry of joy suddenly is heard in the dimly lit space. "I found it! Elsa! Mama! I found my snowflake!"

The two other royals rush over to their youngest family member upon hearing her exclaim that she has found what they are looking for. The platinum haired princess moving considerably slower than the queen.

"Where is it, Anna?" The Queen of Arendelle asks her daughter, curious with what is so special about the snowflake her eldest has made.

Anna grins and shows it to her mother, still brimming with joy and elation at being reunited with the gift Elsa has given her.

The queen gasps lightly and so does her eldest daughter. The strawberry haired royal scrunches her face at both of their reactions and looks at the snowflake as well.

With Elsa near, Anna can now see more clearly due to the glowing swirls in her sister's hand and that is when she notices that her snowflake is glowing.

It is faint and with the little light she had earlier, the strawberry blonde didn't notice that the glinting she has seen is the golden glow that the snowflake is giving off.

Elsa is stunned at seeing the gift she has made for her sister glowing like that. She doesn't understand why that is and she thinks that maybe it has something to do with her magic.

The older princess stares at the snowflake in her sibling's hands more closely and that is when she notices that the faint glow isn't the only thing that's different with it.

It changed - or is changing. Only miniscule details that is not noticeable to anyone but the maker.

Like a real snowflake falling from the heavens, the snowflake the oldest princess has made changes as well. Adapting to the environment and forming itself anew.

It looks thicker now than when Elsa created it minutes ago. It doesn't look as delicate as it once was but it is still as beautiful or even more so.

Before the platinum haired princess can find out more, cracking can be heard above them. It is only then that the three royals notice more of the ceiling collapsing.

The rocks fall without giving them any time to flee so the queen pulls her daughters to herself and braces for impact.

Nothing happens.

The Queen of Arendelle looks up and sees ice above them making a new ceiling and acting as a net for the falling rocks.

"Thank you, Elsa." She says as she turns to her oldest, knowing that she is the one responsible for saving their lives.

The princesses' mother notices that Elsa is breathing heavily. Small puffs of air can be seen when she exhales and the temperature around them seems to be dropping rapidly.

"Elsa?" The queen says tentatively, reaching to touch her oldest. Her daughter hasn't reacted to what she has just said, as if she didn't hear anything.

The platinum blonde is having difficulty with breathing. When the ceiling is collapsing, her first instinct is to make a solid ice cover for them.

That is ending quite badly now though. This recent use of her powers doesn't result with more fatigue over her body.

Instead, it gives her pain.

She feels a thousand needles piercing her skin and a giant fist squeezing the air out of her lungs simultaneously.

Her insides are burning, like molten lava is running through her veins instead of blood. She feels as if she's burning alive and it terrifies her.

Elsa doesn't know what heat is. Being born with powers over winter, she has always been perpetually cool. But this experience she is having now is nothing short of torture.

She wants it to end.

When the queen finally touches her eldest daughter, the princess can only do one thing.

She gives a shriek of agony, falling into her mother's arms. Wheezing lightly, trying to get much-needed oxygen into her burning lungs.

Anna hears and sees her sister collapsing over their mother. She rushes to her sibling's side, worry etching itself to her freckled face.

"Elsa?" The strawberry haired princess asks, tears threatening to fall from her eyes. "Elsa, wake up. This isn't funny."

"She's burning hot." Their mother whispers, words dripping with concern. Her eldest has always been cool to the touch but now, she's burning hotter than when one has a fever, and Elsa has never had a fever before.

The queen shifts her hold on her daughter, cradling her close to her chest. She turns to her youngest and sees the fear and distress in her daughter's eyes.

Once electric blue gems swirling with life now darkens with anguish for her older sister's well-being.

"We need to go now, Anna. Your sister needs help." The queen says, her voice cracking with panic for her daughter.

The strawberry haired royal nods her head and clutches on to her mother's dress. Tears trickling down her face, she looks up at her older sister.

Elsa's face is scrunched up, whimpering now and then. Anna sees that her big sister is in pain, and it hurts her as well.

She has never seen her platinum blonde sibling like this at all. Elsa never gets sick, she's actually the one who always dotes over Anna when the young princess was unwell.

And now that Anna has seen Elsa in pain, she doesn't want to see her big sister like this ever again.

With Elsa passed out in her mother's arms, the magic that has given them light fizzles out. The temperature around them slowly going back to normal. The glow from Anna's snowflake turns into a substitute light, replacing the one that is lost.

The other royals do not notice that the glowing snowflake is giving off more light now than when Anna found it moments ago. They are too occupied with concern for Elsa.

The two start running towards the passageway that will guide them to the docks, the queen leading the way with her whimpering daughter in her arms.

"It's okay, Elsa. We're here. We'll get help. We got you, Elsa." Anna whispers behind her mother, her heart aching for her sister. "We got you."

She holds on to her snowflake tighter, it's the only thing keeping her from going hysterical due to distress for her sibling.

The queen turns left at the first fork in the hallway, then right, straight, left, left, then right. This place is called The Labyrinth for a reason and one can get lost here if they do not know the way.

This place wasn't only made to help the royals escape. It is also housing various traps for whoever is brave enough to trudge inside it without knowing the layout of the underground maze.

The strawberry blonde princess can't remember how many twists and turns they made. She just follows behind her mother diligently, silent tears streaming down her face.

At long last, they reach a passageway with a man holding a torch, waiting for them at the edge of a dead-end.

"Your Highness!" The man exclaims, rushing towards them.

"Kai!" The queen says, rushing towards their most trusted servant. Her arms ache from having carried her daughter and running through the seemingly endless halls that The Labyrinth is composed of.

Kai reaches the queen and bows lowly in respect, the torch is held away from his body to avoid anyone being accidentally burned.

He looks up and notices that her queen is carrying Princess Elsa in her arms. The eldest princess seems to be knocked out and breathing shallowly.

The mother of the child notices the worry in the man's features. "Elsa passed out after saving us. She's running a severe fever."

The portly servant looks startled. "My Queen, the princess has not had a fever before."

Arendelle's queen nods solemnly. She is aware of this and it makes her heart ache more knowing that they have no idea what is happening to her eldest.

A sniffle is heard and the adults turn to look at the small figure behind the queen.

Anna is clutching her mother's dress tightly as her other hand holds the snowflake close to her chest.

She's terrified.

More than when she was in the ballroom with Elsa facing that deranged man, Tobias. Or that time that she got lost in the palace grounds thinking she'd never see her family again.

Her platinum haired sister was the one who found her crying behind the bushes, and that same sister was there when the captain was staring at them with evil intent in his eyes.

Elsa's her saviour, her constant, her rock. She doesn't know what she'll do without her sister.

"A-nna"

The people in the passageway look up in surprise. All of them can swear that they heard a whisper.

They look at the only person that could have said something besides them and wait in anticipation.

Anna moving closer to her sister as she wills Elsa to say something again.

"D-don't cry..." A pale hand twitches.

The platinum blonde feels disoriented. She can't remember anything aside from using her powers to save her mother, Anna, and herself from being crushed by the falling rocks.

Everything after that seems blurry to her, everything except the unrelenting flames.

Flames that seem to want to eat her whole.

The burning is unforgiving. It starts from her chest, crawling outwards to every crevice of her body. Her whole being is devoured by fire.

Then the needles start their attack. Piercing her skin, one by one then all at the same time. Continuously prickling her.

It is as if they want the molten lava that is her blood to flow out of her veins and engulf her skin in an inferno as well.

The flames are only fanned more with the invisible grip that is on her lungs, taking every breath she has.

She can't do anything but gasp and whimper. Her throat raw and aching, parched from the flames all around her.

She wants to scream, lash out, scratch her skin raw, use her powers to cover herself in ice. Anything to just stop these fire torturing her so but even her body is not listening. Her strength dies out.

Elsa feels like she is being burned alive in the fiery depths of hell. The girl doesn't know how long this torture will last, it has seemed endless to her.

The flames just get hotter and hotter, never-ending. The needles seem to morph into knives then swords. Instead of piercing her skin, they seem to be cutting her flesh and bones. The grip on her lungs tightens, trying to crush the fragile organ.

It is torture, unbelievingly so.

It is too much for the princess' young body.

Until suddenly the torture reaches an invisible peak. The platinum haired child thinks that she'll die from all the agony but then the flames suddenly die out.

The burning slowly ebbs away. The slicing stops abruptly. The squeezing relents.

She can breathe again.

Her whole body is aching, her mind is in a daze but a silent sniffle cuts through the fog in her mind.

Elsa's mind jumps start at the sound, she knows that sound. It's a sound she has heard countless of times when she was younger and many times more growing up.

She has heard that sound while in the garden, a strawberry blonde toddler trips and scrapes her knee.

She heard it when there was thunder booming outside the window of the bedroom, a freckled face jumping into her bed.

She has heard it a lot, and most times that sound is followed by something even more heart wrenching.

This is a sound that engulfs her whole being with panic, and hearing it hurts her more than the torture she has just endured.

Her sister is crying. Anna is crying again.

The platinum blonde tries to bring her hands up and reach for her sibling but fails miserably. She is far too tired.

"Elsa!" Anna yells, clasping her sister's hand in a tight grip. When she hears her older sister whisper for her to stop crying, all she can do is cry more.

Her sister is okay, or she will be. And that's all that matters to the strawberry blonde royal.

"Elsa, can you hear me?" The queen whispers as she hugs her daughter close. She notices that her eldest isn't burning hot anymore and slowly returning to her normal temperature.

"Mama..." Her eldest says, her voice cracks and the queen picks up on this but hearing her daughter speak just lightens the heavy load that has struck her heart.

Her daughter is alive and even though she is not perfectly well, she will be and that alone is reason enough for the queen to smile.

She hugs Elsa more tightly, saying affectionately, "Don't make us worry like that, Elsa."

"I'm sorry, mama." The child whispers weakly. She knows that something must have happened while she was, for lack of better term, out of sorts.

If the platinum haired princess is being honest with herself, she will just pretend that it didn't happen. It being the pain she has felt moments earlier that seemed to span for a lifetime.

She doesn't understand how it happened or what it was that exactly happened, just that it did. And it was a very unpleasant feeling, that is putting it mildly.

The queen pulls back and smiles at her daughter again. She reaches out and pushes a few stray strands of platinum blonde hair back into place as her other daughter tugs on her older sister's hand.

"You're okay, Elsa!" Anna sobs, bringing her sister's hand close to her chest as the smaller girl's other hand clutches to the snowflake.

"I'm okay, Anna. Please don't cry." The older girl says, trying to open her eyes and see that her little sister is okay.

Elsa musters as much energy as she can and wills herself to open her eyes. When she finally succeeds, her vision swirls a bit from the sudden invasion of light but then corrects itself after a while.

The first thing she sees is the blue orbs of her sister, glassy and frail from the tears still lingering her eyes.

Elsa smiles weakly, squeezing her sibling's hand encouragingly.

Anna smiles and squeezes back. Her eyes brightening upon seeing the familiar arctic hues of her big sister's eyes.

"Your Majesty," Kai says, relief coating his words as he sees the princess slowly gaining back some colour upon her pale face. "The boat is prepared. We need to get you and the princesses to safety."

The queen nods understandingly. Her relief for her daughter now being overshadowed by the gravity of the reality they are in.

They are not truly safe yet. After they sail off Arendelle and seek refuge in another kingdom is when they will be truly safe.

She turns back to Elsa, her daughter already staring at her. "I'm going to hand you over to Kai, Elsa."

"I can stand, mama." The platinum blonde weakly protests. "No one has to carry me."

Their mother shakes her head and looks knowingly at the man before her. The man understands what his queen is conveying.

Working for the royal family for seventeen years now, he immediately knows what his queen wants of him.

She wants him to carry her daughter to safety. She wants him to protect her daughters from any harm that is to come to them. And if it comes to it, she wants him to put her daughters first before her life.

Kai nods resolutely at his queen's silent requests, taking the princess from the monarch's arms, as he carefully hands over the torch he has held to the queen.

"Thank you." Arendelle's queen whispers silently as she hands over her daughter to a man that she knows will take care of them both if something were to happen to her, taking the torch from Kai's hands.

She trusts this man fully, even thinking of him as family and not the servant that his title is. He has been there for all of them, from her husband to her youngest, without fail.

Kai and his wife, Gerda, are the two people she trusts most in this world who will take care of her daughters if it comes to it.

The man nods, knowing that the queen would not want him to answer vocally.

Her queen thanking him is not gratitude of a royal to a servant but of a mother entrusting her children to someone she believes will take care of them.

No words are needed, none are said.

He adjusts the princess in his arms to a more comfortable place and starts leading them to the end of the hallway.

The queen holds up the torch, giving them much-needed light and takes Anna's hand in hers. The little princess is still staring at her older sister, worried that she might pass out again.

Anna tightly holds on to her mother and the snowflake in her other hand. All of them do not notice that the snowflake has stopped glowing by then.

"I'm really okay now, Kai." Elsa whispers to the man carrying her. Her strength is slowly coming back to her and she doesn't want to be a bother to the man.

She thinks of him as her uncle instead of a man serving the royals. He and Gerda are always there for her and Anna, like doting relatives fussing over the both of them. She doesn't want to be a burden now when their kingdom is in turmoil.

"Nonsense, Princess Elsa. You need your rest." The man says as he presses a part of the wall in front of him.

The platinum haired princess huffs in defeat and lays her head on Kai's shoulder, accepting the fact that she will be carried until they believe her well enough to walk.

Like the fireplace that the siblings went through, a part of the wall rumbles and slides out-of-place.

They walk through the opening and find themselves standing in front of the docks. A bombardment of noise and light overwhelming them for a moment.

In The Labyrinth, everything has been silent. The people roaming through it heard nothing but their own breathing and saw nothing except for the endless halls shrouded in darkness.

Standing underneath the night sky, they can hear the utter destruction happening around Arendelle.

Behind them where the town square once has been; people are shouting, screaming, crying, begging the few soldiers of their land that are not fighting off the soldiers of their enemies to help them.

The women hold their children close as they watch their homes being burned down into ashes, the men trying in vain to stop the fires eating the houses and establishments one by one.

The acrid smell of burning flesh mixing with wood and stone, the smell of blood on steel permeates all around.

It is chaos.

The queen inhales deeply, her heart screaming for her people, for her country, for Arendelle.

This is not something she has wished for her kingdom.

Kai hurries on to the solitary boat moored on the docks.

Their ships have sunk upon the enemies ambush, all of them. From fishing vessels to trade boats and battleships.

Every last means of escape destroyed except for one.

This night has clearly been planned.

The Kingdom of Arendelle has been utterly unprepared for the onslaught of attacks their Weselton has thrown at them.

The servant has been deeply terrified upon reaching the docks and seeing every last one of their kingdom's ships burning in sight.

The enemy has landed their armada of warships on the western side of their country. The side being shrouded in the shadows of the mountains and thick foliage of the forest.

Weselton's ships might have been here for weeks and the rulers of the kingdom were none the wiser.

Arendelle is ill-prepared.

It is thanks to luck that Gerda thought of asking the villagers if they had a boat, a ship, anything that may help the royals.

Most of them pushed the two away, worrying more about their own lives than anything else.

Until an old man approaches the two, saying that he has an old fishing boat that can be of use to them.

The boat is a traditional sailboat for small fishermen. It is basically just a long rowboat with a sail and nothing more.

The three brings the boat to the docks, everything happening around them seemingly forgotten.

When the boat is moored, Kai thanks the old man. He just smiles at them and says that he is just serving his kingdom by helping their royals.

He left without saying anything more.

Kai then tells his wife that he will wait for the royals inside The Labyrinth and she agrees, saying that she'll go and look for supplies that may help them in their journey.

Looking at the boat now, Kai looks alarmed to see that Gerda has not returned yet.

The queen notices Gerda's absence as well. "Where is your wife, Kai?"

The question rings through the evening air, thick with tension and fear.

"I am here, Your Majesty." A voice says from behind the stone steps leading up to the town square.

A woman walks out from the shadows and Kai smiles at seeing his wife well and safe.

Another set of foorsteps is then heard, everyone waits in baited breath to see who it is.

A blond boy with tawny brown eyes peep behind Gerda with a reindeer calf beside him.

Anna immediately notices them, giving the two an encouraging smile.

Seeing the boy, who looks like the same age as her big sister, excites the young princess despite what is happening in Arendelle.

She has not met any other children before. It has always been just her and Elsa so the boy and his reindeer is a welcome addition.

"Your Highness," Gerda ushers the boy and the calf in front of her, presenting them to the other people at the docks. "this is Kristoff and Sven."

Kristoff, the boy with matted golden hair, smiles sheepishly at the queen as Sven jumps excitedly in greeting.

The queen nods, acknowledging them and ushering the other woman to continue talking.

"I found them at the edge of town pulling a block of ice on a sled." Gerda explains. "I asked them where their family is but Kristoff said that they have none."

Kai is surprised to hear what his wife is saying. He shifts Princess Elsa in his arms before asking, "They're orphans?"

His wife nods, a tinge of sadness crossing her face. "Yes…" She says answering her husband then turning back to the queen she continues, "I couldn't just leave them behind so I brought them here with me, my queen."

Arendelle's monarch understands Gerda's reasons for taking in the boy and his reindeer companion.

Not being gifted with the chance to raise a child because of complications, Gerda and Kai gave their full attention to taking care of the royal family, especially their children.

Seeing an orphan must have stroke at the motherly woman's heartstrings, urging her to take the orphans under her wing.

The queen smiles warmly at the young blond and walks towards him. She crouches down and extends her hand in greeting. "It's nice to meet you, Kristoff."

The light brown eyes of the lad widens at seeing the queen extending her hand to him. He immediately wipes his palms on his pants and takes the queen's hand in his smaller one, shaking it slightly.

"It's n-nice to meet you too, Your Majesty." Kristoff says shyly.

The queen smiles wider at the boy's reaction. She turns to the calf and greets him as well. "It's nice meeting you as well, Sven."

The young reindeer approaches the queen and gives her a lick on her cheeks. Everyone gasps in surprise, except for Elsa who can't see anything due to being carried by Kai, but Arendelle's monarch just chuckles and pets the calf affectionately.

The queen looks back and waves her strawberry blonde daughter to come forward.

Anna walks enthusiastically towards her mother and waves at the boy, petting the reindeer beside Kristoff as soon as she is near.

"This is my youngest daughter, Anna." The queen says as her daughter smiles widely. She turns again and silently asks for Kai to move forward as well.

He complies without question. Elsa finally seeing the two new additions to their small party.

"And this is Elsa, my oldest. The man carrying her is Kai, Gerda's husband." The queen finishes the introductions.

The platinum blonde wants to be put down from her perch in Kai's arms but he shakes his head no and holds on to the princess more firmly.

She is feeling a lot better now but knowing her pseudo-uncle, he won't let go of her unless her mother tells him to, and the queen hasn't told him to.

She does the next best thing that can be done by anybody in her current position. She sits up slightly, as much as Kai will allow her, and inclines her head in acknowledgement.

"It's nice to meet you, Kristoff." Elsa says. Because of her position, it looks as if she is addressing the reindeer calf instead of the boy.

Anna snorts a laugh. Her elder sister turns to look at her, confusion written all over her face.

"It looked like you were talking to Sven!" The strawberry blonde says, giggling at the prospect of her sister interchanging the two names.

The platinum haired girl just smiles and shakes her head, feeling light-hearted for the first time since the ordeal she has went through earlier.

Anna always knows how to make her feel better.

"Well, I'll just call them both Sven to save me the trouble then." Elsa says teasingly, making her sister giggle harder and the boy in question huff in frustration. The reindeer just jumping excitedly at hearing his name.

With the introductions done, the queen stands and motions for them to move towards the boat.

Kai enters it first with the princess in his arms and carefully sits Elsa down. Gerda helps the other children and reindeer into the boat before going in as well.

The queen turns and looks back at her kingdom.

Smoke is still rising into the air, chaos is still brewing in the town square, burnt remains of various things is stil lingering in the air.

Arendelle is falling.

Her eyes well up with tears, grief crippling her chest as she looks at her homeland for may be the last time.

She composes herself, discreetly wiping the tears that have rolled down her cheeks. She doesn't want her children seeing her like this.

When she finally thinks that she has finally found some semblance of control, she turns and heads towards the boat.

Everyone is looking at her. She smiles at all of them, silently telling them that everything will be okay.

A low rumble is then heard behind them and before anyone can even react, something flies from the now open passageway.

The queen looks down in shock, a sword can be seen piercing through her chest. Blood slowly flowing out from her wound.

"Don't think you can escape me so easily, Your Highness." The chilling voice of Tobias says as he walks out from The Labyrinth and into the docks.

His clothes are splattered with blood but it doesn't look as if any of it belongs to him. His silver eyes glinting menacingly, derangely at the sight before him.

The people in the boat give a shriek of terror. The strawberry haired princess wanting to get up and go to their mother but Kai's arms instantly wrap around her, preventing her from moving.

"Mama!" Anna screams, tears flowing down her lightning blue eyes, horror and dread filling them.

Elsa can only stare at their mother, unbelieving of what is happening.

Tobias stalks forward as Gerda immediately unties the ropes keeping the boat in place. Her husband hurriedly handing the thrashing princess to his wife's arms as he takes an oar and begin paddling out of the docks.

The captain reaches the wounded queen and pushes her to kneel on the ground. He holds the sword in her chest and pulls it out.

Blood splatters everywhere.

The queen's body convulses, there is a gaping hole in her torso now and yet she stays kneeling, watching the boat where her children are.

"Any last words, Your Majesty?" Tobias hisses behind her. The sword that pierced her moments ago is being positioned on her neck.

She closes her eyes, accepting the fate that she has. If her death will bring her children to safety then so be it.

The captain doesn't wait for the queen to say anything. He reels his hands back and swings his sword, chopping the head of the queen.

The body falls haphazardly on the docks as the queen's head rolls away towards the edge and falling into the waters.

Tobias smiles madly, looking at the escaping boat before him.

He calmly walks to the edge of the docks, stepping over the body of the queen, and stares unwaveringly at the two princesses.

Anna shrieks even more upon seeing her mother being beheaded. "Mama! Mama!"

Her screaming brings out Elsa from her trance and tears immediately form upon her eyes.

She stands, making the boat wobble a bit. Before Kai or Gerda can pull the platinum haired princess down, she raises her arms and sends forth a gust of winter winds.

Elsa's mind is only focusing on one thing and that is to look after her sister. They need to escape, she needs to keep Anna safe.

The winds move the boat faster, the sail helping them to put a lot of distance between them and Aredelle, between them and Tobias.

The captain just smirks. Holding the sword in front of him, he stares at the blood dripping down from it.

He looks up again and throws his sword at the direction of the boat. Not staying to see if he has hit his target, Tobias walks away knowing that he'll have an opponent worthy of his time in the future.

Anna keeps crying and shouting and thrashing. She cannot believe what has just happened.

She wants to believe that everything is just a bad dream, that she's still sleeping in her bed with her older sibling sleeping in the bed across from hers.

Elsa looks at her sister with pain in her eyes, it hurts her to see Anna like this.

Her sibling should not have seen what that monster has done. But she has, they both have seen, and the platinum blonde knows that this is something that will haunt them for years to come.

"Anna, please don't cr-"

The strawberry blonde girl immediately looks up when her sister didn't finish her sentence.

Terror fills her eyes at seeing Elsa pierced on her left shoulder with the sword that murdered their mother.

It is as if time stood still for a few moments. Like everything was going too slowly or the strawberry blonde is just moving far too fast.

Anna stands to go to her sister.

Elsa looks at her, slowly losing her balance. She's slowly falling to her side. She gives her sister a pained smile.

"I'm sorry, Anna." The platinum haired girl says as she waves her hands again to bring a mightier gust of wind before she falls off the boat and into the waters.

"ELSA!"