A/N: Change in tense

Epilogue

The rain fell around her in sheets of water; her screams silenced by the thunder - she screamed again at the storm, to no avail. A sickening crack echoed across the oceans as the wind claimed another victim, this time the ship's mast. Lightning flashed across the inky darkness with hues of blue and white, its glow glistened in Elsa's eyes as all she could do was watch as the storm assaulted the ship where she knew Anna begged for solace.

The oceans swelled as it hurled the ship upwards on a crest like a rocket. The breath caught in Elsa's lungs as it reached its peak, before a peal of thunder crackled across the waves. Webs of tackle unravelled from the wooden stumps that still held the ship together.

"No!" Elsa screamed, powerless to stop the ship from streaking across the wave's crest.

As ferocious as its ascent was, the ship levelled out and plummeted towards the surface as it shed bits of wood and hapless sailors in their vain endeavour to keep the ship from sinking.

"You can't, you can't!" the queen shrieked again, her voice snatched by the pounding waves.

Flecks of paint peeled from the hull as the ship streaked towards the icy water. As the sea swallowed her sister whole, the noise of the sea faded into silence, and all Elsa heard was the sound of her heart shattering into a billion shards of ice.

Drenched in her sweat, the Queen lurched upright in her bed as fire coursed through her lungs. It took her a moment to unravel the knot in her throat, before she gulped in lungfuls of cold air. The frost around her lips left clouds of fog before her eyes as they glistened in the dying embers of the fireplace. Then the pain came, a heart-wrenching ache in her chest at the surreal sight she just witnessed.

Elsa reached beside her, expecting to find an empty bed, but instead having her hand descend upon the warm mound of Anna's body, rising and falling with each breath she took. At once, the knots in her chest disentangled as she slumped back into bed. Her eyes wandered to the cabinet in the corner of their room where she knew a bottle of wine awaited her. Like clockwork, she slipped a foot from her bed's warmth and started towards her bottle of bitter relief, but the bed shifted with Anna's stirring, and she froze in her place.

I can't, Elsa thought, as her eyes fell upon Anna's matted red hair glowing beneath the moonlight, not when you're around.

With the prospect of relief snatched from her, the pain in Elsa's head amplified in its throbbing intensity. She pushed herself up against the wall and crossed her arms, searching the room for something that could distract her from the aching. Her head began to spin; she shut her eyes and shook her head, and at once the enormous mural covering in the room's center loomed into view.

Spanning eight feet in breadth, the painting served as a reminder of the peace that surfaced after the fall of the Southern Isles. Upon gradients of blue, Arendelle's reconstructed navy bobbed silently in the harbour. In the hills, Elsa's ice golems showed up as specks of white upon swathes of mossy green paint; tirelessly working on the lumber mills while they kept watch on the border with Weselton. Tucked in the corner of the painting, Elsa's ice palace shimmered in hues of orange beneath the sunset, serving as the ever-watchful fortress on the Kingdom's north. A trio of ice dragons circled the impregnable ice tower, their glistening wings casting shadows across the snowy north mountains.

Elsa's lips curled into a smile as she dipped her glance towards her favourite part of the picture. At the very bottom in the Palace gardens, the Queen and her sister had been painted reclining upon a tree's roots. The same tree their parents had planted after their marriage, now sat upon by Monarch and her sister. The princess's figure was slumped safe within Elsa's lap, and the Queen's fingers were intertwined with hers. Beautiful, Elsa thought, as the headache lifted from her brain. Before her was the Kingdom of Arendelle, the burden for which she strived everyday, but tucked in the corner was that one woman who had made it all worthwhile.

Her gaze fell back upon the figure next to her as it shifted in the dimness, oblivious to her sister's watchful eye. You must be exhausted, Elsa thought, from all the travelling I made you do. The Queen had sent her sister away on diplomatic missions to neighboring Kingdoms. Though it pained her to be separated from Anna for such long periods, but it was a necessary political maneuver; to allay the Kingdom's fears that the Princess was a bloodthirsty warrior, or that Arendelle had somehow transformed itself into a warring state hellbent on the destruction of peace.

Thank you, Elsa thought, for everything. For taking her new role in her stride without complaining. For negotiating the peaceful settlement with the Southern Isles' and Weselton. For seeing the good in everyone, even a sister who had all but forgotten about the times they spent together.

As Elsa contemplated venturing her hands down Anna's curves, a glint in the room's corner caught her eye; Arendelle's crown, bearing the weight of the Kingdom, pressed down on a cushion, and beside it hung an elaborate gown on a dress stand. A sigh escaped Elsa's lips as she stared at the gown and everything it represented. It was tailored specifically for a ball, woven with soft pleats of lilac blue and pastel pink. Even in the darkness, Elsa could feel the warmth radiating from the gown she was expected to wear, but its passive image of affection did nothing to soothe her nerves.

Tomorrow, there'd be a royal ball, and she knew very well what it meant. It was foolish of her to imagine that the courts would allow an unmarried Queen to carry on without hope of an heir forever. Even one as powerful as her. Elsa bore no qualms about the expectations forced upon her, but the thought of a multitude of noblemen vying for her hand just to gain some sort of political advantage from her power - sickened her to no end.

"It's alright," Elsa muttered beneath her breath, "I probably can have the pick of the litter anyway."

At once, Elsa's eyes returned to her sister's form, gently breathing beneath the sheets. There's nobody I'd rather have than you, she thought, as her heart clenched with longing at the disorderly heap of reddish hair, that freckled skin she loved to run her lips over, those crystalline blue eyes filled with life. The girl's utter magnetism still confused her; she was her sister after all, and it wasn't very sisterly to feel the feelings she felt towards her. Still, Elsa had allowed her burning attraction towards Anna cool into a helpless intrigue, one that the Princess was all too glad to assist her with.

Lost in her thoughts, Elsa flinched as the girl beside her stirred awake. She bit her lip as Anna's drowsy voice reached her ears.

"Why are you-" Anna's slurred, "Jesus, what time is it?"

Elsa's hands were warm by the time she brushed them against her sister's forehead, eliciting a whine from the girl.

"What're you doing up?" Anna asked, her eyes still weighed down by sleep.

"It's nothing," Elsa replied as she slipped beneath the sheets, "I was just dreaming of you."

Anna's lips curled into a smile at Elsa's arms slipping around her waist.

"I hope it was a good one."

A/N: A big thanks to everyone who had followed this story and reviewed it. Big shout outs to everyone who promoted this on tumblr/4chan etc. This is my most viewed story by far, and I'm thankful for the much undeserved response I usually don't get, and as such it was a little overwhelming at times. Sincere apologies to everyone who thought that the plot got out of hand in the middle (I honestly didn't have a clear idea of where it was going, and it showed).

The only other WIP I have right now is Frozen Chains - which I hope will be more coherent (plot-wise) than this one!

Once again, thank you for all the reads/reviews/constructive criticism, I read each and everyone of them, and it is my sincere wish to be a better writer through your comments!