Anna didn't eat that day or the next. She locked herself in her room and refused to leave. Her whole world felt like it had collapsed around her. Thirteen years. Thirteen years she had spent trying to get her sister back. And for what? One year of contact before Elsa was pulled away from her again. This time, however, Elsa wasn't just on the other side of a door. Anna laid in bed, staring at the ceiling while tears streamed down her cheeks. Doubt bombarded her head. She was only nineteen but she would be leading a country in just two years. Elsa took power at twenty-one, but Elsa was wise, smart, and a leader. Anna foolishly jumps on enemy ships without a plan and nearly gets herself killed. Her "plan" had killed Elsa. Anna felt the guilt swell up in her soul at that revelation.

Kristoff tried to see her the next morning, but Anna refused to open the door. She could barely reach the door on her own anyway. Her physical pain, however, was dwarfed by the emotional pain and loneliness inside. She would have to bury another member of her family. Anna didn't know if she could live through that again.

The day of Elsa's funeral arrived. Rebekka came to help Anna get ready. The black clothes in the back of Anna's closet brought all the painful memories of her parents back at once. Anna did her best to hold back the tears, but Rebekka could see the hurt crying from her eyes. Rebekka wore a black dress as well. I was the nicest dress she had ever worn in her life. After a short carriage ride from the castle, Anna, Kristoff, Olaf, and Rebekka arrived to the grave site. A crowd of citizens had already gathered, paying their respects to the late queen.

Anna pushed Kristoff away when he tried to help her out of the carriage. She was going to do this herself. Slowly, each step agonizing, Anna limped toward the three large stones arranged in the field. Two had been there before. Anna had stood between them during her parent's funeral. Now the place between was occupied by a third, new memorial. This one actually had a body beneath it. As Anna approached, she could read the inscription carved into the rock.

Queen Elsa Irina Lennart

1824-1846

It was such a simple way to remember such a complex life. Anna limped into place next to Elsa's memorial stone, unsuccessfully holding back tears. She wasn't the only one though, nearly all present were fighting back tears.

Olaf cried for the first time in his life. Anna lost her sister, but Olaf lost his mother. No one knew why he didn't melt at Elsa's passing, but there were more pressing matters to attend to first. The priest offered a short sermon and delivered a short eulogy for Elsa. Anna didn't listen to a single word he said. Her mind was abuzz with voices of doubt, uncertainty, and guilt. The service was short and simple. The crowd dispersed and went back to the city to live the rest of their lives. Anna couldn't move. She didn't want to. She wanted to stay by her sister's side forever. As Kristoff, Olaf, and Rebekka watched on, she leaned against the stone with her forehead and sighed.

"Oh, Elsa, what am I going to do?" she whispered. Anna closed her eyes as a single tear fell from her cheek onto the gravestone. Her eyes shot open as she heard a crackling sound below her. The tear had turned to solid ice on contact with the stone. Anna limped away from the grave several steps, unsure of what to make of it. Kristoff saw the concerned expression on Anna's face and rushed to her side.

"Anna, what's wrong?" Kristoff asked, his arm around her shoulder. Anna didn't speak for once. She just pointed to the tiny ice patch on Elsa's grave. Kristoff's eyes widened at the sight. "We need to go to Grand Pabbie, he might know what happened," Kristoff said as he helped Anna back to the carriage. Rebekka decided to walk with Olaf back to the castle.

Once in the Valley of Living Rock, Kristoff and Anna received the same warm welcome they always received from Kristoff's family. Once Kristoff was able to calm the trolls down and assure them that Anna's injuries were healing fine, Anna asked to see Grand Pabbie. Once Anna explained what she had seen, Pabbie looked lost in thought. Kristoff explained that he was meditating, mentally searching through his knowledge of spells and magic. After several minutes, Pabbie stirred. He took Anna's hands in his cold, stone ones and looked her in the eye.

"Anna, you sister had the essence of winter living within her. I cannot say how, but Elsa's spirit over the years has bonded with winter itself. While the body can be destroyed, the soul of winter cannot." He spoke slowly. Anna sat still for several moments, processing the information the old troll had just told her.

"So… so Elsa's alive?" she asked hopfully.

"In body, no. But in spirit…" As if to finish his sentence, a small breeze whipped through the valley. Anna shivered as a winter chill traveled up her spine. Despite the fact she was trembling from cold, the chill felt like a warm embrace.

"El… Elsa?" she whispered quietly, a tear forming in her eye. For the first time in forever, it wasn't a tear of sorrow or loneliness. It was a tear of happiness.

I'm right here, Anna.

Anna looked around her. She heard the voice as clearly as she had heard Grand Pabbie, but there was something ethereal about this one. It was just a whisper on the wind.

"Elsa!" Anna repeated much louder than before. In her excitement, she hopped up. She immediately regretted that decision when she came back down on her bad leg. The pain was bad and she would have toppled over has Kristoff not been by her side to catch her. The two smiled at each other as Kristoff hoisted Anna back to her feet. The breeze blew through the valley again and Anna swore she heard the unmistakable sound of Elsa's giggle. Anna shot a glare to the sky. Her pain shouldn't be that funny.

"So can Elsa… die?" Kristoff questioned.

"As long as the spirit of winter persists, so will Elsa's essence." Pabbie answered flatly.

Kristoff and Anna traveled back to the palace. Anna's mind was in a blur, still trying to understand her sister's fate. As she thought, her stomach reminded her she hadn't eaten in days. Once back at the castle Anna ate a full meal and slept a full comfortable night's sleep, something she hadn't been able to do in weeks.

The world slowly began to settle down into normalcy. The war with the Southern Isles officially ended two weeks after the Battle of Notodden Harbor. To commemorate the victory, the people of Arendelle erected a bronze statue of Elsa in the town square. Anna appreciated that the statue depicted her sister in her royal gowns as opposed to her military gear. That wasn't the Elsa she wanted them to remember. Kristoff and Anna collectively decided not to tell the people about Elsa's return. It might be a bit much for them to handle. Anna did, however, tell Rebekka. She was done lying to her friend.

Two months after Elsa's death, Anna and Kristoff were married. Rebekka finally attended the ball she always wanted to as Anna's maid of honor. Despite the fact that Kristoff would bear the title of "king" someday, Anna would still be the ruling monarch. It was custom in Arendelle that the leader be of noble birth. Kristoff obviously wasn't.

On Anna's twenty-first birthday, she was crowned the new Queen of Arendelle. Anna's birthday was in late October, but her coronation saw the first snowfall of the year. Anna smiled widely as she watched the snowflakes fall from the sky. Elsa was celebrating.

Nearly a year after being crowned, Anna gave birth to the heir to the throne, Laura. Two years later, Anna gave birth to Prince Johan. Anna had a family again. Queen Anna and King Kristoff ruled over Arendelle for the next several decades. It was a time of peace and both Anna and Kristoff were loved and respected by their subjects. Anna was a fair and honest queen.

Rebekka and Anna remained close friends for the remainder of their lives. Rebekka went back to the Northern Isles and reconnected with her family, where eventually met a man who she later married before moving to Arendelle permanently.

Anna ruled Arendelle until her death of natural causes at the age of eighty-six, remembered as Queen Anna the Cheerful after her infectious laughter. She was buried alongside Elsa between her parents.

Queen Anna Marie Lennart-Bjorgman

1827-1913

Nearly half of all of Arendelle attended her funeral. After her death, stories began to circulate about Anna and how, no matter how bad she felt, no matter how busy she was, no matter how old she was, during every first winter snowfall, Anna would go outside…

…and build a snowman.

THE END

Author's Note: So, there it is. The end of my first real story. Please review and tell me what you thought of it. It was incredibly fun to write this and thank you to everyone who followed and favorited. This did much better than I ever thought it would! If you have any questions about the story, you can PM me or write it in a review. I'll do my best to answer them. If I get enough, I might add an appendix to the story answering them all in one place. Anyway, thanks for reading!