It's finally here!

The end of the Friends and Family arc. The next arc of Black Diamond Princess will begin the first Friday in April. Until then enjoy the St. Patrick's day Sisters in Seasons, "Kiss Me I'm... Norwegian?", As Cold as Ice, "The Pact", and possibly a second As Cold as Ice, "Back In Black".

Next Arc of Black Diamond will be the second to last, and will be titled, "Fury, Feelings, and Finding the Way Home".

Hope to see you there!

TAO & /SNZ/

Between the competitions, everyone expected Elsa to be elated. The second she stepped out of the limelight though, her nerves got the better of her. Everything rode on this last event, three people were going to lose and get nothing, but Elsa stood to lose everything. Anna pulled Elsa outside, away from everyone for a few minutes.

Elsa followed Anna, the warmth from her hand as she pulled her along felt nice. "Okay", Anna said with an abrupt stop. She looked Elsa directly in the eyes, "what's been up with you? One minute you're hot, the next you're cold, and the third you are somewhere in the lukewarm area." Anna thought about her analogy and just shook her head. "I get that you are under a lot of stress with the competition and training and work, but talk to me, I'm your girlfriend. I want to be the one who takes that big ball of stress, cracks it in two, and steals half." She paused again, "you know what I mean!"

Head down, Elsa stared at her feet, "it's my father, Anna…"

"What about him?", Anna knew this was a touchy subject with Elsa, but her aggravation took control, "your mother knows about us, Bulda knows, my entire family knows, hell half the people at the lodge know after the kiss you gave me before. Why does the opinion of a man stuck thirty years in the past ma-"

"Because he's my father!", Elsa yelled. Saying it out loud made her feel silly and ashamed, "he is a homophobic, overbearing, verbally abusive, terrible man… And for whatever reason I still can't figure out, I am trying to get his approval." The floodgates holding back Elsa's emotions creaked against the weight, "I know he'll never be father of the year! I don't expect anything I do to make him suddenly change and love me, hell I don't even want him to like me, because I don't like him!"

Elsa shook like a leaf and Anna put her arms around her to try and calm her tremors.

Choking back tears, Elsa kept yelling into her girlfriend's shoulder, "I just want him to acknowledge me… to look at me like I'm not disappointing him by just existing." Elsa's arms curled around Anna as the pressure inside her broke down the last wall she had. Her voice grew somber and low, "why does it matter that I'm gay, daddy… I'm still the same girl that you taught to snowboard... That you looked at and cheered whenever I didn't fall… Why did that have to change?"

Anna held her girlfriend tight, biting back her own tears. Every emotion pouring from Elsa tore at Anna's heart, "Elsa, I'm not good with talking about things like this, but I want you to know, even if something were to happen, I'm not going anywhere. I am not your father, and I understand that you want him to treat you like a human being, but I…", she hesitated, unsure if she should finish that thought. Elsa tilted her head up and the sorrow brimming from her eyes was too much to bear, "I love you, Elsa. I've loved you since the moment I met you. So even if your father refuses to notice all the wonderful things you've done, know that there is always someone there who's looking at you with pride in her eyes. I might not be the person who taught you how to snowboard, but I'll always be the person who cheers you on."

Overwhelmed by everything Anna just said, Elsa opened her mouth but only sobs came out. She buried her face back into Anna's shoulder and let out every last pent up emotion. After a few minutes Elsa calmed herself enough to speak again, "Anna…"

The redhead stroked her girlfriend's hair, "hmm?"

"I don't deserve this", Elsa choked out, her head still buried in Anna's shoulder.

"Not this again", Anna sighed to herself. "Why, Elsa?", irritation clouding her voice again, "I want one good reason why you don't deserve love."

Elsa whispered quietly, "because I've been lying to you all this week."

Both girls went silent, Anna eventually asked, "what do you mean, Elsa?"

Still whispering, Elsa explained, "Hans caught me after the night of the prelims."

Anna's hand stopped petting her head, she spoke firmly, "Elsa, what happened?"

"He threatened to out us to my father. He told me if I didn't throw the competition to him, he would tell", Elsa hung her head in shame. At that moment, she would have given anything to have Anna keep stroking her hair and tell her it would all be okay. She pushed herself to continue, "I agreed, and every time I saw you, I told you I would do my best and that I would win. I lied… Every single time I talked to you, I put on a smile, looked you in the face, and lied." Elsa's hands grabbed at Anna's jacket terrified that she would pull away, that her world would pull away. "I'm sorry, Anna. I've jumped between wanting to tell Hans where to shove it and throwing the entire thing just to keep us safe."

Panic surged through her when Anna spoke, "so which have you decided on?"

Elsa didn't move, "I still don't know."

"You wanted to keep us safe…?", Anna asked in disbelief, "you wanted to keep us safe by not letting him know we exist together? That's not keeping us safe Elsa, that's keeping us a secret."

Tightening her grip on Anna, Elsa told her, "I was just trying to protect you."

"You don't have to protect me, I'm not afraid!" Anna's strength shined like a beacon in Elsa's darkness, she pulled the girl off her shoulder to look her in the eye, "I want to be able to hold your hand anywhere, to kiss you and not worry about who's looking. I want to tell you I love you and hear it back, without having to check if someone's in the area."

Elsa's eyes pooled with tears once again, "Anna… I'm sorry."

"No!", Anna stopped her, "you want to apologize?" She lifted her hand and pointed towards the mountain, "then go out there and beat Hans. Make everything you've said in the past week true." She took her girlfriend's face in her hands and brushed away her tears, "win for us, for your mother, for everyone who knows about and supports us regardless."

It might have been something in the way Anna's eyes shimmered against the snow, or maybe it was the warm touch of her hands on Elsa's face. It could have been the tender strength Anna spoke with or the way Elsa's heart fluttered when Anna told her she loved her for the first time. But in that moment, Elsa finally decided, her heart set on seeing Hans pay for even making her consider betraying her friends.

With a renewed look of determination, Elsa re-entered the room hand in hand with Anna, standing tall. Everyone in the room watched Elsa, she walked with confidence, with power. Bulda just smiled, while everyone else gawked at the two.

"Finally made up that stubborn mind of yours, eh, lover girl?", Bulda remarked as they walked by.

Elsa's eyes lit up with vigor, "yeah, it took a bit longer than it probably should have, but it took someone special to me to knock what you were saying all along into my head."

With not even a glance at Elsa, Bulda blatantly asked, "you've been flip flopping all day, you actually going to stick to it this time?"

Elsa burned with anticipation and spoke with the same fire in her chest, "I am tired of only doing things half-assed."

Bolstered by her conversation with Anna, Elsa smirked coyly to her girlfriend. They shared that moment, it belonged to them and only them. The verve in Elsa's stare changed slightly. She meant what she said, and she hoped that Anna would understand that she meant it in all aspects of her life, not just snowboarding.

Bulda lifted herself out of her chair, "well then, let's get going then!"

"Going?", Elsa tore her gaze from Anna, "go where?"

Energy filled the room and Bulda laughed, "we have a tournament to win."

Elsa and Bulda were on fire, the wavelength they shared buzzed through the room. Without letting go of Anna's hand, they walked out of the lodge and down towards the course. On the way, the snowboarding finalists had people either wish them luck or glare at them as they passed. Nothing phased them however, and as they approached the main area, Elsa saw her father standing atop the stage. Her body told her to let go of Anna's hand, every muscle yearned to uncurl her fingers. Instead, she tightened her grip and released a shaky breath.

"Are you okay?", Anna whispered into Elsa's ear.

Elsa's blood boiled, "yes", Elsa seethed, "I already told you, I'm not hiding… Not anymore."

Anna looked up at Elsa, her eyes fixated on her father, then squeezed Elsa's hand right back, "together?"

"Together", Elsa said, as a smile bloomed on her face.

Same as the last time, Bluda and Elsa had to leave everyone. Squeezing Anna's hand one more time, Elsa seemed happier than she'd been in a long time, "wait for me, okay?"

Anna squeezed back and saw Elsa off to her last event, "I won't move an inch, just go kick Hans' butt!"

They didn't separate her and Bulda this time, instead, the officials led them both to where they stood just a short while ago. When they approached, Hans and three other people stood waiting. His face twisted at the sight of Elsa and Bulda. He could see something different in them, something he couldn't handle, couldn't control. His plan to win faded before his eyes, and replaced with unfiltered rage.

"Alright everyone!", a voice boomed through the loudspeaker, "this is the moment we've all been waiting for! Allow me to introduce, our finalists!"

The crowd cheered loudly, all the snowboarders stood proud, except two. Hans' face curled with anger and disgust as he stood lost in his thoughts, and Elsa stacked determination as she stared at her father. Elsa knew it was a matter of time before Hans got to him, but she refused to let that deter her. Meeting her gaze, Agnar warily stared back. Elsa knew he could sense her storm coming but he didn't know when it would crest or with what severity.

The loudspeaker stole everyone's attention, "this brings us to our final event, the half-pipe! This event will be unlike the others. Our boarders will be allowed one run down the course to perform their tricks and our four judges will score their run out of twenty-five. The results will be based on their performance, execution, variety, and the difficulty of tricks. As with our first event, if you fall, your run is over and your points stand on what you have. All three judge's scores will be tallied together and the highest combined score will be our winner!" The crowd went crazy for a moment before the loudspeaker could finish, "without any further delay, let's find out who we will crown our champion! Our first contestant is a wildcard. Not much was known about him until today, when he came from out of nowhere and boarded his way into the finals. Ladies and gentlemen, Hans Westerguard!"

The crowd gave mixed reviews of Hans, some cheering loudly, others clapping methodically. It seemed to Elsa that even with all his charisma, Hans couldn't win over the entire crowd. All the finalists walked over to the half-pipe and Hans set himself up to go. Elsa watched him strap in, set up, and get ready to push off, every move looked calculated and planned, like this had been practiced hundreds of times.

Hans always looked calm on the outside even if he was boiling inside. Something about him seemed off normally, but today… today, his demeanor was torn to shreds. He glanced back at Elsa and Bulda before he pushed off, his eyes were wide and his mouth revealed his pearly teeth in the most sinister way.

Simply being in this gaze, letting those crazy eyes stare at her, slightly unnerved Elsa. This didn't look like someone who had everything in hand, to Elsa, Han's looked like a cornered animal who just decided to attack.

When he finally turned away, Elsa glanced over at Bulda to see her reaction, but her face was almost as unsettling as Hans'. She let zero emotion come through, her eyes peered out with stone cold resolve, her mouth petrified in an apathetic position, and her entire body closed off like a statue, letting none of Hans' influence in.

Elsa wanted to speak, wanted to ask Bulda how or why, but before she could, she figured it out. How Hans always managed to manipulate her, why he chose to attack her instead of Anna, Bulda, or Kristoff. It all came down to her emotions.

Hans tried to manipulate Anna, but in the long run she was far too unpredictable. He couldn't anticipate which side of the fence she'd fall He and Kristoff had been friends for years, and he just brushed off Hans' actions. When Hans set his sights on Anna though, Kristoff did not back down and let him do what he wanted. As for Bulda, she never trusted Hans and never let him into her head. She wore her emotions on her sleeve, making it hard to control what she hold in.

Elsa felt so foolish. Time after time, Hans played her like a violin. A few words here, an idea there, and Elsa folded in his arms. Anytime she started to stray outside of his control, all he would have to do was reinforce his control, and Elsa fell right back in line. He worked her like clay in his hands, sculpting and molding her hidden fears and emotions. When he needed her angry, he'd insult Anna. When he needed her scared, he'd mention her father. When he needed her to waver or back down or stand up, he knew exactly which buttons to push to get his desired result.

"You've got to be kidding me…", Elsa muttered to herself, her fists curled at her sides.

The stoic face on Bulda fell as she looked at Elsa. The rage burning inside the blonde must have been clear as day on her face because Bulda put her hand on Elsa's shoulder, "save it for when you're on the course."

Hans pushed off and the girls glared at him intently. He came to his first trick and as soon as he lifted off the ground grabbed his board by the tail and held it before returning to the ground. He landed almost perfectly and sped into his next trick, a small cheer from the crowd served as an intermission. The minute his board left the ground Hans grabbed the front side of it with both hands and began to spin. He rotated three full times and landed without any problem. There was another cheer as he built more and more speed going into his third trick. He launched off the ramp high into the air, tucked down into a ball, and grabbed the nose and tail of his board. He spun two times, flipped over himself, and set down without a hitch. Each trick landed garnered more cheers from the crowd. Hans approached the end of the course and his final trick. He bent down, came up the ramp, and exploded into his trick. He flipped over grabbed his board on the side again, spun four times, and put it down flawlessly.

The crowd roared to life as he threw his hands in the air and pulled out of the halfpipe. The loudspeaker blared, "ladies and gentlemen, Hans has set the bar high right here. He started with a nigh perfect Tail Grab, moved into a 1080 Super Mindy, continued with a frontside 720 Cannonball, and ended with an amazing 1440 McTwist." Almost every single person was on their feet cheering. Hans smirked, knowing he would be a force to beat in this event. "Alright everyone", the loudspeaker rumbled over the crowd, "the scores are in. Let's see what Hans has started our final event at…" Hans looked up at the screen as the scores come up. The loudspeaker screams, "Hans sets the pace at a commanding 95.4! This is the first time ever someone has come from nowhere and dominated so thoroughly."

An official ran up to Hans to talk to him about his victory, but instead of listening the two girls looked at each other and nodded. They knew what they have to beat now and didn't plan on making it close. One by one the boarders come up, the first girl fell after her third trick and skated down knowing she'd lost. The next boy came up and landed some very nice tricks, he spun and flipped the same as Hans did but always in the same directions every time. He walked away with an 88.9 and a solid chance at placing. The competition continued to heat up more and more with each run.

"Our next competitor is a fan favorite", the loudspeaker announced, "she has been with us for four years running now. Everyone please give it up for, the Wildflower of the Winter, Bulda Wilson!" Everyone cheered louder than they did for any other contestant yet. "Bulda has never settled for anything less than third since she started with us, but always just misses first", the loudspeaker continues, "will this be the year she changes that? Let's find out!"

Bulda took a deep breath, "okay… let's do this!" Bulda bashed the heels of her hands into her helmet and bounced up and down. Excitement filled the air as Bulda psyched herself up. Right before she turned to set up her run, Bulda turned to Elsa and gave her a hug, "I expect to see you on the podium."

Returning the hug, Elsa chuckled, "don't worry, I'll try and tone it down so you don't feel bad about getting second."

Bulda laughed with Elsa, "you better watch that mouth of yours or it's going to get you in trouble one of these days." She flipped her eyebrows suggestively at Elsa.

"Oh, you jerk…", Elsa smiled and Bulda walked up to the starting position and strapped in.

The excitement that built up in Bulda came through as she stood at the top of the course. She hopped up and down, threw her hands up clapping, and made it clear where she intended to place. She pointed at the scoreboard and tossed one finger in the air, before pointing both her thumbs down at herself. A calm rushed over her almost as quickly as the excitement built, she looked down the path and pushed herself off. Her smaller size allowed her to gain more speed than Hans had. She came into her first trick wasting no time. using her momentum, she rocketed off the ramp, grabbed the front end of her board with both hands and spun, landing without any trouble. The already pumped up crowd cheered for her loudly. The pace of her first trick continued hurdling her to her next. She began spinning almost before she left the ground. As she spun, she bent down, reached her rear hand through her legs from behind, and grabbed the front side of her board. She held this for four spins and landed easily. Everyone had almost no time to even cheer before Bulda's immense speed catapulted her to her third trick. She left the ground and went into a flip, grabbed the front end of her board, and spun two and a half times before she gently glid into her final trick approach, facing the opposite direction she normally boards. Each spin, every grab, every flip riles up her audience more. With unreal speed, Bulda digs deep and flies off the ramp as she turns into her trick. Everything hinged on this last trick for Bulda, her body tilted backwards as her board continued to rotate. Both her hands went down, her rear hand reached through her legs like before, but this time she brought her lead hand through her legs and grabbed the backside of her board as well. By the time she completed this, she had finished her back flip and reached the pinnacle of her jump, but she wasn't done. Her board kept spinning and she continued to flip backward. Holding her trick as long as she could, Bulda finally released her grip, popped back up, and finished her second backflip just in time to feel her board connect with the ground and level off into her landing. It looked a bit rougher than her others, but the trick was worlds harder than any other that had been attempted yet.

"Oh my God!", the loudspeaker barely stayed above the screaming crowd, "Bulda has always taken it to the extreme here, but I have never seen this level of determination from the Wildflower!" Bulda came into the descent, arms waving up and down wildly as she screamed. The announcement of her tricks came with the same shock and awe that they deserved, "Bulda started out with a 360 Rocket Air, flew effortlessly into a 1080 Canadian Bacon, without any hesitation hit a huge Frontside Rodeo 900, and ended a miraculous run with a Double Backside Steak Tar Tar 540."

Bulda unlatched herself, ripped off her helmet and continued screaming at the top of her lungs. No one could begin to come close to the emotion she felt right then. She reached up to the sky, pointed out one finger on either hand, and threw it up a few times.

Still in the throes of her victory, she didn't even hear the loudspeaker, "and the scores are in…!" A moment's pause filled with deafening cheers from both the audience and Bulda, the loudspeaker screamed, "UNBELIEVABLE! Bulda has come out of her run with a 98.2! She hasn't just beaten Hans' score, she's crushed it and secured her spot in first place!"

Bulda screamed even louder, running around and bouncing off the walls. When she finally stopped, she covered her mouth, fell to her knees, and shakily raised her fist in the air. When the official came up to her, Elsa watched her on the big screen.

"Bulda!", the official yelled into a microphone and leaned down next to her, "Bulda, you have just given us the best performance we've seen from you yet, how do you feel?"

Still shaking, Bulda just repeated through her hands, "oh my God! Oh my God!"

The official looked into the camera transmitting the feed to the screen, "clearly overwhelmed by having one of the best runs we've ever seen here, Bulda can barely speak." The official helped her up and asked, "Bulda, is there anyone you want to say hi to at home or thank for helping you along the way?"

Clutching to the woman's jacket, Bulda, clearly emotional over her score, said, "oh my God! I want to say hi to my fiancé Cliff, I love you baby! I also want to thank everyone back home who helped me get as far as I have and want to thank a few special friends I've made here, Anna, Kristoff, and most of all Elsa!" Bulda pulled back and cheered once again.

Elsa smiled immensely, knowing that now even if she didn't win, at least Bulda beat Hans for first.

The official continued her interview, "you mentioned Elsa Arendelle, she's been someone everyones seemed to have had their eye on this competition. Are you worried about the fact that she has yet to run or do you think 98.2 is the lucky number and this is the year you get first place?"

Grabbing the microphone from the official, Bulda spun and gazed up the halfpipe, "Elsa, I know you can hear me. I did it! I kept my half of the promise, now you better meet me on that podium girl!" Bulda spun back towards the camera and jumped up and down screaming, hands in the air.

Laughing at Bulda, the official calmed her down and tried to get her attention, "Bulda, one last thing, do you have anything else you want to say to your fellow competitors or any fans in the stands today?"

Bulda gave back the microphone, "I wanna thank anyone who has supported me, and I want to tell Elsa, remember, lover girl, you are the one and only Black Diamond Princess, and if you're not the elite, you're just someone to beat!" Bulda let go of the microphone and ran off, still reeling from her victory.

A blush bloomed on Elsa's face when she heard Bulda call her by both her nicknames. The official turned to face the camera, "alright, there you have it, Bulda Wilson still celebrating her amazing run. Once she finishes, she will make her way back up to the main stage and wait to see if either of the last two competitors can dethrone her phenomenal score."

The screen changed back to the leaderboards, Bulda's name and score replacing Hans' for first. The crowd continued to cheer for a few minutes before it finally settled down enough for the next person to be called. The boy who made it ended up getting called before Elsa, after his brief introduction, he made a solid run and ended with a 92.3, nudging the other boy out from third but not enough to beat Hans. At long last, the time had come.

"And it all comes down to this folks! Our last and final contestant", the loudspeaker began Elsa's introduction. "A new face to our tournament, but someone who has been on the radar for a while now. The up and coming snowboarding star, the powerhouse that blasted our expectations in the giant slalom, the newly dubbed, 'Black Diamond Princess', Elsa Arendelle!" Cheers, rivaling Bulda's, erupted from the crowd.

Elsa drew in a deep breath. She smelled the mountain and the freedom it promised. She smelled the competition and it stirred powerful feelings inside her. She smelled the crisp air, the pine trees, and everything inbetween. As she exhaled, Elsa began to walk to the starting area. On the way she listened to the people who believed in her, cheering for her, and when she stepped up for her run, it felt like she stood on top of North Mountain itself. Elsa sucked in one more deep breath, threw up her fists, and screamed just like Bulda had. Afterward, she slapped her puffed out her chest with her open hand and pointed up to the leaderboard before pulling down her goggles.

She strapped in, set up for her run, and closed her eyes. Anna, Bulda, Kristoff, Oaken, Pabbie, her mother, her father, Hans, Olaf, and everyone that influenced her in the past few weeks rolled through her mind. She calmed the last of her nerves, opened her eyes, and everything went still in her head. To her, the crowd wasn't cheering, they weren't even moving, and the half pipe belonged to her. The final hour arrived, and Elsa pushed off.

The rush of her approach built in her chest as her heartbeat raced. She gained speed and entered the halfpipe almost already at full speed. Nothing registered outside of her: no sound, no thoughts, not even the cold bothered her. Her first trick would set the tone for her entire run. In the halfpipe is where she shined, this is where she was the most confident, and this is where she wanted to make her mark. She rocketed off the side, turned her board, grabbed the front side edge, straightened her legs, and spun twice. When she finished, she stuck the landing perfectly and propelled herself into her next trick. Adrenaline burned in her veins, she knew how her body needed to twist, how it needed to curve, and she set herself up as she shot off the opposite side into the air again. Both of her hands reached behind her as she leaned back into her trick. She grabbed the backside of her board with her hands, flipped twice, and came back to right herself, landing spectacularly. Mind clear and victory in sight, Elsa knew she was halfway there. The third trick needed to be just as perfect as the first two; she turned her body to set herself up for her next trick. When she hit the edge, her intense speed vaulted her into the air and her body started to twist again. Her front hand reached around the outside of her front knee and grabbed the front edge of her board by her foot. As soon as her hand clasped onto her board, she pulled it behind her and began to flip forward. After she spun three times and completed her flip, she released her board and finished her trick. A nearly perfect landing pushed her forward, only increasing her already unreal speed. She had a split second to decide what she planned to do, and that's all she needed. Everything came down to this, Elsa had to go big or go home. The second before she hit the edge, she set up her body and made a leap of faith in a trick she wasn't sure she could land. The ground came out from under her as she sprung off the edge into her final trick. Every inch off the ground she flew came with deliberate and necessary twists and spins of her body. Focusing on her current trick, Elsa curled down into herself and leaned into the tail of her board. Her board spun and her body tumbled as Elsa barely kept straight which way the ground was and how many rotations her board had made. The graceful execution of this trick had Elsa pushing her own limits when she entered into the second flip of the maneuver. Her body fought against her and Elsa started to worry, she had the speed to get high enough, but did she have the momentum to complete the second flip? The edge of the halfpipe sped towards her and she still had half her flip to go. Every muscle burned, and Elsa forced herself down. The tail end of her board touched down first as she barely finished the flip. She realized right then, it was over, her board righted, the crowd's cheers echoed through her ears, and the cold nipped at her face. She had landed her final trick.

"Unbelievable!", the loudspeaker blared, "Elsa Arendelle, with a spectacular run, just showed why she's known as the Black Diamond Princess." Elsa huffed for breath as she stared off into the sky. "I am still stunned by that display, folks. Elsa left nothing out there, starting with a 720 Mute into a Double Backside Flying Squirrel, both executed flawlessly. She continued into a Frontside Japan Air 1080 and finished off an amazing run with a Double-Chuk!" As Elsa looked into the crowd, the realization of her run hit her. From the beginning Mute to her ending Double-Chuk, she had done it. The tournament was over.

With a hand in the air and the brightest smile she could manage on her face, Elsa fell backwards into the snow. She knew someone would be over soon to ask her questions and congratulate her on her performance, but for now, she just wanted to feel the cold on her back, hear the cheers from all around, and see the impossible blue sky above her.

A few seconds later, the woman with the microphone proved her right. "Elsa! Elsa!", she called to her.

Elsa's ears rang as the adrenaline that boiled in her blood finally began to subside. Barely able to register a response, Elsa saw a hand in her clouded vision. Grabbing the gloved hand with her own, she was jerked to her feet quickly and into a hug. Bulda had waited at the bottom for her and screamed excitedly as she held Elsa, "that was amazing, lover girl!" Elsa bobbed in Bulda's arms as her friend jumped up and down.

"Elsa!", she heard the official call one more time, "you just put the exclamation point on what might be one of the greatest competitions we've had in years, how do you feel?"

Glancing at the woman over Bulda's shoulder, Elsa started to breathe more heavily and bounce with Bulda. "I feel amazing!", Elsa screamed into the microphone.

The true hype of the moment started to hit her full out, then she and Bulda were blindsided from behind. Anna had jumped into the fray again, wrapping her arms around the two snowboarders.

The girls peeled apart and Elsa hung off their shoulders, "this was an amazing time, and I'm so happy I was able to compete against so many talented snowboarders!" The moment couldn't have been better for Elsa, she felt strong, happy, empowered.

"We know Bulda", the official started, "but who is this?" She motioned to Anna, who almost froze in place.

Elsa barely hesitated, she knew it would only be a matter of time at this point, so Elsa decided to remove the last of Hans' control, "this is my girlfriend, Anna! Her, Bulda, and everyone else that supported me in the past few weeks are the only reason I've made it this far."

Both Bulda and Anna looked in at Elsa, stunned. Her beautiful smile stayed their panic and they knew Elsa'd finally overcome her fear.

The loudspeaker came back on, "and the judges have finalized their scores. Elsa Arendelle has scored…" The tension of the moment built exponentially with each passing second. "An even 98, making Bulda the winner of the games!"

Anna and Elsa curled around Bulda as she dropped to her knees and screamed. All three girls cheered at the top of their lungs, commemorating everything they accomplished today. It meant something to them that they could all be happy for each other, so they celebrated.

They celebrated Bulda. Who had fought hard, challenged herself, and finally won the tournament she'd been trying to for a long time.

They celebrated Elsa and what the acceptance and empowerment of herself meant as well as her triumph over her fear.

They celebrated their friendship and how this competition fostered a bond none of them would ever forget.

Bulda and Elsa stood proud as they received their awards, while Hans brooded in his third place position. Everything felt wonderful for that moment, earning a spot on the podium would have meant so much less to Elsa than it did if it wasn't next to her friend. The biggest triumph of the day for Elsa had been announcing her and Anna's relationship to everyone. She felt amazing, but knew the backlash of her actions was yet to come.

When the awards concluded, a party for the victors took place back inside the lodge. Everyone came up to congratulate Bulda, most people knew her at least in passing from other events. Elsa, Anna, Bulda, and Kristoff laughed and had a good time. Bulda had had Cliff on videochat since they got off stage. He greeted each person by name and rattled off a description Bulda must have given him after each introduction. Using choice quotes like "icy blue eye's" for Elsa, "fiery red hair" for Anna, and "gigantic teddy bear" for Kristoff. When everyone's laughter subsided, they enjoyed meeting and talking amongst themselves. As Elsa talked to Anna and Kristoff, someone approached Bulda.

"On behalf of the Arendelle Ski Lodge", the man's voice sent chills up Elsa's spine, "I want to congratulate you on winning, Miss Wilson." Drawing in a deep breath, Elsa turned around and saw her father shaking hands with Bulda. He looked cordial, calm, and poised to anyone who looked at him, but Elsa knew her father's tics. Almost instantly, Elsa saw the furious anger boiling below his skin, the powerful disdain in how he carried himself, and the degrading disrespect in his piercing stare. He had one eye on Bulda as he kept up his professional tone, and the other on Elsa, "If you'll excuse me Miss Wilson, I would like to congratulate my daughter as well."

A chilling wind blew through Elsa as he spoke, and she did her best to not falter. Each step towards her felt like an earthquake as it rumbled through her head. In an attempt to hide at least some of her nerves, Elsa slid her now shaking hands behind her back. Adgar loomed over her, his smile laced with homophobic sentiments. The pressure from his glare almost crushed Elsa. Her fragile confidence waned in his trembles, but she stood firm, refusing to back away from her promise to both Anna and herself.

"Congratulations, Elsa…", he spoke succinctly, his tone rasping into Elsa's ears. He glanced over towards Anna, who stood with the rest of her family. None of them had noticed him yet, except for the fiery red head. He shot her a cruel, judgmental stare as he looked down his nose at her. "May we have a word in private?", his air dampened as he turned back to Elsa, beginning to lose his composure.

"N-no", Elsa cursed at herself for stuttering, "I want to stay here, at the party with my friends."

The courteous smile on his face disappeared. "Adorable, but that was merely a formality", he leaned in close, "I do not want to do this out here… So, unless you want a repeat of your nineteenth birthday party, I suggest you come along."

Just the mention of that day drained the blood from Elsa's face. Adgar sent one more condescending look towards Anna before turning and walking away. Seeing how white Elsa's face was, Anna started to approach her girlfriend when she turned to follow her father. Adgar led Elsa through the party, towards a door marked, 'Employee's Only'. Anna pushed her way passed people trying not to lose sight of them. Adgar pushed a few buttons on the key pad on the door and threw it open, dragging Elsa inside. Refusing to give up, Anna slammed into people and watched the door creek shut. She knew if the door closed Elsa would be stuck alone with her father and every bit of hate that swirled in his brain. Anna couldn't let that happen… She wouldn't let Elsa face that alone. Catching the door meant more than just pursuing Elsa and her father, it represented everything. Catching the door meant an open invitation to come to Elsa's defense, and missing it locked her girlfriend into the closed off mind of her father's rage.

Anna pushed harder and moved as fast as she could. The door collided with the frame, but didn't click shut. Her shoe caught the door with just enough room to keep it from locking. She burst through the door and stood in a hallway, in the distance she heard Adgar yelling. Just like every other time someone had attacked Elsa, Anna saw red. Her feet moved without being told, her chest heaved in breathless protection, and she bolted down the hall listening to his verbal assault.

"You have disgraced everyone in this family!", Adgar's voice echoed.

Anna's nostrils flared, "no, you haven't!"

"You disrespected me, the lodge, your mother, and everyone by doing that", his voice continued to reverberate.

Anna's disgust twisted her mouth, "no, you havent!"

One more time, his booming voice bounced off the empty walls, "I can't even call you my daughter. How could you do that, after I've given up so much for you!"

Anna rounded the corner and found herself standing behind Elsa, facing her father, and she said once more, "no… You haven't."

Relief, shock, fear, and embarrassment surged through Elsa when she heard Anna's voice.

"And now you're here…", Adgar's voice rang out, "tell me, have you come to corrupt my daughter some more and change her to be like you?", his anger out of control without the fear of witnesses.

"Change her?", Anna started, "I'm one of many people who actually accept Elsa for who she is!" The power behind her words acted like a shield for Elsa, "as for corrupt, you might want to check who was just abusing his daughter for being herself."

"Watch your fucking mouth, dyke", Adgar stuck his finger in Anna's face, "I've never laid a finger on my daughter, but I won't hesitate from disciplining some smart mouthed girl who's sticking her nose where it doesn't belong."

Anna wanted to challenge him, but Elsa jumped in front of her, "I won't let you near her!"

In this split second, Adgar changed. He stopped being the defensive father of 'his lost little girl', and became the aggressive authoritarian who just got challenged, "you ungrateful little slut." He pushed Elsa back into Anna, "you don't even know just how fucking good you have it here."

Confusion and terror flashed in Elsa's eyes. What her father said before wasn't a lie, he never laid a hand on her until right then.

"I take care of everything; the lodge, the guests, and both you and your mother", he advanced a step forward on them, "and what do I get in return? Nothing." Pushing Elsa again, he almost took both Anna and her off their feet, "no one gives Adgar a pat on the back. No one commends me for having to put you back in line whenever one of your little outbursts happens." He seemed larger than normal to the girls, his face contorted as his outrage continued, so much so, that Elsa barely recognized him anymore. "When I finally have control, when everything is as it should be, you find another faggot whore to fuck around with, and worse, you announce it to the God damned world!"

Elsa mumbled something as she shook in Anna's arms.

"Oh you have something to say then?", Adgar taunted her, "speak up then, I thought you gays liked being 'loud and proud'."

Lifting her head from Anna's chest, Elsa stood up between her girlfriend and her father, tears, half of rage and half of fear, occupying the corners of her eyes. Something had changed within her, her eyes pierced Adgar's like a dagger, "don't you ever call her that again!" Even though she knew that she stood before someone with far greater strength and influence than her, she was done playing by his rules. "I have second guessed myself for years, I have been depressed and missed out on meaningful relationships, all because of you! I'm done with it! You will never see me cry, not anymore!"

As the last syllable left her mouth, Adgar hit her in the shoulder with such force she slammed back into Anna and they both fell backwards to the ground. "All you care about is yourself", he stepped forward and towered over them, "you stupid little girl, if you want to cry… I'll give you something to cry about." He raised his hand over his head, and Anna curled herself over Elsa to protect her. The girls closed their eyes, clung to one another, and prayed.

It happened so fast. Like a shadow descending on them, they heard the crack and the yelp of pain, but it wasn't either of their voices. Elsa opened one eye hesitantly and all she saw was purple. After a moment, she realized who had rescued them and who just took the brunt of the assault meant for her, "MOM!"

"I-Idun… I-I didn't…", Adgar stumbled over his words.

"You didn't what, Adgar?", Idun's face already started to swell from the impact of the blow, "you didn't mean to take it this far? You didn't want to hurt anyone? Or you didn't expect me to protect our daughter and her girlfriend?"

Anna clung to Elsa, refusing to let go, while Elsa grabbed a fistful of her mother's dress and yelled worryingly over and over, "mom! Mom!"

Without flinching, Idun turned her head towards Adgar, "get out…" The domineering growl she let out sounded like a lioness protecting her cub.

He reached out, "Idun… I was just… I'm sorry", Adgar continued to try to explain himself.

"Don't touch me!", she roared, asserting herself again, "get the hell away from us!" Her face began to bruise as she protected the girls with her body.

Adgar dropped his arm to his side in defeat, took a few steps back, and turned, walking off in shame.

Once the door clicked shut from him leaving, Idun heaved a heavy breath and released the tension from her body. As soon as she leaned back on her knees both girls jumped into her arms, "are you girls okay?"

Elsa just continued to repeat, "mom", over and over again, while Anna nodded into her shoulder.

"I'm glad", she wrapped them into her arms and held them tightly, safe and sound.

Almost an hour later, Idun sat with Elsa and Anna still in her arms. Her face continued to change colors as the damage she absorbed fully set in. Elsa refused to let her mother go, she didn't want to see the damage her father had caused. To her, she knew it had happened, but until she saw it, it wasn't real. Anna let go and held Elsa's hand when Idun finally pulled away.

Elsa reached out and touched her mother's face with tears in her eyes, "mom… I'm so sorry."

Idun put her finger over Elsa's lips, "shh, this isn't your fault. None of this is. You are my wonderful little girl, and I promised I would protect you." An expression of unconditional love warmed Idun's already glowing smile.

"Mrs. Arendelle", Anna said tentatively, "thank you so much… I don't know what-"

Again, Idun hushed the girls, "none of this talk. It's over now. You two head back out to the party. I want to go check how I look, and I think it might be a good idea if you stayed with Anna for a bit Elsa", the calm way Idun spoke soothed the girls. She turned to Anna, "I will come and talk to both your uncles after I have a moment to fix myself up. I think they will understand and help out", when she finished speaking she rose up to her feet and even as disheveled as she was, something about Idun always seemed graceful.

Anna helped Elsa to her feet and they both gave Idun one last huge hug, and just above a whisper, Elsa muttered, "I love you, mom."

Idun's face lit up and almost eclipsed the damage her husband had done to her. The girls walked back out to the floor, found Kristoff and Bulda, and explained to them what just happened. Kristoff reacted more like a brother than a cousin, getting extremely protective, while Bulda just held Elsa's hand a bit tighter through all of the harder to tell parts. The four sat down for a bit and just tried to enjoy themselves as best they could. Pabbie and Oaken came over after a short while..

"Oh goodness!", Oaken squeaked as he picked up Elsa in a great bear hug, "it looks like you will be staying with us for a while!"

Pabbie put his hand on Elsa's shoulder when Oaken finally put her down, "we talked to you mother. She explained the situation and you are welcome to stay with us as long as you'd like Elsa", his manner of speaking reminded Elsa of her mom's, always so tranquil and calming.

The offer alone put some energy back into Elsa, "thank you so much, you're too kind", she laced her hand with Anna's.

"There are a few", Pabbie waved his hand trying to think of a gentle way to put it, "conditions... we need to speak of before you come stay with us however."

Elsa prepared for everything from basically no alone time with Anna to not being allowed to snowboard, fully aware she really didn't have a choice either way.

"First", Pabbie listed, "we are a large family, there is no room for secrets, no room for sneaking, and even less room for beds so you will be staying with Anna in her room."

A genuine look of surprise took over Elsa's face, "you mean like… together..? In the same bed?", her head tilted as she pointed at Anna.

"Unless that's a problem… Second", he continued his list before she could answer, "we eat dinner as a family whenever we can, and as long as you are sleeping under our roof you are part of our family, is that clear?", he smiled when Elsa's face sprung to life when he referred to her as 'family'.

Elsa tried to contain her overwhelming gratitude, "crystal clear."

"Lastly, and probably the most important of all of these set guidelines", Pabbie paused, pointing a finger at Anna, Kristoff, and Bulda, "these three need to go with you to help you pack a few bags of things you plan to take."

Tears formed in Elsa's eyes, this kind of parenting seemed so foreign compared to what she'd been used to. One based on trust and love, even when she was little her parents were always so busy she never really got that much direct attention. "I think I can do that", her voice cracked and her body quaked. She didn't know how to feel, her heart hurt and lept at the same time, tears ran down over one of the biggest smiles she'd ever had, and her entire body felt so warm. She'd finally found somewhere she could belong, and her spot blurred the line between friends and family. As Pabbie pushed her along, she knew all the feelings of mistrust and neglect, all the pain left behind from the abuse both external and internal, and all the crippling anxiety and depression would always be scars on her heart. But she gathered up all the memories of them she could and was finally able to let it go.