Disclaimer #1: I do not own Frozen. That joy belongs to Disney. More specifically WDAS.

Disclaimer #2: This is not the end of Anna's story. A lot of people criticised the last chapter and I understand why, I really do. I've also made some changes to it. I haven't changed the plot but some of you said it was a bit hard to follow. I hope you approve of my attempt to correct that.

A milestone has been reached and I want to take the opportunity to say the "thank you"s I've been bottling up. One for each of you, who thought this was worth reading, reviewing, following or favouriting - I'm sure you hear this a lot but getting an email saying "Hey, someone thinks your story was worth their time!" is an amazing feeling. Of course the actual wording differs but that's what those emails mean to me. Even those who criticise me do so because they thought my story was worth their attention before whatever upset them happened. I appreciate that too.

There are a few people I want to thank in particular who helped shape An Only Child as it was being written. I thank UltimateCyanide and cupcakesplease, two fellow authors I met on reddit who proofread AOC into something much more refined than what it would otherwise have been. I also thank the wickedly talented Gabrielle Andhita for letting me use her amazing Elsa portrait as a Cover Image.

There are a few others I would like to thank who made an impact on me as I wrote and published this story. Minerva Empirav, for letting me into her community. Nixie Delor for an impromptu lineart of Chapter 7. ReVaQ and From101WithLove for the discussions we had on reddit as I posted each chapter there. And thank you to all those who participated in my AMA. I enjoyed answering your questions and what's more, they helped me! Talking with people helped me understand their perspectives and learn more about myself as a writer. For those who want to take part, you can find a link to it on my profile page alongside links to every one of the people above. If you don't have a reddit account and don't wish to make one, feel free to leave your questions as reviews so everyone can see them. I'll answer via PM and will also update this chapter or the reddit page with your permission. Check the bottom of this chapter!

One more link I have to offer you is a soundtrack (a YouTube playlist) I've been compiling as I wrote this story. Some tracks you may recognise from films and games but most are the works of Kevin Macleod. I've mentioned "Anna's Themes" in Author Notes throughout the story; they're also included. I'd just like to highlight what I felt was a fitting Main Theme - Dear My Friend from Sonic Unleashed. It refers to friendship but I feel it's not too far off from what Anna wanted to be for Elsa and what she wanted Elsa to be for her.

I repeat that Anna's story does not end on that grassy plain. Life goes on, however painful the passage of time may be, and you'll see Anna experience that. I'd like to announce a new story - live now. Right now! - titled An Only Child: Looking Back. This story is both a prequel and midquel to AOC, detailing backstories and a few "offscreen" moments with some characters who might not have gotten the spotlight they deserved when it centred on Anna in a one-shot format. There are those who may wish to leave Anna's past and future to their imaginations and I respect their decision, but I hope they will give it a chance nonetheless. You'll also find a hint to Anna's future therein. I may update this story for anything monumental if need be, but no promises.

Finally, a lesson on following your gut instinct. Early readers of Chapter 8 may notice something off if they were to read it now; I wrote the chapter to satisfaction and let it be for a few months. I refined it with help from my proofreaders at the end of the hiatus following Chapter 7 but decided to add a few lines I thought would highlight Anna's emotional state at the last minute. I thought it disrupted the flow of the chapter but convinced myself it was fine andit wouldn't hurt.

I was wrong.

While the chapter wasn't a complete disaster, I realised that the addition was doing much more harm than good and had a far more negative connotation than I was comfortable with. Needless to say, it was removed (thanks for the pep talk you two). The moral of the story is to follow your gut instinct and keep a lookout for those "clicks" that sound when you think the right thing. The right name or character quirk can do wonders for your ability to write a scene or chapter and, beyond refining it, you may be better off leaving it alone once you lift pen from paper - or fingers from keyboard.

Here's the offending few lines from the opening of Chapter 8, with a few surviving lines on either side for context. Afterwards I'll have a summary of the questions I've been asked. As I said earlier, I'll try and update it every so often if I can. Thank you all once more, though I can never say that enough: Thank you.

She staggered to her feet and forced herself towards the nearest pen, choking down her tears. Her hand dove into a pocket of her dark jeans and drew a strip of tablets. She popped one out with unsteady fingers and tossed it into her mouth. She swallowed without water. She returned her painkillers to their home as one thought shone with clarity.

I should just give up.

These are questions asked of me on my AMA as well as other reddit threads and reviews. As I said above, stay tuned for updates!

From101WithLove and NinaWindia asked me about cameos. Grand Pabbie, Hans, Rapunzel, Eugene, Gothel and the Stabbingtons appear under different names at least once, alongside Olaf and minor characters from Frozen and other films with similar or identical names.

Doggie015 asked me what my inspiration was. Believe it or not I dreamt the story up and decided to write it a day later. It was a weird thing, but as it happened I somehow knew what the backstory was and gut instinct helped me tie everything together. I discussed the dream on reddit as I started writing. Again, you can find a link in my profile. As a side note, I read A Snowflake in Spring after starting work on this. I think it's a great story and though the barebones premise may be similar I didn't copy CelerySticks' work, I swear! But tell her I said hi!

Following on from that plea, From101WithLove (among many others) asked me about the ending. AOC was always going to end this way. But remember, Anna has further to go!

Finally, From101WithLove, Protoestrella1, LiariaZwei and Man of Constant Sorrow asked me over the course of the story if it would include Elsanna. Thoughts?

We're at an end yet we're only just beginning. Again, thank you. Though this story is now "complete", stay tuned for updates.

P.S. I haven't spoken to some of the individuals mentioned above in over a month. I hope you're all doing alright and miss you.