~ Epilogue ~

"Well, I guess this is goodbye," Kristoff said as he tilted the urn outwards and swung it.

A cloud of ash bellowed free, and the wind caught them, scattering Christina's remains far to the sea.

The ice master glanced at the urn. He was tempted to let it fall from his fingers and tumble off the cliff edge. But somehow, that felt… wrong. An affront to the sisters' memories.

Not that it matters now.

Kristoff sat down heavily on the grass. He was content to let his eyes drift, as the breeze ruffled his hair, as the aroma of salt filled his nose, and the waves churned their melody upon the tidal rocks.

He chuckled. Ocean-gazing felt good; he could see why Freya loved it so. If only he had a chance to tell her himself. For the umpteenth time, his mind plunged back to their first meeting in the Belly of the Beast, to their heated parting days later, and to the talk in Elsa's room. They'd come a hair's breadth from doing the unthinkable, and he thanked his maker that his willpower had averted that disaster.

And yet…

'Can't you see? I love you, Kristoff. I've loved you since I first saw you! I was alone. No one would come for me, no one would help! But you– you came!'

Did she love him for real, or was he nothing more than a tool to use against Anna? Likely, he'd take that question to his grave. More importantly, could he have done better? No matter how hard he tried to convince himself otherwise, Kristoff knew deep down his rejection was the final push in Freya declaring war.

Grass and gravel crunched in his fist. He had allowed the Warden to feed them his poison. He had betrayed Freya to die at the prison. And he'd failed to recognize that Elsa was possessed. Some brother-in-law he would've made.

Elsa trusted him. Anna trusted him. Even Freya trusted him.

I was supposed to be the responsible one. And yet, I let all three down.

For an eternity, Kristoff simply stared dead ahead at everything and nothing. He stared so long and hard his eyes watered. Then, he let the urn fall from his fingers. He awaited the inevitable smash of ceramic on rock, but it never came. Perhaps the sea had saved it and was bearing it home to Weselton. He closed his eyes, feeling dark anger well up within. He should have had a chance to say goodbye… to apologize… Anything!

He cracked his eyes open at the sound of approaching footsteps.

"Kristoff?"

He did not turn.

"Anna."

His voice was sharp. He heard her faint gasp. What a surprise. Didn't the princess so daringly ordered him around when they first met? Where was her spunk now?

"You brought her ashes, didn't you?" Anna said.

"I returned her to the sea." He couldn't tell if she meant Freya or Christina. He didn't care.

"She would've have liked that." Anna dropped down beside him, crunching grass under her dress.

He gave no reply.

"Kristoff, I– I just…" Anna started, but even as he waited, no other words came. Her fingers twitched, as if she was torn between touching him or leaving him be.

Once, he would've held her hand without a second thought. Now, he wasn't sure if either of them were worthy. So he simply set his gaze dead ahead. The sea was beautiful, and at this very moment, that was all he cared to focus on.

His hand shifted. Where was the urn– Oh damn, he tossed it. Grunting under his breath, Kristoff pushed himself up. Anna simply sat there, peering at him with eyes that were wide and wet. He spared her a quick glance. They were both breathing hard. When he held his hand out, she stared as if in disbelief, then she took it.

As soon as she was on her feet, he snapped his hand back and strode off.

Anna made her choice. Between him and Elsa, he'd always known she would take her sister over him. But to see it in action… Kristoff shook his head. Whatever was he thinking? Ice harvesters and princesses were not mean to be together. That was the stuff of fairy tales and songs. It was time this little boy woke up.

"Won't you say anything?" Anna's voice was soft, so soft she might've been crying.

"There's nothing to say." Kristoff meant every word, and not in a malicious way. He couldn't blame her for leaving him in Arendelle while she risked her life to save Elsa. But he couldn't deny the rage stirring within either.

"I am sorry," Anna said.

Kristoff paused. She trotted up beside, but still dared not touch him.

"I know why you did what you did," he said, taking deep breaths to steady himself. "But you should have had more faith in us."

"I wanted to protect you. I could have died, and Elsa too! You were all Arendelle had left!"

Arendelle. She did it not for him, but for Arendelle. Kristoff made to leave again.

"I couldn't bear to see you hurt again. Not for my sake! When Freya attacked you, I was– I was helpless. I couldn't do anything. I had to protect you, don't you see?!" Anna choked out a sob and huddled to herself.

She gasped when he threw his arms around her.

"Don't you ever do that to us again. If you were to die, then there would've been nothing for me worth living for." He held her face so their eyes met. "I would have gladly died by your side."

She nodded and leaned into his embrace.

There was a hushed silence as Anna dashed into the market. There! A heavyset man was ushering his countrymen onto a Weselton ship.

"Thomas?" Anna said.

He cocked his head in greeting. From the look of his face, he'd evidently hoped to avoid her.

Anna glanced around. "Where's Li Hua?" Throughout their journey at sea, she didn't remember even a moment when the two were apart.

"She didn't want to come back."

"Oh." Her heart sank. She'd considered the feisty girl a good friend in the short time they spent together, but their parting was beyond unpleasant. "Are all the Weseltoners going right now? You could stay– I mean, I heard that Mayor Rasmus is still unwell. Maybe you could wait till he's a little better?"

"He's dying," Thomas said.

"Wait, what?"

"Of boredom." It might've been a joke, but his face was too severe. Thomas sighed. "Look, A– Your Highness, we appreciate your good will, and you have a damn fine doctor I tell you. But my boss needs to go home. That's where he can properly heal. I'm bringing them all back." Before Anna could protest, he thrust out his hand.

Anna gaped at him for a moment, then she grasped his meaty fingers. She suspected it would be the last. "I'm bad at goodbyes. So erm, see you?"

"I doubt we'll be seeing each other anytime soon, sorry. But thank you for saving my home. For what it's worth, Weselton shares the blame as well," Thomas said.

"How much do you know?"

"We know enough. My king, he–" Thomas gritted his teeth. "Well, he's too proud to apologize. But he's knows about the prison. Belking's big screw-up. Heck, he probably sent prisoners there himself. Damn fool."

Anna fought down her urge to grin. "What about Yindu? Or the Southern Isles? They both had ships at your harbour. And you know, with the freezing and the attacks and whatnot… you won't believe the demands they are making of my sister."

Thomas let out an exasperated chuckle. "Goddamned bloodsuckers. My king's been sending gifts to every country, kingdom and tiny little island that had ships docked by our harbour. Those two got their fair share. How like them to turn around and haggle Arendelle for compensation still. Bah! Leave them be. Give them one ton of fish today and they will be robbing you for ten tonnes next week."

"Actually they were asking for gold and ships. Like, lots and lots of gold." She was afraid to press further, yet she yearned for help. Any form of help.

"And if Queen Elsa refused?"

"Then they'd hate us even more than they do already! Not that we were ever close with the Southern Isles or something." Anna rolled her eyes. "Seriously though, Arendelle can't afford more enemies right now. The last thing we want is for some angry prince slandering Elsa of sorcery or something."

"Hey to be fair, Queen Elsa does know some wicked magic. No offense."

"This attitude won't help Elsa one bit."

Thomas made a show of pinching between his eyebrows. "Point taken. I… will let my king know. Mayhap we shall send the Duke to handle this. He always did have a fondness for those two countries." He leaned in close. "This is off the records by the way. Not all my countrymen have forgiven Arendelle's actions in the war."

A retort stirred in Anna's lips, but she bit it down and forced herself to nod instead. This wasn't the time for blame games. While Freya did strong-arm the ministers and Admiral Vigard into her war, far too many Arendelle soldiers had been more than eager to spill Weselton blood. The Duke wasn't her ideal delegate, but some help was better than none.

The last of the Weseltoners were streaming into the ship. Men in crimson uniforms with crossbows escorted them while her guards watched with hands on the hilt of their blades. There was no lost love between them. The danger was over, yet neither group trusted each other yet. Maybe they never would.

Anna studied a pebble by her feet. Just a little grey thing minding its own business; it seemed infinitely more interesting than everything around her. She just wanted to escape from here. She was weary of politics. Of the storm that had nearly consumed Arendelle. Of assuming command. She yearned to be a little girl again without a care for the world beyond pleasing her sister.

Thomas cleared his throat, sensing the discomfort in the air. "Send my regards to Queen Elsa. I know this can't be easy for her."

That was an understatement. No one really could understand what she was going through. Even now, Anna dared not ask her sister of her experience. Throughout the voyage back, she could only hold Elsa as the older girl drifted into a deep sleep. And once they reached Arendelle, Elsa had immediately summoned the ministers, explained the situation, and dissolved all of Freya's orders.

Any illusions Anna had of everything returning to what it once was shattered in an instant. Elsa spent more time wandering the halls or the town by her lonesome. More than once Anna had caught her staring into the distance for minutes on end, as if close to tears. Yet, each time Anna asked, she simply smiled and said, 'I'm fine.'

As if. Anyone could tell Elsa was suffering from depression or something (Gerda suspected post-traumatic stress disorder). She was fragile and hurt. Even Sven had mellowed in her presence and nuzzled her with the care he might afford a kitten instead of his all-powerful queen.

"My sister will be… fine. Thank you for your concern." First the coronation, now this. The fates seemed determined to make a mockery of Elsa's life.

"Well, guess I gotta go now." Thomas took a longing glance at the market. "Shame though. I never got to try one of Arendelle's famous krumkakkes."

Anna whipped out her purse. "Give me five minutes."

"Elsa!"

The snow queen spun to see her sister running up to her. Anna grounded to a halt several paces away, looking nervous. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," Elsa said. She turned back to Queen Idunn's grave, and placed a hand over the smooth mountain rock, tracing the etched crocus with a finger.

"They left an hour ago. The Weseltoners, I mean."

Elsa nodded. Truth be told, she was glad to have them gone.

"Kai said you'd be here." Anna said. "And– Whoops! You wanted to be alone, didn't you?"

Yes. "I just wanted to visit Papa and Mama. I haven't been here for over a week. Join me?"

Anna dashed up to King Agdar's grave. For a moment she simply chewed her lips as if unsure. Then, she closed her eyes, raised her palms, and whispered to the rock. She looked so earnest that Elsa had to smile.

When the princess was done paying her respects, they switched places. Now, Elsa stood before her father's grave, and a familiar longing crept into her chest. They had always been close. She let her mind drift back to every talk they had, each so precious and fleeting from a lifetime ago.

But you never left, did you Papa?

Elsa fought down a shudder. Right after Freya's possession, she found herself trapped in the prison of her mind, with both the joyous and tragic moments of her life whipping by like a book she couldn't stop reading. Freya was taking over her, one memory at a time.

Elsa knew she would've been lost forever if not for them.

Papa and Mama. They were there for her, holding her hands, tethering her to her body, reminding Elsa of the love she had with Anna.

Elsa touched the gravestone with a trembling hand. "Papa…" Thank you. Even in death, Mama and you saved me. Thank you.

As before, there was no reply. But she didn't need any this time; she knew that her parents were always looking over them both.

"I am sorry!" came a cry from behind. Elsa whipped around, peering at her sister.

"What are you apologizing for?"

The princess turned her eyes downwards and shuffled her feet. "For everything? For nearly getting you killed?"

"Anna, you saved me!"

"No, I didn't. Don't you get it? If I wasn't so stubborn and stupid, I wouldn't have caused all these, or made Freya steal your body and attack Weselton." The younger girl tugged at her ponytail. "Every bad thing happened because I left Arendelle!"

"It's not your fault," Elsa said, but Anna looked unconvinced. "Look. You came back for me even after everything. You never gave up."

"No, Elsa. You didn't give up on us. You held on."

"I had to. I wanted to see you again. To tell you how much I love you and miss you and–" A hundred days of queenly etiquette lessons fell away in an instant, and Elsa fell onto her sister in a crushing embrace. She drank in the scent of Anna's hair, of her warmth, of her quaking body. "You saved me," Elsa breathed. "I wouldn't be here if not for you."

No rebut came. Instead, Anna began to sob. Elsa let go of her and touched her cheek. "What's wrong?"

"Are you really fine?" Anna held her hand. "Ever since we returned, you've shut yourself from everyone. I mean, even more than you usually are! And don't think I didn't notice your nightmares."

Elsa grimaced. She'd tried hiding them to no avail; Anna had taken to sleeping with her every night. More than once, Elsa had snapped up from bed drenched in cold sweat. It was a different scene each time. In one, she stood at the helm of Arendelle's invading fleet, bearing her wrath down upon a million innocent souls. In another, she was back at the pier, slapping Anna with a hand that no longer obeyed her. And yet in another, she strolled by rows after rows of Weselton soldiers, now little more than frozen statues with faces still contorted in horror. And she was laughing.

Without fail always, Anna would be awake and holding her, whispering comforting words till she fell asleep again. Any lasting rest Elsa could dredge up on those nights was owed to her sister's vigil.

"You keep telling me you're fine, but I don't know what to believe anymore," Anna said.

Elsa considered for a moment. Was she truly fine? No. She had been trapped within her own body, forced to watch as she hurt the people that she loved, as her magic was used to wage war. No, she was the furthest thing from 'fine'.

But then… She was back here with Anna, wasn't she? Back here in Arendelle, with Kristoff. Olaf. Sven. Kai. Gerda. With everyone else.

Elsa entwined her fingers with Anna's. "I am."

Anna nodded, but her lips were pressed thin. Elsa could guess what was bothering her.

"Is this about Freya?"

The younger girl glanced away, guilty again. It took a moment before she whispered, "Do you remember everything?"

Elsa's face must've given something away because Anna held her arm. "I'm sorry! I shouldn't have asked–"

"It's… okay," Elsa said. She drew out her breath to compose herself before she continued. "I can remember things. I could feel Freya's thoughts while she was in my body, but it was like… looking through a foggy window. I could catch glimpses of your faces and hear echoes of your voices. I could even sense when she used my magic. But sometimes, I am not even sure which ones were dreams, and which had really happened. But I know I hurt everyone."

"That wasn't you!"

Elsa clamped her eyes shut. "I tried to stop Freya, so many times."

"I know you did." Anna took her in a hug again. For a long time they huddled into each other. Then, Anna whispered again, and the guilt in her voice was clear. "I… wish we'd never met her."

"Then she would still be trapped in that prison."

Anna broke off from the hug and stared at her. "Don't you hate her?"

Again, Elsa had to pause. This time the answer came faster. "No."

"But she stole your body."

"And I forgive her, as you did. She sought an escape. A way to make things better, to right the wrongs that were inflicted onto her. And I can't fault her for that. I just can't. I was in her mind, Anna. I saw her past, all of it… all the bad things they did to her. I won't bring myself to hate a person who could very well have been me.

"Freya didn't ask for this. None of us did. But we can be better. We can look towards tomorrow and rebuild."

Elsa grasped Anna's hands. "All this while I could only ask why did things turn out so badly for us for those thirteen years. But now I know I was lucky. Freya and I were both scared, but instead of the love and understanding of the people around her, she saw only fear and hate. No matter how lonely I got however, I always knew I had you three.

"Mama and Papa did everything they could for us, Anna. They died loving us, and we must honour and remember that."

The words were said as much for herself as they were for Anna. Elsa could manage this at least. Her wounds would heal eventually, but more importantly now, it was time to rebuild and be the queen Arendelle deserves.

Anna's face was still too solemn for her usual self, so Elsa leaned forward and kissed her. And I will never stop loving you.

"Promise you won't shut yourself from us again?" Anna said.

"Promise." She meant it.

Anna giggled and intertwined their fingers together. "Let's go."

They took the long way back. They passed browning fields where farmers reaped the last of autumn's harvest. They weaved through cobblestone streets, waving to townspeople and tourist alike. They pat children on their heads, and nodded to every guard they met. Finally, the Arendelle castle stood proud before them.

Through it all, Anna never let go of her hand. She turned to Elsa, and in her eyes was a most playful look. "I just remembered... someone still owes me a snowman."

Elsa smiled. She was home.

"Sometimes you have to go through darkness to get to the light."

~ Elsa, A Frozen Tale ~

What a journey this has been.

When I caught Frozen three years ago on Christmas, something in this movie resonated with me. It occupied a special spot in my heart, it filled my dreams, and it stirred a love for writing within my soul. (I became a published author two years ago, but that's a story for another day)

One day I was on a cruise ship, and this idea of a possessed Elsa wreaking havoc popped into my head. The rest of the story wrote itself. A walk through the narrow walkways of the ship became the basis for Weselton's prison. Watching the sea and sea made me build Freya as someone who loved the sea. Even a sumptuous buffet meal inspired the various meals the characters have. Re-watching the movie helped me envision how Anna's love would overcome all odds to bring her sister back.

Before I knew it, I was spending late nights churning out paragraphs after paragraphs while traveling through Arendelle in my dreams. I was eating up novels by the dozens, spending lunchbreaks proofreading and editing, and whipping out my smartphone every hour or so just to save a new plot idea. It was all worth it.

Thank you /r/Frozen for being the forum that solidified my love for this incredible movie. Thank you /frz/(you died too young) for your writing guides and endless encouragement.

Elsa, A Frozen Tale is indeed a love story between the sisters. Just like the spirit of the movie, I left it ambiguous as to whether it's platonic or romantic. I've always intended for this story to fit as a sequel to Frozen, yet not interfere with the canon established by Frozen Fever or any subsequent sequels.

I've made too many apologies for my tardiness in my last few chapters, and now I must apologize again for the late updates. I lost many readers due to my delays, so I am ever grateful to those of you who stayed, who reviewed, who gave me the motivation to soldier through the business of everyday life to deliver what I dare proclaim to be my proudest story ever. I only hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it.

Goodbye my friends, and may we meet again in Frozen 2.

- Fieryeel