Disclaimer: Still don't own anything. A look (relatively) far into the future of our favorite redhead.

Fifteen years later, Anna was sitting in the living room of their American home, reading the paper and smiling. The front page story was about the ongoing charitable efforts of several high profile companies in response to a crisis in Asia a month prior, featuring pictures of relief workers side-by-side some of the wealthiest people in the world as the young CEOs-in-training pitched in to help. Idelia and Krystal had volunteered to personally oversee the distribution of IKEA's furniture donations, along with Merida and Kristoff's youngest son and daughter, who were officially monitoring for waste and abuse of donated monetary funds while unofficially getting down in the trenches with the rest of the workers. Marshall's eldest was there too, beside his cousin as the Frossen boys moved sandbags and helped set up generators and other electrical equipment.

It made her swell with pride, a sense of accomplishment filling her. Despite being some of the most privileged individuals in the world, her children and their friends hadn't let that fame and wealth go to their heads, becoming as kindhearted as their mother. Elsa would argue that it was a trait picked up from both of them, seeing as the blonde still didn't offer forgiveness as readily as the redhead, but it was a silly argument anyway. They had six wonderful, amazing kids and that was all that truly mattered.

In the years since the twins' birth, Anna had scaled back her involvement in her wife's company, only filling in for the blonde while she was on maternity leave and whenever Elsa felt she needed to spend more time with their children. It was difficult at times to keep the balance between work and family, but the extra effort they put in truly paid off.

IKEA as a whole had grown from a mostly global company to a completely global one, with more than one store in every recognized country in the world- and even a few 'unrecognized' ones. But the company's success paled in comparison to her children's triumphs and struggles.

Idelia, who had grown up to be an almost mirror image of Elsa, was less than a year away from officially taking over the company and had spent the past two years shadowing her mother at the IKEA headquarters. It meant long stretches of time where Anna hadn't seen her wife or eldest daughter but weekly Skype calls had lessened the pain, slightly. Soon, Elsa would return to their American home for good, seeing as Idelia wanted to remain in The Netherlands for at least the first two years before contemplating a relocation to one of the regional offices as her mother had.

Krystal, on the other hand, was Anna's duplicate, though far more confident in herself than her mom ever was for obvious reasons. Brash, stubborn, and very empathetic, their middle daughter had taken full advantage of her place in the spotlight to become an advocate for the causes she truly believed in. The younger redhead had apparently taken it to heart when Anna and Elsa told the full story of how they met and fell in love, including the now distant incidents with Hans and Vanessa. She worked with charities and volunteer groups around the world to fight against discrimination and hate groups, using whatever connections were available to her in order to secure help for those who needed it. It was her idea to bring in the extended family on the relief efforts, after all, and though she enjoyed assisting her elder sister with things related to the family business, she never held the passion for the corporate world that Idelia inherited from Elsa and Elsa from Ingvar. She was a humanitarian, through and through.

Eva, of course, found her own way, independent from her elder sisters yet still supportive of them. While they were heavily involved in the large scale- global economy and human rights- their youngest sister opted for a local path, currently studying to become a lawyer at Harvard. As she'd told her mothers several times, her intent was to become a city prosecutor and remain in the local area for the rest of her life, except for the odd vacation to visit her sisters. Eva, it seemed, was quite content to remain home and have no part in the family business, though she did seem unusually interested in trade laws for a lawyer looking to practice in the criminal courts.

With her daughters and wife away, Anna was at home with their three sons, which was just as horrifying as Merida had warned her it would be. It wasn't all bad but the types of mischief their sons got up to was worlds different from the types their daughters did.

Executus, being the eldest of their sons, had just finished high school and was taking a year off from his studies to tinker with cars, taking a low profile job at a local autoshop to get some experience. Ever since he was old enough, Executus was absolutely fascinated with the story of how IKEA was founded, though he didn't find the products nearly as impressive. Instead, he wanted to craft machines that would be inexpensive to buy and maintain but still hold the appeal of traditional American Muscle cars. This unfortunately led to more than a few fires starting in the detached garage they'd converted into a workshop for him as a sweet sixteen present, the most recent including a small explosion.

At this point, Anna was on first name basis with the firefighters and police who regularly responded and kept a relatively large stock of coffee, creamer, water, and snack foods for whenever they were called out to the Aren estate. She'd taken to keeping marshmallows and graham crackers too, seeing as she always had chocolate and sometimes there was nothing better to do than make s'mores while waiting for the firetrucks to arrive.

Elsa was not nearly as amused by Anna's acceptance of the facts as the fire chief was.

The twins, of course, were still in school, which was why Anna was sitting in the living room reading as opposed to worrying about dinner. Executus was working late and the twins had a school sponsored Halloween party to attend, which meant the redhead was going to be alone for the evening.

"Hey, Momma, have you seen that big stick I brought in the other day?"

The redhead looked up, smiling as Jack stepped into the room. Unlike their four older siblings, the twins had unique initials, per their elder siblings' request. Apparently, their children found it highly unfair that they all had the same initials as their mother but Anna didn't, so it was decided that the youngest and final additions to the family would have unique initials like Anna, so she wouldn't feel left out. Thus, the fraternal twins were named Jack and Daniel Aren.

To this day, neither woman admitted why they chose to name their two youngest sons after that particular brand of alcohol.

"It's leaning against the fireplace, Jackie." Setting her paper aside, Anna got up and stretched, popping her back a few times. She was aware that Daniel's date had offered the boys a ride to the party; she wasn't exactly privy to their choice of costumes, however. With a small grin and a chuckle, she was forced to ask. "Okay, I give. Who are you supposed to be?"

"Jack Frost, of course!" The frosted blonde struck a pose, holding the stick aloft. "I'm the spirit of joy, here to spread seasonal cheer!"

"You... do realize that's the wrong holiday, right?" Anna smirked, laughing slightly as he rolled his eyes.

"Joy doesn't have to be strictly related with Christmas, you know; the prevalence of pumpkin spiced everything proves that cooler weather is just plain awesome." Aside from the light hair and impossibly blue eyes, Jack had also inherited his mother's love for the cold. Pretty much everything else, though, was Anna, or so Elsa claimed. "Besides, if no one buys that line, I could always be an old timey hobo. All I'd need is a handkerchief, which I'm sure Danny will bring in spades."

Taking in the practically threadbare sweater and torn pants sans shoes, Anna raised a brow.

"Or you could pretend you're a crackhead." The redhead shook her head, running a hand over her face the moment the words left her mouth, a lingering side effect of spending a few days last week over at Eugene and Rapunzel's house, excitedly cooing over their first grandchild. She'd been living with just the boys for a bit too long; knowing Jack-

"Please, Momma, it's a Halloween party, not Career Day." Yup, that's exactly what she was expecting him to say. "Besides, you know I already sent in my audition for Play Girl magazine."

"Jackie, you're fourteen."

"Fourteen and a half." He corrected, a smirk on his face.

"And grounded for exactly that long if you keep it up." Anna smiled as he threw his hands up in the air in surrender. Granted, he was only joking, and he really had a good heart, but sometimes she truly worried about some of the comments he made. Unlike all his siblings, Jack hadn't indicated having any sort of plan for after high school. Sure, that was still three years off, but it was a tad odd considering everyone else- even his twin- had made some sort of decision before even reaching their freshman year. "Where's your brother?"

"Present!"

Anna turned, watching her other son enter the room wearing a ridiculously over-sized coat. While Daniel was definitely the lesser practical joker between the three boys, his pranks were typically rather elaborate. The redhead felt she couldn't quite leave it up to chance. "I swear to all things holy, Danny, if you're going as a flasher-"

"No, Momma, no." Daniel laughed, scratching at his head; for some odd reason, he was wearing his old ski cap with the sewn in ear muffs. "This isn't my costume." She raised a brow, crossed her arms over her chest as her son seemingly struggled to explain his attire. "You see, uh... um... well..."

Anna waited patiently, glancing at Jack. The boy seemed just as nervous as his brother, which sent even more warning flags off in her mind. She'd noticed Daniel was acting a bit odd for the past few months but had accounted for the behavior; he was dating one of his classmates and had yet to introduce her to Anna, always having some sort of excuse for why she couldn't come over. Given her own dating history and Elsa's, the redhead found it hard to fault her son for that hesitance even if they were painfully clear they wouldn't be upset no matter who their children brought home- so long as they weren't rude or abusive. So, she'd opted to wait patiently despite Elsa's concerns. Apparently, it was Daniel's girlfriend who was providing the ride tonight, so she assumed this would put an end to the matter.

Was he concerned about that or was it something else entirely?

Gathering up his courage, Daniel took a deep breath and spoke, his voice even. "Momma, tonight, my girlfriend and her father are coming to pick up Jackie and I. So you two could meet. Or rather, so all four of us could meet, and get that out of the way." He set his jaw, resolution tempering his nerves. Oh boy. He might have hair and eyes just like Anna's but that expression was all Elsa. "No matter what, we still want to be together, even if you two don't approve."

It took sincere effort on Anna's part not to laugh; she had a sneaking suspicion Elsa would've said much the same to her parents had she not tried so very hard to keep the blonde calm during that first trip to The Netherlands. It felt like a lifetime ago.

"And I'm not asking for you to like her father." Daniel continued, capturing Anna's attention once more before it could escape down memory lane. "I'm just asking that you don't bear a grudge against her."

Both of Anna's brows raised in surprise. Okay, she originally thought that this was maybe some sort of melodramatic, teenage angst thing, but now she was really concerned. Just what on Earth was Daniel talking about?

Before she could ask, though, the doorbell rang, and Anna went to answer it, seeing as neither of her sons were inclined to move for some reason.

When she opened the door, however, everything clicked into place rather quickly.

As she'd expected, there was a girl a little shorter than Daniel standing on the other side of the door, bundled up just like him. Behind her stood a man she hadn't seen in over thirty years. Maybe her memory was playing tricks on her but there was something about the way he carried himself that she instantly recognized, especially after keeping in contact with all twelve of his brothers over the years.

"Hans?" Anna blinked, slightly dumbfounded. Given the matching look of shock adorning the man's face, the redhead guessed her memory was spot on and she wasn't the only one caught off guard. Distracted as she was, she hardly noticed the girl slipping past her and into the house. When her brain finally kicked back into gear, she asked the only question that came to mind. "How have you been?"

His mouth worked for a moment with no sound coming forth and Anna took the opportunity to take in his appearance. He looked well off, all things considered; there was a touch of grey starting at his temples and he'd shaved off his sideburns but, aside from a few lines creasing his brow and around his jaw, he was essentially the same as when they parted ways. She half expected there to be a bruise on his cheek.

For her part, Anna had aged rather gracefully as well, or so Elsa assured. Sure, she had laugh lines that were becoming more prominent with the passing years and a random white streak that she'd never bothered dyeing by her right temple, but most could hardly believe she'd been married almost thirty years. Sometimes, she could hardly believe how much time had passed.

"Darling." Hans directed his gaze over Anna's shoulder, presumably addressing his daughter. "I'm going to have a word with Mrs. Aren before we leave, if that's alright with her." His gaze shifted to the redhead and she nodded quickly, noting the distinct lack of disgust in his tone. She could hardly remember a time when he'd spoken to her without marring his voice with some less than favorable emotion. "We won't be long."

"O-okay, Dad." Anna could hear the slight concern in the girl's voice but stepped outside regardless, shutting the door behind her.

They stood there a few seconds, just looking at each other, waiting. In the end, it was Hans who broke the silence.

"I'm not sorry for how things went."

"Excuse me?" Anna raised a brow, crossing her arms over her chest. She half expected the Hans she remembered to appear, his face twisting into a sneer.

Instead, he repeated himself, face smooth and serious, a glint in his eyes she'd seen half a hundred times before, in the eyes of his brothers and father that meant he was being sincere. "I'm not sorry for the way things went between us or how we ended up. I do, however, apologize for the pain I caused you." His shoulders subtly dropped, as though he was finally letting go of a weight he'd carried for far too long. "Had I been a better man back then, maybe things between us wouldn't have soured. Had I been a better person, maybe the lessons wouldn't have been so harsh to learn. There may have been an easier way to reach where I am right now but, for the sake of my children, I'm grateful for how it all played out. The fallout of my actions changed me in a lot of ways; it taught me humility and compassion, it set me on a path to seek my own redemption." His gaze dropped to the wooden deck a moment before lifting again. "For all the misery I inflicted on you because of my own stupid pride, I'm sorry, Anna. But I would also like to thank you for teaching me how to be a better man. I've thought half a hundred times about seeking you out to say all of this to your face... but I didn't think it would be welcomed. I've owed you an apology for thirty years, Anna, and I can't make up for waiting this long. For that as well, I'm sorry."

Subconsciously, Anna reached up, fingers brushing against the snowflake necklace she still wore after all these years. Some part of her instantly wanted to reject his apology and kick him off her property, maybe even call the police and have him escorted away on principle alone... but the overwhelming majority remembered that, for all the hardships he'd caused her, many of them were catalysts to the events that brought her to this moment in the first place.

"I accept your apology, Hans, you're welcome... and thank you." She smiled, noting the genuine shock in his expression. "Believe it or not, you aren't the only one who learned something. What we had, our relationship... it was a toxic thing, from beginning to end and even after, but it was the type of toxin that the body and soul can resist and eventually overcome. The heart, too. And it made us both stronger and better people because of it." Placing her hands on her hips, Anna cocked her head to the side. "But if your daughter is as good at hurling insults as you were, I might have a problem. I'm very protective of my boys."

Clearly surprising himself, Hans barked out a laugh. "In that case, if your son is half as good at throwing punches as you were, I think we're both in hot water!"

Chuckling, Anna nodded, turning to put her hand on the doorknob. "I'd really like to catch up with you Hans, but I believe our kids are supposed to be on the way to a party. I wouldn't want to make them late."

"Absolutely; there's much to discuss, but another time." He gave her a soft smile, the same smile she remembered from the first time they met. "Please, give my regards to Elsa. And, uh, put in a good word for me while you're at it?"

"Of course, but no promises." She laughed, preparing to open the door. Thinking better of it- and holding up a finger to stop Hans from questioning her- she wound up and pounded the door with her fist, satisfied when she heard a distinct yelp on the other side. "What have I said about eavesdropping, nosy?"

"And what have I said about talking loud enough so I don't have to eavesdrop, Secret Squirrel!" Jack called back through the door, clearly agitated.

Hans gave her that shrug that said 'what can you do?' before smothering a chuckle behind his hand.

Entering her home once more, Anna noticed one of her sons rubbing the side of his head and playfully glowering at her. The other, of course, was heaving a not-so-discreet sigh of relief. "Are you two ready to go?"

"Almost." Daniel gave his girlfriend a nudge and pulled off his ski cap, discarding the jacket soon after, the young woman doing the same.

Hans and Anna got their second shock of the evening as they stared at their respective spawn, feeling a little like they were standing in front of those carnival trick mirrors.

"That's... that's the dress I wore for the prom my sophomore year," Anna said, her voice full of wonder as she looked at Hans' daughter, looking almost exactly like she did once upon a time. To be specific, it was the last dress she wore before meeting Elsa; she was certain the garment was thrown out by her mother ages ago. Even the hair style was the same- an elaborate bun of red locks, though the color tended towards Hans' shade than her own.

"I wore that suit to the Spring Formal." Hans seemed equally awestruck; Daniel had even managed to style his hair into sideburns.

Anna had wondered why he was letting his hair get so shaggy.

Standing side-by-side, Daniel and his girlfriend looked like a younger version of the other's parent. Sure, there were little things- the girlfriend lacked Anna's freckles and filled the dress out a little better than she ever did- but the resemblance was uncanny. Almost to the point where Anna was questioning her own sanity; she hadn't even known Hans when they were in high school!

It was more than a little weird but... oddly heartwarming too?

Mostly weird, though.

Walking over to her former seat, Anna grabbed her phone and took a picture of the couple, a devious grin on her face.

Jack narrowed his eyes. "Momma, what are you plotting?"

"Oh, nothing, just preparing to give your mother a heart attack, that's all," she replied, stowing her phone away for later. The moment she sent the picture, there would be a call swiftly following, and that conversation was something she'd like to enjoy thoroughly. Elsa still had a bit of a jealous and possessive streak, from time to time, even after all these years. "Anyway, you three have a party, and I think we've delayed you long enough." She hugged her sons, giving them each a kiss on the cheek. "You boys behave. If you need anything, call me, okay?"

Suffering her doting a while longer, Jack and Daniel agreed and told her they loved her before heading for the door, Daniel's girlfriend following close behind.

"Oh, wait, I never caught your name." Anna smiled apologetically as Hans' daughter turned, only slightly confused.

Then she smiled wide. "I'm Anna, Mrs. Aren. Anna Westergard."

The elder Anna flicked her gaze over to Hans- who was wearing a fond smile as he watched his daughter- before she chuckled. "It's been a pleasure to meet you, Anna. I hope you are able to come visit soon."

As soon as the door was closed, Anna returned to her seat and pondered over everything that had just transpired. Eventually, she laughed, pulling out her phone and sending the picture to Elsa. Something like this, she needed to tell someone, and there's likely no one who would get a bigger kick out of the ordeal than her wife. Kristoff was a close second, though.

No more than thirty seconds after the picture was sent did her phone start to ring, the familiar strains of What's This? briefly echoing through the room.

"What in the world did I just see?" Elsa's voice was thick from sleep, a detectable level of irritation in her tone. "From what I recall, you're way too young in that picture to have known Hans."

Yup, she was jealous.

"That wasn't me in the picture. Or Hans." She was smiling, enjoying herself a bit too much.

"Oh? Then who was it?"

"Danny and his girlfriend."

A few moments of silence followed.

"I'm confused." The rustle of fabric and the distant click of a light coming on. "What?"

"I told you Danny's been acting funny, because he had a secret girlfriend. I just met her. Turns out, they decided to go as each other's parent for the Halloween party, so she dressed up like me."

A little more silence.

"She's Hans' daughter?" Anna did a little victory dance in her seat at the mixture of awe, confusion, and certainty with which those words were said. Sometimes, she was downright evil to her beloved wife. "What's her name?"

"Anna Westergard."

"You're joking."

"Come on, I can't make this up!" The redhead waited, allowing her eyes to close and picturing the adorable look of complete confusion on Elsa's face. "Weird, huh?"

"Weird doesn't even begin to cover it." Her wife muttered, sighing slightly. In her mind's eye, she could see the concern flashing and spoke before Elsa had a chance to voice it.

"Hans was very cordial. He basically apologized for the hell he put me through... but not for how everything ended up and I can't blame him for that." She smiled. "Just like him, I wouldn't change a thing, not if it meant losing even the tiniest bit of the life I have now. I love you, Snowflake."

"I love you too, Sunshine." There it was, that tone that meant Elsa was smiling as wide as she could, skin crinkling at the corners of her eyes.

"I'll let you go back to bed, love."

"Wait." Elsa begged, more shifting of sheets following her plea. "If Jackie and Danny are out, what are you doing for the evening? Is Xec home?"

"The Tornado decided to work late at the shop." Anna settled back in her chair, reaching for the remote. "Honestly, I was just going to watch this old, obscure movie, I'm not sure if you've ever heard of it."

"Oh? Which one?"

"It's called The Nightmare Before Christmas." The redhead smirked.

"Wow, you know, that is really obscure, but I just so happen to have a copy handy myself." They were both laying on the sarcasm thick.

"Well in that case, how about I run upstairs, grab my laptop, and then we can Skype while we watch it together? I'd hate to see it for the first time without you."

Elsa laughed. "Okay, let's be honest here; your laptop is right next to you, isn't it? You were going to use the five minutes to make popcorn, weren't you?"

"Guilty as charged." She admitted, reaching over to boot up her laptop. "So is that a yes?"

Almost instantly, the call disconnected and Anna turned her attention to logging onto her Skype account. Once it completed, she had an incoming call from Elsa. The redhead felt her heart melt all over again as the webcam activated, displaying her beautiful wife dressed in her pajamas, smiling just for her.

An ocean may separate them but they were never far, their love binding them closer than any physical means ever could. As they'd done many, many times, both women started the movie and set their laptops beside them, so a glance was all they'd need to see the one who held their heart. It wasn't perfect, it wasn't ideal, but they did whatever worked and that's what counted.

As the night wore on, Executus came home with some Chinese takeout and curled up on the couch as Anna and Elsa started another movie, Eva logging on somewhere a quarter way through and joining the chat. By the third movie, Jack and Daniel had returned home from the Halloween party and joined their eldest brother on the couch, snagging what remained of the egg rolls. As the time edged towards sunrise in The Netherlands, Idelia and Krystal managed to join them for the last movie, which happened to be a family favorite.

Complacency of the Learned: Book Three: Part One.

Author's Note: And so, it ends. Now, there was a lot I could've covered in this fic that was left out, but I think I've hit the points that matter the most for these two. The next few paragraphs are just about the process and explanation; if you're not interested in my loquacious ramblings, just go to the end of the page for the TL;DR.

Please understand, when I originally wrote Scheherazade, it was just a fun one shot that was almost entirely born out of my medicine addled brain thinking that 'Idunn Kendra Elsa Aren' would be absolutely hilarious and the Liar's Reveal being a trope I have a prolonged love/hate relationship with. The rest? No fucking clue. It's pure coincidence that the series parallels the story from which it takes its name by following a person who was romantically betrayed and had a bleak outlook on romance until falling in love with a storyteller; I honestly picked Scheherazade as Elsa's topic of conversation in the coffee shop because it's my favorite lyric in Friends Like Me from Aladdin. I am being dead fuckin' serious. I can't make this shit up, guys. I'm not smart; just lucky. Not claiming any credit on any of this.

Anyway, I obviously ended up continuing the universe; while writing Sultan, I realized I needed to write The Kingdom, and while writing The Kingdom, realized I needed to go beyond that as well. Each of the original sequels had- what I felt- to be a specific theme to them so I wanted to make that separation. When trying to figure what should and should not be included in this, however, I had to look at the series as a whole, and what each fic represented to Anna and Elsa. While the first installment focused on both of them learning about the other and overcoming their personal reservations in order to be honest with each other, the second installment was focused on that honesty and introducing the next mutual hurdle- physical intimacy- which would require longer to come to terms with, so the third installment instead focused on how these two learned to function as a couple and integrate their worlds together, again deepening their emotional connection. Obviously, the physical connection was something that needed to be addressed, so that was obviously one of the focal points of OTaO. However, the entire series has really been about these two getting on the same damn page with each other by improving their communication and supporting each other while overcoming personal issues. Which... was honestly the hardest part of writing this fic (aside from the awkward smut scenes) because, after Anna was clued in and did her proposal at the park, I really didn't have much desire to write any further. At that point, Anna and Elsa had overcome their longest lasting issues- honesty, physical intimacy, trust- and were finally communicating so they understood what they both wanted, deeply cared about each other, functioned relatively well as a couple, and were essentially already married in all but name. Sure, real life is filled with repetitive obstacles, constant stress, and the like, but I'd already covered most of the bases by that point, so it would just be rehashing things and I feared getting too repetitive would just drag things out. The only appealing options left were Real Life Horror (which I ended up writing) and a parent dying unexpectedly. Granted, could've definitely killed off Ingvar and shoved Elsa into the CEO position before she was ready and followed that angsty drama bomb's destructive path... but, aside from pushing the timeline back and a bunch of angst, I didn't think it would really add much to the characters. Every challenge, every angsty bit of life throwing these two a bad hand, served a purpose: to grow Anna and Elsa as characters and/or to further their relationship. However, after achieving that open communication, honesty, and deep trust, there was very little I could see breaking them, especially since they've entered the relationship recognizing the unique distance challenges they'll face as a result of Elsa's position. There's a reason I write tooth rotting fluff, guys; it's because I actually really hate dealing with real life sometimes and all the bad shit that comes with it. Now, I did use angst (what I would like to think) sparingly, like with Vanessa and Hans, but each instance served a purpose beyond just putting these two through the ringer. Only through challenges, obstacles, and adversity do we learn how to persevere. In regards to Vanessa and Hans, though, I'm not saying forgiveness is always the key (you'll notice Anna doesn't forgive Hans, but does forgive Vanessa) or that assholes have a right to be assholes; I'm just aware that, sometimes, life deals us a shit hand. Anna got a pretty shit hand initially because she dealt with a lot of assholes before finding Elsa; once they'd reached the point where Anna had achieved what she perceived to be impossible at the onset of the series, going further almost felt like pointlessly dragging it out just to deal Anna more shit to overcome. I wanted to give her a break on that front. I think she's earned it.

I do have everything worked out in my head- how Elsa maintained control of the company, how long they spent in America and the Netherlands, about a zillion little stories involving the newest generation of Arens ranging from being hilariously inept at rebellious behavior (Idelia) to being insufferable, privileged little shits (Krystal, before learning about Hans and the things Anna had to deal with growing up), from specific hair-brained schemes (Eva and Xec, those two are evil geniuses in training, I swear) to general mayhem (the twins, to no one's surprise, and I think Jack's a hipster... not sure how that happened...)- but that didn't fit with the rest of the series to me. Plus, it bugs me when a 'ship fic becomes a next gen fic out of the blue, so I tried to limit the introductions of the kids as much as possible, focusing on Anna's relationship and perception of each of her children as an extension of the dreams she'd let go of before we meet her in Scheherazade. I'm not claiming I succeeded at any of this, mind, but it's what I was aiming for and why I made the decisions I did.

Oh! And, if anyone was curious but doesn't want to do the math, the first time Anna and Elsa meet in Scheherazade is the 13th of September, 2014. Although I've been mostly vague with dates for the series, I did have a timeline for every event that's been shown and they are all based on that date. Mainly because, of the Saturdays I had available for their meeting, the 13th is my favorite number. *shrug* I'm petty; so shoot me.

TL;DR: The series followed Anna's journey from being pessimistic and closed off regarding romantic options to becoming engaged to the love of her life. I'm glad y'all have enjoyed this journey and I included the wedding and a look at their kids to round out the universe. I'm not going to jinx myself and say this is the absolute end but I most likely won't be revising the universe anytime soon, less likely from Annas's perspective. (Fun fact: originally, Sultan was going to be written from Elsa's perspective.) So, if you see anything pop up from me like "Appendices" or "Epilogue" or something 'clever' relating to the end portion of a book, it's probably in regards to this universe. Thanks so much for all your support, favs, follows, and reviews. This has been my most productive year to date (like, 11 fics in one year I think) and it's in large part because you people have been so accepting of the insanity I post up. You're all wonderful! Once again, Merry Christmas, happy holidays, and thanks for everything!

(I also find it absolutely hilarious that I'll end this fic on Christmas; Scheherazade was meant to be a Christmas fic, but I couldn't get it out in time. Shenanigans, I swear.)