Note: Last chapter and perhaps the hardest I've written by far. Seriously folks, this was rough, but I'm surprisingly happy with how it turned out. Not exactly a happy ending, this wasn't meant to be a happy piece, but I'm still pleased with how it translated from my mind to black and white. Thanks for reading!

One week, that was the allotted time given to prepare for the royal funeral. It was a kingdom wide affair, Arendelle swelling in size as mourners and well-wishers flocked into the city to partake in the shared grief of thousands. With no bodies to bury, it was left up to Elsa to choose where the ceremonial graves would be placed. The idea of choosing her parent's gravesite had made the young queen physically sick, but she managed to choose a place she, her mother and sister use to pick nick before Elsa had been forced to distance herself from everyone. The Overlook was a beautiful stretch of land high up the coastal wall with an uninhibited view of the fjord and the connecting sea. It was there that the traditional monoliths would be drug and carved, two stones acting as beacons for the dead lost at sea.

The week leading up to the funeral was a hellish seven day span. Each hour seemed to creep by, the days lasting a lifetime for both royal sisters who had seen no sign of the other since Kai had announced the late king and queen's death. Elsa remained secluded her room, the ice having been painstakingly removed by Kai and Gerda. It had been a relief to be back on familiar ground, but the young queen couldn't shake the feeling of constant vertigo any time her mind wandered from her careful concentration of restraining her powers.

As for Anna, the young princess seemed to be mirroring her older sister, held up in her room most of the day and only venturing out for dinner or to walk the castle parapets at twilight. It was during this magical time of day that the fjord quite literally turned unto a sea of fire, thousands of tiny wooden boats bearing two flickering candles sent out to sea by a city full of mourners. During the day the harbor looked like it was awash in tiny bits of driftwood, but at night, when the sun was shrouded by the high cliffs on either side of the fjord, a sea of flames illuminated half the coast, trailing like a snake out to sea as the underwater current snagged the little ships and bore them into the open ocean. Anna watched from the parapets while Elsa watched from her window, both sisters lingering until the last tiny boat disappeared into the horizon before returning to their respective rooms and falling into fragmented sleep.

When the day of the funeral finally arrived Anna dressed herself in a daze, pulling her black and gray mourners dress on with wooden fingers. It took less time to do her hair, but even that second nature act seemed foreign to the young princess as she passed the soft bristled brush through her hair until it stood on end with static. Anna felt as if she were moving in a dream, the ground hardly felt underfoot, the sympathetic condolences she received from countless well-wishers going only partially heard. The trek up the steep hill that would eventually level off at the Overlook happened in a flash, Anna starting the long hike only to blink and already be standing at the top of the cliff looking out over the sea. It wasn't until bishop Arren approached the young princess and placed a gentle hand on her shoulder that Anna snapped out of her daze and turned to look at him.

"Highness, we need to begin," Arren said in a hushed whisper.

Anna gave the man a quizzical look, not fully understanding what he was trying to say. Of course they needed to get started, but what did that have anything to do with her? She was present wasn't she? Bishop Arren saw the confused look on Anna's face and sighed, shoulders dropping.

"I'm sorry, Highness, but since the queen is absent it is left up to you to carry the ceremony."

Anna felt as if she'd been punched in the gut and whipped around to look at the crowd gathered around the two massive gray stoned monoliths. There had to be at least a hundred people standing in tight clusters, murmuring quietly to one another. Here and there a few sniffles broke the gentle hum of conversation.

"N-no," Anna stuttered stepping back, "Elsa should be here. I thought she would…"

"Highness, your sister is unable to come," Arren said watching Anna continue to scan the gathering with mounting panic. "Please, we must continue."

"I…I don't know what to do," Anna said feeling tears starting to well in her eyes. This wasn't her job, she wasn't prepared to lead anyone, especially on the day of her parent's funeral. It was Elsa's responsibility to be the queen and do her duty. Anna was just the spare, the pretty face to stand next to her sister and show that the royal family's linage was safe. The familiar flush of anger worked into Anna's cheeks as she continued to stare at the crowd. Of course Elsa wasn't here. Even for her parent's funeral she had somehow found something to take precedence over such an important event.

"Princess—"

"I heard you," Anna snapped, fists clenched at her sides. How could Elsa do this to her, strand her at the head of a funeral march and expect her to somehow know what the hell to do or say? Why did her older sister hate her so much? This had to be an act of spite, Elsa getting back at Ann for some past sin, and if it was, well the young princess could play the game as well. Anna had every intention of turning away from the bishop and stalking down the mountain, leaving the mourners to their ceremony and tradition be damned. Today she didn't want to be a princess, didn't want the weight of office forced on her shoulders. Anna would march back down to the castle, kick open her sister's door, and give her such a verbal thrashing they'd write about it in legends hundreds of years from now. She was just beginning to turn away when Kai appeared over the crest of the hill, sweat beading down his pudgy face. For half a heartbeat he stopped and scanned the crowd before his eyes found Anna and he headed towards her.

"Your Highness, forgive me for my tardiness," Kai said between great having breaths. Taking a moment to compose himself, the manservant presented Anna with an ornate box. "I had hoped to be here before the ceremony began so that I could give you this."

Anna, anger momentarily forgotten, took the beautifully carved dark wood box, confusion knitting her brow together. It was a stunning piece of craftsmanship, the wood so smooth it almost looked as if it were made of dark glass. Gently she ran her fingers over the lid where the Frosberg family crest had been painstakingly carved and inlayed with gold filigree. In the upper corners, Anna saw that a profile of each member of her family had been carved as well, her father and mother at the top and she and Elsa at the bottom. To stunned for words, Anna gently opened the lid and felt her breath catch in her throat.

She immediately knew the two small dolls weren't the ones that still sat in the chair next to her fireplace. These were far too new looking, the thread holding the fragile pieces of cloth together still stiff and brightly colored from disuse. Anna's dolls, little versions of her and her sister, were worn from play, the fabric thinning in places and the thread starting to pull away in others. They had been her best friends and confidants after Elsa's separation from her, listening to her questions and comforting her when she couldn't hold back her tears. But these dolls, these dolls…

"These are Elsa's. Mother…mother made us each a set. I thought she'd thrown them away," Anna said not realizing she'd spoken. A wayward tear slid down her cheek, but she hardly noticed.

"Your sister sends her condolences and regrets," Kai said quietly. "She has taken ill and has been unable to leave her bed for the past few days, but she wanted you to know how deeply sorry she is for not being able to be here with you and has instructed me to seal this box and bury it as tribute."

Anna slowly closed the lid, resisting the urge to pull out the beautiful dolls and hug them just so she had something of her sister's close to her. This was a gift from the heart, a gift soaked in grief and longing and sadness. It wasn't a gift given lightly, something Elsa had just thrown together at the spur of the moment in order to look as if she cared. Anna knew first hand that her sister had cherished the dolls, and, though she believed Elsa had gotten rid of them, it was now apparent she'd clung to her pair just as tightly as Anna had hers, and it nearly broke the young princess's heart. It was just enough of a glimpse into Elsa's pain that Anna instantly forgot her anger.

"Thank you, Kai. I…I don't…"

"Highness," Arren prompted gently, "we must begin."

Anna took a breath to steady her nerves and turned towards the bishop. "I don't know the ceremonial process," she said blushing in shame.

"There are not many steps, Highness, and I will lead you through them," Arren said with a kind smile. Anna nodded, unable to swallow around the lump of nervous anxiety rising in her throat, but followed the bishop to the monoliths. The bishop's presence between the two stones silenced the crowd and he began the burial ceremony as he had hundreds of times in the past, only this time he was lying to rest his late king and queen and the weight in his stomach was profound.

Sick in bed, that's the excuse Kia had come up with when Elsa had been unable to bring herself to step beyond her door and join the stream of mourners, her sister among them, up the steep cliff to the Overlook. She'd risen a full four hours before sunrise, dressed herself as quickly as her bandaged hands would allow, and had waited for Kai to come knocking at her door to announce that the funeral procession was about to begin. She'd been fine up until that moment, her powers sufficiently suppressed and her mind sharp, but the second she'd opened her door and looked out into the vastness of the hallway her nerves failed and she'd very nearly iced the outside of her door.

"I can't do this," she'd gasped backing into her room, gloved and bandaged hands clutched to her chest.

"You can, Majesty," Kai had soothed from the threshold, not daring to invade Elsa's personal space while she was in such a fragile state. It wasn't the fear she'd do anything to him that kept the manservant in the hallway, it was the fear the young queen would become overwhelmed and lose control of her powers, possibly harming herself again.

"I can't…I can't…" Elsa started to feel the telltale signs of her power rising to the surface and retreated back another step. The week of absolute isolation had allowed the young queen's body to heal from most of her minor frost burns, but the sudden sharp knife of fear that twisted in her heart brought the stinging cold into her hands and she winced, frost pooling under her feet.

"Majesty, just breathe," Kai said watching utter terror creeping into Elsa's face, her body tensing like a coiled spring. Elsa nodded woodenly but frozen when what the manservant had said actually sunk in.

"You'll be fine, Elsa. Just remember to breathe."

The late king's words echoed in the young queen's mind like a church bell, bounding and rebounding all around her at a deafening pitch. Suddenly her room was to warm, her funeral cloths, a fitted navy blue and black dress complemented with a matching long sleeve overcoat, to restricting. She could fell the frost starting to creep across her floor, tiny bursts of arctic cold hissing and popping like embers. Looking down at her hands she saw the material of her gloves beginning to lighten as her ice seeped through the fabric, stiffening the bandages hidden underneath and making her sore fingers ache.

I can't face my kingdom like this, Elsa thought as she struggled to calm her rapidly fraying nerves. Eye's closed she tried to find an island of serenity in the chaotic sea that was her here and now, but the waves of her fear were too high, the current of her anxiety too strong to weather.

I can't face Anna like this.

Knowing she was running out of personal resolve, Elsa turned away from Kai and hurried over to her writing desk and the small box waiting for her there. Gingerly she picked it up and returned to her waiting manservant, pushing the parcel into his arms before jumping back over the threshold and promptly grabbing the door handle.

"I'm sorry, Kai. I can't—"

"I understand, Majesty. No need to explain," Kai said tucking the frighteningly cold wooden box under his arm and bowing at the waist. The queen had commissioned the keepsake box made once preparations for the funeral had begun in earnest. He didn't know what it contained, it wasn't his business, but he knew if Elsa had had it commissioned there was a significant reason why.

"Please tell Anna I'm sorry. I just…wasn't strong enough," Elsa said feeling tears starting to slide down her pale face.

"I will, Majesty."

"The box is to be buried as tribute, Kai. Please let bishop Arren know."

Kai bowed one last time before the young queen closed the door with a resounding click and the hallway was once again cloaked in mournful silence.

Anna walked slowly down the darkening corridor that led to her room, the setting sun rapidly retreating behind the wall of rocks and stones surrounding the kingdom. The ceremony had gone as well as could be expected, bishop Arren leading most of the proceedings and only asking the young princess to say a quick blessing before and after the consecration of the grave had begun. He'd given a heartfelt sermon, one that Anna was sure she would have appreciated if she'd been paying attention. As it was, her mind was on the box and the dolls cradled within and what they signified. She was so engrossed in her own thoughts she didn't notice the two guards who had emerged from the crowd, shovels in hand, and approached her. Reluctantly Anna relinquished the box and watched numbly as they dug a four foot hole between both stone monoliths with stunning precision and gently lowered the tribute down. Anna felt as if a piece of her heart was being buried with that box, her childhood sinking beneath the layers of stone and earth. After that the ceremony was ended with another prayer and the crowds dispersed, the young princess slowly making her way down the mountain.

Anna didn't realize she was standing in front of Elsa's door until the familiar patterns painted on the white wood triggered a spark of recognition in her mind. Looking over her shoulder, she saw the turn she should have taken that would have led her to her room and wondered why she'd chosen to keep walking.

I must have done it out of instinct, Anna though stepping away from the door and rubbing her shoulder absentmindedly. She shouldn't be here, didn't want to be here. Ten years of harsh rejection had ingrained in the young princess that her sister wanted nothing to do with her. It had been a hard lesson to learn, but Anna had eventually just let Elsa be, continuing as much of a life as she could while her older sister remained cloistered in her room. It was her choice after all, but that didn't mean Anna was alright with it. Deep down she still yearned for her sister's love and continued to wonder what she'd done to anger her so much that she'd completely cut off contact.

Signing, Anna was about to turn away when she saw a shadow pass beneath the door seconds before she heard the distinct sound of a body sliding down the wood grain and thumping against the floor. Her first though was panicked. Kai had said Elsa was sick, too sick to rise out of bed, so what if her sister had heard her pad down the hallway and went to open the door only to faint before she could turn the handle. What if she was hurt? What if…

Anna heard the gentle sobbing almost a half second later and felt her heart sink. Elsa was crying, and the mental image brought to the young princess's mind was utterly shattering. Her big sister was in pain and she couldn't do a damn thing about it. Suddenly ten years of rejection meant nothing and Anna raised her hand, knocking gently like she had so many times in the past.

"Elsa?" she said and held her breath. "Please, I know you're in there. People are asking where you've been."

Only silence greeted her but still Anna spoke, desperate to let her sister know she was near.

"They say, 'have courage' and I'm trying to…I'm right out here for you, just let me in."

Suddenly the weight of her grief was too much and the young princess leaned against her sister's door, head resting against the cool wood grain. Right palm already raised, Anna let her fingers trail across the knuckle marks dented into Elsa's door, years of constant knocking scaring the wood as much as it had scared her heart. A sob worked its way into her throat and she swallowed hard in order to press it back down, determined to be strong.

"We only have each other, it's just you and me. What are you gonna do?"

But she was unable to maintain her strong façade and slid down to the floor, knees drawn to her chest. It just wasn't fair. Why was Elsa always locked in her room, why couldn't she come out? Because, Anna realized in that moment, it wasn't a 'wouldn't' with her sister it was a 'couldn't'. For whatever reason Elsa couldn't come out, and Anna wanted nothing more than to know why. In her mind's eye the young princess once again scrolled over every memory, every scenario between her and her sister, trying to find that single moment when things had gone wrong. Still, no matter how hard she tried to get a lock on her ultimate sin it just wasn't there. Suddenly she felt like a little kid again, watching her older sister close the door in her face when all she wanted to do was…

"Do you want to build a snowman?"

The question bubbled out her mouth before she could stop herself, a choked sob quickly following. That was all she really wanted, to build a snowman with Elsa one last time, just like they had as children. Tears finally free, Anna sobbed into her knees, her grief and loneliness tearing from her body like a scab ripping free. And while she cried, while her tears soaked her dress and shook her small frame, Elsa cried as well on the other side of the door in a room drenched in frost and ice. She could feel Anna's warmth through the wood like sunlight streaming through a window, and knew with such a sinking in her soul that she could never, ever open the door like she so desperately wanted to. Anna was warmth and sunshine while Elsa was cold and dangerous, and in order to keep her little sister safe she would stay locked away, would weather her pain and grief, because that's what queens did. They were the pillar while everyone else crumbled, they were the protectors of the innocent, but for today, for this small moment in time with her sister so blessedly close yet so frustratingly far away, Elsa allowed herself to cry while the snowflakes dancing around her room stood still out of reverence for her grief.