The spikes that had grown at Elsa's feet shot outwards, zooming towards Hans and surrounding him in an icy Prison, his brothers forced to leap back to avoid being impaled. A single spike grew larger than the others, its deadly sharp tip a mere breath away from Hans' neck. "WHAT is this filth doing here!?" Elsa snarled, her hands trembling as she held them out, keeping her control over the ice spikes, ready to kill the man in a single second if need be.

"Queen Elsa, please clam down!" Spoke up one of the brothers, stepping forward some with his hands submissively lifted.

"Clam down!? How dare you expect me to calm down when you have the NERVE to bring this—" her icy gaze narrowed as a growl escaped her lips, "-this trash back to Arendelle!?"

"Please, let us expla-"

"There will be no explanation!" Elsa snapped, the snowfall around her picking up violently, her long braid dancing wildly around her. "You dare to return him to the land he so harmed!? You dare to bring him into my presence? Into my sister's presence!?" Just thinking about the events of six months ago made the Queen want nothing more than to shove the spike right through Hans' throat.

"We know, we know, Your Majesty," the brother said calmly, frowning and taking a small step forward. "I promise you, we mean you, your Kingdom and your sister NO harm. Please release him and give us a chance to explain."

"…Elsa," she flinched in surprise as she felt soft, warm hands touch her arm gently, the heat from them soothing against her freezing skin. She looked over, finding Anna standing beside her now, staring at her with a small, encouraging smile. Her sister leaned against her, hugging her arm and taking her hand, squeezing it comfortingly.

Elsa stared at her for a few minutes before closing her eyes, breathing in and out slowly, the snow storm that had formed around them gradually subsiding. She eventually opened her eyes, looking back at the Princes as she gripped Anna's hand in return. "I will hear what you have to say," she said, voice still terse, but calmer than she had been. "But I will not lower my ice and we shall speak where we are right now."

The brothers looked at one another before they nodded in acceptance. "Very well. Thank you very much for giving us some of your time to explain ourselves, Your Majesty," the eldest of the three males said, giving her a low, polite bow.

"Speak now and speak quickly," Elsa told him coldly. "I don't know how long my patience will hold out."

"…Well first, please allow me to say that there is no number of apologies I can give to let you know just how sorry my whole family is for all that happened," he began, glancing at Anna. "We never expected that Hans would do something like this. He has always been a bit off, but we believed such a thing to be beneath him."

"Clearly it wasn't," snorted Kristoff from behind Anna, gripping the hand of hers that wasn't holding Elsa's. Anna seemed thankful for the support as she kept her angry eyes down, not looking at Hans. Elsa knew she was doing her best to be strong, but she could tell from her pursed lips and the way her hand trembled slightly in her own that the girl was frightened and extremely angry.

Elsa sighed and looked back at the Prince, petting her sister's hand with her thumb comfortingly. "Continue."

"Yes ma'am…well, when Hans was returned to our home, my brothers and I discussed what his punishment should be. We spoke with our father and mother and have been spending all of this time, practically non-stop, trying to decide what to do. And, well, we've finally come to a decision. But that decision rides on your wishes, Your Majesty."

She narrowed her eyes slightly. "What do you mean?"

"Our father," the other Prince, who looked only a bit older than Hans, stepped forward. "Has decided to strip Hans of his title and name and banish him from the Southern Isles."

"And that's a bad thing how?" Kristoff asked, blinking and looking down at Anna in confusion as she jolted some, her eyes widening. "Anna? What's wrong?"

"If he's banished from his home…he has nowhere else to go," she breathed in a mix of fury and horror, her voice quivering. "He could go anywhere…with no one to control or stop him. With no one to make sure he wouldn't come back here or repeat what he did here to another Kingdom…"

Kristoff's eyes widened and he turned his glare onto the Princes. "Why the hell would you come up with a decision like that?! What if he-"

Elsa raised her hand, making the blond fall silent. Her narrowed blue eyes hadn't left the Princes for a single moment as they spoke. Her face was calm and the hand Anna was holding was gradually growing colder, small flecks of ice forming on it.

The Prince gave a small cough, nodding his head in thanks. "P-Princess Anna is correct. This is what we realized when our father decreed Hans was to be banished for his disgraces. We couldn't stand the thought of such an incident repeating, so we've brought him here for you to decide what to do with him, Your Majesty."

Elsa blinked, hesitating before frowning. "Decide what to do with him?"

"Yes ma'am. Hans is banished and no longer a Prince of our Kingdom, but we are still his brothers. And as his brothers, it was up to us to make sure he couldn't go harm anyone like he harmed both of you ever again. So we wish to give him to you, Queen Elsa, to do with as you wish."

"Execute him, make him a servant, keep him locked away, we wish to leave such decisions to you and you alone," the older took up. "It is both a precaution to protect other lands and our way of apologizing for his deeds with more than just words."

"W-wait!" Elsa looked at Anna who, although still clearly upset, looked more aghast now than anything. "You would give your own brother up to such things? You'd just leave him somewhere where everyone hates him, knowing he might die?" She squeezed Elsa's hand and hugged her arm more securely as she spoke.

"I don't need your pity," Hans spat, speaking for the first time since his brothers had begun their explanation.

Anna's shoulders stiffened and she glared over at him. "It's not pity, it's called human decency!" She growled back.

"Like I want that either. Why don't you just shut your ditzy li-"

Ice shot from Elsa's hand, smacking onto the male's face and freezing over his mouth, keeping him from saying another word.

"…We understand and are grateful for your concern, your highness," one of the brothers said softly, giving Anna a small nod. "While we do not agree with this punishment, it was issued by our father, and we have no right to object to it. As much as we wish things could be different, this is the way they are. There is no changing that."

Anna gave an unsatisfied huff, clinging to Elsa's arm and glowering at the ground. Elsa could tell by how tightly she was squeezing her lips together that the fiery young woman was holding back some sort of sharp retort. Elsa rubbed her hand and looked back at the Princes, eyes narrowed.

"And what if I refuse to bring him into my Kingdom?" She asked.

The Princes glanced at each other, the elder of the two sighing. "Father has ordered that, if you refuse to cooperate with his decision for Hans' punishment, he will execute him himself, to avoid the events of six months ago repeating."

"He'd do that to his own son!?" Anna couldn't bite her tongue this time, her shoulders shaking angrily. "What kind of father do you HAVE!?"

"Anna," Elsa murmured, glancing at her, "Peace."

"How!? How can I be at peace when we have to either take him in and figure out what to do with him or send him back home to be killed by his own father!? This is—that's too much, even for someone like HIM!"

Elsa stared at the girl's upset, passionate eyes, sighing softly and closing her own. She stood still for a long time, her hands folded calmly in front of her, her soft chant she had followed all of her life echoing in her head. It was helping to keep her outwardly calm, while on the inside, the storm she wished to be producing swarmed and snarled viciously in her chest and stomach. Anna's words and her own conscious were piling the threat of guilt on her shoulders, should she turn them away and leave Hans to be executed by his own father.

Even if he is to be executed here, wouldn't it be more merciful for it to happen at the hand of an enemy than his own father? She thought, her thoughts now warring against one another as well. How can you even CONSIDER such a thing? The other side of the argument fussed. Remember what he did? All that he did!? He played with Anna's feelings, left her for dead, tried to kill you…who knows what else he's done that you don't even know about! Letting him stay here for any amount of time will spell only disaster for you, and especially for Anna!

But to leave him to such a grizzly fate at the hands of his father…it just doesn't seem right! Elsa pressed a hand to her forehead, furrowing her brow and bowing her head slightly. Her other arm hugged her side protectively as she closed her eyes, sighing shakily. The wind and snow was picking up around her once more, the Princes looking slightly intimidated by her stormy silence. Anna would certainly be upset if I sent him back. She's far too kind and feels empathy for him, despite all he has done… She mused silently. But just think of what might happen to her if he stays here. Even if he is put under severe, constant watch, who knows what could happen!

"…Um, Your Majesty?"

She snapped out of her thoughts, opening her eyes and looking at the eldest of the two Princes, whose black hair was checkered white with her still falling snow. "If you need some time to decide, that is perfectly fine," he told her. "If it pleases you, we can hold Hans in our ship's Prison until the end of the winter festival. I know this is a very busy time for you, so we would have no qualms if you chose to give us your decision afterwards."

Elsa looked at him, the snow calming slightly, the ice spikes around her and Anna slowly lowering some. After a slight pause, she crossed her arms in a protective hug and took in a slow breath, nodding as she let it back out. "Very well…but I want several of my own guards to be both on the ship and at the docks, keeping an eye on your vessel and Hans. I will take no risks of him escaping into my Kingdom."

"Of course," The two Princes bowed, looking grateful. "We thank you for your graciousness, your Majesty. Please, take all the time you need during the festival to come to your decision."

She gave a sharp, curt nod, watching as the brothers turned and began to lead Hans back onto their ship. The other diplomats that had arrived looked a mixture of confused and concerned as they were greeted by guards and led away to the palace. Elsa watched as Hans was pulled away, her gaze narrowing when the man glanced over his shoulder to toss a glare at her and Anna.

Elsa closed her eyes, taking a deep breath to keep herself from throwing a razor sharp blade of ice at the man's face. This is-

"-RIDICULOUS!" Anna paced around angrily in Elsa's study, her hair undone from her normal braids, its auburn strands frizzing up the angrier she got. "How can those IDIOTS do this!? Punish and kill my son or else I'll lop off his head myself! I mean who does that to their own SON!? I don't care that Hans is the worst sack of-of—Y'KNOW—to ever spawn on this planet! That's just—it's-!"

"I know, Anna, I know…" Elsa sat at her desk, elbows resting on its surface, fingers pressed up against her temples. She sighed, shaking her head. "What a terrible time for this to happen, as well...I never even wanted to see his face again."

"You're telling me," Anna snorted, "none of us did. Did you see Kristoff's face? He looked ready to toss Hans right into the Fjord…" Anna trailed off, sitting on Elsa's desk and staring down at her hands, frowning.

Elsa looked up at her, frowning. "Are you alright, Anna?"

"Of course I'm not," mumbled the auburn haired girl. "…I'm angry, for starters. Seeing him again just makes me think about all that happened. It makes me think about how stupid I was, and how much you were hurt because of that stupidity."

"Anna, please," Elsa breathed, standing and walking around the desk, grabbing her sister's hands. She led her over to the fireplace, sitting down with her and gently pulling her frizzy hair back. "You can't blame yourself for what happened," she murmured as she carefully began to style Anna's ginger locks. "No one could have known what Hans was planning."

"But if I hadn't've been so naïve as to fall for him, everything that happened…"

"Don't think of it in a negative light, Anna," Elsa murmured, casting a faint layer of frost over the girl's hair, letting it melt and wet the strands to make them more manageable. "Think of it this way…if none of that had happened, how would WE be now? If you hadn't of pushed me to my limits at the coronation, what would our relationship be like? What would your relationship with Kristoff be like?"

Anna fell still and silent, staring into the fire place as Elsa carefully braided her hair. "..We...would probably still be like we had been all those years. And I—I wouldn't even KNOW Kristoff…and Olaf wouldn't even exist!" She hesitated before biting her lip. "But, we would've been close, all this time, if I hadn't gotten too over exited that time when we were kids…"

Elsa grimaced, pausing in her braiding of her sister's hair. Shortly after the Great Thaw, Anna and Kristoff had taken Elsa to meet the blond ice harvester's family. She could tell then that the affections Anna and Kristoff held for one another were more than simple puppy love, so she had been eager to meet his family…

"Knowing you, Elsa, you'll probably LOVE Pabbie! He's all quiet and serious but he can still be sweet, just like you! Oh, oh, and I'm sure you'll get along with Bulda! That's Kristoff's mother! She can be kind've invasive and doesn't know the meaning of personal space, but that's what makes her so fun to be around! She's SUUUPER sweet, too, and-"

"A-Anna, I'm sure I'll adore his whole family," Elsa said shakily, looking down in worry, "B-but right now, I'm a bit more concerned about falling off the cliff…" The Queen wound her hands into the thick mane of light fur around Sven's neck, glancing at the nearby cliff in terror as she wobbled uncertainly on the reindeer's back.

"Don't worry, you won't fall off of Sven," Kristoff assured her, smiling and patting his best friend's neck. "He's the best mount there is! Safer than any horse and sturdier than any ox!"

"I-It's not that I don't believe you…" Elsa mumbled, glancing at him, "B-but I-eek!" She dropped herself forward some, clinging to Sven's neck as his back hooves kicked loose a few stones from the Cliffside.

"Elsa, it's okay," Anna sat behind her on Sven, patting her sister's back. "Sven's not like a horse. He's a lot more solid and harder to slip off of 'cuz of his thick fur."

"Do you not like horses?" Kristoff asked, glancing at the Queen. "With Anna's love of them, I'd think you'd like them, too."

"I-I was tossed off of one when I was younger," she mumbled, still clinging to Sven's neck as tightly as she could without hurting him. "I broke my arm and it almost crushed me. I-I don't really like riding on a-anything…"

"Well, we're almost there," Kristoff assured her gently.

Elsa looked at him and gave a small smile. The tough looking man's gentility was one of the things that made him an acceptable match for Anna to her, his respect and care for her sister along with it. She had been hesitant, at first, to accept him and let him live in the palace as Anna wished, but after a few days of spending time with him and seeing the two interact, she knew he was perfect for the girl she cared so dearly for.

She blinked as some steam popped up from the ground beside her, warming the cool nighttime air around them. Elsa turned her eyes forward only to tense up, taking in a sharp breath as she surveyed the valley around them. "…A-Anna…t-this is the Valley of the Living Rocks…"

"Yup!" Anna happily leapt off of Sven's back, racing forward to a large pile of rocks in the valley's clearing. "Hi everyone~! Kristoff and I are back! And I brought my older sister to meet you all!"

Elsa felt her heart begin to sink as the stones rumbled in place before they started to roll around, moving towards Anna and Kristoff. The rocks soon unrolled, coming to life to reveal a huge crowd of crystal adorned trolls, all giving excited whoops when they saw the young couple. "Kristoff's back! And he brought Anna with him!" The trolls swarmed the two, the men greeting Kristoff heartily while the women swooned and cooed over Anna.

"Oh my dear, your hair's back to that gorgeous ginger!" A female troll said gleefully as she unbraided Anna's hair, petting it affectionately.

"Kristoff, did you grow taller?"

"Are you guys getting married yet?"

"When are you gonna give me some grandkids, Kristoff!?"

"Everyone, everyone! Calm down," Kristoff laughed, raising his hands in a calming gesture. "We didn't come for a normal catch up. We came to introduce you to Anna's sister."

All of the trolls fell silent, their eyes brightening eagerly at the thought of meeting their Kristoff's future sister in law. Anna went back to Sven and helped Elsa off, leading the tense woman over to the wave of trolls. "Everyone, this is my older sister Elsa, the Queen of Arendelle," Anna introduced, motioning to Elsa.

Elsa bit her lip as all of the trolls looked at her only for a few gasps to spring up here and there. "The Queen," she heard someone breathe. "The SNOW Queen!" Mutters rippled through the crowd, Anna and Kristoff looking between each other and Elsa in confusion.

The trolls suddenly parted as a large stone came rolling forward, stopping in front of Elsa and unrolling to reveal Pabbie, the Troll King. He looked up at Elsa for a moment before giving a small, polite bow of his head. "Young Elsa. It has been a long time. I am glad to see you are well."

Elsa grimaced, gripping her hands to her chest and keeping her eyes down as Anna looked at her in confusion. "Elsa? Have you met the trolls before?" The girl asked in confusion. "Did you meet them on your way to the North Mountain?"

The Queen remained silent, her hands trembling, her eyes closing tightly. Kristoff's family was these trolls? The same trolls that had taken Anna's memories of her magic…the same trolls that had told her that fear would be her enemy. The same trolls that had set in motion the events that had led to the here and now.

"Yes, young Anna, we have met before," Pabbie spoke softly, still staring at Elsa. "We met when both of you were still young children, though you do not recall said meeting."

Anna blinked, standing there for a moment before tilting her head. "…H-huh? What do you mean, Pabbie?" She asked with a half laugh. "I didn't meet any of you until Kristoff brought me here last month, remember?"

Elsa hugged herself, gritting her teeth as she bowed her head, the pain from that one time when they were children burning anew in her chest. She hunched over slightly, catching Anna's attention and making the girl give a small gasp of worry.

"Elsa? Elsa, what's wrong?" Anna hurried over, placing one hand on the blonde's back and the other around her in a hug. "Are you feeling sick? Should we go back home?"

"Your Majesty," Pabbie breathed, his call making Elsa hesitantly open her eyes, in which tears were forming. "With the thaw of your sister's heart, all ice that remained within her melted with it. Any remnants that could have harmed her have now gone. While I cannot return her memories to how they once were, it is safe for her to be reminded."

Elsa took in a trembling breath as she felt Anna's comforting hands slowly leave her. She glanced up to find the girl looking between her and Pabbie in confusion. "…E-Elsa, what is he talking about?" Anna asked uncertainly. "W-…what memories? Ice that remained in me? What…"

The elder of the two gently cut her off by forcing herself to straighten up, taking Anna's hands in hers and coaxing the ginger to sit with her on the warm earth beneath them. She squeezed her hands tightly, concern entering Anna's eyes when she found her sister was trembling all over. "…Elsa?"

Elsa looked up at her, staring into those soft, loving blue eyes for a few minutes before closing her own and taking a deep breath. "…Anna…you knew about my powers before I lost control at the Coronation," she started, her voice quivering, snow beginning to fall slowly around them.

"…What? No I didn't," Anna protested, looking taken aback. "I-"

"Anna, please," Elsa squeezed her hands, the snow picking up a bit. Anna bit her lip but nodded, falling silent and listening.

"…You had known…about my powers since birth," Elsa murmured, not looking at her. "We grew up incredibly close. My…my powers were a constant source of entertainment for both of us. I would fill the Great Hall with snow and we would play deep into the night. But…but one night, as you were playing…I-…I slipped-" her voice cracked and she fell silent for a moment, breathing shakily, the snow fall intensifying.

"I slipped a-..and hit you in the head with my ice…you fell to the ground, u-unconscious…" tears began to slip down her cheeks, freezing halfway to her chin and falling to the ground, shattering upon impact. "I…I held you…a streak of your hair turned white, and you were as cold as ice! M-mother and father brought us here…to the trolls. And the Troll King…he removed all magic and memories of magic from you…in order to save you…h-he kept the memories of us being close, but…but all memories and knowledge of my powers…"

She took another trembling breath, pressing on with her story. "F-father and mother closed the gates…to limit my contact with people. I confined myself to my room, trying…trying so HARD to control my powers…so I wouldn't hurt you again…" She trailed off, the snow falling around her slowly, sadly, as more tears continued to slip from her eyes and freeze against her icy skin.

After what seemed like an eternity of silence, she slowly lifted her eyes to look at Anna. What she saw before her shattered her heart as if it was made of the most delicate ice in existence. Anna's face was bright red, her eyes wide and filled with disbelief as tears streamed down her face faster than the wildest river ran.

The moment their eyes met, Anna gave a small cry and pulled away from Elsa, going over to Pabbie and grabbing his large hands. "Please!" She sobbed, shaking like a leaf. "Pabbie, please! Give me my memories back! Give them back, please!"

"Anna…as I told your sister, I cannot," Pabbie told her, grimacing, his eyes full of pity for the poor girl. "Such alterations cannot be reve-"

"I don't care!" Anna cried, shaking her head, "Give them back! I want them back now! Elsa suffered all these years because of ME! I—I w-want-!" She lowered her head, breathing shallowly as a hoarse, painful cry came from her quivering lips.

Unable to stand it, Elsa went right to her sister and grabbed her, pulling her into a tight, protective hug. "Anna!" She sobbed, pressing the girl's soaked face into her shoulder and cradling her in her arms. "Anna, it's okay! It's okay, I've got you…"

"Elsa!" Anna hugged her firmly, shaking her head. "Y-you should've told me! You should've told me! A-all these years—all because of me-!"

"No, no, don't blame yourself, please!" Elsa begged shakily, rocking the girl she held onto so lovingly. "It's not your fault! It's not your fault, Anna…"

Anna lifted her head some, looking at her sister with her large, tear filled blue eyes. "I—I want to remember…" She squeaked out pathetically, more tears pouring down her cheeks. "I don't—I-"

"Shhh…" Elsa cooed, resting her head against the younger girl's, kissing her forehead, "Shhh, it's alright, Anna...We have all the time in the world to make new memories…it's okay…"

Elsa let out a soft sigh, hugging her sister from behind and rubbing her shoulder comfortingly. "Anna…don't worry about that. We at least still have the memories of being together when we were young, even if my magic was removed from your mind."

"…I'm just glad I know now," Anna mumbled as Elsa went back to braiding her hair. "…You still should've told me sooner," she huffed, giving Elsa a light elbow to the side.

Elsa chuckled and tugged on her hair gently. "So…back to the matter at hand."

Anna frowned and hugged her knees. "…Don't look at me. I have no idea what we should do. On one hand, I don't want to be anywhere NEAR him, nor do I want him to be anywhere near you…and especially not anywhere near the Kingdom. But on the other hand, leaving him to be sent back to be killed by his own dad…it just doesn't seem right. At all."

"We're facing the same dilemma then," Elsa said with a soft sigh, frowning as she continued to braid Anna's hair. "I don't want to give him a single chance to harm you again. I don't want him in your presence, I don't want him to breathe even the same air as you. But…" she sighed, "It's at times like this I despise having a conscious."

"I know right!?" Anna snorted as she looked into the fireplace. "…Y'know, it took everything I had not to go up and punch him. Again."

Elsa giggled, nodding. "And it took everything I had to not impale him with an ice shard. Though, I guess it would have been a bit worse if I had given in, huh?"

"Uh, yeah!" Anna laughed and leaned back against her as Elsa finished braiding her hair. "…Well, it's not like we have to decide right away, right?"

"Right. His brothers gave us until the end of the Winter Festival, so there is plenty of time to consider our options," Elsa lowered her hands from Anna's hair and placed them in her lap, sighing. "I never imagined something like this would happen."

Anna shifted about, turning to face Elsa and smiling softly, taking her hands and squeezing them. "Me neither..but we'll get through it together."

Thank you all so much for the positive feed back so far on the story! I hope you continue to enjoy it! 3