"I'm coming with you." Anna said firmly.

It wasn't a question.

Her gaze was firm. Unyielding. But strangely, soft at the same time. A beacon of support serving as a form of reprieve to the crisis presented to them.

Elsa's instinctive reaction was to say no, as was her usual thought process when Anna's safety was a concern. But the habitual direction that her mind was traveling towards consequently brought forth a sense of deja vu.

This was the very same situation that had happened in Northuldra six months ago. The very same conflict, the argument being the preservation of the other's well being. And they both remembered the underlying stagnance that had been a part of the disagreement.

But even more so, Elsa could never forget the hurt that had followed after she had chosen to push the younger girl away.

She was determined to not let history repeat itself. Never again.

Things were different now, and they both knew it. They were two sides of the same coin.

A team.

'Together?' Anna's question earlier in the day spoke out to her.

Elsa nodded, answering to both her own doubts and Anna's. The younger girl responded with a grateful smile, immediately feeling a huge weight of relief that accompanied her sister's acquiescence.

Now that she knew that Anna was coming with her, the older girl turned her attention to the waters of the harbor, and attempted to beckon Nokk to her.

She waited. A minute turning into two. Two turning into five.

No evidence of the spirit came, and Elsa felt her chest tighten. Something was definitely wrong.

She forced herself to take a deep breath to relax herself.

She took a step back, deciding on an alternative solution. She had never tried this before, but it was important that she made this work. Channeling her magic, the queen shot her arms forward to conjure a new creation, tendrils of ice encircling the area around them contributing to the formation at work.

When it was done, Anna's jaw dropped at the result.

A winged snow-dragon covered in icy scales roared mightily through the town, causing the people to all turn their attention to the harbor. Slowly, a crowd encircled them, curious, and Mattias, who had happened to be in the area on patrol, broke through the front to meet them.

"Your Majesties, what's going on?" He said, trying to gather the twos' attention.

Anna's eyes met his own and she quickly ran up to him to brief the situation.

"Mattias, something's wrong in Northulda." A tone of urgency palpable in her voice as she showed the man the item that Gale had brought to them.

His eyes widened at the familiar staff in her hands, the notable distinction of blood dripping on its end bringing a sense of unease to the general.

"I'm going with Elsa." She said.

Mattias only needed to look at the queen's eyes once to understand the conviction held there. Anna was decided on this.

He nodded. "Go."

"I leave you in charge." She turned to look at the people that had gathered around them, a worried expression appearing on her face. "Take care of them, Mattias." Anna whispered pleadingly.

"I will. Promise you'll come back safe." He glanced at Elsa and then back to her. "Both of you."

Anna smiled resolutely. "I promise." She said before returning to the edge of the pier where her ride was waiting.

Elsa, who was already sitting on top of their new companion, offered her a hand. She took it. The beast puffed a breath of cold air, acknowledging his other mistress.

"Let's go." She said to Elsa, settling herself behind the blonde.

The older girl nodded, and beckoned the dragon upward, the icy beast's wings unfurled and began to beat, lifting them off the ground. The people of Arendelle below grew smaller and smaller, till the details on the many faces were no longer discernible.

The three reached the peak of their ascent, and the beast proceeded to fly across the fjord at max velocity, much to Anna's unexpected delight.

"This is….Amazing!" Anna yelled over the wind rushing past her face. The wind whipped her hair and dress about as she let herself indulge in the feeling of elation. Flying was most certainly more invigorating than riding.

Elsa remained quiet, and Anna leaned in close to her from behind.

"Hey...Everything will be alright. I'm sure they're just fine." Anna said comfortingly.

Elsa took a deep breath and nodded, and smiled at the younger girl.

Despite her sister's encouragement, however, the older girl couldn't shake off a certain feeling or eeriness.

She sensed a foreboding darkness.

Awaiting them with a predatory smile.

Twelve hours prior

Hans's boots thudded heavily against the deck of the ship as he approached the bow. The sun had yet to appear on the horizon, but the orange hues in the sky heralded its imminent entrance. He fixed Caleb with an unyielding stare.

"How much further?" he asked. The prince in front of him gestured to the headland a half a mile away that connected the land to the right to the fjord. "A few more minutes." he declared. "According to the maps, it should be just beyond this passway. If not, then roughly another ten minutes I would estimate."

The young king nodded his approval. "Good," he simply said. Then, face morphing to one of gruesome delight, he pulled an item seemingly out of thin air, black whisps circling in space until a small purple fragment, jagged and hard, rough like a shard of a dark obsidian plate emerged from the makeshift portal. It hummed with an ominousness all its own power, as if it had been carved out of the shadows itself.

"Have you ever heard of the tale of the four spirits, Caleb?" he said to the prince standing anxiously at his side.

Caleb swallowed and stared at the artifact in his hand. "No, I hav-"

"Oh, what am I saying. Of course you haven't," He interrupted. "How foolish of me to assume that you might have had even the slightest hint of intelligence to have pursued any form of research in your measly years of life." He approached the prince, twirling the shard between his fingers before letting it hover dangerously close to Caleb's face.

"No matter. You'll bear witness to it's retelling soon enough, with a slight twist however..." The prince felt himself sweat at the power that seemed to be emanating from the relic.

"Conquering is all about adding more to your arsenal."" He smirked, staring down at the dark fragment held in his hands. "Elsa's not the only thing that we came here for."

He waved his hand, the black shard disappearing into the unseen space it came from.

Suddenly, a man at the very forefront of the ship yelled out to the rest of the crew. "Land ho! The forest is in sight!"

Hans made his way to the railing, watching the edge of the enchanted forest slowly approach the ship. Dawn was settling on the waters around them, the first rays of sun illuminating the waters of the fjord in an almost hesitant way, as if they were heralding the arrival of evil.

"Let's have some fun, shall we?"

It was late in the night when they arrived, and a faint glow could be seen from their position in the sky. A sense of measured fear greeted the two sisters as they descended into the forest clearing; it became a hushed shock when the canopy parted, and revealed the view of the campsite and all that remained at the heart of the forest.

Anna and Elsa gasped simultaneously.

It was worse than they could have possibly feared.

Northuldra was a war zone. Smoke clouded the air heavily as the numerous tents of the village burned, flames engulfing the entirety of the tribal grounds.

They quickly dismounted, and Elsa's heart stopped as she took in the stench of blood and the horrific imagery that seared into her memory like a brand.

Anna's hand flew to her mouth. "Oh my god," she breathed.

Bodies upon bodies were littered amongst the wreckage. Men, women, and children alike. Elsa watched in horror as a corpse too close to the flames began catching fire. She quickly shot out a bolt of ice in an attempt to quell the flames on the body. There was no movement or reaction from whoever it was that laid there, and both sisters felt nausea course through them at the unsightly revelation of death.

Elsa brought the younger girl close to her, walking cautiously through the wreckage in hopes of finding an answer. An explanation. Anything to stop the gut-wrenching pain in her chest at seeing the lifelessness in the eyes of those that laid around them.

The count of bodies continued to grow, and Elsa started breathing heavily in panic.

There had to be someone left. She couldn't have been too late...

A cough to their right startled the both of them, but shock was quickly replaced by relief at the glimmer of potential life. The two rushed to the source of the sound.

It was a Northuldran man, lying on the ground next to a tree. He groaned at their approach, and Elsa realized alarmingly that he was very seriously injured, bleeding profusely from a large gash in his torso. Elsa went over to him and knelt at his side, quickly extending her hands over the wound to seal up the cut with a layer of ice.

Anna joined her at his side, and reached out to hold the man's blood-covered hands. "Hey..." said Anna soothingly, "Everything's going to be alright. You're gonna be just fine…"

The man's eyes slowly came into focus as he looked up at them feebly.

"What happened?" Elsa asked urgently.

The man was going in and out of consciousness, but forced himself to speak to his rescuers. "They attacked us…We were no match for him...the spirits...were-" He managed weakly before coughing up heavy amounts of blood.

"Who's 'him'?" Elsa demanded.

A terrifying scream shattered the air, and Elsa jumped to her feet with a start.

Her eyes hardened. There was her answer.

Before Anna could stop her, Elsa vaulted towards the direction of the scream.

Anna's heart stopped as she desperately tried to get her sister's attention. "Elsa! Stop! You can't go out there!" She yelled, still kneeling next to the man who had just slipped into unconsciousness.

But the blonde couldn't hear the younger girl's shouts past the loud thumping in her chest. She propelled herself forward on a thick layer of snow, traveling deeper and deeper into the forest.

Tree branches flew past her as she moved rapidly through the crowded foliage. It was too dark for her to be able to make out her surroundings clearly, but she continued to follow the general direction where she heard the scream come from.

The small light of fire in her peripherals was what ultimately gave away the location, and Elsa burst through the clearing quickly.

Eyes fell on her entrance, and she studied the scene before her. Her heart lifted slightly at the group of twenty or thirty Northuldran that were huddled together to the side, but it quickly boiled into anger as she took in their beaten and battered down state.

She glared at their attackers.

Thirty men-at-arms, at least, preceded by the appearance of someone who looked so familiar that Elsa had to look twice. He was dressed in a gigantic cloak that dragged on the ground behind him, and on his head peeked the spires of a purple crown, the surface studded gaudily with jewels of black.

As different as his apparel may have suggested, Elsa felt her hands clench as she stared at the all too familiar grin on the man's face, pure revulsion coursing through her. It was unmistakable.

"Hans." She bit out the name distastefully.

"Well, well, well." Hans drawled. "Our favorite ice queen has arrived. I was wondering how much more of this ridiculous race I had to kill for you to finally decide to show up."

Elsa glared hatefully. "What the hell do you think you're doing here?"

The man chuckled. "Looks like someone isn't too happy to see me again." He smiled sweetly at her. "I must say, however, that I am very pleased to see you again, my dear Elsa." Her skin shuddered at his creepy tone.

"Well now you have me. So what's stopping me from freezing you and your men into an eternal glacier?" She spat.

"Ah, Elsa please. You misunderstand!" He placated mockingly. "I'm simply here to negotiate with you. No need for such hostility."

Anger exploded in her. "Hostility? You murdered hundreds of innocent lives, you bastard!"

Hans shrugged his shoulders. "Turned out well, wouldn't you say? The queen of Arendelle now stands before me, just as I knew she would." He said with a grin.

Elsa snapped. The casualness and smugness to his words. The implication that his acts of murder were nothing but a form of leverage. They infuriated her beyond repair. She brought her hands up, cold magic ready to be unleashed from her fingertips to eradicate the man standing across from her.

"Ah ah ah." Hans warned. "Might want to be careful with what you're doing there, sweetheart."

Hans stepped aside to reveal one of his men holding a knife to the neck of a young boy, likely no older than nine or ten, his arms were wrapped around his back and being held tight by the guard's other hand. Sprawled on the ground behind the boy was a young Northuldran woman, maybe thirty years of age, very likely the child's mother. She was reaching out for the boy, crying, but the firm grip of another guard held her back.

"Let him go." She demanded.

"You're in no position to make any requests, Elsa," he countered. "But I am." The man holding the knife pressured the blade closer to the boy's neck, causing the young child to cry out. "So let's discuss what I want, shall we?"

Elsa felt her confidence waver and the magic drain away from her hands.

"What do you want?"

Hans grinned victoriously. "Ah see, was that really so hard?"

"I said, what do you want?" She bit out again, though much more angrily.

Hans chuckled at her frustration.

"It's simply really." He said. "Surrender. Your kingdom and your allegiance."

Elsa narrowed her eyes. "My allegiance…?"

"From now on you will serve me. As my right hand. The weapon to my conquest."

Elsa could hardly believe the audacity of the man as she growled. "You're a fool if you think I would actually agree to that."

Hans sighed, disappointed by the queen's defiance. "I figured you wouldn't cave that easily."

Suddenly, his eyes hardened.

"But you would be a bigger fool to think of me as a man of mercy."

Elsa felt instant regret at her words as the king looked sharply towards the man holding the blade to the child's neck. "Kill him."

"No!" Elsa screamed, trying to dispel her magic in time, but the distance between them was too far.

Then, from seemingly out of nowhere, a figure from the shadows dashed towards the child's captor followed by a flash of steel swinging through the air. A gargling sound burst from the man's throat as red blossomed forth from his chest as he fell, dead on the solid ground. The child was swept into the savior's arms, and the pair slid ten feet away from Hans and his henchmen.

Two twin braids came into view and a familiar voice spoke down to the trembling child. "Are you okay?"

Elsa's eyes widened in recognition. "Anna?"

Hans stared at the unexpected entrance. A brief crack became evident in his composure, as a hint of surprise marred the king's countenance. He quickly recovered, however, and looked angrily at his men. "What are you useless pigs doing? Seize her!"

At his command, five burly men stepped forward menacingly, all equipped with an array of axes and swords.

Anna fixed the group of men with a cold stare.

They lurched towards her, weapons outstretched, and she ushered the child behind her and stood up, sword held ready to receive them. The first one went quick, running in, sword held back over head to strike her, but Anna was quicker. Her whole body twisted with the force of her swing hitting him in the neck, instantly putting him down. The second man followed immediately, axe in hand. He swung down hard at her but a quick side step moved her out of its path and into the perfect position to counter. She brought her sword down across the back of his head and he fell lifeless next to the first.

The other three slid to a stop, seeing their fallen comrades and eyeing her warily. They adapted quickly and surrounded her. She held her weapon up by her ear, taking a long, slow, calming breath through her nose.

'Use their numbers against them', a voice rang out in her head.

She was a monsoon, a calm stillness unmatched in poise. Deadly, as she felt the fibers of her muscles build up in anticipation.

The three guards attacked. Anna matched them blow for blow, weaving through them effortlessly and slashing and cutting and parrying and riposting. She moved swiftly, inhumanly so, all sharp pivots and turns contributing to an optimal position where the three guards could not attack her at the same time without the possibility of harming the other.

And then, a snap. An opening presented to her. All the build-up in her form was unleashed in a blur of speed as Anna spun deftly, and lunged, aiming for their throats. Three swings barely discernible to the eye, evident only by the sprays of blood that emerged from the three guards as they joined their previous two comrades on the ground.

She wiped the blood from her blade with a downward swipe, standing firmly between the Northuldran survivors and remaining men of the Southern Isles, and then eyed Hans with a piercing glare.

Elsa stared breathlessly.

She had been prepared to repel her sister's attackers, but before she could have taken a single point of action, the guards had fallen in a frenzy of blood. Anna hadn't hesitated in the slightest in taking the mens' lives.

The calm storm held in her eyes brought back the familiar words.

As long as she's alive and by my side, nothing can stop me.

Gone was the sweet, innocent girl that delighted in the warm hugs of her family.

The kind ruler that danced and sung with the many people of her kingdom.

Right now, Anna was a warrior.

And she would kill as many southern isle guards as she needed to until Elsa was safe.

The notion was terrifying, but she forced the thought aside for now, and her attention quickly snapped back to Hans. She needed to capture him first and this was her chance. With a hostage no longer at his disposal, the man was powerless to stop her.

Elsa whipped her arm towards him. Ice erupted from the ground and rocketed towards him with the full intention of imprisoning him.

She felt herself smirk.

The man was careless if he truly thought he had the upper hand against her.

But then, just as the ice was about to reach Hans, a wall of shadows emerged from the ground. Her ice slammed into it with heavy impact, and then shattered with an ear-splitting shriek.

Elsa gasped, and stumbled backwards. Her smirk from before instantly replaced with shock.

Magic…but how?

She wasn't given the chance to dwell on her surprise.

The man extended a hand and dark pulse spiraled along the length of his arm and launched at Elsa as a gargantuan wave of black that dwarfed her entirely.

Elsa stood her ground, reached out, and caught the blast with an icy blast of her own. She struggled but was able to withstand the impact. Shadows pulsed and writhed against her defense, but the cold she radiated spread throughout the black mass, frost creeping up the shadows until it froze over.

Hans, not giving her any time to recover, sent a barrage of dark flames arcing towards her. She whipped her arm forward, sending a wave of snow crashing towards the attack, but what should have been bone-crushing force only melted, and the piecing black flames shot through and continued to rocket towards her.

Elsa raised her free arm, and an arc of ice bloomed just in time to block the fire projectiles. The two attacks met with frightening force, and her ice finally won out, dispersing the flames into an explosion of whisps.

Hans grinned madly at their clash of power. A crazed expression. Characteristic of a frenetic animal.

Elsa stared back defiantly, trying to keep her panic in control. "How did you obtain that magic?" She demanded.

The former prince didn't answer, his gaze instead subtly shifting to the other royal present in the area.

Her heart stopped.

Hans launched his shadows at Anna, but the moment he moved Elsa reacted. With an upwards swing of her hand, the snow below the Sorcerer's arm burst forth, and though it took everything she had to maintain her precision, she managed to extend her reach just far enough. Snow wrapped around both of Hans's wrists, dragging him down. He stumbled. His attack missed and sputtered ineffectually against the ground.

As if Anna read her mind, the younger girl capitalized on the opportunity.

Anna darted forward, dashing through the space between her and Hans's vulnerable form almost instantly, sword bared, aiming for the man's neck.

Even in the face of death, the small cluck of annoyance from Hans was audible. All at once, a wave of black exploded in the space around him, tearing apart the hold of ice on his hands, and sending Anna catapulting backwards through the air.

"Anna!" Elsa screamed, flinging out her hands to create a thick pile of snow where the younger girl was about to hit the ground.

Anna landed harmlessly on the cushion, and blinked in surprise at the soft snow around her. Elsa sighed in relief, the girl seeming for the most part unharmed, and then turned back to face Hans.

The man's expression was livid, frustration fuming from his countenance. The blonde felt her body tense, in preparation for what was most certainly going to be another attack. For good measure, she propelled herself to Anna's side, now in a favorable position to protect them both.

But suddenly, the anger drained away from Han's face and he sighed heavily. He snapped his fingers at his remaining men who were now cowering behind a set of trees at the power demonstrated by the two sisters.

"We're leaving." Hans said.

Elsa saw red. "You think I'll let you leave just like that? After all the people that you've killed here!" She yelled.

"I am regretful our time together has to end this way." Hans' lips curled upward ever so slightly. "But I have everything that I came here for."

Hans took one last glance at Anna, barely able to hide his frown for the former princess.

He looked back at the blonde. "Farewell, Elsa. I'll be seeing you very soon." Hans said ominously.

"You're not going anywhere, you coward!" Elsa shot her hands out. Giant tombs of ice rushed forward towards Hans and his men, but circles of shadow engulfed their forms, and they disappeared before her magic could reach them.

Elsa breathed heavily.

They were gone. No signs of the men remained, and the queen dropped to her knees in exhaustion.

Her mind was far too cluttered with questions for her to make sense of everything.

How did Hans have magic? He had said that he had obtained something, but what? And what had happened to the spirits?

Elsa bit her lip in frustration. So many questions, with almost no answers.

Just then, a sudden noise from behind her disrupted the dissonance in her mind. She whirled around and heard crying. The group or remaining Northuldra were crowded close in a circle, all fixated on something in the center. Elsa made her way through, and the people parted for her. Once she saw who it was at the center, she gasped.

If there was any solace for this night, it was that they had managed to save the remaining lives here. Thirty out of hundreds. A silver lining of victory to grasp onto.

But as she took in the sight of Honeymaren crying and holding the broken and battered form of Yelena close to her, Anna kneeling helplessly at their side.

Elsa couldn't feel anything but defeat.

Caleb stared mindlessly out at the empty waters of the shore.

He couldn't believe that Hans made him in charge of watching the ship, after specifically saying that he would be able to witness the 'tale of the four spirits'. And it looked like he was taking his sweet time too. The prince had been sitting at the helm of the ship for the past twelve hours.

"For fuck's sake, bastard doesn't even tell me when he's coming back…"

At his words, verbarations sounded behind him, and the prince turned to see shadowy portals emerge along the deck, as the king he was speaking ill of, stepped through the dark gateway, followed by the majority of the assembled southern isles guards.

"Caleb, we're leaving." Hans said impassively.

Caleb remained silent. He didn't have to look to know that the king was in a sour mood. The violent aura the man was giving off was a clear indicator of his lack of patience left, as he left the helm and walked silently to his quarters.

Hans closed the door behind him with a slam. Now free to express his frustrations he slammed a fist against the room's wall, causing the wood to crack and an imprint of his fist to remain.

He had underestimated her.

Not the queen.

But the princess of all people...

He hadn't considered even the slightest possibility that the younger royal would be a hindrance to his plan. The woman was a fool, a clutz that acted on whims. Three years ago, her 'act of true love' was what had ultimately foiled his attempt at taking the throne. But Hans knew that it had been nothing more than just pure luck.

Yet here she was again. Once more, an obstacle to his conquest. It was infuriating.

Worse more, was the look that had been in her eyes. The message had been clear.

I'll kill you.

He hated to admit it.

But she was strong now.

Hans chuckled to himself, and he smiled, big and wide.

So that's how it's going to be.

The door to his quarters opened and a crew member walked in. "Your Majesty, Sir Caleb would like to know where our next dest-"

The man wasn't able to finish as his head lolled to the ground.

Hans looked in disgust at the corpse, remnants of dark magic still whistling from his extended hand. "You have some gall to not knock before entering, swine." He said.

"As for your question…"

The king once again conjured a portal to pull out a familiar black shard.

Only now, the relic looked much more different than it had at the start of the day. It was larger. A polyhedron almost the size of a human heart. Four of its five sides etched with glowing hieroglyphics, humming with tantalizing power.

Powerful. But imperfect.

One more left…

He had hoped for today to have been his moment of revival, but it looked like there was going to have to be a change in plans.

"Just you wait, Anna. I'll have you regret for getting in my way again..."

It was early in the morning in the harbors of Arendelle, the light of sunrise still waiting to make its appearance. Mattias had waited by the docks for the entire night since the sisters' departure, knowing full well that he wouldn't be finding any hints of sleep till their return.

Which is why when he was finally able to make out a ship sailing into the port, the general had almost collapsed with relief. It wasn't the dragon that they had originally flown from, but he immediately knew it was them from the fact that the boat was made out of flawless ice.

The ship reached the pier. Ridges and crests formed what was indeed a vessel: stern, bow, masts, sail, all made from beautiful crystals of water.

He hadn't known how to react, however, when he saw a group of around thirty Northuldran men, women, and children sitting along the deck, eyes all casted downward melancholically. Elsa, having just disembarked, approached him, an emotionless expression written on her face.

"These are all the survivors. Take them to the infirmary to be treated by Oliver. When you're done, come to the council hall where I'll update you on the situation." She ordered without any hesitation. Her words weren't necessarily stern, mostly just dispassionate. Unfeeling. Like an empty shell with no sense of emotion.

Mattias nodded, though slightly uncertain, and Elsa began walking back to the castle. Anna, who had been standing behind her, had on a much more readable expression of sadness.

The general reached out for the younger queen's hand as she attempted to follow Elsa. "What happened?" He asked, concern clear in his voice.

But the redhead simply shook her head. "At the meeting." She answered, and ran to catch up with her sister.

He turned to look at the group of Northuldran leave the ship, and when a familiar unconscious face came into view, his eyes widened in recognition. He was beginning to understand why the two women had been the way they were.

He ran up to help the two men that were carrying the tribe elder's unconscious form. He took in the bruises and cuts along Yelena's body. She was alive, but barely so.

Honeymaren, who was standing close by, whispered a small thank you at his assistance. Her eyes still distraught and in tears at all that had apparently happened.

His heart softened. "Hey...Everything's okay now. You guys are going to be just fine." He tried comforting the young woman.

But Mattias knew better.

The results spoke for itself.

If these were truly the only remaining Northuldran left, then 'okay' was the last thing that anyone was feeling right now.

They walked in silence as he led them to the castle infirmary.

"This is preposterous! Why would King Arrius allow such a thing?"

"Perhaps he didn't. Hans could very well be acting on his own here."

"Could it have been a coup…?"

"Of course it was a coup! The bastard has magic now. Dark magic even. And that would explain why our communications with them have been cut off..."

"How did he obtain magic?"

"It doesn't matter how he obtained it! This is most certainly a declaration of war. We should take the initiative and make a move before he can recover!"

"And risk the lives of all our men? Are you insane? Did you completely miss the part where he wiped out almost all the Northuldrans?"

"Well it's certainly better than sitting here and twiddling our thumbs, waiting for this mass murderer to strike again! Oh how foolish of me to have forgotten that you're used to lounging around and doing absolutely nothing."

"You better watch your tongue, you insolent-"

"Silence!" Mattias yelled out over the bickering advisors.

The group quieted at the general's words, and then looked to their two queens at the far end of the table, shame quickly overtaking them as they realized how childish they were behaving in the presence of their monarchs.

Elsa was still as calm as ever. An unexpected control of poise, that was almost unsettling to the six. The older queen hadn't demonstrated even the slightest hints of emotion throughout the meeting. Even in her retelling of what had happened, the blonde had remained stoic.

Elsa shut her eyes for a brief moment before speaking up to address her audience.

"For now, send letters out to Corona and Hedmark to inform them of the situation. It's possible that Hans will try to attack them as well if the pattern of who they cancelled trade with is anything to go off of. Worst comes to worst, I want their armies to be prepared to support us."

She turned to look at Mattias. "We'll increase the lengths of our security along the perimeter of the city, both from the land and the fjord as a countermeasure. I don't want there to be panic amongst our people, so keep it subtle." Mattias responded with a nod.

No arguments came from the six as they too nodded silently, all of them aware of the unquestionable finality to the sovereign's tone.

A quiet passed in the room before Anna spoke up too. The advisors found themselves relaxing slightly as the air around her seemed a lot more agreeable than the other queen's. "Halvor, is it possible for you to work with Corona's ambassador to monitor the status around the Southern Isles? I don't want anything too dangerous to be done, but it would be great if we could gather more information on the current state of their kingdom."

The older man nodded. "It will be done, Your Majesty." Anna smiled gratefully.

The redhead looked at Elsa briefly. Studying her sister's face, and then turned back to face the advisors.

"It's been a long night. Elsa and I will retire to our rooms to rest for the remainder of the day." She stood. "We can reconvene tomorrow to discuss any further actions."

The group of advisors bowed, concluding the meeting as Elsa and Anna eventually made their way out of the council hall.

They paced in silence towards their chambers, while Anna walked in tow slightly behind. Her eyes were focused on the back of Elsa's head the entire way.

The older girl hadn't said a word to her since they left Northuldra.

Anna followed after Elsa into their shared bedroom, closing the door behind them softly. Leaving them alone for the first time today. Now that it was just the two of them, the silence felt beyond oppressive.

Elsa's back was still facing her, and she felt her chest tighten in anticipation.

The older girl had been composed in the presence of their advisors and their people as soon as they had returned, and that professionalism was more than what Anna could've asked for from her sister. She had been so strong, so brave to be able to have the composure of what a ruler should demonstrate in the face of a tragedy.

But Anna also knew how painful it was for the older girl to have put up that front, how much guilt was really being held in underneath the mask of indifference.

So when Elsa finally cracked, and her body started shaking slowly, Anna was instantly stepping from behind and wrapping her arms around the older girl's waist.

"It's okay. You can let go now." She whispered softly.

And that was all that needed to be said for Elsa to break completely. The older girl whipped around and pressed her face into Anna's shoulder. A sob escaped her lips as she finally let the tears fall. The older girl hadn't realized how much grief had built up inside her in her attempt to conceal the pain. Her cries intensified as the redhead brought them to a sitting position on the floor.

"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry," she repeated over and over. Anna wrapped her arms tighter around the older girl.

"It wasn't your fault." The younger girl said firmly. "You couldn't have known that this would happen. It was Hans. He's the one who did this."

Elsa shook her head. "But what if I never left, Anna? If I had stayed...I could've protected them...before he..."

Elsa was interrupted as Anna brought her hands up to cup the older girl's cheeks.

"Stop."

And Elsa did. The distraught queen looked up hesitantly into the fiery gaze of her sister.

"Don't do this to yourself, Elsa. There's no one to blame here but Hans. And I'm not going to sit here and let you hurt yourself like this."

Elsa whimpered as she buried herself deeper into her sister's arms.

"I'm scared..." The vulnerability in Elsa's voice made Anna's heart clench. "I've always thought that my powers would be enough to protect people, but...if you hadn't been there...that boy would have...died. I couldn't save him...and when I saw Hans's powers…I realized something…"

"I don't think I can beat him..." Elsa finished shakily.

The words gave her pause. Anna never doubted once that Elsa's magic was amazing. It was beautiful. Awe inspiring. And at times she wondered just how much power truly laid beneath those delicate hands.

But then the frightening images of the destruction that had been inflicted on the Northuldran village creeped up into her mind.

When she thought of the manipulativeness and pure deceit of Han's character, the vile and uncanny evil at his demonstration of magic from today...

For the first time in her life, Anna wasn't sure if Elsa could win either.

But her sister had left out one important fact.

Anna brought their foreheads together, and stared deep into her sister's eyes.

"But you're not alone." She whispered.

Elsa felt her breath shudder as Anna's warmth overwhelmed her.

The statement held so much power, yet was spoken with such a tenderness that Elsa could practically feel her heart being wrapped up in a gentle embrace of comfort.

It just wasn't fair. Elsa was just beginning to grasp onto the happiness that she had spent almost her entire life hiding from. Things were starting to look right for them. And in a blink of an eye, the world had thrown them into chaos yet again, almost mockingly.

Anna's solace had brought her a form of reprieve but Elsa felt tears consume her again. This time to mourn for the both of them.

"Why?" She whispered into Anna's neck. "Why is this happening to us? Why can't the world just let us be..?" She asked, pain laced deeply in her voice.

For once, Anna didn't have an answer for the blonde, the feeling of unfairness resonating just as strongly for the younger girl.

"I don't know…" She admitted.

At that, Elsa choked out another sob and buried herself deeper into Anna's arms.

The two sisters remained in their position on the floor for the remainder of the day, falling apart in each other's embrace.

The healing touch of the other, being the only remedy for their wounds.

A/N: Wow another chapter...Hope you guys enjoyed it!

I must admit that this was a hard chapter to write. Still learning how to write action scenes.

As for the last chapter, I got ALOT of feedback and messages. Lot of you guys commented on the developing plot, and I assure you that it's necessary. There's still of course going to be fluff and a focus on Elsa and Anna's relationship, but the story's going to be moving a bit faster so that I can reach certain plot points.

I have my finals week coming up, so I'll be stepping away from my writing until that's done. I may take an even longer break just to clear up my mind. I promise I'll finish this story, but I don't want to rush it, and so I'm going to be taking more breaks here and there. Ultimately, I want to enjoy writing my story.

As always, thank you so much more reading. If you haven't already, feel free to leave a review. Your comments are always appreciated :)

Until next time!