A/N: Shortish chapter, sorry. Fortunately, I can promise that the next chapter will be up within a week. And it's a doozy.

November 10

Having Anna back was surreal. It wasn't fair to say that she was unchanged from her experiences; there was an edge to her that hadn't quite been there before. But at least now she was recognizable as the energetic and compassionate woman the Prince had first met in Corona. She eagerly joined in on his practice sessions with Kristoff, bringing both men to the ground repeatedly without suffering a single scratch on her person.

All the tension that had permeated their camp had faded away. For the first time in recent memory, the three companions had hope. The odds were still against them, but with Anna back in her prime, they stood a conceivable chance against the Goddess and her minions.

Unfortunately, Eugene knew that a certain factor remained undiscussed. And as they traveled ever closer to the trolls, none of the three travelers chose to broach the subject. The Prince himself was loath to bring it up, knowing exactly how Anna would respond. Yet with time running out, the three of them would have to decide on a course of action...and the wisest option open to them was also the most distasteful.

They were sitting around their nighttime fire, less than a day away from the trolls, when the inevitable argument finally began. And to Eugene's surprise, it was the ice harvester who got the ball rolling.

"So...what's our plan?" Kristoff asked hesitantly, his eyes flickering to Anna.

Anna shrugged. "We go back to the trolls and see if Pabbie's cooked up some magic for us that might even the odds. Then the three of us make our way to the Castle. Hopefully, the two of you can distract some of the Faithful, giving me time to reach Elsa."

Eugene couldn't bring himself to ask the obvious, so he watched as Kristoff didn't for him. "Right. And once you get to Elsa...what's your plan?"

Anna frowned in confusion. "What do you mean? I'll talk some sense into her, help her break free of the Goddess that's possessing her," she replied as if it was obvious. Eugene's jaw nearly fell open as he realized that Anna hadn't even considered the alternative. It simply hadn't occurred to her.

The ice harvester winced. "Anna...I'm not sure that's going to work. Elsa has been possessed for over a year now. She nearly beat you to death with a smile on her face and gave assassins leave to assassinate her own family. Don't you think that, if she could break free, she would have done so by now?"

Anna's lips set into a thin, determined line. "Whatever ritual the Faithful performed was obviously incredibly powerful magic, and right now it's keeping her true personality suppressed. But up until now, she's never been faced with someone who knows what's happened to her and is trying to free her. If I can get close to Elsa, and talk to her, I think I'll be able to reach her true personality."

"That's not entirely accurate," Kristoff argued. "When she first betrayed you, didn't you accuse her of being cursed? You tried true love's kiss, remember? Whatever they did to Elsa...we're not dealing with everyday magic here. I don't know if anything can reach her."

Eugene shifted uncomfortably onto the forest floor. As much as the Prince wished it were otherwise, he couldn't argue with Kristoff's logic. Elsa's possession certainly seemed to fit the definition of a curse, and that meant that Anna's kiss should have broken it. Thomas's survival was proof of that. The Faithful's ritual obviously consisted of magic that Grand Pabbie had never even heard of. Getting through to the true Elsa was unlikely at best. There was no guarantee that she still existed.

"We have to try," Anna said firmly.

Sighing deeply, Kristoff shook his head. "It's too risky, Anna. And there's too much at stake. I think we should stick with our original plan. I know it will be difficult, but it's our only chance to-"

"Original plan?!" Anna leapt to her feet, eyes blazing with fury. "You...you want me to kill her!" she shouted in furious realization. "There's no fucking way that that will ever happen. I swear to you Kristoff, that I will save her by any means necessary. I won't stop trying until my blood waters the grass in the Castle's courtyard! And if you- either of you-" she nodded at Eugene, "Try to murder her, I will stop you."

Kristoff rose to his feet as well, betraying none of his initial hesitation. "We have no choice! Anna, I know how much you cared about Elsa. I understand it, I do. But there's more at stake here than one woman's life. Are you really willing to let the entire world suffer for the slim chance of rescuing a single person?"

"Yes," Anna said firmly. "You don't understand. The most important person in your life was a reindeer, Kristoff! Elsa isn't just another person to me...she was my world. I failed her a year ago...I let this happen. Never again. I would kill myself before I hurt her."

Kristoff raised his arms in incredulity, at an utter loss for words.

The Prince looked on both of his companions with sympathy. Kristoff was right, he knew. Anna, normally a paragon of selflessness, was letting her personal feelings completely cloud her judgment. They couldn't take a chance on saving Elsa, the goddess would destroy within moments. Their only chance...the world's only chance...was to strike her down with a lethal blow using the element of surprise.

But he also understood Anna's position completely. If Rapunzel had been the one possessed, and Eugene was the only one capable of killing her...

"Anna, you have to look at the bigger picture," Kristoff finally managed. "Millions, maybe billions of lives are on the line. If the Goddess succeeds in this ritual, humanity won't have the slightest chance of bringing her down for a second time. Mankind will suffer an eternity of torment and enslavement. Do you really want to risk that?"

The Knight stared at him, refusing to back down an iota. "Haven't I done enough for this world? I've rescued Princesses and slain villains and acted the part of the storybook hero. And for what? Humanity has never given a shit about me. No more. I won't kill the only woman who ever loved me to save a world that's treated me like dirt since the day I was born. I owe this world nothing, and I owe Elsa everything."

Deep down, Anna didn't really mean what she was saying. At least, that's what Eugene hoped. Even when she had been at her lowest, Anna had been willing to do anything to protect humanity. It simply wasn't in her nature to turn her back on the world. No matter how cruel fate had been to her, she would always place the lives of others above her own.

The question now was whether she would place the lives of strangers above Elsa's.

Eugene had waited long enough. "Anna," he began, "I can't imagine how you're feeling. If I were told I had to kill Rapunzel, my reaction would be the same as yours. But don't pretend to be what you're not. Even though you've done your fair share...far more than your fair share...you'll keep fighting for humanity until your last breath. Now you have to look past your personal feelings and focus on what's most important. You're free to call me a hypocrite; that's exactly what I am. If I had to choose between Rapunzel and the world, I don't know if I could make the right decision. But you're not me, Anna. Doing the right thing has always been second nature to you. That's exactly why Elsa fell in love with you. What do you think she would say if she were here?"

Anna turned to face him, her gaze unyielding. "I know exactly what she would say. The two of us had this argument more than once when I was her protector. I lost track of the number of times she tried to convince me to value my own life more than hers. Oh, and by the way, it never worked!"

Eugene shook his head. "Of course it didn't. And I imagine that you won every single one of those arguments by pointing out that Elsa's life was more important than yours. Which it was," he added bluntly. "Elsa was the Queen, and the amount of good she could do for the world was far greater than what a lowborn woman could ever accomplish."

"That's still true!" Anna argued. "If we could free her, just imagine what she would be able to do for the world!"

"Maybe," Eugene agreed, "But the odds of that happening are slim to none. On the other hand, unless we...kill her, an eternity of pain and suffering for every kingdom on earth becomes a certainty. Elsa is the single greatest threat humanity has ever faced. And you, Anna, are the single most important person on earth...because you're the only one who can hope to stop her. It's not fair, Anna. It's cruel and it's wrong and if I could take your place I would do it in a heartbeat. But you're the only one with these abilities. "

Anna said nothing.

"You shared...share...an incredible love with Elsa," Eugene continued. "But you're not the only ones who have that kind of bond. I love Rapunzel just as much as you love Elsa. Millions of people across the world...wives, husbands, fathers and mothers...all feel the same way about their loved ones as you do about Elsa. Is your relationship really worth condemning them to an eternity as slaves and statues of ice?"

Finally, the Knight's eyes lost some of their fury. Anna's gaze dropped to the ground. "If it was Rapunzel, could you do it?" she asked softly. "If the Goddess was possessing your wife and you were the only one with the power to kill her, could you drive a sword through her heart?"

The Prince sighed. "I don't know," he answered honestly. "But I hope I would have the strength to do so. And I know exactly what I would tell myself. I would say that I wouldn't actually be killing my wife. I'd be striking down a woman who looked exactly like her, but was in reality her opposite in every way...and would tarnish her memory and destroy everything she stood for. I'd tell myself that, if Rapunzel were truly still in there, I'd be sending her to a peaceful rest. That wouldn't be so bad, would it?"

"But could you do it if you knew that there was a chance, however slim it might be, that you might be able to bring the real Rapunzel back? Would you be strong enough to drive a blade into her chest and watch her blood spill onto the ground if you knew that she might still be in there, feeling the metal slice through her skin?" Anna pressed again.

Eugene was tempted to lie, but somehow he sensed that the truth was his only option. "I...no, I don't think so," he admitted. "I would tell myself it was the right thing to do, and I would try to force myself to go through with it. But at the moment of truth, I'd hesitate. And the entire world would suffer for it."

Anna was silent for several moments, and the air was charged with electric tension. Kristoff was clearly keen on speaking up again, but for the moment words eluded the ice harvester. The former's Knight's gaze turned once again to Eugene.

"Thank you for your honesty." With that, she turned around, shooting Kristoff a dark glance before walking away from their campfire and into the darkness that surrounded them. Kristoff moved to run into the forest after her, but the Prince stepped into his path.

"We can't just let her go!"

Eugene shook his head. "If Anna truly wanted to leave us behind, do you think either of us would be able to stop her? Besides, she's not going anywhere...not really. She probably just wants some time alone to think this through. I don't blame her; I can't imagine what must be going through her head right now."

"I get that she doesn't want to kill Elsa, but this thing we're fighting isn't Elsa. Not really. I don't understand why she's so hesitant about this. Doesn't she understand how much is at stake here?!" Kristoff demanded, his voice laden with frustration.

Eugene considered the ice harvester. As mean-spirited as Anna's assessment of the young man had been, she'd had a point. Kristoff had never formed a close personal relationship with another human being; he couldn't understand what if felt like to share a bond like Elsa and Anna's, or Eugene and Rapunzel's. "Kristoff," he spoke slowly, "You're right. Anna is going to have to resign herself to striking the goddess down. But remember, the question of who she'll be killing isn't cut and dry. It might be the goddess in control, but it's still Elsa's body. Elsa might still be in there now, and end up feeling every wound that Anna inflicts."

Kristoff sighed. "Even if that's true, there's still no question of what we should do. Even Elsa herself, if she was really the noble and selfless Queen Anna saw her as, would agree with me here."

"Yes, logically, you're right. Anna will realize that eventually. But she'll need some time to process it. She certainly doesn't deserve your anger," Eugene argued. "Getting upset with her won't solve anything."

"Maybe, but I can't help but feel...let down, I guess," Kristoff replied, glancing into the trees. "I didn't think too much of humanity for most of my life. Anna was the one who showed me I was wrong. She risked everything for those she cared about, including me. I never would have survived my first journey with her if she hadn't dived halfway off a cliff to rescue me. I just...I didn't think she could be so short-sighted. Choosing the one she loves over the rest of the world seems pretty selfish to me."

Eugene frowned. "Anna has a purer heart than anyone else I know, except for maybe Rapunzel. But she's only human, Kristoff. You can't expect her to turn her back on her loved ones for the greater good without hesitation."

"Would that also be true for your wife?" Kristoff questioned. His tone bristled with challenge.

The Prince grimaced, memories of the worst moments of his life flooding into his mind. "Let me tell you a story, Kristoff. You probably know the basics of how I met Rapunzel; half the world has heard of the tale by this point. But what most are unaware of is that the story goes much deeper than me simply rescuing her from a kidnapper's tower."

"Neither did I," Kristoff admitted.

"Our families know, but...it's not a day Rapunzel and I like to remember. Rapunzel's captor, the woman known as Gothel, had successfully recaptured the Princess and returned her to the tower. When I came back to save her...I wasn't thinking clearly. I ended up being greeted with a knife in the back. Right through the stomach, to be exact."

The ice harvester's eyes widened.

"Gothel needed Rapunzel alive and uninjured in order to take advantage of her magic and live forever. And by then, Rapunzel was well aware of her true identity. Eventually, no matter what Gothel did, Rapunzel probably would have escaped. You'll never understand how desperate Corona was for its lost Princess to return...it was as if the kingdom had been in mourning for eighteen years. Thousands of people prayed every year for Rapunzel to come back, and as soon as she escaped, that would become a reality," Eugene explained.

"And what does this have to do with-"

"I'm getting there!" the Prince assured him. "The thing with Rapunzel is that she never breaks her word. It's...kind of foolish actually, but given how she lived for nearly two decades with only an emotionally abusive kidnapper for company, I suppose my lovely wife picked up some her moral code from children's books. Anyway...as I was lying there, slowly bleeding out, Rapunzel begged for the chance to heal me. She said that if Gothel let her save my life, she would remain with her for eternity and never try to escape. Gothel and I both knew that she would keep that promise."

"So she was willing to..."

Eugene nodded. "Yeah. She was going to give up the chance to be a Princess and return to her family in order to save my life. Believe me, it was very flattering; through at the time I was more concerned with keeping my stomach from spilling onto the floor. In a way, it was a selfless decision...sacrificing her freedom for my life. But from another perspective, it was incredibly selfish. Rapunzel was going to forever deny the dream of her entire kingdom just to save the life of a single thief that she happened to care for."

The ice-harvester stared at him. "So...how did it end? If you survived, and Rapunzel never became a prisoner..."

"I'm not as pure as my wife is. The second I got the chance, I killed Gothel without hesitation. By cutting Rapunzel's hair, I cut off the flow of magic that maintained the bitch's youth. Trust me," the Prince smiled ruefully, "It wasn't a pretty sight. Luckily, Rapunzel's tears ended up being even more powerful than her hair. I was prepared to die, I thought for certain that I would...but I suppose nothing is ever certain when magic is involved."

For several moments, the air was filled with nothing but the chirps of crickets. It was only after it became clear that Kristoff had no intention of breaking the silence that the Prince decided to drive his point home.

"What I'm trying to say is this: even the best among us can lose sight of the greater good when those they love are in danger. It doesn't make them selfish or short-sighted, but they're just human...like the rest of us. It's always easier to care about those closer to us than the people we don't know; asking someone like Anna or Rapunzel to turn their backs on their loved ones is to demand them to ignore the compassion that drives their entire lives. It doesn't mean that Anna won't come around eventually, but it's definitely going to take time," Eugene finished.

Kristoff nodded, his eyes glinting with a hint of guilt. "I suppose I can understand that," he admitted. "But what if you're wrong? What if Anna can't look past her feelings for Elsa to do what she has to do?"

"Then we're all screwed," Eugene said simply. "But remember this: getting angry with her isn't going to improve our chances."

\

The Queen walked forward, taking Anna's hands into her own. "This castle is mine, Anna. I can do whatever I please with it. It's my home...and I want it to be yours too," Elsa declared.

Anna didn't know what to think.

She'd wandered aimlessly through the trees for several minutes, walking until their campfire was nothing more than a bright speck at the edge of her vision. Then the Knight had slumped down onto a log, confident that neither of her companions would follow her this far.

For a single day, Anna had felt alive again. The knowledge of Elsa's true situation had given her hope and filled her heart with utter domination. Now, once again, it become apparent that fate had simply been screwing with her.

The first time I was adopted...by those monsters who sent me back. Getting invited to live in the Castle, only for Elsa to be possessed. Learning that Elsa really did love me, only to be told that I have to kill her. Anything positive that had ever happened to Anna only served to prepare her for more pain.

Anna wondered which cruel deity she had pissed off...other than the one currently possessing her Queen, of course. Fate had played one last trick on her, and this time there was absolutely no way to avoid it. She could either strike down the woman she loved, or spend eternity as an ice sculpture that existed only to remind the Winter Goddess of her absolute triumph.

Strangely, it didn't seem so terrifying. As a statue stuck in suspended animation, she probably wouldn't be aware of the world around her. It would simply be nothing. There would (hopefully) be no pain. The same couldn't be said for her second alternative.

Of course, Anna didn't think that the rest of humanity would welcome such a fate so readily. And those who survived would likely not enjoy perpetual slavery. No matter what else, Anna was still a Knight of Arendelle. Only the legitimate monarch could remove the privileges and responsibilities that came with that title, and the true Elsa had done no such thing. Anna's oaths had sworn her to the defense of the crown, but first and foremost they declared that her duty was to the kingdom above all. The pledge she had made at Elsa's feet made her honor-bound to kill the goddess.

So what? Her mind argued. They were just words. Elsa ignored her duty to help me; she was obligated to arrest me for attempting to rob her person, and she let me go without inflicting the slightest hint of punishment. Why shouldn't I do the same thing for her?

Deep down, Anna knew that the two situations were not comparable. Elsa's mercy had put no lives in danger. Mercy on Anna's part would place all of humanity at risk. The Knight sat on her log in silence, powerless to resolve the war waged between her mind and her heart.

Killing the goddess would be the right thing to do. For Arendelle, for humanity...probably even for Elsa herself. But Anna couldn't bring herself to accept it. How could she murder the woman who had given her a home? Provided her with food, clothes, and...love? Anna would rather plunge a dagger into her own heart than watch Elsa's blood spill onto the snow.

Anna would have been praying to the gods at the moment...if she didn't suspect that they were currently laughing at her.

\

Two days. Forty-eight more hours at most before Evangeline would have her revenge on that pathetic Prince and murder the harlot who had dared defile her Goddess. Every gallop of their horses brought the goddess's Faithful closer to their final targets. Nine strong, soon to be ten after Aeron vacated his post at the Tower to join them. Together, their combined power would tear through any defense the miserable creatures arrayed against them.

Perhaps it would not be easy. The purple rocks would doubtless have some tricks up their sleeves, and the spymaster didn't expect them to go down without a fight. Evangeline and her companions would be ready. Each and every one of them relished the opportunity to strike at their Goddess's enemies, and they would take no chances.

Prophecy dictated that their Goddess's victory was inevitable, and none of the Faithful were eager to die before having the pleasure of witnessing winter in all its glory.

\

Not Anna...

Responses:

Senior Crescent: Well, I hope so.

Andilitie: Badass Anna is back!

DimmensionalLover: Things might not be so simple.

.Sato: I suppose that all we can do is wait and see.

ClaireCooper: More terrifying than sad.

TigerCritic: There always was a small part of her that never gave up hope in Elsa. That's why she had a slight bit of her powers left.

StillSlightlyFrozen: You're welcome!

Thorneux: Powerful!Anna is about to be put to the test.

Stillslightlynerdy: No spoilers!

TheChronicle: Very interesting analysis! I definitely see the parallels with Voldemort. The major difference between the two is that, while both are incredibly arrogant, the Goddess does not let it cloud her judgment.

SummerStormWar: Kicking the goddess's ass and saving her woman might not be the same thing.

ObsessiveImaginings: Fixed! Thanks.

Arekanderu: I don't think she will be very happy.

Cyrianu: Thank you! I am very busy at the moment, but this story is always in my mind.

Gx3j: I'll do my best!

WinterWolfDragon: Thanks!

CoolNicNac7112: The goddess has a few tricks of her own.

Spooths: That's definitely a good idea. Once this story is finished, I might do that.

AceVermin143: Only if Anna can force herself to do the right thing.

FrozenChris: That was probably a typo. Or there was more than one member of the Faithful in Albion. Haven't seen the movie yet, but I will. And yes, their world has different geophysics.

Sebine: I don't care what kind of people they are; I care what they will do in the Oval Office. Trump's agenda is frightening.

Jydr: It's definitely not a mistake.

TaniaHylian: 'Both' might not be an option.

Coincidencless: Elsa has no chance of subsuming the goddess's personality. The ritual that brought the goddess back to the world suppressed Elsa's true personality tremendously.

333: Here it is! Thank you!

BreeBear98: Gracias!

FateKitty: Good to hear!

Tithi: Me too! My life is complicated at the moment, unfortunately.

JacklynFrost: I will, don't worry..

Guest 1: Of course!

IceCreamPrincess8: I do, very much.

TwiceasTwisted: Glad you enjoyed it!

Shirosi: Thanks! How long did it take to read?

DragonMasterNaruto003: It's definitely been a long time coming.

TheChronicle: Anna's sword was blown away by Elsa's wind storm. The goddess was busy the next few hours spreading the story of Anna's 'treachery', giving a soldier the chance to find it. Kale ended up receiving it from the soldier. As for BondVillainStupidty, yes, the Goddess had her reasons for imprisoning Anna, but it still turned out to be a very bad decision in hindsight. The smart move would have been to kill her. Kayla can't influence people: human minds are too strong for her influence. Anna, Kristoff, and Eugene left very early in the morning, before the sun was really up, and the birds didn't see them go. Yeah, an oversight on my part, but…

ReadingFriendHurryUp: Don't worry, I miss the fluff too.

TheOriginalOn3: Thanks a lot! I'm always happy to see someone enjoying my work. Rambling is welcome.