All characters belong to Disney. I don't own anything

The ticks of the grandfather clock seemed particularly deafening tonight, as the Queen of Arendelle stared blankly at the parchment in her hands.

It had been this way for the past hour.

For the fifth time this week, the redhead had decided to stay up late to complete unfinished paperwork, only to find herself yet again distracted by what had led it to be unfinished in the first place.

Anna had a track record for being distracted, but lately the queen on all occasions was found lost in her thoughts.

How long had it been since her coronation?

She should know. But time had a strange way of stretching in stressful times like these.

Six months.

The crown on her head sat heavily as the monarch pondered the time lost since then.

What should've been the headline in that period of her life was hardly at the forefront of her mind.

When was the last time she had opened any of the congratulatory gifts from visiting dignitaries?

Or given a concise answer to the citizens regarding the wedding?

The wedding.

Kristoff had asked her to marry him.

It had been a long time coming and she vividly recalled the delight she had felt when he'd asked.

Whether that happiness had simply been residual from her reunion with a completely different person, she hadn't hesitated with her answer.

And yet with every approaching day into unsure possibility, the only thing that seemed to fill her heart whenever she saw him was guilt.

Guilt at what exactly?

For regretting her decision?

The redhead sighed for what was very likely the hundredth time that day, slamming her head onto the desk, her pile of unfinished paperwork tumbling down at the abrupt collision.

In moments like these she would think about her. She would recall those three years.

Three years of bliss and unadulterated comfort of finally having her back at her side.

But of course, good things never lasted forever. Especially when it came to her.

An uncontrollable force she had decided to label as fate, cruelly ripped apart that peace.

Athohallan.

An unforgettable journey.

They had gone through hell and back, and triumphantly restored the balance between the spirits and the human world.

The townspeople had said it well; a tale that would be passed down for generations. A happy ending for the many trials that the gods had placed on the royal family.

A happy ending...

Then why did it still hurt so damn much?

The pain had started as something subtle.

A silent knife.

Elsa had come back to the castle every week to visit her, and for a while, she could pretend that everything had remained the same.

She ignored the silent voices that told her to confront her sister.

The hurt from Elsa pushing her away still there like a fresh opened wound.

Elsa had promised that they would do it together.

And yet despite that promise, the blonde had endeavored alone, approaching the open dangers of the dark sea without her, leaving her behind yet again.

And then she had lost her. Really lost her.

Elsa had died.

And that reality had broken her.

It was for that very reason, that the redhead was afraid to bring up Elsa's actions.

It was unlike Anna, to hide her feelings.

But the alternative of pushing Elsa further away scared her more than she would've liked to believe. The blonde had already pushed her away once. She could not handle the same result again.

And so she ignored it, silenced the whispers that spoke hurt.

And replaced it with action that was expressed in the form of forward physical affection.

Their touches would last longer.

Rather than their routine hugs, Anna would caress her sister's cheek, pressing their foreheads together tenderly.

"I love you."

It was a sentiment she had uttered to the older girl on numerous occasions before.

Yet, now it was stated with something akin to desperation.

A need.

A silent plea.

And if Elsa had heard it, the blonde made no indication of understanding her.

Her eyes seemed...sad almost.

The knife plunged deeper.

"Elsa, what's wrong?"

Anna knew her sister. Or at least she felt she had. The three years of being back together had opened her world in seeing what kind of person Elsa was.

But staring into the gentle blue orbs of the blonde, seeing tears form in those beautiful eyes, Anna was truly lost.

Elsa rubbed the tears away, and moved forward to embrace her younger sister.

"Nothing. Nothing at all."

That had been four months ago.

Elsa had started visiting less and less.

Every time Anna would attempt to ask if anything was wrong, the blonde would avert the discussion, rather very focused on how Anna was dealing with her transition into Queen Reagent.

Anna could honestly care less about the prestige of ruling.

She loved her people, but she never imagined that she would be queen one day. For god's sake, Elsa was the perfect picture of sophisticated grace. It inspired her at how adept the blonde was at handling the major tasks and even the subtleties of ruling. She had worked herself studiously to serve Elsa better as her right hand, and only dreamed of one day having the same poise as her sister did.

But now that she was here. It didn't feel right.

A part of her was convinced that she was simply ruling till Elsa returned.

Whether she would, Anna didn't know.

It was out of respect that Anna had made no qualms on Elsa's decision to live in Northuldra. It was out of love that she had been happy for her new role as the fifth spirit.

But a very childish side of her argued with the notion.

Why couldn't she be protector of the realm in Arendelle?

At home.

With her.

Was she that much of a burden?

"What did I do...?"

She hadn't meant for it to slip out.

Maybe it was just a feeling.

Just a hunch, that Elsa wouldn't come back after this time.

Maybe it was the fact that Elsa wouldn't look her in the eye.

Or how she seemed to be shaking.

Or how she flinched away from her touch.

Just a hunch.

But seeing her sister once again mounted on Nokk, prepared to ride away from what they had called home, desperation gripped the redhead with a fervor she hadn't been prepared for.

Elsa looked with a heavy heart towards Anna, struggling with the words to say.

The doors between them seemingly more present than ever as the silence persisted.

And then finally, she looked away.

"I'm sorry."

It was barely above a whisper, but it stuck mercilessly to Anna. With a heavy heart she watched Elsa ride off further and further into the fjord.

Now it had been exactly two months since she last heard from or saw Elsa.

She would've been worried sick if not for the blatant truth continuously stabbing at her heart.

The knife had sunk its full length, bringing forth relentless sorrow along its edge.

Can't you see?

You don't mean anything.

She left you.

You're not needed anymore.

At that last thought, Anna finally broke into tears.

Her sobs wracking her body in an almost painful way, as her silent plea whispered helplessly in the empty confines of her office.

"Elsa...come back..."

"You know Sven..."

Kristoff looked to his right to continue speaking to his reindeer companion, only to find that he had been pacing the castle halls by himself.

Oh yeah, that's right...

It had been six months since he officially became a resident of the castle, but even then he still wasn't used to Sven not always being at his side.

Now that he was engaged with Anna, residing in the stables was apparently no longer acceptable.

He would never admit it out loud, but he missed sleeping on his haystack.

It was late, half past midnight to be precise.

Anna had told him at dinner that she would be busy with paperwork tonight, so it was unlikely she would have time to speak with him.

Not that she ever was available.

Lately it almost felt like she was avoiding him.

The past two months had demonstrated a rather dismal transformation for the young queen.

She had become so distant. Most of her time was spent in her office.

But the most striking was her disposition.

The fiery attitude that Kristoff fell in love with in the first place seemed to have disappeared.

He rarely saw her smile anymore.

Despite the frustration from the redhead refusing to open up to him about it, Kristoff had done everything in his power to try to remain optimistic.

'Trying' being more accurate of a description than actually 'being'.

No matter how hard he tried to convince himself otherwise, the doubt always seemed to find its way back.

It wasn't the responsibilities for being married to the queen that had his confidence wavering.

Sure they were intimidating, very intimidating.

Heck, he was going to be the prince consort.

A noble.

People who didn't exactly have a history of sleeping in stables.

But adapting to circumstance was well within his capabilities.

No, it wasn't the responsibilities. He would do anything to make Anna happy. Even if it meant wearing constricting outfits for the remainder of his life.

And yet as clear cut as that desire may have seemed, that in itself was the problem.

What was the point of all of it, when the object of his affections wasn't happy?

When Anna wasn't happy.

Kristoff found himself at the doors of her office. Though the redhead had asked for privacy, the former ice harvester always seemed to gravitate towards here by the end of the night.

It would be the last destination before he headed to his chambers for rest.

Just to bid her goodnight.

Kristoff knocked on the wooden doors, waiting for permission to come in. When no such response was given, the blonde gently pushed the doors open to peek inside.

He smiled softly at the sight before him.

Anna had fallen asleep amidst her work, face lying on parchment in what was clearly an uncomfortable position.

She had been working so hard to fulfill her accession to the throne, and Kristoff knew why she had made such an effort. Anna was always a hard worker, but for this she pushed herself endlessly to exceed expectations.

It was for Elsa.

It was always for Elsa.

Kristoff strode around the desk and, gently, picked Anna up behind her shoulders and knees.

As the blonde paced towards the royal chambers, he couldn't help but notice how light she felt.

Well, she always seemed rather light.

But now especially.

He wondered if she was eating alright.

Kristoff entered the large bedroom with Anna still curled up against his chest. Now that he took a good look, he realized with a pang that this was the first time he had been in Anna's room.

Or was it Elsa's?

Maybe both of theirs?

Either way he and Anna did not share a bed, as the latter had stated quite adamantly that she wasn't ready for that level of intimacy yet.

At this point, he wondered if she would ever be ready.

Gingerly, Kristoff moved his hand to pull back the sheets, and he set Anna down and tucked her in.

The blonde smiled one last time, and turned to leave the queen to her much needed sleep, but stopped in his tracks when he heard a whimper escape the redhead's lips.

It didn't take long for that whimper to transition into a fit of tossing and turning, and soon Kristoff realized quite alarmingly that Anna was having a nightmare.

The redhead started screaming, arms thrashing back and forth, and it took all of Kristoff's will to not breakdown and panic at the situation.

"Anna! Anna! Wake up!" The blonde called, desperately, gripping Anna's shoulders.

Anna awoke with a start, the cry died in her throat as she looked at Kristoff with unfocused and fearful eyes.

"...Elsa?"

Kristoff's heart plummeted, but he forced himself to swallow the knot in his throat.

Always Elsa.

"No, it's just me. It's just Kristoff." He replied softly.

"Oh..." Anna looked away quickly, but even in the dark Kristoff could easily make out the disappointment in the realization.

"Are you alright?"

Anna didn't answer.

Her shoulders were trembling, still quite shaken up at the trauma she had just experienced.

"Anna-"

"I'm fine...just...just leave me alone. Please.." Her voice was shaky and clearly out of breath.

Kristoff was not surprised by the dismissal, but it still didn't hurt any less.

With a sigh, the blonde nodded and made his way to the door, but not before stopping one last time to turn towards the redhead.

"Promise we'll talk tomorrow?"

Anna didn't look at him, and for a second Kristoff thought she might not respond, but the young queen nodded after a brief silence.

Kristoff closed the doors behind him and collapsed to the floor.

The doors were supposedly soundproof, but the blonde could clearly make out the sobs of his fiancée through the wooden barrier.

And with that, Kristoff had decided.

Tomorrow.

Morning found Anna way too early.

The sun had barely peaked over the horizon, as the harbors were still empty of its workers and the market had just begun to bustle.

Despite the soreness in her eyes from all the crying, the queen could not bring herself to fall back asleep.

Sometimes she would imagine filing a decree that mandated her brain to fall asleep per her orders.

But such was not the case of the human body.

Luckily her schedule was not so full this morning.

She laid there for what was half an hour before recalling with dread, the events that had transpired no more than a couple hours ago.

She had a nightmare.

A vivid one at that too, as the blankets she was enveloped in, were still tangled helplessly amongst her limbs.

Dreams typically were not easy to remember for Anna.

But the details of this one latched onto her like a root.

Reluctantly, the events of the nightmare played back in her mind.

It was beautiful, drawing in the scenery before her.

Kristoff and Sven were with her. Olaf too.

Their entire family.

Her only family.

Not a single person more, not a single less.

They had been enjoying a picnic out by the pumpkin patches, the verdant atmosphere bringing nothing but smiles to the group.

Everyone important in her life was there with her.

Peace.

Such peace.

It was all Anna could feel as she lay next to her fiancé, hands held between them.

They were staring together at the sky, playing a game of haphazardly naming cloud shapes into recognizable, tangible objects or animals.

In the distance, Olaf had composed another musical composition, the topic this time seemingly about pumpkins, and was now singing it to Sven at what could be described as a robust performance.

A comfortable silence passed between the couple.

"Hey Anna." Kristoff started.

"Hm..?"

The blonde shifted to look at her. "I was thinking...when we have kids in the future-".

Kristoff paused.

"I mean, IF we have kids in the future." He corrected. "What would you name our first?"

Anna smirked. "And here I thought, I was the one that's always in a rush."

Kristoff looked away with embarrassment. "I was just wondering. You don't have to answer."

Anna hummed. She was honestly in such a relaxed state that her mind didn't seem capable of coming up with an honest answer.

But for some very mysterious reason, a name effortlessly found its way to her lips.

"Elsa." Anna answered.

The blonde raised an eyebrow. "Elsa? Where'd that come from?"

"Don't be silly Kristoff. You know, Elsa, My-"

My what...

Who was she thinking of?

She didn't have any friends outside the castle...

Probably because most of her socializing was spent with a talking snowman that she had built with her sis-

Images flashed through her mind like lightning.

Ice

Platinum blonde hair

Beautiful

Sister.

A heartbeat, and all the memories returned to her in an instant.

The childhood incident.

The coronation.

The eternal winter.

Athohallan.

Anna's blood turned cold as she suddenly felt like she was in the wrong place.

She was brought out of her daze by the voice next to her.

"No seriously, Anna. Who's Elsa?" Kristoff asked again.

Anna stared at the blonde.

"My sister."

Kristoff looked at her with wide eyes. "You have a sister?"

Anna could not believe what she was hearing.

"Kristoff! Of course I have a sister. Elsa! My older sister- your former queen! Please tell me you're just kidding. Don't you remember her ice powers? She built Olaf!"

The moment she saw the lost look in his eyes, Anna knew something was very wrong.

"What are you talking about? We found Olaf on our trip to the North Mountain remember? When we first met you had told me that reaching the peak of the mountain had always been one of your childhood dreams, and that's when we met Olaf." Kristoff tried to reason with the redhead.

No. That couldn't be right.

"Anna, are you alright? You're not ill are-"

Before the blonde could finish, the redhead had already begun sprinting back towards the castle.

Please.

Raw adrenaline filled her veins as she vaulted through the gates and practically flung the entrance doors open.

Her eyes fell on a familiar servant.

"Gerda!" Anna grabbed the shoulders of said servant, startling the fellow handmaiden.

"You scared the living heavens out of me, dear! What has you in such a rush?"

"Where's Elsa?" Anna questioned, eyes betraying not the slightest amount of seriousness from the situation.

Gerda gave her a confused look. "I'm sorry your majesty, who? Is there a noble staying in the castle that I'm not aware of?"

No.

No No No...

Without a beat of delay, Anna bolted towards the royal chambers, ignoring the concerned shouts of her head servant.

She had walked this route so many times in her life, but never before had her heart been pounding with such an intensity as this moment.

Anna rounded the corner.

Her eyes met her target on the wall.

Before now, the portrait had always reminded her of completeness.

A time when everything was fair and just.

The nurturing presence of their parents.

When she had learned of their deaths, she thought that losing that piece of her heart would be the greatest intensity of pain she would ever experience, as it was her first loss.

But the sharpness in her chest at the sight before her now had her thinking otherwise.

On the wall was a family portrait of three.

The king

The queen

And a princess with pigtails.

Stop.

Anna whipped her head to the second portrait adjacent to the first.

Hopeful she still was, the rational side of her already knew what she would find.

A portrait of four

An ice harvester

A reindeer

A snowman

And...

A queen with pigtails.

Elsa was gone.

Anna felt nausea rise in the form of bile in her throat.

Whipping around, the redhead opened the doors behind her, desperate to find any proof of her sister's existence.

But instead of the bedroom that was supposed to be there, Anna was met by biting cold and a massive expanse of ice.

Suddenly she wasn't in the castle.

She turned around, and the doors she had walked through had vanished.

She was in a cavern.

A cavern of ice.

How...?

Anna took notice of a figure at the center of the cavern.

A statue to be more precise.

A statue of ice.

A rather familiar one.

Her heart stopped at the recognition.

"Elsa!" Anna darted towards the center.

The redhead cupped the cheeks of her frozen sister desperately. "No, No, No!"

You're too late.

Without warning, the ice encasing Elsa began to crack.

"NO! Elsa, wake up!" Anna felt tears beginning to form.

Can't you see?

You don't mean anything.

More cracks started forming to the point where her sister's beautiful face was no longer recognizable.

"Please, Elsa! Don't leave me!" Anna started sobbing and embraced her sister.

She left you.

No.

You're not needed anymore.

Stop it.

Goodbye.

And then, the structure crumbled. Elsa disintegrated into particles of ice, blown away by the sweeping cold.

Anna awoke with a scream.

Breakfast had done nothing to calm the redhead's anxiety.

She would have to speak to Kristoff, apologize for her behavior.

She had kicked him out of her room when the blonde had simply been there to comfort her. Had carried her to bed too.

Anna realized with a wince at how hurt he must've felt.

Yes. She would apologize.

And they could forget about it, and go back to the way things were.

Right?

Anna took a deep breath, before knocking gently on Kristoff's bedroom door.

No response came.

Maybe he wasn't in the castle.

After that incident, she probably wouldn't want to be around herself either.

Anna was pulled out of her lamenting, as the door opened and the blonde in question stood before her.

She looked away. "Hey."

"Hey." Kristoff replied softly.

An awkward silence passed between the pair.

"About last night-"

"If it's about last night-

They started simultaneously. The two stared at each other in embarrassment at the other's interruption.

"L-let me just go first." Anna said before he could interrupt her again.

Kristoff nodded.

Anna took a deep breath before looking back up at the blonde to speak. "I'm sorry about last night, Kristoff. I shouldn't have pushed you away. You were only there because you cared, and I shut you out. So I'm sorry."

She couldn't make eye contact with the him for the next part. "And...I'm sorry for the way I've been acting. I'll stop. I've been very childish by keeping myself holed up. You deserve better, and I'm sorry for waiting so long. W-we should talk about our wedding date. I think it should be this upcoming spring-"

"Stop." Kristoff interrupted her.

"What?"

"Just stop." His tone wasn't angry, just very determined to get the redhead to stop talking.

Kristoff sighed and looked away. He had prepared a rather long speech in his mind for this talk, but now that she was in front of him, it seemed all but forgotten.

He looked back towards Anna.

Her expression was professional. A work in practice. It was the same one that she taught herself to put on in the presence of other royalty.

But Kristoff saw past the facade.

The sadness in her eyes was always there, always there to taint the redhead's bubbly spirit.

And as long as he lived, the ice harvester vowed to never let it show on her face again.

With a new found resolve, Kristoff steered his gaze and spoke. "Anna, I love you. I love you with my heart and soul. All the moments I've spent with you have made me so happy. I want to spend the rest of my life with you, and I want us to get married."

Anna's stomach dropped.

"Kristoff, I-"

The blonde cut her off with a finger to her lips.

"I want us to get married..."

He smiled sadly.

"But I can't marry you."

Anna opened her mouth in disbelief, the redhead certainly hadn't been expecting that response.

Kristoff reached for her hand and gently caressed each individual finger, ingraining all the details of her touch to his mind.

Was he really doing this?

Yes.

"You know...after I saw you risk your life for Elsa on the fjord three years ago. I had doubts that we would work out. Yet, we stayed together, and the three years that you, Elsa, Olaf, Sven and I shared ended up being the happiest three years of my life. We were a family. I saw myself fulfilling a role that I was personally perfectly fine with."

"I would never be the most important person in your life. It was always Elsa, and will always be Elsa. And I was okay with that."

Kristoff ran his hand through fiery red locks.

"But now I see that it was never about me."

Anna's eyes brimmed with unshed tears as she realized what this was leading up to.

"I thought that if all of us stuck together, that you and I could get married one day, as long as Elsa was by your side."

Kristoff smiled knowingly.

"But I guess you don't see how important someone is to you until they're gone."

The tears were now flowing freely down her face.

"Elsa is the most important person to you. But it's more than that. You two are each other's happiness. You bring each other up, and I now see what needs to be done to make things right."

A final push, and Kristoff bid farewell.

"I'm breaking up with you, Anna."

And with that, the queen rushed forward and embraced her best friend.

Anna sobbed openly into Kristoff's chest.

It just wasn't fair.

"I'm sorry...I'm so so sorry." She apologized over and over again.

Kristoff smiled and rubbed her back soothingly.

They stayed that way for a while, in each other's arms, Anna crying all the way through, mumbling her apologies and regrets to the blonde.

Though the pain would last, Kristoff's heart felt lighter than ever before.

Anna's cries finally died down, and the pair split apart.

She gave Kristoff a grateful look.

"Go find her. Bring her home." Kristoff said with a smile.

She nodded resolutely and ran forward to hug the blonde one last time.

He hugged her back.

"No matter what happens, we'll always be family, Anna."

Anna could not be more grateful.

The quiet waves of Arendelle harbor whisked silently in the night, as a certain watchman patrolled purposefully at the top of the castle gates.

Sir Hugh took night watch very seriously.

It was his job.

Surveil and protect the castle grounds from any potential intruders.

And he would do it well.

There was no one as alert and attentive.

No one better for the job than himself.

Yet in all of his vigilance, tonight the gods must have been against him, as he failed to notice a certain redhead and her horse ride away from the castle grounds.

A/N: Hey guys! Thanks for reading the first chapter!

This is my first attempt at writing Frozen fanfiction, but I hope you enjoyed it nonetheless. Next chapter will feature our favorite angsty ice queen :)

Again, thanks for reading, and feel free to leave a review. Until next time!