Elsa could see it.

Anna had claimed that the trolls on the North Mountain were hidden; they resided inside a cloaked bubble that could only be seen once a person had crossed the threshold. Yet even when the Queen was still miles from the mountain, she could perceive the patch of spring that sat upon its slopes.

Good. She wouldn't have to waste time finding them.

It had been roughly thirty-six hours since her departure from Corona. The journey had been difficult, but Elsa had been able to find her way across the ocean with the aid of her compass. She'd only stopped once, creating a suitable place to sleep on out of her ice and creating a golem whose sole task was to wake her once six hours had passed.

She descended towards the settlement. At any other time, the Queen would have paused to marvel at its existence. All this time, magic she had never dreamed existed had resided within her kingdom. Though she understood why her parents had hesitated to inform her, Elsa couldn't help but resent them at the moment for their mistake. If she'd already been familiar with he trolls, the way to save Anna might have occurred to her days ago.

The sun was setting behind the mountain, but there was still enough light for Elsa to perceive dozens of small purple forms moving throughout the settlement. And as she continued her journey towards them, the shapes began to look back at her. Wearily, the Queen crossed into the magical enclosure and slowed her momentum. Trolls immediately began converging on her position.

"It's the Queen!"

"Did you see her magic?"

"That was amazing, Your Majesty!"

Elsa glanced around nervously as she landed upon the ground. According to Anna, the trolls were friendly but...forward, and the Queen had never been the most comfortable in such dynamic social situations. Especially when she had far more important things to worry about.

"I need to see Grand Pabbie," she said to the creatures encircling her. The Queen's tone could not be described as rude, but it was formal and direct. Perhaps if her hosts understood the gravity of the situation they wouldn't waste time playing their games with her. Of course, Elsa had no idea of what to expect. Anna's descriptions could only do so much, and the sight of purple rocks with large eyes surrounding her was sufficient to unnerve the Queen.

A loud cough sounded from behind her. "Here, Your Majesty," a gravelly voice spoke.

Elsa whipped around. Standing before her at the front of the mass of trolls was the most elderly of them all. Even without the green cloak and dark blond hair that matched Anna's descriptions, the Queen would have recognized him as the leader immediately. His eyes, while still friendly, lacked the sense of childlike mirth that prevailed among his brethren. Here before her was one who knew the burden of leadership.

"I am Pabbie," he continued. "It is an honor to meet your, Your Majesty. You are most welcome within our home."

She nodded. "Thank you. But I fear this is not a social visit," Elsa replied worriedly. "May we speak privately?"

\

Three minutes later, the two of them were seated inside Pabbie's hut. It was a small building, not at all what she was expecting, but the enclosure was both sufficiently comfortable and more than capable of concealing its occupants from the world outside.

"I'm sorry, but I cannot waste time with pleasantries," the Queen began once they were seated. "I've been told that you have helped my parents in the past...and that you would be willing to assist me."

Pabbie nodded. "We've always been happy to help the royal family. It has always given us leave to remain here and preserved the secrecy of our existence...and proven to be capable monarchs. How can I assist you? Have you discovered something about those who attempted to take your life?"

"No." Elsa shook her head, struggling to keep the pain out of her voice. "It's Anna...King David of Lucrania attacked me while I was in Corona. I attempted to avert a war between him and King Xander of Albion by threatening to use my powers to cut off access to the disputed copper mines. He had me drugged into unconsciousness and ordered his men to murder me. Anna was resistant...she held them off. They captured her...he's using her to blackmail me...said he would torture her if I didn't threaten Xander. He's staying at a remote fortress in his country with her; we don't know where to find it. Soon he's going to start torturing her..."

With every word that issued from her lips, Pabbie's face fell further. "Anna..." he breathed. "I'm so sorry, Your Majesty. We have a spell that can locate those who are missing, but..."

"What is it?" Elsa asked impatiently.

The troll sighed. "To perform it, I require something that belonged to her. Something that she could have called her own. Do you have..."

"Her necklace!" the Queen interrupted. She shot an apologetic glance at her host for her rudeness, but Pabbie appeared unconcerned. Her heat filling with hope, Elsa extracted Anna's diamond necklace and held it out triumphantly.

Pabbie nodded. "Yes. This should work quite well," he assured her.

"How long will it take?"

The troll smiled slightly before raising his palm above the outstretched necklace. As Elsa watched in fascination, Pabbie twitched his fingers slightly. She could hear faint, unfamiliar words hushed under his breath before, apparently satisfied, he withdrew his arm.

"The spell should kick in within a moment," he explained. "It is one of the most rudimentary uses of magic that we possess."

Elsa frowned. "Kick in-?"

Knowledge flooded into her mind. She knew where Anna was. The Queen couldn't put the sensation into words, but she was suddenly aware of what direction she must take to find her consort. It was almost as if she could feel the redhead...thousands of miles away.

"I-I can..."

"Yes," Pabbie nodded. "As long as you are touching that necklace, you will know where to find her. The sensation will only grow stronger as the distance between her and the object itself decreases."

Elsa's heart leapt. The future was no longer a dark, formless mass. She could find Anna. She could make this right. All she had to do was zero in on Anna's position and..."Thank you!" she said earnestly. "I'm going to save her; I'll leave immediately. You have my most heartfelt thanks."

Her companion nodded, but he looked uncertain. "Do you believe it is wise to attempt to liberate her alone? The King is bound to be heavily guarded. Perhaps you should gather some support-"

"No," Elsa said firmly. "Brining any of my men to Lucrania would take far too long, and I have no need of their assistance. They need not give up their lives in an assault when I could finish the task on my own."

\

Fifteen minutes later, Elsa was preparing to leave. A bag of food was wrapped around her arm, generously provided by the trolls. The news of Anna's abduction had spread through the camp like wildfire, and every purple rock seems eager to help. Clearly, the redhead had made a memorable first impression upon them during her brief visit.

"Your Majesty?"

The Queen turned around at the sound of a voice...a human voice. Standing before her was a young, well-built man with blue eyes and a deep frown. For an instant, Elsa wondered what another human would be doing in the troll encampment, but then she remembered Anna's recounting of her journey and the details fell into place.

"Kristoff, correct?" the monarch asked. The man's eyes widened slightly at the recognition, but he nodded.

"Anna told me of how you assisted her," she continued. "For that, you have my utmost thanks. And my sympathies for your loss," the Queen added. Kristen's face fell at her declaration, but his head dipped once again in acknowledgment.

The ice-harvester appeared to hesitate for a brief instant before replying. "I...just wanted to wish you luck, Your Majesty. Anna saved my life; she doesn't deserve to be...left in the King's hands," he said carefully. "I would offer my assistance if I could contribute in any way, but..."

She glanced at him approvingly. "Thank you. But this is something I have to do alone. I can't transport anyone else with my powers, and ordinary means of transportation would be far too slow." It was mostly true. She could probably carry someone with her, but it would slow her down considerably. And as much as Kristoff wanted to help, there would be little he could do.

"I know. But there is something I can offer." He reached into his pocket, pulling out a handful of black beans that Elsa didn't recognize. "They help combat exhaustion," Kristoff explained at her look of puzzlement. "If you're tired before reaching Anna, chew these twenty minutes before going in. They can't substitute for a good night's rest, but they help. I use them most nights I go ice-harvesting."

Elsa hesitated. She was being handed an unfamiliar substance from someone she didn't know, and poisoning had been what had gotten her into this mess in the first place. But then again, Kristoff had been raised by the trolls, who were clearly eager to aid her…and Anna trusted him. That, more than anything else, convinced her to accept his offering.

"Thank you," she said, taking the beans from his hand. "I should be off now."

The Queen stepped back and prepared to use her powers, but a comment from Kristoff stopped her.

"I'm sure you're already aware of this, but Anna thinks the world of you. She was so desperate to get help from Grand Pabbie...I've never seen someone so determined. When he couldn't offer her any advice on how to keep you safe, she was devastated. Just...I thought you might want to know," he said.

The monarch sighed inwardly. Anna cared for her so much, looked out for her so much...yet she kept failing the redhead. No more. She was going to make this right. Elsa would rescue her consort from David's clutches or die trying.

"I...thank you."

Kristoff nodded. "Good luck, Your Majesty."

\

It took her two days to make the journey to Lucrania. Finding her way was even easier now, thanks to Pabbie's spell, but the distance was significantly greater. Elsa, deciding to use Kristoff's gift to ensure that she only had to rest once rather than employ it during her attack, managed to make it all the way to the continent before needing to pass out.

True to the ice-harvester's word, the beans had supplied her with considerable reserves of energy. The sensation had felt strange, uncomfortable even, but it had been enough to keep the Queen going for several extra hours. Finally, as the effect wore off, Elsa arrived in northern Corona and created an ice-house to sleep in...with a few golems as guards.

She wondered what her Council would think of her now. Here she was, the Queen of Arendelle, traveling hundreds of miles alone on a solo rescue mission to save a lowly peasant. Her dress was as immaculate as ever, of course, but with her hair unkempt, hands stained with dirt, and makeup completely washed away by a torrent of rain, Elsa looked less like a Queen with every passing hour.

As Pabbie had promised, her sense of Anna's location only grew the closer she got to Lucrania.

By mid-afternoon of the second day, she had crossed the country's border and was officially in enemy territory. Elsa tried to keep low in order to avoid being spotted, but the odds were that she would be seen by dozens of people. Still, as long as they were not too close to Anna's location, it was irrelevant. True, David would likely hear of her trespassing and realize her intentions if given enough time, but it wouldn't matter if she reached him first.

It was two hours after sunset when she saw it.

Her path had taken her into the southern-most province of the country, a region that was dominated by tall forests and massive plains of grass. Guided by the necklace in her hand, Elsa ended up in one such plain. In the distance sat a solitary circular tower, visible by the candlelight that illuminated many of its windows.

She broke off her magic- even at night the ice would give her away if she was too close, and it would be unwise to relinquish the element of surprise. The Queen would have to continue the rest of the way on foot.

With a wave of her hand, the ice of Elsa's dress lost its light blue coloration and became pitch black. Her pale skin would likely give her away before she could reach the tower itself, but the moonlight reflecting off her usual attire would reveal her presence far sooner to the guards who were doubtlessly on patrol atop the structure's roof.

The Queen paused. For so long, she had been so desperate to get to Anna that she had almost forgotten the significant opposition that would certainly be waiting for her. The tower in front of her was several hundred feet tall and at least a third that large in diameter. It was composed of stone bricks, she could now perceive, and topped off by an open, flat roof.

Judging by the lit windows, the building was roughly ten stories high. Altogether, Elsa estimated that the structure could house approximately one hundred men. Several were stationed on the roof, illuminated by the torches that some of them carried. And with the King himself in residence, the building's lower defenses were likely to be equally daunting. Already, she could perceive the outlines of a large gate.

But Anna was in there. Now that she was so close to her attendant, the Queen could literally pinpoint her location. The redhead was being held in a room on the ninth floor; it was located on the southern side of the building.

Elsa was alone against one hundred men. Anna had fallen to less than half of that number. Her creations would be of some help, but the Queen was only capable of materializing five autonomous beings of ice at any one time. Trying to surpass that number led to one of her existing creations winking out of existence. And the hallways were likely too thin for massive golems. The soldiers she would form would be more than a match for most individual men, but Elsa would still have to deal with several dozen guards with nothing save her personal abilities.

She almost felt sorry for them.

Any guard who surrendered would be spared her wrath. But those who refused to yield would face lethal force. It was regrettable. But this was a war. King David had attempted to murder the Queen of Arendelle, kidnapped her consort, and severely wounded Princess Rapunzel of Corona. And all of these men knew it. They might be following orders, but every man assigned to this important station would certainly have been made aware of the circumstances. Every soldier in that tower possessed the knowledge that their King had attempted to murder an innocent woman (and a sovereign ruler.) Just as they knew that a girl who had never sought to harm them was now being imprisoned and would soon be tortured for their monarch's selfish reasons.

The Queen would exchanging many lives for one, she knew. But Anna was an innocent. These men were complicit in David's crimes, and if they chose to defend him to the death then they would be sealing their fates. As she would make clear to anything she created, every man would be offered a chance to surrender. But only one.

Her heart beat more rapidly with every slow step she took towards the base of the tower. Elsa moved slowly; running would only get her spotted sooner. But the area around the building was occupied by nothing but grass, and even in her black dress the Queen was far from invisible.

She was a hundred feet from the tower when it happened.

"Down there! A woman!"

Scowling, Elsa shot ice from beneath her feet and zoomed into the sky.

"Holy shit…it's Queen Elsa! Raise the alarm!"

"Shoot her!"

A deep chime filled the air as one of the soldiers began to ring the watch bell. His compatriots either drew their swords or raced for their crossbows, angling for the Queen below.

Lips set into a contemptuous curl, Elsa twitched her fingers. A miniature cyclone appeared in midair, rapidly rotating around the Queen and moving with her as she glided towards the roof. Three arrows had sought out her flesh by the time she arrived, each deflected harmlessly by the chilly air revolving around her slim frame.

She touched down on the roof only a few feet from the small stone ledge, dispelling the cyclone as she landed. Facing her were five men armed with an assortment of weapons. Pure terror dominated their expressions, but they all looked ready to pounce at a second's notice.

"You all know who I am and what I can do. I'll say this once; surrender or die."

Two of the soldiers dropped their weapons and backed away cautiously. Three tried to oppose her. One of them scrambled to load another shot into his crossbow, while the other two raised their spears and charged forward.

Elsa raised both of her hands. The night roared as a massive burst of compressed air materialized from her palms. The gale charged forward, sweeping all three of her attackers off the ground. They flew dozens of feet into the air, only to be released and sent plummeting to the ground once they were well beyond the range of the roof.

"Stay still." Another twitch of her fingers and icy chains were rising from the ground. They caught both of her prisoners in the arms, their sheer weight forcing the men to their knees. Panic shone in their eyes, but other then some sore joints tomorrow they were unharmed.

Clutching the necklace again, Elsa focused on Anna's location. This close, she could perceive where the redhead was with ludicrous precision. The Queen couldn't see Anna, but she could feel her.

With a wave of her hand, the monarch created a wall of ice in front of her attendant. Together with the wall behind her, it made Anna unreachable by anyone but herself. If David or his men tried to use her as leverage to stop the Queen's attack, they would be disappointed.

Elsa imagined what Anna must be feeling at the moment. Elation. Renewed hope. She would know what that ice meant. And Elsa was not going to let her down.

The Queen ran backward and vaulted over the ledge. As she threw herself off the roof her hands were already angling towards the ground. A continuous jet of air shot out from both of her palms, slowing Elsa's descent to a comfortable fall.

After clearing the roof, entering through the main gate seemed counterintuitive. But the likely cramped hallways of the upper floors would suit her ill. Her powers were most effective in open spaces, where she could easily see her enemies before they challenged her. And like most buildings, Elsa was willing to bet that the tower's largest rooms were on its ground floor.

By the time her feet hit the ground, the Queen was already waving her hand. A giant gate stood before her, hard and thick enough to withstand hours of punishment from a conventional battering ram. But upon her command, the door suddenly froze over as impossibly low temperatures took hold. As the metal cracked, the monarch released a hail of large icicles. A dozen projectiles impacted the newly brittle gate.

BANG! The door collapsed in on itself, splitting into pieces as it fell.

The scene that greeted her was chaos.

Men, many of whom wore only pieces of their armor, were attempting to arrange themselves in a hasty defense in front of the gate. The alarm that had been sounded had not specified Elsa in particular, but all had been made aware that intruders were approaching.

Thirty pairs of eyes stared at her as she crossed the threshold into a wide-open room, empty save for the soldiers and a series of bright torches that sat on the walls. Behind the mass of men facing her was a large doorway; even from this distance, the Queen could perceive the stairs that laid beyond it.

Thwack! Thwack! Thwack!

Several trigger-happy soldiers fired upon her position. A twitch of her fingers and the cyclone appeared again, larger than it had been before. Five feet before they could reach her, the missiles were redirected and flew harmlessly into the stone wall.

"I am Queen Elsa of Arendelle," she spoke loudly to the astonished soldiers. "Your King attacked me without provocation and in doing so declared war upon my kingdom. I am here to see it ended. Drop your weapons and kneel to the ground and you will be spared. This is your only warning!" she proclaimed, the cyclone still revolving around her.

Hesitation appeared in the eyes of every soldier. But they outnumbered her thirty- no, forty- to one as more men continued to pour into the room from the staircase, and that emboldened their collective confidence. Roughly a dozen did as she commanded. The remainder brandished their melee weapons and charged.

Elsa waved her hand. The cyclone increased intensity, buffeting the men with its gusts. Several were knocked to their feet as they attempted to approach her. The Queen raised her hands and fired, launching two separate blasts of ice at her attackers. One impaled five men, the other three. All eight fell to the ground, and the room was now filled with the screams of the dying.

Many of the men gave pause at the show of power; a further five now sank to their knees and surrender. But fifteen more of the original group still opposed her, joined now by a further twenty who had descended from the stairs.

"Death to the Ice Witch!"

"For the King!"

A massive sheet of thin ice shot out from under her feet. It slithered forward rapidly, moving into the paths of two dozen of her enemies. Suddenly without balance, the vast majority slipped and collapsed to the ground in a heap.

"You cannot oppose me!" Elsa shouted. "Cease your struggle and I will spare you!"

Seven more released their weapons and dropped to the ground, but the majority of the fallen attempted to rise and join those continuing to struggle against the overpowering winds.

"Cowards!" A large, older man rounded upon those who had surrendered. Wearing a commander's lapel, he spoke with both outrage and authority. "We fight for the King! To the death!" he cried. The men on the ground ignored his plea, remaining in their defeated posture. In desperation, he hurled his sword forward as he spoke, but the weapon was turned aside long before it could touch her.

"Even if he is a murderous tyrant?" Elsa challenged.

"He is our King!"

The Queen hated these types of people. Those who were loyal to their monarch purely out of utter respect for their station. It was ironic, she knew, being a ruler herself. But being in charge didn't make a person automatically in the right. Good Kings and Queens such as herself should be respected, but blind loyalty was a foolish notion. In her mind, a King who had turned his back on morality had lost his right to rule.

A shard of ice cut through the air, impacting the defiant commander in the throat. He fell back, sputtering hopelessly. Elsa surveyed the remaining men, hoping the death of their leader would sap them of confidence, but only another three men surrendered.

The rest continued to attack with savage intensity. They inched forward, struggling to gain ground against her cyclone. Others continued to fire arrows at the Queen, hoping their projectiles would pierce her defense. One was even desperate enough to run to a blazing torch and light the tip of his arrow on fire before releasing it. But that too was deflected easily by the wind. Elsa did not like fire. But she had no particular weakness against it.

Sighing, the Queen released a large burst of icicles from her palm. True, none of the men had reached her, but many were fighting successfully against the winds. Within another few seconds, the strongest among them might well reach her with their blades.

The missiles impacted over a dozen men, killing half of them instantly and crippling the rest. Another twitch of her finger and a wide wall of compressed snow materialized between her and the soldiers. It sped towards her enemies. Five of the remaining soldiers were able to dive out of the way, but the remainder were taught by the wave of snow. Now carrying several men, it continued forward until it reached the stone wall in the back of the room.

All of them fell to the ground upon the collision. Dead or unconscious, Elsa didn't know.

One of the remaining five saw the futility of the situation and dropped to his knees. To Elsa's shock, the other four charged forward once again. They were either extremely foolish or extremely devoted to their King.

She whipped her arm in front of her. The cyclone, having protectively circled around her, now expanded violently. The gust of air collided with all four of the attacking soldiers, hitting them so hard that they flew backwards into the stone before slumping to the floor. Alive or dead, they were no longer a threat to her. Finally, she allowed the air to calm.

At last, the room was clear of enemies. The stream of latecomers continuing down the stairs had stopped completely, though she was willing to bet that many still were biding their time upstairs. Turning to her prisoners, Elsa raised her palms. Icy chains sprouted up from the floor, lashing themselves to both of the hands of every man in the room. The Queen wished she could have imprisoned all of the soldiers this way, but even she lacked that kind of control. For her chains to be effective, the target must be almost completely still.

"As I said, you will be spared. Once I am gone, the chains will melt and you will be free to go. Until that time, do not attempt to free yourselves," she ordered the stunned soldiers. As they processed her words, the Queen concentrated. Her mind visualized five deadly creations.

The unique one among them was a large snow golem, just short enough to walk under the ceiling comfortably. "Guard these prisoners," she ordered it. "Do not harm them unless they attempt to break free." Elsa could have commanded it mentally, but she wanted the soldiers to hear her words.

She turned to her other creations. Four soldiers awaited her orders, each armed with a wicked blade of ice. They were made of the same material; all were strong, tall, and imposing. Conventional weapons were capable of bringing them down, but they would not fall easily. And even then, Elsa could easily create more.

"Clear a path to the ninth floor; walk ahead of me and fight off any opposition. Watch for ambushes. Anyone we encounter is to be given a chance to surrender before they are attacked," she ordered. Though her creations were not truly sentiment, they could speak if she told them to.

\

Making her way up, floor by floor, was not easy.

The first staircase circled up until it reached the second floor, within which rested a large number of doors. The last of which contained the entrance to the next staircase, which circled up to the third floor...and the pattern continued.

Soldiers tried to ambush her at every turn. The majority of the tower's garrison had confronted her downstairs, but those too cowardly or too late had remained in the dense hallways above. They skulked behind doorways grasping their swords, hid on the stairways readying their bows, or simply charged with their weapons and attempted to impale her.

Now, with the danger increased, she let her creations do the bulk of the work. Raising their icy shields, they deflected arrows aimed at her heart and turned aside any sword intended for her neck. Each man they faced was allowed to surrender, and to her relief the majority accepted and allowed themselves to be chained by her powers. Evidently, most of the braver warriors had fought her in the lobby.

Many times, one of her soldiers was 'killed', but Elsa would always calmly form another one. Rather than hit their true target, every ambush hit an expendable- and replaceable- decoy.

Her heart continued to pound as they ascended the tower. With every step, she grew closer to Anna. And no one could stand in her way.

\

Continuing on with care, it was another hour before Elsa and her guards reached the ninth floor. Anna was here; she could feel the redhead's presence with hyper-intensity whenever her fingers brushed against the necklace. Her excitement reached extreme heights, but the Queen refused to allow her emotions to cloud her judgment. The opposition had thinned as they had cleared the last few floors, but it wouldn't surprise her if some were attempting to ambush her near Anna's location.

Thankfully, her attendant had not yet been taken hostage. The ice she had formed in front of Anna would take hours to break through, even for a strong man who wielded a sword. It was almost as hard as the redhead's blade.

This floor was different than the others. The doors were metal, rather than wooden, and its layout was harsher than the rest. This was David's prison. And Anna was at the end of the hall.

She beckoned her creations forward, and two of them opened the first set of doors. Nothing. But as Elsa took her initial steps across the hall, she heard a faint crying. And it wasn't Anna's voice.

It was coming from halfway down the hall, inside one of the cells.

She had her creations check all of the rooms in her path, but none were occupied. Apparently, Anna was the only prisoner in house. Three of her guards watching the rest of the hallway; she had the remaining creation open the door. The crying, she knew, could well be a trap.

But what she found wasn't an enemy soldier poised to strike. It was a young woman, slumped against the back of the cell with a look of utter terror on her face. She was adorned with blond hair so bright it reminded the Queen of her own platinum locks. Elsa would have believed her to be a prisoner, but her clothes were far too fine for that to be the case.

"Who are you?" Elsa demanded.

The woman looked up, her eyes alight with fear. "P-please," she begged. "I'm Jocasta...one of the servants here. D-don't hurt me...I just want to go home. I-I won't try to hurt you...just let me go!"

Elsa looked on her with pity, but this woman was not the first servant she'd encountered. All of the rest had already been chained by her ice.

"I can't take any chances," she said, making the woman start in fear. "But I won't hurt you. Stay still and I can bind you in chains of ice; once I'm clear of the fortress they'll melt and you'll be free to go."

Jocasta immediately held out her wrists. "Of c-course," she stuttered. Reluctantly, Elsa twitched her finger. Within half a second, the servant was bound. Nodding in farewell, the Queen left the room and continued down the hall.

The rest of the doors were empty. When she was satisfied that the remainder of the hall was clear, she instructed two of her guards to take up positions on either side of the alley, blocking off both stairways. Unlike the others, Anna's door was locked. With her remaining soldiers in position, Elsa summoned a blast of ice and blew it off its hinges.

Nothing. Her guards went in first, but there was no ambush forthcoming. All that greeted her was the wall of ice she had created earlier. She took a deep breath, knowing that Anna was behind the thick sheet of winter. With an impatient wave of her hand, she dispelled the barrier.

Responses:

WinterWolfDragon: We'll find out next chapter!

: She is mad. Very mad.

SleepingZombie: That's definitely what they used the necklace for. Anna's situation is still unclear.

Jascmaster: Well…

ClaireCooper: Just wait until the final arc!

Tigger: They finally did something useful!

3Gs: She's certainly sick, but she's also smart.

TaniaHylian: You might just get your wish.

No.18: No red string, but the necklace worked well enough.

Mycabbages176: Thanks! I edited the chapter a bit to make it more clear that she only has one arm.

Leelan: Well, she can sense Anna now.

MasterBlackCrow: So many questions…can't really answer them at the moment.

BlackMistBeast: We'll see the results of the sedatives soon…

Shtoops: Thanks! I'm glad that worked.

IronTailPikachu: I wonder how damaged she is…

Yishan1992: It's not easy to write her going through that, believe me.

Guest 1: In my mind I have actually compared this scenario to the First Lady being kidnapped. But there's several reasons why going to war didn't work.

No one besides Elsa and Corona knows that Anna was kidnapped and Rapunzel was injured. And they have no proof (the only witnesses were the guards of Arendelle and Corona, and that letter could have been forged for all other nations know.)

Anna's not a noble, or royalty, or officially anything more than just another guard. A lot of aristocrats simply wouldn't care what happens to her.

A war would cost thousands of innocent lives. It's not like today, where we could precision bomb the offending country.

Most importantly, going to war would let David know that Elsa wasn't going along with his deal. So Anna would be tortured until she was found. And when they located the fortress, she would have been killed.

So the only real solution was for Elsa to go in alone, using stealth. Anything else would have sealed Anna's fate.

ObsessiveImaginings: Actually, scour the country is correct. 'Scour' means to search thouroughly.

Superjoshe: Let's hope!

LightningDragon: As this chapter demonstrates, Elsa is incredibly powerful. In this story, she can only create five beings at once, but they can be very deadly. Probably nothing that can fly, though she can do that on her own. I wanted most of her power to be what she can do personally rather than through what she creates.

PascalDragon: You were right, it was the pendant. The reason for that will become clear eventually.

Mpsantiago: Rapunzel's magic might help with that, but yeah…

Yuiiub: Trust me, it's not easy to write.

BreeBear98: I know what you mean!

Darthvaderisnotme: An apology would be nice, but I think Rapunzel knows that Elsa's words were the result of unthinkable stress.

xAnimeJunkie23x: They helped. Hopefully the two of them will be back to normal soon.

Spacecat090: You think?

JPElles: It will be surprising, hopefully.

Natureboy3: Damaging Rapunzel wasn't fun, but after all the dangerous situations these characters have been through it was only a matter of time before something happened.

Gamernerd6: Thanks! I wouldn't know about perfection, but I'm definitely tying not to rush.