Kristoff straggled up the stairs, his exhausted mind looking forward to nothing more than the soft feather bed that awaited him. Creating a business wasn't easy. It was less taxing on his muscles, perhaps, than a day of chopping ice, but it was mentally exhausting. At least with ice-harvesting, there was little doubt of the final result. There was no guarantee of success when forming a company.

Thanks to Queen Elsa, he had his permit, at least. A quick investigation into Drexel's practice had resulted in the utterly shocked administrator being fired, a fact that have Kristoff no small amount of satisfaction. Unsurprisingly, his replacement had been only too willing to give the aspiring businessman a permit.

Making it up the stairs, he threw open the door to his bedroom and collapsed onto the sheets in a disjointed heap. He would lie here, just for a minute before undressing...

\

"Get up."

A spasm of pain above his stomach prevented Krisotff from rising fully. He opened his eyes...and received the shock of his life.

Five men in black cloaks were surrounding his bed, all of them armed with blades of cold steel. The nearest man had his weapon aimed at Kristoff's chest; it was shearing through his shirt and had just penetrated the top of his skin.

His heartbeat raced. Was he still dreaming? He didn't think so. What the hell were a group of armed men doing in his bedroom?! Sweat began to pour down Kristoff's cheeks.

They didn't want to kill him. He'd be dead already if that was the case. Kristoff tried to think of what the hell these men could want with him. An idea he couldn't pinpoint lurked at the edge of his mind, but the panic flowing through him made it impossible to concentrate.

Damn! He knew he had no choice. Kristoff could hold his own in a tavern brawl, but he wasn't a trained warrior. He would have absolutely no chance against five determined attackers, even if a sword point wasn't already lodged in his chest. That itself was pain enough for a lifetime. Kristoff couldn't imagine how much agony he would experience if the blade plunged completely into his body.

"Tie his arms."

\

Home. Anna had gone her entire life without having one. True, the orphanage had given her a roof over her head and a bed to lie on, but she couldn't truly have called it home.

This was home. It was more than just the Castle that surrounded her and the fine silken sheets that she was lying on. Elsa's arms, currently wrapped around her in a loving embrace, were what made it truly real.

"I'm going to miss you...so much," Anna whispered. It was their last hour together before Elsa took off to see the trolls. It would only be two days of separation, but their time apart would be painful nonetheless. Evidently, the Queen shared that sentiment.

Elsa squeezed her tighter, and Anna found herself burying her forehead into the Queen's neck. Despite her previous intimacy with various women, snuggling had been a new experience for Anna. Her previous partners had been all too happy to fuck her, but cuddling...not so much.

She loved laying beside her lover, taking in Elsa's wintery scent. Anna was the Queen's Knight and personal attendant, her premier bodyguard. Yet the Knight never felt safer than when she was wrapped in her Queen's arms.

Thankfully, Elsa seemed to enjoy snuggling just as much as her partner. Anna had never before truly experienced the sensation of comforting physical contact with someone she loved. For the Queen, it was a different story. Elsa had been embraced by her parents countless times during her childhood, of course. But for over five years, she hadn't been able to so much as hug another human being. As close as she had been with Kai and Gerda, it simply wasn't appropriate for a monarch to hug her staff.

Such physical isolation had left Elsa with a powerful yearning for another's embrace, and it was a void that Anna was only too glad to fill.

"You'll be fine," Elsa whispered back. "Since the rebellion, the Castle's been secured to almost a ridiculous level. Stay here, and you'll be safe." The Queen paused. "Promise me you'll stay here. If something happened-" she stopped herself.

If something happened to you, I could never forgive myself. Anna knew exactly what her Queen had been about to say.

"I promise. And the same goes for you! I'm not the one flying across the country," Anna pointed out.

From her position beneath Elsa's neck, Anna could feel the monarch's muscles move as her lips curled into a slight smile. "You're also not the one with godlike ice powers," Elsa noted. "I...I should get going. It's almost noon. If I want to be back before tomorrow night..."

Sighing, Anna began to disentangle herself from Elsa's embrace. "I know."

Planting a last kiss on Anna's forehead, the Queen withdrew her arms and rose from the bed. With a swift movement of her hands, a new ice dress replaced her bedgown.

The sight of Elsa clothed in her element never failed to take Anna's breath away. The Knight was aware that she herself was an attractive woman, but Anna knew that she couldn't hold a candle to her lover when it came to looks. Her Queen was beauty personified.

She ran to Elsa, claiming the Queen's lips in a fierce kiss. Anna hung onto her consort as tightly as she could without causing injury, as if her stronger grip would delay the moment of parting. Unfortunately, it was time to let Elsa go. The Queen was doing this for her, after all, and it wouldn't be fair to force her to spend more than one night away from the Palace.

Still, the monarch was the one to pull back. "I love you, Anna." She placed a final kiss on the Knight's forehead before making her way out onto their balcony. Anna resisted the urge to follow.

A blizzard was raging: the first of the year. It was the earliest snowstorm Arendelle had seen in a decade, yet it was as strong as any natural storm Anna had seen over the past year. Already, the kingdom below was covered in a sea of white.

"This isn't your doing, is it?" the Knight asked playfully. For anyone else, this storm would put a stop to all but the most important travels. All it did for Elsa, however, was to make the journey more enjoyable.

The Queen smirked. "You insult me, dear Anna. If I was to create a storm, it would be much more powerful than this."

Without another word, Elsa took off flying through the air.

Anna stood there for several minutes, staring at the trail of snow that the Queen left behind.

\

The first few hours of the day passed quickly for Anna. Following Elsa's departure, she made her way down to the courtyard to get in some training. Drell had been kind enough to develop exercises that limited the Knight's reliance on her superhuman strength and speed, forcing her to depend on technique and finesse to succeed. Based upon skill alone, Anna could now consider herself an expert warrior, but there was still more than one person at the Castle who would be able to best her if she lost her magic.

When she finally had enough, the Knight made her way up to the Royal Chambers to wash herself before going down to the dining hall for lunch. It was lonely eating without Elsa, but it still felt good to eat after a morning of hard work.

Then her day went to hell.

It started with an innocent knock on the dining room door; the guards opened it to admit a young maid. Anna smiled as she recognized Kayla, her eyes fixed to the floor as she carried the Knight's requested dessert of chocolate ice cream.

"Hi!" Anna greeted.

Kayla let out a sharp gasp, her arms involuntarily jolting. A loud crash sounded as the tray fell to the ground, shattering the bowl and scattering glass and melted ice cream across the floor.

"Kayla!' the Knight sprang to her feet and hurried over to the girl. "Are you alright?" Anna did a quick examination of the maid's arms, noting with relief that her skin was free of any glass shards.

Hurriedly, Kayla dropped to her knees and began to scoop the mess back into the tray. With a gentle touch, Anna brushed the girl aside and did it herself. Her skin was durable enough to the point that it faced little threat from broken glass, and with her speed everything but the melted ice cream was placed back onto the tray within seconds.

"I'm so sorry, milady," Kayla finally managed. "Thanks for the assistance."

"It's no problem," Anna assured her as she handed the tray back to the younger woman. "I startled you. Are you sure that you're fine?" It wasn't like Kayla- or any maid- to be clumsy enough to drop a tray just because of a friendly greeting.

Kayla frowned. "Yes, milady. It's just...ever since the attack, I've been a little jumpy." She didn't need to elaborate. Elsa had told her how she had saved the young maid from being violated by one of the mercenaries. It would have been worse had the Queen not intervened, of course, but understandably Kayla seemed to have not escaped the incident mentally unscathed.

"Elsa told me," Anna said simply. "I...well I'm not an expert, but I've had my fair share of unpleasant experiences. If you ever want to talk...I mean, we're already talking, of course, but if you wanted to discuss...what happened, my door's always open."

Kayla smiled hesitantly. "...Thanks, milady. I'll keep that in mind. Oh! One of the servants told me to give you this. Someone left it at the front gate for you. She didn't say what her name was, but she said it was important." Reaching into her pocket, she pulled out a sealed letter. Lady Anna was written on the front.

"Thanks," Anna replied as Kayla bowed slightly and returned to the kitchens. Who would have sent her a letter? Kristoff was her only friend in the city, and as reclusive as he could be, the ice harvester wasn't the type to simply hurry off without even leaving a name.

Without further preamble, she opened the letter.

Lady Anna,

You have proven a worthy adversary, but your interference in our plans must come to an end. We have captured your friend Kristoff, and though we take no pleasure in hurting an innocent, we will kill him if our demands our not met.

At midnight, you shall come to the forest behind the Castle and make your way to the shore of the lake. You will be alone, and unarmed. At some time past midnight, we will reveal ourselves, holding your friend at blade-point as we approach. The very second we see that you have not abided completely by our terms, he will die.

We do not wish to kill you. Perhaps, when you learn the truth behind our intentions, you will see fit to aid us. If not, you will be taken into custody.

His life is in your hands.

There was no signature at the bottom.

\

"You do not understand what you are asking for, Your Majesty."

Elsa frowned. She and Pabbie were speaking privately, sitting in small leather chairs inside the Grand Troll's wooden hut. At first, he and his fellows had greeted her enthusiastically, but now he did not seem so eager to provide aid.

"Then enlighten me," she implored. "You've stated that what Kristoff said is true; you do have the power to remove memories. Forgive me, but I fail to see what I am misunderstanding."

The old troll sighed. "I am not capable of removing memories that one does not wish to part with. The potion can be created easily, and it is entirely up to the drinker what memories will be forgotten. This, in of itself, poses little danger. However, memories are not the only thing that may be lost."

Her eyes narrowed inquisitively. Sometimes, she wished the trolls could be a bit more direct with their words.

"We are products of our memories," Pabbie continued sagely. "They define us, influencing our actions whether we know it or not. Removing them, especially in large quantities, can change who we are."

"Exactly," Elsa agreed. "Anna wants to change. She- we- hope that by forgetting what happened in Lucrania, her mental scars will disappear. I fail to see the potential downside of losing only bad memories."

Pabbie shook his head. "I do not pretend to understand this branch of magic completely. But I did call upon it several times in my younger days, and there have been copious notes left behind by my predecessors. They both point to the same conclusion: the effects of memory loss are unpredictable. Young Anna is not the first good soul to ask for painful experiences to be taken away."

"And what happened to those who came before her?" Elsa questioned. A sliver of doubt was expanding throughout her mind.

"Many things. For some, the magic worked exactly as intended; there were no side effects. But others...they lost pieces of who they were. They and their loved ones would consider the result a success, at first, and thank me before going on to continue their lives. Then their loved ones would return, claiming that the magic's recipient was not the same. Sometimes, the alterations were minor. Sometimes they were not. More than once, I was told that my 'patient' was a completely different person. Kind and loving husbands and wives became bitter and reclusive."

"But why-"

Pabbie raised a hand to silence her. "I do not know, Your Majesty. It was not long before I swore off the practice entirely, and I saw no reason to continue studying it. My best guess is that removing memories has an amplifying effect on the psyche. Taking away an hour of happiness does as much damage as subjecting a person to a year of misery. Even though I was always asked to remove unpleasant memories, there is always at least a small amount of joy to be found during dark times."

"Not in Anna's case," Elsa affirmed. "I find it almost impossible to believe that she had a second of happiness while inside that dungeon."

"Perhaps," Pabbie agreed. "But what about right after her rescue? I am sure she was more than glad to wake up in your arms. Even though my magic would not remove that moment from her recollections, that happiness would be taken away. There would be no reason for that joy to remain, after all, if she didn't even know what she had been saved from."

Elsa sighed. It seemed that things could never be easy. "You're saying that if Anna drank your potion, there is a chance she could be changed?"

"Yes," the troll replied somberly. "I cannot give you any details on the probabilities. You now know all that I do about the subject. Magic, as we both know, is a highly complex matter at best. It is certainly possible that her personality would remain completely intact, or that any alterations would be so minor that neither of you would notice."

"That is not a risk I would like to take," Elsa said, mostly to herself. "But I have been told that any curse can be negated by true love's kiss. If I believed her to have been…affected, couldn't I simply kiss her to reverse the effects?"

Pabbie shook his head. "I have no doubt that what the two of you share is true love, but that would not be of any use in this instance. Memory loss is not a curse. It can only be undertaken willingly; to constitute a curse, a spell must be imprinted forcefully. Nor do I possess any magic capable of returning the lost memories. Drinking the potion, I am afraid, creates a wound that can never be closed."

The Queen stared at him, her eyes fraught with indecision. She wanted to ease the Knight's mental anguish, just as much as Anna herself did. And her consort was certainly correct in saying that this would allow her to defend both of their lives with greater surety. Yet the cost...

"So you won't make the potion?" she questioned.

Pabbie's eyes fell to the floor. "I have sworn to provide aid to the Royal Family of Arendelle, provided that you continue to grant us peaceful sanctuary. And you know Anna and her struggles far better than I. The risk may be worth it, but you are the only one who is fit to judge. Ask this of me, and I will grant you what you seek."

Elsa resisted the urge to encase the room in ice. Why? Why did every damn decision fall on her shoulders? Was it too much, just for once, to not have to make a virtual life and death decision...and submit herself to the consequences?

Yes. Elsa berated herself for the moment of weakness. As Queen of Arendelle, she had no right to deny this responsibility. More importantly, as Anna's sole love in the world, she had a duty to look out for the Knight's well being. To desire to pass that obligation onto someone else was nothing short of shameful.

"What do you wish, Your Majesty?" Pabbie prompted.

\

Anna didn't want to die.

Even when she had wandered the land cold and hungry, possessing nothing but the damp blue rags that had passed for her clothes, Anna had been driven to survive. Now that she had a life worth having, her desire to live had only grown stronger.

Giving into the conspirators' demands would almost certainly lead to her death. Anna was not an overly intelligent woman, but neither was she a fool. The letter's assurance that she would be taken into custody was a lie. The conspirators might not know the details, but they had undoubtedly inferred that Elsa had a magical means of locating her. It was the only explanation for her rescue from Lucrania.

They wouldn't dare bring Elsa's wrath upon themselves again. Luring the Queen into an open confrontation, no matter how prepared the defenders might be, was suicidal. No, Anna would not be taken prisoner once again. If the conspirators got their way, the Knight would not live to see tomorrow's sunrise.

Yet remaining in the Castle would doom Kristoff to a similar fate. Over the past two hours, she had investigated the situation- desperately trying to find a way out. Kayla's claim that the letter had been left at the front gate had indeed been true, but the guards on duty could offer her few clues on who the deliverer had been. A quick trip into the city had likewise confirmed that Kristoff was missing.

In her heart, she knew he had been captured. It wasn't surprising. Kristoff was brave enough, but he was no warrior and his residence had been virtually unguarded. It would have been all too easy for them to take him.

The Knight was sitting at the edge of her bed, cradling her head in her hands. What would she do? What could she do? Every alternative was unthinkable. It was, she reflected, a very similar situation to the one Elsa had faced during Anna's own captivity. Unfortunately, the Knight had no chance of replicating her Queen's solution. The trolls were too far away for Anna to petition them to locate Kristoff, and Elsa would not be back for another twenty-four hours.

She knew what she should do. As a Knight of the realm, she had sworn to protect the kingdom of Arendelle and its Queen. Anna had dedicated her life to that goal. To all but forfeit her survival to save one man, a man who was not vital to the kingdom's security, would be disloyal at best and treasonous at worst.

In the past, Anna had repeatedly reminded Elsa that the Queen's life was more important than her own. Now that same logic was biting her in the ass. Anna was less important than Elsa, but she was certainly more valuable than Kristoff. If only for her ability to defend the monarch, Anna was of far more use to the kingdom than a single ice harvester.

But she couldn't do it. She couldn't abandon a friend to certain death.

Anna's eyes wandered around the room as she desperately tried to figure a way out. Bringing guards with her would result in Kristoff's execution, and it would be highly unlikely that the conspirators would stick around long enough to be captured. Her gaze shifted around Elsa's room, as if Anna was eager to look upon what had become her home one last time.

The bookshelf, the bed sheets, the antique decorations on the wall. It really was a beautiful room. Her eyes roamed across a painting depicting an ancient battle in Arendelle's history: heavily armored soldiers fighting fiercely as the vicious flights of arrows darkened the sky overhead. Why had she never examined it before?

It was done. Her choice was made. For perhaps the last time, Anna walked out of the bedroom.

She left only two things behind.

\

The Knight stared out into the night, taking in the treacherous beauty of the freezing lake before her. Despite the terror that was flowing through her, Anna couldn't help but appreciate the irony. The fact that Elsa often practiced her powers here was a secret that she had withstood torture to withhold. Now, by pure chance, the conspirators had decided to organize a meeting at this very spot.

It was cold. The morning's blizzard had not yet dissipated; snow continued to fall at a moderate pace. The ground was already coated in several inches of the white powder. Anna's gaze anxiously went up to the trees around her, all of which were likewise adorned with a blanket of white so heavy that the limbs beneath were almost completely hidden.

Crunch.

The sound echoed through the night. In the distance, Anna could now perceive a lone figure deep into the tree line. He (or she) stood there for nearly thirty seconds before turning and walking back into the darkness.

A scout.

It didn't take long for her guess to be validated. With the lake to her back, Anna was surrounded on three sides by the forest. Five minutes after the first visitor's brief appearance, figures began to appear from all three directions. Slowly, they approached her.

In the tales she'd read during her time in the Castle, a hero who'd faced death had always done so bravely. Any Knight in one of her fairy tales would never experience an iota of fear while sacrificing himself for a friend.

Anna was terrified. With every step the approaching figures took towards her, the Knight's heart rate increased another notch. She wasn't ready to die. Suddenly, she found herself overcome with the injustice of it all. After a life of living hell, this was going to be her reward? And now the one person who had ever shown her real kindness would likely find Anna lying dead in the snow. Would Elsa ever recover from such a sight?

She feared for Elsa. She feared for herself.

They were close now, almost within shooting range. Anna could perceive at least twenty figures approaching her; over half seemed to be armed with heavy crossbows. The night's shadows seemed to cling to their clothes as Anna's terror fed her imagination.

All she had to defend herself was a single knife hidden in her right sleeve. Anna wished she could clutch its hilt for comfort.

Anna tensed, ready to dodge arrows if need be. But even as they stepped well within range, no one fired a shot from their loaded bows.

Two groups of three figures caught her eye. Being dragged to the snow by two men was Kristoff, a knife held firmly at his throat. Anna nearly cried in both elation and horror as she perceived her friend's unmistakable face.

Another man was being carried along similarly some distance away, but a bag over his head prevented Anna from recognizing him. A second prisoner? It must be, though Anna could not begin to guess at the purpose of his presence.

At last, they all stopped. Less than twenty meters now separated Anna from the farthest of the conspirators. All were clothed warmly, but that did not make the copious weaponry each of them carried look any less intimidating. She recognized none of them.

A lone man stood at the center of the group now encircling her. And now, he alone began to step towards her again. A thick hood concealed his face, but it was the familiar heavy sword on his belt that drew Anna's attention.

They were ten feet apart when the man finally stopped. With a single, fluid motion, he reached behind his neck and pulled down his hood.

"Hello, Anna," Arms Master Drell said quietly.

A/N: Cliffhanger! There's good news and bad news. There's an extra…something, coming next week along with the next chapter. So you get a two for one, but the next thing you read might not be a continuation of this scene. I think you'll all enjoy it though!

Responses:

WinterWolfDragon: Yeah, they got him easily. Not surprising, considering he had no protection and zero warning.

FreelanceBum: It might turn out to be more than that.

ClaireCooper: You never know!

Guest 1: Thanks! I think you had a point with losing memories changing Anna.

Syrathia: You're pretty spot on.

ObsessiveImaginings: Nope. It was the secretary who outed Anna. It's not always the loud asshole who is responsible.

Kyoko-nyaa: So do I.

Lexi: I'm an Elsanna shipper. I don't care if they're sisters or not. Why would I have a problem with it? Does it hurt anybody?

ScottG: Okay, but you should think about writing your own stories!

Strab: Batten down the hatches.

3Gs: Haha…oh you were serious.

Malekoydaerb: You might have a point.

Lionheart: Arald. But this might be even worse for Anna.

Guest 2: Yup.

Guest 3: Thanks!

TaniaHylian: Everything turn out fine, that's a good one.

ZacAttackX: Wouldn't he have just killed her during her childhood? Slitting her throat would have been easy.

JPElles: Keep your fingers crossed.

Phuchess: Fanart would be AWESOME! Send it to jyn044 .

Natureboy3: Interesting observations.

Sedryn: Pabbie's locator spells still work on Anna (and Elsa.) He created the potion to prevent other people from using locator spells on them, but his own spells would still work.

Honestly, Anna's gotten so used to being insulted that it really isn't a big deal to her. Plus, she didn't want to make a scene in public and attract way too much attention.

DVINM: For now.

MindMadness: What plot twist?