Author's Note: For those of you who pay attention to each chapter's intro music and have good memories, you might just get an idea of how this is going to end. It's time for one last look at what the future holds for our characters, and then to wrap things up.

This chapter picks up roughly FORTY YEARS after the previous chapter.

Cover Art for the story is by the incredibly talented Trixdraws from DeviantArt. Thank you again, Trix! Official art for the story is by the wonderful Giulia! Links to both artists and their works can be found on my bio here. Please see Chapter 1 for my Standard Disclaimers!

Feel, Don't Conceal

by Jo K.

Epilogue 4: An Ending

Tell the devil he can go back from where he came

His fiery arrows drew their bead in vain

And when the hardest part is over we'll be here

And our dreams will break the boundaries of our fear

-Brandon Flowers, "Crossfire"

—O—

As the warm Southern Isles sun caressed Anna's smiling face and the gentle lapping of the waves tickled her bare feet, she sighed happily and relaxed back into Elsa's supportive embrace.

"It's been a good visit," Anna said happily, streaks of white now proudly coloring her otherwise coppery hair, her face growing older but still appearing decades younger than her age of seventy-eight would suggest. "I can't believe how the little girls have all grown up and are now having kids of their own."

"I can't believe that Emilia and Kari raised seven daughters," Elsa said quietly, resting her chin on Anna's shoulder, smiling at fond memories of their middle daughter and daughter-in-law, their long coppery and scarlet hair, respectively, trailing behind them as they led the small horde of their daughters, hair hues ranging from strawberry blond to brilliant crimson, through the halls of Islandhome. Such a parade of fiery females had sparked fear in more than one diplomat and ambassador visiting the Isles over the years, but Elsa only felt a swell of maternal pride and fierce love at such memories.

She reached up to brush a few stray locks of her own hair out of her face as the sea breeze swept over them. Her platinum blonde hair was now as much white as it was blonde, but the two light hues blended so smoothly that they appeared a single shade of platinum until one was up close. "Four was more than enough to keep us busy constantly," she said as she pressed her nose and mouth into the top of Anna's head, breathing in the scent of her wife and smiling at the comfort such actions always brought her.

Anna grinned, reaching back to gently run her fingers through Elsa's hair. "You'd think they'd figure out how that happens by now, wouldn't you?" she said playfully.

Elsa placed a soft kiss on Anna's left cheek before answering, "We know how that happens, my love. Magic."

"Handy how Ariel's trident can be used for that purpose, isn't it?"

Elsa closed her eyes, savoring the warmth of the Isles' sun on her face and the love radiating from Anna in her arms. "Well, water and the sea are traditionally associated with fertility when it comes to magic," she replied calmly.

"Our family sure likes to do things the hard way, don't they?" Anna said. "Well, except for Lise."

"They get that from you," Elsa said quietly, again burying her smile in Anna's soft hair where no one could see her smile.

Anna turned and reached to grab Elsa's ribs, only to miss as Elsa pulled away, laughing. "Careful, you'll sprain something, old woman!" Anna said loudly, getting a face full of frost in reply; however, the frost easily dissolved right before it touched her, doing nothing more than send a cool breeze over her face and head and make Anna smile even more.

"Neptune, you two will never change!"

At the sound of that voice Elsa and Anna both stopped what they were doing, Elsa with her right arm pointed at the waves lapping around Anna's feet in preparation for trying to freeze her in place, and Anna with a handful of wet sand and her arm drawn back, ready to throw.

Kari and Emilia were walking toward them, both looking quite good for being fifty-three and fifty-four, respectively. Surprisingly, none of their school of daughters, ranging in age from twenty-seven to seventeen, trailed them this morning. "Good morning, mothers-in-law," Emilia said with a smiling face, her scarlet hair shot through with silver in places but still as vibrant as ever. "Enjoying a morning stroll on the beach like Kari and I were?"

"Absolutely," Elsa replied, turning and leaning back into Anna's embrace this time... which conveniently required Anna to release the handful of wet sand. There was a brief moment of hesitancy while the two of them tried to determine if the tickling was still ongoing, but they seemed to decide on a truce at the moment.

"At least we didn't find you two making love on the beach," Kari said before sighing. "This time."

"Hey, we look pretty good for our ages!" Anna replied sharply, peeking around Elsa's head. "Especially this hot thing in my arms," she added, kissing Elsa on the cheek until Elsa turned in her embrace to meet Anna's lips with her own.

"I think we might be embarrassing Kari, my love," Elsa said as she watched their middle daughter cringe at the amorous display between her parents.

"Yes, please stop," Kari groaned. "I'm a grandmother myself now, and the two of you still mortify me at times."

"What?" Elsa said dramatically. "The 'Pirate Queen of the Southern Isles,' made uncomfortable?"

Emilia laughed loudly, smacking Kari's rear playfully. "She's got you there, dear."

Kari smiled despite knowing her parents were going to win this teasing contest. "It's been a long time since I went by that title."

"But you did it so well, my brave wife," Emilia said, running her left hand through Kari's loose cinnamon hair, blowing slightly in the salty breeze rolling in off the waves. "The most fearsome raider to ply the seas in the history of the Isles!"

"Technically, I was a privateer, not a pirate," Kari said, lifting a finger in mild protest. "And it was during a war. Well, two wars."

"But the 'Privateer Queen' doesn't have quite the same ring to it, does it?" Elsa replied.

Now Kari grinned. "Nope. It still doesn't."

"You had three countries and four fleets terrified of you for years," Emilia said proudly. She turned to her mothers-in-law, her smile beaming as she hugged Kari. "The Sargassians wanted to surrender to her personally, out of respect and fear for what she did to their armada. I still find it quite funny that they really did, they just didn't know it when they signed the treaty with us."

"Well, I had a secret weapon or two," Kari admitted. "Chiefly among them, my lovely wife and her aquatic resources."

"And a certain childhood friend of yours who made the long trip down from Arendelle," added Emilia. "He's so sweet, and incredibly gentle for his size!"

"And he loves you almost as much as I do," Kari said fondly. "Because of how much you loved to play with us in the ocean."

"And how much he enjoyed me tickling him with my fin!" Emilia added, laughing.

Anna and Elsa watched their middle daughter and her wife of over thirty years laugh and reminisce in the pink glow of early morning. They relaxed into each other as they reflected on the decades that had passed, rising and falling like invisible waves sweeping all forward in their inevitable motion.

"So why did the two of you come?" asked Emilia, her voice lower and more serious now. "Because I don't think it was just to see your grandchildren and great-grandchildren again, or us. Not so soon."

The shared silence and matching bittersweet smiles on the faces of her mothers confirmed for Kari that there was definitely an ulterior motive, and judging from the longer than usual delay in them speaking, it was for something that might not necessarily be pleasant. "What is it, moms?" Kari asked, her mouth beginning to tighten.

"Our time here is growing short," Elsa finally said, keeping her voice low. "And we wanted to see all of you once more before we left this world."

"What?" Kari replied quickly, disbelief and a hint of mirth in her voice. "Njord's beard, Mom, you two look younger than Emmy and I do!"

"Our magic has kept us healthier than we should be," Anna said quietly, reaching out and taking Kari's hand. "But we understand that our time here is almost up. We can feel it, in our bodies and in the cold itself. And we're okay with that."

"We've had long, wonderful lives," Elsa added with a smile, although her eyes began to cloud slightly with the hint of tears. "We've brought peace to our country and our allies, we've raised four wonderful girls whom we're so proud of, we've gotten to spoil a small horde of grandchildren, and we've even gotten to experience having three great-grandchildren. We've gotten to live the last sixty years with each other, surrounded by love and understanding, sharing every experience, every smile, every sorrow, every birth, every marriage, every moment together. Our lives have been rich and full of joy, and we are endlessly grateful for them." She likewise reached out, but to Emilia instead, pulling her daughter-in-law and thus indirectly her daughter forward slightly. "Please try not to be sad when we're gone," Elsa asked softly, her eyes lingering on Emilia's blue eyes for several seconds before shifting to Kari's green-blue gaze, so much like Anna's.

"But..." Kari mumbled, her eyes beginning to tingle and fill with moisture.

"Shhh," Anna said, lifting her and Kari's joined hands. "No crying. Not now, not for some time. Elsa and I have nothing more to teach you. You've grown into a strong, intelligent, loving woman who is a wonderful mother and an amazing queen who happens to be married to another wonderful mother and amazing queen." She smiled proudly, if a bit sadly. "You haven't needed us for a long time," she said.

Kari struggled to find words for several seconds. When Emilia's strong arm tightened around her waist, she leaned into her wife's comforting grip, infinitely grateful for the love and support in the face of this revelation. "I'll..." she swallowed, looking back and forth between her parents. "I'll miss you," she finally was able to whisper, sounding so much like a young girl again that she would have been embarrassed in any other circumstance.

"We'll still be with you," Elsa said, still with her familiar smile despite the single glossy, glistening trail down her left cheek. "We'll always be with you. You might not be able to see us, but we'll be watching over you and your family."

Kari blinked several times, tears spilling from her eyelashes with each movement. She fought to compose herself, to swallow the emotion simmering in her throat. "How... how long?" she managed to croak, hating the way her voice sounded just then.

"Very soon," Anna said, still looking so eerily young; lines were only now truly settling in her face and on her forehead. How could she be dying soon?

Kari nodded. "I guess... I thought you two would live forever," she admitted; when Emilia slid her hand into Kari's, Kari clenched it tightly.

"No one lives forever," Anna said patiently, her smile unchanged after over fifty years of Kari looking at it. "And no one should."

"Our daughters are happy," Elsa said calmly, "Arendelle and her allies are at peace and prosperous, and we leave the world a better place than we entered it." She smiled once more. "We've gotten to meet our grandchildren and watch them grow up. We've gotten to meet our great-grandchildren. We're content."

Anna pulled Kari into a final embrace, then she reached over her daughter's shoulder, grabbed a handful of Emilia's shirt, and pulled her daughter-in-law into the embrace as well. "We love you," Anna said, fighting back her own tears, made even more difficult when she felt Elsa against her back, joining the group hug. "And we're proud of you. Of both of you."

"You're amazing moms," Kari whispered, ignoring the tears. "Thank you for everything you taught me."

"And thank you for making such a wonderful woman for me to marry," Emilia added.

"Any time you're missing us," Anna said softly, tying to disregard the quiet sobs against her shoulder, "just look in the mirror. You'll see us there."

—O—

Snow was sprinkling in Arendelle when Icescale landed, the massive dragon walking over to a corner of the castle's courtyard and curling up to "sleep" while his mistresses went inside the castle.

As the Queen Mothers crossed the courtyard, hand-in-hand as they had done for decades, each worker and guard stopped and bowed to them as they approached. Most of them had grown up with parents who had worked in the castle, and quite a few workers had grandparents, even great-grandparents who had served Arendelle's royal family before them. Yet none of them could imagine having greater loyalty to any family than the current Queen and her two mothers, who had between them rewritten the rules and laws of family and expanded the definition of love during their time on the mortal plane.

"Welcome home, Your Majesties," spoke a middle-aged woman, her straw-colored hair heavily gray but still blonde enough to be familiar.

"You know that's our daughter's title now, Jora," Elsa said pleasantly. "Although we appreciate the sentiment."

The former handmaiden and now seneschal smiled as she broke protocol and hugged first Anna, then Elsa. "Queen Mothers or Queens, every soul in this castle would still die for the two of you and your children."

"When are you ever going to find some nice man or woman and settle down, Jora?" Anna said teasingly, despite all three women's age.

Jora smiled. "As soon as I find one whom I love more than you and your family, Your Majesty," she replied honestly. The decades had been kind to her, but they seemed to have outright lavished blessings on the royal couple she had served since she was ten years old. Over half a century in their service, and now it was the Queen Mothers who appeared to be much younger than Jora. But that thought only made the young, protective girl inside the older, wizened body beam more proudly about her service to her royal family.

"I think Lise made you head of the castle staff when Hilde stepped down ten years ago because you needed a break from dealing with children squabbling and screaming all day," Elsa said.

"So now I get to deal with adults doing the same," replied Jora, a wise smile crossing her lips.

"Good point," Anna replied with a small grin. "Is our baby girl in the castle?"

"I believe so, Your Majesties, and you've also arrived in time to catch Princess Inga and her family as well."

Anna's mouth opened excitedly at the prospect of seeing another of their granddaughters and her family, but she was cut off by a friendly voice that was poignantly familiar.

"How are the two best mothers-in-law in the whole world?!"

"Harald!" Anna shouted happily right before the tall, powerful man wrapped his arms around her; Anna gleefully hugged Lise's husband in return, her hands not even close to touching around his back due to the size of his torso.

"Hello, Harald," Elsa added warmly, her genuine delight at seeing their son-in-law tempered by the bittersweet feelings his resemblance to his father Kristoff always evoked in her. "How is your mother?" she added as the brown-haired man carefully hugged her as well. She had made peace with Kristoff's attraction to Anna decades ago, a task that was made much easier after he became taken with the woman who would become Harald's mother, but that emotional reconciliation only made Kristoff's loss that much harder for her and Anna when the years finally overcame him.

"Still tending the herd," Harald said, avoiding any comments about his mother doing well for her age due to Elsa being a year older than his mother, chronologically if not physically. "Even since Da died, she actually enjoys being around the reindeer more than people." He shrugged his shoulders in manner not quite fitting that of a monarch of Arendelle but still pleasantly familiar to his mothers-in-law. "It's weird, but..."

"I think it makes perfect sense," Elsa replied softly. "Your sister and her husband have taken over the family ice trade. They and Olaf are gone most of the time, so your mother no longer feels the need to put on a brave face." She reached out and gently grasped Harald's upper arm. "She lost her partner of over fifty years, Harald," Elsa said. "I think that by taking care of the reindeer, she feels close to him. And around them, she doesn't have to act like everything is fine, or keep her emotions pent up. She can be honest around them without being judged for it."

Harald looked over Elsa's shoulder for a few seconds before nodding thoughtfully. "I suppose that makes sense," he finally said. "I never thought about it that way."

"It's good thing you're handsome, isn't it?" Anna said teasingly, patting Harald on the top of his head despite her having to stand on her tiptoes to do so.

"MOTHERS!"

The joyous shout echoed off the stone walls of the castle foyer, the reverberations fading beyond hearing just as the Queen of Arendelle, resplendent in a glittering lavender gown, ran barefoot through the castle's Great Hall, not stopping until she practically bowled into Anna and Elsa, the three of them laughing as they had done since Lise's birth forty-five years ago.

"Always eager to get a hug from her mothers," Elsa teased as she hugged the tall redhead whose icy blue eyes danced with life. "Just like a youngest child."

"Hey!"

Elsa grinned at Anna's partly-exaggerated look of offense. "Oh, I forgot you were a younger child, my heart," she added slyly, sharing a grin with her youngest daughter.

"Uh huh," Anna replied, shifting her left arm from its grip around their child to poke Elsa lightly in the ribs. "You don't 'forget' much of anything, Elsa."

"Inga!" Lise practically shouted suddenly, her head snapping upward fast enough for her mothers to feel the air graze across their faces from the motion. "If we hurry, we can catch her before she and Olesya leave for Ruthenia!"

"Are they at the castle's dock or the city's main dock?" Elsa asked, slipping her arms away from Lise, frosty sparkles already beginning to dance between her hands.

"The castle's dock," Lise replied, smiling as she watched the small bird take shape in midair, crafted from ice and magic.

"Not a long flight at all," Elsa said, smiling as the small sparrow finishing coalescing. "Go find our granddaughter," Elsa told the obedient bird, her thoughts and feelings providing more exact directions to her mystical creation than her words.

As the crystalline animal flapped its wings and took flight toward the castle's dock, Anna moved to stand next to Elsa again, her left arm searching for and settling into its usual place across the small of Elsa's back, her fingertips lightly and lovingly gliding across the sheer fabric of her wife's thin, gauzy dress, transmitting the delicious sensation of her gentle touch directly to Elsa's eager skin.

"I hope they brought the baby with them," Anna said wistfully. "I'd like to get to meet our newest great-grandchild."

Elsa caught the very slight drop in Anna's tone at the end of her sentence, but she doubted even Lise would have caught it, or recognized its significance. Best not to bring that subject up until later tonight, in a much more private setting with their daughter and son-in-law alone.

Only minutes later, the familiar head of long, straight strawberry blonde hair that characterized their granddaughter Inga came into view, accompanied by a slightly shorter blonde woman with elfin features and long honey blonde hair, curled at the ends.

"Inga! Olesya!" Anna cried out, already several steps closer toward them when she registered the fur-wrapped bundle in Inga's arms. Anna stopped and clapped her hands over her mouth in surprise. "Is that—?"

Inga nodded while Olesya grinned madly. "Come say hello to your newest great-grandaughter," Inga said, beaming with pride. "The adoption was formalized right before we left!"

Elsa was only a step behind her wife as they hurried over, Lise and Harald both smiling as they watched the two Queen Mothers temporarily enthralled by the sight of a burbling infant. "You remember them acting like that with our first child?" Lise whispered, taking her husband's hand.

"With every one of ours," Harald replied just as softly, before leaning over to place a kiss on his wife's cheek. Despite the slow, stealthy approach of time's ravages, Lise remained strikingly beautiful even into her mid-forties, her bold attitude and coppery hair from Anna, her elegant features and cobalt eyes from Elsa, combining to make her appearance still that of a woman in her late twenties. "And I seem to remember you doing almost exactly the same thing when you saw our baby girl and her family right after they arrived last week."

"Hush," Lise replied quietly, unable to keep from grinning. "I have to have something I can tease them about, you know. I mean, I can't exactly call them old, not when they look almost as young as our children."

"You inherited some of that magic, yourself, I think."

"Flatterer."

Harald hugged his wife, who turned and returned the embrace. "I'm serious, Lise. You remain just as beautiful as you were the day we married, twenty-six years ago."

"Now I know you're lying," said Lise, reaching up to cup her husband's cheek. "But thank you for it all the same, my love."

—O—

After an hour spent catching up with Inga's grandparents, Crown Princesza Olesya of Ruthenia, her Arendellan wife and their new daughter couldn't delay their trip back to their eastern home any longer.

"Please come visit when you can," Olesya said pleadingly, her face animated as she spoke with the hint of an accent. "Inga gets so tired of being inside at times, and it is all I can do to keep her from running out into the snow barefoot! I am afraid she will teach our baby girl bad habits!"

"We would love to come visit," Elsa said honestly. "But despite our appearance, our age is catching up with us." That part wasn't entirely honest.

"I've heard that for twenty years!" Inga snorted. "And you can probably both still out-ski me!" She turned to her wife and said, "They wouldn't be too mad if we were a day late, would they?"

"Inga, you're the wife of the next ruler of Ruthenia," Anna said, stepping up and firmly taking Inga by her slim but firm arms. "And now you're a mother, too. Your place is with your family, and your family is Olesya and Yulia. Your responsibility now has to be to them... and to Ruthenia." Her fingers automatically smoothed Inga's fiery bangs away from her eyes, the same action she had done ever since the girl could take her first awkward steps over two decades ago.

Anna smiled, trying to consciously soften the criticism. "You inherited my restlessness and my energy, I know," she said patiently, waiting until she met hesitant blue-green eyes so much like her own. "And sometimes it's very difficult to keep all that contained inside you. But you have to learn, now more than ever. Having a child is a huge step in life, and even with others to help you, you'll have to learn to put this child, your child, ahead of everything else."

Anna looked over at Olesya, extending an arm in a silent request for the blonde woman to step closer, which she quickly did. "How many years have you and Olesya been married?" Anna asked Inga as she turned her eyes back to her granddaughter.

"Two," Inga replied, smiling readily at the sight of her hazel-eyed wife holding their child. "Two wonderful years."

Anna smiled brightly and proudly. "I hope the two of you have many, many more wonderful years ahead of you." She put her left arm around Inga's waist, turning her granddaughter to face her Ruthenian wife and child. "These are the most important things in your world," Anna said solemnly. "You have to always treat them as the blessings they are."

"Even when the smaller blessing is being fussy?" Inga asked, the softness in her voice making clear the humor underlying her words. "Or needs a diaper changed?"

"Yes, even then," Anna replied firmly.

"How about when the really cute blonde blessing gets frustrated with me and starts calling me names in—"

"Yes, even then," Elsa interjected. "Anna and I have had our share of disagreements over the years, but we always remember that we love each other above all else. No two people who live together will ever agree on everything all the time. It's how you disagree that's critical."

"Be patient with each other. Always take a moment to remember that you love each other," Anna said.

"And no name calling," Elsa added, turning her gaze toward Olesya; she resisted the urge to smile as the young Ruthenian princess squirmed under her intense gaze. "At least no hurtful or serious name calling." Now Elsa did let her lips smile, an expression that despite being so unfamiliar growing up had become her default expression since finding her true love in the unlikeliest of places. "Playful names are fair game."

Anna released Inga and scooted over to Elsa, wrapping her arms around her wife's chest from behind. "Like Smartypants!" she said excitedly.

"Yes," sighed Elsa, her smile never wavering as she patted Anna's clasped hands positioned just below her breasts. "Like Smartypants."

—O—

That evening, well after the sun had descended below the mountains, Elsa, Anna, Lise and Harald sat in the game room. The servants had long since been dismissed and sent to bed, and the castle's remaining Princess and Princes were sleeping soundly in their respective beds.

Elsa was quietly inspecting the paintings hanging around the large room and Anna was idly playing with a small chess piece carved from a dark chunk of stone when Lise finally spoke.

"Something's different."

Both of her mothers looked up at her simple words, and she could see in both their expressions that she was right. Elsa was, as she expected, more reserved and guarded in her reaction, but Anna was clearly of mixed feelings about something.

"What is it, mothers?" Lise asked, curiosity now struggling with worry inside her mind. "What's going on?"

For the first time in her memory, Lise watched as neither of her mothers could meet her gaze directly. Elsa looked back out the window to the lightly spitting snow, reaching out to take Anna's hand as Anna's eyes drifted upward to look at the large painting of their family done over forty years ago. In it, Elsa and Anna stood proudly, each with an arm around the other as their four daughters sat obediently, if not all happily, upon padded stools sized for each child.

Finally, after tears had begun to coalesce in the corners of Lise's eyes as her agile mind began to realize what tonight's visit had to mean, Elsa turned her blue eyes, now reddened with unshed tears, back to Arendelle's Queen.

"It's time for us to go," Elsa said softly, offering a sad smile as she finished her sentence.

—O—

After several seconds, Lise managed to recover enough cognition to form words once more. "But you're both still healthy! You look better than I do!" Lise said quickly, her tone sharper than she meant.

"We've lived long lives, and our magic has been very good to us, but we're not supposed to live forever, Lise," Anna said, tears running down her own cheeks. "It's our time. We know it is."

"And we will go with no regrets," Elsa said, rising from the seat she had just taken. She slowly, gracefully crossed the room to where Lise and Harald sat. "We've helped our country, we've raised four wonderful, amazing daughters, we've gotten to hug and pinch cheeks on ten grandchildren, and we leave Arendelle in capable, caring hands."

"But— what am I going to do if I need to ask you two a question?" Lise said, her voice breaking slightly. "What if Arendelle needs you?"

"Lise..." Anna said, her voice light and ever-so-slightly teasing. "Just like your sisters, you haven't needed us for a long time." She stood and walked to her youngest daughter, resting her hands on Lise's shoulders as Elsa moved to the side enough to let Anna take her place in front of Arendelle's ruler. "You've ruled Arendelle for nine years, and you've done a wonderful job."

"You dealt with the border clashes without needing us or our powers or weapons," Elsa said, leaning forward to look closely into Lise's blue eyes, the mirror to her own. "But should the time ever come where you or Arendelle needs the cold's assistance, your sisters will be there for you."

Lise nodded, tears dripping from the movement. "I know," she said. "They've told me that many times."

"And they mean it," Elsa answered. "They have their own reasons for staying away from the city, among them not wanting to ever take anything away from you or make you feel like their little sister. You're the Queen. No one should ever come before you in anyone's eyes."

"The people don't know what to make of them, for the most part," Lise said. "They're seen so rarely by others, and then it's usually following some disaster or near-death..." She trailed off. "I think some people are afraid of them, and they don't deserve to be thought of that way." She lifted her head to look at both her mothers again. "Some people call them the White Witches now, mostly the more superstitious ones. And I don't like that term, 'witch,' being using as an insult."

"But that's the way Elin and Erin want it to be," Anna said calmly. "They need no company beyond each other, and this way they only have to share themselves with others on rare occasions."

"But they never miss your birthday," said Elsa quietly. "Or the anniversary of your coronation, or your marriage to Harald."

Lise nodded. "I know," she said quietly. "And no lost children or travelers have frozen to death or fallen to predators in the mountains or forests in decades. I know that's their doing." Lise smiled as she remembered playing with her oldest sisters, sculpting creatures out of snow and then watching gleefully as they came to life to interact with her while Elin and Erin serenely joined in the fun. "My favorite name I've heard for them has been the Winter Brides," Lise said, looking at her mothers again. "Although the Frost Princesses is a close second."

The room was silent other than the soft popping and crackling of the fire for a few minutes. Finally faint sobs broke the somber stillness that had settled over the room; Harald put his arms around his wife and tenderly kissed her left temple while she cried quietly for several minutes.

"Does it..." Lise gasped, having to stop and catch her breath before she could continue. "Does it have to be... now?"

"It does," Elsa said quietly, nodding once. "All things that live must die, Lise. You know this."

Anna leaned forward, resting her elbows on her thighs as she stretched in their daughter's direction. "Just like all deaths give way to new life," she added, fighting back tears herself. "That's the way of things."

"But your magic keeps you alive!" Lise cried out, startling Harald. "You could live another hundred years!"

"Oh, sweet, sweet Lise," Anna said softly, sliding forward onto her knees (with audible pops) and scooting the few feet between where she and Elsa sat and where Harald and Lise sat. She stopped in front of Lise, carefully taking her youngest daughter's hand, briefly seeing a flash of that same hand much smaller and younger as it gently closed around her finger for the very first time, the image still vivid after so many years.

Anna used her free left hand to brush Lise's copper bangs out of her eyes, revealing the brilliant blue eyes so like Elsa's. "Maybe you're right," Anna said gently, waiting until Lise's eyes met her own. "Maybe we could live for another hundred years." She smiled to soften the blow from her next words. "But why would we want to?"

"W-what..." Lise stammered, thrown off by her mother's words.

Anna's smile remained tender and loving. She and Elsa had had significantly more time to ponder thoughts of mortality than Arendelle's current Queen, and much more time to come to terms with how that mortality affected them. "Lise, we've lived our lives," she said softly. "We've known love, we've known loss. We've made Arendelle a better place. We've raised our children into brave, strong women. We've loved and spoiled our grandchildren. Now it's time for us to let go and allow you to grow into our roles over time."

Lise wiped her eyes on her soft blue gown. "I-I'm just not ready," she admitted through her tears, which refused to stop flowing.

"None of us is ever ready to lose our parents," Elsa said, resting her hand lightly on Lise's shoulder. She had silently crossed the distance between them to stand behind Anna. "Harald wasn't ready when Kristoff passed away," Elsa said, giving a sad smile to their son-in-law, whom they loved as if he was their own child. "Anna and I weren't ready when our parents were lost to the sea."

Elsa leaned forward, lovingly placing a kiss on their forehead of her youngest daughter. Despite Lise's age and title, part of her would always be the small, fussy baby Elsa had carried inside her. "Children are supposed outlive their parents," she said, managing to keep her voice cracking to a bare minimum. "Not the other way around."

Anna's head slid forward to rest on Elsa' shoulder, her lips gently brushing against Elsa's bare throat. Lise watched as Anna's arms encircled Elsa, holding her tightly as Elsa practically shivered with trepidation, trying to dispel even the thought of losing one of their children. As Lise had watched many times as a young girl, Elsa's concern and worry rapidly melted away in the embrace of her true love, in the cradle of Anna's still-strong arms.

She was being childish. She didn't want to give her parents up, despite knowing that was the way of things. And her actions were causing harm to the two people who had taught her what love and devotion truly meant.

"I'm sorry," Lise blurted out, causing her mothers' heads to jerk up. Without another word she hurried forward and threw her arms around her two parents, hugging them fiercely for what she knew would be the last time.

"I don't want you to go, but I know that you have to," she said, turning to look first into sapphire eyes, then aquamarine. "There is no way I could ever adequately thank you for everything you did for me, everything you taught me, but—"

Fingertips on her lips shushed her instantly, a reflex from decades ago her mind had never forgotten. She looked up into Anna's sparkling eyes, glistening with tears.

"You already have," Anna said softly. "By growing into the wonderful woman, mother and queen that you are."

"The most any parent could ever ask for is that their child be happy, safe and successful," added Elsa. "You've accomplished all three."

Harald stepped forward and put his arms around his wife, supporting her without coming between her and her mothers as the three women quietly cried for a few moments. He struggled himself to keep from crying, although he did it more for the sake of being strong to support Lise than it was any foolish sense of pride; when Kristoff had died, Harald had no hesitation about showing remorse for the loss of his father, whom he had loved and respected greatly. But at least one of them needed to provide strength for the other, and it was his place to do that for his wife.

Finally Anna and Elsa slowly backed away, brushing their tears aside gracefully.

"What should I tell the p-people of Arendelle?" Lise asked, fighting to retain her composure.

"Tell them the truth," Elsa said calmly, a sad smile on her face. "Tell them that we left this world peacefully during the night. That we talked to you beforehand and told you that we knew this was coming, and that we accepted it was time for us to go."

"We've left behind copies of us, made of ice, in our chambers," Anna said, taking Elsa's hand again. "Those should reinforce your words, and it will allow Arendelle to properly hold a funeral and say goodbye to us."

Elsa added, "I know you don't want to lie to anyone, and this way you only have to tell them the truth." She drew Anna close to her, placing her left arm around her wife.

"H-how..." stammered Lise. "How are you l-leaving?"

"We'll probably leave from the Ice Palace," Anna said, her voice calm despite her chin quivering slightly. "We can't exactly leave it behind, after all."

"Oh," Lise said softly. "I didn't... I didn't know if you'd be leaving it for Elin and Erin."

Elsa kissed Anna on the forehead before returning her gaze to Lise and Harald. "They're our next and last stop," she said simply.

"Your sisters already have the home they want," added Anna, thinking of the modest ice cabin their oldest daughters had built years ago. "If they ever want to build a new palace, they certainly can, but don't expect them to do so."

"No," Lise said, smiling despite her tears. "That wouldn't exactly be their style." She looked at Elsa. "Too showy."

Anna playfully poked Elsa's stomach with her finger at the gentle tease, getting a grin in reply.

"I suppose I deserve that," Elsa said, knowing no harm was meant by the quip.

"You deserve so much more!" Lise said quickly, grasping her mothers' hands in a manner more suited to her five-year-old self. "Thank you," she sniffled against her tears, basking in the warmth of the loving gaze of her beloved parents. "For raising me, for teaching me, for loving me, for everything you've done for me, my sisters, my children and my grandchild." She cried for a moment, smiling at the sensation of her tears growing cold against her cheeks as the temperature in the room began to fall. "Arendelle will honor and remember you like no other ruler in her history."

"We'll have strong competition from her current Queen," Anna said proudly.

After a few minutes they finally, hesitantly parted.

"I hope you two realize I'm naming the North Mountain after you once you're gone," Lise said, smiling through her tears as Elsa and Anna began to step backwards, away from Lise and Harald.

Elsa blinked frosty tears from her own eyes as she took Anna's hand again. "We'd be eternally honored."

"And you will be," Lise whispered faintly as Harald put his arm around his wife. "Goodbye, mothers," Lise said, her body shaking with emotion. "I love you, and I always will."

"We love you," Anna and Elsa both said together, glancing to each other (with a quick laugh from Anna) as they enjoyed their synchronicity.

"Goodbye, Harald," said Elsa. "You've been the best son-in-law we could have asked for."

"It's been my honor, Your Majesties," Harald replied, struggling against his own emotions.

"Please continue to support Lise," Anna asked pleasantly, "and keep being a good father and grandfather as well." She smiled, and a hint of mischief glimmered in her expression for a moment. "Because we're going to be watching."

The windows of the sitting room suddenly blew open, admitting a stingingly cold gust of wind and snow that swirled into the room, nearly filling it for a few seconds as it wrapped itself around Elsa and Anna. Harald found himself holding Lise tightly—more to support himself than her, as the powerful wind didn't seem to do so much as push her off-balance. The room went entirely white for several seconds, then just as abruptly as the gusting snow entered, it was gone, leaving only an empty space where Anna and Elsa had been standing.

The panes of the window remained opened to the frigid night for quite some time, as Arendelle's Queen and her husband quietly held each other in a silent embrace in front of the warm fire.

—O—

The soft crunch of snow beneath their bare feet was the only noise made for several minutes as Elsa and Anna slowly walked up the narrow road ascending the North Mountain.

"What do you think it'll be like?"

Elsa looked up from the snow-blanketed road to take in the sight of Anna walking beside her. Time was exerting its inexorable pull on both of them in the form of light wrinkles, gray hairs and various aches and pains, but to Elsa Anna still looked lovely and radiant.

She considered Anna's words for several seconds before she replied. "I... don't know."

"Will it be like now, only in a different place, do you think?"

"Anna, what part of 'I don't know' wasn't clear?" Elsa teased, unable to keep from grinning.

"Well, we've talked about it enough!"

"Yes, and we have no point of reference with which to form theories."

"Exactly!" Anna replied with glee, as if she had just won some argument. "This is something you can't approach logically, so I'll ask you again, this time phrasing things more precisely. What—"

"I think that whatever it's like, you'll be with me," Elsa said confidently. "And because of that, whatever the rest of it happens to be, I'll be happy, because I'll be with you."

Anna smiled shyly, moving closer to Elsa so as to hold her mate's hand as they continued to walk in a happy silence. They were nearing the top of the North Mountain when sounds floated to their ears over the light wind.

"That sounds like..." Elsa said, trying to place the exact nature of the faint sounds they were hearing.

"Crying," Anna quietly answered, her smile fading some. "I think our visit isn't going to be a surprise."

Elsa smiled as she met Anna's concerned look. "Did you ever think it would have been?" she asked knowingly.

Anna's smile remained sad as she replied, "No."

As they crested the next rise in the road, they saw two beautiful, if eerie, young women watching them intently. Each was wearing only a thin sleeveless white dress that ended at her knees, with the falling snow and icy cold surrounding them having no visible effect on them. Their pale blonde hair was long and straight, and they appeared to be reflections of each other in their identical appearance of fair skin, brilliant blue-green eyes, platinum blonde hair and willowy builds... right down to them both crying, despite their stillness.

Anna and Elsa both began to tear up as well as they approached their two oldest daughters, who patiently stood and waited for their mothers to reach them before they threw themselves forward, Elin wrapping her arms around Anna and Erin around Elsa as they let themselves continue to sob.

"You knew this was coming," Elsa said tenderly after letting them—and her and Anna—cry for several minutes.

"Yes," the two twins said as one.

"We've known for some time," Elin said, through the shoulder of Anna's gown.

"And we know it has to happen," added Erin.

"But now that the time is here..."

"...It hurts just as bad as we knew it would!"

Elsa gently stepped away from Erin, but she didn't release the girl from her embrace. She looked at Erin carefully, examining her face, her eyes, her body. "You haven't aged," she finally said.

"You haven't aged much either, mother," Erin replied neutrally. "You still look—"

"No, you haven't aged at all," Elsa answered firmly. "You and Elin still look exactly as you did when you turned twenty. Anna and I have aged very slowly, that's true, but you and your sister haven't aged a day in over forty years."

Elin turned to look at Erin, who turned to meet her gaze before her mate could say a word. "Swap?" Elin asked.

"Swap," answered Erin, who stepped back to allow Elin to slide into Elsa's embrace, with Erin moving to hug Anna.

"Erin, Elin..." Elsa sighed. "We think it's time you told us exactly what is going on with the two of you."

The twins looked at each other, wordlessly conversing for several seconds before they both smiled and returned their attention to their mothers, each focusing on the parent currently holding her.

"We're going..." Elin began.

"...To be Norns," finished Erin.

There was silence for quite some time, finally broken by Anna's raised voice.

"NORNS?!"

Erin and Elin nodded, both of them now focused on their younger mother.

"You're going to be goddesses, and you couldn't have bothered to tell us?!"

Gentle fingertips on the bare skin of her right forearm derailed Anna's rant before it could pick up further momentum. Anna's head whirled to her right to look at Elsa standing next to her, her face loving and comforting.

"It makes sense now," Elsa said calmly, her expression beginning to calm Anna's racing heart.

Anna didn't speak just yet, and judging from how red her face had become, Elsa figured that was probably for the best, so she decided to continue. "That explains all those times when they seemed to know what was going to happen but wouldn't tell us anything specific, or how they knew."

Elsa turned to face their oldest daughters, who were now standing in a mutual embrace with each other, their faces and eyes still red from their tears. "We wouldn't tell you, because we knew we didn't tell you," Elin said, her voice hesitant. "If that makes sense..."

"We still don't understand all the intricacies of it," Erin said, her voice stronger than her mate's. "But now we can see our own Fates clearly enough to know that some time in the future, likely several decades from now, the two of us will leave this world and join the Norns."

Elin kissed Erin on her pale cheek, smiling as she settled into her twin's embrace. "We're to remain Arendelle's protectors until then."

"And what will happen to Arendelle when you two... ascend, I guess?" asked Anna.

Erin and Elin both smiled, an expression all-too-familiar to their mothers. "Arendelle will survive and prosper," Erin answered. "Its rulers will guide the nation into the future capably and smoothly, thanks to some outstanding examples in the forms of the two of you and our baby sister."

Anna reached out and took Elsa's hand. "We've done a good job, my heart. We can be proud of our children." She smiled as she rested her head on Elsa's bare shoulder. "Four kids, two queens and two goddesses. That's pretty impressive for a couple of traumatized orphans, huh?"

Elsa felt her heart melt all over again at the look of adoration and devotion on Anna's face. "I'm proud of our children," she said, her voice growing tight as she felt the storm around them begin to intensify without her influence. "And I'm proud of you. I'm proud to have been your wife."

The billowing snow picked up, except for the area immediately around Elin and Erin; that one spot remained completely free of the flakes that were now swishing and swirling around Anna and Elsa.

"What will it be like?" Anna called out, raising her voice to make sure it could be heard over the storm's blowing wind, still rising in volume.

"You'll be together!" Elin called out, smiling as she took Erin's hand in her own.

"And you'll both be happy!" added Erin, wiping frosty tears away before they could reach her own pink lips, stretched in a smile that mirrored her mate's.

Anna turned to face Elsa as they held each other tightly amidst the sheets of ice and snow, now whipping so fiercely and powerfully as to blur even their magical sight. "That's all I ever wanted," Anna whispered as she pressed her lips to Elsa's. Everything except the two of them went away as they kissed, the world going white, a white so brilliant and intense that it was visible even with their eyes tightly closed.

—O—

When the cloud of snow and sleet evaporated, revealing nothing in its place, Elin and Erin stood quietly, staring at the empty patch of snow where their mothers had just been standing.

Erin closed her eyes and Elin squeezed her hand, offering comfort that only one mate could provide another. "The Ice Palace is gone," Erin said softly after a few seconds, eyes still closed as she reached out through the cold.

"Good," Elin replied, smiling weakly through her tears. "I'd hoped they would take it with them. They've had many years of good memories there."

"And Icescale, too. I can't feel him any more."

Several brief gusts of wind blew against their backs, stirring loose flakes of snow and ice off of the ground and into the air, where they immediately began to spin and spiral in a descent back to the snow-clad ground. Deep but surprisingly gentle grunts and groans sounded behind the two women, followed by crunching footfalls as two massive dragons made entirely of enchanted ice moved up behind their mistresses. Sleet's large head gently nuzzled Elin's side, moaning weakly at the loss of their mistresses' mothers. Sleet's sister Snow mirrored the action, tenderly rubbing her crystalline scales against Erin's face in an attempt to soothe her mistress's heartache.

"Thank you, girl," Erin whispered, reaching up with her free left hand to pat the dragon's huge head lovingly.

The Great Mistresses will be fine in their new home, thought Snow, her mental voice soft in Erin's and Elin's minds. They are wise, brave and powerful. They are a formidable pack just by themselves.

Icescale will continue to serve them, added Sleet. We are glad of this. After all, Snow and I would never wish to be separated from you, our mistresses.

"You're so sweet," Elin said, turning her head to place a kiss on Sleet's jaw, much larger than the woman's head. "Thank you both."

Quietly the two magical beasts adjusted their positions, drawing close to one another to form a rough oval between them, shielding the two goddesses-to-be from the rest of the world around them. Without further words, Erin and Elin took each other's hand and lay down on the soft snow, looking up at the stars filling the night sky above them until they finally fell asleep.

—O—

After long seconds of her pounding heart roaring in her ears, Elsa finally opened her eyes as she and Anna gently broke their kiss, pulling their heads back just enough to look around.

"It looks..." Anna started, surveying their surroundings just like Elsa. "It looks... the same."

"No," Elsa said firmly, gently turning Anna without letting her go. "Look at the girls' house."

Anna blinked a few times; the snow seemed brighter than usual for a moment before her eyes adjusted. "Um, it's not there."

"And neither are they," added Elsa, pointing to where their oldest daughters had just been standing. Now only fresh, white snow rested there, untouched and pristine.

"Do your powers still work?" Anna asked curiously, lifting Elsa's left arm.

A gentle flick of her slim fingers instantly created a bright white spark at her fingertips, quickly swirling and growing into a crystalline crocus. With a coy smile, Elsa extended the crocus to Anna. "A flower for my heart," Elsa said, blushing slightly at how silly her words sounded, but Anna's giggle made Elsa's chest surge with happiness all the same.

"Looks like that's a yes, then," Anna said, lifting the icy flower first to her nose to sniff the subtle scent of fresh ice, them she lowered it to her lips, where she gently kissed the nearest petal. "And thank you for the flower," she said, lowering the flower to her chest. "It's lovely. And so are you."

Still smiling, Anna shifted the icy blossom to her left hand, then with her right hand she reached down toward the sheathed sword still belted around her waist. As her fingers drew near the sword's handle, the sword gently slid itself out of its scabbard to meet its owner's hand; as Anna's fingers tightened around the weapon, it began to glow softly with a blue-white sheen.

Anna looked back up to her wife. "Looks like that still works too." Then she gasped quickly, sudden enough to make Elsa jump.

"What is it?" Elsa asked, her heart pounding.

"Your face!"

Elsa frowned. "Well, that's not a very polite thing to say!"

Anna shook her head, causing her loose locks to swing back and forth as faint sparkles began to appear around her cinnamon hair, just as they were currently swirling around Elsa. "No, you're—"

As Elsa watched with fascination, the sparkles around Anna's head began to spread, moving from only around Anna's head to encompass the redhead's entire body. "Anna..."

"Sweet Freya, Elsa..." Anna whispered, tenderly and reverently as she watched the gray fade from Elsa's platinum hair and the delicate lines from decades of smiles and laughter disappear from her lover's forehead and face. "Your laughter lines... your gray hair..."

"Yours are fading, too," Elsa said carefully, as if speaking too forcefully might break whatever spell had them in its wake. She smiled as even the few signs of time's touch that had dared to settle on Anna's head melted away, revealing the same youthful, glowing freckle-dusted face she had first laid eyes on at her coronation, all those years ago.

Anna's fingertips on her cheeks brought Elsa's words to a halt, and the radiant smile on Anna's face did the same for Elsa's conscious thought. "You're even more beautiful than you were a few minutes ago," Anna said. "Somehow," she added with a smug little wink.

"You look just like you did the first night we spent in the Ice Palace together," Elsa said, examining Anna's face and hair and pretending like she wasn't crying. "You had your hair this same way when we went to bed."

"As wives," Anna added confidently. "And you look like you're twenty again, just like I was seeing you for the first time in over thirteen years."

They kissed again, then she simply held each other tightly, both newly-young faces smiling so fiercely as to make their cheeks ache. As they stood there, they felt the stiffness in Elsa's back and the ache in Anna's shoulders fade away, vanishing along with the other assorted aches and pains they had accumulated throughout their lives.

The sudden presence of a familiar spirit pulled their attention to the sky behind Elsa; they quickly moved to see the easily recognizable figure of Icescale soaring down toward them, the joy radiating from his thoughts bringing laughter to the throats of both women.

The large dragon touched down in front of them, only to be rushed by his two masters, who wasted no time in hugging his head and neck everywhere they could reach. (And the great dragon might have shifted his neck to expose a bit more space for the hugging.)

"How did you get here, Icescale?!" asked Anna, in between planting kisses on the icy beast's lower jaw.

I was pulled here with the two of you when you left the previous world, said the dragon, his "voice" echoing through the women's minds.

"Oh, Icescale!" said Elsa, her right hand flying up to cover her mouth. "We didn't mean for you to be separated from the others."

It was my choice, mistresses, replied the dragon mentally. All of us felt your departure. The others felt they needed to stay to protect their own mistresses and your old home, but my place is with the two of you.

Elsa smiled as she realized for the ice dragon, coming with them was no more of a choice than going with Anna had been for her, or vice versa. "We're honored you wanted to remain with us," she said, placing her own kiss just below the dragon's great left eye, larger than Elsa's head.

Anna's blue-green eyes suddenly lit up. "Do you think the Ice Palace came with us too?!" she asked excitedly.

Elsa smiled at Anna's enthusiasm, undimmed from the toddler she had been nearly eighty years ago. "I think it did," she said, feeling the familiar signature of their home registering in her mystic senses as she mentally expanded them. Truthfully, t was hard for her to focus on anything than Anna, whose vibrancy and energy seemed to overwhelm all of Elsa's self-control.

"Everything feels..." Elsa said, searching for the right word to describe what she was feeling, all the sights and smells and sensations much more intense than she had grown used to.

"Vivid!" Anna said, climbing up onto the seat on Icescale's back. She plopped down into her familiar position, taking the icy reins and looking down at Elsa. "Are you coming up, or are you walking?" she asked playfully.

"I don't think you'd make me walk very far," replied Elsa as she stepped over to the glistening ladder hanging down from the harness the dragon was wearing. She lifted her right leg with a fluidity she hadn't felt in years, prompting another smile and a content sigh of happiness as she planted her right foot against the strap and pulled herself up with her rejuvenated arms.

"Probably not too far," Anna agreed as she slid forward to let Elsa take her familiar position behind Anna, who scooted back so Elsa could wrap her arms around Anna, the close contact sending both women's thoughts buzzing.

The dragon kicked off the ground, soaring upward with a few slow but lazy flaps of its wings. With a gentle touch, Anna steered Icescale toward the Ice Palace, its internal pull on her now evident.

"This place looks a lot like the North Mountain, but there are some differences," Anna said, examining the terrain below and around them as they flew toward their home. She was eager to once again climb the sparkling, spiraling stairs, to feel the ice tingle with love and happiness against her bare feet once more without twinges of pain from early arthritis.

"Yes," Elsa replied, conducting her own visual survey as well.

"HEY!" Anna suddenly shouted, nearly making Elsa jump out of her seat.

"Anna!" Elsa said, poking Anna's left side with her finger. "You nearly scared me to death!"

Anna twisted her head and upper body to look directly at Elsa, a cheeky grin on her face. "Pretty sure that's not a risk any more, babe," she said smugly.

Elsa hmphed softly, trying to project as much annoyance as she could, but it was a losing battle against that smug expression on her wife's face, and both of them knew it. "Yes, well, I'll give you that one," she finally said, her heart leaping at how Anna's smirk turned into a beaming grin before the redhead turned around, then leaned back into Elsa's eager embrace.

"It just occurred to me, back there," Anna said, then she sighed audibly at the feeling of Elsa's arms encircling her, bathing her in love and warmth like nowhere else. "Do you think Rapunzel might be someplace we can find her? I'd really love to see her again. She went too soon."

"She did," Elsa said softly, leaning her head forward to rest it on Anna's shoulder. She smiled when she felt Anna's hand pat her gently on the head. "I think we have all the time we want to find out," she said, punctuating her sentence by placing a kiss on Anna's bare neck, dotting several freckles with subsequent smaller kisses.

"There it is!" Anna squealed, making Elsa rise up and look before them.

The icy spires of their home stretched upward toward the clouds floating above it, its flowing, organic curves and lines unchanged from how it had been back in the previous world.

"It looks exactly like it did," Elsa quietly spoke.

It is part of you both, said Icescale, even more so than me. It followed you to this new world, just as I did.

"Did Jormy come with us?" asked Anna, suddenly a bit concerned about where they would keep their largest creation.

Our great brother chose to stay with Sea-in-Her-Fiery-Hair and her family. He said that she "gets" him, and she and her mate love the ocean as much as he does.

Both Anna and Elsa giggled at that revelation, which really wasn't that surprising to them. But the name that their creations had apparently assigned to Kari was fairly amusing.

He also likes her hugs. Even if her arms are short.

Now the giggling turned into full laughter, only to be cut off by the feel of Icescale starting to descend. Moments later, the dragon touched down onto the snowy plateau in front of the Ice Palace, as gently as a sparrow alighting on a branch.

"So what do all of you call us?" Anna asked, all at once conscious of the fact that neither she nor Elsa had ever asked their creations that question over the last seven decades.

You are Fearless Heart, replied the great dragon, mentally designating that he was speaking of Anna.

"A most fitting name," Elsa said proudly, running her fingers lightly through Anna's cinnamon hair.

And you are Icy Strength, added Icescale, his thoughts carrying a mix of pride and confidence to his two mistresses as he spoke to them.

"Oooh, I love it!" Anna squealed. "I like it even better than mine!"

Before any further discussion of names or titles could take place, a beam of sunlight fell upon the massive, towering palace Elsa and Anna had built and shaped over their lives. As the radiance reflected and refracted, the entire structure seemed to light up with colors throughout, its crystalline nature brought to sparkling life in a luminous display that took both women's breath.

"We're home," Anna said, her voice heavy with emotion as she gazed upon the familiar structure awaiting them. In an instant she was sliding down the side of the dragon's icy harness, turning as soon as her feet touched the snowy ground to help catch Elsa, ending up with Elsa standing against her as Anna steadied the two of them, their hearts hammering in their chests.

"I love you so, so much," Elsa said gently, reaching up to brush Anna's stray bangs behind her left ear.

"Of course you do," Anna replied smugly, her own breath catching at Elsa, once more at the height of her beauty, in Anna's arms forever. "I am adorable," Anna said confidently, resting her hands on the curve of Elsa's hips, just enough pressure in her grasp to indicate her possessiveness.

Yes, you are," Elsa said before closing her eyes and kissing Anna tenderly, then deepening the kiss between them, taking several seconds for them to relish the sensation before Elsa pulled back, their lips wetly separating with a soft whimper of annoyance from Anna at losing that blissful contact, prompting both of them to laugh.

Elsa sighed happily as they turned and began walking together to the Ice Palace, Anna's right arm around Elsa's waist with Elsa's left arm around hers. As they drew nearer to the elaborate flower garden composed of icy blooms of all shapes and colors, Anna suddenly broke into a run forward. "Race you!" she cried out over her shoulder, flashing a grin as she saw Elsa begin to run forward as well, her ice shoes dissolving to leave her barefoot on the fresh snow as she chased Anna, unable to keep laughter from bubbling out of her throat at the sound of Anna laughing and giggling as well.

Finally Elsa was close enough to leap forward (after a slight bit of a boost from the snow beneath their feet), wrapping her arms around Anna's waist and hanging on tightly as she tackled Anna, grinning as she sent them both sprawling into the snow. She started to gloat from her position, pinning Anna to the snowy ground as Anna rolled over beneath her, only to get a mouthful of snow as Anna stuffed a handful of it into her face.

Elsa shrieked and went for the more direct tickle approach, with Anna doing exactly the same, resulting in both of them sputtering and thrashing, nearly cracking their foreheads together on accident. As they momentarily took a break, Elsa still leaning atop of Anna's chest, Elsa primly folded her arms, being careful not to poke either of Anna's breasts with her elbows as she casually rested her arms on Anna's chest, looking down at her lover who was beaming back up at her with equal amounts of devotion and adoration.

"We don't even know where we are," said Elsa calmly.

"Nope," replied Anna just as easily.

"We could be in Valhalla."

"We could."

"Or we could be in Folkvangr."

"That too."

Elsa's left eyebrow raised slightly as she looked closely into Anna's bright greenish-blue eyes. "Aren't you curious as to where we are?"

"A bit," Anna admitted. "But where we are isn't important."

"No?"

"Uh uh." Anna managed to free her right arm from where Elsa had it pinned between their bodies, resisting the urge to grab a quick dig at Elsa's ribs in the process. "What's important is that wherever we are, we... are together." She punctuated her sentence with a soft tap on the end of Elsa's nose, lowering her finger just enough for Elsa to lean forward and kiss the tip of Anna's index finger tenderly.

"I agree," Elsa said, smiling as Anna lightly ran her fingertip across Elsa's lips, the end of the digit getting a playful lick from Elsa's tongue as reward.

"And we have plenty of time to discover what all this world has to show us," Anna said, her voice softer and lower as she lifted her head up to meet Elsa's head slightly lowering, their lips touching again as they kissed softly in the snow, as soft and comforting to them as a well-loved blanket.

After several minutes of kissing and roaming hands, Elsa finally shifted enough to let Anna push her upward; Elsa then returned the favor by extending her left arm downward and helping Anna up. They smiled at each other, then they resumed their leisurely walk toward their icy home, holding hands as they did so.

As they neared the sparkling opaque steps leading up to the front doors of the Ice Palace, the doors slowly opened of their own accord. Their home welcoming them was nothing new to Anna or Elsa, but the two smiling young women who stepped into sight as the crystal doors swung inward made both Elsa and Anna halt in their tracks.

"I-Idunn?" Anna stammered, her eyes having difficulty processing what they were seeing. "Ygrit?" she squeaked out, her voice as strained as her throat was tight. Elsa simply stood rigid, holding onto Anna tightly as she blinked tears of ice away as quickly as possible.

"Welcome home, Your Majesties," Idunn said, holding Ygrit's hand as the two of them stood proudly atop the stairs, the long-haired blonde and short-haired brunette looking as happy and cheerful as Anna and Elsa remembered them. "Welcome home."

—O—

Anna stumbled in her haste to climb the crystal steps, with Elsa pausing to help Anna back to her feet before the two of them resumed their rapid ascent up the stairs. As they reached their old handmaidens, Elsa stopped to look Ygrit up and down while Anna simply bowled Idunn over in a hug that was more like a happy tackle.

"Idie!" Ygrit blurted out, hurrying to her partner's side only to see both Idunn and Anna rolling on the shiny ice, both laughing as they squeezed each other playfully.

Throwing decorum aside, Elsa simply sat down beside the kneeling Ygrit, smoothing her skirt over her legs as she gave her old handmaiden a prolonged, heartfelt hug. "It's so good to see you both again," Elsa said, her heart throbbing with happiness at the wonderful surprise. "But... how?"

"It was Freya!" shouted Idunn from somewhere beneath Anna, her slender arm pointing upward.

"Anna, stop," Elsa said, gently but firmly, as she reached out and grabbed Anna's ankle lightly. "Let her breathe."

Anna sat up, releasing Idunn from her grip. Both women's faces were slightly flushed as they shifted to seated positions, Idunn moving so that she could lean against Ygrit, who put her arms around Idunn in a loving embrace just as Elsa did for Anna.

"So Freya is real," Elsa said, her curiosity now running at full speed.

"We've been staying with her," Idunn said, turning to place a kiss on Ygrit's cheek. "Ever since... Well, you know."

Elsa and Anna both nodded. "Yes," Elsa said somberly.

"It really was a lovely ceremony," said Idunn, her face brightening considerably. "Thank you for all you did, both for honoring us as well as for recognizing my brave knight," she said, reaching up to stroke Ygrit's face.

"We're the ones who are honored," Elsa said, reached out to grasp both Idunn's and Ygrit's hand. "You gave your lives to protect ours. There is no higher sacrifice one can make for another."

"There was still much the two of you needed to do," Ygrit said, offering a smile that still managed to be slightly shy. "We were happy to be your friends and to do our parts in helping you."

"But how are you two here?" asked Anna, waving her arms around to indicate the palace and surrounding areas. "Wherever here is?"

Idunn and Ygrit looked at each other and smiled knowingly. "Freya told us you'd be needing some servants for your hall once you finally arrived here," Idunn said as she turned to look at her Queens again. "Fortunately, there happened to be two volunteers who were well-practiced in looking after the two of you."

"Oh, Idunn, Ygrit..." Elsa said. "You're not our servants, you're our friends."

"We're both, Your Majesty," Ygrit said, "And we're honored by both those roles."

Anna shifted her body, turning so that her head was lying in Elsa's lap while she stretched out, crossing her legs at the ankles as she relaxed. "So how do things work here?" she asked. "Can we, say, go visit other people? Like Zel?"

"We don't exactly understand the rules," Elsa admitted quietly.

Idunn and Ygrit both broke out into laughter, startling both Anna and Elsa. After a few seconds of laughing wildly, the two former handmaidens turned to look at their Queens, eyes alight with both mirth and pride. "Oh, Your Majesties," Idunn said teasingly, her smile bright and beaming as she looked at her friends. "When have you ever followed the rules?"

—O—

Author's Afterword: I don't know exactly what to say.

Thank you all for reading this story. I've spent three years on it, and it's been full of emotional ups and downs along the way. However, it's been something I have thoroughly enjoyed writing, and I think I'm going to feel like something is missing when I post this chapter. There's going to be one more tiny epilogue eventually, but THIS has been the last piece of the "perfect" ending I've had in mind for a very long time.

This story has become more than I ever thought it would be, and I'm incredibly happy that I've been able to share this story with so many others who love Elsa and Anna the way I do. I deeply appreciate those of you who have helped make this a better story with your comments, suggestions, thoughts and reviews. Your comments and notes have lifted my spirits, corrected my errors, presented a fresh perspective and gave encouragement when I needed it. Several of you have shared some of your stories with me and talked about how reading this story has helped provide you with confidence, security, optimism and hope when you needed it most. THAT humbles me, because I don't think my writing could in any way live up to the courage and strength all of you have shown in surviving the trials life has thrown at you. I hope you all continue to stay strong and pursue love and happiness, because you deserve it.

Thank you again for making this long journey with me. Stories require not just storytellers—they require listeners too, and you have been some of the best. There will be more Elsanna from me. I just posted my Elsanna Fairy Tale, and it's up in its entirety now. No waiting for updates! Feel free to give it a spin and let me know what you think. It's a different approach, and the first chapter starts slow by design, because it's a very different structure than anything else I've written. Have patience and read the whole thing, because I really love how it turned out at the end. I hope you enjoy it as well.

Best wishes and bright thoughts for all of you. I hope life treats you well, and that we can share stories again soon. Thank you for letting this story into your hearts and sharing with me what it's meant to you personally. It's been my privilege to take this journey through these chapters with you; I hope it's brought you happiness and joy when you needed it, because it did for me.

Jo