"I am Queen Elsa of Arendelle, and you just tried to rob me," the woman said, and Anna stared at her in shock. Her life was over; it was only a matter of time.

"You need her alive," Anna realized. "Otherwise she'd be dead already, considering the risk of her powers. You can't kill her," she challenged, and the man's face contorted with anger as he flung the unconscious Queen into the snow.

"You rescue the Queen of Arendelle and you want a sword and a suit of armor. Hm...I have another idea."

Anna smiled as she settled into the velvet sheets. The redhead laid her back on the most comfortable pillows she had ever felt and closed her eyes. Gods, this place was nicer than most of the rooms she had broken into.

Elsa grabbed her by the shoulders, cutting her off. "You're my friend, Anna," she said firmly. "I trust you."

"I'd like you to meet my cousin, Princess Rapunzel of Corona."

She was lying on the ground, staring in amazement as a golden glow began to heal the arrow wound that had all but killed her. Even more shocking, however, were Elsa's words as she screamed at Rapunzel. "When the people I love are dying-" Anna couldn't believe her ears. "L-love...?" she whispered softly.

"You'll never have to sleep out in the cold ever again. Whatever happens, you will always have a home here. I swear it upon my life and title."

"What's your name, by the way?" Anna asked. "Kristoff," came the answer.

Tears forming in her eyes, Anna shouted at the distraught Princess. "Ride as fast as you can! I'll hold them off!"

Pain. So much pain as the brand pressed into her face, leaving behind a dark scar that would remain forever. Jocasta stood above her, laughing softly as she retracted the burning instrument. "Tell me," she said again, but Anna did not.

"It's me, Anna. You're safe."

The former thief couldn't believe her ears. "It's a Knighting Ceremony, Anna. Your Knighting Ceremony."

She stared at her teacher, too stunned to even form the words ringing in her mind. Traitor. Murderer. Liar. Drell was standing in front of her, going on and on about his mission to kill the supposed Goddess, and all Anna could think about was that every moment they'd shared together had been nothing but a lie.

"So...we were hoping you would be our child's Surrogate."

Finally, Anna heard the words she had been waiting months to hear. And yet, even though she'd been anticipating them with all her heart, the Knight found it difficult to believe that they had actually been spoken. "Will you, Lady Anna of Arendelle, grant me the honor of your hand in marriage?"

"This is the day I've been awaiting for so long. The day I could finally tell you that I don't love you, have never loved you, and in fact hated you since the moment we met. Finally, I don't need you any longer. You've fulfilled your purpose, and now I can discard you."

White-hot pain flowed through Anna's veins. In an instant, all of the heartbreak and anguish that had led her to removing her memories returned as strong as ever. Her eyes roamed to Kristoff's concerned, yet hopeful face, and it was then she knew who was responsible for her renewed anguish.

Anna's fist lashed out, catching him on the cheek and sending him toppling to the floor. "I TOLD you I didn't want to remember!" she bellowed. It was then that the thief noticed...truly noticed...Eugene, staring at her with abject shock.

His presence meant two things. The first, and most obvious, was that Elsa's family had not been part of the Queen's betrayal. The second was that, if she wished, Anna could escape poverty then and there.

"So you're here to rescue me, I take it?" she snarked. "How gallant of you. Where were you a year ago?"

Eugene frowned. "Elsa told us you were a traitor to Arendelle. We weren't sure what to believe, but we've had men searching for you this entire time. We wanted to hear your side of the story. I guess you hid yourself too well."

Hmm. It was good to know that Rapunzel and her family had been true friends after all. And Anna knew that their wealth could keep her comfortable for the rest of time. But were those two things worth the renewed heartbreak she was now experiencing? And would accepting their aid put them in danger of Elsa's wrath?

"We do want to help you, Anna," Eugene continued. "But we also need your help. Elsa needs to be stopped, and if we don't do something soon...no amount of power or Coronan money will be able to save any of us from far worse than poverty."

Anna sighed. Of course, things could never be simple. "I'll listen to what you have to say," she agreed. "But first, go downstairs and buy five of those spiced steaks I saw you two enjoying earlier. And some good ale," she ordered.

/

Anna was devouring the meat like a madwoman. Just because she remembered her manners evidently didn't mean she was going to use them. Of course, given how she'd been starving for several months, Kristoff did not judge her too harshly.

It was only after Anna finished her third steak that her pace slowed enough to begin their conversation. Kristoff would have expected Anna to interject constantly during their tales, but instead she was quiet. All she said in response to Elsa being a goddess was "Makes sense, I suppose." All through Kristoff's story of journeying to Corona and enlisting Rapunzel's aid, she said not a word.

"So we need to go to Grand Pabbie," Eugene was finishing. "Hopefully he's created a spell that can restore your powers. Then...somehow, we have to take Elsa down. She's somewhat weaker than normal, as a lot of her magic is building up for the ritual."

Anna's eyes were fixed on the floor. "I should have known," she said softly.

"Known?" Kristoff repeated incredulously. "How could any of us have known what Elsa was planning? It's not as if Drell provided any proof of his claims."

"I'm not talking about that!" Anna said angrily. "I'm talking about my entire damn life. I should have walked away the second Elsa offered to let me in the Castle. I'm...I'm just not meant to be happy. Anytime anything good happens to me, it's just a trap waiting to make my life even worse. A Queen falls in love with me? Nope, it's an insane goddess who wants to watch me suffer. My friends come and offer me an escape from poverty? Nope, they're bringing news about the end of the world."

"Don't talk that way!" Kristoff protested.

Anna shrugged. "I'm not meant to be happy. There's no point in denying it. I was born to misery, my life has been miserable, and I'll stay that way until the day that I die. I just have to learn to accept it."

"You're not going to help us?" Eugene asked. He sounded disgusted.

Anna turned to glare at him. "Of course I'm going to help. Just because this world hates me doesn't mean everyone else is as screwed as I am. Even though they've never given a shit about me, I'm going to try and help the rest of the world...the ones who might have some happiness in their lives as long as Elsa doesn't get her way. Of course, she probably will."

Kristoff would have sighed in relief, but Anna was still far too fatalistic for his liking. "The odds aren't in our favor," he admitted. "But if we manage to get your powers back, we'll have a real chance."

Anna stared him hard in the eyes. "Don't get your hopes up," she warned him. "Powers or not, we're probably going to be dead by the end of the year."

/

Elsa sighed. The reports coming in from their active agents in Corona confirmed that Will and Enobaria had failed. Kristoff was still alive, and he and Eugene were probably on their way to wherever Anna was in hiding.

The news wasn't all bad. Thomas had been taken out of the picture. More importantly, the Coronan military would not be interfering with her plans. Even if the King had believed Kristoff's tale, he would probably not even had time to assemble his military, let alone bring it to Arendelle.

"Less than two months left, Your Worship," Kayla was saying. "Do you think Anna will come back to the Castle before the Solstice?"

Elsa and Evangeline shared a knowing look. Not everything about the ritual had been shared with the majority of the Faithful, and some details had been... altered. "Perhaps," the goddess said. "We're more than prepared for any attack. All entrances are barred, secret or not. All of the guards are on watch for Anna's climbing abilities; they'll be reminded of them again today. It is unlikely that she could regain her powers, but it is always better to be prepared. I don't take chances."

Kayla nodded sadly. "I only wish my curse had succeeded, Your Worship. If Eugene and Thomas had inhaled the smoke..."

Elsa shook her head. Kayla was perhaps the most promising young member the Faithful had to offer. She was the rare human mage who could actively project direct magic (in this case, her control of animals) and also work spells and curses that could be bottled and used at a later date. Even Elsa herself could not do both, though that would change once the ritual was ready.

"The fault is not yours; the curse was composed perfectly. The failure was in its execution; Will is to blame, not you," she said, smiling slightly before turning to Evangeline. "I want you to start preparing a strike force. Our best mages, minus the ones essential to the guard at the Castle."

"Of course, Your Worship. But, if I may ask, to what purpose?" the spymaster questioned.

"Perhaps none," the goddess replied. "I would rather keep all our forces close. But if Kristoff, Eugene, and Anna can be located outside of the trolls' nest..."

"My hawks are searching for them as we speak," Kayla said. "If they see the three of them, I will know, Your Worship."

"Good," the Goddess replied. Everything was going according to plan. Anna and her friends were simply a minor nuisance. Still, something was telling her to continue to take them seriously. She had paid for her overconfidence once; Elsa did not intend to do so again.

/

Although Eugene had more than enough money to purchase horses, the fact that their journey to the North Mountain would take them through dense forests and ever rising hills forced them to walk on foot. That first night, situated deep in the large Green Cloak that made up much of the border between Arendelle and the Southern Isles, the three of them agreed to take alternating watches after they made camp. Eugene volunteered for the first.

Kristoff waited until Anna was certainly asleep, then made his way several meters away to where the Prince was keeping watch.

"Something wrong?" Eugene asked.

The ice harvester nodded. "Anna. I knew she was upset about Elsa, but I never expected... You knew her from before, didn't you? Even after being tortured, she was still a kind and considerate woman. Now she's just bitter and angry at the world; those are the only emotions she ever shows. It doesn't make sense...changing so much just because of one person's betrayal."

Eugene nodded sadly. "Part of it is probably the trauma of having all those memories, both happy and painful, coming back to her all at once. She might recover from the shock as the days go on. But I think there's something more responsible for her attitude than that..." He paused, tearing his gaze away from Kristoff and staring at Anna's sleeping form.

"What?" Kristoff asked insistently.

The Prince shrugged morosely. "Everyone has their breaking point, Kristoff. Anna's life was pretty miserable since the day she was born, and it only got worse as she grew older. She stayed hopeful the entire time, but it couldn't have been easy. And when Elsa took her in and they started courting, it seemed that all of her dreams had come true. In her mind, all of her happiness became tied to a single person. All of her positive emotions were invested in and founded upon Elsa. When that ended, her hope pretty much crumbled."

Kristoff frowned. He had known that Anna was emotionally dependent upon Elsa; he'd even warned her about that very danger. But he hadn't realized it was this serious.

"How do you know?" he asked.

The Prince shot him a small, sardonic smile. "Anna and I are alike in a lot of ways. We both spent our early years thieving. Both of us have a profound appreciation for the female sex, especially if that female in question is a hot young member of a Royal Family. Oh sure, her life before moving into a Castle was a lot harder than mine, but we were both still miserable."

"Really?" Kristoff questioned. "All of the stories I heard about your thieving years paint you as a dashing young rogue, enjoying an exciting life constantly one step ahead of the country's guards."

"True, for the most part. I certainly was dashing, even though the wanted posters constantly butchered my image," he laughed softly at the memory. "But deep down, I was actually pretty lonely. The cutthroats I often worked with weren't exactly good company, and being a wanted man makes forming long-term friendships difficult. All of my daring heists were an attempt to fill that void with intensity and thrill seeking."

"Until Rapunzel," Kristoff supplied.

Eugene nodded, unable to keep a small smile off of his face at the mention of his wife. "Until her," he agreed. "Rapunzel is, well, my whole world now. Her and the child growing in her belly. If something happened to them...I don't think I'd be far off from Anna."

Kristoff wasn't sure what to say to that, and for several moments and uneasy silence lingered between them.

"It's hard seeing Anna like this," Eugene said. "Believe me, I know. But right now, the important thing is stopping Elsa, and she's agreed to help us do that."

Kristoff shot him an angry glare. "So we just do nothing but watch her suffer?"

"For now, that's all we can do," Eugene answered. "If by some miracle we do win, Rapunzel and I will help her. We can give Anna back the lifestyle she grew used to. Will that be enough? I don't know, but it's the best we can do."

Kristoff let out a frustrated sigh. "It's just...seeing her like this; I can't stand it."

"You care about her a lot," Eugene said. It was not a question. "Maybe you're in love with her; maybe you're just a good friend. I know you want to help her. But right now, we have to stay focused on Elsa. If we don't, Anna's going to spend the rest of her life as an ice sculpture...all of us will. The best thing we can do for her is win this fight."

Kristoff knew he was right, and his logic made the ice-harvester feel just a slight bit better.

"You know," he mused. "Maybe I was wrong about Royals. I always thought you were all self-absorbed pricks, and Elsa didn't exactly help change my opinion. You're a lot more down to earth than I expected, though."

"Thanks," Eugene chuckled, "But that's not really fair, since I wasn't born into it. Neither was Rapunzel, really, considering she didn't even know she was a Princess until she turned eighteen. But your opinion isn't exactly unfounded; most of the Royalty I've met have been self-absorbed and negligent at best. Corona's the exception, not the rule."

"Well, at least most of them aren't planning on freezing over the entire earth in order to enact a ritual designed to give them the power to subjugate all of humanity...right?" Kristoff asked.

Eugene shook his head. "No," he agreed. "But a lot of them probably would if they could."

/

The second night, Eugene took the last watch. They were almost out of the Green Cloak now, and would very soon enter the foothills. Another day's traveling would see them reach the trolls' campsite.

It wasn't long before he began to doze off. They were out of the thick of the forest now; although trees still surrounded them, they hadn't seen signs of any large animals for many miles.

The Prince didn't fall asleep, but his awareness of the world around him dimmed. His thoughts, as they always did, turned to the wife he had left behind. Although he had often complained that Castle life was too 'boring', Eugene would have given anything in the world at the moment to be lying next to Rapunzel in their soft bed, rubbing his hand over her slowly growing stomach.

He was almost completely absorbed by the light dream. And thus, he didn't see the danger it was far too late.

When it was twenty feet away, Eugene finally noticed the looming shape in the darkness fast approaching him. With a yell, the Prince shouted a warning to his companions and unsheathed his longsword.

It was a massive black bear, eight feet tall and nearly as wide. Eugene couldn't think of what any of them could have done to offend such a beast, but its eyes were glowering with rage. Its red eyes.

The beast had been approaching with surprising caution, but now that the travelers were awake, it charged forward in unrestrained aggression. Behind him, Anna was yelling at Kristoff to climb a tree, but hopefully that would not be necessary. The Prince raised his sword, preparing to use the force of the bear's own charge to impale the enraged beast right between the eyes.

His aim was true. But at the last moment, the bear responded with unnatural speed. Its head reared to the side, avoiding Eugene's blade entirely. In its place came a large meaty claw aimed at the Prince's shoulder.

Eugene dived to the left. He might have managed to leap clear…were it not for the fact that his reflexes were still dulled by his recent doze. His movement was interrupted as five sharp nails dug into his right shoulder, each leaving a deep cut that blazed with agony.

He rolled to the ground, dropping his sword in the process. All but paralyzed by pain, he could do nothing but stare as the beast loomed over him. Its jaw opened wide, preparing to devour the Prince's throat with a single bite. Eugene closed his eyes, waiting for the end.

A second passed. Instead of feeling the bear's maw wrap around his throat, Eugene heard the beast give a pained roar. He opened his eyes to see the bear turning away from him. Sticking out of the beast's fur, just above its right eye, was Anna's knife. Blood poured out from the wound, obscuring the bear's vision and doubtlessly enraging it further.

But it was by no means a mortal wound. The bear turned to face Anna, its eyes blazing with furry.

Anna's powers were, for all intents and purposes, gone. But the training she had put herself through for months on end was still a part of her. As the bear charged, she dived to the right. And unlike Eugene, she avoided it completely.

Kristoff was not doing quite as well. The ice harvester was standing in the middle of their campsite...completely frozen with fear. If the bear targeted him, he would be dead within seconds.

Anna hurriedly picked up Eugene's sword, holding it before her in a trained stance. She knew what she was doing, but even so, the odds were not in her favor. Even if Anna managed to fell the beast, rage and adrenaline would probably keep it going long enough to take her down with it.

Desperately, Eugene looked around for a weapon. Any weapon.

/

Anna couldn't help but be reminded of the last time she'd faced a bloodthirsty animal. A dozen vicious wolves, together a far greater threat than a lone bear, had died by her sword that day. But the powers that had enabled Anna and Kristoff to survive that terrifying encounter had long deserted her.

Speaking of Kristoff, the ice harvester was still standing dumbly next to the remains of their fire, completely paralyzed by terror. Which meant that Anna would have to keep the beast occupied; if she ran and managed to clamber up a tree, the bear would be eating Kristoff's useless ass within seconds.

Anna had learned from Eugene's example; facing it head on was not an option. As it charged, she darted to the right and struck out with her sword. The blade opened a shallow cut in the beast's side. Finishing her movement with a roll, she came to her feet and jumped well clear of the bear's reach.

Two wounds it had now suffered, neither fatal but both debilitating. Now it was coming at her again. She repeated her previous tactic, but this time it was somehow ready for her. As Anna darted to the side, it altered the direction of its charge. Its claw swiped at her head.

She ducked just in time, but the movement upset her balance. Instead of cleaving her sword into the bear's fur, Anna was tripping over her own two feet. Before she knew it, she had hit the ground hard. The sword somehow stayed within her grip, but Anna had no time to return to her feet as the beast bore down upon her.

It was a second away from diving at her beck when a large stone struck it across the face. Anna turned to see Eugene sitting up weakly, have used the last of his energy on the throw.

The bear turned too, and Anna knew that if she didn't act, Rapunzel was seconds away from being a widow. With the beast looking toward its new target, its neck was perfectly exposed to Anna's strike. It would attempt to counterattack and bring her down with it, and Anna accepted that.

She jumped to her feet, slashing with her blade. The sword flashed down through the air, cutting deep into the exposed fur. The bear screamed in agony as the blade sliced its way through flesh, veins, and arteries; a massive torrent of blood erupted from the wound. Mortally wounded, the bear turned upon her once again. With the last of its strength, its claw raked at her chest.

Forgoing all her warrior instincts, Anna released her hands from the sword still lodged firmly in its hide and leapt back as far as she could. The tips of the claw tore at her shirt, brushing her chest just enough to leave two shallow scratches.

She landed on her back. The bear, still bleeding heavily, shot her one last look of hate before it crumbled to the ground.

Then Anna was on her feet, running to their bags. She pulled out the box of tears as fast as she could before grabbing a bottle and dashing to Eugene's side. The Prince was sitting on the ground, holding his uninjured arm on top of the wound and slowing the bleeding as much as he could.

At her signal, he released the wound and tore aside the remains of his shirt to reveal the gruesome details. Five deep lines of red cut across his shoulder. Though not fatal (unless they became infected), the length and placement of the cuts made it clear that the claw had torn through much of Eugene's shoulder muscle.

Without preamble, Anna opened the bottle and tipped it out over the wound. Eugene closed his eyes in anticipation of the comforting golden glow that would soon end his agony.

Nothing happened.

"Dammit!" Eugene swore. "The magic...it's worn out."

Anna cursed. "Kristoff!" she shouted. "If you're not too busy standing there like a coward, maybe you could help me bandage this up!"

Wordlessly, he joined her at Eugene's side, and together they fixed up the wounds as best they could. Luckily, the Prince had thought to pack bandages and some pain sedatives before leaving Corona, knowing that Rapunzel's tears wouldn't last very long.

"Why the hell did that thing attack us?" Eugene spat as they cleaned the cuts.

Anna shrugged angrily. "I have no idea. Kristoff and I were attacked by a pack of wolves when I was on my way to first meet the trolls; magic was definitely involved then, and that was when Drell's group first wanted me dead. Now that they're gone...I don't know. Maybe one of the Faithful can do the same spell, or maybe it wasn't even magic. We could have just been sleeping in that bear's territory and it wanted us out."

The two men nodded.

"And, of course, you two..." she paused, taking a deep breath. "Really, this is the best you can do? Eugene, you didn't even notice a giant bear coming at you until it was practically breathing down your neck!"

Kristoff opened his mouth to interject, but Anna beat him to it. "And you!" she rounded on the ice harvester. "At least Eugene helped. You stood there like a gibbering idiot while the two of us fought for our lives. I'd accuse you of not caring about us, but since I know you better than that, the only explanation is that you're a coward."

"Lay off him, Anna!" Eugene said, his bandages nearly finished now. "You and I are used to this sort of thing; he isn't. And if it wasn't for him, none of us would even know about what Elsa was planning."

"Then give him a pat on the back!" Anna retorted sarcastically. "There's three of us; we're up against an army of mages led by an insane Goddess. We can't afford slip-ups. And we can't have him freezing up and forcing the rest of us protect his ass."

"It won't happen again," Kristoff promised. Anna felt slightly guilty at the dejected tone in his voice, but she knew it was necessary. If he fucked up again, none of them were likely to survive.

/

Nothing worked.

They'd arrived at the trolls' campsite without further difficulty. Eugene's wounds had slowed them down, but the cuts had managed to avoid infection. Even now, the trolls were working what magic they could to heal the damage to his shoulder, though their magic in that field was nothing compared to his wife's.

But he was having far better luck than Anna. The former Knight had greeted Pabbie quickly before agreeing to drink the potions he had created...all designed to restore her latent magic. The only effect that any of them produced was a slight ache in her stomach.

Kristoff and Eugene watched, horrified, as Anna shook her head sullenly. She had just swallowed his last potion.

"There has to be something!" the ice-harvester protested. "Anna still has some of her power left; there's no other way she would have been able to overpower Eugene. All you have to do is awaken the rest of it."

The old troll simply sighed and stared at the ground. Anna had never seen him so defeated. It was a sobering and terrifying thought to realize that she had been their last hope. None of their magic could compete with Elsa's powers, and they had no other allies to turn to. When Elsa's ritual swept over the globe, the trolls would be as helpless as everyone else.

Eugene was silent, but Anna could see his eyes blazing with terror. For all his skill and determination, he was helpless to stop the Goddess preparing to destroy his world. He and his wife would be frozen forever, their last thoughts centered on a child that would now never be born.

Anna couldn't let that happen.

"There's...one other thing," she said hesitantly. It was something Anna had promised herself she would never do. And the chances that it would actually amount to anything were slim at best. But it was the only hope they had.

Instantly, Kristoff, Eugene, and even Pabbie rounded upon her. It was as if they were starving and she was holding a large loaf of bread, so intent were their faces. They would agree with whatever plan she proposed.

"There's a lot we still don't know about Elsa and her ritual," Anna said. "Maybe she has a weakness...preparing for the ritual could give us some kind of opening. We know her powers are a bit weaker now; maybe that's not the only thing about her ritual that might be useful to know."

Eugene frowned. "You want to capture one of the Faithful and force them to tell us?"

Anna shook her head. "No. They've already proven they'd rather die than tell us what we need to know. But..." she took a deep breath, "They're not the only ones who know about the history of the gods."

Responses:

WinterWolfDragon: I'm not sure if Anna will be as happy about it.

Tmaxishere: I don't know if Kristoff deserved that…

ClaireCooper: Tempest, you mean? I'm not making any promises about the ending, one way or the other.

TheChronicle: Elsa might well use some of those ideas.

TaniaHylian: It did! Yay?

FrozenChris: Part of the powers of a Goddess is to have those kinds of visions. Elsa can't control it, since she wasn't nearly at full strength, but her vision specifically was "If the conspiracy never happened." Since she didn't know that the conspiracy killed her parents, that didn't change.

Coincidencless: Not much time…

Vidgamelords: Next chapter is an interesting one.

Gwiley16199: A little bit…

Guest 1: Yeah! Sort of.

Aldmagali: Going as fast as I can!

Maroon: Me too!

Guest 2: Here it is!

BatteriezNotIncluded: Unfortunately, no. The tear only reversed Pabbie's spell and returned the memories it took away. Anna forgetting that conversation wasn't an injury; simply a forgotten dream. That can't be healed. Don't worry, I think next chapter will be very satisfying.

Andilite: She's changed in a lot of ways.

Guest 3: I write as much as I can

NatsLeao: I've been waiting for the next chapter for a long time…

FrozenChris: Gerda really had no other options; Elsa had a spike of ice leveled right at her throat. She wasn't leaving that room alive.

LordWestGordon: Yes. Yes, she is.

Franvia: She is certainly angry.

CoolNickNack: I don't know about that twist, but there are certainly some big ones coming up!

TheChronicle: Yeah, the stainless steel thing was an oversight…

Gwiley16199: The Goddess definitely deserves death.

Basketcaseme: My bad. Let's just say that the crucifixion was accompanied by a lot of stab wounds.

ClaireCooper: I did warn you.

Arekanderu: You think?

DarthCadeus58: Law school involves a lot of writing

Starperformer343: Thanks!

Coincidencless: Yes.

Tithi043: Be patient; everything has a purpose.

123SS: Hang in there!

Veoving: I try.

MissKorraSato: No spoilers!

PascalDragon: A happy ending really wasn't in the cards for that one.

Andilite: Going as fast as I can!

Guest 4: Thank you!

TheChronicle: The final arc (and ending) were planned around the time I wrote Chapter 5, so there's a lot of things that can be seen in hindsight (I don't even remember all of them.) The first was in Chapter 5, when Elsa says that her powers could potentially freeze over the entire world. That was a definite hint, if an obscure one.