"What's so great about Elsa, anyway?" Kristoff asked Anna, as he followed behind her on their afternoon hike. "Sure, she's beautiful..."

"And smart. And funny, and kind," Anna replied. "And she's always so thoughtful, and interesting. And creative..."

"Yeah, I bet she walks on water, too," Kristoff added sarcastically, before she could continue.

"Actually she does. I've seen her," Anna said, jumping onto a rock that stood in the river.

It was no use. Kristoff would never be able to compete with Elsa for Anna's affection. Not that they were actively competing. Because even if they were, Elsa's magic powers alone would automatically ensure her victory.

Kristoff thought he was skilled with ice, but he couldn't create it like Elsa could. And he couldn't summon the winter in the middle of summer, like Elsa had done that morning. Kristoff had to admit, it was awesome being able to jump across the river on the rocks without risking getting wet or carried away by the current. It was also nice to have a break from the summer's heat every once in a while, but even nicer to know that the weather would be back to normal by the end of the day, unlike last summer.

Anna jumped off the final rock and landed on her feet with a dull thud on the snow-covered ice. She turned around to wait for her burly blond friend to follow her.

"But still," Kristoff continued, getting ready to jump. "She's not worth all the effort you put in all the time just to make her happy." He launched himself off the rock.

Anna watched Kristoff's lower body disappear under the ice with a crash as he landed. Anna burst out laughing at the look on his face when everything below his waist came into contact with the freezing water under the ice. Kristoff gasped for breath with the shock, and opened and closed his mouth like a fish for a few moments.

"It happened again!" Anna said, when they had both sufficiently recovered.

"What?" Kristoff asked. "And this isn't funny! That ice was perfectly solid a minute ago!"

"It's Elsa's magic," Anna stated, folding her arms with confidence as she explained her theory. "It doesn't like it when you say bad things about her. Or it just doesn't like you. It likes me, though."

"Oh yeah?" Kristoff retorted, trying unsuccessfully to pull himself up out of the ice hole. "Like when it almost killed you?"

Anna was genuinely hurt by his comment. "That was an accident!" she said, defensively. "Do you want me to pull you out of the ice or not?"

"All right, all right! I'm sorry!"

"Why do you dislike Elsa all of a sudden? You were bonding just fine over ice or something the other day!"

Kristoff sighed. "I don't dislike Elsa. I just want to spend more time with you, but you're always busy with her," he admitted. Kristoff had recently asked Anna if he could take her ice harvesting with him that weekend, but she had declined, saying Elsa had a surprise planned.

"Look, I told you I can't go with you this weekend because Elsa still thinks she ruined my birthday, even though she didn't, and she wants to make up for it," Anna said.

As far as Kristoff was concerned, Anna's birthday had been a disaster. It was partly his own fault. He had forgotten to buy her a present, but Kristoff had hoped that his efforts at helping with the party would have made up for that. And then at the last minute he had decided to disguise his lack of material gifts by giving her a romantic gesture instead.

But it had all backfired spectacularly for Kristoff. Instead of swooning at his feet, Anna had ignored him and went to spend the night with Elsa, while he had to act as babysitter for the latest additions to Elsa's snowmen family.

"I'm always going to choose Elsa over you, Kristoff," said Anna, affirming what Kristoff already knew. "She's a part of me."

"I know. I'm sorry I hurt your feelings," Kristoff said, meaning it. "After all you've both been through... you deserve to be happy. Whatever you want to do with Elsa is your own business."

"Thanks, Kristoff." Anna reached out a hand to pull him up. "Come on, let's go home," she said, hauling him out of the ice.

"So, you're telling me that Elsa can control ice all the way up here from down in the town?" Kristoff asked once they had started walking back.

"Well, it's not Elsa exactly," Anna replied. "It's her magic; it's all around when she summons the winter like this. And it acts how she would if she was here, but without her knowing. I'm not really explaining it very well, but think of it like Elsa is watching us all the time."

"Um, okay... That's not creepy at all."

"It's nice!" Anna insisted. "It's like I'm never really alone when the winter's here."

It was evening by the time Anna and Kristoff arrived back in the castle courtyard. It was full of townsfolk frolicking around in the snow. Olaf appeared to be engaged in a snowball fight against a large group of men and women, and he was winning single-handedly.

They found Elsa on her back making snow angels with some children. It was clear which of the snow angels she had made; hers always morphed themselves into beautiful impressions that looked like they had been formed by real magical creatures.

The Queen stood up, shook the snow from her braided hair, and admired her latest creation with the awestruck children.

She looked over her shoulder to see Anna, and the sight of her beloved sister lit up Elsa's face with a radiant smile. She spread her arms as Anna ran towards her, and embraced her tightly.

"Did you have a good time on your hike?" Elsa asked.

"Yeah, it was fun! We walked for such a long time, and now I'm so tired!" Anna said, snuggling against Elsa.

Elsa gently stroked Anna's ginger hair. "I'm glad you enjoyed yourself," she murmured. They stayed locked in their embrace for a while until Elsa let go before Anna could fall asleep on her.

"Well, now you're back I think it's time I brought back the summer!" Elsa took a few steps away from Anna, then raised her hands. The snow covering the ground seemed to fall in reverse as Elsa made it rise into the air. It ascended high up into the sky where it gathered together and formed a shimmering orb, before it disappeared, to the sound of the crowd's applause.

Anna beamed at her sister with pride - Elsa's magic would never cease to amaze her - and clung to her when Elsa linked her arm in hers.

They started walking towards the castle entrance but turned to their citizens before climbing the stone steps.

"Goodnight, everyone!" Elsa called, giving the crowd a small wave. Anna waved goodbye to Kristoff and the two sisters went inside.

"Have you eaten?" Elsa asked as they walked through the castle.

"Yeah, Kristoff and I took loads of food with us," Anna replied.

"Then to bed with you!" Elsa said, leading Anna towards her bedroom. "You need to get a good night's sleep for the surprise in the morning," she added, laying her hand affectionately on Anna's shoulder as they came to a halt outside her room. "Oh! Did you remember to pack a suitcase?"

"I'll do that now," Anna said, smiling sleepily and covering Elsa's hand with her own.

"You only need enough things for a couple of nights away. Goodnight, Anna," Elsa said, stroking Anna's cheek briefly before going to her own room.

"Goodnight, Elsa!" Anna called after her, wondering what it was that Elsa had planned.

Anna had managed to pack all she thought she needed. It had taken longer than she had planned, considering she had never actually packed a suitcase before. But she had got it done.

She ended up waking much later than she had aimed to. Anna's eyes snapped open at the sound of her clock on her bedside table. The tiny Olaf sprang out of his door and shouted "Summer!" nine times, meaning she had slept over an hour longer than she had intended, although this was still much earlier than Anna's typical routine.

The Princess dressed herself in her usual record time and hurried down to the dining room, where she found a fully-prepared breakfast laid out on the table, but no Elsa.

As she sat down and stared eating, Anna hoped she wasn't too late. The last thing she wanted to do was disappoint Elsa. She quickly ate a couple of sandwiches, and was just about to try drinking a cup of hot chocolate as fast as she possibly could when the door opened and Elsa peeked her head into the room.

"Are you ready?" she asked, entering the dining room with an excited smile on her face.

Anna stood up and downed her drink, placing the cup heavily onto the table after she had done.

"Now I'm ready!" she grinned, and bounded towards Elsa, looking forward to whatever her sister had planned.

Elsa stifled a giggle as Anna came to a halt in front of her. "Not quite," she said, and reached out to wipe a hot chocolate-moustache from Anna's upper lip with her thumb.

Anna caught her hand as she was about to withdraw it. "Don't waste it," Anna said, and slowly licked the chocolate off Elsa's thumb. "It's good!"

Elsa lost her train of thought completely. The warmth of Anna's tongue had ignited some sort of fire in her stomach, which she could feel was quickly spreading right through her whole body and manifesting as a vivid blush in her cheeks.

Anna let go of her hand and it fell to her side, still slightly tingling with the unfamiliar, but very pleasant sensation.

Elsa lowered her eyes from Anna's and quietly cleared her throat, thus ending their little moment.

"The servants fetched your suitcase from your room, so we can get going right away," Elsa said, leading the way and holding the door open for Anna.

"I can't wait!" Anna linked Elsa's arm and followed along beside her.

"This time I won't ruin it!" Elsa said, with determination.

"Elsa, I already told you, you didn't ruin my birthday! It wasn't your fault you got a cold. And I had a great time!"

"Well, I hope you'll have an even better time today," Elsa said, opening the castle's main doors and revealing the courtyard. "Surprise!" She watched for Anna's reaction.

Anna could see something standing in the courtyard. It was rather large and caught the morning sunlight in an unusual way. She stepped up to it and saw what it was.

"A new bike?" she asked, looking over at Elsa.

Elsa nodded.

Anna took a closer look and her eyes widened with awe.

"And it's made of ice?"

Elsa nodded again, beaming with pride.

It was indeed a tandem made entirely out of ice, and, unlike their ordinary one, it had a luggage rack on the back that had been filled with their suitcases, which were firmly secured with rope.

"I took another one apart and replicated it exactly in ice," Elsa explained.

"It's amazing! It must have taken you forever!" Anna exclaimed, examining the intricate mechanisms around the pedals.

"The best thing about it is if we get tired of pedalling, I can use my magic to power it," Elsa said, gripping the front handlebars and taking her seat. "Let's go!"

"Where are we going?" Anna asked, mounting the seat behind her.

"That's another surprise, but I hope you'll remember it as we get closer."

Anna was intrigued, and eager to start their journey, but before they could begin, they heard Gerda's voice calling, and turned to see the housekeeper running out of the castle.

"Wait! I packed some extra food for you, and some other things you might need on your trip," she said.

"Thanks, Gerda," Anna said, giving the old housekeeper a dazzling smile. "Goodbye!"

"You girls have a wonderful time!"

"We will, Gerda! Goodbye!" Elsa called, before kicking the bike along until they had enough speed to start pedalling.

Gerda watched them leave and took out her handkerchief to wave after them. Once they were out of sight, she used it to dab away the tears that were trickling down her face. She knew Elsa's plan, and was so happy to see the two girls together again after all she had witnessed them go through.

Elsa and Anna rode their bike through the town and were greeted by the smiling faces of their citizens who waved at them as they passed by. They watched happily as the royal sisters cycled through the town square before heading off into the outskirts.

"This is different from riding around the castle halls!" Anna commented, as they began to ascend the incline that started outside the town's border.

"Are you okay? Do you need me to use my magic?" Elsa asked, concerned that Anna was getting exhausted already.

"It's fine! I can keep going," Anna reassured her. She was enjoying the challenge, and the feeling of exercising muscles she hadn't used in weeks.

They followed the road up the hill, until eventually it became too steep for them to pedal and they had to get off before they risked falling over.

"I'll take over from here," Elsa said. "I can use my magic to power the bike and get us up the hill."

"You don't have to," Anna replied. "I think we should push it; that way I can help, too. Because I'd feel kind of awkward just sitting there while you did all the work. And we wouldn't want your magic to wear out!"

"I don't know if it can wear out!" Elsa laughed. "But if you insist, let's push it."

And so they did. The climb was very steep, and it wasn't long before both sisters were out of breath.

Elsa glanced back at Anna, who was breathing hard and had a look of determination on her bright red face. "It'll be worth it when we get to the top!" Elsa told her, even though she could not actually remember the view herself.

Anna pushed a strand of damp hair off her sweat-drenched brow and wondered how Elsa always managed to look so perfect. She wasn't sweating, and her face was only slightly flushed. Magic, of course, Anna thought, and concentrated on making it to the top.

Naturally, Elsa was right. The view from the top of the hill was spectacular. They could see the whole town behind them, and even the mountains on the other side of the fjord on the horizon. It felt wonderful looking down on their kingdom, which was picturesque in the light of the midday summer sun. And it was even better because they were with each other, unlike the last time they had seen the kingdom from afar.

Ahead of them stretched the forests and farmlands of the realm, which was separated from the town by the range of hills they had just climbed.

Anna and Elsa stood in silence for a while, neither feeling the need to comment on the undeniable beauty of the landscape all around them.

Once the sight of their surroundings had helped them fully recover from the climb, it was time to continue their journey. They took their seats on the bike again and slowly moved towards the beginning of the slope. It was not quite as steep as the other side of the hill, but it was still steeper than anything either of them had ridden a bike down before. This was going to be fun.

"Are you ready?" Elsa asked.

"I was born ready!" her sister replied.

"Hold on tight!"

They pushed the bike over the edge and quickly picked up speed as they hurtled down the hill. The road was obviously much smoother than the staircases in the castle and both girls were thrilled by the feeling of freedom they got from the fresh air blowing in their faces, and the sense of almost flying as they freewheeled down the hill.

It didn't seem long before they began to slow down as the ground evened out, and they had to start pedalling again.

"That was amazing!" Anna shouted, still feeling the exhilaration from their descent. "This is so much fun!"

Elsa said nothing, but remained quietly delighted that Anna was having such a good time.

The sisters had been travelling for a few hours now, and Elsa started to look for a good place to stop. They were following the road, which wound through forests and meadows, and it was all very beautiful, but Elsa had a particular sort of place in mind where she wanted to spend a perfect lunch break with her sister.

At last, she spotted the perfect place. It was a clearing in the forest, situated away from the road. A majestic oak tree stood in the middle, its huge branches creating plenty of shade for them to sit in.

"Let's stop to rest for a while," Elsa suggested.

"Sounds good to me!" Anna agreed, glad for the chance of some respite from the cycling, even though she was enjoying herself.

Elsa steered the tandem to the edge of the road and pulled the breaks before they started cycling on the grass. She pushed down the kickstand and parked the bike; it would be fine to leave it on the road, which was not particularly well-used, especially on weekends.

Anna dismounted after her sister and stretched herself, her legs felt a little tense after spending the past few hours on the bike. She joined Elsa at the back of the tandem and took the picnic blanket from the luggage rack, while Elsa continued to unfasten the basket that Gerda had packed which contained their lunch.

Anna went on ahead and made her way towards the oak tree, absent-mindedly reaching out to stroke the long golden grass through which she strode. It really was a beautiful area; she could hear birdsong from the surrounding forest, and insects humming in the meadow. It felt much wilder than the castle gardens at home.

She spread the blanket out under the shade of the branches and flopped down with her back against the tree, then Anna's eyes were drawn to Elsa. Her sister walked towards her through the meadow, looking like a vision of numinous beauty in the bright sunlight that shone on her hair and dress. It struck Anna again, as it often did, that she was incredibly lucky to know this stunningly beautiful, magical woman; to be loved by her, to be smiled at by her...

Elsa caught Anna staring and shyly averted her gaze. She sat down next to her and handed her the waterskin from the picnic basket.

Anna took a drink and twisted her face up, the water was unpleasantly tepid. "It could use some ice," she hinted, not-so-subtly, and passed it back to Elsa.

Elsa cupped her hands round the waterskin and let a light film of frost coat it before returning it to Anna, who took a long drink, and then sighed contentedly.

"That's so much better! Thanks," she said giving the waterskin to Elsa again.

"You're welcome," Elsa replied, and drank some water herself. "Are you tired yet?" she asked, hoping Anna would be all right to continue the rest of the journey. "We haven't properly ridden a bike together for over ten years. I'm surprised we hadn't forgotten!"

"Riding a bike is one of those things you just never forget, like how I never forgot how to love you after all those years, even after I thought you hated me." The thought just slipped out of Anna's mouth before she could stop it. She saw Elsa's expression fall and felt terrible. She was about to apologise, but Elsa started talking before she could.

"You thought I hated you?" Elsa asked, disgusted with herself for ever having made Anna feel that way. "Anna, I never hated you. I..."

"I know," Anna interjected. "And I didn't mean it to come out like that. Of course I know now that you've always loved me." She took Elsa's hand. "It was something Olaf once told me that helped me understand. He said that love is putting someone else's needs before yours, which is exactly what you did. You locked yourself away from everything for years so you wouldn't hurt me again. And you even wanted to give up your kingdom forever, all for me!" Anna looked at her sister for a long moment, before squeezing her hand and giving her a sandwich.

They both thought in silence while they ate.

Elsa was both saddened and relieved by what Anna had told her. It hurt to know that during the years the sisters were apart, Anna had come to the conclusion that Elsa was avoiding her because she hated her, when nothing could have been further from the truth. But it was heartening to know that even after going through all that pain and confusion, Anna still knew the truth deep within her, and it had guided her through her quest last year, and had ultimately brought them back together.

I let her go, Elsa thought, but she came back to me. It reminded her of something she had read once: "If you love something, let it go. If it comes back to you, it's yours forever. If it doesn't, then it was never meant to be."

And after everything they had been through, Elsa and Anna were together again; it was clearly meant to be.

"It was all to keep you safe," Elsa said, once she had finished. "They... Our parents taught me to suppress all my feelings, even love. But it was still there. Nothing could ever make that love go away."

"I know," said Anna, taking both of Elsa's hands in hers and looking deep into her ice blue eyes until she saw that much-loved smile return to her sister's face. "Come on!" she said, pulling Elsa up until they were both standing.

They packed away the things and headed back to the tandem.

"Are you going to tell me where you're taking me yet?" Anna enquired, after they had started cycling again.

"It won't be much longer before we arrive!" Elsa replied. She continued to evade Anna's questions, wanting to keep the plan a surprise and witness her sister's joy at returning to a place where they used to have a lot of fun many years ago.

They followed the main road for some way before turning off onto a track leading into the thick forest; it was cool in the shade cast by the branches above them, and the wheels of the bike made a muffled sound compared to that of the stone road.

It was clearly less frequented than the previous path; plants and tree branches had started to reclaim the area, and Anna suddenly felt very far from home.

"Are you sure you know where we're going?" she asked. Of course, Anna trusted Elsa completely but their current route didn't seem to be leading anywhere.

"Yes!" Elsa answered. "Do you remember this place? You've been here before." Elsa could recall it vividly herself.

"I have? I can't remember anything about it..." Anna looked around at the forest that surrounded them and although she tried, she couldn't trigger any memories. "Maybe the trolls took away my memories from that time," she suggested.

"I don't think they would have had a reason to remove your memories of this place," Elsa reflected. "You were very young when we used to come here. And we used to travel by carriage. Oh! We're here!"

The forest thinned out, revealing a large lake in front of them. To their left, nestled on the edge of the woods was a wooden summer cottage. It reminded Anna of Oaken's shop, with its low, sloping roof and large porch, although this building was altogether much grander, and was adorned with many more intricate carvings on the woodwork.

Once they had parked the tandem in front of the porch, Anna wandered around the area for a few moments; something about it was familiar to her.

Little fragments of memories were returning to Anna now, although they were still not very clear; Anna had only been around four years old last time she had stayed at this cottage. But she had faint memories of the lake and the little wooden pier that jutted out into it now that she was seeing them again. She walked onto the pier until she reached the edge, and looked down into the clear water. Her reflection gazed up at her, and she saw Elsa come and stand at her side.

"I remember this," Anna said, turning to look at her sister. "I can remember sitting here with you and Mother." She took off her shoes and sat down on the end of the pier, dipping her bare feet in the lake. Anna recalled that they couldn't reach the water last time.

Elsa sat down next to Anna, with her legs crossed and her hands resting in her lap. "This cottage belonged to our mother's family, along with all the land around the lake," Elsa informed her. "We used to spend our summers here before..." She clenched her hands with the painful memory of Anna's accident, and all the heartbreaking changes it had caused.

Anna laid her hand over Elsa's in a gesture of comfort and forgiveness, and the two sisters remained quiet for a while, listening to the sounds of the lake - the wind in the reeds, the stirring of the water - and watching the light play on its surface.

"It's beautiful here," Anna sighed. "So peaceful..."

"I'm glad you like it," Elsa said. "This trip is all about you, Anna. I still have to make up for your birthday - "

"I told you," Anna interrupted, lacing their fingers together. "There's nothing to make up for."

"But I ruined an important day," Elsa continued. "Not just for you, but for me, too. The day you were born was... It was the most important day of my life. I can still remember it clearly."

"Tell me about it," said Anna, resting her head on Elsa's shoulder.

Elsa recounted one of her earliest memories to Anna. It was hard for her to put into words the vivid impressions and feelings she remembered from that day, but she tried her best. "When I woke up, Father was sitting at the end of my bed. The morning light was shining behind him, and he said, 'Elsa, today you're going to be a sister.' I was so excited, but Mother must have been in labour for a long time because Father and I waited together for almost the whole day. We were in the gardens picking flowers when Gerda rushed out and took us to see you. And then Mother let me hold you, and you were so tiny and warm in my arms. I remember looking at you for ages and wishing you would hurry and grow up so you could talk to me and play with me. Of course, I regret wishing that now," she sighed. "You grew up too fast, and I missed it. The only real memories I have of you are when you were small. And now look at you! I missed everything in between."

Elsa squeezed Anna's hand, finding it easier than she had expected to articulate the complex feelings that she had been holding within her ever since they had been reunited.

"But the most difficult thing is," Elsa continued. "I can't really think of you as my sister. It's just... whenever I think of my sister, I immediately think of that tiny little girl, not you as you are now. It's hard to explain..."

She was Anna, that life force and energy hadn't changed. But Elsa had missed Anna grow into a beautiful young woman. She was having trouble connecting the present Anna with the one from her memories, and even more trouble dealing with how beautiful she truly found her.

It was different for Anna, though. Elsa had always been there to play with, and talk to, and help her, as far back as Anna could remember. But then she had suddenly just gone, and Anna had grown up without a part of herself. She couldn't quite think of Elsa as her sister, now, either. She was more like a guardian spirit or a Goddess in human form, they had such a deep connection to each other. But at the same time Elsa was like a stranger, a beautiful stranger tall and fair...

"I know what you mean," Anna said. "You're not my sister. Well, you are. But it's more than that now..." Anna raised her head from Elsa's shoulder and gazed into her eyes as she tried to find the words. "You are..."

"...everything," Elsa finished the sentence for her, and brought her hand up to stroke Anna's cheek as they shared a moment full of love and perfect understanding.

Both of them would have been content to stay like that forever, just being with each other and knowing that, despite all that life had put them through, their bond was stronger than it had ever been.

Elsa was glad that, even though they had only just arrived at the summer cottage, Anna was starting to remember the place again, and it had brought them even closer already. She hoped that this was only the beginning of a wonderful couple of days together, and she was eager to see what else this holiday would lead to.

"Let's go inside," Elsa said, getting up and pulling Anna with her.

The two of them walked hand in hand up to the cottage door, which Elsa unlocked with a key she had been carrying in a pocket of her dress. Together they pushed the door open and stepped into the building that would serve as their home for the next couple of days.

Anna's impression - technically not her first, but her first impression within recent memory - was of a large, yet cosy room. It had a low ceiling compared to those she was used to in the castle, but the main difference from her usual environment was the material from which the cottage was built. Here there was the feeling of being surrounded by wood. The castle at home was built partially of wood, but inside it was highly decorated with wallpaper and panelling, whereas here the walls were wooden logs. Its simplicity was nice, and the whole space had a pleasingly rustic feel to it.

The walls themselves were unadorned; there were two doors on the right hand wall, and a single one on the left, which were the only real features other than the windows. The room they were standing in was sparsely furnished; there was no rug on the painted wooden floor, however it did contain a large table with four chairs, a couch and a small bookcase that was currently empty, which was to be expected considering that nobody had stayed in the cottage for over a decade.

There was a slight musty quality to the air, but it most definitely had not been neglected.

"This place smells like varnish," Anna commented. It struck her as unusual that somewhere that had been uninhabited for such a long time would be so clean.

"That's because there are some servants who come in from time to time to make sure the place is clean," Elsa explained. She led Anna to the furthest door on the right and opened it. "This was where we used to sleep, do you remember?" she asked.

The room contained two small beds that took up most of its space, however the floor in between them had a large enough area for playing on, which Anna was sure she and Elsa had done when they were children, although she had forgotten.

"I bet we had a lovely time here, but I don't remember," Anna answered. "Although, I know we definitely won't fit in those beds now! Where are we going to sleep?"

Elsa paused for a moment before answering. There was only one proper bed in the cottage, and Elsa had assumed that they would sleep in it together, but now it occurred to her that maybe Anna wouldn't want to. She prepared herself for rejection. It didn't mean much in the grand scheme of things, but Elsa had wanted to spend both day and night with her sister on this trip, and it would be lonely to sleep alone in this little cottage, so far away from everything familiar, and so full of reminders from the past.

"There's our parents' bed in the next room," she said, and let go of Anna's hand before walking over to the neighbouring room and opening its door.

Anna followed her into the main bedchamber, which was significantly bigger than their old room. In the centre was a large double bed with an elaborately-carved headboard. In one corner stood what appeared to be a floor-length mirror covered, like the bed, in a dust sheet, and next to it was a chest of drawers.

"Great!" Anna flopped down in the middle of the bed and spread out her arms, discovering that there was plenty of room; the bed was much bigger than the one she was used to. "We can share!" she said happily, smiling up at Elsa.

Elsa felt a thrill of delight at Anna's words; she hadn't even suggested it herself and was pleased that Anna seemed to consider sharing as the most obvious arrangement.

But Elsa hid her excitement well, and sat down calmly next to Anna. "There are no servants staying with us this time," she said. "So, we'll have to make the bed ourselves."

"What? Like peasants?" Anna complained in jest.

"Yes," Elsa laughed softly, and ruffled Anna's hair. "We used to ask to help the housemaids sometimes, when we were little. I think I can still recall what they showed us." And then a thought suddenly struck her. "But we don't have to," she continued with a note of caution. "If you don't like it here we can go back home whenever you want."

"No, I love it here!" Anna replied quickly, sitting up on the bed. "It'll be fun. Besides, it's nice having nobody else around," she took hold of Elsa's hands. "Just you and me."

Glad to have had her worries about Anna's feelings alleviated, Elsa gazed at her tenderly and enjoyed a couple of moments in quiet adoration of her sister before continuing with the rest of the arrangements.

They spent the next hour unpacking and preparing the cottage for their stay. Together, they carried their suitcases from the bike and into their room, and they soon found where Gerda had packed their blankets and bed sheets. Standing at either end, the two of them worked together and had the bed made in no time at all.

After that was done, they began to unpack the clothes they had brought and transferred them to the chest of drawers.

Elsa knelt on the floor and was passing Anna items of clothing to put away, when she found something at the bottom of Anna's suitcase that she wasn't expecting to see at all. She took hold of it and stood up, intending to ask Anna about it. She waited until Anna had finished organising the drawer she had just filled before breaking the silence.

"Anna... What's this?"

"Hm?" Anna looked over her shoulder and tucked a stray lock of hair behind her ear. Then she saw what Elsa was holding and turned towards her to explain, with an embarrassed grin on her flushed face.

"Oh, your glove? Yeah... I kind of held on to it after I pulled it off you that time," she giggled sheepishly.

"Why?" Elsa asked. She had lots of memories associated with this glove, none of them good ones.

"I know it's a reminder of how you hid your magic, and how we argued," Anna explained. "But what I remember most of all when I look at that glove is how beautiful you were the first time I saw you after thirteen years."

Elsa blushed and looked at the left glove she had worn at her coronation. By pulling it off, Anna had caused her to reveal her powers, which had in turn, after everything else... brought them together again, brought them here. Anna was right to see something positive in it.

She lifted her eyes back to Anna, who was looking at her shyly. Elsa could see such love in that look.

"Anna..." Elsa began. She felt like crying, but embraced her sister before her emotions got the better of her. She clung to Anna, who held her just as tightly, and each of them silently rejoiced to have her precious sister in her arms, after all the traumatic events in their lives that they thought would tear them apart.

However, the moment was ruined by Anna's stomach rumbling.

"Ah! Sorry!" she uttered, backing out of Elsa's arms and clutching her abdomen, which currently felt as though it was trying to eat itself. "I guess all the travelling, and housework, and, um, bonding has made me hungry!"

Laughing at Anna's cuteness, Elsa realised she was actually quite hungry herself.

"Well, I think it's time for dinner!" Elsa announced. She gave the glove to Anna, who placed under one of the pillows on the freshly-made bed, before following her sister back to their bike to fetch the food.

The kitchen was filled with the warm light of the setting sun, which shone in through the west-facing windows and onto the furniture of the room. The main feature was the stove, which neither of the sisters expected they would use because of the hot weather, and their lack of cooking experience.

There was also a large sink with a water pump, numerous cupboards, some empty and some containing cooking utensils, and a small round table with two chairs.

Both Elsa and Anna wordlessly agreed to eat here rather than at the table in the main room, which would have left two empty places next to them and reminded them of their parents. Whereas the table in the kitchen had altogether a more intimate feeling.

The cottage had a stillness about it that made a change from their home. The castle was a peaceful place most of the time, but even within its halls one could occasionally discern faint noises from the town, or sounds from the fjord. Yet here there was a sense of quiet emanating from the forest that surrounded them. This was intensified by the different feeling of living on the ground floor, rather than in the upper storeys of the castle, as they were used to. Here there were trees above them, standing like silent sentinels, their natural presence radiating tranquillity.

Anna and Elsa only occasionally breached this stillness when chatting as they put the food away. Elsa conjured an ice box for things that needed to be kept fresh, but there was also an assortment of other items that Gerda had packed for them, which she had thought would be useful, although they weren't sure they'd need.

The sisters sat opposite each other at the table and ate the rest of the sandwiches from lunch, accompanied by fresh water from the sink with added ice.

While they were both cleaning up, Elsa found a couple of baskets in one of the cupboards, which gave her an idea.

"Shall we go into the forest and pick some berries for dessert?" she asked.

"Elsa," Anna said, turning to face her. "You should know by now that I'll do almost anything if there's dessert involved." She took one of the baskets from her sister and led the way outside.

It was evening, and the sun was setting, but Elsa judged that there were at least a couple more hours left before it would get dark as she examined the sky while waiting for Anna.

Anna collected her shoes from where she had left them on the pier; she had enjoyed going around barefoot for the afternoon, but she couldn't go into the forest without wearing shoes. Then she joined Elsa again and the two of them ventured into the forest.

Birdsong echoed in the trees above, and the many years worth of fallen leaves and moss softened their footsteps on the forest floor below. It was a place of pure serenity and as the evening light filtered through the leaves, the two sisters joined hands and walked together; the only people in the entire forest to behold its beauty on that glorious day.

They didn't have to go far before they found a veritable sea of blueberry bushes, and as soon as their stomachs and baskets were full, they decided to turn back before it got any darker. The sisters walked back a slightly different way to that they had taken, and ended up on the edge of the lake, which at least meant it would be easy to follow the shore until they reached the cottage, without risking getting lost in the forest.

Neither Elsa nor Anna was expecting to get as sidetracked as they did, but their little detour led them to a lot of fun. On the water's edge they spotted a small wooden shed.

"What's that?" Anna asked, assuming Elsa would know, since she had clearer memories of the time they had spent in this place.

"I don't know," Elsa replied. "Let's find out!"

They left their baskets by the roots of a nearby tree and went to take a closer look.

The shed was a small, simple building, with a wooden bar across the door to hold it closed. Elsa easily lifted it out of the way and opened the door.

The entirety of the shed was devoted to storing a single two-person rowing boat, which was in pristine condition. The oars rested inside it and it looked like it had been placed there yesterday, not stored in there for years.

"We have a boat?" Anna exclaimed, she had always wanted to try rowing one herself. "Let's take it out on the lake!" She grabbed one end, Elsa took the other, and together they lifted it, finding it to be lighter than they had guessed.

They both carried the boat to the pier, which was actually very close by, although neither of them had seen the shed from there because it was so small.

It didn't occur to Elsa to worry about the fact that neither of them knew how to row, and only Anna could swim; she had finally regained the ability to have spontaneous fun. The long years of repression disappeared and it felt like she was a child again, on an adventure with the person she loved; no duties, no consequences of having fun, just Elsa and Anna enjoying life together.

They set the boat down in the water and were glad to see that it floated and didn't have any leaks. Seeing that it was starting to drift away before they were in it, Elsa pulled the boat closer and froze the water around it to keep it from floating away or tipping over when they climbed in.

Anna hopped on board and slotted the oars into place before sitting down on the back seat.

"Hurry up and get in! I wanna row this thing!" she called to Elsa, who hadn't moved.

"You're facing the wrong way," Elsa replied. "And you have to sit in the front seat." Details were coming back to her from when she used to watch her father rowing.

"Hm. If you say so..." Anna turned around and sat in the other seat, unsure about how she was supposed to steer the boat if she couldn't see where they were going, but she guessed it'd be Elsa's job to guide her.

Elsa got in and sat down facing Anna, then reached over the side and unfroze the water, leaving the boat free to float away from the pier.

Anna now began her first attempt at rowing, and after a few false starts that ended up pushing them back towards the shore, she started to get the hang of it. Steering was tricky, it seemed like you had to do everything the opposite way on a boat, but finally Anna found a rhythm and they were gliding smoothly along the shore, underneath the overhanging branches of the trees.

Just then, a terrible squawking noise came from a bird in one of the trees somewhere above them.

"Wow," Anna said, steering the boat away. "Somebody should find that poor animal and put it out of its misery!"

"Anna!" Elsa said in mock chastisement.

"What? It's ruining the mood!" Anna continued rowing towards the centre of the lake until they could no longer hear it.

Elsa raised an eyebrow, and her lips curved into an alluring half-smile. "And what mood would that be?" she murmured, leaning forward.

"I- I don't know," Anna replied, getting so flustered that she almost dropped an oar. "You're distracting me!" she complained, avoiding Elsa's eyes. "Rowing isn't as easy as it looks!"

There certainly was a mood to this little boat ride, Elsa thought. The calm lapping of the water, the setting sun that coloured the sky a warm pink tone currently matched in its intensity by the blush on Anna's face, the fact that they were the only people for miles around in this beautiful part of the country... It was romantic.

Anna let the boat float around aimlessly, enjoying the freedom of being in the middle of the lake, almost losing sight of the land. "This is amazing," she said, gazing at Elsa, her previous shyness forgotten.

Elsa nodded in agreement. "Do you want to switch places?" she asked after a few moments.

"Sure! My arms are starting to ache from all this rowing."

Elsa created ice around the boat again to stabilise it. Both girls stood up and, holding onto each other, switched places almost like a sort of dance move.

Once she had unfrozen the water, it took Elsa a while to get used to rowing. But soon enough, with directions from Anna, they were heading back to the pier.

They worked together, using both ice and their own aching muscles, and arrived back on dry land again.

Then, they carried the boat back to its shed and secured it again, remembering to collect their baskets before heading back to the cottage in the twilight.

Elsa led the way, mostly by touch, to the kitchen, where she managed to see enough in the dark to find and light a candle from one of the cupboards.

From there, they went to their bedroom, both regarding their busy day as now officially ended.

"Did you have fun today?" Elsa asked, setting the candlestick down on the top of the chest of drawers.

"Of course I did! Coming here was one of the best ideas you've ever had! What are we going to do tomorrow?" Anna asked, sitting on the bed.

"I was just wondering that myself," Elsa said, rummaging around in her suitcase and taking out some paper and a pencil.

She sat down next to her sister and unfolded the paper between them, which turned out to be a map of the area.

"I was thinking we could go hiking to this part of the forest," Elsa pointed to an area of the map. "We used to go walking with our parents around there sometimes when we were children. Only it's quite a long way, the cottage is over here." She pointed to another part.

"Well, as long as we have an idea of where everything is, we'll be fine," Anna said, picking up the pencil and circling the areas of the map that Elsa had just indicated.

"You write with your left hand?" Elsa asked, ashamed that she hadn't noticed this about Anna before, having just assumed that she was right-handed like herself; although Elsa could use either hand for her magic.

"Hm? I can use both," Anna replied, switching hands and drawing a line to connect the areas she had just circled. "It depends on how I feel. I guess it's my own version of magic powers," she added, before yawning loudly.

Elsa watched her with a fond smile on her face. There was so much she had yet to discover about this adorable, remarkable girl... Her heart almost bursting with love, she reached out and tenderly touched Anna's cheek. "It's time to go to sleep," she said, softly.

Anna smiled back at her and brought her hand up to cover Elsa's.

Unwilling to end the moment, but even less willing to keep Anna awake for much longer, Elsa stood up and put the things away before getting out their nightgowns and passing Anna's to her.

The two sisters began to get changed, Elsa averting her eyes from Anna while she quickly removed her dress and underwear before pulling on her long light blue nightdress. After she was dressed, she glanced at Anna, who was standing in front of the mirror in her underwear.

"Oh no!" Anna complained, examining the reflection of her shoulders and arms. "I've been bitten!" She walked over to show Elsa a series of small, red insect bites on her arms and shoulders. Elsa didn't have any herself, probably thanks to her magic.

"It's your fault for being too delicious," Elsa murmured, stroking Anna's bare shoulder. She imagined that Anna truly was delicious in every way, but resisted the temptation to bring her lips down to taste her soft, freckled skin, and contented herself with using her powers to soothe the inflammation of the bites.

Anna sighed as Elsa lightly ran her hands over her bitten skin, replacing the uncomfortable itchy feeling with a calming coolness.

"That feels better. Thank you!" she said, squeezing Elsa's magical hands with gratitude before continuing to get undressed.

Elsa quickly turned away and started unfastening her braid in front of the mirror, trying not to peek at Anna changing behind her. She took out her hairbrush and brushed the length of her long hair until it was smooth and shone like pale spun gold.

Anna had finished changing, and was brushing her own fiery tresses, when she wandered over to the window to look out at the lake.

"Woah," she breathed when she saw the view. "The sky looks incredible tonight!" She put down her hairbrush and went outside to get a better view.

Elsa finished brushing her hair and went to join her.

Anna was sitting on the wide wooden steps of the porch looking out at the sky above the lake. The stars shone brightly in the clear night sky, and once her eyes had adjusted to the darkness, Elsa thought she could even make out the faint glow of the Milky Way above them. But as Elsa stared at the stars, she couldn't help but be reminded of Anna's freckles and the way they were scattered over her face, and her shoulders, maybe other places, too... Their beauty eclipsed the stars, but the sky that night was still impressive.

"It's amazing, isn't it?" Elsa said, quietly.

Anna turned and watched Elsa sit down at her side. Yet again, her sister's beauty almost took Anna's breath away. While Elsa's deep blue eyes were focused on the sky, Anna studied her sister's form as if she was seeing her for the first time in forever.

Elsa was wearing a diaphanous blue nightgown, which hung loosely on her slender figure, but couldn't hide the swell of her full breasts under its almost see-through material. Her light, silky hair was almost long enough for her to sit on, and it framed her perfect face, some loose strands draping themselves over her arms like miniature rivulets.

Anna had a sudden desire to touch this vision of loveliness next to her, as some proof that all this was real, not a dream, and that she wasn't going to wake up alone somewhere cold and dark.

Anna reached out and gently took a strand of Elsa's hair. She brought it up to her face, feeling its softness and breathing in Elsa's scent before tucking it behind her sister's ear.

"Not as amazing as you," Anna said, in response to her earlier question. "You're my sun and moon and sky, Elsa."

"Anna..." Elsa whispered, taking hold of her hand. She wanted to express her own feelings, but what Anna had just said made anything she could think of seem empty in comparison.

Her sister was so close.

Elsa found herself looking at Anna's mouth and wanting to feel the warmth of it again like she had that morning. Anna's face was so open, gazing at her so lovingly.

She won't reject you.

Somehow, the distance between them closed and their lips brushed together. After a few moments of impossible sweetness, they drew apart and shared a look of understanding. Something between them had been lifted, and Elsa and Anna knew that they had just begun to discover what it was truly like to love and be loved. Neither of them could conceal the matching smiles of pure joy that spread across their faces.

Without speaking and without separating their hands, they made their way to bed, and a night of blissful sleep in each other's arms.