Elsa dispatched her letter, hoping the Duke would put aside his personal agenda against her and reply, while also hoping she was wrong. Soren's family received its due and she took the opportunity to scour through the details of her subjects with a finer eye, identifying any inconsistencies in taxation or public appearances that could originate from her actions. She also interrogated Kai and her staff, begging them to tell her of anyone they may know of who would feel wronged by her, telling them she would cope with whatever hatred rained down on her. With no protests she was able to concentrate far better that morning, and kept a firmer grip on her powers. The tension was still there, throbbing in the back of her skull so she still wore her gloves, much to Anna's chagrin. However she finally had a few moments of peace, where she could just close her eyes and breathe without being overwhelmed by the stench of fear and anger.

Once the initial panic and slight frustration at his actions faded, Elsa and Anna went to see Áno. Neither sister knew what they were going to say to him, or possibly offer as thanks, but they wanted to fulfill their obligation to the man who had done so much. The hut stood in its secluded corner as it always did. Elsa glanced at Anna and received an encouraging smile before she stepped forward and knocked.

Áno opened the door with a faint smile, which only widened when the sisters gasped. A large scar ran across his left cheekbone. His right eye was only half open. Red patches of sore skin littered his face. Elsa couldn't help but notice the odd angle at which he held his arm and wondered how she could have missed it during his visit that morning. Neither of them said anything as he sat them down and handed them mugs of water out of respect. Anna was clearly struggling to hold her tongue, but Elsa took the opportunity to gaze around the small room. She looked at the simple ornaments, the unsteady furniture, the empty shelves, the steadily filling bags...

Then Áno winced and Anna seized the opportunity. "What's wrong? Did you hurt yourself?"

Áno frowned briefly, before returning to his gentle smile. "A little, yes."

"And when did this happen?"

"Late last night." His smile slipped again, his eyes flitting between the Princess and Queen.

"And what were you doing to get hurt so badly?"



"I... ran into a rough crowd." He looked questioningly at Elsa, who finally sighed, silencing Anna with a raised hand.

"We know what you did Áno."

"Oh."

There was an awkward silence, which he broke after a few seconds.

"You don't have to thank me you know."

"But... you were attacked!" Elsa was on her feet now. "Why would you do that?!"

"Because they wouldn't have stopped otherwise and I couldn't let them continue to hurt you."

Elsa opened and closed her mouth like a fish, unable to form words. Anna came to her rescue.

"But why would you do that for her?"

Áno pivoted on the spot and looked down at her. "It's the right thing to do, isn't it?"

"And no other reason?"

"I don't understand..." Áno cocked his head. "What other reason would I possibly need?"

"Oh, I dunno..." She shrugged before a mischievous smile formed on her lips. "Maaaybe..."

She dragged the word out slowly and Elsa chose her moment to interrupt, unwilling to hear the question. "You're leaving."

"What?" Anna looked around, only just noticing what Elsa had minutes prior; Áno was packing his belongings into two large sacks. He had winced after depositing a fairly large bundle of clothing into one. "Wait, you aren't leaving because I yelled at you are you? That was a total accident! I'm sorry! Didn't Elsa tell you?" She glanced at her sister, but received no response.

"No, that's not why. And you don't need to apologize. I shouldn't have said what I said that day." He sighed. "I thought I told you Elsa, I was never going to stay here for too long." He turned back to Anna. "And it's not your fault Anna. It's just a case of strange timing." He smiled sadly.

"When are you leaving?"

"Within a week. Maybe two, if the need arises."

Elsa walked closer to the two of them, her voice soft. "Will you let us know before you leave?"

Áno turned to face her, his smile warm. "Of course I will."

He held out his hand. Elsa immediately found herself back in her study on the day they met. He'd made the same offer then, but she'd been too afraid to indulge him. How much had she changed since then? The seconds trickled by like hours and she became acutely aware of her delayed reactions. She looked up guiltily but saw two faces looking at her with such strong faith... She was grateful to them for always believing in her. Surely a handshake was a small price to pay? Besides, she was still wearing her gloves after all.

Her hand reached out. The process must have taken only moments, but to her time was still moving through a quagmire. When her hand met his it the sensation almost felt alien to her, unused to human contact beyond the kind embrace of her sister. She looked up at Anna, who returned her gaze with one of utmost pride and couldn't help but return her grin to the both of them.

She thought back to that moment as she stood inside her castle, staring through a window. She wasn't in her study, so her field of view was restricted, but she could see what she wanted to see.

A small line of men being marched through the docks and towards a ship, their hands tied and their heads hung low in disgrace.

She had taken many days to think her decision over. Anna and Kai had berated her, in their own soft ways, for the time she was wasting and the "undeserved" sympathy she was showing. She had told herself, over and over, that she was strong, that she would remove her own feelings from the matter and treat the men fairly. But she supposed Anna and Kai knew better, though they'd hidden it well. She wasn't surprised. She didn't know anything about herself after all, did she? Nothing but a growing list of faults she could never hope to remedy. For how could she have told considered herself impartial if she'd never even entered the dungeons and spoken with the men in person?

In the end, she wondered whether she was the only one surprised she'd taken the "coward's way out".

She shook her head for the umpteenth time that day, willing her mind back to the present. Then men were little more than stick figures in the distance, though she could make out enough of their features to distinguish them as they were slowly relocated to their moving prison. Carsten was among the first. She saw him tugging against the bonds that restrained him, wincing as she saw him fall by the hand of one of her guards before another dragged him out of sight. She found herself torn between wanting to watch the last vestiges of her torment taken out of her life and returning to her slowly healing life, her responsibilities and sister.

In the end she remained rooted to the spot, unable to leave as the group steadily dwindled. At last it was Raphael's turn. As he was lead up to the vessel, she saw his head turn towards the castle. Even as he walked backwards, ignoring the scolding of the men in Arendelle's green, his eyes scanned the walls until they alighted on a window.

Hers.

It took her a few moments to overcome her reflexive panic and realize there was nothing suspicious about his behavior. After all, she was currently standing on the same floor as her study and looking out of one of the few windows facing the port, was she not? In fact, she noticed now that Raphael was in fact looking at a window slightly to her left, although she also saw his expression.

One of victory.

She shuddered as he too was led onto the ship and out of her gaze and wrenched herself away from her silent torture, vowing that she would ensure that his daughter, as well as all the relatives those men had left behind, would be cared for just as well as her other subjects or reunited with their deported parents and siblings as soon as she could possibly arrange it.

She hadn't forgotten Áno of course. She had requested that her morning meetings be delayed in order to let him know that his deed was not in vain. He merely smiled, bags already packed and waiting to be moved. Elsa asked him if there was any way to convince him to stay and he politely apologized a second time.

The day proceeded as normal afterwards. Her advisors were instrumental in helping her fulfill all of her obligations to her people, as well as the families and friendships she had torn apart. Only a few subjects arrived to seek her aid, but she knew that the number would soon increase and welcomed the coming change. In fact, the only peculiar event came in the evening. Anna had unfortunately interrupted one of her private discussions with a guild master and was standing in front of Elsa's throne, letting her sister gently "berate" her to the best of her ability when Kai walked in, two letters in hand. Elsa's eyes narrowed slightly before she composed herself. However, Kai spoke before she could.

"Your Majesty, I have here a reply from the Duke of Weselton regarding your recent enquiry."

"And?"

"He asks that you reconsider your refusal to trade with him-"

"Unbelievable!" She fell back against her throne with a thud before pulling herself back upright, her cheeks flushed. "The man cares of nothing but filling his pockets with as much dirty gold as possible!"

Kai smiled gently before continuing "-but would like to let you know that he would never let his personal or financial agendas get in the way of the welfare of his people." He held up the second letter between two fingers before passing it to her. "He hopes this tells you everything you need to know."

Anna watched as Elsa's eyes skimmed over the parchment multiple times, her right hand gripping the arm of her throne with greater and greater intensity. Her eyes turned red, as did her face, before she gasped for breath, dropping the sheet to her lap. She looked up, wild for a brief moment before she returned to reality. She looked at Kai, then turned to the Princess.

"I need to talk to you. Alone. Now."

Anna had been stunned into silence and remained mute as Elsa lead her from the wide room into a corridor. The letter was still clutched in a rigid grip when she entered a hallway, looked down it to ensure their privacy, then slumped against the wall. Her fingers trembled. Anna wordlessly motioned to the parchment and received it, Elsa's hand was weak and she immediately turned away. Anna opened the paper and began to read.

"To the illustrious Queen of Arendelle, blah blah blah, here is the information you requested... I don't get it; this is just a bunch of names and dates and - hey! Henrik Bjorgman! That's funny in a way... and that's it. What's the deal?"

"There's another column." Elsa's voice was dead, but she managed to face the redhead for a moment. "On the right, you haven't unfolded it." She nodded when Anna found it and returned to her blank state.

"That's a really neat fold I must say but okay... Circumstances? Er, let's see... washed up ashore, washed up ashore, dug out of an avalanche... Elsa, are these people dead?!"

Elsa nodded again.

"And... and these dates - they're when... you know, when they - they died?"

Another nod.

"I don't get it, why would you ask for this? The silk guy?"

A fourth nod, though this time Elsa straightened up and looked her in the eye.

"So..." she held the list up "what does this mean?"

"It means..." the blonde took a deep breath, "it means Soren isn't the first person Áno's killed."