Disclaimer: Frozen is the property of Disney. I do not own anything except the original characters in this fanfiction.

Chapter One: Beginnings

July 16th, midnight

As dresses go, this one—the one I made after I ran off to the North Mountain—is pretty, if I do say so myself. Hardly practical for bed though, Elsa mused, undoing her braid and putting on her nightgown. Lifting the winter she had accidentally caused and the emotional turmoil she had gone through in the past two and a half days had left her tired to the bone. Warm cotton replaced the icy silk against her skin. She crawled under the covers with a sigh and felt exhaustion seep from her body as she sank on the mattress.

It was a long day.

She was already drifting to sleep curled up on her side facing the door of her room when a soft knock on the door brought her back to full consciousness. Elsa groaned and screwed her eyes shut tighter. "Elsa?" a muffled voice asked from behind the door.

It was Anna.

She heard the door creak open when her younger sister let herself in. Soft footsteps followed, stopping by her bed. Elsa cracked an eye open to see Anna standing at the side of the bed with a sheepish grin.

"Do you know what time it is, Anna?" Elsa grumbled, burrowing under the covers to hide her smile. She didn't know why she was happy at having her sleep interrupted, but it might have been because she was glad Anna was there with her.

"Midnight. It's a new day!" Elsa lifted the covers from her head to see Anna still grinning at her, but was also wringing her hands nervously. "But actually—um...do you mind if I sleep here? Just for tonight, I promise! I mean...it's been so long and I—"

"Sure. The bed is big enough," Elsa cut in, ending Anna's rambling. If she let Anna continue, her sister would go on and on—though on the other hand, the rambling might lull her to sleep, she thought, pushing the blanket aside and moving over to make room. She frowned and remembered the last time she had allowed Anna to sleep beside her (she had been seven, Anna had been four). "You've outgrown kicking around in bed, right?" Elsa asked, raising a skeptical eyebrow as she stifled a yawn.

"You'll just have to find out." Anna smirked widely and flopped on the bed, twisting on her side to face her older sister on the bed. Elsa rolled her eyes affectionately and turned around to face Anna as well. Now fully awake, Elsa studied Anna's features, realizing how much time she had lost out on as she noted how much her younger sister had changed over the years. Elsa's scrutiny made Anna's smirk shrink into a small, uncertain smile. "I've missed this so much."

"Me too."

Anna pursed her lips thoughtfully. "So."

"Hmm?"

Anna shook her head, sighing. "We need to practice this sister thing more often," she said, flopping on her back. "What I had in mind when I came here was talking non-stop until the sun rose. Now I can't think of a thing to say." She grimaced. "Sorry. I didn't mean to complain—"

Elsa disagreed, shaking her head as well. "I understand. And I'm very glad you came." A moment of hesitation born from years of habit and isolation passed, and Elsa found the courage to squeeze Anna's hand from under the covers. Anna squeezed back.

I think it's time for me to reach out instead. "Your streak's gone," Elsa remarked, stretching out her other hand to trace where it was before.

"Really? I hadn't noticed."

Elsa bit her lip, searching for the right words to say. She feared Anna's reaction—anxiety fluttered against her chest, and the ice started creeping toward her fingertips. She willed it back and took a deep breath to calm herself. Stop it. Fear got you in trouble in the first place, remember? "Do you know where you got it?" she asked.

"I was born with it, right? But I liked thinking I was kissed by a troll," Anna joked. Elsa's jaw tightened, wondering what her sister would say once the truth was out. "That's definitely not how I got it, right? Anna asked, focusing on the slight frown that wrinkled Elsa's brow.

"No," Elsa responded, pushing herself up into a sitting position. Anna followed suit and raised a curious eyebrow.

"What do you mean?"

Elsa folded her hands over her lap and took a deep breath to gather her courage. I might was well get it over with, she thought. "You got it on a night like this," she began, fiddling with the hem of her blanket nervously. "I will never forget that night—September 19, 1827. You were five years old, I was eight. Autumn was starting to make way for winter...the nights were starting to get cold."

She laughed through her nose. "You were such a pest," she recalled fondly with a tinge of sadness. "You kept bugging me with 'do you wanna build a snowman?" You knew I had powers back then."

Anna's eyes were wide as saucers with disbelief. "I did? But how come...?"

"I'll get to that. Anyway, you were such a ball of energy, even the night can't keep you down. I always gave in when you wanted to play, thinking I'd be able to get you exhausted enough so I can get some sleep myself," Elsa continued, her gaze far away as she sifted through her memories. "I should have known better, though. I ended up having much more fun than I thought I would, so going to the throne room in the middle of the night to play in the snow became a habit for us." Elsa paused and glanced at Anna, who was uncharacteristically silent and patient. Anna raised her eyebrows, urging her older sister to continue.

"That night started out like all others. You woke me up, we raced down the stairs to the throne room, and we played in the snow I created. I also made Olaf that night."

"Wait, so even then you could create living snowmen?"

"Huh? Oh, no—I mean, it wasn't our Olaf, but it looked like him. I remember hiding behind that snowman, making the hands move, and you laughed. It didn't take much to make you laugh."

"Still doesn't."

"Ha, yes." Elsa chuckled and paused, knowing she was about to come to the painful part of her story. "But then, you started jumping on the piles of snow I created. You were going too fast, and I accidentally struck your head with my magic. That's why you had a streak in your hair."

"But how come I can't remember?" Anna asked, still in disbelief. Judging from her expression, Elsa guessed Anna was having a hard time reconciling her memories with what she just told her. "I remember the tickle bumps, and skating in the lake—"

"Grand Pabbie placed those memories in your head," Elsa cut in. "The tickle bumps, the skating—all of those happened in the throne room."

"Why did they do that? Why mess with my memories?" Anna asked, distraught. Elsa bit her lip and shook her head.

"At the time, it was thought to have been the best course of action to take to keep you safe from me."

"But it was an accident, and you were just a kid!" Anna protested vehemently.

"Even so." Elsa breathed in shakily. "I'm so sorry for hurting you, Anna. Then and up at the North Mountain."

"Oh, Elsa." Anna moved closer to her sister and hugged her tightly. Elsa stiffened at the unfamiliar sensation of Anna's warmth. "I wish you would stop beating yourself over that. I know it's going to take time—a long time, probably—but promise me that you'll forgive yourself eventually. I can't stand seeing you so sad."

Elsa nodded jerkily against Anna's shoulder. "I'll try," she mumbled, disentangling herself from her sister's hold and cleared her throat.

"So what happened next?" Anna prompted.

"Papa and Mama found us and took us to the trolls. Besides replacing your memories, Grand Pabbie was able to heal your head. When we got back to the castle, Papa ordered letting go of most of the staff, limited my contact with people, and hid my powers from everyone, especially you. I also started wearing gloves, because Papa said those would help. And they did, I guess."

"Oh, Papa," Anna sighed, disappointment coloring her voice. Both sisters fell silent, lost in thought. "So that's why you started wearing gloves. All this time I thought you had a thing against dirt," the younger one joked, breaking the heavy silence. Elsa picked up on Anna's attempt to lighten the mood and smirked.

"I admit that I'm a neat freak, but I'm not afraid to get my hands dirty. I mean, remember the time we made mud pies out of actual mud?"

"Yeah! The pie I made was pretty awesome, right?"

"I had to stop you from eating it, though," Elsa pointed out wryly, raising an eyebrow.

"Give me a break. I was only four!" Anna huffed, making Elsa laugh at her pouting face. She looks so much like a four-year-old, she thought before sobering to continue with her story. Anna listened to every word.

"The day before my coronation, I visited Mama and Papa's graves. I told them I was angry at them for doing this to me—to us. I know they thought was they did was for the best. Still, I can't help but wonder what could have been if they hadn't done what they did." Elsa stole a glance at Anna and racked her brain for the right words to say how she had felt—still felt, actually—about her circumstance. "I've always wondered, why me? What did I ever do to deserve this, to be cursed with this?" She opened her palm to let a little puff of frost to escape before closing it into a fist. "It's not fair."

Elsa fell silent, letting Anna absorb everything she said. She watched her sister's face carefully for any reactions and saw how Anna's face slowly changed from serious to slightly mischievous. "What are you thinking?" she asked, raising an eyebrow curiously.

Anna jumped out of bed and spun around to face Elsa. "You know, you're right, it's not fair what happened to you," she agreed. "But tonight...well, okay, first off, you're not cursed. Second, I've got a great idea." She grinned widely and impishly, planting her hands on her hips. Elsa blinked—for a second, thirteen years melted away and left a little pigtailed girl in place. She shook her head to clear it and bring herself back to the present.

"Okay...what is it?" she asked cautiously. Elsa knew Anna had something up her sleeve when she got that slightly manic look on her face. "What are you thinking?" she asked with wary curiosity.

"Do you want to build a snowman?"

That startled a laugh out of Elsa. "What?"

"Do you want to build a snowman?" Anna repeated, looking at Elsa expectantly. Understanding dawned in Elsa's eyes.

"Sure, why not. Let's go!"

Giggling and scrambling out of bed, the sisters raced to the ballroom like they used to before.

I can't undo the last thirteen years, Elsa reflected as Anna's laughter echoed in the throne room, but this night is a new beginning for me.

For us.

July 30th, midnight

The moonlight streamed through an open window, which also allowed the sound of crickets chirping and other night sounds to fill the room. The room itself was generously furnished—the walnut bed was fit for a prince, with heavy velvet drapes. On the side of the room was matching walnut furniture: a large desk supplied with writing materials such as reams of paper and bottles of ink, a bookshelf crammed with novels and political treatises, and a handsome cabinet. A small, cheerful fire blazed in the fireplace to keep the room warm, and an overstuffed sofa sat against a wall.

But for Hans, a prince of the Southern Isles now stripped of his title, it was a prison. He was currently under house arrest for the "despicable actions you have done against the country of Arendelle."

"Despicable?" he muttered to himself as he sat at his desk, staring out the window. "If anything, I was doing that damned country a favor, getting rid of a witch that had plunged it into an unnatural winter."

You were so close.

Hans let out a snarl of frustration and paced around his room like a caged animal. His mind kept flashing back to the exact moment his sword was bearing down on the defenseless Snow Queen, until Anna showed up deflected the blow by turning into ice. How could his sword break just like that against ice, anyway?

I suppose it had something to do with magic, Hans thought, twisting his mouth into a thin smile. His musings were interrupted by the door flying open, revealing a tall, thin man with hair the same rusty shade as his, disheveled and falling over his bespectacled eyes. The firelight reflected from his glasses, hiding his gaze from Hans.

"I trust you're well tonight, Hans," the man remarked, closing the door behind him. "I have something to discuss with you."

The thin smile on Hans's face smoothed over into what he hoped was a bland, pleasant expression. "Thank you for inquiring about my health, Thomas. Come here to give me another lecture? Or wait, let me guess—did you miss me?" he said mildly, his tone gratingly insincere. He made a show of rubbing his chin thoughtfully, trying to guess what his brother might wish to discuss with him. When Thomas didn't rise to the bait—not that Hans had expected him to, Thomas has always been annoyingly calm and collected—he leveled an impassive stare at his third-oldest brother. Thomas stared back, cool brown eyes assessing him.

"Sit down," Thomas ordered. Much as Hans wanted to disobey, something about Thomas's tone made him do so. It galled him how easily his older brothers bent him to their will.

You were so close, the mocking voice whispered once again. He ignored it and sat down, holding Thomas's gaze.

"Well? What brings you to my prison, brother?" Hans asked pleasantly, leaning back and crossing his arms over his chest.

Thomas remained standing and pushed his glasses up his nose. "I have a proposition for you," he said without preamble. "Do you want to start over?"

Hans frowned. "Start over? What do you mean?"

"Listen carefully to what I'm about to offer you, Hans. If you're smart, you'd do well to consider it. It may be your only chance for redemption."

Hans raised an eyebrow. Redemption? Well, I suppose one should feel sorry for having attempted regicide, he thought sardonically.

"Are you listening to me, Hans?"

He was powerless right now. But this might be the chance to turn things to his favor.

"I'm listening."