Last chapter. Final push! LET'S DO THIS!

Chapter 7

"Elsa..." Anna murmured. As her senses returned to her, she noticed she was warm. Warm and soft. For the second time in about four days, she was lounging in her bed, and just like the last time she had been laid low by cold. And just as before, she shot bolt upright and shouted, "Elsa!"

"Easy there," said a gentle, firm voice. She turned and saw the palace physician pass her a glass of something tall and milky. "You're lucky to have all your fingers and toes."

"Anna!" Kristoff shouted, dashing to the bed. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," Anna said, pushing the glass away. The physician pushed it back at her, so she finally snatched it and downed nearly the entire thing in one gulp. "I'm- cough- fine," she gagged, taking a breath. She then gulped down the rest of the concoction, and tried to vault out of bed. "We have to go back!"

"No, we don't," Kristoff said.

"You're in no condition to go back up that mountain," said the physician. "Besides, Princess Anna, is that really how you want to spend your Christmas Eve?"

"Christmas... Eve?" Anna repeated, glancing out the window. It was dark outside. "What time is it?"

"Just about eight o'clock," said Kristoff, glancing at the great clock on Anna's mantle.

"Eight..." Anna said softly. She sniffed, tears springing to her eyes. "Mass..."

"Hmm?" said Kristoff.

The physician looked from one to the other. "I'll leave you two alone," he said, gently rising from his seat and showing himself out.

"Elsa said Archbishop Hageback wanted her to go to Midnight Mass on Christmas Eve," Anna said. Tears rolled down her cheeks. "We were going to go together... we were going to go as... a family."

Kristoff held her as she shoulders wracked. "I'm sorry," he said. "But... maybe you should go! You and I."

"No!" Anna wept. "No, not without Elsa! It's not the same."

"Anna," Kristoff said, "with her gone, you're the acting regent. She would want you to go, to make things right. And... maybe it will help."

"How?" Anna bawled. "Kristoff, I heard her- I thought I saw her- she was so close!" Dozens of hot tears spilled down Anna's face. "But she's gone! I think she's really gone, gone forever! She'll never come back!"

"You don't know that," Kristoff said, his own voice growing thick with sadness. "We can't... we can't be sure. But for tonight, I think we should get dressed up and go. We can sit in the royal balcony, just where Elsa would be. And maybe..." he glanced to the side and whispered, "maybe..."

"What?" Anna asked, wiping her eyes.

"Well... the trolls always told me that Christmas Eve was one of the most magical times of the year. They said it was... transcendent. Maybe... maybe if you make a wish, and you wish hard enough... something will happen."

"I just don't know," Anna said. "I don't think I believe in wishes coming true any more." She drew her knees up to her chest. She looked between them, breathing in, breathing out. Finally, she took one great breath and looked across the bed at Kristoff. "But you're right. I need to go. For Elsa." She crawled out of bed. "I'll have to start deciding what to wear..."

In the cold and lonely ice palace, Elsa sat on her icy knees and bawled. Again, no tears ran from her eyes, but it did not make her sobbing any less intense, nor did the hours she had already spent weeping. She wanted to die. She wanted to crack herself and be blown away to nothing. At least then, she wouldn't have to feel so hopeless and alone.

I was a fool, she thought. She had been so caught up in the thrill of Winter's power and grace and might, she had totally forgotten all the love she was leaving behind. Anna's presence had reminded her, had shocked her into rediscovering herself, buried in the snowstorm of the Winter's terrible soul. But now that she was in her right mind again, all she felt was grief: incalculable, overwhelming grief. Why didn't she resist the Winter's tug? She'd been so afraid of it, and she had been right to be. It had taken everything from her. It had taken her kingdom, her people, her friends, and most of all it had taken away her sister, the person she most desperately wanted to draw into a warm embrace. Warm- the Winter had even taken away her warmth. She was lonely and cold and empty, dark and frigid like the palace that surrounded her. Her shoulders heaved with sobs again. Between crying, she sang softly.

Sadness swirls within me like the snow,

I've frozen out the only friend I'll ever know.

Never again holding hands in summer sun,

Nor ever again having part in joy and fun.

My soul is empty, with no heart inside.

I want to run away, I want to go and hide.

To flee this yawning emptiness within my chest,

Perhaps the dear old Stoics really did know best.

I'd rather not feel, rather go and die,

Than live another minute of this frozen lie.

There's no hope here, no happy end for me,

So maybe I should just... not... be.

Elsa bent so low her forehead touched the floor, crying hard all over again. The world was black and cold and filled with no one except her.

But then... she heard something. It was soft, and faint at first, but even as she raised back up to a kneeling position it was growing louder. She could hear it outside her palace, hear it in the cold night air that was for once perfectly still. It sounded, very faintly, like bells. And as they grew louder still, she could distinguish them further. Not just any bells- they were sleigh bells. They grew louder and louder, gentle and delightful, until abruptly they stopped. Elsa sighed. Tourists from Arendelle and even beyond would often ride up the North Mountain to see her ice palace and marvel at its beauty. Clearly a group had ridden by for a Christmas Eve treat, to see the magnificent icework illuminated by the starlight. They were gone now. She was all alone again.

Rap-rap-rap!

Elsa shot to her feet. Someone was knocking, knocking on the door to her palace. But she stood in place. They were just having fun. They'd go away soon.

Rap-rap-rap!

"Queen Elsa?" a voice called through the ice door. "Queen Elsa, are you in there? I should love to see you, Your Majesty!"

Elsa dashed to the door. As she got closer, she could see a faint silhouette outside, and it was crowned with the distinct rounded point of a miter. "Archbishop Hageback?" she whispered. What on earth was he doing this far up the mountain? Especially on Christmas Eve? She didn't know exactly what time it was, but Midnight Mass couldn't have been far away.

"Your Majesty?" the voice called through the door again, strong and steady.

"C-coming!" Elsa said, walking to the door. She clutched the ornate ice handles for a moment. He wouldn't be able to see her. She would vanish into snow and fog, just as she had with Anna. But maybe... She threw the doors open.

"Hello there, Your Majesty!" a voice boomed down at her. "Are you all right? You look different. And I'm not sure it's a good different."

"You... you can see me?" Elsa said. She clutched all over her icy body. "I'm whole! I'm not a fog of snow! You can see me!"

"Why shouldn't I be able to see you?" the voice asked again. A hand reached out and fell onto her shoulder. "How are you?"

"I... I..." Elsa suddenly focused on the owner of the hand and the voice. "You're not Hageback."

Indeed, he was not. She couldn't see all his details in the darkness, but it was clear that he was a heavier, sturdier man than the thin Hageback. And even in the darkness, she could tell his face was adorned with a long white beard. But he was clearly a member of the Church hierarchy, for he wore the red robes of an archbishop, and in addition to his miter he carried a shepherd's crook.

"No," said the archbishop, "no, I am not. I am a colleague of his. Someone I trust and love told me that you were in distress, and I wanted to come see if you were all right." He leaned forward. "Are you?"

"I..." Elsa looked up into his face. It was shadowed, hard to see, but she caught the twinkle of eyes. "No," she said, choosing to be honest. She glanced away. "I'm miserable. I've lost everything I've ever loved, and I'm all alone."

"Why, that's terrible!" the archbishop said. "No one should be alone on Christmas Eve."

"I can agree with that," Elsa said. "Would you like to come in, Your Excellency?"

The archbishop glanced past her into the darkness of the ice palace. "It seems rather gloomy in there," he said. "I've got a better idea. Why don't you come have a ride with me? We can go down the mountain and see the lights of Arendelle. The city is beautiful tonight, with candles in every window, fires in every hearth. I think it might brighten your spirits a little."

Elsa wasn't sure she belonged near Arendelle any more, not after she had turned her back on her kingdom and her people. But she desperately wished not to be alone, and if a ride was what the stranger wanted, she would oblige. Besides, though she had scarcely known him five minutes, she greatly enjoyed his company. Something about him made her feel warm, warm in a way she hadn't thought she was capable of in her icy state. "All right," said Elsa. "That sounds like fun."

"Splendid!" said the archbishop, putting an arm around her shoulders. "Come along now, we don't want to delay." He led her down the steps of the palace, down the long ice staircase that bridged the gulf between the palace and the slope below. At the bottom of the staircase, Elsa saw a beautiful sleigh, covered all over with ornate carvings and patterns. It was pulled by four sturdy reindeer, four reindeer much more noble and majestic than Sven, bless his heart. Their fur was white and their antlers were long.

The archbishop helped Elsa up into the sleigh, then he got in the other side and grabbed at the reins. He gave them a flick. "Dash away, my boys!" and the reindeer began to move, pulling the sleigh down the slope. The bells fastened to their harnesses began once more to chime, as beautiful a sound as Elsa had ever heard.

"So, My Queen," said the archbishop, "why were you all alone in there? As I said, no one should be alone on Christmas Eve."

"I..." Elsa glanced to the side. They were moving very fast, faster than four reindeer should have been able to pull a sleigh. They seemed to glide over the snow, no bumps or jostles ruining the smooth ride. "I gave up my humanity," she said. "I turned my back on everything I knew and loved because I was foolish enough to crave the Winter's power."

"Winter is a strong season," said the archbishop. "Its call is powerful. Few can resist, even those with strong wills."

"But I should have been able to resist!" Elsa said. "I should have been able to block it out. Now I've lost my kingdom, and my people, and my friends... and especially my sister."

"Do you love all of them?"

"Without question," Elsa said. "Especially my sister. My sister is the only family I have. I... I would do anything for her. And I'd do anything to be back by her side." She glanced sadly down at her feet. "I hope she went to Mass tonight. I hope she represented us proudly, even though I know she must be sad."

They were really moving down the mountain. They zoomed past Wandering Oaken's at a rapid pace, but Elsa still didn't feel hurried or stressed. She still felt sadness, however, and her forlorn face more than revealed that. The archbishop looked carefully at her icy visage, his twinkling eyes passing over her heartbroken expression. "Your Majesty," he said. "I should like to ask a rather probing question, one that will require me to violate the bonds of propriety for a moment. Would that be all right? If you have no interest, I won't broach the subject."

"Propriety?" Elsa repeated. "You've done enough for me to earn a breach of propriety, Your Excellency. Ask your question, please. I'd be happy to answer it."

"Wonderful," said the archbishop. He stroked his long beard. "Tell me, Queen Elsa of Arendelle: have you been a good girl this year?"

"A good...?" Elsa stammered, unsure of how to take the question. Something in her desperately wanted to respond in the affirmative. But with a tired, weary heart, she knew she had to tell the truth. "No," she said, clutching her sides and hunching over. "No, I haven't." The sled was far down the mountain now. Arendelle's lights were gleaming up golden in the darkness. "As I said, I turned my back on the kingdom I rule and the sister I love to chase my foolish thirst for Winter. I abandoned them, and I'm their queen. I shirked my responsibility." She shuddered. "And when I was in Winter's grip, I tried to freeze half the world. I caused terrible devastation."

"But the Winter was strong," said the archbishop, casually flicking the sleigh's reins. "It wormed into your mind and altered your thoughts. You became something other than yourself, not acting in accord with your true nature." He looked down at her; was he smiling? "And when you did return to your right mind- when your sister's call broke Winter's spell- you undid all that you had done. You corrected your mistakes."

Elsa's eyes bulged. How did he know that? "But... but even before that!" Elsa said. "This summer, during my coronation. I froze all of Arendelle in eternal winter! I caused so much hardship, and I even struck my sister. She nearly froze to death."

"But she didn't," said the archbishop. "Her own love- her love for you- thawed her frozen heart. And when she showed you love, you loved in return, and through that love, you were able to break your magic's grip on Arendelle." He was smiling, his cheeks round and rosy. "I see a pattern here, My Queen. You have amazing, indescribable power, so overwhelming that it sometimes gets the best of you. You're still learning to control it, to wield it, and occasionally you use it wrongly. But you never intend harm when you're of sound mind. And as soon as you're able to do so, you fix what you've broken. You show kindness, gentleness, and mercy." He put a hand on her shoulder. "And I think kindness, gentleness, and mercy are the signs of a good heart. I think, Queen Elsa of Arendelle, that you have indeed been a good girl this year."

The sleigh came slowly to a stop. They were on level ground. As Elsa looked up, she saw the lights blazing before her. They were just a few hundred feet from the gates of the city, glowing brightly with candles and flames. The light from all that fire caught the gold and silver hung throughout the city, made the baubles and crafted stars twinkle, turning all she saw into a dream of silver and gold. It was the most beautiful thing she had ever seen. And she wanted so, so desperately to come back to it.

"And good girls deserve to have their behavior rewarded!" said the archbishop- or whoever, whatever he was. His face was so gentle and kind as he smiled down at Elsa. "So, My Queen... what would you like for Christmas?"

Though her body was ice, Elsa's throat constricted. She was breathing hard. "You know, I think," she said between breaths. "You know. But can you...?"

The archbishop said nothing. His gloved hands suddenly began to weave together, shaping something out of the cold air. Elsa's eyes went wide, her mouth came open. His hands twisted around each other, and suddenly in between them was a breath, a wispy white breath. Elsa gasped. She knew what it was. "Here you are," said the archbishop, passing it to her. It hovered in her icy hands, glowing faintest white. "Breathe it in, My Queen."

Elsa fought back sobs. And she did as she was told: she held the breath to her mouth and nose and breathed in hard as she could. The breath sucked itself inside her. She coughed hard, gagging on the intake of feeling.

Feeling... Elsa thought. That was what it was. Not any one particular feeling, but the multi-fold sensation of feeling again, of sensing where before there was no sense, washed over her. She felt... cold. She felt cold! She hadn't felt anything in her icy body, but now the cold washed over her, and her cheeks stung from it. She put her fingers to her cheeks- and her fingers sank into her skin! Her skin! Tears sprang to her eyes. She had tears! She could cry again! She waved her hand and conjured a mirror of ice. She looked into it. She was... back. She was back! Her skin was pale, but peachy, real, true skin. Her hair was real hair, very light blond. Her eyes were glinting shiny blue. And she wore one of her ice dresses, which again felt cold against her skin. She was back. She was real. She was human!

"How do you like it?" the archbishop said gently.

"Thank you!" Elsa cried, reaching up and wrapping her arms around his neck. "Oh, thank you, Your Excellency! Thank you, thank you, thank you!"

"Do not thank me," said the archbishop. "Rather thank the one who sent me. Thank the one who looks down on you, Queen Elsa, and remember always that you are loved. Now I think you need to get going," he gestured toward the gates. "You have Mass to attend, don't you?"

"Yes!" Elsa said, vaulting out of the sleigh. "Yes, thank you! Thank you so much! You'll always be welcome in Arendelle!"

"That's wonderful to hear! Ha ha ha!" the archbishop laughed, a rumbling, wonderful sound, deep and melodious like a musical instrument. "Ha ha ha! Merry Christmas! Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night! Ha ha ha!" He flicked the reins of his sleigh and his reindeer obliged, vaulting him off through the woods and into the darkness.

Elsa watched him go, waving even when he was long gone. She just wanted to move. To twitch, to grin, to chuckle, to walk, to do everything in a way that she could feel again- could feel, feel with the motion of her bones and muscle and fat and skin. She had a body again! A real, human body! The thing she'd feared was lost forever had come back to her. And she was eternally grateful, to the archbishop and whoever had sent him. And now she had to-

"Do you think this is the end?"

Elsa whirled around, her ice dress' cape swirling as she did. A huge figure loomed in the snowy trees. "Show yourself," Elsa said.

Skadi stepped out of the darkness. As she drew closer, Elsa noticed that she had an aura of cold around her, something she could never have felt in her icy body. The temperature dropped the closer she got, and it was only Elsa's tolerance for the cold that kept her from shivering. She stopped just before Elsa and scowled down at her. "Do you think this is the end of your troubles, My Queen?"

"I think I've learned my lesson," Elsa said, her eyes like steel. "I think I will never again cause harm to anyone innocent, no thanks to you."

"You are a fool!" Skadi snapped. "You had absolute power in your grasp and you threw it away- for what? A chance to giggle and coo with the fleshy idiots you call subjects?"

"For the warmth and touch of the people I love," Elsa said. "There's no point in having power if it comes at the cost of love. I should have realized that from the start. But I see it now. And the knowledge gives me the strength to resist the tug of Winter. No matter what you say." Her face's expression changed. "I wish you could understand what I'm talking about. I feel bad that you seem incapable of love. But I think that's how you were made, and even I'm not powerful enough to change that. Goodbye, Skadi." She turned and began to walk away.

"Do you think this is the end?" Skadi bellowed, asking a third time. "No, My Queen, I assure you, it is not! Do you think you've felt Winter's tug for the final time? You have not! Every time Autumn comes toward its ending, every year the Winter draws close you will feel the itch, for as long as you live! And you will live long, My Queen, a long, long, long time- it's in your nature. You'll feel the itch every year! Every year until your sister and your people and your kingdom and everything you care for have faded away to nothing, and all that's left for you- the only thing that will pick you up and wrap you in its arms- will be the Winter. You cannot escape!"

Elsa stopped, her back stiffening. She turned slowly around. Her eyes sparkled as she glared at Skadi. "You don't know me," she said. "You know nothing about me. You only know what you want me to be. So let me tell you something right now, O Skadi. I love my sister. I love my friends. I love my people, and I love my kingdom. I love all of them more than you can possibly understand, and their love will give me strength when I'm at my weakest. Maybe I will eventually outlive them all, but until that day comes, I'll stay strong for them. I will walk the knife's edge each Winter, balancing its pull with their push- and if I have to, I'll do it every year for the rest of my life. And I won't succumb, Skadi, not again. Once is enough. I'll never be your champion, and I want nothing more to do with you."

Skadi's blue face twisted with wrath. "If all those things are keeping you from being what I want, they need to die! I'll wipe them all out, starting with your wretched sister-" she took a step forward, leaning toward Arendelle with icy fury.

"Stop!" Elsa snapped. "Stop at once!" She waved her hand.

And Skadi stopped. She shuddered to a halt, though it looked like every fiber of her being wanted to keep moving forward. She clenched her teeth, fidgeted and vibrated... but stayed where she stood.

Elsa's eyes widened. At first she was confused. But she had a quick mind- and with a burst of insight, she understood. "All those times," she said, "all those times when I asked you nicely for something- when I said please, when I begged- you turned down my requests. But whenever I ordered you to do something, you always did it... didn't you?" A smile twitched the corners of her mouth. "I don't ask the cold and snow to do things. I command them. And that means I command you... doesn't it?" Skadi kept scowling. "Answer me," Elsa said firmly.

"Y-yes," Skadi bit out, looking like she wanted to choke on the words.

Elsa waved her hand away dismissively. "Begone," she said. "Leave now, and never, ever bother me or Arendelle ever again."

"As... as you wish," Skadi stammered.

Elsa couldn't resist- "As you wish... what?"

Skadi glared with hatred at her. "As you wish, My Queen."

"Good," said Elsa. "Now go."

Skadi burst into a flurry of snow and ice. It swirled around Elsa, moaning with fury and hate. But it couldn't hurt her. None of the flakes even touched her. And when its impotent rage was spent, it spun up into the dark sky and hurried away to parts she could not see.

Elsa huffed a breath. She was lucky things had turned out as they had- she had been prepared to fight Skadi. Fortunately, it hadn't come to that.

DONG!

Elsa's back stiffened. She turned toward the gates of the city.

DONG! DONG! DONG!

The cathedral's bells were ringing, and Elsa knew what hour they tolled. She flung her ice cape behind her and hurried toward the gates.

DONG! DONG!

Anna knelt down on the padded kneeler in the royal balcony, the one at the back of the cathedral. She could look down and see the entire interior from here, and she noticed how full it was. Most of the city was here, huddled in the pews. There were husbands and wives, mothers and fathers and children, brothers and sisters... Anna's eyes stung. She wiped at them, trying to keep from bursting again into tears. She had been crying all the way from the castle, but she needed to be strong now.

DONG! DONG! DONG!

Archbishop Hageback stood at the altar below. He looked up to the balcony, saw Anna there along with Kristoff, who cut a surprisingly dashing figure in his finest clothes. But he noticed the raised seat at the back of the balcony was empty, and his sad expression told the story. He walked back down the central aisle, preparing to formally enter with the procession.

DONG! DONG! DONG!

Midnight. It was time.

As the organ played and the opening hymn was sung, fresh tears leaked from Anna's eyes. She had been looking forward to this moment, when she and Elsa would be together as a family on Christmas Eve, and now here she was, all alone. She had Kristoff, and she was grateful for his strength, but she was still alone in the worst of ways.

Still kneeling, she glanced up to the vaulted ceiling of the cathedral. "I... this is a very confusing time to know what to believe," she whispered. "Elsa is always talking about stuff from the mainland, about things like the world-spirit and the modern age and Hegelianism and, and I don't know what." She choked back a sob. "But please, please, whoever's listening, please let Elsa come back. Please bring my sister back to me! Please!" She couldn't take it any more. She buried her head against the stone railing and wept.

She was crying so intently that she failed to hear the door to the balcony creak open. Kristoff did- his eyes went wide, but the motion of a delicate hand kept him silent. Likewise, Anna did not notice Archbishop Hageback glance once more up to the balcony, and she didn't see his expression change from one of sadness to one of joy.

But she did feel the weight of someone kneeling beside her on the cushion. With a burst of anger, she turned to glare at whoever had invaded the space that was meant only for her and-

"E-Elsa?"

Elsa- her sister!- Elsa smiled gently at her, kneeling beside her at the railing. She was clad in another of her ice dresses, this one a deep glacial blue; it was very elegant, but modestly cut, ideal for Mass. But who cared what she wore? It was Elsa! Elsa, alive and in the flesh!

"You!" Anna said, tears bursting from her eyes again. "You're alive! You're alive! Alive, alive, alive!" She lunged at Elsa and hugged her fiercely.

Elsa wrapped her own arms around her sister, laying her cheek against Anna's and relishing in the warmth. "Merry Christmas, Anna," she whispered. She clutched her sister tightly, as tight as she possibly could.

THE END

MERRY CHRISTMAS, EVERYBODY! Especially you, /co/ and /frz/!