–To Break a Curse of Ice–

Silence. The silence was deafening to Elsa. It was what she'd wanted her entire life. More than that. She'd wanted to be left alone. It was all her fault. Everything up to this moment. It started when she was eight, when playing with her sister Anna. They'd been having fun. The magic was easy. Too easy. Then Anna jumped from the tallest pile of snow. And Elsa slipped. Like she had fallen moments ago. The magic had hit Anna in the head. She had nearly died. Elsa knew it was her fault.

This time was her fault too. But this time it was worse. She had frozen Anna's heart. Hans told her so. Elsa couldn't cry. Couldn't even make a sound. Couldn't move as she lay there on the ice. Inside she was already dead. If Anna was dead, her life wasn't worth living. She'd tried to keep Anna safe. To keep her isolated and away from the magic. She found out at the coronation. Then, on the north mountain, in the ice palace, Elsa had frozen her heart. It was an accident, but it was still Elsa's fault.

"Anna!" it was a voice she didn't know. Male. Young. It wasn't Hans. Kristoff, perhaps? She couldn't remember the name of the man who had come with Anna to the ice palace.

She heard only one sound over her own breathing. The metal scraping of a sword being drawn behind her. Elsa didn't bother turning around. She deserved this, after killing her sister.

"No!" it was impossible. It was Anna's voice.

Running footsteps echoed across the ice. Silence fell again, broken an instant later by the sound of steel striking ice. Steel striking ice and shattering. Elsa dared to turn around. Tiny fragments of steel coated the ice beneath the frozen sculpture. Hans lay stunned behind a small snowdrift. Elsa looked at the sculpture, feeling her heart break even further. The fine, delicate fingers. The awkward pose. The strand of hair that always fell across Anna's eyes. The misty clouds under the ice, just beneath her eyes. Elsa fell against her sister, her legs no longer strong enough to support her.

"No, no, no. Anna. No," the tears came then. She had loved her sister fiercely. She only wanted the best for Anna. Wanted her to have a happy life. Safe, and far away from her own powers. Her curse. Elsa sobbed. It wasn't meant to happen this way. Something was supposed to change.

The snowflakes hung silent and still in the chilly air. No winds blew across the fjords. The only sound was the breathing. Her breathing. Hans's breathing. Kristoff's breathing. The silence was deafening. Something tugged at her dress.

"Can you bring back summer?" the voice was far too cheerful. Childlike. Innocent.

Elsa looked down sadly. "Olaf… I–I can't. I don't know how."

"Oh. Well maybe you could light a fire. Y'know, to keep Anna warm."

"Olaf, I froze her."

"So then you put her really close to the fire. The ice will melt and she'll be free. Right?"

Elsa hated the expression on Olaf's face. The joy, the sadness, the naivety. She wanted so badly to lie. To tell the happy little snowman everything was going to be okay. But it wasn't. It would never be okay.

"No, Olaf, it won't. Anna is frozen. She's all ice now," the words came between sobs as the enormity of her transgression dawned on her. "If she melts, she won't be Anna anymore. She wont be anything."

"An act of true love. Sacrificing herself for you was an act of true love. Why isn't she unfreezing?"

"I don't know!" Elsa threw her arms out in a blind rage, regretting it immediately. Spikes of ice had impaled Olaf. The snowman didn't seem too bothered. Kristoff, on the other hand, watched with growing fear as the spikes crept towards him and Sven. Hans was scrabbling away on hands and knees, his sword forgotten. It was Anna she had hurt the most. Again. Her sister's frozen body teetered and fell with a dull thud, cracking the ice beneath it. With a start Elsa reached for her sister's arm as the ice gave way.

"Help," Elsa's voice sounded small, even to her. "Somebody, please help!"

Kristoff was at her side, helping drag Anna's body from the fjord before it sank.

"I wish there was something I could do," the ice merchant said sadly.

"An act of true love!" Olaf shouted, dragging himself off the spikes of ice.

Kristoff looked to Elsa, an enquiring eyebrow raised. Elsa shrugged. Maybe this was the true love the curse meant.

Standing Anna back up, Kristoff held her as if she were made of the most fragile crystal. Elsa saw Hans standing behind the line of ice spikes, not even a single look of jealousy crossed his face. Elsa knew then what Hans's plans had probably been. Marry into royalty. Kill her. Kill Anna. Take the throne. It would never happen. She looked back at Kristoff. He was still kissing Anna.

Nothing happened.

"Uh, some help," it was hard to understand, what with Kristoff's lips being frozen to Anna's.

"What?" Elsa was confused.

"It didn't work," Kristoff elaborated. "I'm stuck."

Elsa laughed. A little sob. It was funny. It was, in fact, just like Anna. If she liked something that much, she wouldn't let it go. Maybe, just maybe, there was a glimmer of hope. Elsa stood next to Kristoff, carefully braced herself against him and Anna, and pushed.

"Ow!"

"I can't thaw the ice. Sorry," Elsa looked at her sister, frozen and perfect. It felt like everything was crashing down around her. Every mistake. Every harsh word. Every time she'd shut the door. Always to keep Anna safe. Conceal, don't feel. None of that seemed to matter anymore. I just want my sister back. Please. Elsa's voice broke as she began to sing.

Do you want to build a snowman,
Anna, please, where have you gone,
You were always there for me,
And now I know what I hadn't done,
Why you always needed me.

We only had each other,
Always you and me,
I don't know what I should do.
I don't know where you've gone,
I never let you in,
I see that I was wrong,

Do you want to build a snowman?
Because I want to build one too,
I want to build a snowman
A snowman just for you.

Kristoff couldn't help but wipe a tear from his eye as Elsa hugged Anna tight. Anna had sacrificed herself for Elsa, but she hadn't thawed. The trolls obviously had something wrong with their ideas about true love. The kiss hadn't worked either. The only reason he hadn't made it in time was because Anna chose to stop Hans. Hans. Kristoff turned around, frantically searching for the prince.

"What do we do about Hans. He did just try to kill you," Kristoff pointed accusingly at Hans.

Rage flashed across Kristoff's normally fair features as he realized something. "He would have killed Anna. If she hadn't frozen…"

"If she hadn't frozen," Elsa's tone was flat, empty. She was past even the deepest levels of despair. "If she hadn't frozen, everyone would have died. If people make me angry enough I–I just can't stop myself."

"You never could," Hans's tone was snide. "That's why your sister is dead. Dead because of you."

"No!" Elsa's shout echoed across the fjords. "Anna is not dead. She's frozen. It's a curse. Curses can be undone. But what you did to me. Tried to do to me, tried to do to Anna—that can't be undone. I won't be the monster you want me to be. I won't kill you."

An evil smile crept over Hans's face.

"No. I'll send you back to your brothers."

The smile vanished.

"But I can't thaw the fjord, so you'll just have to enjoy the castle dungeons. You'll never rule Arendelle again. Not for a second. Kristoff, take him there. Please. Tell the others what he tried to do. Tell them I'll face them all when I return with Anna."

"Y–yes. Sure. I can do that. Do you have some rope?"

Elsa didn't have any rope. But the ice suddenly encasing Hans's wrists was just as effective. "And Hans, if I find out you've hurt anyone else. Anyone at all… remember what happened in the ice palace; the duke's men?"

Hans gulped audibly, but said nothing.

"Now I have to find the trolls. Papa took me to them once, long ago. They healed Anna once before. Maybe they can do it again."

"Wow, you're scary when you tell people what to do," Olaf said cheerily. "I'll stay here and keep Anna safe."

"Actually, Olaf, I need to bring Anna with me. To the trolls."

"Oh, the trolls. They had this great song about fixer-uppers. And stuff about true love. And how all that stuff was supposed to thaw a frozen heart."

"Papa had a book, a map, to where they live. Can you help me find it in the castle?"

"You don't need a map silly. You've been there. I've been there. I can show you where they are."

"You're sure you can do this Olaf?"

"I–I think so. Yes. I can," the little snowman paused, then whispered. "Did you know the trolls tried to marry them?"

"Marry who?"

"Anna and Kristoff silly, who else would they marry?"

"Oh… I… oh, it doesn't matter. The only thing that matters is saving Anna. I'll find a way. I have to."