It was a bright, sunny day in Arendelle. The birds were singing and the trees were green and blowing in the breeze.

And up in the castle, Queen Elsa laughed as her sister, Princess Anna, threw a snowball at her.

This wasn't a normal snowball, obviously. It was a construct of magic. Not Elsa's magic, though. This was from Anna's magic.

Apparently, Anna had been born with the powers, but had never expressed them. Then, about a year and a half ago, when Elsa had been crowned as Queen Elsa of Arendelle and she'd accidentally set off a endless winter in the middle of summer, Anna had been temporarily frozen solid. When she had thawed back out, the locks about her power had broken and within a few weeks, she'd begun randomly throwing out snow and ice.

Over the last few months, she'd begun to get a better handle on it. They had learned from Elsa's experience that isolation and keeping it secret wasn't the way to go.

"You're learning, Anna. If you happen to accidentally freeze a door closed, or plunge the whole kingdom into deep winter, people will understand. I hope."

Elsa was mostly right. The one time Anna did plunge the kingdom into winter, she was able to correct her mistake easily and relatively quickly.

Now, Anna was nearly as powerful as Elsa herself. Between the two of them, they kept the people of Arendelle quite happy. Including themselves.

Except when they got into fights, as sisters always do.

Later in the day, towards sunset, Anna knocked on Elsa's door.

It opened.

"If you ask me if I want to build a snowman, I may throw a snowball in your face.", Elsa said with a smile. "Come in."

"Heh, uh, no. I wanted to ask you to...reconsider your decision regarding the Southern Isles."

"No, Anna. What Hans did to Arendelle and, above all, you, is inexcusable and deserves nothing less than full reparations. Their king had him exiled to a tiny village isle, but that's not enough. Had it been the other way around, Hans would have been executed, Anna, for what he did. What he did was treason to his own people! Either they make him pay for his crimes...or we will. With or without their help."

"Elsa, Hans isn't a bad man. He's just-"

"Just what, Anna? Insane? Misunderstood? Unloved? What could compel a man to do something like that?!" A small flurry of snow swirled around the queen's feet.

"He has twelve older brothers that all got more from their parents than he ever did. He was unloved, Elsa. He is misunderstood. And I'm not saying he shouldn't be punished. I'm saying that executing him is a bit...much. He deserves a chance to right his wrong. I mean, for the love of the Crown, Elsa. Three of his brothers treated him as though he were non-existent for two years!"

"And you believe that?! Given all the other lies he's told?!"

"It's not hard to believe! It's what siblings do!"

Elsa jerked as though she'd been struck. "It's what siblings do? As in...sisters too?"

"Are you forgetting how you basically ignored me for a decent chunk of my life?!"

"I had good reason! I didn't want to hurt you anymore!"

"Well, maybe Hans' brothers had good reason as well. Unfortunately, unlike me, Hans never knew that reason!"

"It doesn't matter! It doesn't excuse his horrid behavior!"

"Whatever, Elsa! Just go kill him yourself. After all, that's what you're good at, isn't it? Killing people?"

Elsa suddenly deflated and her eyes widened, looking for all the world like a helpless girl that had just had her favorite doll thrown into the fire.

"What?"

"You heard me. Do you have any idea how many people died during the winter in the middle of summer?"

"Anna...", Elsa whispered, going pale.

"What's one more body on top of that pile, right? Only, this one...this one will be on purpose! And for what?! Nothing!"

"Anna, please...stop." The swirling snow grew denser...but now, Anna had her own swirling snow aura.

"You don't know what alone truly is. Yes, you were alone. But you chose that! I was alone, but I didn't chose it! You can't know what that's like!"

"Anna...stop, please!", Elsa pleaded. Her own snow had dropped off...but only for Anna's to intensify and pick up the slack.

"You are nothing more than a legal murderer!", Anna screamed.

"Enough!" Elsa stamped her foot, creating a flash of ice throughout the whole room. Another footstamp...and it was gone, Anna holding the condensed magic in her palm.

"You. Are. A. Murderer!"

"No..." Elsa's eyes swelled with tears

"When everyone finally realizes what you've become...what you are? You'll be ostracized. Exiled. But probably not killed, even though you deserve it...unlike Hans."

"Anna...why are you saying these things!?"

"Because they're true!"

Elsa turned and fled from the room, desperately trying to control her emotions. She fled the castle, running, running. She didn't stop for a long time.