Did I watch Frozen 2 suspecting that it would drag me out of fanfiction retirement? Yes. Have I managed to acquire the rights to the Frozen franchise and adopt all its precious characters? Sadly, no. So this is a dejected disclaimer.

It's been five years (FIVE. YEARS. DAHECK) since I finished writing The Sky Is Awake. To the readers who followed me through that journey, this one's for you. I hope this little oneshot will help to ease those Frozen 2 hangovers. (I also understand if NOTHING will ease it. I feel you.) Also: Frozen 2 spoiler alert!

Certain Certainties

It was Olaf's fault for asking, "Did you know that a piece of paper can't be folded in half more than seven times?"

Pfft, Anna had thought. Hold my hot cocoa.

Except she'd been stuck grunting at six folds for the last ten minutes and really, Olaf ought to check his sources because Anna and her paper cuts were calling baloney on this one. "Almost… come on… come on, come on—"

The paper wad shot from her fingers and vanished over the wall of the lighthouse.

"Oh, come on!" Anna huffed, sticking her head over the edge. She caught only a glimpse of dark water below before a gust of wind smacked into her face, forcing her to duck back down.

The wind was definitely blowing a lot colder now. She used to have blankets and snacks stashed up here, but the servants had gone through the castle with a fine-toothed comb, dusting and shining every nook and cranny. The same preparations that had been made three years ago, only Anna was a lot less excited about the festivities this time around.

Well, okay, it wasn't like she dreaded tomorrow. Today? Oh god, what time was it? What if she accidentally dozed off now and woke up when everything was already over? Actually, maybe that wouldn't be too bad… except for the part where she was the star of the show and nothing could start or end without her. No pressure.

So really, it was in the kingdom's best interests for Anna to get to bed. Which wasn't enticing at all because Kristoff wasn't warming it for her. If he'd been less… Kristoff about it and just agreed to sleep in her room—it wasn't like they were going to do anything, gosh—then Anna might actually be snoring peacefully in his arms right now. She wouldn't be huddled in the old lighthouse behind the castle, accumulating paper cuts while anxiously watching the moon in case she blinked and the sky was suddenly awake and she found herself stumbling into the chapel, staring at a crown on a cushion and what was she supposed to—

Her pigtails started dancing on their own.

Anna blinked. Then she tipped her head back with a grin. "Back already, Gale? Is it just me or are you getting faster?"

Crisp leaves spiralled playfully in front of her, the breeze lifting pieces of discarded parchment off the floor, searching for another paper bird.

"Sorry, pal. No more mail to deliver. Got distracted trying to fold a piece of paper seven times but it flew off—" Something appeared right in front of her face, sending her cross-eyed. She drew her head back—and smacked into the brick behind her. Through the stars, Anna recognised what she was seeing. "Oh! Thanks, Gale. Wouldn't want to litter now, would we?"

The leaves caressed her cheek, then fluttered off towards the fjord. Anna waved, absently wondering if it was pretentious of her to use a spirit of nature as a mail carrier. Then again, she did bait a clan of Earth Giants into destroying the dam so maybe they just, you know, liked helping her out and that was such a relief because… because…

Anna squinted.

Something was glittering on the surface of the water. Moonlight? No, it was moving. A dolphin? Gale? No, no, no—too shiny. Too big. Too fast.

Too breathtaking.

Anna still hadn't fully forgiven the Nokk for trying to drown her big sister, but she was never going to tire of seeing Elsa race across the fjord astride the mystical horse of water. Anna got the inexplicable urge to whoop and tell the world, That's my sister! And I'm the one who gave her riding lessons!

Gravity might weigh Anna down, but Elsa really could fly.

Then they were at the shore below. Excitedly leaning over the edge, Anna watched the Nokk nuzzle her sister's hand before leaping back into the water, disappearing with only a ripple. No wonder Gale had been returning faster and faster; its recipient had been galloping closer the whole time.

And now Elsa was home and looking up at her, positively glowing in that dress and… shooing her away?

"What?" Anna called down. And pinwheeled back as a column of ice shot up, bringing a windswept Elsa eye-level with her. "Why, hello, you." She reached out to help Elsa climb over. "Who needs stairs, am I right?"

Elsa smiled bashfully, her eyes bright. "Says the one who slides down the bannisters."

"Your loss for not letting me teach you." Something small and purple leaped off Elsa's shoulder and into Anna's hands. "Aww, hello, Bruni!"

The salamander cocked his head to one side and Anna felt strangely compelled to mimic it. Gosh, he was so precious. Bringing him closer, she whispered loudly, "Have you seen my sister? 'Cause I definitely don't recognise this showoff."

Elsa chuckled. "Bruni, please tell this stranger that my sister is usually in bed drooling at this hour so—oof!"

Throwing her arms around Elsa, Anna burrowed her face into her sister's hair and breathed in that familiar scent of powdered snow, now mixed in with a hint of musky spruce. "Missed you," she mumbled.

She got a long squeeze and a cool hand stroking the back of her head. "Me too." A pause. "Even though it's only been five hours."

"Six. Six hours." Unwilling to let go just yet, Anna watched over Elsa's shoulder as Bruni scampered around the floor, leaving tiny scorched footprints on the scattered paper. He sniffed curiously at Anna's discarded pen—ugh, had she lost the cap again?

"Elsa?" she heard herself ask.

"Anna?"

This is harder than I thought it'd be.

"I, um, have a feeling that's your foot I'm stepping on."

"It is, but it's okay." Elsa's voice dipped into concern. "Is everything okay with you?"

Anna pulled back in alarm. "Me? Of course! Why wouldn't I be okay? Are you okay?"

Elsa gave her a wry look, then opened her hand to reveal a crumpled heap of handwritten notes.

Oh. Whoops.

"Did I send you that many? I must've gotten carried away—Gale kept coming back like she—he? they?—enjoyed having something to do so I kept writing and lost track of… oh no. Did it wake you up? I told Gale to be a real ninja about it and just slide them under your door—"

"Anna, it's fine. I was awake."

"You do have a door, right?"

"Pardon? Well, yes, I do… but Anna—"

"—could have definitely waited until morning, you know. Just thinking out loud. You didn't have to come all this way just to—"

"Be there for my sister?" Elsa finished.

Anna zipped up.

Reaching out, Elsa tucked a piece of hair behind Anna's ear, then said quietly, "Don't be silly."

Anna gave a sheepish smile. "You know I don't really have any other mode."

Another winter breeze blew through the lighthouse. Anna bounced on her heels, hoping Elsa wouldn't notice her shivering. But of course she still did. "Bruni? Could you please…?"

Bruni cocked his little head. Then he hopped towards them, and burst into lavender flames.

Gasping in delight, Anna dropped down to hold her hands to the mellow warmth. Bruni rolled onto his back, seemingly pleased with the coldness of the stone floor. Anna playfully fanned his flames. "What were you doing up in the middle of the night, Elsa? Singing?"

"Very funny." Elsa gathered her dress and joined them on the floor, drawing her hair over one shoulder. "I couldn't sleep either." She flashed a sideways smile. "It's strange, being able to close my eyes without someone kicking me and snoring in my ear."

Anna laughed, bumping their shoulders together. "Rude!"

Elsa nudged her back.

Anna retaliated with tickles.

A heap of snow dropped onto her head.

"Elsa! Not fair!"

Her sister giggled. Anna's own bubbles of laughter rose as she started brushing snow off her shoulders. Bruni came alert, his tongue darting out to catch the flakes. Anna sprinkled some above his head, and for a moment it was like she had borrowed Elsa's magic. She opened her mouth to tell her, but then Elsa said—

"Are you nervous about tomorrow?"

And Anna started so badly all the snow flew off and buried Bruni. "What? No! No, no, I'm great. Zero nerves here, nope, nada, everything's under control."

Elsa picked a crinkled note out of her pile, unfolded it, and read aloud, "'Help—how do I hold the orb and sceptre?''"

"With my hands, right? See! I figured that one out on my own."

Elsa gave her a long look; the kind that always made Anna feel like her secret chocolate stash had been discovered. But then Elsa bit her lip and lowered her gaze. "Orb in the left hand, sceptre in the right," she said softly.

"Really? I swear Papa was holding it differently in his portrait…"

"Anna."

"Hang on, have I been looking at it wrong? Oh my gosh, it was his left—"

"Are you sure you don't need me at your coronation tomorrow?"

Orb in the left. Sceptre in the right.

'No' on her mind.

"Yes," on her tongue.

It tripped out so fast Anna only realised she had actually said it aloud when she saw the hurt flash across Elsa's face. It was gone like lightning—Elsa was still so good at concealing. But Anna knew better than anyone that it didn't mean her sister didn't feel, and like an idiot she'd forgotten that it was her words that always cut Elsa deepest.

"Elsa, wait, I didn't mean—I'm not saying I don't want… I do want you there tomorrow… but I don't want you to feel like you have to be there, like you can't let it go. Does that make sense? It doesn't, does it?"

"Anna, it's okay. I understand." Elsa smiled, idly folding the note in half. "I'm sorry if it sounded like I was doubting you."

And I'm not rejecting you, Anna thought desperately. She didn't think Elsa understood that part and really, it wasn't her fault because for once in her life, Anna wasn't talking without a filter. She couldn't say: Of course I need you tomorrow. And the day after and the day after that.

She didn't, couldn't, let those words run away from her because Elsa would think that meant Anna permanently needed her here, in Arendelle, and that wasn't true. Of course it wasn't. If it was, Anna wouldn't have insisted that it was okay for Elsa to spend more time in the Forest and learn more about the Northuldra and the other spirits, because Anna would always be right here, holding up her side of the bridge.

It was just the coronation giving her nerves, that was all. After tomorrow, Anna would be able to sleep soundly and Elsa wouldn't freak out and ride her magically murderous horse back in the middle of the night. It would just be like Elsa was off on another of her trips to meet dignitaries from a bordering country. Trips that Anna would now have to make. But that was fine—they would be fine.

It wasn't like Elsa was shutting her out for another thirteen years.

It wasn't like Elsa was going to another place Anna could not find.

It wasn't like Anna wouldn't one day learn how to stop needing.

"Elsa," Anna began to say, and then something baffling happened: nothing else came out.

Suddenly, Elsa's arms were around her again, so much tighter this time, and they really were two sisters, one mind, because Anna's lost words were found in her sister's whisper in her ear: "I love you."

It was all Anna could do to cling on, so she just nodded. And nodded. And nodded. And she ran her fingertips along the cool sleeve of Elsa's icy gown, brushing the back of her sister's hand. And when that hand opened for her, allowing their fingers to intertwine, Anna brought it close to her heart and thought fiercely, Remember this.

Humming softly, Elsa wiped Anna's face and started stroking a finger across her nose bridge.

"I know what you're doing," Anna mumbled, even as she curled closer.

"You have a big day tomorrow. What if Kai can't wake you up?"

"That's why we have that screaming clock of Oaken's own invention, remember?"

Elsa shuddered. "How could I forget? No offence to Oaken… but that is a horrible way to begin one's day."

One more night. One more minute. One more lifetime as her little sister, with no closed doors or gates. No calling voices or orbs and sceptres. Just this.

Anna picked up one of her notes off the floor. "Then how about we make sure this one doesn't end? Please?"

Elsa gave her a look that said I won't be satisfied until you're snoring, but she took the paper and shook it open with one hand. Her other hand still held tight to Anna's, her thumb rubbing small, soothing circles.

She laughed. Which made Anna laugh, too. "What? What did I write?"

"'Do I need to sing any hymns at the chapel?'" Elsa lowered the note and raised an amused eyebrow. "Do you even know any hymns?"

"Excuse me, I'll have you know I am very good at lip syncing."

"I don't doubt that. No one is going to make you sing anything on your coronation, Anna… unless you want to?"

"Hmm. Maybe if Kristoff accompanies me on his lute?" Anna stretched out to sprawl across Elsa's lap, getting comfortable as her sister summoned another note to her with a stream of magic.

"Did we ever find that crown you threw off the mountain?' Anna, really?"

"What? It's a valid question!"

"I didn't throw it off the mountain. I just… misplaced it. In the ice palace."

"Which I had to climb a mountain to reach. But I guess I did meet Kristoff because of it. You're totally walking me down the aisle, by the way. And making my wedding dress."

"Am I now?" Elsa said wryly. "In that order?"

"Yep! Wait—no. Not in that order. But yes to the dress."

"Even if it might be cold for you to wear?"

"Then we'll just have the wedding in summer! Olaf will love it."

Elsa tapped Anna's nose. "Summer is half a year away, silly. We both know you don't have that kind of patience."

"Probably not," Anna said blissfully. "But I have you."

Water had memory and a bridge had two sides. And Anna had a sister whose smile was like a symphony of auroras waking up a sky that existed only between the two of them, reminding her with a whispered "Always" that it didn't matter if some things didn't stay the same—they only had to be true.

A/N: Thank you so much for reading! I initially thought Elsa had actually missed Anna's coronation at the end of the movie. Eventually figured out that wasn't actually the case, but I wrote this what-if anyway because I'm mean.

To be honest, my heart is torn about the ending to Frozen 2. I see its beauty but a part of me will never be able to compute the idea of our sisters being separated in any way, so easily. It opens a lot of doors but also leaves many questions unanswered and I couldn't resist dabbling. This fic was a rusty experiment (it was HARD). So to those who PM'd me to ask if I'm planning anything big after seeing Frozen 2, the answer is: maybe! Let's see what happens. Maybe, like Olaf says, it'll all make sense when I'm older! :)