She could feel it everywhere; her bones ached, her pace slowed, her face showing the effects of age. She knew her time was short. Anna had seen one too many funerals in her life. Elsa’s was the first, followed shortly by Kristoff’s. Freya was still there, looking much like her mother all those years ago, along with her husband Jakob and their son Alec. Markus, the crown prince, was home from his studies to help take care of his mother. The boy reminded Anna of her Kristoff, his warm brown eyes filling her heart with love. But even then, everything still ached.

It was a bright and sunny day in March, like those long past. Anna looked out of the window of her study with a kind grin on her face. In the castle courtyard, children were whooping and playing to their hearts’ content. It reminded her of the days Freya and Jakob would do the same thing with the village children all those years ago. A rapid and light knock stirred her from her memories.

“Come in,” she said weakly. Freya emerged from behind the door, dressed in a flowing green dress and hair in a copper bun. “Oh, sunflower! What brings you here?”

“Everything’s ready, mama,” Freya said, “Ready to go?”

Anna let out a small sigh, “I was born ready.” Freya let out a small chuckle as she walked over to her mother, taking her hands in hers. Anna followed Freya through the castle, taking it all in one last time. For years she had only seen this place as a prison, and her its only inmate. After the Great Thaw, the return of the Fifth Spirit, her marriage to Kristoff and the wonderful family they raised together, the castle felt like a true home. And now, Anna was leaving it once and for all.

At the stables, Jakob, Alec, and Markus were readying a small wagon, big enough to fit all five of them comfortably. Jakob helped his mother in law into the passenger’s side as he took up the reins of the white horse in the lead. As soon as they were all situated in the wagon, Jakob snapped the reins and the horse trotted forward. All throughout the streets, people applauded as the wagon passed by, saying their final goodbyes to the elderly queen. Everyone knew that once Anna went up North, she would never return.

With the industrialization of Arendelle, roads became more modern, allowing a trip to the Northuldra to take mere hours, rather than a few days. The family reached the edge of the enchanted forest by nightfall, as they were greeted by an elderly Honeymaren, now chief of the People of the Sun. In her advanced years, she came to resemble Yelena, with her once brown hair turned snowy white and her skin wrinkled from the erosion of time. Anna greeted her old friend with a warm hug.

“So, it’s finally time,” the Northuldran woman said, “The Spirits were eagerly awaiting this day, you know.”

“I bet they were,” Anna chuckled, “It’s not everyday they get someone new into their circle.”

Just then, a small purple fire danced atop one of the trees before landing on top of Markus’s head. Bruni quickly doused his fire, patting his small feet in the man’s blonde hair. Markus delicately raised his hand up to his head as Bruni leaped into his open palm. Ever since Markus was first brought here as an infant, he and Bruni shared a deep connection with one another, and the two became the best of friends. Elsa would even bring Bruni whenever she visited, allowing the two of them to cause a heap of mischief together.

“I missed you too, Bruni,” Markus said as he rubbed his finger on the salamander’s back. Bruni let out a pleased squeak as Jakob and Alec were greeted by swirling leaves all around them.

“Hi, Gale!” Alec said as she playfully puffed out his shirt. Alec loved the forest as much as his uncle, asking to go whenever the opportunity arose. There was something about magic that intrigued the boy from a young age. The same couldn’t be said about his father, Jakob. Ever since he started courting Freya, he had only met Elsa on the occasion that she visited the castle, and each time was… awkward, to say the least. It wasn’t outright mistrust, but something about her magic powers didn’t sit right with him.

“Uh, y-yes. Hello, mysterious sentient gust of wind…” Jakob said as she swirled around him. 

“It’s alright, Jakob, she won’t bite you,” Honeymaren reassured, “She doesn’t even have teeth.”

Jakob nervously giggled at the Northuldran’s joke as Gale moved onto Freya and Anna. 

“Where’s the Nokk?” Freya asked as she looked over to the stream.

“The North Sea, where else would he be?” Honeymaren let out an incredibly loud whistle as a reindeer approached her. It knelt down low as Honeymaren climbed on its back, “I’ll take you to him.” The five Arendellians returned to their wagon and proceeded to follow the Northuldran leader through the forests and streams until they were on the black seashores of the North Sea. From the foamy waves crashing on the shore, the Nokk appeared before them, trotting over to Anna. The queen placed a wrinkled hand on the Water Spirit’s head as she climbed out of the wagon. Off in the distance, the faint glow of Atohallan was visible, moved closer by Elsa after she took up residence there. Anna walked up to the shore, followed by her family.

“So,” Freya said as tears pricked the corners of her eyes, “I guess this is it, then…”

Anna gave her daughter a great squeeze as Freya lightly sobbed, “It’s alright, baby. I know it hurts, but remember, love is forever.”

Markus, Alec, and Jakob came over to say their goodbyes, tears flowing down their faces. Anna hugged each one of them before climbing onto the Nokk’s back. The water horse galloped across the sea towards the glacier, leaving Anna’s family a small speck on the shoreline. Upon reaching Atohallan, the Nokk dissipated into the waves, leaving Anna alone.

“Okay, Elsa,” Anna said, taking a few steps forward, “Past the symbols, down the ramp, and into the chamber, just like you said.” With that, Anna proceeded through the small entryway into the glacier.

In the years since Elsa moved up here, she had taken great lengths to turn Atohallan into a proper living space. She used her magic to build familiar sights; her old bedroom, the dining hall, she even made a replica of her study. All of this she even made accessible to Anna and her family. Elsa was Ahtohallan incarnate, so it made sense that she could do all of this. Anna slowly walked through Atohallan’s halls, down a rather large ramp, only to be greeted by a room of pure darkness. Stepping into it, vivid lights began dancing around her, taking the various shapes of the Spirits. The lights convened in the middle of the room, forming a massive snowflake on the ground. As Anna stepped towards it, the lights jumped again, this time forming into the shape of Elsa in her younger years.

“Anna!” Elsa’s spirit exclaimed, extending her arms out.

“Elsa…” Anna muttered, dashing forward before her old age forced her to casually trot.

“Not as athletic as you used to be, hm?”

“I’m old! What did you expect, you dork?” The two of them began laughing as Elsa’s spirit stepped forward, taking Anna’s hands in her own.

“How did Freya take the news?”

“There were some tears shed, but she understood. It was explaining it to Alec that was the difficult part.”

“Well, it’s not everyday someone’s grandmother becomes an honorary spirit, now is it?”

Anna grinned at her sister’s apparition, “Right as always, dear sister.”

Elsa let go of her sister’s hands as she conjured up some magic. “Ready for life after happily ever after?”

“More than ever! Now, do the magic.” Elsa shot a blast of magic up to the ceiling, surrounding Anna in a shroud of light. In a matter of seconds, Anna felt lighter as the breath left her body. Once the lights had vanished, the room lit up with various memories of events long past. Looking down at the floor, Anna was taken aback. It appeared as if she hadn’t aged since she destroyed the dam! She shot a look up to Elsa, only to be surprised yet again. Kristoff, Sven, and Olaf were standing right next to her, each with the biggest grins on their faces. Anna felt tears stream down her face as she ran to them, arms extended as they embraced each other.

We bring Arendelle’s full guard.

But sir, the Northuldran appear to be peaceful. Why would we-

The Northuldra follow magic, which means they can’t be trusted. Magic makes people feel entitled, that they can defy the will… of a ki-

Before the snowy apparition of King Runeard had a chance to finish its speech, it was shattered into a pile of snow onto the floor of Atohallan by a rock the size of a fist.

“Anna,” Elsa scolded, “You can’t just tamper with memories like that!”

“Are you kidding?!” Anna retorted, “Did you hear the awful things he said?! How are we even related to that… that…. JERK!” Anna kicked the snowpile in frustration. Elsa promised to bring Anna to Atohallan when she became the Fifth Spirit, so she could properly see her childhood before the incident. The two of them shared many laughs and sentimental moments, including sneering at the facades of the now former prince of the Southern Isles. However, Anna made a rather odd request at some point: to see the truth behind the dam and their grandfather. Elsa reluctantly agreed to do so, calling on the glacier to replay the event. She wasn’t that surprised at how Anna reacted… at first. Anna stared at the snow pile for some time, chewing her bottom lip and letting out a long sigh.

“Anna, is something wrong?” Elsa placed a hand on her sister’s shoulder.

“For the longest time, we were taught about how great he was, how he brought peace to Arendelle,” Anna started to choke up as tears pricked the corners of her eyes, “Now that everything I ever thought I knew was wrong… how can our family still hold the crown? After what he did, are we, am I, worthy of  being quee-”

“Stop right there! You are doing such a good job, Anna. People love you, regardless of what Grandfather did.”

“It’s just that… I just feel dirty calling myself queen knowing what came before me.”

“Hey!” Elsa said sarcastically. The two of them began giggling like schoolgirls before Elsa began again, “You aren’t Grandfather, Anna. You’ve already made the right steps in distancing yourself from him with the dam and the relations with the Northuldra. If you feel dirty, the best way to fix that is to do some cleaning, and I think those were perfect places to start.”

Anna smiled warmly at her sister before enveloping her in a massive hug. “Thanks, Elsa,” She murmured, “That means a lot to me.”

“It’s what I’m here for.”

The two of them were silent for a moment, relishing in their bond. That was, until Anna looked past Elsa’s shoulder.

“Um, Elsa…”

“Yes?”

“What are you and Honeymaren doing in that memory?”

The evening sky couldn’t be any more beautiful. The stars twinkled in the night sky wrapped in the calming lights of the aurora. But Kristoff wasn’t paying much attention to the night sky as he rested on the grassy hillside. Instead, his eyes were affixed onto the platinum blond beside him. Elsa had asked him to accompany her out here after her duties were fulfilled for the day. She stretched her arms out and laid back on the soft grass, watching the aurora dance above them.

“Thank you, Kristoff,” Elsa said, “for coming out here with me. It means a lot.”

“Anytime,” he replied nervously. For a while, he had been trying to find a way to explain his feelings to the queen, but he had no idea how to go about it. He even tried going to Anna for some advice, who only offered him the usual “just be yourself around her” phrase. Kristoff’s breath hitched when Elsa edged closer to his side.

“T-there is a reason I wanted you to be here with me…” Elsa placed her hand atop of his as her face went bright red. With a deep breath, she began, “I-I feel like I can be myself with you by my side. And I just wanted to tell you how much that means to me.” Their faces inched closer, Kristoff could see the want in her eyes. With no hesitation, he closed the gap between them, crashing his lips onto hers. She tasted of mint and sugar, causing him to deepen the kiss. It was a few blissful seconds Kristoff wished would last an eternity. He broke the kiss, reveling in the sensation still on his lips.

“You have no idea how long I’ve wanted to do that,” Kristoff admitted. Elsa let out a small giggle that caused Kristoff’s heart to leap in his chest.

“Me too,” she responded, “I guess we should discuss this further, then?”