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It’s the eve of the Coronation Ceremony, the whole kingdom of Arendelle is buzzing with excitement and anticipation for a new future weaved with hardships, adventures, resilience, and new found acceptance for their questionable history.
While everyone is busily bustling around the castle making preparations for the event, there is one person who is more concerned about the mental state of a certain queen-to-be.
Elsa stands outside Anna’s room. She lifts her hand up to knock, but stops. Looking both ways to make sure no one else was around, she takes a deep breath. She remembers how jittery and anxious she felt before her coronation, which as she looks back now, feels like ages ago. But, is her baby sister feeling the same way?
It all happened so fast. Elsa’s decision to live in the Enchanted forest now, her abdication, Anna’s needing to learn the ropes of running a kingdom…
Sometimes, Elsa couldn’t help but feel a little selfish. She was putting an enormous amount of responsibility onto Anna’s shoulders without giving her enough time to prepare herself for the burden. But Elsa knows, if anyone could rule Arendelle with a heart as fierce as that of a lion and wits as sharp as a razor, it’d be her sister.
“Not today, self doubt, not today.” Elsa whispers to herself, as if keeping an old enemy at bay.
She composes herself, putting on a smile for her sister. “Anna?” she calls, softly knocking on the door. No response. Slowly peeking in, she asks, “Are you okay, sis? I thought maybe you could-”, Elsa stops mid-sentence. Anna wasn’t in her room.
She enters the room, her eyes landing on the pages scattered around on Anna’s desk. Lifting one of them up, she reads the first few lines, recognizing the handwriting to be their father’s. Anna had been studying their father’s works ever since Elsa’s abdication. A pang of guilt jolted through Elsa as she put the page down. She knew exactly how gruesome and exhausting the responsibility of a queen can be, and to put that on someone as free spirited as Anna felt like she was caging a bird.
She turns around to leave and yelps, her soul jumping out of her skin. Gerda is standing at the doorway, a cup of tea in her hands.
“Oh, Gerda, I didn’t see you there.” Elsa quickly regains her composure, greeting their most trusted servant with a warm smile.
“Sorry to have startled you, your highness, but I have come to give her highness some tea to shake off her nerves.” Gerda replies, her motherly love for the two sisters evident in her voice.
Elsa gestures to the empty room, “That’s so very thoughtful of you, Gerda, but I’m afraid Anna’s not here. And I’m guessing you don’t know her whereabouts?”
“I’m afraid not, your highness. If you do find her, kindly let her know that her tea is running cold” Gerda chuckles before bowing her head and leaving Elsa to her growing concerns.
Sighing, Elsa heads out, too, to the one place she could think of where Anna seems to be able to regain her sanity.
Out in the courtyard, the boys are helping with the decorations to the best of their abilities. Olaf is painting some banners, scribbling, and singing to himself. Meanwhile, Kristoff and Sven are helping with some benches and pillars.
“It’s so much better that I can both read and write!” Olaf exclaims, proudly holding his banner up.
Kristoff laughs, almost knocking down one of the pillars. Sven quickly steadies it, shooting Kristoff a glare.
Kristoff says with his ‘Sven’ voice “What are you doing?”. “Relax buddy, everything is fine, look,” Kristoff assures him, pointing at the now steadied pillar.
“And yeah Olaf, last time you helped with a banner it almost didn’t go well.” Kristoff chuckles, turning to Olaf.
Olaf adds, “Oh yeah, I remember that, Dry Banana Hippy Hat!” Olaf laughs, Kristoff and Sven join.
Elsa steps into the courtyard, calling Anna.
“Hi, Elsa! Look at all these.” Kristoff calls Elsa, beaming.
Elsa replies, “Yes, it’s beautiful!”, but the conspicuous look of perturbation betrays her enthusiasm. Anna isn’t with the boys either.
Seeing how unsettled Elsa was, Kristoff’s smile effaces, a frown forming on his forehead.
“What’s wrong, Elsa? Is everything okay? Is Anna okay?! Should we call a doctor????” Kristoff worries, and panic washes over him as he rushes over to Elsa, Olaf, and Sven close behind. His eyes dart across the yard, anxiety creeping up on his back.
“N-no, no! Everything is fine, I just can’t find her anywhere.” Elsa reassures, forcing a smile. Kristoff heaves a sigh of relief.
“But isn’t it still bad? Presuming tomorrow is her coronation…”, Olaf asks, looking between Elsa and Kristoff.
Sven nudges him with a low grunt, awkwardly smiling at the two of them. Elsa and Kristoff share a look, both trepidatious, and without wasting another second they run inside the castle.
The group searches everywhere. The library, the kitchen, in case Anna was stress-eating chocolates, the barn where Sven sleeps, the church, the ballroom, on the roof where she sang “love is an open door” with Hans without Elsa’s approval, the clock tower, everywhere…but Anna was nowhere to be found!
“Any sign of her?” Elsa asks Kristoff, panicked. Kristoff shakes his head.
“Are you sure we’ve searched everywhere?” Kristoff asks, his breathing shallow from all the running around.
“...Yes” Elsa answers, crossing her arms. Her blood coursed through her body at an alarming rate.
“Maybe she went outside of the castle, you know how she loves to be around the citizens.” Olaf suggests, with a delightful smile.
Kristoff adds, “Well, if so, then we better go look for her outside!”
Pacing across the room, Elsa thinks to herself, “Come on Anna, where are you?”.
She closes her eyes, trying to visualize every move of her sister. She knows Anna had been reading their father’s letters and diaries, maybe she was looking for more resources somewhere else?
Suddenly it hits her, and she stops in her tracks, a determined look on her face. “I know where she is!” she declares, and without another word starts running down the hall.
Elsa knocks on the door and peeks in. There, she sees the future queen looking out the window, in the same room she was in hours before her own coronation. Anna turns around, facing Elsa.
“Oh, hi Elsa! Did you need something?” Anna greets Elsa, unaware that she’s just made the four most important people in her life run around the castle like maniacs. Elsa runs towards her little sister, pulling her into a hug.
“Anna! You scared me to death!” Elsa cries, lightly slapping Anna’s head.
“What happened?” Anna asks Elsa, both shocked and confused.
Elsa answers, “I went to your room to check on you, but you weren’t there and you weren’t with the boys either.”
“So?” Anna asks with a grin.
“So, we searched everywhere, but here you are.” Elsa replies, not clocking Anna’s sarcasm.
“Well, sorry to scare you like that.” Anna apologizes, feeling a little embarrassed.
Elsa smiles at her, taking in the environment of the room. There is a picture of Elsa, holding the Royal Scepter and Orb, beside their father, King Agnarr’s.
‘You know,’ Elsa starts, “I wasn’t expecting you to be in this room.”
Anna looks at Elsa, then at the pictures of the former Queen and their father.
“Well,” she sighs, walking towards the pictures, “this seemed like the best place for a ‘pre-coronation introspection’”.
Elsa frowns, “About?”
“Everything that has happened, all the revelation.” Anna answers, wrapping her arms around herself.
Elsa walks up to her, putting a comforting hand on her shoulder.
“You know, I love our home, and the people,” Anna starts, eyes fixated on the portraits.
“I know, that’s why I think you will be a great queen.”, Elsa assures, putting her arm around her sister’s shoulder, following Anna’s gaze. Despite her reassurances, the voices from earlier crept back into her mind, and her smile faltered.
“But what if I can’t?”, Anna asks, turning towards Elsa. She gasps, a little taken aback.
This is the first time she hears Anna…… doubt herself? One of the most confident, bold, and determined people she knew, the girl who ‘climbed the North Mountain, survived a frozen heart, saved Elsa AND Arendelle TWICE, is doubting herself?
“After knowing about grandfather,” she continues, closing her eyes.
Elsa looks at her sister with creased brows, already groping for the right words to console her with. Anna meets Elsa’s gaze, tears swelling up in her eyes. “What if I’m not good enough?”.
Elsa immediately pulls her little sister into a hug. She has never seen Anna in such a vulnerable mental state.
“Oh Anna, when are you going to see yourself the way I see you?”, Elsa asks, holding her tighter. Anna sniffles into the crook of her neck.
“Heh, don’t steal my line”, Anna jokes through her tears. Elsa chuckles, running a hand over Anna’s hair.
Anna extricates herself from Elsa’s embrace, and walks toward the window. “Jokes aside, I don’t think I’m cut out for this, Elsa. What if I make the same mistakes as grandfather did? What if I end up hurting our people even more? What if- what if-”
“What grandfather did was his fault, even father didn’t know about it. You can’t blame yourself for someone else’s mistake. And the fact that you are this worried about repeating the same mistakes shows just how much better a queen you already are” Elsa says, gripping Anna’s shoulders, her voice stronger and more determined than earlier. Anna chuckles, wiping away her tears with the back of her hand.
“Says the person who used to blame herself every now and then.” Anna replies with a grin, meeting Elsa’s bright blue eyes, her own glistening under the candlelights.
A laugh escapes Elsa. “Well, I had you to show me that I was wrong. No matter how often I didn't believe in myself, you did. I’m so lucky to have you as my sister.” Elsa says, holding Anna’s hands, lips curling into a smile. ‘You are doing great.’ She continues, patting Anna on the back.
‘Now come on, we have a coronation to plan.’ saying that Elsa pulls Anna out of the room. Before leaving, Anna glances at the portraits one last time, smiling.
❄️❄️❄️
It’s the day of the coronation, the castle is bustling with servants; guests have started to arrive at the castle, the docks are filled with ships, and the people are all ecstatic. It is finally happening.
Elsa is helping Anna dress up in her room. ‘Remember, hold the Orb in your right hand and the Scepter in your left.’, the former queen instructs, fixing her little sister’s hair.
‘Yes, your majesty.’ Anna replies, a childish grin plastered on her face. Elsa chuckles, ‘Well, now it’s your turn to be addressed as “Your majesty”.’
Anna looks up at her sister with a smile and says, ‘But you don’t have to. If you do it’ll feel strange.’. Anna shudders at the mere prospect of her sister addressing her as “your majesty”. Elsa chuckles, stroking Anna’s head.
She looks at her sister’s reflection in the mirror. Anna looks stunning in her coronation dress. Even through her jocund countenance, there is an undeniable sense of dignity and responsibility portrayed by the dress she had donned. Anna was more mature now, and her newfound knowledge and wisdom manifested through how she carried herself with grace and integrity. The woman sitting in front of her seemed almost unrecognizable to Elsa. Almost.
Anna will always be her little sister, who she loves with every ounce of her flesh. She will always be the sunshine that brightens the darkest of days. Always be a beacon of hope to those in despair. Her love could hold up the world. That’s right. It was Anna who taught Elsa that there is nothing love couldn’t fix. From broken souls to frozen hearts, literally, anything.
A single drop of tear slides down Elsa’s rosy cheek, but her eyes never leave her sister’s. ‘Elsa?’ Anna’s concerned voice calls out. She looks up at her sister, who, despite her teary eyes, has a smile on her face.
‘I’m so proud of you, sis.’ Elsa’s voice cracks. Anna gets up from her stool and pulls her sister into a bone-crushing hug.
‘Thank you, sis. Now, don’t make me cry, or else all your hard work will wash away with my tears!’ Anna laughs, pulling back and pointing at her make-up. ‘Oops! Sorry.’, Elsa replies, wiping her cheek, slightly embarrassed.
Just as the girls finish dressing up, Kai knocks and pokes his head through the door. ‘Your majesty, Your highness, it’s time.’
Elsa and Anna look at each other and share one last hug before heading to the church.
The church is crowded with nobles of other kingdoms at the front and commoners at the back. The Northuldrans are there, too. Kristoff, Olaf, and Sven sat at the front, wearing fancy suits. Kristoff keeps stirring in his seat, tugging at his collar. Sven raises an eyebrow at Kristoff, looking him up and down. Kristoff catches Sven’s look.
‘Don’t look at me like that, you know I’m not used to this.’ He motions at his suit, emphasizing his point.
Olaf on the other hand is ecstatic and looks handsome in his slick little suit.
Elsa slips in through the door and stands at the front. The Archbishop bows at the Fifth Spirit and she dips into an elegant curtsy. General Mattias is standing parallel to her and offers her a bow of this head.
Anna stands outside the church door, hands crossed in front of her. She heaves a heavy sigh, fiddling with her engagement ring. “This is it,” she thinks to herself, “you’ve been preparing for this day for months, don’t screw anything up.”
At this moment, it feels like it was only yesterday that the gates of Arendelle were opened to the world again. Only yesterday that the evil Hans almost took the former queen’s life. And only yesterday that they had left Arendelle to unravel the secrets of their kingdom’s past and lost each other while doing so. Anna and the gang have had their fair share of adventures so far, and something tells Anna, that there is more to come now that the seasons of the kingdom are changing. Their lives wouldn’t be the same, and Anna doesn’t want it to be any other way.
Anna’s reminiscence comes to a stop when the bells of the church start jingling, and the door slowly starts to open, revealing a church full of people both familiar and unknown.
Anna takes a deep breath, and starts toward the front of the church where the archbishop was standing. Her eyes land on Kristoff, who offers her a nod of encouragement. Elsa gives her a soft smile and mouths “you’ve got this”. As she continues down the aisle, everything around her starts to fade as her mind only focuses on the scepter and orb by the altar, and the new responsibility about to be bestowed upon her…
❄️❄️❄️
Later, in the evening, after all the rituals have been done and guests have started to file out of the church and into the castle ball-room, Elsa pulls Anna into the library.
“What is it, Elsa?” Anna asks, looking equal bits perplexed and worried.
“There’s something I want to show you.” Elsa brings her hands to her chest and flourishes them in front of her. A flurry of snow swirls in front of the sisters and slowly takes the shape of…their parents?
Anna gasps. The last time she had seen an ice memory of their parents was inside of the shipwreck, and it wasn’t a fond memory for her. But this one was different. Iduna and Agnarr were holding each other’s hands, a look of concern on the late queen’s face.
“Darling,” Iduna starts speaking as Elsa raises one of her hands, “I’ve been thinking, it might be time to tell Anna about Elsa. I can’t bear keeping her shut out anymore. She’s maturing now, she can be responsible.”
Anna sucks in a breath, eyes starting to water. She looks at Elsa, who offers her a smile.
Agnarr replies “It’s not Anna I’m worried about. What if we let them get close again and the feelings are too much for Elsa?”
Anna looks at her father, taking a few steps toward him. “Joy brings her powers out as strongly as fear.”, he continues.
Iduna chimes in as soon as Agnarr finishes, “But if anyone can find a way to help Elsa, it’s Anna.” She’s standing in front of Anna now, looking straight at her as if she is right there. Elsa comes beside Anna and takes her hand, giving it a little squeeze. They were both admiring their mother, who looked just as doting and poised as she always had.
Agnarr chuckles “You may be right about that. There’s not much that girl can’t do.”
There is a sense of deep affection, admiration and faith in Iduna’s eyes, “Her love could hold up the world…”
Tears start pouring down Anna’s face as she takes in what her mother just said. Her love could hold up the world… Love. It is everything Anna has ever stood for. And her parents knew that. It was how her parents raised her to be like. A person full of compassion and love.
“Lucky for the world. Okay, we’ll tell her when we return.”, Agnarr concludes as he embraces his beloved.
Anna reaches for their snowy forms just as they dissipated through the window and out into the night. She stands at the window, looking up at the night sky, stars sparkling and twinkling as if they are agreeing with her parents.
Elsa puts her arm around Anna’s shoulders, resting their heads against each other. Anna turns and crashes into Elsa’s arms, hugging her with all her strength. “Thank you…so much.” Anna sniffles into her sister’s shoulder.
Now it was Elsa’s turn to choke up. “They believed in you Anna,” Elsa wipes her sister’s cheeks, then places her hands on Anna’s shoulders, “...and so do I.”
Anna looks into Elsa's eyes, and sees that they reflect the same deep affection, admiration, and faith as Iduna’s had.
“And they’d have been so proud to see the woman you’ve become.” Elsa takes her little sister’s hands in hers.
“They’d be proud of you, too, sis. Don’t sell yourself short” Anna chuckles, squeezing Elsa’s hands.
Elsa looks out at the night sky, quietly thanking their parents for this moment. The voices from the day before had completely stopped, and Elsa heaved a sigh of relief. Anna’s going to be okay. They are going to be okay.
A knock on the door pulls them both out of the tender moment, and the door creaks open. “It’s time for the coronation ball, your majesty.”, Kristoff pokes his head in, stressing the word “majesty” with a grin on his face. Elsa and Anna turn toward him as he enters the room.
“Are you ready?” he asks.
Anna is still staring at Kristoff. Elsa looks from Kristoff to Anna, and her brows furrow. She nudges Anna with her elbow, “Your majesty…” Elsa says, her lips curling up at a corner. Anna tears her eyes away from Kristoff and looks at Elsa, who eyes at the crown sitting on top of her head.
“Oh! Right, me, I’M the queen.” Anna chuckles, pointing to herself, her cheeks turning red.
This is all so new to her. She’s the new queen of Arendelle, who will strive to reign her kingdom towards greatness and prosperity. Anna looks back at the portrait of her father and sister, and takes a deep breath. It is her turn to carry the torch of sovereignty forward, and she knows she doesn’t have to face the challenge alone, she has her family by her side.
As she takes Elsa’s hand in one hand, and Kristoff’s in her other, and walks out of the library, her chest swelling with new found confidence and determination, only one thought reverberated around in her mind. Her parents believed in her, what and who can possibly stop her?...