Grand Pabbie knelt down by Anna’s side and placed his hands on her head. He looked from Anna to the king, who held Elsa on higher ground. Everyone watched as Grand Pabbie made his way up to the king and placed his hands on Elsa’s head as well. The valley was quiet as he came back down to the center of the circle to the queen.
“Grand Pabbie, what is it?” one of the trolls asked.
“I’m afraid they’ve been cursed,” Grand Pabbie whispered.
“Cursed?” Mama repeated. “How?”
“It happened when Elsa’s and my magic crossed,” he explained. “We were both trying to accomplish different things with magic—I wanted to remove Anna’s memories of magic, while Elsa wanted to keep them. The combination caused something else to happen entirely—a curse.” He looked back and forth between the king and the queen. “It appears Elsa has forgotten her powers.”
“But she will remember them, right?” Mama asked.
“Eventually. For now, her powers are wrapped up in her fear for her sister,” Grand Pabbie explained. “She won’t remember how to use them till this strange magic fades.”
“And when will that be?” Papa asked.
Grand Pabbie’s face was solemn. “When she needs her sister more than she ever has before.”
“But they need each other now,” Mama said, the desperation in her voice clear.
“We don’t always get what we want—that’s what curses teach us,” Grand Pabbie told her gently. “Magic can be unpredictable, especially when more than one kind interacts. It appears the curse affected each sister differently. Anna cannot be near Elsa without ice consuming her body and traveling to her heart. If it stays there too long, it grows, as ice can do, and it will eventually kill her.” Mama burst into tears. “And Elsa, while physically fine, cannot survive long-term if she is missing the love of her sister. She is her greatest joy.”
Elsa watched Grand Pabbie’s memory in agony. This was all her fault. If she hadn’t tried to stop Grand Pabbie’s spell, Anna wouldn’t have been hurt. This was why they had been separated: Elsa’s being near Anna could kill her. How had Elsa’s parents ever forgiven her for what she had done?
“Can you reverse the spell?” Papa asked hoarsely.
Grand Pabbie looked to the sky, then down at the earth before he spoke. “I don’t believe that’s possible.” Mama cried harder. “But there is hope. Magic wrapped up in emotions like Elsa’s fades over time. This curse won’t last forever. When the time is right—and the girls need each other more than ever before—their curse will be broken.”
The queen looked up with bloodshot eyes. “You mean someday it will be safe for Anna and Elsa to be together?”
“Yes.” Grand Pabbie looked up at the aurora borealis that shone above them. “I know this isn’t the answer you seek, but your daughters’ love for each other can overcome any curse.” Mama smiled through her tears. “For now, though, they must be kept apart. No one can say how long this magic will hold.”
Throughout the grassy area, trolls whispered to one another about the situation. Mama and Papa were trying to process their new reality, but it was clearly devastating.
“How will we explain this to them?” Mama asked. “They’ll be heartbroken.”
“The girls are always together,” Papa told Grand Pabbie. “They won’t want to be separated.” He looked at Mama. “Can you imagine trying to keep them in separate wings of the castle?”
“No,” Mama agreed. “Nor would it be safe. They wouldn’t understand the consequences of being near one another. An accident could happen in a heartbeat. Putting this sort of responsibility on them at such a young age is impossible.”
“This is true,” Papa agreed. “And if word got out about what could happen to Anna if she was near Elsa, our enemies could try to use the knowledge to their advantage. We can’t let our daughters be pawns in someone else’s game,” he said firmly.
“No.” Tears streamed down Mama’s cheeks. “What do we do?”
Grand Pabbie looked from Papa to Mama sadly. “Separate wings, I fear, are not enough. And the king is right—the world cannot know Anna and Elsa’s weaknesses. They are both heirs to this kingdom. It’s too dangerous.”
Elsa could tell what Grand Pabbie was saying weighed heavily on her parents.
“They won’t be able to stand the separation,” Mama said. “I know my daughters.”
Grand Pabbie thought for a moment. “Perhaps I can help.” He looked at Mama. “Magic can still make the impossible possible. I could do a spell that will hide one of the