answer. Olaf leaned in closer. Sven snorted. All eyes were on Kristoff, who was staring at Anna’s hand. Finally, he looked up. His brown eyes were fiery in the glow of the flames. She’d never noticed his freckles before.
“Okay,” Kristoff said. “We leave in the morning, but you’d better bundle up.”
Anna smiled. For once, she didn’t argue.
Elsa had no idea how long it had been since she left the valley to head back to the North Mountain. If she couldn’t be with Anna, time no longer mattered. Grand Pabbie’s words played in a loop in her head. Be patient. She’d been more than patient! She had spent the past three years mourning their parents—whom Anna might not even remember—and had been without a sister since she was a child. Hadn’t they both lost enough? When would this curse break? She remembered Anna; she needed Anna. Wasn’t that what Grand Pabbie had said was needed for the magic to dissolve? Why didn’t Anna remember her past as well?
What if Anna never remembered?
If Anna didn’t remember her, then she didn’t want to go on. She would stay at the top of the mountain until the curse broke, and if it didn’t, then she’d stay there forever. Her people needed a strong leader, not a queen who was overcome with grief. They’d be better off without her.
Elsa’s sleigh came to a halt at the steps leading to her ice palace. When she got out, she no longer looked at her kingdom in wonder. She was lost in her own misery. Maybe that was why she missed the footsteps in the snow leading to her palace doors. It wasn’t until she was inside that she realized she wasn’t alone.
Elsa jumped in shock. “How did you find me?”
“It isn’t hard when you know where to look.” Hans put his hands up to keep her from running away. “I came alone.” He was dressed in a heavy navy coat and gloves, a scarf wrapped around his neck. Both a sword and a crossbow hung from a sheath on his belt. His boots were covered in snow, and his cheeks and nose were bright pink. She could only imagine the journey he had taken to get up the mountain.
“How did you…” Her voice trailed off.
Hans took a step closer. “When you ran off like that, freezing the fjord, I knew you were trying to disappear,” he said. “So I thought: where is the farthest place Elsa could go to escape? And I looked up and saw it: the North Mountain.”
Maybe Hans knew her better than she’d thought.
His eyes crinkled with worry. “Are you all right?”
No, she wanted to say. I have a sister. She’s alive. I desperately want to find her, but a curse is keeping us apart. But she didn’t.
Hans looked around in wonder. “You built this?”
“Yes,” Elsa said, feeling humbled again by her creation. This wasn’t some little igloo she had imagined. It had the architecture of her family castle, with snowflake designs and intricate patterns covering every wall and archway. Every pillar sparkled and glowed with a blue hue that bathed the whole palace in light.
“This place is incredible, and so are you,” Hans said. “Everything about you feels different somehow.”
She blushed. “Hans…”
“Is it your hair? You don’t usually wear it down. I like your dress, too. This place suits you.” Hans’s eyes flickered to the room behind her. “You’re here alone?”
She exhaled slowly. “I’m always alone.”
Hans moved closer. “You’re not alone, Elsa. I’m here for you. I always have been.”
Elsa wasn’t sure if it was the tone of his voice or the fact that he had journeyed so far to find her, but something inside her gave way. Her eyes filled with tears. “I’m sorry I revealed my powers the way I did. I didn’t mean to scare you. I don’t want to hurt anyone.”
“I know that.” He took her hand.
“The Duke was pressuring me, the coronation was starting, and I had just learned—” She stopped herself.
“Learned what?” Hans pressed.
Elsa pulled away. “Nothing.” How could she explain Anna?
“I can’t help you if you don’t let me in,” Hans said. She was quiet. “I think what you can do is breathtaking.”
She looked at him. “You do?”
Hans smiled. “You’ve been given an incredible gift. Think of all you could do for Arendelle with your powers. The people are only scared because they don’t understand your magic. If you show them how you can stop this winter and how your magic can protect the kingdom, they’ll