((This takes place 2 years after Frozen, and 1 year before Frozen 2. The Enchanted Forest talked about in this story is NOT the one in Frozen 2, but an illusion created to steer people away from the actual forest, I do talk about the one in Frozen 2 later on, however.))

"Elsa, wake up!" Anna shook her sister a bit, her voice filled with excitement. Honestly, probably too much excitement. Her strawberry blonde hair was let loose, unlike the braids she'd worn so often all those years ago. 

Elsa rolled around and shut her eyes tight. "Just five more minutes, Anna..." She said sleepily. It was odd for her to sleep in, really, but then again, Anna was always up before the sun even rose when it came to something she wanted to do. Tell Anna there was a meeting in the morning and somehow the princess managed to sleep till noon.

Anna sighed and shook her sister violently, letting out a snort. "Seriously, wake up!" Anna tucked some loose strands of hair behind her ear. She told the servants not to visit her quarters in the morning, since she'd be gone before sunrise anyway. 

Elsa slowly opened her eyes, ice blue meeting emerald green. "Anna...please..." The Queen responded slowly, the tiredness in her voice clearly visible,  "I'm tired..."

Anna frowned. She shook her sister again, "WAAAAKKKKEEE UUUUPPP!"

Elsa sat up quickly. "IM UP! Saints, I'm up." She frowned as Anna's smiling face looked back at her, not even caring about how tired she was. She was exhausted after last night, the hundreds of meetings she had piled upon each other. Couldn't her sister have have waited? "You're already dressed? Anna, it's 2:00 in the morning! Why are y-"

Anna stood up proudly and threw some clothes in Elsa's face, interrupting her sentence. "Here, I picked out some clothes for you."

Elsa looked at the clothes. Surprisingly, her sister had managed to pick out something that matched for once. If the servants didn't help Anna with her clothes, she'd wear her underclothes all day if it were up to her. She slipped out of bed and picked up the winter dress before turning to Anna who was waiting for her. "You can leave now."

Anna laughed. "Of course, Your Majesty. Hurry up, though. We have some big plans." Elsa hated the emphasis her sister had on the word, 'big'. She hurried out the room, although Elsa could tell she was right behind the door waiting. Anna being Anna, as always.

Elsa shook her head and smirked, "I don't know what to do with that girl." She took off her nightgown and examined her dress. She couldn't help but give a solemn smile as she ran her fingers delicately over the fabric, feeling the soft gray wool. This was Mother's dress. She remembered when her mother had first worn this dress, how she and Anna were outside, playing on the ice while Elsa was inside watching through the window. That was when Elsa was afraid of her powers, when she thought staying away would keep her sister safe, but she was no longer afraid now. Now, her only fear was that she looked as beautiful as Mother in the dress. She slipped it on and looked at herself in the mirror. It fit perfectly, and although Elsa had to admit that it looked pretty on her, she figured that she could never pull it off like her mother had.

The Ice Queen opened the door to her room to find Anna standing right at the door. She was leaning on it, so when Elsa opened it, Anna nearly fell. Anna smiled, "Let's go!" She grabbed her sisters hand and pulled her along.

Elsa raised an eyebrow, "Anna, we haven't even eaten yet! We can't just go outside of the castle without guards, you know. ANNA!"

Anna rolled her eyes, still tugging on her sister's arm. "Please, we dont' need guards! Besides, Kristoff is coming with us."

Elsa smirked. Of course Kristoff was coming with them. She knew how much her sister loved him, and she often teased Anna because of it. "So Kristoff is coming?" She added with a sly smile, just longing to see her sister's reaction.

"Don't you start, Elsa."

The Queen then smiled as she mimicked Anna playfully, "Oh, Kristoff! I love you so much! I don't know what I'd do without you!" Elsa did an overly exaggerated swoon, "Won't you marry me already, my dear Kristoff?" She couldn't help but laugh. It was these moments were the Queen didn't care about how she was viewed, when she wasn't calm and poised. Just two sisters spending time together.

Anna frowned. "It's not funny, Elsa. Besides, I'm not ready for marriage." The last sentence sounded serious, though, Elsa brushed off her sister's tone. Anna dragged her sister all the way down the hall till they got to the two large doors that opened up the castle. "C'mon, Kristoff is waiting for us."

"What are you getting me into, Anna?" Elsa knew something was up. She couldn't go anywhere with Anna and not get into some kind of trouble or mischief.

The princess bit her lip, eyes filled with amusement. "It's a surprise. You'll see."

Elsa groaned. She still remembered what happened the last time Anna had surprised her. It ended up with them both about to fall through a frozen lake. "Couldn't you just...oh, I dont know...TELL ME?"

"Then it wouldn't be a surprise, Elsa. And where is the fun in a ruined surprise?" Anna quietly opened the door of the castle. The two sisters slipped outside where Kristoff, Olaf, and Sven were waiting by the sleigh. 

Elsa paused for a moment. "Anna, there weren't any guards in front of the castle....why?"

"Oh....no reason." Anna smirked.

Kristoff bowed in the Queen's direction. "Your Majesty, please sit."

Elsa chuckled. "Please, Kristoff, I'm just Elsa to you. No need for formality." She replied as she sat in the sleigh and Anna hopped in beside her. Olaf was in the back chattering as usual.

Kristoff got in and Sven started off to....wherever they were going. Elsa turned to her sister. "Anna, please tell me where we're going." She knew her sister would say anything, but it was certainly worth a try to ask, especially when she had more meetings piled up at sunrise.

Anna shook her head firmly, crossing her arms stubbornly. "I am not tell-"

"WE'RE GOING TO THE ENCHANTED FOREST!" yelled Olaf excitedly. There was some silence, other than the sound of Sven's hooves connecting with the ground, before Anna spoke, her eyes wide.

"Olaf! I told you not to tell her!"

The snowman smiled sheepishly. "Oops. Sorry. But isn't the Enchanted Forest the most wonderful thing? I've always wanted to go, myself, though there HAVE been many rumors. I've heard so many cool stories about the Enchanted Forest, although they were mainly bad ones, but who cares? Have you two ever been to the Enchanted Forest? I'm sure....."

Olaf continued to blabber on, and Elsa frowned. "The Enchanted Forest? Anna, you know how dangerous that forest is." Well, at least from what she heard. She remembered the conversations she overheard her parents having, days after she'd accidentally hurt Anna. She remember their hushed whispers, as if they were talking about something they shouldn't have been, the way her father quickly put her back in bed when they realized she was listening. And she only remembered one word, Thuldra. Or...something like that.

"Oh please, those silly stories don't scare me!" Anna laughed, still glancing back at Olaf with disappointment. 

They might've not scared Anna, but Elsa was always cautious about that forest. Her mother had always told her stories of a dark force somewhere deep in those woods. Elsa had heard her mother tell Anna those stories, but for some reason her mother always seemed to be more serious when talking to Elsa. She remembered the something about elements, monsters, but it was all a fading memory. But one thing she remembered as clear as ice, was her mother's warning after overhearing the conversation. 

"Elsa, there are answers out there, in that forest. Answers to some very big questions. But sometimes, you have to decide if the answers you want are worth what you might go through." Iduna whispered. "You understand?"

Elsa nodded her head, even if she didn't quite know what answers her mother was referring to. "Yes, Mama."

"That's my little frost flower." Iduna leaned forward, planting a kiss on her daughter's forehead, and Elsa took in her mother's sweet cinnamon smell.

Elsa came back to reality, letting out a slow breath as she turned to face her sister. " Anna, I don't think we should go."

The princess frowned. "See, Olaf? This is exactly why I told you not to say anything. Elsa's scared."

"I'm not scared. I'm just...nervous is all. Mother always told us to never go into those woods, remember? She talked about...about answers, or something. Things that we aren't prepared for."

Anna looked confused, her brows furrowing. "Mom never told me that. She said I had to look after you just in case we were to ever go in those woods. She said-and I quote- 'If you two ever find yourselves in those woods, you must protect your sister Anna. There are things she isn't ready for.' That's what she said. Besides, we're a lot older now, Elsa. No need to be afraid."

Elsa took a moment to think to herself. Why was she the one who needed protecting? She erased the thought from her mind as they approached the forest, a dreadful knot rising in her stomach. Something about it felt...off, as if what she was staring at wasn't as magical as she'd hoped. Or perhaps not as scary as she's hoped.

"It's about time we got here, no offense, Sven." Olaf replied, chuckling as the reindeer nipped at his nose.

Kristoff came to a halt. "After you Queen Elsa."

Elsa narrowed her eyes. Something was seriously up. Why was Kristoff being so....formal? And why was Anna being so...secretive? Elsa hopped off the sleigh and her shoes planted into the thick snow. Fall was coming around quickly, sure, but here...here the woods didn't seem to apply to the laws of nature. Here winter covered every inch of forest. Suddenly, Elsa felt weird. A tingly, almost stinging feeling came over her, some force was pulling her into the woods, something magnetic that she couldn't just ignore. 

"Elsa?" Anna raised an eyebrow, glancing over at his sister carefully.

Elsa turned to her sister, speaking absentmindedly. "What?"

Anna pointed to her left of the woods. "We're going this way...so...."

"Oh! Yeah, sorry." Elsa began to follow Anna and Kristoff. Sven and Olaf were playing around behind them, yet something still felt off to her. Something was wrong. Not necessarily an evil thing...just...unusual, in a way that the Queen could not explain.

Anna bit her lip and stopped in her tracks. "This is the place!" She walked deeper into the woods and motioned Elsa to follow.

"Ummm....Anna...what are we doing here?"

Anna smiled. "We're looking for Holly Specks."

Elsa grinned from ear to ear. "Anna...I...This is why you're the best sister I could ask for." She embraced her sister tightly. Elsa absolutely LOVED Holly Specks. They were little brownish purple beans no bigger than a pea that were shaped like a tear drop, but tasted like coffee, or dark chocolate. And it was amazing when brewed into a drink. On very rare occasions, when the two siblings were younger, they would pick Holly Specks to use for pies. Most of all, one of the cooks, Lady Eris, would use some of it to make her famous Devil's Cake. They made Elsa's day. Her and Anna would sneak in the kitchen and smuggle some of the Holly Specks when Lady Eris wasn't looking. She wouldn't know a few were gone. Of course, all that ended when Elsa accidentally hurt her sister.

Elsa removed the thought from her mind as she spotted a huge Holly Speck tree. She smiled and motioned to Anna. "There's some over here, Anna!"

Anna smiled and ran over to the tree. "Ohhhh, I think we hit the jackpot on this one!" She laughed, on her tip toes as she tried to reach the higher places.

Olaf ran over along with Sven. "It looks yummy..... what is it?"

Elsa giggled. "It's Holly Speck, Olaf. They're the most wonderful thing in the world. There even better when you brew them."

Kristoff raised an eyebrow, rolling a bean in his hand slowly. "I've never had it before. What's it taste like?" He mumbled.

"Try one for yourself!" Anna popped a Holly Speck in Kristoff's mouth, waiting patiently for his reaction. "Well?"

He chewed for a moment, scrunched up his face, and spat it out. "It's terrible! I hate chocolate."

"YOU. DONT. LIKE. CHOCOCLATE?!?!" The sisters spoke in unison.

Elsa frowned, placing her hands together and letting out a low breath. "Sorry Kristoff, but you can't marry my sister and not like chocolate. It's the rules." She lifted her head high in a joking manner. 

"Marry?" Kristoff blushed.

Anna groaned. "Don't mind my sister. She get's drunk off of too much sweets." she laughed. 

Elsa just smiled as they continued to pick Holly Specks, freezing as she felt that strong magnetic pull again. Some kind of force was pulling her. "Hey, Anna, I'm gonna go look for more Holly Specks...." She didn't even wait for Anna to respond. As she went deeper into the woods, the force got stronger, and soon, she couldn't ignore the magnetic pull. Her ice blue eyes narrowed in suspicion as she saw a soft but mesmerizing glow in the distance between patches of trees. She could her soft murmurs and whispers coming from the glow, and she realized, not only was it an object that was glowing, but  that the soft whispers weren't whispers at all, but singing.

It was weird. The tune was familiar, but yet it had a more eerie sound to it, as if...as if she'd heard it somewhere but couldn't pinpoint it. She heard it somewhere, yet at the same time, the song felt so different.

Pain and Heartbreak come to me.
Make them go away.
Let them wither all in fear.
They shall know my name.

Death and Horror come to me.
Please, oh let them see.
The never-ending Frost is near
The Crystal is in me.

The Frost shall set me free.

This repeated itself and Elsa sing softly with it. She was surprised that she knew the lyrics, and the force was tugging on her. Just as Elsa reached out her hand, she gasped, watching the forest in front of ripple like water. A....barrier, of some sort? She pressed forward, her fingers disappearing in the invisible wall or, whatever it was. And then she heard her name.

"Elsa?! Where are you?" Anna called out, cupping her hands around her mouth to project her voice.

Elsa snapped her and around, pulling her hands away from the barrier as she walked towards her sister.

Anna sighed of relief. "Elsa! Saints, you scared me!" Anna grabbed her sisters hand, then frowned as she felt Elsa's shaking hands. "You ok, Elsa?"

The words rang in Elsa's head.

The Crystal is in me.
The Frost shall set me free.

Elsa nodded. "Yeah. Yeah I'm.....I'm fine." She looked behind her and took one last look at the woods, a confusion running over her that she'd never experienced before. And worse, a longing that Elsa didn't know if she wanted to figure out. They all hopped back into the sleigh and headed back to the castle.

Anna looked at her sister and smiled. "Just wait till you get back, I didn't just plan one surprise, you know."

Elsa gave a slow, steady nod, though her eyes were on the forest. The farther they got away, the fainter the lyrics in Elsa's mind became, but it rested in the back of her head still. What was that glowing object? Perhaps it was a dream. Or perhaps the answers her mother spoke of were true.

"Elsa, there are answers out there, in that forest. Answers to some very big questions. But sometimes, you have to decide if the answers you want are worth what you might go through." Iduna whispered. "You understand?"

Elsa nodded her head, even if she didn't quite know what answers her mother was referring to. She didn't understand any of it, but she wanted to see her mother smile, anyway.

"Yes, Mama."