A divine glimpse into the past

Arendelle Castle – Anna’s Chambers

Anna sank onto the edge of her bed, still clutching the robe wrapped around her as though it might somehow keep her thoughts from spinning out of control. The room was silent—eerily so, as if the castle itself knew something had changed. The distant hum of the sauna still clung to her skin in memory, but the moment felt worlds away now.

She exhaled a slow, shuddering breath, glancing around her chambers as if searching for answers in the familiar surroundings. Her gaze flickered toward the large, ornate mirror standing against the wall opposite her bed—a towering frame of dark wood carved with intricate patterns. It had been there for as long as Anna could remember, a silent observer of her childhood games and quiet moments of loneliness.

Now it loomed in her thoughts like an anchor.

The dream. The sauna. The towels. And Elsa—Elsa’s face when she had walked out, so quick, so careful…

Anna gripped the edge of her robe. She needed answers.

Her eyes lingered on her reflection—flushed cheeks, strands of fiery red hair sticking damply to her neck, and the faint sheen of sweat clinging to her skin. She frowned and muttered to herself, “Well, for a goddess, I’m not exactly glowing with divine cleanliness, am I?”

She hesitated for just a moment, then straightened her spine.

“Alright. Let’s test this again,” she murmured, her tone half-defiant, half-nervous.

Her thoughts sharpened as she focused.

“I wish,” she whispered, almost reverently, “that my body's skin and hair would now get perfectly and instantly clean, free of sweat, and as fresh as if I just stepped out of a royal bath—along with my sister Elsa, wherever she is, because I’m pretty sure she’d appreciate it, too.”

The words hung in the air for a beat before she felt it—like a cool, refreshing breeze sweeping across her skin. The lingering dampness vanished in an instant, leaving her feeling clean, fresh, and rejuvenated. Even her hair, which had been sticking messily to her face, now cascaded in soft waves as though expertly brushed and washed.

“Whoa…” Anna murmured, tugging at a silky strand of her hair. “Okay, that’s… that’s actually pretty amazing.”

She stood, turning slightly in front of the mirror to admire herself.

“Okay,” she said slowly, her brow furrowing as she sobered up. “That works. So…what about answers?”

Her reflection stared back at her—calm, collected, as if it wasn’t feeling the storm of thoughts raging inside her mind.

She took a deep breath and placed her hand gently against the mirror’s cool surface.

“I wish…” she said softly as she thought of her words carefully, “I wish to see and hear the moments from the past that led to Elsa deciding to shut me out of her life reflected on the surface of this mirror.”

The glass darkened instantly, as though a cloud had swept across it. Anna jerked her hand back, blinking in surprise.

Then, faint ripples like water spread across the glass, and the light of the room around her dimmed as the surface of the mirror began to shift. Images swirled into focus—crystal-clear, sharp enough to make Anna’s breath catch. She swallowed, nerves buzzing beneath her skin as she waited, her hand still hovering near the frame as though the act of touching it again might make the whole thing vanish.

And then...it began.

“Do the magic! Do the magic!”

The voice was hers, and it came from the Great Hall. Anna gasped softly, recognizing it immediately. The walls, the furniture, the faint morning glow through the window—it was the grand room where she and Elsa had played together so many times. Her gaze flicked to the small figures in the center of the room.

“Is that… me?”

It was. A much younger version of herself—tiny, bright-eyed, and full of energy—bounced excitedly in front of Elsa, who looked just as small and delicate, her platinum-blonde hair tied neatly back.

Anna watched, spellbound as the past Elsa began to move her hands. Snowflakes appeared, swirling like tiny stars before forming into a perfect snowball.

“Ready?”

“Yeah!” Little Anna squealed as the snowball burst into glittering flakes.

On the other side of the mirror, Anna pressed a hand to her mouth, her eyes wide with wonder. “She had magic...all this time?”

Her voice came out in a whisper, but no one could hear her. The scene in the mirror played on, oblivious to its audience.

Anna watched her younger self running and laughing, and tears pricked her eyes as Elsa stomped her foot, creating a layer of ice that spread across the floor. Little Anna skidded across it with uncontainable glee, her laughter ringing out like a bell.

“We were so happy,” Anna murmured.

Her heart clenched as the two girls built a snowman together. Elsa moved the stick arms and said in a small, cheerful voice:

“Hi, I’m Olaf, and I like warm hugs.”

Anna’s lips curled into a teary smile as she saw herself hug the little snowman with the same enthusiasm she always had.

“I love you, Olaf!”

The scene shifted again before she could feel like tearing up out of sheer nostalgia. Then, sliding across snowy hills, tumbling down “tickle bumps,” and Elsa conjuring snowpeaks for her sister to jump onto. It was beautiful. Magical.

“This…I somehow forgot all about this,” Anna thought, her chest aching. “Why did I forget this? And how?!"

But the lighthearted joy didn’t last.

“Wait!” Elsa’s voice suddenly sharpened in panic, drawing future Anna's undivided attention.

She flinched as her younger self ignored the warning, jumping into the air once more. Elsa reached out desperately, her hand jerking as her magic surged...

...and the bolt of ice struck Anna’s younger form in the head.

Older Anna’s heart almost felt like stopping at the sight. Her own past voice—so small, so ****—cried out before falling silent. She watched as her little body hit the ground with a faint thud, motionless.

“Anna?”

Little Elsa’s voice broke as she rushed forward, cradling her limp sister in her arms. A new streak of white in young Anna’s hair suddenly seemed to glow in the dim light of the frozen nursery, making her older self gasp in dawning realization as she touched her own, still white streak of hair on reflex.

The mirror reflected everything: Elsa’s anguished cry for their parents, the King and Queen bursting into the room, the rising frost as Elsa’s emotions spiraled out of control.

“Elsa…” Anna whispered, tears streaming down her cheeks as she watched her sister tremble. “I was jumping too fast and too carelessly, It wasn’t your fault.”

But Elsa couldn’t hear her.

Then the scene shifted again. Anna wiped at her tears, trying to process what she’d just seen as the mirror darkened briefly before sharpening into focus once more.

Now, they were deep in a forest. The King and Queen stood in a stone ruin, clutching Anna’s small, **** body as Elsa huddled beside their father.

Anna’s gaze was drawn to the creatures tumbling down the rocks that moved. They were trolls, she realized, remembering the old stories she had heard. She took a stumbling step forward, her breath fogging up the mirror as she leaned in to see.

One troll in particular emerged from the group—older, craggy, his presence denoting respect and leadership.

“It’s the king!”

Anna heard the other trolls whispering excitedly, their glowing eyes darting between her family and calling out the elder, apparently known as Grand Pabbie, to approach.

“Your Majesty!” The elder greeted, taking Elsa’s small hand with gentle reverence. “Born with the powers or cursed?”

“Uh…born,” her father replied hesitantly, glancing at her mother. “And they’re getting stronger.”

Back in the future, Anna’s stomach twisted as Grand Pabbie examined her younger self. The weight of his words hit her like a blow.

“You are lucky it wasn’t her heart. The heart is not so easily changed, but the head can be persuaded.”

Anna winced as she saw the glowing tendrils of magic emerge from Pabbie’s hands, pulling shimmering memories of Elsa’s magic out of her younger self. She watched in horrified silence as those same memories were transformed—erased, altered into harmless, ordinary scenes.

“She will be okay,” Pabbie said gently.

“But she won’t remember I have powers?” Elsa’s small, trembling voice cut through Anna’s heart.

“It’s for the best,” Pabbie replied.

Anna barely heard her father speak next—something about locking gates, limiting staff, hiding Elsa’s powers from the world… and from her.

The scene ended with the castle doors closing, shutting Elsa and Anna away from each other. The younger version of Anna stared at Elsa’s closed door, her small face crumpling with sadness and confusion.

Anna’s breath hitched as the mirror darkened once more, its surface going still and silent.

For a long moment, the new goddess said nothing. The room around her felt cold, even though the fire in the hearth still crackled faintly in the background.

Her trembling hands reached up to wipe the tears from her cheeks, her heart aching like it never had before. “All this time…” she whispered hoarsely. “Elsa…”

She sank onto her bed, clutching the blanket as if it might ground her.

Her mind spun with everything she’d seen—Elsa’s magic, the accident, the trolls, her own erased memories. And through it all, Elsa had been alone. Alone and afraid.

Anna swallowed back the sob rising in her throat.

“She was trying to protect me,” she realized, her voice barely above a whisper. “She shut me out because she loves me, not because she stopped caring.”

The tears came again, hot and silent, as Anna buried her face in her hands.

“I’m so sorry, Elsa,” she murmured brokenly. “I didn’t know. I didn’t remember.”

She sniffled and lifted her head, a spark of determination lighting behind her tear-filled eyes.

“But I know now,” she said softly. “And I’m not going to let you go through this alone anymore.”

Her gaze flicked toward the mirror—silent and still once again—before she stood and wiped her face with the back of her hand.

“I’m coming, Elsa.”

With that, Anna turned and strode toward the door, her resolve carrying her forward like a fire igniting in her chest.

A/N: A bit of a recap chapter, granted, but I hope the new scenes with Anna's reactions made it worth it for you. Either way, we kinda needed to cover this part before advancing further with more original parts of the plotline and their new relationship. I also have something particularly special planned for the next chapter. Something I hadn't done for any other story, branch, or fanfic of mine in any website. It's going to be a surprise but I strongly recommend you don't skip the next chapter's author's notes when it's ready.

Until then, I hope you enjoyed it and until next time.