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In the evening, the party began. A stupendous ball was arranged. Local music was played with great enthusiasm by the musicians, and there was an atmosphere of merrymaking. People responded positively to the music, talking and dancing with acquaintances from near and far. Elsa, too, was at greater ease. Besides, Alex finally got to see her when the sun had set. The fast and playful waltz was drawing closer to an end. Both Elsa and Alex walked down a corridor that led to the Great Hall.

“Any other instructions for me, Alex?” Elsa humorously asked.

Alex only chuckled and answered, “No, Your Majesty. And one more thing, refrain from calling me anything but ‘royal sergeant’ during the celebrations, please.”

Elsa briefly tittered and replied, “Oh, sure!”

It seemed like she had finally acquired some command over her powers. The waltz soon ended, and the doors to the ballroom opened for the queen. The people started to settle down; Alex marched brilliantly to a halt at the dais beside the throne, at attention. Kai stood below and announced, “Presenting, Queen Elsa of Arendelle!”

All the guests bowed deeply as Queen Elsa walked into the ballroom. Kai then turned his head in the other direction and continued, “Presenting, Princess Anna of Arendelle!”

The people continued to bow. Anna, however, was not comfortable with that form of address. She ran right in when she was called and waved nervously at everyone. A few guests waved back. Kai grew worried as she didn’t stand where she was supposed to. So he helped her up. Anna wasn’t very keen on doing that, but now that she stood there, she took a step away from her sister, whose elegance radiated. The people burst into applause. Elsa quickly recognized that her sister didn’t enjoy where she was made to stand and greeted her casually, “Hi.”

Anna didn’t expect her to do that. She replied nervously, “Hi? Hi me? Oh… Um, hi!”

An awkward silence followed this.

“You look beautiful.” Elsa broke the ice yet again.

“Thank you. You look beautifuller. Oh, you don’t look ‘fuller’, you know, I mean you look more beautiful.”

Elsa smiled, “Thank you.”

Anna quickly turned over to Alex. He greeted her with a bow, “Greetings, princess.”

“Oh, Alex! Wouldn’t you do that sailor dance you showed me the other day?” Anna inquired in a sophisticated tone.

“Oh, I’ll deal with you later, Anna!” he joked furtively and continued to look forward. Hearing his muted response, both of them giggled. Turning away, Elsa said to her sister,

“So, this is what a party looks like!”

Anna commented, “It’s warmer than I thought.”

Elsa picked up something in the air, “What’s that amazing smell?”

Taking a long sniff together, they confirmed, “Mmmm… Chocolate.”

They had a good laugh. A moment later, before Anna could continue to speak, Kai cut in, “Your Majesty, the Duke of Weasel-town.”

“It’s Weselton! The Duke of Weselton!” protested the same Lilliputian man.

“Your Majesty, as your closest partner in trade, it seems only fitting that I offer you your first dance as queen.”

Saying so, he moved in quick patterns like a praying mantis and put his hand forward, bowing. His wig came half undone as he did so. Both the queen and princess held back peals of laughter.

Elsa cleared her throat and responded, “Thank you, only I don’t dance. But my sister does.”

Not willing to lose the opportunity, the duke grabbed Anna and expressed, “Ho-ho, lucky you!”

Anna didn’t have any such wish. “Oh, I don’t think--”

But before she could protest, the duke yanked her away.

“If you swoon, let me know, I’ll catch you,” he assured, tugging her along to the dance floor.

As the dance began, Anna tried her best to keep up with him. He showboated but was awful with it. Things changed—for the worse, that is.

“Like an agile peacock…” he landed on Anna’s foot.

“Ow, ow.” Anna kept that to herself.

“Speaking of, so great to have the gates open. Why did they shut them in the first place? Do you know the reason? Hmm?” the duke asked, getting in her face.

Anna answered, “… No.”

Convinced, the duke went on, “Oh, alright. Hang on. They don’t call me the ‘little dipper’ for nothing.”

Saying so, he dipped Anna back. Anna got a glimpse of her sister and shot her a funny, irritated look. Covering her mouth, Elsa laughed. The duke was now fully grooved on.

“Like a chicken… With the face of a monkey… I fly!” he proclaimed, dancing awkwardly.

Later, the dance round was over, and Anna got back to her sister. Elsa commented, “Well, he was sprightly.”

Anna agreed, rubbing her sore feet, “Especially for a man in heels.”

Elsa asked her sister, “Are you okay?”

Loving Elsa’s attention, she replied, “I’ve been better; this is so nice. I wish it could be like this all the time.”

“Me too.” Elsa found herself wishing the same. She used to love spending time with her dear sister. Just then, thoughts of accidentally harming Anna in any way came flooding in. Elsa restrained herself and looked away.

“But it can’t.” she declared. Anna tried to persuade her and took hold of her arm,

“Why not? I mean, if we jus--”

“It just can’t.” Elsa pulled away. Anna felt any hope of things going back the way they were fading.

“Excuse me for a minute.”

Elsa watched her go, saddened. But she knew it was to keep Anna and everyone else safe. Anna hastily made her way through the crowd. The clouding emotions were too much for her to stand being near anyone.

Her thoughts were interrupted by a rather remiss act of being bumped by a bowing man's behind. Anna lost her footing, and in turn, almost fell over by stepping on the hem of her dress. Abruptly, someone caught her by the hand, stopping her fall. She looked up to see none other than Hans.

“Glad I caught you,” he said with a perfect smile.

The clouding emotions were too much for her to stand being near anyone—anyone except Hans. Anna flashed a grateful smile, “Hans.”

He smoothly set the drink down on a passing tray, lifted Anna, and led her in a romantic dance.

The two of them laughed, talked, and danced all evening. They found that they had a lot in common. Anna even taught him how to eat krumkake—they were getting along pretty well. Not long after, they found themselves in a relationship, and Hans also went to the extent of proposing to Anna.

“Can I say something crazy?” he asked. Anna giggled and nodded. “Will you marry me?”

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Anna softly gasped. “Can I say something crazier?” She slowly moved her head, smiling. “Yes!”

Later that night, in the Great Hall, Anna was seen pushing through the crowd, towing Hans along.

“Oops! Pardon… Sorry! Can we just get around you there? Thank you.” Anna excitedly hurried, moving toward Elsa.

Elsa stood on the dais and received a few guests. She politely dismissed them and stepped down.

“There she is. Elsa!” Anna called out. This was the first time Alex got a glimpse of Prince Hans. He stood silently beside the throne and observed. Anna curtsied awkwardly. “I mean… Queen… Me again. Um. May I present Prince Hans of the Southern Isles.” Anna introduced.

“Your Majesty.” Hans greeted, bowing.

Elsa gave a polite but reserved curtsy. They both briefly hesitated and looked at one another. Then Anna began, “We would like…”

Hans took over, “Your blessing…”

“Of…”

They both exclaimed together, “… Our marriage!”

Elsa was dumbfounded. Alex stood steady, although his eyes popped out. “Marriage…?” wondered the queen.

Anna confirmed, “Yes!”

“I’m sorry, I’m confused.” Elsa accepted.

Anna went on, assuming her sister has agreed, “Well, we haven’t worked out all the details ourselves. We need a few days to plan the ceremony. Of course, we’ll have soup, roast, and ice cream and then…” Turning to Hans, she asked, “Wait. Would we live here?”

Elsa was already in disbelief. She asked, “Here?”

Hans replied, “Absolutely!”

Elsa tried to convey politely, “Anna--” But she was immediately interrupted.

“Oh, we can invite all twelve of your brothers to stay with us…”

Elsa took a moment to digest what was going on. She decided she had had enough. She protested, “What? No, no, no, no.”

Anna assumed it was something to do with the twelve brothers and continued, “Of course, we have the room. I don’t know; some of them must--”

Elsa was starting to get frustrated. She then broke in and spoke clearly,

“Wait, slow down. No one’s brothers are staying here. No one is getting married.”

Anna took a moment, surprised, “Wait, what?”

Elsa asked her sister, “May I talk to you, please? Alone?”

On hearing this, Hans seemed to become worried. Anna glanced back and forth from Elsa to Hans. On seeing her fiancé’s anxious face, she linked arms with him in a reassuring manner.

“No. Whatever you have to say, you can say to both of us.”

Elsa stiffened up—something not-so-sweet was coming.

“Fine. You can’t marry a man you just met.”

Anna replied, “Not if it’s true love.”

Elsa asked right away, “Anna, what do you know about true love?”

Anna shot back, “More than you. All you know is how to shut people out.”

Elsa was offended, but maintaining her composure, she responded,

“You asked me for my blessing, but my answer is no. Now, excuse me.”

Hans, seemingly desperate, tried to persuade her, “Your Majesty, if I may ease your--”

He was promptly silenced.

“No, you may not. And I… I think you should go.” said Elsa, flustered.

She walked past Kai; her frustration was evident. She ordered,

“The party is over. Close the gates.”

Anna was astounded at how quickly her sister had cut that off. She felt that she did truly love Hans, and Hans loved her back. Anna couldn’t understand why Elsa was reacting this way. She tried to stop her sister, “What? Elsa, no. No, wait!”

Grabbing Elsa’s hand, she pulled one of her gloves off. The queen gasped and spun around, reaching for it in panic.

“Give me my glove!” she demanded.

Alex stood easy and took a few steps forward, not leaving the dais. Anna held the glove away from Elsa and pleaded desperately,

“Elsa, please! Please. I can’t live like this anymore.”

Elsa was fighting tears. Her poise had shattered, and she wanted to leave more than anything. She had to make a decision, an extremely hard one for her. She slowly said in a weak voice, “Then leave…”

Anna’s face went blank for a split second. She felt somewhat numb. Slowly, her face fell. She started tearing up. Elsa immediately felt guilty for having acted this insensitively. All this was becoming too much for her. She doubted her ability to hold back anymore, so she turned and rushed to the door. Anna felt like her heart was ruthlessly shattered to a million pieces.

“What did I ever do to you?!” yelled Anna.

The party went silent, and the sisters became the center of attention. Alex realized this was going horribly wrong. He got off the dais and moved closer in. However, he didn’t dare to interfere.

“Enough, Anna,” Elsa warned her sister, exasperated.

Anna went on, “No. Why? Why do you want to shut me out? Why do you want to shut the world out? What are you so afraid of?!”

Elsa was snapped. “I said ENOUGH!” she screamed as ice shot out of her hand and created enormous spikes across the floor.

Several guests gasped and backed away. A shard almost pierced the Duke of Weselton. Narrowly escaping it, he took cover behind his guards. Realizing what she had done, she threw open the exit and disappeared into a dark corridor.

Sergeant Alex rushed to the scene.

“Queen Elsa!” he exclaimed and approached the spikes of ice near Anna. Turning to her, he spoke quietly with mild disbelief, “Anna, what have you done?”

Anna couldn’t find words to say. Alex drew out the royal sword and slashed away a section of the enormous spikes. Kicking the remaining pieces of ice out of his way, he quickly moved to the door and prepared to follow Elsa through the corridor. At this, the Duke of Weselton came out of hiding and declared,

“Sorcery. Monster! She tried to kill me!”

This cry stopped Alex in his tracks. He faced away from the guests, enraged. He took a deep breath and turned around.

“The Queen is NOT a SORCERER or a MONSTER!” announced the sergeant loud and clear.

Turning to the duke, he asserted firmly, “The Duke of Weselton has NO right to spread RUMORS or SLANDEROUS messages about Her Majesty!”

The duke looked in disbelief, as though his true intentions had been revealed. Alex continued, “The Queen had been greatly upset, and that is why all this happened. Everyone is safe. You are all requested to remain in the Great Hall.”

Before leaving, he gave the duke one quick, furious glance. The duke returned an angered look—it was clear that these two men aroused hostility in each other.

As that unfolded, Elsa burst out of the door and into the courtyard. When she appeared, all the people cheered.

“There she is.” “Your Majesty!” “Long live the queen!” “Queen Elsa… Come drink with us.” Several townsmen and women celebrated her arrival.

Elsa ducked through the crowd, holding her bare hand.

“Queen Elsa.” greeted a townsman who stood before her. She hurried along.

“Your Majesty, are you alright?” asked a townswoman with a baby. Looking at the infant, she backed away and grabbed the fountain’s edge. Behold, the water froze to her touch, and so did the floor that surrounded the fountain. The people stared in awe.

“Please, just stay away from me. Please.” Elsa begged as she ran away.

Just then, Alex reached the courtyard and pushed through the crowd.

“Queen Elsa! Coming through… Move it! Excuse me, sir!”

He tried to catch up. Soon, he saw her moving toward the exit.

“Wait for me!” pleaded Alex.

In her frightened state, she was unable to hear him and continued to flee. As he reached the fountain, he picked up speed—unmindful of the frozen surface near the fountain. Alex slipped and lost his balance. He moved out of control toward a lamppost and hit his head. His cap was knocked off, and he fell unconscious immediately. The sergeant slid off to a shady corner, and amidst the chaos and confusion, hardly anyone took notice of him.

Not long after, Anna and Prince Hans found their way out of a castle door and ran after Elsa. They got only a glimpse of her purple cape. Anna gave chase, and Prince Hans followed closely behind her.

“Elsa!” Anna called out.

Elsa now darted down to the water’s edge. As she stepped into the water, the shoreline froze under her feet. However, Anna and Hans soon caught up. Anna cried out to her sister, “Elsa. Wait, please!”

Elsa quickly glanced at her but turned away. She tentatively stepped into the fjord, which froze instantly—this was working. Elsa broke into a sprint, freezing the water with each step. Anna stepped out onto the fjord.

“Elsa, stop!” She slipped and fell on the ice. Hans rushed to her side and helped her up.

“Anna!” he voiced, worried. Elsa had now reached the far shore and didn’t look back. She scrambled into the mountains; Anna was disappointed.

“No,” she said to herself.

“Look… The fjord!” warned the prince. They stared in awe as the sea and entire port froze to ice with all the ships standing still. Snowfall, too, had started by now.

Sad, Anna returned to the courtyard.

“Snow.” A woman looked up, not able to believe her eyes.

“Snow?” wondered another townswoman behind her.

“Yes, snow!”

Concerned, Hans asked Anna, “Are you alright?”

“No!” she told him, offended.

He asked her again, “Did you know?”

Becoming a little sensitive, she answered, “No…”

Just as requested, all foreign guests stayed within the castle, save the Duke of Weselton and his two guards—they couldn’t help but be curious about what had happened. He didn’t want to make a scene, worried if the sergeant would pop up and give him just one more tongue-lashing before all of the commoners in Arendelle.

He asked courteously but hastily, “Did you find the queen?”

Anna replied, “No. I’ll find her; tonight was my fault. I pushed her, so I’m the one that needs to go after her.”

The duke seemed to be pleased to hear this. He agreed, “Yes, please. Do.”

He shot a suggestive smirk at Prince Hans. Without Anna’s knowledge, he reciprocated.

“Bring me my horse, please.” Anna directed.

Kai immediately brought her a horse and a cloak. He was clearly worried. “Your Highness, please be careful.”

Anna assured, “I Will.”

Turning to Prince Hans, she continued, “Hans, I need you to take care of Arendelle.”

The prince was quick with the answer, “… On my honor.”

Anna threw on the cloak and jumped right onto the horse. She informed the crowd,

“I leave Prince Hans in charge.”

Aside, Prince Hans leered to himself and, turning to Anna, wore a seemingly concerned look.

“Are you sure you can trust her? I don’t want you getting hurt.”

“She’s my sister; she would never hurt me.”

Saying so, she snapped the reins and rode straight out. Both Prince Hans and the Duke of Weselton seemed delighted at her departure.

Elsa darted straight up the North Mountain. It was well above the snow line. Elsa let go of the world she lived in and all the worries in it. She threw her remaining glove to the wind and got rid of her warming cape, for the cold never bothered her anyway. With one movement of her hand, she created the same snowman from her childhood—Olaf.

And she didn’t stop there: with her powers unleashed, she realized that she could now do everything her wild imagination demanded. Creating a stairway of ice, she climbed up to the higher ground. With a stomp of her foot, she made an enormous snowflake-shaped floor. At her behest, an awe-inspiring palace was erected in a matter of seconds!

Pledging never to go back, she threw away her crown and replaced her restraining coronation bunad with a cool, breathable ice dress. Just as the break of dawn brought a new day forth, a new Elsa proudly walked out onto her ice palace’s balcony. She felt like she had finally found her place, in her kingdom of snow, ice, and isolation.