Chapter 1 | "Do you want to build a snowman?"

Decades after the infamously-dubbed "The Great Thaw", numerous of small, surrounding countries formed alliances against Arendelle in fear of her power — despite being only ruled under her reign in three mere years.

Truthfully, Elsa had been aware of the risk of exposing her power and dutifully tracked any suspicious movements that could endanger Arendelle due to her prowess. However, she thought it was no longer necessary to keep monitoring them after she stepped down from being queen and handed the title over to her sister instead.

Oh, how naïve she'd been.

Being as unprepared as they were, Arendelle couldn't stand a chance when they finally decided to do an all-out attack on Arendelle. Even when the Northudras and the spirits came to aid, they'd been too late. All they could do, by the time they got to Arendelle, was to evacuate the remaining survivors to the nearest country that's willing to house them.

The Southern Isles.

If it hadn't been so urgent, Elsa would've laughed at the irony of it.

Yes, the Southern Isles Monarchs may have taken them in, not from the goodness of their hearts, but to seek the burial of their bad blood caused by their youngest son once and for all. And yes, they may have taken them in with the impression that Elsa would be able to sweep their enemies of their feet within a blink of an eye. But nonetheless, they were one of the few to welcome them with open arms. And, Elsa would be forever grateful for it (even if she had to hold her tongue against some of the sons' crude and distasteful remarks).

The Arendellians made do with what they have and successfully acclimatised themselves with the Southern Isleans. And had they gotten more time, they probably could've been happy there.

It took the opposing forces two years to figure out their location, and that was only due to one of the princes betraying his own family in an effort to usurp the throne. It took them another year and more betrayals from the other brothers to finally subdue the remaining of the Southern Isles as well as Arendelle's Royal Families.

Elsa froze in place as she watched their captors drag Anna and Kristoff towards Xavier, the seventh prince of the Southern Isles who was the first to forsake his own blood for a mere golden head piece of no worth.

"Behold!" Xavier spread his arms out as though presenting a stage to the horrified Southern Isle subjects.

The King and Queen of the Southern Isles were also there, kneeling down on the ground right beside her sister and her husband. "Here, I have caught not one, not two, but four kings and queens of their kingdoms!"

No.

Elsa struggled against her restraints, lunging forward against the hundreds upon hundreds of chains and hot, burning steel holding her down. She didn't even register when they started to burn into her skin when four men started to walk forward to stand by each of the monarchs. They all had a sword in hand, already indicating what was about to happen to the crying citizens.

No no no no!

"Mark this day, my loyal subjects! For this is the moment that I, Xavier Harles Westergaard, take over both Southern Isles and Arendelle in one swoop!" Xavier made a gesture towards the executioners — because there's nothing else for her to call them as — and they started to move as one.

As they brought the blade, Anna held down her gaze and mouthed something to her.

Goodbye, Elsa—

"NO!!"

Jerking forward for one last time, Elsa felt herself spin in the air, oddly enough suddenly bereft of her binds, and hit a hard surface with an oomph. Elsa snapped her eyes open, unaware for when she'd closed them in the first place, and noticed that something was amiss.

First of all, she couldn't any pain aside from the dull throbbing on the whole right side of her body — it had taken the most brunt of her fall. There were no chains — chains so hot that it's red — keeping her from moving. Keeping her ice from materializing.

Secondly, she was laid sprawled on a carpeted floor that's definitely not the same smooth stones made up the Southern Isles' Town Square.

Thirdly, Elsa thought as she started making her way around the room, she was currently back inside her bedroom. Not the bedroom she was accustomed to within the Southern Isle, but her childhood bedroom that should've been destroyed in Arendelle.

And lastly, Elsa stopped in her tracks when she caught sight of herself in front of the mirror-

"Why do I look so... young?" She looked at her own face with great bafflement, her hands reaching up to inspect her features.

Her question was quickly answered when she heard a knock to her right, where the door — her door — stood.

"It's Kai, your highness." She heard the achingly familiar voice muffle through the wood, "I am asking to see whether there is anything else you needed for your coronation today."

Coronation. Elsa mouthed.

It was weird to hear it once more. The word was now old enough that it started to feel foreign on her tongue. After all, it's been so long since Anna's coronation, much less hers.

When he didn't hear her reply, Kai knocked on the door once more. "Your highness? Are you awake?"

At his inquiry, Elsa snapped out of her stupor and said, "Oh, yes, yes. I'm awake. Thank you, Kai."

Satisfied with her answer, Kai bid his goodbye to the 'would-be' queen and made his way down the corridor to wake the younger princess who's he had no doubt was still asleep, despite all of her boisterous claims of doing the opposite just the other day.

"It's coronation day." Elsa whispered in revelation.

"It's my coronation day."

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It took Elsa about an hour to come to terms with her new... circumstance.

(There may have been a couple of panic attacks, numerous ice bursts, and maybe one or two crying sessions - but if she kept her mouth shut, they'd be none the wiser.)

After all, somehow, someway, she'd just found herself back to the times before everything started.

Before her powers went out of control and put Arendelle under eternal winter.

Before Anna and her made up which finally melted her heart.

Before she sent the Duke of Weselton and the youngest prince of the Southern Isles back to where they came from with a letter of a thinly-veiled warning.

Before she accepted her duty as the fifth spirit and gave Anna her throne.

Before Arendelle was attacked and destroyed because of fear of her power.

Before they moved to the Southern Isles.

And before Anna, Kristoff, Sven, Olaf, Marshmallow, Kai, Gerda— Everyone died.

"Anna." Elsa whispered, her mind reminding her of the last her sister said to her.

Goodbye, Elsa.

Elsa felt her breath picking up, "I need to see Anna."

Because, if she indeed somehow travelled back in time, she needs to see that Anna is alive and well.

She needs to see her with her own eyes.

And so, Elsa left her bedroom and made her way through the unchanged, familiar corridors towards Anna's bedroom. Luckily, Kai seemed to have finished his round of making sure the princesses were awake and ready for today's event, so no one was there to witness the shut-in princess approaching the cheerful princess for the first time in forever.

Knock, knock, knock.

"Just a moment!" Anna's voice was lively, loud, and oh-so young.

"Anna." Elsa said, her voice almost too soft to carry into the room. But it did, judging from the sudden clatter from within.

There were a lot of things she wanted to tell her sister. That she loved her. That she didn't want to see her die anymore. That she regretted not spending more time with her.

But she didn't.

Because she knows that Anna, this Anna, wasn't the Anna who'd spent more than twenty years ruling Arendelle with Kristoff. And this Anna had never had a conversation with Elsa after she shut herself in.

So instead, she settled with:

"Do you want to build a snowman?"

There was yet another clatter, which was followed by rapid, thundering footsteps. The door then swung open to revel a half-ready Anna who was fully dressed but not yet tamed her unruly bed hair.

"Elsa." Anna whispered, almost in disbelief.

Elsa instantly wrapped her arms around her sister and bathed in the sound of her breathing.

"Anna." She almost sobbed.

Nevermind that, she did sob.

It took Anna a moment to process what just happened, but as soon as she did, the younger girl slowly returned the hug, moving so carefully as she was afraid that one wrong move would break the moment and her sister would return to being a recluse for the rest of their lives

Anna took a breath, then two, then three, before squeezing back. When Elsa didn't try to run away, she finally let herself enjoy the embrace.

Anna's heart broke at her sister's sorrow and couldn't help the tears well up. She didn't know what to do. On one hand, she desperately wanted to know what got Elsa so distraught and promised retribution for the unlucky fella who dared to slight the Arendelle's royal family, while on the other hand, she was so terribly happy that Elsa was finally here and talking to her.

Patting her back soothingly, Anna waited for Elsa to calm down until all there was were soft sniffling of the soon-to-be Queen of Arendelle.

Right, the ceremony.

"Elsa." Anna whispered softly. It was though she was handling a small, terrified critter that could be spooked off by a loud noise. "Would you like to postpone the coronation? It's okay if you want to."

Elsa shook her head, "No, I'm alright." She managed through all her sniffling. She started to turn into the hallway, "I should go get ready."

Anna could only watch helplessly as her older sister, who she hadn't had contact with for almost a decade now, walk away from her. She wanted to follow her-chase her-hug her, but she's afraid that Elsa would tell her to forget everything and push her away.

And Anna really don't want to feel rejection.

Not after getting so many of it throughout the years.

Just... not again.

Too preoccupied by her thoughts, Anna didn't see that Elsa had stopped in her tracks.

"Um, Anna?"

Anna looked up to see that her sister was looking back at her.

"After the coronation, do you want to drink hot chocolate with me in the library?" Elsa asked, her voice still quite hoarse from crying.

Eyes already as wide as saucers, Anna nodded rapidly in response, "YES! DEFINITELY—!!" Anna caught herself and cleared her throat. "I mean, yes. I would love to."

Chuckling at Anna's behaviour, Elsa nodded and said, "Then it's a promise."

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Yes, you saw it right, folks. It's a Frozen fic with an Elsa/Hans pairing and a time travel aspect.

Just when I thought I wouldn't stoop any rarer than an Ash/Giovanni or a Marinette/Gabriel pairing ;-; (I have ideas for their fic as well in my drafts, though unsure when I'd ever get to publish it).

I think I like to torture myself by falling in love the all of the rare pairings that have almost to no fanfics circulating around :(

But at least, I contributed to this one, soooo... this is for all the Elsa/Hans shippers.

Enjoy!

Next Chapter: "You're welcome."

J Out!