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It had been a few months since both Anna's and Espen's lives changed for the worst.

The small princess runs through her castles halls, coming to stop just outside a window.

She gasps in excitement as she sees snow beginning to fall, before turning around and running to her brothers room.

...

She skids to a stop just outside his bedroom, a cheeky smile on her face. "Espen?"

She knocks a few times, one hand behind her back as she sings.

"Do you wanna build a snowman?"

She slumps outside the door, her arms raised high as she smiles.

"Come on let's go and play!"

Anna presses her back against the large door before sliding down and sitting against the floor with a pout.

"I never see you anymore, come out the door, it's like you've gone away."

She kneels down infront of the door, trying to peek through the small crack but sighs as she sees barely anything.

...

The little princess plays with two dolls, both strikingly similar to that of her brother and herself.

"We used to be best buddies..and now we're not."

She sets them down before flipping against the floor, the dolls at her side as she stares up at the ceiling.

"I wish you would tell me why."

...

Anna returns to her brothers room one final time, pressing herself against it and speaking through the keyhole.

"Do you wanna build a snowman? It dosent have to be a snowman."

"Go away Anna!" Espen's voice is muffled as he yells at his sister, his tone filled with annoyance and pleading.

Anna looks down sadly as her shoulders slump, turning away and leaving with a frown.

"Okay, bye.."

...

Espen sits perched comfortably against his window sill, eagerly looking around his kingdom with a small smile.

He looks down into the palace courtyard, his eyes widening when he sees (Y/N) shifting her feet against the snow.

She had no clue about why her friend had suddenly decided to shut himself away. All she knew was that he had been cooped up within his room for god knows how long.

So, she decided to make the best out of a sad situation.

Espen's brows furrow as he watches his friend continue to move around the snow. His eyes widen as it finally clicks, she was writing him a message in the snow.

The little girl huffs as she finishes, looking up at his window, (Y/N) smiles wide as she waves to him, the words 'Miss You!' Written rather clumsily in the snow.

Espen stares at her for a while longer before smiling softly, his pale cheeks turning a rosy red. He brings a hand up, about to wave but stops and yells as his window freezes over.

Shrinking away, Espen bites his lips as he continues to stare at his window.

(Y/N) raises a brow in confusion as she no longer sees her friend.

About to turn away and go home, the (H/C) girl frowns and turns, about to leave but stops when she looks up at her friends window.

Her eyes widen and a small grin forms on her face when she sees it, three, beautifully written words placed against the frost of the window.

'Miss you too'

...

Espen watches his father with a small frown as he covers his sons hand with a white, silky glove, coming up to his wrists.

"The gloves will help." The king promised, a small, reassuring smile on his face. He covers his sons tiny hands with his own.

"See? Conceal it.."

"Don't feel it." Espen speaks next, reciting the same mantra in his head from the moment he shut his bedroom door.

"Don't let it show."

...

A now nine year old Anna giggles as she knocks against her brothers room, freckles beginning to appear against her cheeks.

"Do you wanna build a snowman?"

"Or ride out bikes around the halls?"

The princess balances as she stands atop her bike, shrieking as she rides it down the stairs and collapsing.

"I think some company is overdue.."

She poses dramatically as she fell into the arms of a soldiers armor, sighing as her bike lay discarded.

...

"I've started talking to the picture in the walls."

Anna flips over a couch, lying sprawled out against it as she looks up and winks towards one of the portraits.

"Hang in there, Joan."

...

"It gets a little lonely, all these empty rooms."

She lays down infront of a giant grandfather clock, her legs perched against it as she watches the handle move left to right continuously.

"Just watching the hours tick by."

Anna clicks her tongue repeatedly as she watches it move, her eyes watering from the excessive eye movement.

The young princess sighs in annoyance as she gets up before turning and running around the halls. She makes a sharp right, yelping and shrieking as she trips on an upturned piece of carpet and landing face first into the floor.

She groans as she lays their, making no point to move but stops when she hears a small chuckle from above.

"Your in quite a hurry now aren't you?"

Looking up, Anna's eyes widen in excitement as she comes face to face with someone she hadn't seen in a while, (Y/N).

The girl had been away training with her father, since he wanted her to be apart of the King's guard, he made it a point to train her every day so she would be a strong, independent women.

"(Y/N)!" The princess yells, scurrying to her feet and bringing the older girl into a tight hug. The (H/C) girl laughs at her friends joy before bringing her into an even tighter hug.

The two pull away, still holding hands as an idea comes to Anna's head.

"Do you wanna build a snowman?"

(Y/N) raises a brow before laughing with a smile.

"I would love to build a snowman."

...

A now twelve year old Espen shrinks away from his parents as he stares at a corner of his room, completely covered in ice.

He didn't mean to do it, he was just overly excited.

...

Him and (Y/N) continued to communicate, but instead of through windows or snow, they did it through paper.

Of course neither the king or queen knew of this, and that was alright, Espen never talked to (Y/N) physically, and he never opened his windows to even try.

The young boy had been writing down letters for the girl every day, and today was no exception. He had begun by asking how her day went, what she had been up to, and even how her father was doing.

They had been having such a good time, Espen hadn't noticed his hands beginning to glow. Immediately running away from the window, the boy shook violently as a flurry of ice shot from his hands.

...

(Y/N) raises a brow when she no longer sees him, shrugging her shoulders, the young girl packs her stack of paper away and walks away, her footsteps lingering against the snow.

...

"I'm scared!" Espen suddenly cries, immediately tugging his gloves on and backing away from his parents.

"It's getting stronger!"

His mother and father both reach for him, their faces holding sadness.

"Getting upset only makes it worse, calm down." His father tries to sooth him, carefully reaching for his son but stopping once Espen pulls away.

"No! Don't touch me! Please..I don't want to hurt you.."

Both King and queen stare at their son with sympathy, their hearts breaking as they watch him spiral and sob into his cold hands.

...

A fifteen year old Anna and seventeen year old (Y/N) slide against the castles smooth floors with only their socks and evening dresses on.

Anna skids to a stop infront of her brothers room, (Y/N) doing the same and watching her friend for a moment before they both sigh and shake their heads.

The princess walks away while her friend stays behind, biting her lip, (Y/N) quickly fishes a letter out of her pocket. With a confident sigh, the girl slides it under her friends bedroom door before following after her friend.

...

Espen sits, his back leaning against his window sill, a small book in his gloved hands.

The young prince's eyes widen as he sees the letter slide under his door, quickly scrambling to his feet, he makes a dash for it, as if the letter would disappear at a moments notice.

He eagerly takes it and smiles at the words written against the front. 'To Espen, my beloved prince'

Over the years, the two had switched form communicating through stacks of paper to letters, exchanged through the crack of Espen's door. They had to be quick, as neither the king nor queen wanted their son to communicate with anyone besides them.

They weren't bad parents, they were parents who were scared for their child, having absolutely no idea about what they were doing or how they could help him. But Espen still loved them, for they tried to make his life as normal as any other teenager.

But the prince didn't mind, he had enough knowledge about the outside world, both form the books he read and from (Y/N).

The letter spoke about how the young girls day had gone, and how she was getting ready to take over her fathers position until he returned with the king and queen from their travels.

Espen chuckles once or twice as he reads the letter, (Y/N) wrote how she didn't want to have to work and how she would just bake bread and sell it in the local market if she could.

It wasn't to far off to say that over the years, the distant prince has developed quite a crush on his childhood friend. It would be to far to that he loved her, but for now he would just settle on saying that he admired her.

...

Anna and (Y/N) chuckle as they near the king and queen. With a small smile, the princess pulls both her parents into a soft hug.

"See you in two weeks!" (Y/N) smiles at the display, bowing politely with her head down. She yelps as the queen scoffs and pulls the girl into the group hug, Anna and her father both chuckling as they squeeze the two girls tightly.

...

Espen bows respectfully to his parents as they near him, his lavender shirt tucked into neatly pressed black slacks. The queen feels her eyes well with tears as she stares at her son, her husband adorning a small but proud smile on his face.

"Do you have to go?" Espen whimpers, clutching the hem of his shirt tightly as he maintains a formal stance.

"You'll be fine, Espen." His father mumbles with a soft smile, reaching up, the king places a steady hand on his sons shoulder.

Espen flinches but breaths deep as his father squeezes his shoulder with a small smile, his mother nodding to her son once more before the two depart from their eldest.

The young prince watches his parents leave through the door, sucking in a deep breath, he squeezes his fingers together, his hands quickly coming up to unbutton the two buttons of his shirt.

Espen sighs out shakily as he grasps hold of a small chain that rested against his neck, the beautiful jewelry glinting in the light.

But what he was grasping wasnet the chain, it was the small, silver ring that hung off of it.

The same ring that (Y/N) had given him all those years ago.

...

(Y/N) watches from the edges of the dock as her father helps load all the luggage aboard the ship.

The two lock eyes from across the docks, (Y/N)'s (E/C) eyes locking with her fathers. He gives his daughter one last, warm smile before saluting her and boarding the ship.

(Y/N) watches her father leave, his sword at her side as she clutches his jacket between her fingers. Anna comes up behind her, a small smile on her face as she sets a comforting hand against her friends shoulder.

The (H/C) girl gives her friend a small smile before turning and making her way inside the castle.

After all, it's only for two weeks.

...

Across the sea, the waves crash together as lighting strikes the earth. The beautiful ship moves across the waves, before tilting as it becomes trapped in a wall of water.

The ship completely tilts over, it's sails breaking off and becoming completely submerged as it disappears. Forever.

...

The portrait of the King and Queen are covered by a black veil, their loyal knight's portrait being moved to sit next to theirs, it's own veil hiding their friends face.

...

Anna and (Y/N) stand side by side by the king and queen graves, (Y/N)'s fathers next to the kings. The two wore black dresses, veils covering their faces as the kingdom watches the two girls mourn.

(Y/N) sighs, her eyes puffy and red as she looks to her fathers grave, his name etched in stone. She looks next it, her lips wobbling as she stares at her mothers.

Her mother had died of a broken heart not to long after her father, having to live in a a world without the man she loved would have been to painful for her to bare.

The (H/C) girl sniffles before walking away, bidding farewell to her family as she and Anna walk home together, hand in hand.

...

The girls walk slowly through the halls, coming to stop just outside the older boys room, Anna goes speak, her voice hoarse and dry as (Y/N) watches.

"Espen, please, i know your in there.."

(Y/N) tilts her head down, sniffling softly.

"People are asking where you've been.."

Anna places her hand gently against the door, her fingers moving against the patterns as she leans her forehead on the door.

"They say 'have courage', and in trying to..I'm right out here for you, just let me in.."

The princess goes to sit against the door, her friend following along as Anna leans her head against her friend, her legs pulled to her chest.

"We only have eachother, it's just you..and us..what are we gonna do..?"

(Y/N) feels her friend shake as sobs rack her body, gently cradling the girl, the older of the two leans her head back against the door, her eyes welling with tears as she speaks once more.

"..do you..wanna build a snowman?"

On the other side of the door, Espen sits on the floor, the back of his head leaning against it as his legs curl into his chest.

A single tear slips past his cheek, his entire room covered form head to toe in frost. His curtains stick together, his mirror frosted over as his hair was messy and disheveled.

He looks down, his eyes catching on the hundreds of letters him and (Y/N) have exchanged over the years, all now ruined as they break away from the frost that touches them.

The prince curls himself into a ball, sobbing harshly but quietly as his entire world feels as if it was crashing down onto his shoulders.

"I'm..so sorry.."

——