The mountain raged around them. Wind like icy knives slashed at Anna's cheeks as she climbed, her cloak snapping behind her. Each step up the slope thudded with a mix of desperate hope and bone-deep fear.
Behind her, Kristoff tugged on Sven's reins, boots crunching through snow. Olaf tumbled after them, half-buried but still smiling.
"There it is!" Olaf cried, his twig arms flailing as he pointed upward.
Anna stopped, chest heaving, her breath misting in the frigid air.
At the summit stood a palace — impossibly tall, impossibly beautiful — carved from solid ice. It shimmered in the pale light like a dream caught in a snowflake.
Beautiful. Terrifying.
"I'll go," Anna said quickly.
Kristoff frowned. "By yourself?"
"She's my sister. I have to."
He held her gaze for a moment, then nodded. "Alright. We'll wait here."
Anna didn't hesitate. The ice doors loomed ahead, massive and cold. She pushed forward.
The hall glittered with frozen grandeur, bathed in the muted sun filtering through frosted windows. Pillars of ice spiraled upward like trees in a winter forest.
At the center stood Elsa — still and regal, her silver gown trailing behind her like mist on snow.
Beside her stood Naruto, just behind, his stance relaxed but alert.
They had spent the morning talking, the slow, cautious rhythm of trust forming between them. Naruto hadn't pushed — he simply listened. That alone had earned Elsa's gratitude.
But when the great doors groaned open, Naruto's senses sharpened. He stepped forward slightly, protective but non-threatening.
A girl stepped into the hall.
"Elsa!" she called.
Elsa flinched. Naruto glanced at her, noting the way her fingers curled inward, the tiny tremble in her shoulders.
Anna stood in the entrance, her face pale and wind-chapped. She saw Elsa — and then her eyes flicked to Naruto.
Confusion crossed her features. A strange boy? With her sister?
But there was no time for questions.
"Elsa!" Anna cried again, rushing forward.
Elsa stepped back, fear flickering behind her eyes.
"You shouldn't be here," she said tightly.
"I'm so glad I found you!" Anna smiled despite the exhaustion in her bones. "You have to come home."
Naruto stayed near, quiet and steady. He could feel it — the storm inside Elsa rising. Her control was slipping.
"You have to go," Elsa said, her voice cracking like thin ice. "You can't stay here."
Anna shook her head. "No. We can fix this. Together."
"You don't understand!" Elsa's hands were shaking now, small snowflakes spiraling around her fingers. "I'm dangerous!"
"What? No — you're my sister."
Naruto stepped forward, voice calm, warm. "She's scared," he said gently. "She's trying to protect you."
Anna blinked at him, startled. Who was this boy?
But the kindness in his eyes softened her doubt.
"Elsa, Arendelle's in deep, deep snow," Anna said quietly.
Elsa's eyes widened.
"Snow?" she echoed.
"You kind of set off an eternal winter… everywhere."
Elsa staggered as if struck.
"Everywhere?" she whispered.
Naruto felt the shift — magic stirring like a wind before a storm.
"It's okay!" Anna said quickly. "You can fix it."
"I can't!" Elsa screamed. "I don't know how!"
A burst of freezing wind exploded from her hands — the ice surged across the hall, jagged and wild.
Naruto moved without thought. Chakra flared under his skin as he leapt between them, arms wide.
The magic slammed into him — biting cold, frost racing up his sleeves — but he stood firm.
"Anna, get down!" he shouted.
Anna dropped instinctively as another wave of power cracked through the hall. Ice spiderwebbed across the walls, and the floor began to splinter beneath their feet.
"No! I didn't mean to—!" Elsa cried out, horrified.
Her magic surged again — wild, panicked, uncontainable.
With a great shudder, the floor beneath them gave way.
Naruto grabbed Anna and pulled her close as they tumbled into the white.
They landed hard in the snow. Anna coughed, her limbs aching. Naruto groaned and pushed himself up, brushing snow from his hair, frost clinging to his jacket.
"Anna!" Kristoff was already running toward them. "Are you okay?"
"I'm fine," she murmured, sitting up.
The great ice doors slammed shut with a thunderous boom. The silence afterward was heavier than any storm.
Anna stared at the palace. Her eyes stung.
"I thought… I thought I could bring her back," she whispered.
Naruto sat beside her, his breath misting the air. He gave her a tired but sincere smile.
"We're not giving up yet."
Anna turned to him — really looked. His spiky hair, his strange clothes, his steady gaze.
Not from Arendelle. Not like anyone she'd ever met.
And yet… something about him felt safe.
"I'm Anna," she said, managing a shaky smile.
He grinned. "Naruto Uzumaki. Nice to meet you, Anna."
They shook hands — cold fingers meeting in the snow — and in that brief moment, something fragile and hopeful began to form.
Above them, the ice castle stood silent and gleaming.
And within, a frightened queen waited — still frozen by fear, still hoping for a way to thaw her heart.
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