ANNA STARED AT the dam off in the distance. The sky was painted in pinks and oranges as the sun began to descend, lighting up the water that the dam held back.

She heaved a sigh, her chest squeezing. She had to come up with a way to save the spirits without destroying the dam. She couldn't bear to lose Arendelle, and if the people didn't see the wave of water until it was right on the kingdom, they would perish. Anna would never live with herself if she returned to her kingdom and found her people dead. That is, if she was ever going to be free of this cursed forest.

She glanced down at her left hand, staring at the spot where a diamond ring would soon rest. Hans was back in Arendelle. If they took out the dam, Hans could possibly die too. Especially, since she left the kingdom in his charge. She knew he was a noble man and wouldn't leave the kingdom without knowing everyone was out and safe. By then, it could be too late for him to retreat into the mountain before the water washed the kingdom away.

"You look deep in thought."    

Anna turned her head as Olaf plopped down beside her, his snowball feet hanging over the edge of the cliff along with her legs. She grinned. "Just thinking of Arendelle. Trying to come up with a way to save it."

Olaf furrowed his brow. "Save Arendelle from what?"

Her shoulders slumped as she folded her hands in her lap. "Papa thinks the spirits are angry, and that the dam is what's keeping their source of power at bay," she summarized. "He wants to destroy it, but Arendelle will be wiped out in the process."

"Oh," Olaf frowned. "That wouldn't be good." He tapped his head with his stick fingers. "If I'm remembering correctly, it was Aloni who went to the Arendelle King, I guess that would be your grandfather, asking him to build them a dam."

Anna's eyes popped open as she twisted back around to face him. "What are you talking about? Who's Aloni?"

"The current fifth spirit," Olaf explained.

Anna's jaw dropped. "The fifth spirit asked my grandfather to build them a dam? But why? Wouldn't she know it would cut off their source?"

Olaf laughed. "Of course, she did! She's evil. She wants all the power for herself. The less amount of power the other four spirits had, the more power she'd possess."

Anna cocked a brow. "Olaf, how do you know all this?"

He looked at her with a smile. "Remember that whole 'water has memory' thing?" He leaned back, resting his hands against the ground popping himself up. "The very first fifth spirit created me. I was alive at the time Aloni turned dark." He frowned. "But... she eventually told me she didn't need me anymore and... melted me away, sending me into the Dark Sea." He shrugged. "I got my memories back when Elsa recreated me from the water in the mud that must've come from the sea."

"What is he doing here?"

Anna twisted her head around to find Kristoff march up behind her. He jabbed a finger at Olaf. "Anna, you need to be as far away from Olaf as possible."

Anna furrowed her brow as she staggered to her feet, a hand over the bandage in her side as it burned. "Kristoff, what is it?"

Kristoff's eyes narrowed at Olaf. "Everyone knows that the "talking snowman" works for the fifth spirit. He's supposed to help guide that person through their year, keeping them from touching the darkness." He clenched his hands into fists. "He was there when Aloni cast her curse on me and the forest and he did nothing to stop it! He just let her turn dark!" His gaze moved to her. "He's a bad guy. You don't want to be anywhere near him."

Olaf cowered behind Anna's boot. "I tried to stop her!" he protested. "She was too strong and too far gone. Nothing I said would've made her change her mind."

"What were you doing this whole time!" Kristoff interrupted. "Hiding like the coward you are?"

"After Aloni cast her curse," Olaf continued, "I went to confront her and she melted me like a marshmallow over a campfire."

"Kristoff, I'm sure he didn't mean anything by it," Anna defended. "How was he supposed to stop her? She's a powerful spirit!"

"He could've led her the right way!" Kristoff exploded. "Many people have been the fifth spirit for a year, including me, and we all stayed away from the darkness thanks to Olaf. But Aloni..." His face twisted in rage and tears pricked his eyes. "She was ten." His voice cracked as he spoke. "She was ten when she saved Iduna from that role, but Olaf, here, led her astray!"

"Wait, my mother was the fifth spirit?" Anna asked, her eyes widening.

Kristoff's face relaxed and he nodded. "I knew her as a child. I didn't say anything when I first saw her because I wasn't sure if it was her. She's changed a lot since the thirteen year old girl I last saw."

Anna looked to the ground. There was still so much that she didn't know. So many secrets to unfold. Would Mama have ever told her of her past? She always thought she was close to Mama, but everything seemed to be collapsing around her. Her relationship with her family seemed to be full of lies.

Clearing her throat, she looked back up at Kristoff, his face twisted in a scowl as he stared at Olaf who remained hidden behind her leg. "Is there a reason you're here, Kristoff? Other than to belittle Olaf?"

Kristoff's gaze shifted from Olaf to her. "I was originally coming to tell you that Elsa and Iduna are gone."

Anna raised a brow, finding herself not feeling too worried as her family seemed to leave her out of everything anyway.

"Your father doesn't seem too worried," he continued. "He says Iduna was on some mission and has more than likely left with Elsa."

"What? So they just left me here?" Anna yelled. She balled her hands into fists and would've stomped the ground with her foot if her side didn't ache so bad. "They've always left me out of everything! Their secret, the reason why Mama and Papa were heading to Ahtohallan, and now, Mama and Elsa decide that they should go alone?" She shouted in anger. "When am I ever going to truly be a part of this family!"

"Anna."

"Olaf, please," Anna huffed. "I just need some time to myself right now." She watched as Kristoff turned and walked away. Olaf gave her a tight squeeze around the thigh before slowly trudging into the forest heading a different direction then Kristoff; neither one of them said a word.

Anna turned back around, facing the dam, and pulled her arms in close, hugging herself. She carefully sat back down by the edge of the cliff as she stared out into the vibrant colors of the sky; the sun had completely disappeared behind the horizon.

There were too many things going on and she felt left out of every single one. Mama and Elsa were gone, away on some mission that they didn't think to include her on, and Papa was going to destroy the dam even after she made a good argument against it. She had to face the fact that she wasn't going to come up with a different way to save the spirits. She was going to lose her kingdom. But she wasn't going to give up. She still had a couple days to think it through.

She glanced to her left in the direction that Olaf had gone. All those things that Kristoff said, could they really have been true? Did Olaf really try to stop Aloni from touching the darkness, or did he do nothing? Olaf didn't seem like a bad person... or snowman, rather. But Kristoff was determined to make her see just who Olaf really was.

She sat up straight, her eyes bulging. Kristoff! She clambered to her feet, gritting her teeth at the pain. She had completely forgotten to warn him. She had to get to him before the Northuldra leaders could. As she turned around, she was startled at the sight of an Arendelle Soldier behind her.

"I'm sorry, Your Highness," he said with a nod of his head.

Anna smiled. "No harm done. I just wasn't expecting you. You're one of the men that survived along with Garrett."

Again, he nodded. "I am." He took a few steps closer. "And thank goodness I did. I have a message for you, Princess." Anna cocked her head. The soldier pulled out a small box from the inside of his jacket pocket and held it out towards her. "I would've given it to you sooner, but it had gotten a little dirty from the sea water. I tried cleaning it as best I could."

Anna took the box in her hand and opened it. Inside laid a beautiful diamond ring, its band twisted to accommodate several smaller diamonds. She gawked at the jewel. "It's gorgeous!"

"It's from Prince Hans," the soldier continued. Anna glanced up at him. "He gave it to me before we departed." He removed his hat revealing his bald head. "I'm sorry, but I'm not really an Arendelle Soldier. I just donned the uniform."

She squinted her eyes. "You're a Southern Isle Soldier."

He nodded once more. "Prince Hans let me in on what was happening and told me that, when I was to find you, I would give you these." He pulled out yet another box from his pocket. This one longer than the first. "He didn't want to give away your hiding position." He opened the box for her since she held the ring. Inside this box, laid a dainty necklace. It had three jewels in the center, blue, green, and red, and small diamonds traced both sides up the string. "An engagement gift," the soldier continued. "One that he couldn't wait for your return to give."

She was at a loss for words. The soldier removed the necklace from its box, and she turned around as he clasped it around her neck. She glanced down at the jewels, just barely in her sight, and fingered them. She then raised the box in her hand to remove the diamond ring and she slipped it onto her ring finger joyfully.

The diamonds on her finger glimmered in the sunset, and she allowed a smile to present itself. Even in this dark situation with her family, her fiancé was still finding ways to make her smile.