"Mommy!" Varian ran into her arms with a bright smile.

Rose's face brightened as she scooped up her son, spinning him around. "Oh, my baby! I missed you!"

"I missed you too, mommy!" Varian giggled and buried his face into her shoulder.

"Rosamund! You're back!" Quirin sprinted over to his wife and son. "I'm so glad that you're home!"

"I'm glad too. I love you both so much," Rose said as she hugged her husband tight, pressing her lips to his briefly.

"Did you bring anything back for me?!" Varian asked excitedly and Rose laughed.

She set down her son and pulled out a pair of goggles that she had picked up on her way back home.

Varian gasped and quickly grasped the goggles, looking at them in awe.

"I thought you would like your very own goggles for when you help me in the lab," Rose said as she smiled at his reaction.

"I love it! I love it! I love it! I love it!" Varian bounded around excitedly and clutched the goggles close to his chest. "I wanna put them on! Can I?! Can I?!"

Quirin chuckled as he watched Rose bend down to help Varian put on the goggles.

Rose tightened the strap so it was snug to his head and Varian was bouncing on his feet with excitement.

"There you go! Who do they feel?" Rose asked as she stood up.

"Perfect! Can I wear them to the castle for Aqua's birthday?! I wanna show her!" Varian looked up at his parents with the most precious face ever.

Quirin smiled as he hummed with a nod. "I don't see why not."

Varian jumped around excitedly, letting out elated cheers of joy.

Rose laughed lightly at how cute her son was.

"So, did you find it?" Quirin asked softly as Varian bounded towards the living room with his new goggles.

"We did," Rose replied with a smile as she hugged him.

Quirin wrapped his arms around her waist and held her close to him with a sigh of content. "I'm proud of you. I knew you could do it."

"Now we just need to figure out what's inside and try to take back Eden," Rose murmured and Quirin smiled.

"If anyone can do it, it's you," Quirin encouraged with a smile.

💧

Aqua was shocked by what had happened. She tried to stand so she could melt the ice but they hit a bump and she fell. "Ah!"

"Aqua!" Varian reached for her as she hit her head on the side of the boat. "Come on, wake up!"

Anna looked around and tried to stop them.

"Someone, give me a hand!" Anna demanded and Olaf took out his arm, giving it to Anna. She took the arm and then saw a branch. "Hang on, guys!"

"Wait!" Varian warned, but it was too late.

Anna reached the hand up and grabbed the branch with Olaf's arm, swinging them to the side and off the ice path. They landed in a river.

"Come on!" Anna groaned in exasperation.

"Anna! This might sound crazy, but I'm sensing some rising anger," Olaf said and Anna looked at him, getting hit in the head with the tree.

Anna let out a sound of annoyance and snapped her head towards the snowman. "Well, I am angry, Olaf! She promised me we'd do this together!"

"Yeah, uh huh." Olaf nodded as he looked at the Arendellian princess. "But what I mean is, I'm sensing rising anger in me."

"Wait, you're angry?" Anna questioned as she pulled some sticks out of her hair and tossed them into the water.

"Um, I-I think so. Elsa pushed me away to and didn't even say goodbye," Olaf explained.

Varian looked up, Aqua unconscious in his arms with a growing bruise on her temple.

"And you have every right to be very, very mad at her," Anna replied, calming down a bit.

"And you said some things never change, but since then, everything's done nothing but change." Olaf looked down sadly.

"I know, but look, I'm still here holding your hand," Anna said as she held up his arm with a smile.

"Uh, Anna," Varian started as he tapped her shoulder.

"Yeah, that's a good point, Anna. I feel better. You're such a good listener," Olaf said as Anna saw what Varian had noticed.

Anna quickly lunged forward and put her hands over Olaf's mouth, shushing him.

"Don't shush me. That's rude," Olaf managed to mumble out from behind her hand.

"Sh sh sh! No! No!" Anna squeaked out like a mouse as she turned Olaf to look at what they were heading towards.

The earth giants were lying in the water, fast asleep.

"Oh, the giants. They're huge," Olaf whispered as he looked at them in awe.

As they started floating towards one of the giants' nose, Anna quickly tried to paddle away from it. They stopped before being pushed to the side by a large gust out of the giant's nose.

They began silently floating towards another giant.

"Anna, over tgere," Varian whispered as he pointed to a cave entrance.

Anna nodded and used Olaf's arm to steer them towards the cave.

She then looked ahead of them and stiffened.

"Try not to scream," Anna whispered as they came to a waterfall.

As they went overboard, Varian clutched Aqua and Ruddiger tight against him.

Olaf let out a tiny little scream before they hit the water at the bottom.

🧪

Varian sat on the ground with Aqua and moved her hair out of her face.

Anna used some flint to start a spark onto a piece of wood, making a torch.

She found Olaf's nose and gave it to him before going over to Varian.

"Where are we?" Olaf asked curiously.

"In a pit with no way out..." Anna sighed as she glanced around at their surroundings.

"But with a spooky pitch black way in." Olaf pointed towards.

Anna took note and bent down beside Varian. "Is she okay?"

"She'll be okay. She just hit her temple pretty hard and blacked out," Varian replied as he ran a hand through her now wet hair.

After a few minutes, Aqua groaned and her eyes fluttered open.

"Aqua? Are you okay? Do you remember where you are?" Varian asked quickly.

"The enchanted forest and I think I'm okay. My head just really hurts," Aqua groaned as she put a hand to her temple.

"Good. We need to get out of here. Can you walk?" Anna asked as she stood up.

"I think so," Aqua replied before standing with some help from Varian.

They went through the dark hole that Olaf found.

"Come on. It'll be fun. Assuming we don't get stuck here forever, no one finds us, and you three starve and I give up," Olaf spoke, being a dependable ray of sunshine. "But bright side, Elsa's gotta be doing a whole lot better than we are."

They continued down to narrow tunnel and Aqua started to regain her balance.

Varian kept his arm around Aquaria's waist to make sure she was steady.

Ruddiger sat on Aquaria's shoulder, snuggled up against her face. He was worried about the princess just as much as Varian was.

💧

Aqua was finally able to walk on her own as they continued through the dark cavern, but she opted to hold Varian's hand as they walked.

Anna led the four of them with the light of her torch.

When they came up to a fork in the tunnel, Aquaria's spine straightened as she felt a jolt go through her entire being.

"Which lucky tunnel do we choose?" Olaf wondered aloud with a hum.

Just then, a streak of snow shot towards them from the left tunnel.

"You see, the dam will weaken their lands, so they will have to turn to me," a man's voice echoed around them as the streak swirled around, forming an ice sculpture.

"King Runeard, the dam, it's hurting the forest," another man's voice spoke.

The sculpture finished forming and Aqua gasped.

There was a Northuldra man on his knees, appearing to be about to take a sip of some fresh water, completely unaware of the Arendellian man who was preparing to strike him down.

"Elsa's found it," Anna spoke softly as she took a step towards the sculpture.

"What is it?" Olaf asked in almost a whisper, staying back behind the Arendellian princess.

"The truth about the past," Anna replied in shock. "That's my grandfather... attacking the Northuldra leader... who wields no weapon."

Aqua gently ran her hands over the hair of the Northuldra leader. "The dam wasn't a gift of peace," she realized as she looked up at Anna.

"It was a trick," Anna confirmed as she kept her gaze on the face of her grandfather, feeling almost betrayed inside.

"But that goes against everything Arendelle stands for," Olaf spoke and Anna turned to him.

"It does, doesn't it," Anna replied, looking down as she took it all in before sitting down on a rock. "I know how to free the forest. I know what we have to do to set things right."

Ruddiger chittered quietly as he crawled up into Anna's lap. He could tell that she was extremely distressed.

"Why do you say that so sadly?" Olaf questioned as he looked at her curiously.

"We have to break the dam," Aqua replied, having figured out why Anna seemed so distraught over the revelation.

"But Arendelle will be flooded," Varian realized as he looked at Anna in shock.

"That's why everyone was forced out... to protect them from what has to be done..." Anna said and Olaf's eyes widened.

"Oh..." Olaf waddled over to Anna and rested his head in her lap beside Ruddiger. "Are you okay?"

"I could really use a bright side, Olaf," Anna admitted as Aqua and Varian joined the hug.

"Bright side? Um... turtles can breathe through their butts," Olaf replied as he stood up straight.

"Huh?" Anna quirked an eyebrow, wondering how that was a bright side to the situation.

"And I see a way out!" Olaf pointed to a light source that caught his eye.

Anna looked over to see an opening higher up in the cavern. "I knew I could count on you."

Olaf smiled before he let out a little groan, shaking his head slightly.

"Come on, guys. Elsa's probably on her way back right now. We can meet her and..." Anna started before she saw snow... fluttering out of the cave...

Aqua turned to see snowflakes flying away from the snowman. "Olaf..."

"What's this?" Olaf looked at the snowflakes in awe, finding them cute.

"Are you okay?" Anna asked quickly as she watched the snowflakes leave her friend.

"I'm flurrying? Wait, no. That's... that's not it. I'm flurrying... away. The magic in me is fading," Olaf realized as Anna and Aqua quickly bent down in front of him. "I don't think Elsa's okay. I think... she may have gone too far..."

Anna's eyes widened as panic and fear gripped at her heart. "No. No," she denied, trying to calm herself down.

"Anna, Aqua... I'm sorry... it's up to you guys now, okay?" Olaf looked between the princesses as he gave them a sad smile.

"Wait, come here." Anna scooped the snowman up and into her lap, holding his hand. "I've got you."

Olaf let out a sigh of relief. "That's good."

Aquaria's eyes brimmed with tears as she gently rubbed the back of Olaf's head.

"Hey, Anna. I just thought of one thing that's permanent," Olaf spoke weakly as he smiled at Anna.

"What's that?" She asked, holding back her sobs that wanted to come through.

Olaf looked between Aqua and Varian before turning his gaze back to Anna. "Love."

Anna nodded and choked back a sob. "Warm hugs?"

Olaf happily nodded and they all hugged the snowman tightly. "I like warm hugs."

Anna let her tears flow as she clutched onto her best friend, afraid of letting go.

Olaf slowly flurried away and Anna was left with empty air in her arms.

"I'm so sorry, Anna," Varian spoke gently as the Arendellian princess sobbed, pulling her knees up to her chest as she leaned against the wall of the cavern.

"What do we do now?" Anna whimpered out and Aqua looked towards the light coming through the cave exit.

Aqua then looked back at Varian and Anna. "The next right thing..."

💧

Aqua helped pull Anna up and out of the cave before standing out on the ledge with Varian and Ruddiger.

They were overlooking the enchanted forest.

Anna looked at the dam and took a deep breath. "I have a plan. Follow me."

They all took off running in the opposite direction, heading back towards the river.

Aqua and Varian realized the plan as soon as they came into a small clearing in front of the sleeping earth giants.

Anna inhaled sharply before yelling, "Wake up! WAKE UUUUUUP!"

The earth giants began to stir, clearly agitated from being waken up. One of them stood up and tripped over the leg of another giant.

Once the giants vaught sigh of the group on the dry ground, their eyes narrowed.

"That's it." Anna nodded before they turned.

"Come and get us!" Aqua yelled and they all took off running as fast they could. "Come on!"

"This is suicide!" Varian cried out quietly but continued to run.

"Over here!" Anna called before one of the giants let out a loud bellowing yell that knocked down the trees and shook the ground.

Anna tripped, but Aqua quickly helped her up and they kept going.

"That's right! Keep coming!" Varian threw out as he held Ruddiger tight in his arms.

Suddenly, a boulder was thrown at them, making them all come to an immediate stop.

"That'll work," Anna spoke as she looked at the boulder.

"This way, guys! Varian directed as the two girls took off ahead of him.

The giants caught up easily and Aqua formed a horse, grabbing Varian and Ruddiger but as she went to grab Anna, Kristoff swept her up.

"Kristoff!" Aqua and Anna cried out in relief.

The water horse kept up with Sven easily as they raced towards the dam.

"I'm here. What do you need?" Kristoff asked quickly.

"To get to the dam," Anna ordered and Kristoff nodded.

"You got it." Kristoff steered Sven and they all moved swiftly to their destination.

They got to a ridge and Anna stood. "Help me up!"

Kristoff pushed her up onto the ridge as Aqua lifted her, Varian and Ruddiger up with her magic.

Once on the ridge, they were met with the Arendellian guards.

"Lieutenant Mattias," Anna spoke.

"Your highness, what are you doing?" Mattias questioned, not wanting to believe that she wanted to destroy the dam.

"The dam must fall," Anna explained immediately.

"It's the only way to break the mist and free the forest," Aqua continued quickly.

"But we've sworn to protect Arendelle at all costs," Mattias argued.

"Arendelle has no future until we make this right. King Runeard betrayed everyone," Anna retorted, desperately trying to get to the dam.

"How do you know that?" Mattias questioned as his eyes narrowed.

"My sister gave the life for the truth," Anna explained sadly. "Please. Before we lose anyone else."

Mattias looked down and took a deep breath before raising his sword and shield. He began to bang metal on metal and the other soldiers followed suit, gaining the attention of the giants.

The earth giants glared in their directions, throwing boulders at the guards.

"Come on!" Aqua dragged Anna towards the damn and ran to the middle.

"Destroy the dam! Come on! Throw your boulders!" Anna commanded and the giants did just that. "That's it."

Anna and Aqua started to run towards the land but a boulder crashed into the dam in front of them.

"This way!" Anna directed Aqua to the other way and they ran as fast as they could to get off of the dam as it collapsed. "Jump!"

They both jumped and Aqua saw Mattias reaching out for them.

Anna caught the Lieutenant's hand, but his other hand was empty.

Aqua reached out to wear Varian was reaching, but their fingers merely brushed as she fell. "Varian!"

Panic filled Varian as he desperately tried to grap her other hand but it was too late.

"AQUARIA!"