It was morning in Arendelle castle and Anna, Kristoff and Elsa were sitting in the charred remains of the dining room, having spent a rough night in makeshift beds. The kitchen staff had done their best to provide them with some breakfast.
"What a mess," Anna said while shaking her head. She closed her eyes, held out her arms and exhaled. "Okay, got to be strong, got to do the next right thing."
Kristoff held Anna's hand and gave it a squeeze. "Thank you honey," Anna whispered to him. She took a second to compose herself.
"Elsa, have you thought about what we're going to do with Freya? I want her dealt with today, and I'd be happy to keep her locked up. Is it really possible for us to...help her?" Anna asked.
Elsa looked at Anna and smiled a little. "Ahtohallan knows," she said softly.
"What do you mean?" replied Anna.
"Do you remember the parchment we found on mother and father's ship? The one that was in a language that none of us knew?" Elsa asked.
"Yes," Anna replied.
"It was written in Old Northuldra. Yelena has been helping me to translate it. It talks about Ahtohallan," said Elsa.
Anna was intrigued. She was fascinated to hear more about the documents they had discovered, and more about Ahtohallan, the magical river of ice where Elsa discovered she was the fifth spirit of nature.
"Ahtohallan has more secrets than we ever imagined. It's a huge labyrinth of rooms, corridors and chambers. Some wondrous, some...not so. There is one that could help Freya. The document calls it the Chamber of Emptiness," Elsa said, looking up at Anna.
"Sounds scary!" said Anna. "How could it help us?"
"It's a dark place," Elsa replied, "a part of Ahtohallan where no magic can exist. If we can persuade Freya to enter it, she'd lose her powers."
"Wait, do you even know where it is?" Anna asked.
"Yes," replied Elsa, "I've been to Ahtohallan several times over these past few months, trying to learn more about its secrets. That's why I haven't been able to visit Arendelle."
"And do you know much about this 'Chamber of Emptiness'?" Anna asked.
Elsa sighed and looked forlorn. "Yes," she said. "I do."
"Oh my," Ana exclaimed, leaning forwards and placing her hand on Elsa's. "You didn't think about going in it, did you?"
Elsa realised what Anna feared and she wanted to put her at ease. She looked up, smiled and shook her head. "Oh no!" she declared. "Not now. I know my powers are a gift, I know I am the fifth spirit. I don't even know what would happen to me if I went into it. I was there a few weeks ago. I fired a beam of ice into the chamber, and the beam vanished. It didn't make a sound, it just...ceased to be. I didn't dare get any closer to it after that," Elsa told Anna.
"So, why do you think it will be okay for Freya to enter it?" Anna asked.
"There's something different about Freya's power. It isn't like mine, it doesn't come from the spirits. It seems somehow...wicked," Elsa mused.
"You've got that right!" said Anna, nodding. "But why do you think you can convince her to enter it?" she asked.
"When I was Freya's age," Elsa replied, "I would have gone into the Chamber of Emptiness without thinking about it. I would have done anything to be normal. That's why I think I can persuade her to go in."
"Wait, wait, wait..." Anna said as she closed her eyes and held up her hands. "That's your plan? Persuade her to go to Ahtohallan with you? But what if you can't convince her? What if she attacks you on the way there? What if she tricks you and you enter the chamber and she doesn't? You're the only one who can stop her Elsa!" Anna said, exasperated. "We've already lost so much, I don't want to lose you too!"
"It will be okay," Elsa replied as she put her hand on Anna's arm. "We will figure it out. I'll go and talk to her–"
Elsa was interrupted by the sound of the door being flung open. General Mattias was standing there, exhausted. He took a second to get his breath back.
"Your Majesty," said Mattias, bent over. "It's Freya. She's escaped."
"What?" shouted Anna as they all got up from the table and went to Mattias. "When? How?" she asked frantically.
"In the middle of the night," Mattias said solemnly. "The soldier who came to relieve the night guard found her cell open, and the guard flat out on the floor. She must be long gone."
"Well, find her!" Anna commanded.
"Yes, Your Majesty," Mattias nodded. "I'll make sure that every soldier in Arendelle is looking for her," he said as he turned towards the hallway.
"Now what do we do?" Anna said to Elsa with a look of panic in her eyes.
Elsa sighed and thought for a second. "She could be anywhere," Elsa concluded. "She might have gone back to Northuldra, she might be hiding somewhere in Arendelle, or she might have even left on a boat, looking for a new kingdom to burn."
"I'll check the docks," Kristoff declared.
"Oh, be careful honey," Anna replied, her voice fraught with worry.
"I will," Kristoff said reassuringly. He gave Anna a kiss as he left the room.
"I should go north," said Elsa. "Right now the Northuldra have no one to protect them. They need me."
"But what if that's what Freya wants you to do?" said Anna, still worried. "What if she's hiding in Arendelle somewhere and she's waiting for you to leave? Without you, Arendelle is defenseless!"
"Arendelle will be fine!" Elsa insisted. "We all know her weakness. As long as someone can throw water on her, she won't be a danger."
"Oh Elsa, it's not that simple!" Anna said as she threw her arms in the air. "Last time we got lucky. If she attacks again she'll just keep out of the way of water!"
Elsa sighed again. "You're right, Anna. For now, I'll stay here and help search for Freya."
"Okay," Anna replied, calming down a little. "Let's go."