The next morning, Joanna woke up after a rough night. She was still upset when she heard a knock on the door.
"Good morning Joanna!" Anna called. "May I come in?"
"Yes," Joanna replied weakly.
Anna walked in and closed the door behind her. She had one hand behind her back. Joanna sat up in bed.
"Is everything okay?" Anna asked, concerned.
"I've just...been thinking," Joanna said hesitantly, "I've hurt so many people. What am I going to do?" she asked as she raised her hands before bringing them down onto the bed.
"Let's get you home first, then everything else will follow on from that," Anna reassured her. "And anyway, this should cheer you up!"
Anna took her hand out from behind her back and presented Joanna with the brand new travelling dress. Joanna clutched her hands to her chest and smiled at Anna.
"It's here already!" she said excitedly.
"Why don't you try it on?" Anna suggested.
Joanna took the dress and raced to a screen by the wall. She quickly changed into the dress and stepped out.
"It's wonderful!" Joanna exclaimed. "And it fits perfectly!"
"My dressmaker did an excellent job!" Anna said happily. "It looks great on you, and it really brings out the colour of your eyes."
The dress was indeed simply designed, but it did the job. It was full length and an emerald green colour, just right for travelling. Joanna went to the mirror so that she could get a good look at herself. She had never had a dress made for her before, and it made her feel very special.
"Thank you Anna, I've never been treated like this!" said Joanna.
"And that's not all!" Anna declared as she held up a box of pins. "Time for you to have a new hairstyle!" Anna declared as Joanna raised her hands to her face in happiness.
Anna spent some time carefully working Joanna's hair into a rope braid updo.
"There, now you really do look like a princess!" Anna declared.
Joanna looked at herself in the mirror and beamed from ear to ear.
"Wow! I can't believe it!" she said as she turned to Anna. "Thank you so much!"
Anna smiled and laughed a little. "No problem!" she said. "Now, I'd go downstairs and get some breakfast. We'll be leaving soon."
After breakfast Joanna, Anna, Elsa and Kristoff left the castle and heard the sound of hooves clattering against cobbles. Around the corner came Sven, who was smiling with his chin up in the air. He was pulling a smart carriage, large enough for the four of them to fit in. Sat up front was Olaf, who was holding Sven's reins in his little twig hands. He'd found a coachman's outfit from somewhere, combed his twig hair back, and was putting on swanky airs.
"Your carriage awaits m'lady!" he said in a fancy voice while doffing his hat.
"Thank you Olaf!" Anna said while looking up and giggling.
"A carriage? Why do we need a carriage?" Joanna asked. "I thought the docks were a short walk away?"
"They are," replied Elsa, "but after yesterday we didn't want to take any chances. No one will see you in there."
"Oh, okay," Joanna replied softly. They all climbed into the carriage and shut the door.
"Next stop, the docks!" called Olaf as he gave Sven's reins a little tug. Sven proudly trotted off in their direction.
As the carriage went on it's way, Kristoff had something he wanted to get off his chest. "Listen, Joanna," he said after clearing his throat. Joanna looked up, almost shocked that Kristoff was speaking to her. "Anna was talking to me last night. She told me about you. I didn't know how tough your life has been. I think I understand a little more now. I'm sorry I shouted at you last night."
Joanna looked at Kristoff and raised a slight smile. "Oh, no one has ever apologised to me before, I don't know what to say!" she said gently. "Well, er, thank you?" she replied in a confused manner. "Really, I am so, so, sorry for what I did," she told Kristoff.
"I accept your apology," he said while leaning back and smiling. He put his arm around Anna.
"Oh," Joanna gushed as she smiled and put her hands on her heart. "Thank you, you don't know what that means to me!"
Before long, the carriage reached the docks. They got off and Joanna prepared to say her goodbyes to Olaf and Sven. Anna went straight to the ship's captain who was waiting by the gangway. He wore an Arendellian naval uniform, and had a bushy but well kept beard.
"Good morning captain!" Anna said. "What do you think of the repairs to the castle?" she asked as she gestured towards it, trying to divert his eyes from Joanna.
"Good morning Your Majesty!" he replied. "Yes, I can see a fine job. It will be back to its full glory in no time!" Anna smiled and nodded. "Just one thing Your Majesty, are you absolutely sure you want to sail to Rizucia? I've never dared sail to a closed country before!"
"Yes, it will be fine," Anna assured him. "I trust we are provisioned for a return journey?"
"As you requested Your Majesty, the ship is well stocked!" the captain replied.
"Then all will be well!" Anna declared. "We need to see the king and queen about a magical matter. If they don't want to see us, we will simply return home. If they will see us, we will conclude our business quickly then return. It's important that we don't stay. But that's magic for you!"
"I leave magic to the experts!" the captain concurred. "Very well, we shall embark when you are ready!"
While Anna and the captain chatted, Joanna took the time to say her goodbyes.
"Bye little guy!" Joanna said to Olaf while crouching down. "Sorry I threw you at that soldier!" she whispered.
"That's okay," Olaf replied, "now how about a warm hug?"
Joanna smiled and hugged Olaf, before turning her attention to Sven.
"Kristoff is lucky to have such a loyal friend, Sven!" Joanna said. Sven huffed contentedly. "Well, goodbye!" Joanna said, giving Sven a stroke. With that, Joanna hurried onto the ship, keeping close to Elsa and Kristoff.
"Bye everyone!" said Anna. "Remember, we're only going for a few days. See you all soon!"
With that Anna boarded the ship, and they set sail for Rizucia.
As they sailed away, Joanna took the opportunity to take one last look at Arendelle. She knew she wouldn't be back, so she wanted to take it in. She was amazed by the beauty of the fjord, the way the water caught the sun captivated her. But then she caught sight of the castle and the town, and her heart sank. Although the clean up was well underway, she could still see the fire damage she had caused. She thought about how much worse it must be at home. She didn't know if she could face going back.
Anna's grand ship made its way to Rizucia through rough seas. The waves crashed against it as it lurched up and down.
"I think I'm going to be sick!" shouted Joanna as she leaned over the side.
Elsa put her arm around Joanna's shoulder. "Let's go below deck," Elsa suggested while raising her voice.
Joanna nodded, then rose to her feet. She and Elsa headed below deck and sat down at a table. It was much quieter there.
"Here, have some water," Elsa said as she poured some into a mug before passing it to Joanna.
"Thank you," Joanna replied. She took a sip while propping her head up with one hand. She still looked queasy.
"Let's talk," suggested Elsa, "it will help take your mind off things."
"Okay," Joanna replied as she quickly nodded.
There was an awkward silence. Neither of them knew what to talk about. Elsa knew that Joanna had little experience of the world, and she certainly wouldn't have any hobbies. She decided to try and teach her how to play a game.
"Do you know how to play charades?" Elsa asked. "It's a family game."
"I haven't played a game since I was a child!" Joanna admitted.
Elsa smiled a little. "Charades is an easy one. You think of a word and then you have to act it out for the other players without speaking. I'll go first. Ready?"
"Okay, I'll try!" Joanna enthused. Elsa was already taking her mind off her sea sickness.
Elsa thought of the word "ice". She stood up, crossed her arms and ran her fingers down them while pretending to chatter her teeth.
"Er, cold?" Joanna guessed.
Elsa pointed at Joanna and nodded to indicate she was close. She then pointed at her feet and pretended to slip around.
"Oh, ice!" Joanna exclaimed.
"Yes!" Elsa said excitedly. "Well done! Now it's your turn!"
Joanna got the hang of the game straight away. She got up, stood next to the table and placed her hands together. Then, she placed her hands against her face, tilted her head to one side and closed her eyes.
"Oh, is it sleep?" Elsa asked.
"Yes!" Joanna shouted in excitement. "I guess that was an easy one for me to do. Okay your turn, your turn!" she said as she started to laugh with glee.
"Alright, I'll keep them easy for now!" Elsa said as Joanna sat back down.
Noticing Joanna's mug, Elsa thought of the word "water". She mimed picking a mug up and drinking from it, exaggerating her actions so that it looked like she was taking a big swig.
Joanna stopped laughing and her smile turned into a dreadful scowl. She made her guess.
"Betrayal."
Elsa stopped laughing too. "What?" she asked.
Joanna leaned forwards on the table and put her head in her arms. Elsa moved to sit next to her.
"I'm sorry, did I do something wrong?" Elsa asked, concerned that she had done something to upset Joanna.
For a few seconds, Joanna said nothing. Then she looked up at Elsa. "You reminded me of a vision I saw in Ahtohallan," Joanna told her, "it was when my mother took the potion that gave me my powers. I'm still so angry with them. Sometimes I just want to..."
Joanna spoke through gritted teeth. Her eyes were wide open, and she had her hands in front of her face with her fingers extended, as if she was trying to throttle something.
Elsa suddenly became very worried. She hadn't seen Joanna this angry since they battled at Ahtohallan. "Why don't you tell me all about it?" Elsa suggested. "It will be good to get it all out. What other visions did you see?"
Joanna ran her fingers through her hair, took a deep breath and tried to compose herself.
"I saw many visions of my parents," Joanna said, "in the first one they were locking me in the tower. I don't know how I can even look at them again!" she growled.
Elsa struggled to believe that Ahtohallan would only have shown Joanna visions that made her angry. She remembered when she was there, and how many visions she saw.
"Were all the visions bad? Were any of them...happy at all?" Elsa asked.
Joanna thought for a second. "I saw visions of my mother trying to teach me things," she replied. "In one she was teaching me to read, in another she was teaching me Norse mythology."
Joanna suddenly sat up and almost smiled. "And then, I saw my mother taking me out of a bath when I was a baby. At first I was screaming, but then I started to giggle as my mother dried me. She was ticking me, holding me...it just looked...so right..." she said slowly.
"So there was at least a time when your mother cared about you?" Elsa asked.
"I...I guess she must have," Joanna concluded, "but they locked me in the tower. Do you think they still care?" she asked as she looked up at Elsa.
"Parents always care about their children," Elsa replied while putting her hand on Joanna's shoulders, "they must still care about you. They must've thought they had no other choice."
There was a pause as Elsa thought of another question. "Did your mother teach you anything else?" she asked.
Joanna was pensive. "She tried to teach me how to write, how to appreciate books, and how to pleat my hair." A small smile came across Joanna's face as she sighed. The idea of giving her parents another chance crept into her mind. "Well...maybe my mother did care about me," she said softly.
"I think you need to give your mother another chance," Elsa said gently.
Joanna smiled. "You always want to see the good in everyone, don't you?" she asked. "Even me! And I don't understand why..."
"Let me tell you why," said Elsa. "It's because you and I really aren't that different."
Joanna furrowed her brow in confusion. She looked up at Elsa. "How? You didn't grow up alone, did you?"
"I did," Elsa admitted, "and it was due to my powers."
Joanna was surprised by Elsa's revelation. She sat up and listened intently.
"I was born with my powers," Elsa said as she recalled her childhood. "Anna and I used to have so much fun with them when we were children. I'd create snow indoors and we'd slide around on the floor, make snowmen, have a great time. Then something went wrong. One day we were playing and I accidentally struck Anna. She stopped moving and went ice cold. Father took us to see some trolls. They used their magic to heal Anna and remove her memories of my powers. From then on, my father decided that my powers must be kept a secret from everyone, even Anna. I spent all of my time in my room after that."
"You mean, you were kept away from everyone because of your powers?" Joanna asked. "But you seem so happy now. How did you cope? Did you get angry too?"
Elsa smiled at Joanna. "I did get angry, but I kept it all inside. My father knew that I was going to be queen one day. He taught me 'conceal it, don't feel it' and 'be the good girl you always have to be'," Elsa said in a stern manner while pointing her finger. "My father did his best to help me by trying to keep my powers hidden. That was, until we lost him," Elsa sighed.
"What happened?" Joanna quietly asked.
"My mother and father were lost at sea when I was about your age," Elsa answered. "We always thought that their ship went down in the Southern Sea, but we found it washed up on the coast of Northuldra. They were looking for the source of my powers. They were trying to reach Ahtohallan."
Joanna pieced things together. "I found that ship," she told Elsa as her eyes widened. "I found a map to Ahtohallan, then..." she said as her bottom lip started to wobble. "I burned it. I didn't know it was your parents' ship! I'm so sorry!" she whispered as she looked up.
"You don't have to keep apologising for what you did!" Elsa calmly insisted. "I knew you must've found that ship. How else would you have known about Ahtohallan? And anyway, that ship held terrible memories for us. We haven't been back to it since we discovered it."
Joanna looked aghast. Elsa's explanation couldn't ease her. "Oh, you must think I'm a monster!" she wailed as she started to cry. "I destroyed your parents' ship! The ship they perished on! I'm awful!"
Joanna buried her face on the table as Elsa put her arms around her. Elsa was keen to change the subject.
"Never mind about that now. What about the other visions?" Elsa asked. "What happened after you saw your mother take the potion?"
Joanna looked up and went as white as a sheet, but not from the sea sickness. She propped her head up with one hand and looked up at Elsa with shocked, wide eyes.
"I...I try not to think about that," Joanna admitted. "I feel it rather than remember it. The revelation made me so angry. It scares me to think about how angry I was. It was almost painful."
Elsa wanted to tell Joanna that she didn't have to think about it, she didn't want her to hurt herself. However, Joanna had already closed her eyes in concentration.
"I remember...standing on top of Ahtohallan and watching the sunset," Joanna began to recall, "then I was on the beach, and you arrived, and...and...oh no..."
Joanna became distraught as she remembered what she had done. Elsa held onto her.
"I...I attacked you!" Joanna bawled. "How could I do such a thing? After everything you've done for me!"
Joanna slammed her fist on the table and became hysterical. "I destroyed your castle, your kingdom, I ruined your sister's wedding, I burned your parent's ship, and I tried to destroy you!" she screamed. She started to hyperventilate. "I am a monster! How can you even look at me?" she cried as she flipped the table over, causing an almighty crash and throwing her mug of water across the room. She sprung to her feet.
"I don't deserve to be here! I should throw myself overboard right now!" she cried. Joanna tried to run away, but Elsa grabbed her arm and yanked her back into her seat. Elsa pinned Joanna down by her shoulders. Joanna struggled as Elsa tried to hush her and calm her down.
"Let me go Elsa!" Joanna cried. She tried to wrestle herself from Elsa's grasp, but Elsa held her tightly. Joanna stopped struggling and became even more despondent, holding her trembling hands near her mouth and wailing out in despair.
"Ssssh," Elsa tried to hush Joanna while holding her. "Stay with me Joanna, stay with me. It's okay, it's okay. Think about what happened after we left the Chamber of Emptiness. Can you do that?"
Joanna curled up into a ball and nodded, her face still tormented with guilt. Elsa held on to her tightly, just as she had done in Ahtohallan after Joanna lost her powers. "Sssssh," Elsa tried to hush Joanna again. "It's okay, everything's okay."
Still hyperventilating, Joanna rested her head against Elsa and continued to cry, disgusted with herself. Elsa cradled her and stroked her hair.
Just then Anna put her head round the door to check what was going on. She saw Joanna in tears and Elsa consolingly her. As Joanna cried, Anna and Elsa caught sight of each other. Elsa looked at Joanna, then gave Anna a little head nod to tell her everything was in hand. In return, Anna smiled, nodded and left.
"I know what you need," Elsa said softly. She began to gently sing.
"Where the north wind meets the sea
There's a river full of memory
Sleep, my darling, safe and sound
For in this river you were found"
Joanna closed her eyes. Her breath slowed as Elsa sang. She untensed her arms and laid her hands in Elsa's lap. Slowly, a sense of calm returned to her. She felt honoured to be where she was. Joanna knew that whatever she said to Elsa, Elsa would understand. She wouldn't shout, she wouldn't get mad, she would just listen.
Elsa continued to sing "All is found", a lullaby her mother sang to her when she was a child, changing the words to suit Joanna. A wave of serenity washed over Joanna, the like of which she had never experienced before. She became at peace. The sea had calmed, and the gently rocking combined with Elsa's tranquil voice sent Joanna off into a restful sleep.
When Elsa finished singing, she continued to stroke Joanna's hair as she let her sleep. She smiled to herself, content that she had settled Joanna. Elsa looked at Joanna's face as she slept, and was amazed to see just how serene she was. Knowing that Joanna needed the rest, she let her sleep for as long as she needed.
After some time, Joanna began to gently stir. While still resting her head against Elsa, she looked up at her.
"Thank you, Elsa," Joanna said softly and sincerely.
"Feeling better now?" Elsa asked.
"Yeah," Joanna enthused while gently nodding.
"There's just one more thing I'd like to know," said Elsa. "If you knew that the Chamber of Emptiness existed, somewhere where you would lose your powers, you would have gone there, wouldn't you?"
"I wouldn't have believed you," Joanna said through a smile. "If I was standing right in front of it, I would have gone in. I wouldn't have even thought about it."
Elsa rubbed Joanna's shoulder and smiled softly. "I thought so," she whispered to her.
Joanna let out a contented sigh. She allowed herself to rest on Elsa for a few moments more, when an idea came into her head.
"Elsa?" Joanna asked. "Can we play games with the others later?"
Elsa laughed a little. "Let's ask them, shall we?" she said as she got up and led Joanna back on deck. Anna and Kristoff were already there, looking out to sea.
The sea was a lot calmer than it was before, and Joanna took in a lungful of bracing sea air. She turned to Anna and Kristoff.
"Hi, er, I was wondering," Joanna stuttered, "would you guys like to play games tonight?" she asked.
Anna took a step towards Joanna. "Sure," she said.
"Sounds like fun!" Kristoff added.
"Great!" Joanna gently enthused as she smiled at everyone. "Would you excuse me?" she asked. "I just need a minute," she said, and with that she went below deck.
"Well, what was all that?" Anna asked Elsa. "We heard shouting, is everything okay?"
"It is now," Elsa confirmed gently. "The poor girl, everything just got too much for her," Elsa sighed.
"What did?" Anna asked with a tinge of concern in her voice.
Elsa closed her eyes and put her hands out. "She told me something bad, not worse than what we already know she did, just prepare yourself Anna," Elsa said.
"What?" Anna replied as she clutched her chest and took a step forward. Kristoff put his arm around her shoulder.
"I don't know exactly when she found it," Elsa continued, "but somehow she found mother and father's ship."
Anna took a sharp breath and held her hands to her chest in worry.
"That's how she found out about Ahtohallan," Elsa said while looking down. "She must have found the map. After that she...burned the ship."
Anna opened her mouth in shock and tears started to well up in her eyes. She turned to Kristoff and cried into his chest. She then raised her head.
"Our parents' ship..." Anna said softly. "The ship they passed away on..."
Anna stood up and took a deep breath. "I don't know I'm so upset," she said as she wiped away her tears. "After all, she burned everything else. I should have guessed that she'd burn that ship too."
Elsa looked on as she watched Anna try to come to terms with her grief.
"And that ship held so many bad memories," Anna continued, "and we never did recover their bodies..."
Anna looked to the side and let out a huge sigh. "We've never been back. She probably did us a favour..."
Elsa took a step towards Anna. "If it's any consolation Anna, Joanna feels terrible about what she did. That's what all the noise was about. She also remembered that she attacked me at Ahtohallan," said Elsa.
Elsa sighed and closed her eyes as she recalled Joanna's torment. "It took everything I had to stop her, but she wanted to...throw herself off the ship," she told Anna.
Anna looked aghast and held her hands to her chest. "But Elsa, she's alone now..."
Elsa opened her eyes in shocked realisation. "Joanna!" she called as she raced below deck.
As fast as she could, Elsa ran to the room where she comforted Joanna. There she found that the table had been put back. Joanna was slumped over it, face down. She wasn't moving.
"Oh, Joanna..." Elsa said as she held her hands to her mouth. "What have you done?" Fearing the worst, Elsa gently walked over to Joanna, one step at a time. She slowly sat down next to her, and placed her hand on her arm.
Joanna's head shot up. Elsa smiled and sighed in relief. "Oh Joanna, you're okay!"
Joanna looked at Elsa with bleary-eyed confusion.
"Yes, I'm fine," she said while rubbing her eyes. "It's just so comfortable here, I felt like a nap..."
As Elsa continued to smile, Anna and Kristoff came into the room. Joanna noticed that Anna had been crying.
"Is everything alright?" Joanna asked, looking round at everyone. "What's going on?"
"I told them about the ship," Elsa told her. "It's been difficult..."
"I'm so sorry!" Joanna blurted out. Anna sat next to her.
"It...it's okay," Anna began to say. Joanna interrupted her.
"No, no it's not!" Joanna declared. "I feel terrible about it!"
"Hey, we're all hurting right now," Elsa said as she placed her hand on Joanna's arm. "But the only way we're going to get through it, is together."
Joanna briefly looked up at Anna then looked down again and briefly nodded.
"You're right, Elsa," Anna said as she sighed. She held her arms open to Joanna.
"Oh," Joanna exclaimed while raising her fingers to her mouth. She leaned forward and hugged Anna.
Elsa shuffled up to Joanna and hugged her too. Kristoff smiled a little, shrugged his shoulders, then joined in the hug as well.
Once the hug was over, Elsa had a suggestion to make. "Now, what about those games?" she suggested.
"Just, give me a minute," said Anna. "I think I could do with some sea air."
Anna left the table and went on deck. She folded her arms, leaned against the railings and sighed as she looked out to sea. As she heard the sound of the waves lapping against the ship, she contemplated everything that had happened.
After leaving her alone for a couple of minutes, Kristoff came to join Anna. He put his arm around her and looked out to sea too.
"Are you okay?" Kristoff asked Anna.
Anna sighed again. "Yes," she replied hesitantly. "There's just so much to think about. So much has happened over these last few days, and so much of it has been bad..."
"We'll get through it," Kristoff assured her. "In a few days, Joanna will be home. Just think about what that could mean. If all goes well, a lost daughter will be reunited with her family. It could be beautiful."
"Yes," Anna said as she narrowed her eyes and smiled slightly. "It could, couldn't it?"
"And Arendelle will recover," Kristoff continued. "Then we will be able to get married. You will have that fairy tale wedding I know you want. And it will be even more special, I can't wait!"
Anna got closer to Kristoff and stroked his arm. "Thank you honey," she said gently. "I can't wait either!" she enthused as she turned to kiss him. Anna and Kristoff kissed, then embraced. Anna felt ready to go back below deck. Together, Anna and Kristoff took their seats at the table.
"What shall we play?" Anna asked.
"How about some card games?" Elsa suggested. "I think there is a deck in that cupboard."
"Cards, good idea!" Kristoff declared as he sauntered over to the cupboard. He rummaged around and soon found what he was looking for. "Here we are!" he said as he picked up the pack and showed it to everyone else.
"You'll have to tell me how to play," Joanna admitted. "I couldn't play with cards when I was little. You know, me...card...not a good mix..."
"Don't worry," Elsa said as she put her hand on her arm. "We'll start with something simple. How about Snap?"
"Snap!" Kristoff exclaimed. "Isn't that a bit too easy?" he asked.
"I can't even remember what the cards look like," Joanna confessed. "I think I need to start with a simple game!"
Kristoff handed the cards to Elsa. She took them out of the packet and laid them across the table face up.
"Oh numbers!" Joanna said excitedly. "I remember them!"
Elsa chuckled a little as she began to explain what the cards were. "Okay, so there are four 'suits', spades, hearts, diamonds and clubs. Each suit has the numbers two to ten, and there are also aces. These can be worth one or eleven depending on the game you are playing."
Joanna looked up at Elsa in confusion while Elsa kept explaining. "Then there are the 'face' cards, which are jacks, queens and kings," Elsa concluded.
"I love the decoration!" Joanna said as she picked up the Queen of Hearts. "But why isn't there a princess card?"
Anna giggled at Joanna's naivety. "That would be good wouldn't it!" she exclaimed. "I don't know, there just isn't. Now then, how does 'Snap' work, Elsa?"
Elsa began to deal out the cards as she explained the rules. "We split up the cards between the players, face down. Then, we take it in turns to put a card face up in the pile in the middle of the table. If two cards with the same value are played in a row, the first person to shout 'Snap' wins all the cards. Whoever has all the cards at the end of the game wins!"
"Okay, I think I understand," said Joanna.
"Seeing as you're the youngest, you go first!" Anna told Joanna.
"Alright then!" Joanna said as she cautiously drew a card and placed it in the middle of the table. It was the four of diamonds. Elsa went next and played the four of clubs. Everyone went quiet and looked at Joanna. She realised that everyone was looking at her, then she looked at the two cards.
"Oh, snap!" she cried as she worked out why the others were looking at her. She reached out and took the cards. "That was very kind of you!" she told everyone. "But please, don't let me win! I need to learn!"
"Oh alright!" said Anna. It was her turn next. They all took their turn but no matches came for some time. Then Anna drew a king, and Kristoff followed with another king.
"Snap!" Kristoff and Joanna called at the same time.
"Oh, I think you just won that one!" Kristoff gallantly conceded as he passed the cards to Joanna. Joanna let out a small giggle in response.
They carried on playing and eventually Joanna had all the cards. "You win Joanna! Not bad for a beginner!" said Anna.
"Thank you!" Joanna replied. "That was fun! I think I'm ready for something a little more complicated now!"
For the rest of the journey, the four of them played games and talked. They taught Joanna some new games, and she came to feel accepted. After a couple of days at sea, the ship reached Rizucia.
"Land ho!" came a call from the crew. Joanna raced up on deck. Finally, she could see her home.
The damage was so much worse than she feared. The fires had raged out of control for days, and the castle was covered in black soot. There were gaps in the towns where houses should have been. Joanna started to cry. Elsa put an arm around her.
"We're going to make this right, remember?" Elsa said reassuringly.
Joanna couldn't bear to see anymore, and she ran back below deck. The ship docked, and they prepared to set foot on Rizucian soil for the first time.