An Arm and a Leg
is a Frozen fanfic by Ravager Zero. It acts as an AU to the film's ending.
After Hans tells Elsa about her sister's supposed death, Elsa loses her ability to live and doesn't move when Hans unsheathes his sword. Anna, however, is not actually dead. She jumps in front of Hans and acts like a human shield. However, Anna moved a moment earlier than in canon. Just before freezing into solid ice, Hans' sword cuts through Anna's right arm, from hand to elbow. Hans' sword breaks upon impact and shards hit Elsa in the back.
Like in canon, Anna is unfrozen afterwards, but she's left with a severely damaged arm. Elsa also finds that she can't feel below her waist.
This fanfic provides examples of:
- Alternate Universe Fic: At the end of the film, both Elsa and Anna were seriously injured by Hans' attempt at the throne. As a result they're both disabled.
- Ambiguously Bi: Elsa admits that she doesn't know enough about love and herself to understand her sexuality yet. There's something between her and Hank, yet at the same time she has an attraction to her own sister.
- An Arm and a Leg: Anna loses her right arm due to it being sliced by Hans' sword.
- Brother–Sister Incest: Elsa feels attracted to Anna but it's onesided and confuses her.
- Death by Childbirth: This is discussed between Elsa and Anna. It's dangerous for Elsa to become pregnant. She likely won't survive and even the baby itself might not. It's recommended that Elsa not have kids but, being the queen, Elsa needs a heir of her own.
- Disabled in the Adaptation:
- Anna moved a few seconds early and as a result Hans' sword hit her before she froze. She lost the ability to use that arm.
- Elsa was hit with shards from Hans' sword, paralyzing her.
- Doorstopper: An Arm and a Leg is over 430k words long and spans over 90 chapters.
- Incurable Cough of Death: Elsa and Anna's grandfather coughed blood prior to dying.
- Interrupted Suicide: Elsa didn't move out of the way of Hans' sword because she felt that she deserved to die. She's saved by Anna's attempt at a Heroic Sacrifice.
- Rags to Royalty: The sisters' mother and the queen of Corona were both commoners prior to becoming royalty.
- Related in the Adaptation: Rapunzel is Elsa and Anna's cousin through her mother.
- World of No Grandparents: It's noted that Elsa, Anna, and Rapunzel don't know their maternal grandparents. There's nothing on the records about them. Elsa and Anna's paternal grandparents died when they were both young.
