A King and Queen of Ice 3

A King and Queen of Ice: Chapter 3





"The gods do not tolerate blasphemers...."
"Then perhaps it is a good thing I do not believe in the gods. For I have little tolerance of them and their games."






It was a week later that the queen had found time to herself again. Many more letters had been written, many more pleas of mercy heard and more and more trade ships found their way into the harbor with each passing day. It was midday and the Lady of Ice had found sanctuary in the library, a fire smoldered to her left as she lounged in the chaise. To her right was a table that held a chess set, the dust showing how infrequently it was used. Her mug of tea sat on the table untouched, the steam rising from the glass.

With her arm curled behind her head she used the other to support a large book in her lap. She read endlessly, flipping the thick yellowing pages with delicate thought. She couldn’t fathom why but she had gone back to the Council Chambers for the book. She felt that there was something hidden in its pages, something to explain where her powers had come from, and explain why they seemed so combustive and sporadic lately. On more than one occasion ice had crept up the walls and on the floor in the rooms she frequented, yet oddly enough they always seemed to stream from her to a window, never anywhere else in the rooms.

But like her parents before her, they had poured over the old tales looking for some clue and came to the same conclusion. Unfortunately it would seem only the trolls held the answers. She ran a finger over the notes her mother had made on the page, the dried smudges of tear splattered ink. She flipped the page again with a drawn out sigh, reaching for her mug. The scent of peppermint permeated the room and the sweet taste cleared her cluttered mind. She looked up again at the sound of a door shutting.

“I thought I’d find you in here.” Anna said, coming around the table; she stopped for she noticed the steaming mug. “Is that tea?” Elsa nodded, confused. “Peppermint?” Again, Elsa nodded but this time she smiled up at her sister. “I thought so.”

Elsa laughed quietly, curling up to let her sister sit and turning her head away as a puff of steam drifted by. Anna noticed the vacant seat and plopped down next to her. “Why are you being so quiet?” She asked with a laugh and tilted her head in curiosity.

Elsa smiled and looked over her mug. “This is the first time in years I’ve drunken tea in front of another person.”

Anna blinked at the news, “Really? Why’s that?”

“Hot drinks have a strange effect on me...” Her voice trailed off as she took another draught of tea, leaving Anna hanging on her words and with a perplexed expression. She laughed once as Anna’s eyes shifted from the tea back to her face. “It makes my breath look like this.”

As she spoke her breath became visible, like a cloud of smoke. Anna’s eyes grew wide as she watched the steam dissipate into a thin trickle as she smiled. Elsa’s smile faltered and she lowered her mug as her sister continued to stare dumbfounded. “A-are you okay?” When she didn’t answer she dropped her gaze to the floor, “Sorry, it’s creepy I know-”

Anna’s snort of laughter made her pause. “Elsa,” She looked back up. “You look like a dragon.” Anna was desperately trying to control the laughter and the curious excitement.

Elsa laughed and the steam finally disappeared, “You think?” She took another drink and leaned towards her sister though the smile she wore made Anna curl away, “Come now, don’t be shy.” She drew out the last word like a hiss and let the steam slide through her teeth.
Anna blinked before she snorted again, “That’s so cool!”

Elsa laughed and Anna followed soon. Elsa fell back onto the head of the chaise and looked over her sister. Anna had a few shadows under her eyes and she didn’t have to guess why that was. Instead of thinking about it she took another drink and turned her eyes to the book.

“I’ll have to bring you tea more often.” Anna declared enthusiastically.

Elsa’s laugh came out in a bemused sigh, which sent Anna into a laughing fit as the steam that vented from her nostrils added to the dragon persona. The princess tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and seemed to look for something else to say.

“I wonder what you said to Kristoff, that day I mean.”

“Has something happened?” She asked, tilting her head to the side. Anna’s smile fell and Elsa’s eyes narrowed.

“He’s down at the stables, though I don’t know why.” She confessed, toying with a braid. “Probably spending time with Sven, he’s not doing so well.”

The queen blinked in surprise, setting the book and mug aside. She sat up and took her sisters hand. Anna lifted solemn eyes but she smiled at the gesture. Curiously, Anna reached for the book and laughed; the same expression on her face as her sisters when she had discovered it.

“And what is the Queen of Arendelle doing with a book of children stories?” She inquired with a wry smile.

“Nothing in particular, just passing the time.” It wasn’t completely a lie.

Anna flipped open the book and landed on the story of Jack the frozen boy. Anna noticed the same thing Elsa had; the smudge of his name, like the ink was rubbed at the last moment.

“What’s this?” She asked, turning so her sister could see, “Jack...something. It starts with...what is that?”

“It’s an ‘F’, though I can’t make out the rest of it. This right here looks like an ‘R’, maybe an ‘N’? I don’t know.” A chill blew in the air, making the small fire dim and sway.

“Elsa!” Anna complained, holding the book tight to her chest.

“It’s not me!” The queen stood and moved from her sister in one fluid motion, curling her arms over her chest at the window; curiously the panes remained shut. “I’m sure it’s not me....”

“It’s okay you can get this under control again.” Anna said instantly recognizing the fear in her sister’s voice. “Besides, it’s not like before. You understand your powers now.”

“No Anna, I don’t.” She confessed on a sigh. “It’s true I’ve discovered more about them than I’ve ever known before. My emotions conjured them, as they’ve always had. But even so, I can’t control the curse.”

As if for effect she conjured up a large snowflake that briefly floated in her palm before she closed her fist and the snowflake turned to fresh powder. It snaked from her palm and onto the floor, leaving twisting spirals where she stood. She thought back to her parent’s anniversary, how the ice had cascaded the walls and floors of her bedchamber. With a bitter scowl she let the fist fall against her chest.

Anna had stood and crossed the room.

“This curse, as you seem so determine to call it. Is different, than what I felt.” She slipped a little on the swirling ice but caught herself. “Your powers will never be known to me, but I think I am the only other person to know what this feels like.”

Anna took the hand, smoothing out the fingers and matched it with Elsa’s. Like vines the ice twisted and bound their splayed hands together at finger and wrist. Anna’s smile was full of nothing but gratitude and love and held enough for both of them. The queen felt the corners of her mouth perk up, but her mood remained somber.

The ice retreated and Anna could once again stand on solid ground. She never understood how her sister stayed so firm on it, especially in those shoes. With a smile, she dropped her hand and turned to leave but then stopped at the chess board, a white pawn had moved into play.

“Did you do this?” She asked her sister, drawing her attention from the window.

Her brow furrowed as she moved closer. “No, but it wasn’t like that before....”

“Your Majesty,” They both looked up, Jonas stood at the door. “You are requested in the stables immediately.” His face was neutral and he left as quickly as he came. Anna gasped and looked back at her sister, heading for the door first. As the queen moved to follow her she looked back down at the chess board. There was a touch of frost that glistened on the surface of the piece. With an amused smile she pushed a pawn into play and left the room.







Kristoff was seated on a large bale of hay, the great reindeers head in his lap. Anna ran to them both and fell at their feet. Sven’s large eyes rolled lazily toward her but he did not stir beyond that. The queen made her entrance after many a bow and knelt before the friendly beast. Immediately she could sense something was terribly wrong, but she could only guess what. Heat radiated off his fur as she brushed it with her hand, trailing soft patterns of ice to make him more comfortable, but when she reached his hind quarters he tense and snorted in pain.

Kristoff held onto his antlers in order to protect the two women as the animal thrashed beneath him. They both jumped back as his hooves kicked wildly, he kicked a stool and it sailed into a nearby wall, the sounds of mewling and whinny’s filled the stables. Anna was terrified, unsure of what she could do, if anything at all. The queen, on the other hand, noted how oddly his hind leg twitched and the odd sounds emanating from his hip as he lost the will to fight. Her eyes narrowed and she conjured a large mound of snow, spreading it over the leg. Sven stiffened but relaxed and closed his eyes one more time, his breathing slowed as he fell into sleep.

“What do you think is wrong with him?” Anna asked.

“The stable master only said he came limping back in recently, but there were no signs as to why.” The Ice Master petted the soft fur at his neck, smoothing it out.

The queen lifted cautious eyes to him. “I think he’s broken something.” She stood and brushed the dust and hay from her gown. “How long has he sat this way?”

“As soon as I walked in he fell into my lap, and that was over an hour ago.”

She nodded and turned to the stable master as he passed. She instructed him to create a sling for Sven, so that he may stand while the wound heals. He looked at her perplexed and a little amused at the idea but did as she ordered. The stable master was a burly man of his middling years, and his son was soon to see his fourteenth. He came running by with a large pile of hay and a bucket of water for Sven. Anna opted to stay with the two and when the queen saw that the stable master had begun to work on the sling she left soon after, leaving the musty smell of hay and oats.

Her walk led her back to the library, though she did not have a true destination in mind. She sat heavily in a chair and with an equally heavy sigh let her face fall into her hands, the stress of the coming gathering weighing heavily on her mind. It was easy in times like these to let go and relax a little. She felt her powers rise and lazily make their home upon the ground and walls, snuffing out the embers of the fire. She did not mind and frankly she didn’t care at this point. She welcomed the quiet and the dark.

Another thought went through her mind as she saw a trail of ice twist in intricate patterns across the hearth. Despite her sister’s efforts, she still felt like she was missing something. Not something, someone. She thought as she twisted her crown in her hands. The past events in the stables had only confirmed it. Sven had Kristoff, Kristoff had Anna, and Anna had her, but who did she have? Perhaps all these efforts will bring a new face to me, someone to help with this ache. As she twisted the small crown she looked at her hands, a bitter smile on her lips. I would even return to wearing gloves if I have to.

She heard the sound of something slide just behind her. Curious, she turned and stood with a small sound, moving as far away as possible from the table and dropping her crown in the process. Another piece on the chessboard had moved.

She did not understand it, how could she? Maybe it was just Olaf playing a joke on her? No he would be more direct than this, and she had not seen him all day.

Her hand shook as she moved to touch the board. The sensation was odd to her, like plunging your hands into cold water. As suddenly as it appeared it was gone, like it had moved. She flinched from the sensation and headed for the door. As soon as she got the door open she rushed to her rooms, slipping slightly on the ice that trailed under her. She passed many concerned faces as she ran down the halls, a few voiced their concerns but she paid them no heed.

Once safely in her rooms she slammed and locked the door, backing away almost instinctually and not entirely believing that whatever it was that moved those pieces would stay out. Ice crept up the walls and barricaded the door. She let out a heavy breath and began to pace the length of her room in an effort to comprehend what had just happened.

She could understand a piece being out of place, but she could not understand it happening a second time, especially when no one was in the room with her. There was no one in the room with her, right? The ice began to groan and creak around her, large imposing sounds that seemed to frighten her more than the mysterious presence.

She stopped her pacing and took several deep breaths. Soon, the creaking had stopped and the hues began to grow lighter as she attempted to regain control. Minutes passed and the ice had receded to a thin film, though it still remained on the door and that was enough for her. She resumed her pacing, looking for all the logical possibilities that could have done this. Yet after an hour of pacing she could find none, other than one and it wasn’t reliable. Jack the ice boy was just a myth! A story to entertain children that’s all it was, and yet the very thought of him caused a chill in the air.

She looked for the source and was stunned to find that the window behind her was coated in frost. Mystified, she watched as the frost crept up through the window and onto her walls. She could see the ice puckering in odd ways and when it had finished shaping there was her snowflake, large and made of solid clear ice. Almost in a trance she reached for it; the ice smooth as glass and not the least bit cold. With a flash of light the snowflake and all the ice within the wall had exploded into a powder like fresh snow.

This was different, she noticed, her powers could never do this. She looked up in awe and saw how the snow swirled above her head before it slowly fluttered down. A snowflake landed near her eye and she had to blink away the water as it melted; curiously she felt a sudden warmth, and a short laugh escaped. She clasped her hand over her mouth and torso as she tried to understand where this sudden flash of happiness had come from. It was nothing like she had experienced lately, and a memory flashed in her mind. It was always a sad memory to her, but now she remembered it differently. Instead of reliving the day she almost harmed her sister as a child, she remembered all the joy and fun that they had shared in the moments before.

“Fun,” The word had a funny taste on her lips. She laughed again and relaxed a little. The snow had dissipated and only at the edge of the windows did a thin layer of frost remain. She smiled and went to the window, looking out over the glen that led to the forest. She could see a patch of frost form upon a tree before it suddenly stopped and began to recede.

With a wicked smirk she pushed away from the sill and headed for the door, but she stopped, hesitantly looking back outside. She noted the time and how it was getting darker by the minute. She cursed silently; frustrated that she could not have her question answered at this hour. Unless.... She grabbed a cloak and threw it on, heading briskly through the doors to the stables once more. Mounting her horse she kicked and shot off through the gates, passing many confused and concerned guardsmen; she did not see Kristoff or Sven. Soon she was out of the port city all together, and wound her way through the surrounding forest.







She knew the path only once, but the sights seemed as familiar to her as that fateful day. She wound through the birch, willow and pine, noting the wet smell of decay. She was about to give up her search, wishing she had braved the library to fetch the map when something caught her eye, a swirled rune hidden in shadow. She urged her horse forward and trotted down the thin pathway. She had found the little cove hidden in the rock; the many boulders lay scattered, covered in moss, mushrooms and various insects. She quickly dismounted and walked the remainder of the way, standing where she stood nearly sixteen years ago.

“Hello?” She called out, feeling almost foolish. “I-I wish to speak with you.” She turned this way and that, but saw nothing move.

She closed her eyes and felt the disappointment wash over her like a great wave; she brushed the emotion away vehemently when suddenly there came a rumble. The boulders rolled to surround her, and she felt frightened again. The little trolls uncurled themselves and stared up at her in amazement.

“It’s the Queen.” They sounded, “Get Pabbie!” She heard one say.

She noticed a solitary boulder make its way through the crowd before stopping at her feet. She knelt for him, and he bowed to her.

“Your Majesty,” He took her hand, “All grown up I see.” He studied her palm but for what, she could not tell. “Why have you come to us Queen of Snow?” His tone suspicious.

“I came ask,” She took a breath to steady her nerves, “If you knew anything else about these powers?” The troll blinked. “I heard you once ask my father if I was born or cursed iwth them. Have there been others like me?”

His face grew grave and he folded her fingers. “Ah, yes. I do recall. No doubt you’ve heard the tale of Lord Frost.”

“Lord Frost?”

“He was young, not much older than you actually, when he was cursed.” The old troll began to walk around her. She followed him as he conjured up an image in the air. The image was familiar to her; a slender man with short hair in scattered disarray. He wore no shoes and a shawl at his shoulders.

“Lord Frost always had a knack for being mischievous, but in an innocent way. It seemed that his singular goal in life was to have fun.” The image displayed the young man in various forms of play, jumping from trees, shadow puppets, snowball fights, but then she saw him standing with another person upon a thin surface. “One winters morning he had taken his sister out to teach her how to ski, the lake nearby had frozen over days before and seemed solid enough. But when she reached the center of the lake, the ice began to crack.” The sister stood in the center of the lake, the boy cautiously reaching out to her with a large stick, the end curved. “He had saved her but,” The cane moved and the sister was thrown just as the ice gave way. “He could not save himself.” Elsa could see him floating lifeless in the air. “He did not die they say, but he did not live. When I was a much younger troll he came to us, his hair turned white and his skin to ice, frost seemed to follow him wherever he went. He even carried that sick as a sort of staff, waving it here and there creating flurries as he went. He had heard of our magic and pleaded with us that we not let his sister see him like this. But this was a price that in time, he could not bear. Our magic made him invisible to all those who did not believe he was there. His only communication was his manipulation of the ice around him, yet that was not enough sometimes.” He turned his ancient eyes to her. “It is said after he abandoned his home some years later he came back here and lives atop the North Mountain. We even suspected it was him that had caused this past flurry, not you.”

“The North Mountain?” She stood and looked up at its forlorn peak, “But...I didn’t-”

“You did not see him, because you did not wish to see him. If I recall you wanted isolation from the world. That is why you climbed the mountain isn’t it?”

Her face fell in shame, but then her head perked up in curiosity. “Lord Frost, did he have a first name?”

“Sadly I do not remember; it has nearly been a hundred years.” The old troll bowed his head in respect before he turned and rolled away.

She thanked them and left as well. Mounting her horse she rode back out into the forest, her mind buzzing with this new information. Her puzzlement kept her pace slow and she rode ahead with unseeing eyes. She now knew Lord Frost had lived, and by the way the trolls described him he may still be alive. But how was that so? He must be near a hundred. If she could find this...“Lord of Winter”, then perhaps she could learn more about her powers, maybe even find a companion in him. It wouldn't be what she desired but it would be more than what she had. If only she could learn to control her powers enough, then she may be able to fulfill that other desire.

The walk was slow, and it had grown immensely dark, the moonlight flickering between the trees and clouds. After a time her already frazzled mind shutdown and she no longer cared that the low hanging branches gently tugged at her cloak and arms. Soon she stopped fighting the urge to keep her eyes open altogether and fell asleep to the sound of hooves upon the soft earth, the wind in the trees, a faintly familiar chill at her side....