The quiet sound of chewing could be heard as Sven grazed on a patch of grass.

"You can see so much from up here."

Princess Anna of Arendelle sat in the sled beside her boyfriend Kristoff Bjorgman, her hand grasped in his. She was right about the sight: up in the foothills of the North Mountain, one was able to view the entire main town of Arendelle. The castle stood tall and proud amongst the surrounding landscape, a light glowing in a window of one of the towers where Anna's sister was no doubt hard at work with some important task.

Anna leaned closer to Kristoff, resting her head on his shoulder.

"It's so romantic," she whispered.

In the shadows cast by the setting sun, and the nearby trees, Anna could not see the ice harvester's blushing face, reddening with anticipation.

Kristoff cleared his throat and stole a quick glance at Marshmallow, the burly snowman who was standing guard over them, then reached into his left pocket.

"Anna..."

"Mmm?" she responded simply, her eyes closed.

"We've been seeing each other for some time now, and..."

His hand closed around the small box. As he was about to withdraw it, Sven perked his head up, sniffing the air. He growled, looking towards the cluster of trees to their right.

Crash.

Wood splintered and branches snapped as trees were thrown up out of the forest, landing here and there. Pieces of a sapling fell directly in front of the group, its trunk somehow cut clean through.

And then it grew quiet. Whatever was in the forest ripping through trees had become silent. Kristoff exchanged worried looks with Anna.

"I check. Go," said Marshmallow in his booming voice. He flexed, growing icy teeth and claws. Dozens of other icicles sprouted out around his body as he headed for the thicket of trees.

"Are you sure..."

"Go."

Kristoff barely even touched the reins before Sven started to sprint down the hill, pulling the sled with him. The reindeer was all too happy to get out of there.

"Are you sure we should have left him?" asked Kristoff.

"Don't worry about it. I'm...sure Marshie can handle it..."

Sven only ran faster after they all heard Marshmallow's shrill cry of pain echoing down the mountain.

"What do you mean, it isn't there?"

Queen Elsa could not believe what she had just heard.

"It isn't there," her ambassador insisted. "We sailed right over where it should have been. We even stopped and sent a few men down in a diving bell. Lowered them down almost 500 feet. And when we got them back out, they still hadn't seen anything. Just water in all directions."

"Nothing else, at all?"

"Nothing. Whatever happened to Weselton, it's completely gone now. And I don't think it's ever coming back."

Elsa took a deep breath. "Thank you for the report, Demetri. You are dismissed."

"Your Majesty."

Demetri the ambassador gave a short bow and left.

After he was gone, the queen loosened the top button of her dress's collar and sat back in her chair.

"Unbelievable," she quietly groaned. She knew what she had to do next, but she let the responsibility slide for a moment, instead taking a sip of her tea. The familiar taste of lemon passed by her lips, but it provided little comfort to her. Sighing, she set the teacup back on its saucer, then reached for her fountain pen and a nearby piece of paper. Putting the nib to the paper, Elsa started to write.

To whom it may concern,

I am writing this letter in regards to the island duchy of Weselton. It is already widely known that said nation has gone through an extended period without trading, or any type of commerce whatsoever, with its neighboring kingdoms.

Taking the word of my ambassador in good faith, I have been informed that Weselton, as far as we know, has ceased to exist. It is only natural that one is skeptical at this statement, but anyone is welcome to try to visit Weselton and see for themselves. You will only find ocean waves where it once stood. I myself have attempted written correspondence with the Duke of Weselton, and have received no reply.

It is possible that the island has sunk, although I cannot imagine what sort of power could possibly perform such a feat.

From lack of trade, I am sure that its economy suffered greatly under these conditions. Whether or not this had anything to do with its disappearance is unknown. Speculation aside, this letter has served its purpose. If any head of state wishes to discuss this matter further, I am more than willing to do so.

Warm regards,

Her Majesty Queen Elsa of Arendelle

When she was sure the ink was dry, Elsa neatly folded the letter in half. Copies would need to be made and sent to Arendelle's neighboring kingdoms, but that was a task for the royal clerk. After that, Elsa would have the rest of the evening to herself. She reached for the small bell to ring it; her maid Gerda was never far from her.

The ringing of the bell was drowned out by loud knocking at the door.

Just when I thought I could relax, the queen thought.

"Elsa!"

She sighed and smiled as she recognized the voice immediately.

"Come in."

Anna quickly stepped through the door, Kristoff following after her. They were both panicked, and looked as though they had ran up the castle's multiple flights of stairs without stopping once to rest.

"I...um...we..."

Anna tried to gasp out her words, but she barely had any breath.

"What is it?"

"We left...we left Marshmallow up on the mountain. He saw something...and went after it, he told us to leave."

"...that's all? He'll be fine, he'll find his way back down soon en-"

"No..." Kristoff quietly interjected. "Something happened to him. On the way down we heard him scream."

The queen looked over to him, puzzled.

"Are you sure you didn't just hear things? There's nothing on that mountain that-"

"We heard something...ripping up the trees," said Anna. "Please. There's no time, we need to go back there."

"...all right, then."

As the three of them headed out, Kristoff touched the little box in his pocket, wistfully.

"He was right here, then-"

Anna pointed to the line of trees. The sun had now set, and the entire area was pitch dark.

"...he went in there."

"He obviously saw something," Kristoff remarked.

"Elsa...what if he's hurt? Or worse?"

"Well...we won't know unless we look."

With a wave of her hand, Elsa summoned a large ball of winter magic. It illuminated the area, shining a circle of pale blue light around them. The queen manipulated it through the trees, lighting up the darkness and exposing the forest to a small fraction of her power.

About 70 feet in, the trio could make out something large amongst the trees. But they could not see exactly what it was.

"I need to get a closer look."

"Are you sure that's a good idea? I mean...there could be anything in there..."

"I'll be fine, Anna. I'm the one with ice powers, remember?"

The queen started towards the tree line.

"Elsa, wait a second."

Kristoff held out a hand, motioning for Elsa to stop. He walked over to the sled and detached the reins from Sven.

"Come on, buddy."

He led the reindeer over to Elsa.

"Get on," he said, patting Sven's back.

"...what?"

"Don't worry, it's just like riding a horse. Here."

Kristoff leaned over, offering his hand.

"Why not..." Elsa muttered.

She placed a foot onto Kristoff's palm. He raised his arm, boosting her up onto the reindeer.

"Just hold onto the tack when he runs," he said, patting the straps on Sven's sides.

Kristoff looked into the animal's eyes. "If anything bad happens, I want you to get the both of you out of there as fast as you can. Got it?"

Sven nodded, and the two headed into the forest.

Kristoff had been right; it was just like riding a horse. Sven trotted along, carrying the queen on his back, the large shape becoming more detailed as they drew closer.

It was Marshmallow; or rather, a piece of him. All around them, bits of his snowy body were strewn about. Something had ripped him apart. Elsa grimaced, looking across the way at half of Marshmallow's melting face, frozen in an expression of terror.

Neither sister had spoken in over ten minutes. They just sat in front of the fireplace, looking into the flickering flames, wrapped in blankets and sipping cocoa.

"Elsa..."

"..yeah..."

"...I'm...sorry that Marshmallow ended up like that. It was my fault. We shouldn't have left him, we should have-"

"There was probably nothing you could have done, Anna. He did his job, he protected you."

Anna took a sip of cocoa, thinking to herself.

"Did you try rebuilding him? You do have the power of winter, couldn't you have just put him back together?"

"I tried. His body couldn't be repaired, it kept falling apart. Something was keeping him in pieces."

Elsa paused, then slid her mug of cocoa over to Anna.

"You have it. I don't think I'm in the mood for chocolate right now..."

"Elsa..."

"...I know he was just a snowman to everyone else, but to me..."

Elsa shut her eyes, concentrating, forcing herself to not cry.

"...I don't know how I'm going to break the news to Olaf..."

She sighed, and stood up, carrying her blanket under her arm.

"Elsa, wait."

Anna threw her arms around her sister, pulling her in close for a hug.

"Good night."

Anna did not see the single tear that rolled down Elsa's cheek.

"Good night, Anna."

Elsa opened the door to her room, her body filled with drowsiness. She wanted nothing more than to fall down in her large, soft bed, pull the blankets over herself and go to sleep.

"A lovely night, isn't it? You can see every last star up in the sky."

The man stood with his back to her, looking out the large window of her room, up at the night sky. Upon hearing the man speak, and seeing him silhouetted against the moonlight streaming in through her window, Elsa snapped to attention. She reflexively raised her hands up in front of her in defense, studying the stranger's appearance.

The man was dressed in royal uniform; he had long straight brown hair that went to his mid-back; silvery epaulets adorned either shoulder; a black cape reached from his shoulders to the ground. Stitched into the cape were designs and symbols that Elsa could not identify; they didn't even resemble the Nordic runes that she had studied in her teenage years.

"Sigma Hydrae."

The man raised a manicured finger, pointing to a star in the sky.

"353 light-years away in the constellation Hydra. That one star will always be special to me. It's quite exhilarating to see it up close, it really is not done justice viewing it from here."

"Who are you?"

The man shifted his hand, indicating a different star.

"Upsilon Cygni, of the constellation Cygnus. That one star brings nothing but annoyance to me. The Yith would send messages to me incessantly, begging for attention."

He had a strange accent; Elsa could not place its origin. It sounded Arabic, but then, it also sounded English, or French. Or perhaps it was German?

"Tell me who-"

"Alpha Serpentis (or would you call it Unukalhai?), in the head of Serpens. It's the brightest in the whole constellation, especially visible on such a lovely evening as this."

"Enough," said Elsa. Ice spread across the window, obscuring the man's view outside.

"You have intruded into this castle, this kingdom, uninvited. Identify yourself."

The man slowly turned around, letting his arm fall to his side.

From the front, he looked nothing like any human Elsa had ever seen. His skin was a dark gray, his eyes completely black. His unsettling visage made Elsa's heart beat a little quicker.

"Who I am is of little relevance, your Majesty."

"Guards!" the queen called.

"That will not be of much use, I'm afraid. Shout if you must, none of them will hear you."

Elsa tried to keep her voice from sounding fearful. "What do you want?"

"Straight and to the point, I like that. Your father acted in a similar fashion."

"What. Do. You. Want."

The man smiled, his mouth curling upward into an unnatural position.

"What I want is unimportant. Rather, what do you want? What is your desire? Power? Friendship? Wealth? No, you already have all three in large quantities. Perhaps...knowledge? Knowledge of what is to come?"

Elsa blinked.

"What are you talking about?"

"In spite of the way he kept you hidden away in your room, your father was quite fond of sorcery. He was an avid collector of old tomes, he spent hours poring over them in hopes he could decipher them, much to the disapproval of his wife."

"How do you know all this?"

"Have you thoroughly checked the back of the castle library, your Majesty? Specifically, the back-left shelf?"

"I...no."

"Well then, I suggest you do so. That is, if you want to know what is coming, what is even now stirring in the depths, almost awakened, ready to consume your little world."

Elsa's hands glowed blue, snowflakes beginning to generate from them.

"Are you threatening me?"

"Not at all, my dear. I am merely stating a fact. Regardless, I have said my bit. I will take my leave...for now."

She blinked, and he was gone. The queen stood there for a moment, utterly confused at what had just happened. She let the ice around her window dissipate as she sat down on her bed.

Elsa looked out at the stars, each one twinkling back at her. On any other night, it would have been a beautiful sight, but now they seemed sinister, as though each one were hiding a dark secret behind their shining facade.

The queen moved to her nightstand, opened the drawer, and withdrew paper and pencil. She started drawing; any hint of tiredness had vanished from her.

Elsa certainly did not want to go to sleep that night.