Prologue

"And so the Twilight of the Gods shall come to pass

The slate wiped clean for man to rebuild.

But their Wills shall remain and take root in the fertile land,

Their purposes strong as ever."

―Prophecy of the Norns, never spoken aloud


Far to the north, among snow-capped mountains and evergreen forests, there sat a small kingdom nestled at the mouth of a majestic fjord. The Kingdom of Arendelle. In the kingdom's capital, also named Arendelle, a castle sat comfortably on an island just off shore, connected to the small city by a stone bridge.

In the grounds surrounding the castle, a young girl played by herself, a few guards standing at attention nearby. The girl giggled as she fed day-old bread to the ducklings that lived in the pond that watered the gardens. Despite her wide smile, Princess Anna couldn't help but feel a twinge of sadness. Used to be, her big sister would play with her before Mama and Papa closed the gates.

Said sister watched from above in the window of her new bedroom, tears pooling in the young girl's eyes. Princess Elsa wanted more than anything to be down there playing with Anna. The sunlight caught in Anna's strawberry-blonde hair, turning it to fire, and illuminating something newer: a streak of white woven into her pigtails. A reminder, so similar to Elsa's platinum blonde locks, of why she couldn't be down there with her sister. A reminder of the mistake that left both of them alone. Princess Elsa was dangerous; the troll king had said so.

Elsa rubbed the back of her gloved hand, the leather still uncomfortable. Papa had given them to her, told her that the gloves would help to keep her power inside. Conceal it, don't feel it - don't let it show, he had said. Mama had promised that when she learned control, she could play with Anna again.

Elsa sat back on the window-seat, the tears beginning to fall. How long would that be?


Many miles north, deep in the untamed wilderness, a young boy stood before a cave mouth. Wrapped in a dark-blue cloak and a trimmed staff in his hand, he swallowed thickly. This is no task for a nine-year-old, he thought grimly. The boy turned to look over his shoulder at the two old men some distance away, the ones who had told him about this place. A pair of black birds sat on a branch above them.

The boy steeled his resolve and pushed forward, ignoring the spikes that resembled the fangs of some long-forgotten monster. The cave started out straight, then began to spiral downward, like a winding staircase. Just as the men had said it would. Just as the birds had told them to tell him.

After some time, he came to the end of the decent and found himself in a sizable cavern. At the far end of the chamber, large roots broke through the wall, dripping into a large pool of crystal-clear water. Looming over the pool stood a formation of rock that somehow resembled a man, a monstrous man crouching protectively over the pool, a staff clutched in his hand and piercing eyes regarding the boy.

The boy braced himself and approached the pool. He knelt down at its edge and reached out. A few inches from the water's surface, his fingers brushed … something, and it sent a shock up his arm. The boy grit his teeth, refusing to cry out. He had been told that that would happen, but he'd wanted to see for himself.

The boy looked up at the formation, at the guardian of the well, into those piercing, judging eyes that had seemed to follow him. The boy sighed and removed a small knife from his belt. He looked down at his right hand, sapphire eyes blazing, and swung down.

The cold metal bit into his palm, cutting clean through to emerge from the top of his hand. The boy tried as hard as he could, but he still couldn't stop the groan of pain that escaped his clenched teeth. A single tear escaped his eye and fell, shining like starlight. For the briefest moment, an image of a family shined within before it disappeared into the pool. He hissed in pain as the wound began smoking, the blood stopped flowing. He yelped as he felt his very soul being branded, the toll he had paid far more than blood and tears. The pain subsided and a wooden cup floated to the surface of the water.

The boy took the cup, no shock came this time, and dipped it into the water. He drank the water―it felt like ice clawing down his throat―and tossed the cup back in. He waited for something to happen. After those few minutes, he felt nothing different. The boy cursed and stood, wheeling around for the exit. As he walked, his stub twitching, the boy heard rock creaking and groaning like menacing laughter, as if the statue were mocking him. He shook it off and ascended the spiraling cave.

As he neared the mouth of the cave, he saw the men standing outside it, their smiles a mix of pride and sadness. The birds who had "suggested" this plan were nowhere to be found. The boy sped his gait, ready to give these two a piece of his mind. As he passed the lips of the cave, as he left the Sanctuary, it finally hit him.

The boy collapsed as his forehead exploded into agony. He convulsed as he felt it - wisdom of the ages - flood into his mind like a maelstrom. His unseeing eyes saw impossible things, his deafened ears heard whispers of ancient secrets, his entire body wracked with the enduring of ages.

As he spasmed and twitched, gasping for air and sweating with fever, the men took the boy and carried him to a camp deep in the trees, well away from the cave. They set to getting him as comfortable as they could and began cooking a side of beef in a skillet, potatoes and carrots stewing in the grease. The boy would need his strength if he woke up. When he woke up.

After what seemed like an eternity, the boy stilled and passed into a fitful slumber. If the boy had been awake, he would have felt the tears of blood leaking from his right eye. If he had looked into a mirror, he would have seen that the eye had changed - changed from deep sapphire to a harsh gold. Only through suffering may wisdom be achieved, a voice whispered into the boy's ear, seared into his memory.

Two birds landed near him and looked down upon him. Rest well, Alphonse. Rest will not come easy, now.


As the years passed, Princess Elsa would only grow more fearful of her powers, more isolated from her sister. That is, until the day of her coronation. Her powers would be revealed. She would run to the mountains - hurt her sister once again - be brought home. She would be saved by Anna and return what had been lost. After years of suffering, Elsa would be free.

For Alphonse … His chains had only grown tighter. His suffering had only begun.

New story. What do you all think? Leave a review if you like what you see.