FROZEN YOUTH

PART 4: COLD RAGE

Early spring was a busy time for the people of Arendelle. Planters began growing their crops and the winter blankets were being packed away despite the small bits of remaining snow. Among this excitement came a special day among the royal family. It was this time that they celebrated the birth of their beloved queen. Queen Elsa saw no need for such attention, but the celebrations proceeded due to the insistence of her family.

Now it was Princess Anna who was particularly excited. She wanted to make up for all of those birthdays missed, while Elsa was shut away as a child. The morning of the celebration was greeted with bright sun and a gentle breeze. Anna had been up for a few hours already, making sure that everything was perfect. She ran up and down the corridors, checking in with the staff with the progress of the preparations. She even made sure her own daughters were kept busy. This was Anna's favorite way of making up for lost time with her sister.

Queen Elsa woke to the gentle sounds of footsteps of the staff cleaning the halls. She silently walked down the stairs into the main hall of the castle. As much as she wanted to be surprised, she came to expect nothing less from the decorations and such. Though she saw it as silly, Elsa merely giggled and shook her head. She knew how much Anna enjoyed parties and would hate to see her sister unhappy.

The two sisters met up with one another in the dining room as Anna's daughters, Emilia and Catherine polished silver. As Elsa closed the door, Anna rushed over to her and hugged her. "Happy Birthday!" she said with a bright smile. Elsa laughed and hugged her back.

"Thank you," she said softly. "I don't see why every year you feel the need to go to such trouble."

"Oh please," Anna snorted. "You do the same, if not more for me. Besides, we never really did celebrate your birthday as children."

Elsa sighed, "I suppose, you're right." She went over and took a seat next to her nieces. "How are things coming, girls?"

"Tedious," groaned Emilia while finishing a spoon. "I don't see why we have to polish the silver."

"Yeah," said Catherine. "It's soooooo frustrating!"

Elsa giggled, "You know we all have to do our part. I appreciate the help."

"And they are happy to help," interjected Anna. "Right, girls?"

"Yes, mother," the twins sighed.

Elsa stood up and walked over to her sister. "Say, Anna?" She asked. "You haven't seen Erik by chance, have you?"

"Not since last night, no."

"Hmm…I think I have an idea where he might be."

Elsa walked quickly to her son's room, expecting him to still be asleep. She knocked on the door a few times. "Erik," she said. "It's time to get up!" There was no response. "Erik?" Still nothing. She opened the door and looked over toward his bed. It was empty and surprisingly made. Elsa simply smiled. She knew where she could find him.

Erik sat alone in the ice castle on the northern mountain. He would often go there to think and reflect. He enjoyed the solitude. There were no pressures of royal life and he could simply be free. Sunlight twinkled through the icy walls, cascading the floor with different colors and shapes. Erik sat in a small pile of snow and ran the bow across his violin.

He played a soothing melody, which echoed in the frozen halls. The ice allowed for perfect acoustics, making each note and chord clear and crisp. He began to pick up the tempo, when suddenly; he stopped abruptly, having made an ugly scratch on the strings. "Aaahh!" he exclaimed. "Nope, that's not it." He tried again, this time, making the correct melodic leap. He set down his violin and picked up the paper which he was using to write down his composition. When he glanced at it, he realized he had run out of room.

Erik set the paper down and called out into the hall. "Hey, Olaf," he called. "Could you bring me some more paper?" Olaf quickly popped through the door way with a small stack of paper in his small, twiggy hands. "Oh, here you go, Erik!" he said in his usual bright tone.

"Thank you."

"Say, what are you writing anyway?" the snowman questioned.

"I'm composing a little something for my mother's birthday. She love's it when I play."

"Yeah, me too! It sounds so beautiful!"

"But that's not all. I made her this!" Erik reached into his pocket and pulled out a small necklace. It was a simple chain, with a snowflake of solid ice hanging from the center. Olaf looked at it with wide eyes. "Wow that's so pretty!"

"Thanks," said Erik. "It took me so long to get the details just right in the ice. That much focus gave me such a headache. Watch this." Erik held the snowflake up to the light. Within seconds, a radiant array of light and colors like that of the Aurora Borealis glistened from the necklace. Olaf's eyes widened even more. "Whoa," he gasped. "Now that is something else. Oh I just know she's gonna love it all!"

"Let's hope so. I'm not too good at giving gifts. Usually Aunt Anna takes care of the gifts…and the food…and music…and basically everything."

"Yeah, she's a little nuts about parties." Olaf giggled. "Hey! Why dont we ask Elsa how things are going with setting up?"

"What do you mean?"

"She just got here," he said pointing out the window.

Erik got up and looked out the window to see his mother at the top of the staircase before the main door. Without a word, he grabbed the music and placed it into his pack along with the necklace. He was in the middle of putting away his violin, when there was a soft voice at the door. "I thought I might find you up here," it said. Erik turned and his mother was standing in the doorway. He stood up, and quickly kicked his pack off to the side. He stammered, "I was uh…I mean we were just…Olaf and I were…"

Elsa walked to her son and placed a finger on his lips to keep him from rambling. "There's no need to explain, sweetheart," she said. "Just please let someone know before you head off?"

"Yes, mother," he said. Elsa gently kissed his cheek.

"HAPPY BIRTHDAY, ELSA!" cried Olaf. "Oh I just love birthdays! The parties, the presents, the food, and the dancing! This is just gonna be so much fun!"

Elsa and Erik chuckled at the little snowman's excitement. The tree began to make their way out of the castle. Erik and Elsa moved at a calm pace, while Olaf insisted on sliding down each icy railing. More than once, he fell off and was dismembered; requiring Erik to put him back together. Elsa laughed each time. Once they reached the main hall, Elsa turned her head to Erik.

"You know, I can hear you up here sometimes." She said.

"You can?" Erik asked.

"Mhm, especially in winter. The wind picks up the sound of your violin and carries it right back to Arendelle. It's really lovely."

"Huh, I didn't know that."

"Well, I know you like your privacy. I didn't want to stop playing."

"Well, I kinda like the sound of that. The music travels through the mountains, carried by the soft winter wind." Erik chuckled. "It sounds awful poetic or something. I didn't think the sound could travel that far."

Their trek down the mountain was calm and quaint. The snow began to disappear as they lowered in elevation. Olaf could not keep himself from rambling on about the natural beauty of the seasons. He would constantly stop to smell flowers, say hi to the bees and butterflies and gaze at the clear blue sky. But as they descended, the temperature rose.

"Hey, does anyone else feel a bit faint?" asked Olaf, as a portion of his left cheek drooped down. Realizing that he was beginning to melt, Erik quickly re-made the small flurry cloud over Olaf's head.

"Sorry about that," said Erik.

"Ah no worries, Erik," assured the snowman.

They reached Arendelle to find the whole kingdom up and about. Banners were hung giving birthday wishes to the queen, and children ran about, giggling with excitement for the coming celebration. Some children even came up to Erik, tugging at his side asking for a little snow to play in.

"Oh, you want snow do you?" he asked. "Hmm…I think I can help with that." With a turn of his hand, a small pile of snow formed in the town square. The children all cheered and jumped into it, laughing and playing. As Erik turned away, something flew and hit him in the back of his shoulder. He turned to find that some of the children had thrown snowballs at him. He gave them a bit of a glare and decided to play along. Without a word, he formed two large snowballs in each of his hands and hurled them at the children. Some of them screamed, but as the snowballs flew over their heads they burst fell onto their heads in a gentle powder. They all laughed and went on playing.

Erik laughed and went on back to the castle. The evening was drawing close and it was time to begin the celebration. Everyone gathered in the hall of the castle as the party went on. Elsa was showered with gifts and well wishes. She simply blushed and thanked them all. Anna had no time for such party activities for she was running about, making sure things were perfect. Kristoff would try to get her to settle down and her daughters simply looked away in embarrassment. This was a typical royal family birthday celebration.

A few hours into the evening, Erik called for silence. He had the guests gather around the room while he brought his mother to her seat at the head. At that point, he bought out his violin and began to play his composition for his mother. The hall remained silent as he played and all who heard the sweet melody were in awe. But no one else loved it more than the queen herself. The music elated her and sent a loving shiver through her core. With a thunderous applause, Erik finished and she had to wipe the tears from her eyes. Once finished, Erik set down his violin and reached into his pocket. He pulled out the necklace and presented it to his mother, draping it around her neck.

"Erik," she said. "These are the greatest gifts you could have given me. Thank you."

"Only the best for you, mother" he said.

Elsa kissed his cheek and hugged him tightly. She then went off to mingle with some of the guests and to try and get Anna to calm down. Erik smiled and began to put away his violin. Then a voice came from behind and spoke to him. "My my, that was lovely" it said in a slow and slender tone. "You are quite the talented young prince."

Erik stood up and turned to see a figure standing in front of him. He stood a few inches taller than Erik, and his hair was beginning to grey at the roots. He extended his hand and introduced himself to Erik.

"I am Prince Hans of the Southern Isles. It is a pleasure to finally meet you." He said.

"Prince Hans?" Erik thought. Where had he heard that name before? He then remembered hearing the story of how Prince Hans had once attempted to kill both his mother and aunt and claim the throne.

"I know who you are," he growled, "and what you tried to do. Give me one good reason why I shouldn't have you thrown into prison."

"I merely came to pay my respects to both your mother and you." He sneered. "I here you have almost as much authority as she?"

"Indeed I do."

"How wonderful, but somehow I doubt that" he said derogatively. He then glanced over to Elsa as she was talking to some guests. "My, the years have not been too good to her, have they? Well I suppose dealing with a stupid kid does take a toll on one's looks."

Without a word, Erik grabbed Hans by the tie and pulled him in close. He glared right into his eyes and spoke through gritted teeth. "Do not speak ill of my mother in front of me." As he spoke, his grip tightened and Hans's tie began to freeze slowly. "If you ever do anything to her or the rest of my family…"

"What?" he asked. "Will mommy put me in time- out? Now why don't you go to bed and let the big kids play?"

In a sudden burst of rage, Erik thrust Hans across the hall with an icy blast. Hans hit the far wall and fell to the ground. A sudden gasp of shock was shared by the entire party. Elsa looked to Erik with a look of shock and confusion. Hans stood up and staggered to the center of the room, angry and glaring at Erik. He then smiled, wiped some blood from his lip and clasped his hands together. Hans then addressed the entire hall.

"You see what this so called prince has done? What kind of leadership is this? Of course, I would expect nothing less from a child!"

Even more enraged, Erik started at Hans. As he raised his fist, ready to strike, Elsa stepped between them and raised a hand to Erik. Erik stopped, put his fist down, and glared at Hans, his icy eyes filled with hate. Elsa then turned to Hans and spoke in a firm but calm tone.

"Why have you come back here, Hans? We no longer do business with the Southern Isles and you are not welcome here."

"I paid for my crimes. I merely came to pay my respects to both you and your son and potentially discuss a new arrangement for trade" he said. "But after this…insult to decency and civility…I demand justification."

Erik spoke up. "If you think for one second that I will apologize to a snake like you…"

"Be quiet, Erik" Elsa snapped.

"Oh let the boy speak, Elsa. I'm sure we would all love to hear how he handles himself in a confrontation."

"Mother, I can fight for myself!" murmured Erik.

Elsa glanced at Erik, "My son knows his place and will hold his tongue. Now if you have nothing else to say, please see yourself out."

"Very well" Hans grunted. "Your son ought to learn to watch his temper. It might get him into trouble someday."

Hans turned and left with a swift slamming of the doors. Elsa turned to Erik, glared at him and walked away. She addressed the guests, thanking them for their generosity and sent them all away, ending the party. The hall cleared quickly and all the doors and curtains were closed. A maid approached Erik and told him that his mother requested his presence in the lounge. He knew this would not end well.

Erik opened the door to the lounge. Elsa stood at the far end, staring out the window at the night sky. The room was dark and only lit by the fire place. Elsa sighed and without even facing him, spoke to Erik. "Sit down, Erik."

"Mother, I never…"

"Sit down!" she snapped. Erik sat and waited for his mother to continue. Elsa walked toward the fire place, but refused to look at her son. "Erik, your behavior was appalling. Hans is a very dangerous person with a lot of power."

"Yes, I know but…"

"Let me finish. He's right. You have to control this temper of yours. What you did to him was way over the line. He could have seen that as an act of war! Do you know what that would do to Arendelle? Erik, this is the most irresponsible thing you have ever done. This is not yet your kingdom. If there is an issue, you come to me. You've had this problem since you were a child. You don't know when to contain yourself! I hate to do this, but you are not to leave this castle."

"But mother…"

"Don't speak. You will do as you're told. Now leave me."

"Mother…"

"Leave me…now."

Erik stood up and quietly left the room. Elsa turned and gazed out the window once more. As the door slammed, she could not stop tears from rolling down her cheeks. Erik stood outside the door and did the same. He was filled with a great sensation of shame over his actions. But the shame soon turned to anger.

The days drew on and on. Erik remained inside the castle at all times and had not spoken to his mother since that night. Prince Hans had been long gone, and there was no more threat due to Elsa's negotiations. But he was still to remain inside the castle until further notice. This isolation was new to Erik. He felt like a caged bird, able to see the world around him, but unable to reach it. He had been told that this was meant to control his emotions and focus. But how could he focus when all he wanted was to get out? He felt that this punishment was far too unjust, but he had no power over the queen.

Elsa herself was unure about all of this. She wanted to speak to him and make him understand, but he simply gave her a cold glare and turned away. The constant silence made her uneasy. Erik had even stopped playing his violin. While she knew it was for his own good, she did not want her son to suffer the same isolation like her. But at the same time, these outbursts made him a danger to himself and others. This time inside the walls of the palace would tame he erratic storm raging inside him. Or at least that was the goal.

Several weeks of bitter silence and isolation was too much for Erik to handle. He knew he needed to get out but how? One evening, Elsa and Erik sat having dinner. Erik sat at the far end of the table rather than his usual spot next to his mother. He ate slowly, and made no eye contact with her. More than once, Elsa tried to speak but she could not get the words to form. Erik then stood up and left, disregarding his mother's presence. Elsa simply held her head in her hands and sighed.

Erik silently made his way up to his room and gathered his things. He wrapped himself in his coat, strapped on his boots and grabbed his violin case. He opened the window and leaped to the ground. He made his way around the grounds and glanced into a window. Inside, he saw his mother sitting alone reading by the fire. With a snort, he turned and walked toward the mountains. Unknown to him, Elsa was flipping through a photo album with pictures of her and Erik as a little child, tears dripping onto the pages.

Erik walked past the storage shed and was greeted by Olaf. "Hey, Erik" he said. "What are you…"

"Shh," whispered Erik, "I'm going out for a little while."

"Oh, Elsa said you could leave the castle now?"

"Not exactly."

Olaf gasped, "You're running away!?"

"Olaf, you have to swear to me that you won't say a word to anyone."

"I don't know, Erik. I mean Elsa's…"

"Olaf," he begged "swear to me. This is something I have to do."

"Alright." The snowman sighed.

"Thanks, Olaf. You're a good friend." And in an instant, Erik ran off into the night.

The sun rose the next morning as it always had. Elsa had fallen asleep with the photo album in her lap, the fire now only a few embers. She woke when the sun made its way into the lounge and landed on her face. Still upset, she made her way up stairs to try and talk to Erik. She knocked on the door and asked if she could come in. There was no response. She gently opened the door to find the room empty.

She looked around the castle for Erik. She searched the library, study, lounge, dining room, all empty. Now she was concerned. Elsa asked both Anna and Kristoff if they had seen him, but neither of them had. The three then took it upon themselves to search the castle grounds. They searched everywhere with no luck. Anna and Elsa then ran into Olaf as Kristoff took Sven to search the woods. Anna went to Olaf and asked "Olaf, have you seen Erik? Do you know where he is?"

With a stammer, the snowman replied "Nope, no way, I have not seen him and have no idea where he may have run away too."

"Run away!?" Elsa said, shocked.

Guilt welled up in Olaf and he cried out "Oh he made me promise not to tell. I ran into him last night and he headed off. He wouldn't tell me where though. I'm sorry, Elsa."

Elsa took a deep breath and collected herself. "It's not your fault, Olaf" she said. "It's mine."

"Elsa, you can't blame yourself" said Anna. "You did what you thought was right."

"No, I kept him shut inside without a single word. I never gave him a chance to explain himself. It's all my fault."

"Oh Elsa," sighed Anna. "We'll find him. He will be home soon."

"Hey um, I don't mean to interrupt," said Olaf, "But isn't it a little early for snow?"

Anna and Elsa both looked up to see than the sky had gone grey and snow was beginning to fall. The wind had also begun to pick up and it whistled musically through the air. Kristoff and Sven came rushing back down from the woods, panting and out of breath. "It's coming from the northern mountain" said Kristoff. Elsa turned toward the mountain range and listened to the coming wind. Faintly, she could hear a delicate melody flying on the breeze that was beginning to pick up with the coming storm. It was Erik.

The storm was picking up as Elsa, Anna and Kristoff made their way toward the mountain. Visibility was low and as hard as Elsa tried to control it, it was stronger than she anticipated. She had no idea that Erik had built up so much of this raw, emotional power. It frightened her. Several times she asked Anna and Kristoff to go back, but they refused, feeling that she may need help in bringing Erik home.

They reached the castle to find it surrounded with icy spikes to keep people out. It seemed to have been built onto as well. Towers shot out of the mountain side and shards of ice blocking each entry way. They approached the main door to find it blocked off with great icy bars. It was more difficult for Elsa to release them, but with a hard thrust of her arms, the bars slowly receded. The door opened and Elsa stepped in, insisting that Anna and Kristoff wait outside. She looked around the main hall in shock. Enormous spikes shot out in every direction and pillars were toppled over and in pieces. She came to the orb that once held Erik's infant body to find it completely in shatters.

Then without warning, the castle rang with a hard, rushing melody from Erik's violin. The storm outside grew more violent and made its way to Arendelle, cascading it with cold wind and snow. Elsa took a deep breath and slowly made her way up the stair, passing shatterd ice and more spikes as she ascended. She came to the highest room in the main tower and slowly opened the door. In the center of the room, facing toward the balcony, stood Erik playing his violin.

Something had changed in Erik. His coat had a layer of frost laying over the shoulders and all down the sleeves. His skin had become even more pale than usual and the wood in the violin had been frozen solid as he ran the bow across the strings. With each musical hiss, a cold wind formed around Erik and made its way to the outside world. He was not himself.

"Erik?" called Elsa. But the wind was too rough and the music was so loud that it drowned out her voice. "Erik, listen to me!" she cried. "I know you can hear me, just let me in!" She slowly walked toward him and placed a hand on his shoulder. Erik stopped playing and the wind suddenly died. He slowly turned and glared at her, his eyes a glowing pale blue. "Erik." Elsa said softly.

With a sudden thrust of his arm, Erik sent a blast of icy force toward the wall. The force of the blast sent Elsa flying off to the side. At first she was unsure how to respond. Erik sent another blast and Elsa quickly dodged. She did not want to hurt him, but Erik was not himself. In her own defense, Elsa had no choice but to fight back. She found herself running about the room, ducking and deflecting each move Erik made. But Erik's rage had made him nearly unstoppable and with one clean shot, he forced her against the wall while blocks of ice around her hands restrained her.

"Erik, let me go!" she shouted. But Erik simply looked at her

"No," he said coldly, "not until you listen to me, which may be a new concept for you."

"What do you mean? I always listen to you!"

"Quiet! Do you?" he asked with derision. "My whole life has been me being silent, while I let you fight my battle for me. I have had it! So I took matters into my own hands!"

"And you could have killed him because you let your emotions take over! Erik, what happened that night was not me fighting your battle. Hans was trying to get onto your bad side! I was keeping you out of trouble!"

"Mother, I am not a child!" Erik shouted.

"You are my child!" Elsa yelled. Elsa focused for a brief second and was able to free herself from the restraints. "You are all I have. If I lost you, I don't know what would happen." Both Erik and Elsa began to settle and both let down their guard. "Erik, I just want you to be safe. You can't lose yourself in your temper. You become a danger to yourself and those around you."

Erik was not sure what to say. He looked around and saw the destruction he had caused. This filled him with disbelief. His mother was right. He let his anger cloud his judgment and it turned him into a raging force. He began to shake, fell to the ground and whispered, "I'm a monster."

Elsa knelt by his side and spoke to him softly. "You are no such thing, Erik."

"Yes I am." He stammered.

Elsa then took the necklace he had made off of her neck and held it in front of him. "Could a monster have put so much thought and detail into such a delicate thing?" she asked. "Something this beautiful could only come from the hands of someone inherently good and kind. You are not a monster Erik. You just need help."

"All I want," Erik said, "is to be treated like an adult. I am more than capable of speaking for myself."

"You're right." said Elsa gently. "We both have things to work on, but we can fix them together."

"Mother, I'm sorry."

"As am I."

The two embraced on the smooth floor. Erik wrapped his arms tightly around her waist and Elsa held him close, gently stroking his hair. They walked to the bottom of the castle and met up with Anna and Kristoff. On the way back to Arendelle, both Elsa and Erik talked about ways they could change. Elsa promised to never let Erik's voice go unheard while Erik vowed to never let his emotions control his actions. Elsa and Erik were now on equal ground with their understanding of the other. It was a new sort of feeling, but it only made their bond stronger. They both learned lessons they would not soon forget.