A/N: I know I need to update my other stuff, but I've jumped on the Frozen bandwagon again now that the Frozen 2 trailer was just released! The concept of this fanfic was inspired by a dark parody of "Do You Want to Build a Snowman?" called "Will You Help Me Hide a Body?", though I wanted to expand on the concept in a serious matter for fun. While there will be dark versions of some of the songs, there will be divergences from canon to accommodate for the changes in plot, which I hope to set up well by the serious tone of the chapter.
With that said, enjoy the first chapter!
Disclaimer: I don't own Frozen. I do own the Frozen Heart alternate lyrics featured at the end.
The Northern Lights shifted in the sky like a river that had been blocked off. Definitely not a good sign. The troll known as Grand Pabbie kept his gaze fixed upward toward their glow, both physically and mentally set apart from the other trolls in this place they called home.
The lights above retained their broken appearance, and a flash of orange like the rising sun joined them in the sky, a sharp contrast against the cooler spectrum. It was as if the flare was a rock in the rivers of the sky, disrupting the harmony and forcing the colors to go into a different direction.
It was a brief flash of warmth, so quick Pabbie was unsure if anyone else had seen it. But the message was clear, causing a frown to cross the troll's features. "I sense an omen brewing."
"What kind of omen?"
Pabbie turned, Bulda coming up to join him on the rocky outcropping. Her expression of concern matched the elder's. Pabbie was the one most in tune with the magic forces that were present in the world. If he received an omen, good or bad, it could usually be trusted. But his tone clearly told her which of the two it was.
Pabbie paused, attempting to put it into words. The visions and omens came to him with varying degrees of clarity, and verbalizing them was a task that varied just as much. This hadn't been as clear as others, but it was enough to get a rough meaning out of them.
"Purity, love, and wisdom," Pabbie said, reciting traits of green, blue, and purple in turn. "Taken in their purest form but changed to something different. An action of misplaced magic will quell the spark of kindness in the heart of one. And change it to a different sort of flame in happiness's misdirect."
"Now that sounds awfully cryptic," Bulda commented. "And ominous." She stepped up to Pabbie's level, looking up at the shifting colors and hoping they'd somehow provide the elder with a clearer message. "What sort of other flame?"
The ancient troll waited tensely for furtur clarity, but it never came. The vibrance of the cool colors even faded slightly, as if the heavens were refusing to yield their secrets. "I'm not sure," Pabbie admitted. "But we'll have to be wary all the same."
The orange of flame briefly shone its streak in the sky again, before fading to give way to the colors of earth and ice once more.
Across the Norwegian landscape in Arendelle, the two young princess were awake despite the nighttime hours. While Anna had been the one to enthusiastically wake her sister up, Elsa found her sister's joy contagious, and was soon just as awake. The two burst into the ballroom, free from furniture to get in the way of their ice rink.
"Do the magic! Do the magic!"
Elsa grinned, forming a sphere of snow in her hand and watching her sister's eyes light up with glee. "Ready?"
Anna nodded enthusiastically, and soon the room was covered in ice and snow. They slid down snow bumps. Skated across the ice. Formed a snowman that Elsa christened Olaf, after the patron saint of Norway.
Then Anna took one eager leap too many, launching herself off a snowbank into free-fall. Elsa's feet stumbled on the icy floor, sending her off balance as she shot a blast of magic in the air, striking her on the head rather than creating a soft cushion of snow.
Anna rolled to the snowy floor, unconscious, and Elsa hurriedly picked herself up to race toward her sister. She shook Anna, alarm rising as a silvery streak overtook Anna's hair. "Mama, Papa!"
The ice increased as Elsa's panic set in, causing the cheerful room to suddenly become much more foreboding as Elsa's parents, Adgar and Iduna, burst into the room.
"Elsa, what have you done?!" Agdar exclaimed, him and his wife racing toward Anna to pick her up. "This is getting out of hand!"
"It was an accident!" Elsa pleaded. "I'm so sorry, Anna..." The elder daughter's voice was almost a whisper.
Luckily, Agdar knew where they had to go, flipping through several books in their study before finding a map leading to the mountains. At the very least, there was a chance the trolls there would be able to help.
Saddling up their horses, the royal family of Arendelle sped off, Elsa holding onto the horse as tight as she could, a trail of ice left behind in her distress.
Upon the family's arrival, the mountain trolls gathered. It was rare that humans came to visit their homeland, much less royals. Pabbie quickly headed to the center, seeing the worried looks on the faces of the humans. He banished the earlier omen from his mind, stepping close to the four. There were more pressing matters to attend to.
"Your majesty," Grand Pabbie said, taking Elsa's hand. "Born with the powers or cursed?"
"B-Born," Agdar stammered out. "And they're getting stronger."
Grand Pabbie put a hand on Anna's head, frowning. The magic there was strong, but it could be gotten rid of. "You are lucky it wasn't her heart. The heart is not so easily changed. But, the head can be persuaded."
"Do what you must."
Pabbie cast his gaze briefly upward at the sky, where the aurora above seemed to increase in its brightness. A flash of orange blended with the cool colors of the spectrum. A slice through what stability they would have.
It was then that he understood precisely what the vision had meant. Removing the magic from the child's head could change her. There was always a risk, of course, as magic was a finicky thing. Still, there was that vision, and the slice of orange in the sky only confirmed it...
But it was either what the omen had foretold, or let the young princess die—and he couldn't do that with the royal family staring at him with such worry. No matter what course of action was taken, it wouldn't turn out good. There were risks that had to be taken. He couldn't just let the young child die in front of him.
Even though he feared the consequences, it was what had to be done at this point.
The aged troll finally turned his gaze back to the worried humans. A glow formed in his hands, images of Anna and Elsa's past being shown, replacing Elsa's magic with ordinary winter. "I recommend we remove all magic. Even memories of magic. To be safe."
"Why?" Elsa whispered.
"We can't be certain how the magic would affect her," Pabbie said. "So it's best to remove all traces of it. But don't worry. I leave the fun." A sigh as the memories, now devoid of magic, returned to Anna's head. "She'll be okay."
Elsa frowned. "But she won't remember I have powers?"
"It's for the best," Agdar said in a soothing tone, putting a hand on his daughter's shoulder. "It's all we can do."
Taking the ice princess's hand, Pabbie conjured a vision, shifting in color from blue to red. Showing that Elsa's power came with both beauty and danger. Fear would be her enemy, and thus, she'd have to learn to control those powers. He didn't mean to frighten the child, but he knew controlling her powers was necessary. If she had control, she could properly defend herself without hurting those she cared about.
"And..." Pabbie paused, wondering if he should tell the full details, but decidrd to keep it more simple. There was enough to worry about. "Look out for your sister, okay?"
Elsa nodded.
"We'll protect them," the king assured, hugging his daughter close to his chest. "Elsa can learn to control it, I'm sure. We'll make sure no harm comes to either of them."
"Just be careful," Pabbie said with a nod. "Keep an eye on the two of them."
Pabbie could practically feel the mixture of relief and unease radiating off the humans who had sought his help,. He watched the royal family ride off, wondering for a moment if he should have told them about the sign that spelled worse for what was to come. But he told himself it would turn out okay. The king had said they would protect Elsa, and the same for her sister. If this was what the sky-magic had warned him of, then Elsa could hone her powers over the years. The younger princess wouldn't hurt her, and Elsa would not only be able to prevent herself from hurting others, but prevent Anna from doing the same if the omen proved true. That would be enough, wouldn't it?
The old troll began to sing softly as the thunderous canter of the horses faded into the night, the words coming to him as another flicker of orange lingered in the sky to once again split apart the river of light.
With the cold and winter air upon the mountain falling
A stray blast of this magic here makes a looming darkness calling
A soul of warmth turns cold and clear
One of love will chill with fear
Kindness will turn to danger here
Family set apart
Brings forth a frozen heart...
"Heaven forgive me," Pabbie mumbled, his low voice lost to the wind as the royal family galloped out of sight.
A/N: And there's the first chapter! I know it was a bit short, but the next ones will be longer! I just wanted to have this one as a kind of prologue, and this one included dialogue from the film larg to make the scene transitions easier. Next time we'll get to see more of what happened with Anna, as well as including the song that inspired this in the first place! (I also may have been partly inspired by Welcome to Hell.) Enjoy, and reviews are appreciated!