It was finally over. I let out a sigh of exhaustion. My wife, my beautiful queen and I could finally be at peace.
"She's done it."
It took years and years, but Elsa is finally able to be the queen I always knew she would become.
What's that, you say? It's all my fault?
...please, let me explain. Give me a chance.
When Elsa was born, she's my oldest, it was the happiest day of my life. People who aren't parents really don't understand what it's like to look down and see... you. Still, a father's place is a bit more difficult to explain than a mother's.
The pregnancy had been rough. We didn't realize it at the time, but Elsa's... uniqueness almost killed my wife. But we were so happy, so focused on the new life, that we didn't stop to think about why my wife had been shivering from day one.
But that day I got to do the one thing that I never realized I lived for; I got to hold my little girl in my arms. There's nothing like it.
She was so fragile, but so warm. I was so happy and my fears just disappeared.
Until...
little things started happening. Accidents. Elsa got the nickname 'black cat' somewhat ironically because of her hair, and the fact that bad things kept happening when she was around; people would slide, or metal would crack and fall apart. It was only when she bloodied her nose that I started getting concerned.
Upon closer inspection, those 'accidents' were just her powers beginning to manifest. At first I was relieved. My daughter wasn't in danger, she was special. Then...
Then my wife got pregnant again. I remember waiting for the news with Elsa. I never told her why I was so nervous. What could I say, "Elsa, honey, I'm afraid your little brother or sister is gonna kill Momma because you almost did."?
No. But welcoming another girl into the world gave me even greater happiness. And everything was okay. Sure, she wasn't the bad-luck magnet Elsa had been, but Anna was difficult in a... different way.
She was a handful; active and loud whereas Elsa was content to sit quietly in the corner. My daughters were night and day, so to speak. Once again, all my fears as to the health and life of my new infant disappeared, until...
Until I found Elsa sitting by herself in her room. I knew something was wrong immediately. She had always been different, and that day her mother and I told her that not everyone could do what she could do. She was special. Then we were called away by her crying baby sister.
"Do you still love me?"
It was a silly question to ask, but an important one. She didn't know if snow-people had parents. So I picked up my little girl and held her in my arms. She was still so warm. Anna was my baby, but I loved Elsa with all my heart. I thought that I could dispel her fears as quickly as mine.
Until... Anna and Elsa started getting closer. The older girl warmed up to her sister quickly. Soon we were becoming aware of, ahem, 'Anna and Elsa's Magic Wonderland' which, by the way, was a nightmare to get to clean up. Try getting three feet of snow out of a five-hundred-year-old Persian carpet. No, really, let me know how you do it.
Still, a little property damage was nothing when I got to see them wrapping up their games. They were so happy. There was one incident where Anna tried to sled down the stairs and ended up knocking out a tooth. It wasn't a big deal, but it got my attention; Elsa's gift was... tricky.
I had a talk with Elsa about Anna falling asleep during lessons (and there wasn't anything she could do about that anyways) and told her to be careful. And she was a good girl, always had been. Once more, whatever fears I had were dispelled.
Until...
That night. You cannot imagine the fear, the panic, the pain. None of it. Until you lose a child, don't expect me to believe you know what was going through my mind. Imagine being woke by sounds of blasting, finished with an ear-splitting screech.
Anna wasn't moving. I loved Elsa, and I loved Anna. I love them still. But that night was the worst of my life. In a way, I lost them both. I'd warned her. She was responsible, she was supposed to look out for this sort of thing!
Ever since finding out my daughter was different, I had studied magic thoroughly. What if she needed guidance? Unfortunately, the only material I could find on people like her was... depressing. Suicide, insanity, and a desire to control everything. My little girl would never grow up to be like that, right?
Right?
Still, the books said there was help; trolls. They could save Anna. And, just to be clear here, there was a very real chance that she would die that night.
This, I suppose, is where you'll tell me how you would have done the right thing. How if you were in my shoes you would have handled the situation better. You're probably right. But before you do that, let me say this; I love my little Black Cat, but she is dangerous.
Would it have been right for me to throw open the castle gates, let anyone near her who wanted to be? What if something went wrong? A servant girl surprise Elsa, or a gruff man frighten her? I can still remember the way she huddled against me that night, and I tried to hold her the same way she held Anna. But it wasn't the same after that.
In my defense, it seemed to work at first. Anna was no longer getting teeth knocked out, and Elsa, for awhile, anyways, was stable. She did well in her studies and we spent a lot of time together.
Then... it got worse. And worse. And worse... then I just lost track of how much worse it was.
I can remember the fear in her eyes, "It's getting stronger." Not 'I am'... 'it', 'it' is getting stronger. My little Black Cat didn't see her gift as part of her.
I tried to hold her like I had the day she was born, like the day she found out she was different, like the day when everything changed...
"Don't touch me!"
...that shattered my heart in a billion pieces. My wife and I were at a loss. Anna was doing... well. And so was Elsa. Both of them, on the surface, had no health concerns or had to worry about food. But my family, the dream I had for them to be queens, vanished.
...you're wondering about that boat trip? Well, there you have reason to hate me. Know where my wife and I went?
Nowhere.
Yep. We sailed out into the ocean and waited for two weeks to pass. It wasn't just because we needed to get clear of the situation to think. It was also because it would prove to Elsa she didn't need us. Over time, my daughter became dependent on us as her only human contact. We figured that, if we weren't there, Elsa would start to realize she didn't need us.
It was a small step. And I found myself with hope once more when I hugged my other daughter goodbye. My fears, once more, disappeared.
Until...
I died.
So now I'm a ghost. I couldn't- we couldn't leave without saying goodbye to our girls. The funeral was nice. We were remembered. Everyone did everything right. And I was so proud of how strong Anna was.
But then I saw Elsa when she found out we weren't coming back. Things were bad before, but she had us. My wife and I were always there.
I've never seen pain like that. Not even when I found out my father died in the war. Nor when I looked after my mother as she slowly lost contact with the world. She didn't remember who I was. That would have been better.
My precious little black cat broke. There's the word for it; she broke.
I knew what to do, I reached out and put my arms around her, "Elsa, it's okay. Really!"
I passed right through her. My wife and I watched my daughter lock herself in her room and break down. I was terrified. Elsa had never been injured by her powers, but that didn't mean she couldn't hurt herself.
...years passed. Elsa grew into a beautiful young woman. This time, my fears weren't dispelled. She wasn't ready, not even a little. As wonderful as she is, my princess was not ready for that day.
Still, they made her queen.
I felt pride, and fear, then disgust.
Hans. How could Anna even like him? Come on, you don't even know him! I yelled at her for a good two hours about how stupid she was acting. Not like she could hear me anyways. Then Anna introduced her sister to her boyfriend.
And that didn't go well.
And all my fears came to a breaking point. Elsa has doomed my kingdom, Anna is marrying... somebody, and me and my wife are dead. Yep, that sums it up nicely.
...(sighs)
I'm a terrible father.
But I got to see my little Black Cat come out of her shell. It wasn't quite right, how she did it. She was a queen, and queens need people, not isolation. But at least she was finally happy.
Until...
things got so much worse. Anna got another boyfriend. And Elsa almost killed her, again. I gave up. I did. I'm sorry, but I was watching the sun rise on the horizon when boyfriend #1 tried to kill my Elsa!
"NO!" I focused all my strength into that blade. It was freezing cold, but still metal. Together, my wife and I kept it from even touching Anna. It exploded.
But we lost her. We waited for her to appear, to explain ourselves. Then, a miracle; Anna was okay. And all was peaceful in the world. Elsa embraced her powers. Anna found a friend. And now there's a snowman living in the castle.
...fatherhood is complicated. But finally my wife and I are at peace. She said goodbye to the girls first, before telling me she would see me on the other side.
I tried to talk to Anna but... she never really needed me. And now she has this 'Christopher' guy. I don't like him that much, to be honest. But once the sun set, I found myself in my daughter's room. My Black Cat was going through her childhood things. Everything should be okay now. But-
...she needed to know.
"I'm your father, I'll always love you." For the last time on this plane of existence, I got to hold my little Elsa in my arms.
"Daddy?"
I crossed over.
A.N. I cannot believe how much hate the parents get in these films. Together they got, what, four lines? Less than ten, certainly. They aren't to blame that Elsa went nutso!
