Elsa ran.
The rhythmic pounding of her footfalls echoed off the pavement as her breath rose up in puffs in the cold night air. The dark streets around her lay deserted. The only sources of light were the lamps along the main street, and Elsa followed them blindly, unsure of where she even meant to go. All she knew was that she couldn't look back.
The image flashed through her mind again; Anna lying still on the ballroom floor. Anna, who had been Elsa's constant friend and companion, whose laughs were always filled with mirth and her eyes with adventure and mischief. She had been bubbly and sweet and full of life, and now she was nothing but cold.
Elsa shook her head to clear away the thought. Soon they would know. Soon they would all know; her parents, the household staff, the entire kingdom. They would know that Anna was dead, and that Elsa was a murderer, a monster.
How could she have been so careless? Her parents had warned her constantly about the potential dangers her powers posed. Why hadn't she listened to them? She should never have given in to Anna's plea. Do you want to build a snowman? One stupid mistake had cost her everything. She couldn't bear to face her parents now. How could she?
The wind was beginning to whip up around Elsa, but she barely noticed it as she sprinted onwards. All she wanted was to be as far away from the castle, and the memory of what she had done, as possible. There was ice forming beneath her feet now. She slipped but managed to catch herself, her slippered feet skidding a bit on the suddenly slick ground.
Eventually she came to the edge of the water. She stared down at her reflection. Her eyes were red and puffy from tears and her hair had whipped itself into a disheveled mess. Unwilling to look at herself anymore, she turned her gaze towards the mountains. Even on a warm spring night like this one they were capped in snow like frosted cupcakes. Elsa suddenly felt a longing to reach them. If she could just reach the mountains she would be safe. Or perhaps others would be safe from her.
Elsa placed a tentative foot on the surface of the water, willing her powers to obey her. The ice formed almost immediately, more than strong enough to hold her weight. Without a second thought, she took another step, and then another, picking up speed as she made her way across. Arendelle was behind her now, and she didn't so much as glance back at it as she disappeared into the night.
I realize this is rather short, but it's only a prologue and the coming chapters will be a lot longer. I also realize that a couple of other people seem to be tackling AU fics where Elsa runs away as a kid, but I've been working on this for a while now and plan to post it anyway. Updates will probably be fairly frequent. See you next time.
