Knock-knock-knock.
"Elsa?"
The sound of tiny, childlike knuckles rapt softly on the door. It would've alerted Else of its presence if she hadn't already sensed the cold wafting off of the wretched thing. It was a deathly chill that she knew too well, as it resided inside of her too.
"Elsa?" She held in a shudder as the thing repeated its question. It knew she was there, so why did it insist on this endless questioning?
"Come out and play with me Elsa!" it said, its voice rising anxiously. "Please come out!"
Knockknockknockknockknockknock.
Elsa's back was pressed against the freezing door, a thin veil of ice already creeping across the thick wood as it spread toward the wall. Her guilt kept it thick and strong, nearly glue-like in its encasing.
But even then it didn't matter. The thing on the other side pounded its fists against the door, and Elsa was pushed back by the sheer force. So much strength from such a tiny, vile creature.
"Olaf wants you to play too!" it shrieked tearfully. Elsa closed her eyes and clasped her hands over her ears. If she couldn't hear it then it couldn't taunt her or trick her into caring. She had to remind herself that it wasn't a living thing, but a reminder of how terrible and evil she was.
"If you don't come out he's going to come in and get yooooooooooou!" the thing giggled in that hollow, echoing tone. Soon enough Elsa felt something cold and flurry dredge past her ankles. Snow was crawling in from under the door, forming into thick, misshapen clumps as it descended into her room. The giggling continued, evolving into a haunting laugh that sliced its way through Elsa's resolve like frostbite.
"Wait," Elsa said. The snow ceased moving. With her shoulders slumped in defeat Elsa raised her hand to the door, her fingertips brushing the icy barricade. At her touch it sluiced away, rolling down the wood and soaking into the carpet. She stepped back, bracing herself for the inevitable impact.
As soon as the door was unblocked it burst open and Elsa was greeted by the little monster. Its eyes were wide, glassy and dark like black ice. Twin braids framed its face, but the warmth of their reddish color had been tainted long ago by ribbons of white strands, the same shade as Elsa's hair. Frost covered its shoulders and under its stiff, icy-freckled dress its skin was a bluish-white like a corpse. The thing smiled with purple lips, happy to see Elsa.
It ran toward Elsa and entwined its bony arms around her middle, squeezing the breath out of her. Elsa spotted the massive mosaic of snowmen just outside of her doorway. It always followed the creature about the castle like a personal lapdog. In her happier thoughts Elsa thought of it as a snowy guardian for the wretch.
"I missed you sooooooo much!" it said cheerfully. It pulled away from Elsa, looking up at her with its blank, black eyes. "Why do you always hide away from me?"
"Because…" Elsa didn't have a proper explanation that wouldn't cause a complete meltdown on her si—the creature's part. She had to keep reminding herself that the thing was dead, an echo of the past and a reminder of how she'd failed.
"Because I thought we were playing hide-and-seek," Elsa finally said. The thing smiled, satisfied with the answer.
"You have to make it more challenging! You always hide in the same spot!"
"Yes," Elsa said sadly. "I know; I'll be better in the future."
The thing grabbed her wrist, sending tendrils of freezing pain up Elsa's arm. If she didn't have her power then Elsa's arm would've frozen into pure ice, and the thing would've easily snapped it off like it had already done with many members of the castle's staff.
But if she didn't have this power then her baby sister would still be alive.