Chapter 1
Screams echoed throughout the hallway of the castle. Smoke billowed throughout the rooms sending people scrambling away with burning eyes and throats. Ignoring the people rushing in the opposite direction, the king and queen ran toward their daughter's room. As they burst through the door they were met with raging flames and screaming children. The room was completely engulfed in flames. Blankets were nothing but ash by now, and the curtains were all but gone. The rafters were beginning to creak and cave from the flames.
"Get Elsa out of here!" The king ordered his wife. Without hesitating she ran over to the crib and grabbed her two year old daughter. She was screaming bloody murder and clutched to her mother once she realized she was there. Without another thought the pair fled the room to safety.
Meanwhile the king ran toward the other crib and fought the flames to get to his youngest daughter. Anna was only a few months old and since her birth, they had noticed something odd about her. Scorch marks would appear around her, her clothes would burn, or her toys would randomly start to fizzle. As the months passed these occurrences became more frequent and the more concerned the king and queen got.
Anna's crib was completely enflamed and for a moment the king wondered if his baby was even still alive. Pushing his thoughts aside he peered into what was left of the crib. Anna laid there eyes closed and completely unmoving. The breath caught in his throat and his heart constricted in his chest.
"Anna…" She can't be dead…
Before he could check to see if his baby girl was still alive, the rafters gave a loud rumble, hinting that they wouldn't last much longer. Without another thought and ignoring the biting flames around him, he snatched up his daughter and ran from the room.
Once he was safely in the courtyard, he ran straight to his wife.
"Are you two alright?" He asked and the queen gave a small frightened nod. Elsa was still crying and clutching her mother. Soot covered her cheeks and pale hair but the king felt relief when he saw no signs of injury.
"Anna… is she…" The queen's voice broke him from his thoughts and they both turned their attention to their youngest daughter. Her tiny night gown had burn holes in various places, showing off her tiny arms, legs, and belly, and the burn marks that accompanied them. Her short strawberry blonde hair was scorched and still smoking. Tears filled the parent's eyes at the sight. Slowly, the king lifted his hand to this child's throat and felt for a pulse.
And waited….
And waited….
There!
Very faintly he felt the thump-thump of a heart and nearly jumped for joy.
"She's alive! But we need to get her help now!"
"Your majesty!" The king's advisor and right hand man, Kai, ran over to him with a concerned look on his face. "Are you alright?" The king gave a small smile to the man. He was short, fat, and bald but had a great personality and was smart as a whip. "Are you alright?" Kai stopped in front of them and checked over everyone to see how they fared. The king felt his heart swell at his concern. Kai was extremely loyal and the king knew that if anything happened to him that he would take care of his family and kingdom.
"Yes we are fine, but Anna…and the castle…" The king looked down at his daughter then to their home with Kai followed suit.
"We already have people coming to contain the fire. We have sent a message to the ice harvesters to bring all of the ice they have here. Your majesty, if I may, I think I know a solution to your problem with Anna…" Kai spoke hesitantly.
The king and queen's head snapped up at the man, eyes wide with shock. They had tried to keep Anna's problem a secret and now they knew that they hadn't done a very good job of it. Kai just smiled at them letting them know that he would never tell a soul and that he would protect them.
"What do you suggest?" The queen asked, getting over her shock quickly.
"There are magical creatures within the forest that are said to be able to create all types of miracles. Perhaps they can help you." Kai responded.
"How do we find them?" The king asked desperately.
"Come with me." Without another word they gathered their horses and followed Kai to the town library. "Wait here." Wish speed that surprised them, Kai jumped off his horse and sprinted into the building. Within seconds he was back with an old worn out book and handed it to the king. "There is a map inside that will lead you to where they are. Now please hurry your majesty!" Without another word he climbed back onto his horse began heading back towards the flaming castle.
Quickly looking at the map, the king and queen urged their horses into a sprint into the woods. After what seemed like hours, the family came upon a huge field of rocks.
"Is this the place?" The queen asked softly.
"It must be." They quickly dismounted and slowly walked forward. "Hello? Is someone there?" The king called out.
Suddenly the rocks began to roll (ha ha) and transformed into trolls. One troll seemed to be the leader and quickly stepped closer to the family.
"What do you want?" the old troll asked.
The king quickly bent down to the troll's level and showed him Anna. "H-Hello. We were told that you could help us. It's my daughter. She has some kind of power and it is becoming too dangerous."
Taking a look at the baby's scorch marks, the troll could quickly determine what the problem was. However, the troll's face became grim. "I'm sorry. Her powers are too great. There is nothing I can do. The best advice I can give you is to keep her somewhere where she won't hurt anyone, and hope that it ends quickly."
"So you're saying we should just give up?!" The queen whispered, tears already forming in her eyes.
The troll bowed his head and began turning away. "I'm sorry. Nothing can be done."
"Pabbie…Bring her to me…" An old voice suddenly spoke up. Without another word the rest of the trolls parted to show an ancient troll laying on a bed of leaves.
"Dad… are you sure?" The troll called Pabbie asked.
"Yes… bring her to me."
The king came over to the ancient troll and knelt down next to him. This troll studied Anna for a long while. By the look in his eyes the king could tell that this troll was incredibly wise as well as old. Moss and various mushrooms covered the troll's body. His rock body was chipped and cracked in several places, showing that it wouldn't be long before the ancient creature would be nothing but dust.
"I can put a seal on her powers, but I do not know how long it will last."
"Dad, wait! Are you sure you want to do this?!" Pabbie asked desperately.
"Yes I'm sure. I love you son, but I won't be here for much longer. I will be doing a good thing by helping this girl. You will be the new Gran-Pabbie, so promise me you will take care of our family and help all of those in need, ok?" The two trolls stared at one another before the younger finally looked down with tears in his old eyes.
"I promise Dad."
Looking back at the baby, the ancient troll placed his hand on her head. A faint light began to shine from the young girl and grew until everyone had to look away from the intensity of it. When the light finally faded, all that was left of the ancient troll was a pile of dust and a few mushrooms.
Pabbie instantly began crying over his dead father and the king wondered if he had made the right choice. Before he could offer his apologies however, Pabbie turned to him with a smile on his face.
"My father was a great troll and he obviously believed that girl to be very special if he was willing to give his life for her. I believe you may need our help in the near future," with that he glanced over at Elsa still cradled in her mother's arms, "so do not hesitate to come to us. You are always welcome."
Completely shocked, neither the king nor queen knew what to say other than a small thank you. They got back on their horses and began their journey back home.
"Your majesties!" Kai came running up to them as they came before the castle. "How did everything go?"
The king gave his friend a warm smile as he climbed off of the horse, being careful of the cargo that he still carried. "Everything is fine. Thanks to you, my friend. How did everything go here?" The king and queen smiles as they saw the fire almost completely extinguished.
"I am afraid I have some bad news." Kai said sadly. "An ice harvester and his wife were helping with the fire. She got trapped inside and he went after her. I'm afraid they were lost."
The king and queen looked sadly at each other before turning back to Kai. "Did they have any kids?"
"A son named Kristoffer and a baby reindeer." Kai explained.
"He will live in the castle with us!" The king decided at once.
However, Kai shook his head. "No. We told him what happened and he chose the orphanage. He said that he wants to work with the other ice harvesters. He's made up his mind."
With heavy hearts the king and queen accepted what had happened but decided that an allowance would be put aside for the boy, and when he comes of age, it would be given to him.
Thinking that their problems were over, the king and queen never suspected that they would again visit the trolls in a few short years for help with their other daughter, Elsa.
