"The Ice Castle"
A stiff wind blew across the deck of the Flying Granny and it told Alex and Connor and they were getting closer to their destination of the Ice Queen's palace. They had never been this North before, but Alex knew they were well north of even the Northern Kingdom, which was the furthest point in the fairytale world.
Everything around them had turned shades of black, gray, and white and any and all color of the other parts of the fairytale world seemed to have been muted, or extracted altogether. Through the clouds of where their flying vessel floated there was the twinkle of the lights of the northern towns, but even those became less and less frequent as they went on. Soon the only thing they saw were the distant peaks of mountains.
From where she stood next to Jack, Goldilocks squinted off into the distance, the continuous wind whipping her face and long blonde hair.
"See those mountains," she pointed, "we're getting close."
Alex looked up from where she was studying another one of Froggy's many fairytale volumes, and turned to look at Connor, who was seriously scribbling something on a piece of parchment with a quill Red Riding Hood had lent him.
"We're almost there!" She called to her brother, but Connor only looked up from where he was furiously working and rolled his eyes.
"Closer? Yeah, that's just what I wanted to know, we HAVE to confront another murderous queen, fantastic, that sounds great!"
Now it was Alex's turn to roll her eyes, clearly noting her brother's sarcasm, not that she wasn't used to it after thirteen years.
Gradually the ship sank lower and lower below the clouds and Jack attempted to land as smoothly as possible, but this wasn't helped by Red freaking out and trying to jump ship while they were still in transit and this also included her numerous bags of luggage (the ones Goldilocks hadn't tossed overboard). Finally the ship gave a jolt as it awkwardly landed in a sizable snowdrift, which caused everybody to yelp and slid foreword on deck. Red yelped the loudest of all.
"I suggest one of us stays behind to guard the ship," Jack suggested, he looked around looking as nervous as the rest of them, "in case there's any trouble."
Everyone looked at one another, wondering who was going to have to stay behind.
Unfortunately, it was Red who drew the short end of the stick. She had no interest in going into the queen's castle, particularly if said queen happened to have murder on her mind. She had a kingdom to protect… The entire task of retrieving the scepter was much too "hands-on" for her. The only thing that made it bearable for Red was Froggy promising he would stay with her, but judging by her expression it was most likely she would rather not be there at all at least not in regards to the "getting messy, and likely dying" part.
So everyone else put on their heavy clothes and trudged out into the deep snow. The twins tucking their coats that Red had made for them more securely around themselves as they followed Jack and Goldilocks towards the looming castle.
The ice queen's castle was unlike anything Alex had ever seen. It was made entirely of ice and was an imposing structure that rose hundreds of feet in the air. The castle itself was set alongside part of a mountain and the only entrance was a sloping, whimsical bridge along one side.
Alex ran towards the staircase.
"This is incredible!" She breathed, "It really is beautiful."
"Yeah," Connor agreed, "as soon as we get inside I'll see if she would be willing to decorate your room for you Alex."
Alex gave an exasperated sigh, swatted at her brother before hurrying after him. Above all she didn't want to waste any time they had enough to do with finding the six items to stop the enchantress.
"Come on!" Jack called from the top of the stairs leading to the castle's entrance. Standing at the top of the stairs Jack knocked on the door, but a few seconds later it seemed to appear he wished he hadn't. The castle seemed to glow, but instead of glowing the peaceful blue-and-white of the shimmering ice it glowed in eerie threatening red.
"What's going on?" Alex whispered and it was only then she realized Connor was standing behind her apparently just as shocked as she was.
"Don't know? Maybe it's some sort of spell?"
Alex shrugged and continued to watch in some sort of horrified fascination. Jack tapped on the door again, but this time with less bravado. This time a large polar bear burst from the castle causing the entrance to shatter. It paced in front of the castle doors, snarling.
"How do we get past that?" Alex murmured, but it seemed to Jack was already one step ahead of her. He was facing down the polar bear with only a knife and a sword, which in Alex's mind didn't seem like enough.
"Jack! Behind you!" Goldilocks cried and the twins looked in just enough time to see Jack picked up and blasted by a pair of icy, eerie looking hands. Goldilocks frantically looked around an arrow already notched in her bow, but it seemed she couldn't figure out where to fire first.
"Stay away, everyone stay away!" A voice thundered through the castle. And it seemed Goldilocks had finally made up her mind letting an arrow fly loose straight into the forehead of the snarling polar bear. There was an anguished scream and then a second burst of icy wind and Goldilocks and Jack were towed away by power and magic the twins had yet to see. Creeping around the dead polar bear and staying just behind the pillars of the ice castle they followed Jack and Goldie's unconscious bodies.
As they crept along Alex looked around the castle. Despite the destruction at the entrance it truly was beautiful. It had two flowing staircases and what looked like hundreds of rooms extending back from the main balcony. In the room off the staircase appeared to be a throne room, a beautiful ice throne and next to it was exactly what they were looking for-the scepter.
The scepter was gold with an enormous jewel on top, but like everything else in the castle it was now iced over and so everything was in eerie shade of glossy white.
Alex pointed.
"Connor, look! I think that's what we want!" Alex was excited, their mission had been so easy she could hardly believe it.
"Alex, wait a minute, look!"
It was only at her brother's exclamation Alex looked at the throne again this time she saw something that made her heart twist and her stomach clenched painfully. There on either side of the throne were Jack and Goldilocks they each looks like a sculpture their skin and hair eerie shades of bluish white.
"Are they alive?" Alex asked.
"Don't know." Connor shrugged and walked up to Jack poking at his body curiously.
"No, wait! Alex grabbed Connor's elbow. "Let me try."
Alex walked up to Goldie and touched her face, her shoulder, her chest, where even her arm was still suspended in silent animation of her letting her last arrow fly. Beneath the cold ice which seemed to almost burn her palm even through her heavy gloves; she felt a quiet hum something almost like a heartbeat, a tremor of some sort of life. Without really thinking Alex pressed her palm against Goldie's chest, she thought about how much she wanted her to live, how much she wanted all of them to survive and slowly, very slowly the ice began to melt. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity Goldie stood in front of her, blinking almost sleepily.
"Alex-? How-?" She managed.
Alex only shook her head.
"Nevermind that now!" Alex said hurriedly and she rushed around the other side of the throne to repeat the process on Jack, but before she could raise her hand a voice stopped her.
"How-? How did you do that?"
Alex and Connor whirled around to see a slender but statuesque woman standing silently in the doorway. She had long blonde hair that was gathered in a braid which fell just between her shoulder blades. She was wearing a gown of some long flowing material which seemed to change color as she moved. She was quite beautiful, like everything else around them, but like everything else Alex reminded herself she was also dangerous.
"You're the ice queen, aren't you?" Alex asked.
The young woman standing across from her nodded almost imperceptibly.
"I am. My name is Elsa."
"My name is Alex, and this is my brother Connor and we were wondering-"
Elsa's strong but smooth voice cut her off.
"You really need to go, you really should go, it's not safe here." Elsa looked around nervously.
"Yes-" Alex replied, "but we need your scepter, we needed to stop this great evil that's going to destroy the fairytale world."
Elsa seemed to consider this.
"Very well." Only you tell me how you undid my spell."
"I care about Goldie and Jack and the others as well." Alex explained, "Love is stronger than any magic."
Elsa nodded and for the first time Alex saw the hint of a smile forming on her beautiful face.
"Thank you, now you may have this, but never let it touch you or you will become ice as well." Elsa waved her hand and a cloak appeared out of thin air, taking the cloak she wrapped the scepter in it.
"Now go," she implored, "please go!" Alex nodded and with her free hand she reached out to touch Jack and moments later he was crumpled on the floor Connor and Goldie hovering over him, helping him to his feet.
"You!" He whirled on Elsa who stiffened her hands raised.
Alex however put a restraining hand on his arm.
"Let her go Jack, she's alright, she just needs a little love and guidance."
Reluctantly Jack lowered his arm, the knife still clutched in his hand.
"Go." Elsa encouraged, "for your own sake, she begged, "go."
In that moment Alex almost felt sorry for her, but she only smiled gripped the scepter in both hands and hurried after the others back towards the Flying Granny and the rest of their perilous journey.