I really loved Frozen, but I was disappointed by the lack of Elsa in the story. So, here it is: Elsa's story.
Disney Animation: YOU CAN'T DO THIS! COPYRIGHT INFRINGEMENT!
Me: Relax! Here's the disclaimer: I most definitely do not own Frozen. Happy now?
Disney Animation: Yes. Please proceed in filling the gap we left where Elsa's story should have been.
Anna's tinkling laugh fills the courtyard. Kristoff, apparently, is a riot. The sound reminds me of her happiness. I am happy for her, of course, but I wish I could find what she has found: true love. Ruling Arendelle is a little lonely. The feeling of confinement has also been growing stronger lately. I love this place, I really do, but sometimes I miss being able to use my powers to their fullest extent. Sure, I can create a skating rink here, or a few snowflakes there, but after creating that castle, everything feels restricting. Letting go again would feel so incredible.
A cry from the town square interrupts my reverie: "FIRE! FIRE! HELP!" Immediately, I hurry down the road, across the bridge, through a few side-streets, and into the square. Sure enough, the flower shop is on fire. A little ice should take care of this, although it's burning surprisingly quickly for ordinary fire. I'm preparing to unleash on the little store when a man stumbles out.
On fire.
My calm, cool, and collected expression masks the horror and shock I feel inside. One blast of ice rips from my hands after another, and yet he's still burning. The ice melts before it even reaches him! How is he so hot?
Somewhere in the back of my mind, I realize that for someone who's been on fire for minutes now, he appears strangely unharmed. With this realization, I stop directing the cold at him and aim for the store instead. Although it takes longer than usual, I manage to douse the fire. With that done, my attention returns to the burning man.
"I will not hurt you. I just need you to suppress it," I tell him.
"That's what they all say!" Although the words are meant to be hostile, his voice shakes. His terror is just as great as mine was.
"Do I look like 'all'?" I twirl my hand and make it snow a little for dramatic effect. It works: his fire dims slightly. His face twists and he struggles immensely with the power within him. I know this feeling. It's not pleasant. It's downright unpleasant, frankly. Stepping towards him, I reach my hand out.
"No! Get away! I'll burn you!" The way he says this, I can tell he speaks from experience. His powers have hurt those close to him, just as mine have.
"I do not think you will." And then I lunge at him, too fast for him to get away. Grabbing his flaming hand, I wait a moment to make sure there is no pain. Curiosity was clouding my mind when I rashly reached for him, but now a little fear creeps in. It proves unnecessary, however. My hand feels fine, if a tiny bit warmer.
"See?" I hold up my hand. "You cannot hurt me." He looks at me in awe. Taking his hand, I lead him up to the castle. Anna needs to see this.
Every once in a while, he looks at our intertwined fingers, as if to make sure this isn't a dream. I don't blame him. It's been years since I touched another human without gloves on, and I feel a rush of joy and freedom. We don't talk much as we walk through the Grand Hall to the doors of the living room. He goes to hold them open chivalrously, but I stop him. I've learned to knock whenever my sister and Kristoff are behind closed doors.
"Just a moment!" I hear her shout. She sounds a little breathless. I shake my head. The formerly-burning man beside me chuckles a little. To ease the awkwardness hanging in the air, I ask him a question. "What is your name?"
"William. Most call me Will, though."
"From where do you hail?"
"I was born in Elisvacar, but…" He pauses, swallows away some painful memory. "They threw me out."
"Do not fret about it. Arendelle exiled me as well."
He looks mildly surprised. "And they let you back in?"
"Well, you can't very well keep out the Queen, can you?" I say with a wink, warming up to him. Now he's really floored. Smiling mischievously at him, I add, "It's Elsa, by the way."
He smirks right back at me. "Pleased to make your acquaintance, Queen Elsa." I shudder. "Please, call me Elsa. I hear 'Queen' from everyone else." His eyes twinkle, and I feel I should look away, but I can't.
Anna chooses this moment to open the door. The sound brings me back to awareness, and I realize that Will has made me drop my I-am-obviously-the-picture-of-properness façade. Although I should feel ashamed, it's exhilarating.
Anna's hair is a bit of a mess, and Kristoff looks slightly flushed. Hiding a smile, I start to speak.
"Elsa, was that really necessary? Come on, you know-" She stops abruptly, noticing Will.
"Um. Hello." Anna attempts to make herself look more like a princess and less like a teenager caught making out with her boyfriend, but to no avail.
"Very eloquent, Anna, really. This is William, of Elisvacar. Will, may I present my sister, Princess Anna, and her…" I trail off. To be honest, I'm not really sure what Kristoff is to my little sister.
"I'm Kristoff. Nice to meet you." Thank you, Kristoff.
"The pleasure is all mine, really," replies Will. My sister stares at me in disbelief. Never before have I brought a random stranger into the castle, except during balls, or my coronation. And we all know how that worked out.
Skeptically, Anna asks, "How did you two meet?"
I laugh nervously. "Um, funny story. Actually, he, um…" I've no way to say this without being blunt. "He, uh, nearlyburntdowntheflorist." The words run into each other, as if I can take off some of the shock by speaking at four times normal speed.
"He WHAT?!" Mental note: speed-talking does not help bad news. "And then you brought him HERE?!" I have never seen Anna this angry. Kristoff tries to calm her with a touch, but she brushes him off. We're really in for it now.
"Oh, so when I want to bring someone home, it's all 'No, no, it's too dangerous!' but you can just bring in someone who set something on fire and PROBABLY KILLED PEOPLE in here like it's no big deal. What if he burns down the castle? What if-"
Her furious tirade lasts for 20 minutes, at least. I tune out early on, letting her run out of steam. Finally, she takes a deep breath and glares at me. Pulling Anna around the corner – "We'll be back in a moment!"- I explain it to her.
"He has powers, too. His are fire, though instead of ice. Don't you see? He's just like me!"
"Look, Elsa. I'm happy that you found someone else like you, truly. But how do you know he can control it? You couldn't, at the beginning. He's been suppressing his powers, like you did for a while, right?"
I nod sheepishly.
"So it's entirely possible that they'll just explode out of him whenever. We can't have that kind of thing here again. He'll hurt people. He'll hurt you, and I couldn't handle that."
"He can't." I whisper.
"Can't what? You can't honestly believe that he'll just magically contain himself or something-"
"No, I mean he literally cannot hurt me. We aren't affected by the other's power. I can't freeze him; his flame has no effect on me." The realization dawns in her eyes, but there's still some worry.
"But he can burn the rest of us."
"Well, yes, and that's why I was thinking maybe I could take a vacation and maybe gouptothaticecastleIcreated and teach him how to control his powers." Might as well try out the speed-talking theory one more time, just in case.
"'Take a vacation'? Elsa, you're the Queen!"
"I am allowed a vacation every once in a while. Besides, you'll be able to handle things just fine."
"But-" she protests.
"No buts. I'm going. Anna, I have to do this. He's the first human I've been able to touch without hurting in a very long time."
Anna sighs sadly but resignedly. "Fine. Do what you must. I'll take care of Arendelle."
"Oh, Anna, thank you! I love you. I'll be back soon," I gush, which is way out of character for me. I do not gush. Ever.
"Love you, too," she laughs. "Stay safe."
"I'll be fine," I promise.
The boys, to their credit, attempted stilted conversation in our absence, but they both look relieved at our return.
"Goodbye, Kristoff. I'll see you later," I bid him farewell with a sisterly kiss on the cheek. "Come along, now, Will. We're going away for a bit."
"May I ask where we are traveling to?"
"To a place I created. A place where it's perfectly okay to use your powers. A place of freedom."
Will smiles delightedly with curiosity and anticipation, and we're off to my real home: the sparkling castle of ice on North Mountain.
This is so much fun to write. Elsa and Will will be back, for sure.
R&R!