Frozen © Disney/Hans Christian Anderson
a man huffed and panted violently as he struggled against the chilling winds and thick, deep snow.
the man was in a serious state of panic, running for dear life from..something.
BUT, he knew he was in just as much danger here in the northern mountains as anywhere else.
After what felt like hours, the man finally collapsed into the snow.
tired, and unable to stand, he desperately began to crawl over
to appeared to be a large rock, and frantically began to dig.
he then took out the satchel he was carrying, and attempted to slip it underneath
the frozen rock..when the howling winds suddenly became quiet.
the man held his breath as dead silence fell.
the snow at the man's feet slowly began to shift.
suddenly, the snow came alive and struck at the man like a balled up fist.
dazed, the man struggled to regain consciousness..
but, he was suddenly ensnared by the somewhat living snow.
he found himself being held up in mid-air, the snow wrapped around him like a serpent's coils.
he looked, and saw a figure slowly approaching him..and, "froze" in terror upon seeing who it was.
a woman with black, spikey hair that jutted upwards with an icy tiara upon it.
she wore a blue dress, with a white shoulder collar,
and a long, flowing transparent cape dragging behind her.
her snowflake necklace, as well as her hands swirling with an icy blue mist, confirmed the woman's identity.
ELSA. the Snow Queen.
"greetings" said Queen Elsa, her tone lacking emotion.
the man gulped hard. "h-h-Hello."
"Now, tell me.." Elsa then made a gripping gesture, causing the snow coils to harden into ice.
which caused the man great pain. "Who are you, and why are you on my mountain?"
the man gasped out in pain against the blistering cold. he at last choked out: "ar..Armod."
a sly grin formed on Elsa's face as she slowly reverted her ice into snow, granting 'Armod' some relef. "go on."
"i..I was running. T-Trying to escape."
"escape from who?, and WHY?"
Armod was silent, hesitant in answering the Snow Queen.
Elsa then smirked wickedly as she changed her snow coils into ice once again..earning a painful cry from Armod.
"GRAAAAHH!"
"I'll ask AGAIN: "WHO are you running from?!"
the man could only shiver in cold and fright, his shaky words barely comprehensible.
Elsa scowled angrily, about ready to just skewer the trespasser and be done with it..
..when one of her towering "snowman" guards approached, a snowy satchel in it's icicle hands.
"and, WHAT is this?" said Elsa, as she opened the satchel held up by her guard.
Armod looked upon this scene, and reacted in nervousness. "n-nooo..don't."
Elsa reached into the bag..and, pulled out quite demonic looking crown of black stone.
"a..Crown. (looks to Armod) well-well-well.."
Elsa looked upon the crown again. her interest peaked, she turned her sights back to Armod.
"This appears to be the crown of a King." said Elsa.
"and, judging by your raggy appearance, I do not think it belongs to you."
Armod could only shake his head "no" in response.
Elsa grinned sinisterly. "You are a thief, aren't you? you stole this crown from a king.
and, a very POWERFUL and Fearsome king at that if you risked getting caught by ME just to escape him."
Armod again nodded..then, choked out as Elsa began to crush his body with ice again.
"Tell me who he is, thief. Tell me who it is that you fear even MORE than me."
Armod groaned as he tried to speak against the crawling ice threatening to crush his body like glass.
"th-theee..f-ff-fire..k-king."
Elsa widened her ice blue eyes in surprise. "a Fire King?"
Armod nodded..then, he finally lost consciousness.
Elsa scowled as she released him from her icy grip.
one of her snowman guards readied to crush him with an ice club..when Elsa stopped him.
"NO! don't. Take him prisoner. I have some "questions" for him."
as her guards carried the hapless man away, Elsa took a moment to examine the black crown again.
(("a fire king? could there really be such a thing!?"))
Queen Elsa sat in her throne room, silently gazing at the black stone crown in her finger.
Elsa's throne, as well as the throne room itself, was a testament to It's rule.
It was solid ice, with a sharp, frightening architecture.
for YEARS, the Ice Palace had been Elsa's home.
her sanctuary ever since she was shunned by society so long ago.
for nearly all her life, the Snow Queen ruled her desolate domain..ALONE.
and, for awhile, she was just fine with that.
Satisfied to be alone, and Left Alone. free to live her life without fear, or ridicule.
Free to..exist.
but, as Elsa continued to gaze at the crown in her hand.
the crown of black rock, with glowing veins of lava. she was beginning to have second thoughts.
Was she REALLY a "Queen?", could she honestly say that she was 'Elsa, the Snow Queen?!'
afterall..Queens have a KING to rule alongside them (that is why they called them "Kingdoms")
and, Now that she thought about It..the endless solitude was 'maddening.'
she didn't want to rule alone anymore. she wanted, no. NEEDED a consort.
and, her choice in a King couldn't have been better.
as It seemed as though this "Fire King" was a man very much like herself.
and, THAT was something that she didn't think was possible before.
Elsa always believed she was alone in her 'frozen' curse..
..How relieving It was to know that she wasn't the only one.
that there was another who shared her misery..her loneliness.
As Elsa twirled the crown around her finger, she began to think a little more.
she imagine the prospect of consolidating her power with this "Erik."
the thought of merging her frozen kingdom with his apparent 'burning' one seemed too enticing to ignore.
Elsa finally made her decision.
gripping the crown in her hand, she stood up from her icy throne,
and began to walk across the cavernous room at a steady pace, her long, semi-transparent cape dragging behind her.
as she approached an icy door, her snowmen guards opened It for her.
allowing her to walk down the long, spiral staircase to a deep, DARK dungeon.
she soon reach ground level, and walked down the long corridor.
passing numerous cell doors. SOME of which still bore the remains of "former" prisoners.
Elsa at last reached reached the cell which contained her most recent "guest."
she then opened the ice door..and, smirked as she looked upon the shackled prisoner.
"Enjoying the accommodations?" said Elsa, devilishly.
It was painfully obviously that Armod was NOT enjoying himself.
the man had been stripped down to his undergarments.
he was shivering like mad, and the reason for this was all too clear.
his skin had taken a blue pigmentation,
with frost growing onto his flesh and hair like moss.
and, the tips of his fingers and toes were blackened, indicating frostbite.
His suffering had little effect on Elsa.
she just continued to smirk, amused that Armod had survived this long.
"P-P-P-P-Pleassse..l-l-l-let, m-m-me, ga-ga-ga-go." stuttered Armod.
Elsa just smiled slyly. "aww..is somebody COLD?"
Elsa then chuckled wickedly. "well, trust me..you haven't experienced "cold", yet."
Elsa then motioned to the rest of the ice cell.
"You noticed how "lit" this place is, DESPITE the absence of any torches?" began Elsa.
"See, THAT is because It is still day, and the sun is illuminating my Ice Palace."
Elsa then smirked. "But..when the sun goes down, and night falls..It will be pitch black."
Elsa then knelt down, and gripped Armod's frozen cheek. "and, then..It'll get COLDER."
Armod bore a horrified expression.
"Oh, but don't take MY word for It." began Elsa, as she rose back up. "Just ask your "cellmate."
Elsa motioned over a frozen, skeletal corpse that lay across the room from Armod.
"he" was in the same shackled position that Armod was.
and, judging by the expression on his face..he died a slow, agonizing death.
"Take a good, long look. THAT is the face that befalls ALL who trespass on my mountain."
Armod finally broke away from the frozen corpse,
and looked to the Snow Queen with desperate eyes.
"P-P-P-P-PLEASE, your highness! I b-b-b-beg for MERCY!" exclaimed Armod.
Elsa couldn't contain her laughter. "Ah-Ha, Ha, Hah..You're expecting mercy from a "Frozen Heart?!"
Elsa then smirked. "Well..you're in luck. I happen to be in a charitable mood."
Elsa then drew out something from within her cloak: a black crown.
"You said that you stole this from someone calling himself "The Fire King."
well..I am prepared to make you a deal: If you take me to where he resides..I will release you."
Armod looked at the dark haired woman as if she were insane.
"I-I-I C-Can't!" stuttered Armod, both from the cold, and his terror.
Elsa smirked as she knelt down again, and gripped his cheek hard.
"oh, I think that you CAN..and, I think that you WILL."
Armod stared into Elsa's cold, unfeeling eyes. "I CAN'T. wa-when I stole that crown,
I had a band of three others with me!
I..I was the only sss-ssurvivor. I b-barely escaped that burning mountain with my life!"
Elsa was even more intrigued by this. a BURNING mountain?!
already the snow queen was imagining what this fire king was like.
It might have given her "chills", if she was physically capable of It.
Elsa finally released Armod."Well..Alright, then. If you'd rather freeze to death, then that's no skin off my nose."
Elsa then rose up, and began to leave.
Armod then looked, and saw the room beginning to darken.
as he set his eyes upon the frozen corpse again, he screamed: "WAAAIIT!"
Elsa stopped..a sinister grin on her face.
she then quickly turned, and looked to her prisoner again.
"Last chance." began Elsa. "Risk death returning to HIS mountain. or, DIE here at mine. YOUR CHOICE."
[The Next Day]
Armod walked nervously as he crossed the border between the Northern and Southern regions of the mountains.
he wasn't alone. right behind him was Elsa.
who walked regally, her hands folded in front of her.
accompaning the snow queen was six snowman guards, clad in icy armor.
as the party stepped out of the snow, and onto the grassy ground.
Armod looked back over to the snow queen.
"j-j-just follow this path, you'll reach his palace-"
"Nice try." said Elsa, unamused. "YOU are taking me there ALL the way."
Armod dropped down on his knees. "oh, PLEEEASE, your highness!, D-Don't make me do this, again!"
Elsa scowled, disgusted at Armod's cowardice.
she then gave one of her guards a gesture..prompting the snowy brute to strike at Armod.
Armod groaned as Elsa slowly approached him. "spineless worm..This should be a SIMPLE task for you!
You've ALREADY breached his "Magma Castle" once before!"
"I was LUCKY before!" retorted Armod, as he looked back at Elsa.
"the Fire King never expected us to invade his domain.."
Elsa chortled at this. "Right. because only fools with a death wish would dare to steal from a King."
Armod took no offense to the snow queen's remark.
If anything, he completely agreed with her sentiment.
"The point is he will be READY, this time!" exclaimed Armod, as he stood up.
"and, he will NOT be happy to see ME!"
Elsa suddenly grabbed Arnod by his throat, and slightly choked him.
"If you don't do as I tell you to, (begins to freeze Armod's neck)
he will be the LEAST of your worries!"
Armod gasped, and choked. Elsa then released the man, dropping him down to the ground.
"now, for the last time: LEAD ME, GUIDE!..or, PERISH."
Armod picked himself up again. he then looked out at the horizon,
gazing at the far off mountains.
trembling, he willed himself to move forward.
Elsa smiled contently, and resumed her regal composure as she followed him.
An hour had passed, and the party were still trekking down the hilltops.
by now, the landscape had changed significantly.
no longer was the ground covered in green grass, and colorful flowers.
the earth was now bare. craggy, and lifeless.
even the trees were skeletal, devoid of ANY fauna.
The whole area was a wasteland.
"My patience grows THIN, Slave." spoke Elsa, her tone carrying aggravation.
"I assure you, your highness. we are getting close to the Fire King's domain." said Armod.
Armod then motioned at the general area. "You see all this? THIS is the Fire King's work.
Nothing grows in his territory. nothing but scorched earth, and burnt trees."
Elsa did take note the unusual heat in the air.
though, It did little to affect the Snow Queen. she was far too "cold" for that.
Armod, however, was drenched in sweat. close to heat exhaustion.
the party soon reached a clearing..where numerous boulders stood.
Elsa found It odd to see rocks in such a formation.
Odder still at the "heat" she felt from them.
"Prisoner!" barked Elsa.
"y-Yes?" replied Armod, meekly.
Elsa pointed at the standing stones. "Were those here before?"
Armod looked at the boulders..and, looked puzzled. "n-no. No, they weren't."
As if on cue, one of the boulders suddenly "melted",
dissolving into bright redish-orange magma.
the magma then..STOOD UP.
taking the shape of a large, brutish humanoid.
the creature towered over Elsa and Armod, teeth, claws and armor of black stone forming.
it's body burning with flames, It suddenly roared at them. it's breath emitting blistering heat.
Elsa stared blankly, noting the "Magmaman" looked vaguely similar to her own snowmen guards.
just then, the other boulders melted, and formed into identical creatures.
It was CLEAR, now. they were close to the Fire King's castle..and, THESE were his guards.
"I KNEW IT!" exclaimed Armod, panicking. "I KNEW THIS WAS A BAD IDEA!"
Elsa scoffed. "oh, SHUT-UP!"
Elsa then motioned, prompting her snow guards to engage the magma guards in combat.
one of the snow guards drew "first blood", and tackled a magma guard.
using it's fridged body, It instantly cooled the magma. reducing the enemy guard to solid stone.
the second fight went the other way, though.
a magma guard gripped a snow guard, and instantly melted It as it intensified It's body heat.
Elsa just watched the battle. mesmerized at the war of Fire and Ice.
while her snowmen her formidable..the Fire King's army was just as strong.
a smile actually creeped upon the snow queen's face.
BUT, her smile soon faded upon seeing that the number of snowmen guards was beginning to dwindle.
Finally, Elsa charged her hands with icy vapors
and fired a powerful stream of ice and snow at the remaining magma guards.
they all instantly solidified into stone statues encased in ice.
Armod soon emerged from his hiding place, and surveyed the battlefield.
Elsa stood alone amidst the frozen guards, with only TWO of her own guards still standing.
"w-w-we have to go..NOW." said Armod to Elsa. "These were only sentries.
If we stay, and ARMY will be upon us soon!"
Elsa glared at the man..but, exhaled sharply. "agreed. we have wasted enough time here."
Elsa then looked to Armod..and, forcefully pointed forward. "PROCEED."
The party eventually came to a high hilltop.
as Armod climbed up It, followed. Still retaining her regal composure.
once at the top..Elsa froze still, gazing at what lay before her.
they had reached the central peak of the mountain.
and, what appeared to be the Fire King's palace stood before them.
but, the citadel wasn't at all what Elsa expected.
unlike her ice palace, which was constructed at the side of her mountain,
this "molten palace" looked to be formed WITHIN the mountain.
"There." began Armod. "There is the Fire King's palace."
Elsa smiled. "So It is. Magnificent!"
Armod turned to the snow queen, his body shaking. "I brought you here like I promised..
now, will you PLEASE release me like YOU promised!?"
Elsa scoffed. "oh, very well..I suppose you have served your purpose."
Elsa then snapped her fingers, prompting her guards to stand at attention.
"Escort him to the nearest village."
as Armod left with the snowmen..he briefly paused to looked at Elsa. "your..g-going in alone?"
Elsa smiled, but didn't make any eye contact. "I don't need anyone else."
with that, Armod finally left with the guards.
Elsa breathed out as she approached a black stone bridge.
looking down at the chasm below..she could see a river of lava far, FAR below.
the figuratively "Lake of Fire", as holy men called.
Elsa swallowed her fear, and began to crossed the bridge.
like her own ice bridge, It was sturdy. Strong, but also HOT.
touching It's railing gave a sensation of heat that would've burned ordinary men.
Elsa finally reached the other side,
and began to approach the entrance to the palace.
barring her way were black stone doors..with a "flame" symbol engraved upon them.
like her own doors, they were both a tribute..and, a Warning.
confident in herself, Elsa pushed the doors open, and entered the cavern-like palace.
upon entering, she found herself in a "ballroom".
the floor bore a sun-like symbol, with various other flame symbols.
the walls were lined with burning torches.
Elsa began to wander, standing at the center of the chamber
as she surveyed the interior of the palace that seemed more, and more similar to her own.
It was a strange place..and, yet: It felt like she was "home".
Just then, one of the burning torches flickered.
Elsa looked, and saw the flame come to life.
the fire formed into what looked like 'spread-out wings'.
then, the flame took the shape of what looked like a falcon.
spreading out It's fiery wings, the phoenix called, and began to fly off.
Intrigued, Elsa calmly followed the creature down a long, far off corridor.
Elsa entered a doorway, and found herself in another chamber.
as she wandered, she found that the large, spacey chamber felt..familiar.
Then, It suddenly dawned upon her: She was in the Throne Room!
*FROOM!*
Elsa gasped upon seeing a wall of fire across the room.
she cautiously approached, her eyes mesmerized at the dancing flames.
as she stared at them..her eyes widened upon seeing the vague form of a figure within the flickering fire.
as she stared more intently..she found that It was a man.
the flames soon died down..and, Elsa finally got a better look at the man.
he was dressed in red robes, with a flame-shaped belt buckle, black shoulder blades,
and a red-orange semi-transparent cape flowing from his back.
the man had dark brown widow's peak hair that almost looked black,
with a distinctive ponytail tied at the back of his head.
the man was sitting upon a throne of black, sharp stone..
..and, DID NOT look happy to see Elsa.
[To be Continued..]
[Author Notes]
I've been meaning to get this done since I finished my "Frozen Flames" oneshot.
(but, I was waylaid by other things, and had to put this on the backburner.)
This AU takes place in the fan favored "Evil Elsa" continuity.
which was based on the 'original concept' of Frozen, where Elsa was closer
to the original "Snow Queen" character by Hans Christian Anderson.
("Evil Elsa" is also called "Onion Head"
due to the spikey, upright shape of her BLACK hair.)
The point of this story was showcasing the 'parallel universe'
versions of Elsa, and my OC Erik. and, portraying their relationship in a "different" way.
in the standard universe, Erik is a timid man born with fire magic
whom Elsa takes under her wing, trains and eventually develops feelings for.
in this parallel universe, both Elsa and Erik
have been shunned by society because of their respected magic powers.
both have lived in solitude for most of their lives,
and have grown bitter and resentful against the world.
This story is about the Snow Queen learning about the Fire King
for the first time, and being intrigued by the notion of someone else like her.
for her, It's new hope. Hope that she won't be alone, anymore.
and that someone may FINALLY understand her, and her situation.
The question, however is this..
Will the two unite for a common cause?
or, will their evil natures compel them to kill each other?
Can a Frozen Heart REALLY feel anything for a heart BURNING with Hate and Anger?
I had intended this to be a oneshot story.
but, it turned out to be too long..so, it'll be divided into chapters.
Chapter One her of course deals with "Returning the Fire King's Crown."