Melisandre.

Ice-born.

Beloved of R'hllor.

She'd been here before, it seemed. The cold, the calm, the sense of utter stillness.

But there were trolls then, and a red priest. The slaver who stole her and took her away.

Now there was only a woman, weeping.

Why was she weeping?

And why was it so hard to move?

The woman clutched a half-mask, an ice face, a girl Melisandre seemed to know.

R'hlorr's breath on her neck, her chest, the thousand kisses of a resplendent god. Tongues of flame tracing her frame, as it had been two dozen years before.

Her fingers found motion first; her hand reached down to twine in white-blond hair. Blue eyes flicked up in awe, disbelief, eyes emptied of emotion, eyes of the enemy, eyes of...

Elsa!

Frozen rivers of memory cracked and flowed. A night in a castle. Noble born.

She fell to her knees, hands clutching the face of this person who could not be, this woman whose eyes were clear with utter madness.

Lips suddenly, on her own, cold and thin, hot breath wicked out through an open mouth. Kisses, gently, down her still-thawing neck, so cold they burned.

Strangled gasps as fingers traced the webwork of her corset, ice-blade nails slashing through the garment like so many severed heartstrings. Teeth, like so many frozen diamonds plunged into her shoulder.

"R'h-" the woman who had called herself Melisandre let out an inadvertent scream. "R'hllor! Consume me! Spare me this-"

Her body spasmed against Elsa's as the enemy straddled her, pinned her down against the ice.

"Oh dear sister. Your god means nothing here. It's all a mad dream, death and blood and no salvation."

Melisandre began to weep, tears steaming. Elsa shook her head, smile wide, eyes wild.

"Let it go."

"Why didn't you come for me, in the tomb?"

Tears like little hailstones fell, collected atop the red dress.

"I used to pretend... little snow Annas. Father hated them... then the storm hated father. I... they called me a witch, Anna..."

"Just games. The magic was just a game, that's all."

Elsa collapsed atop her sister. "I never meant to... They just wouldn't stop..."

Melisandre stroked her sister's hair, melting for the first time the snow crystals scattered throughout, summoning a sigh from the shattered sorceress.

"People hate. Ignorance kills. Oh R'hllor!" Melisandre's eyes steamed and smoked as she clutched the ice queen, melting the dress with the heat of her embrace. "It was you all along. You did come."

Elsa clutched her face in confusion, as tears began to stream, to steam.

"The Fire, the Ice: it's all in you. It always was. Fill me, R'hllor, as you did when I was young."

Elsa's eyes became the blue at the center of a flame, the blue of far-off stars, and she bit down on her lip as hot fingers tore at the red dress, reaching through the folds, pressing through the folds...

"Oh God!" Melisandre's back arched, ice splitting beneath her. "My God."

Thunder rocked the castle, and lightning lit the lovers. The storm raged on and on, and hot rain pounded the sheets of raw ice.