The next day Elsa woke to Pitch in her room, poring over her maps. There was no part of the Nightmare that didn't repulse her and she had no desire to get out of bed. She pulled the covers over her head and closed her eyes.

"That's not very captainly of you, Miss Telvi." Despite the supposed joke, his voice sent a chill running through her bone marrow and Elsa poked her head out of the covers, suddenly realising that it would be safer to watch the awful creature then hide in the duvet. "Come here assist me with these maps, the handwriting is indecipherable."

"As you are so keen to remind me, Pitch," she poured as much hatred into the word as possible, "I am not longer the captain of the Arendelle. I can do as I please."

She instantly regretted her bitter tone as Pitch whirled around and looked at her with those piercing yellow eyes. Elsa felt something wrap around her ankle and she let out a scream as she was dragged off the bed and towards the Nightmare King. Suddenly the thing around her foot let go and as Elsa scrambled to her feet and pulled her night dress down, she just caught sight of what looked like a solidified shadow melting back into the floor.

"What. Was. That?" She was livid. How dare he treat her in such a way? This was her ship and he was just some Nightmare who had decided to take it from her. She ball her fists, close to lashing out.

"It was a shadow," he said, as though it were obvious. He blinked slowly at her and turned back to the maps. "Now, help me."

Elsa was fed up with Pitchs' pompous attitude and arrogant way of answering any question put to him. It the same as last night, and Elsa wasn't going to stand for it anymore.

"It wasn't a shadow, it was solid. Now, answer me clearly Nightmare!"

It was as though the room had suddenly lost all of its light. Elsa stood stock still. The darkness was eerie and unnatural, not a simple case of the ship losing power or an energy surge. The young woman was also very aware that her captor was somewhere in this darkness.

"Pitch? Pitchiner?" There was no response. "Show yourself Nightmare, I have no patience for games."

"Child, do not call me 'Nightmare' if you value your sanity." The voice came from all around her and it was then Elsa knew this was his doing.

"I'll call you what I want!" Her voice echoed, as though she were in a vast void not her own quarters inside a starship. "I'm the captain of this ship and you will answer to me, Nightmare."

The pain inside her head started again, but this time it spread to her whole body. It were as though something molten was pushing through her veins. She tried to cry out but something made its way around her neck

"You forget your place, little one. My crew have consumed the minds of nearly everyone on board this vessel, do you expect to drive a hoard of horrific creatures like myself away all on your own?"

"They going to be looking for us." Elsa started to lie in her fear. "We're due home in the next few days. They'll be tracking our signals."

"Ah ah, no lying Elsa." It was the first time he'd called her by name and Elsa despised the way he pronounced it with such care and attention, molesting the word with his voice. "There is no one looking for you. I know, I saw it in your mind. And as for the interstellar tracking systems, don't you think we dealt with those immediately? Honestly Elsa, now you're just being insulting."

His voice crowded in on her from all sides and the creeping, solid shadows wrapped around her waist. She felt like she was drowning in the darkness.

And then it was gone. Pitch hadn't moved from looking at the maps and Elsa was, once again, on the floor. Her hair was loose from its plait and a cold sweat covered her.

"You might want to get showered, Elsa." He didn't bother to look up as she headed to her private bathroom. "Afterwards, you will help me with charting the course, yes?"

"…hmm."

"Pardon?"

"…Yes Captain."

"Better. Oh, and Elsa? Called me 'Nightmare' like that again and I shall kill you over and over in your own head."

The young woman nearly ran to the shower. She didn't bother hiding her fear and slammed the door behind her. Letting out a breath she hadn't realised she'd held, Elsa leaned against the sink and stared into the mirror. Her hair hadn't been washed since before the attack and under her eyes were the remains of her makeup from that day too. She looked a mess, like she'd been through the worse ordeal of her young life. And hadn't she? Three times in as many days she had been subjected to her darkest nightmares. She had watched her family die over and over again. She felt her mind being crushed into oblivion and then burst into pieces. Elsa had felt pain beyond anything she could've ever imagined and the thought that the creature outside her door could deliver it without blinking was beyond horror. Elsa didn't have a word to describe the fear she felt when she faced the Nightmare King.

The shower was glorious, and Elsa didn't think she'd ever felt better after drying off and slipping on fresh clothes, a simple cotton shirt and long skirt. Comfortable, elegant and most importantly, chosen by herself. Never again would she allow someone to choose her clothing, apart from maybe Anna and her bridesmaid gowns.

Anna! I won't be able to make it to her fitting!

The thought was ridiculous. Of course she wouldn't make it, she was a hostage on board her own ship. Anna would wait with her friends at the dress store and an hour after having fitted everyone else she would force a smile and say 'guess she's not coming after all!' Then they go for drinks and Anna would excuse herself early, complaining of stomach pains, and then cry at home on Kristoffs shoulder.

Elsa knew that this would happen because, apart from the dress fitting detail, it had all happened before. Having never been expected to look after the ship, Anna never really understood the nature of star ships and how fickle the business was. The Arendelle was the biggest of its class and such a ship was in near constant demand, so as soon as they docked there was more freight to carry across interstellar distances. As such, since taking up her captaincy Elsa had seen very little of her sister. It had taken a while to get used to it and the two were bumbling along as best they could, but as ever wires got crossed. Anna hated when Elsa was gone for more than a fortnight and had started making dates with her so they would have a specific time together to look forward to.

And now, through absolutely no fault of her own, Elsa was going to let her sister down again. It made her blood boil and some of the fear that Pitch had set into her was replaced with anger.

Elsa came out of the ensuite and saw the Nightmare at her desk. She forced herself to calm down, not wanting to start another argument with Pitch. After three trips to a nightmarish realm, she was learning something about staying on the creatures good side.

"What did you want help with?" Elsa had no desire to assist him but ultimately if helping would get him out of her room so she would have space to think, she'd grin and bear it.

"Ah, Miss Telvi." Pitch looked over and beckoned her with a wave, "Yes, I am having great difficulty reading the notes on some of these."

"I can imagine. These are my Fathers original sky maps and he had pretty atrocious handwriting." Elsa smiled at the thought of her Father and his sketchy scrawl she had become so adept at translating.

She felt his eyes on her for a second and she pulled her face back into a stern look of indifference. Elsa had already (unwillingly) shared her fears with Pitch, she wouldn't share her joys as well.

While the maps themselves weren't vast, the space they depicted was and eventually Pitch sent for two chairs. Together they pored over the maps with so much intensity that Elsa almost forgot who she was spending the time with. Elsa had always loved looking over her Fathers sky maps, tracing the constellations with her fingertips. In the months after her parents' deaths, it helped her feel closer to him and while her grief eventually passed as much as it would ever, it was a soothing pastime for Elsa. Hours passed and it was only the hungry churning in her stomach that ultimately brought her out of her map induced trance.

"Pitch," she started. It seemed like such a strange concept, asking his Nightmare for food. Would he react badly? Would she be punished for talking about something other than the maps he was asking her to translate? Pitch must've sensed something was the matter. For the first time in hours he stood up and walked to the door.

"Have some lunch made for Miss Telvi, and bring it to the observation deck." He spoke to one of his crew outside of the room. Pitch looked back at Elsa and she noticed an unsettling smirk flit across his face. "No, no. I think she needs some fresh air."

A/N: To clear up any confusion, there will be no Jelsa in this story. Jack will appear soon enough but he and Elsa are just good friends. This is a Pitch/Elsa fic, first and foremost!