For the longest time, the palace was completely silent. Elsa stood at the damp logs where the fire had been. In its place was a neat little pile of ice. There was no way the beast put it out. The shadows and strange darkness had been in his control, not water and ice. Elsa smiled weakly. The ice princess, staring at ice. As she was about to pick up the matchbook to relight it, something began crackling and spreading.
Frost? But…but how? A male voice was whispering, and she knew it wasn't from her shady host. As she was sitting there, something picked at her hair. Unlike the frost, the wind here was warm. The warm breeze picked off a leaf before it seemingly disappeared.
On cue, the beast returned. The expression he wore was one of shame. Whether or not it was from hurting her friend or the way he acted or both, she couldn't say for certain. But it gave her a tiny bit of comfort that he could be reasoned with.
"I... would you like to see your room..."
Elsa blinked. Her room? This abandoned sitting area didn't count? Maybe he was a beast that buttered up prisoners before throwing them into cells. Or worse, pampered guests until he found them a perfect size for…whatever meal. Had Elsa not come to the castle, Anna might have been served on a plate. Literally. Keeping that in mind, Elsa decided to play along.
"…All right."
They walked in silence. From behind, Elsa could see he was in fact taller than her. He wasn't so giant that he skimmed the ceiling, yet the size was worth noting. He was standing upright, and she noted the broken gauntlet wasn't the only article of clothing he wore. Ragged remains of brown pants hugged his lower half, held in place by a black belt. He was walking with familiarity, unlike her, who was noting landmarks by the chandelier shape of crystalized archway or even a dent that could have been from one of his claws of a deformity in the stone prior.
"...So...how long have you been up here?" Elsa braved the first question.
"My whole life..." he beast growled under his breath. The low rumble beneath his words rebounded through the halls.
"Oh."
Elsa asked no more questions. He still had a temper; best to tread lightly. It was just a misunderstanding, Couldn't he let it go? She could understand all of this happening over an accidental murder, but picking a flower?
He opened a door to their right. The crystal walls were bare. A four post bed lined with rose colored sheets, which looked purple in the blue light, sat next to a large changing screen. A brown armoire flanked the screen. The other side of the bed housed a nightstand with a delicate bowl adorned with rosemailing and a pitcher filled with water. Next to it was something covered with a woolen blanket; she's check it later. Twin doors carved from crystal stood closed, but through the tinted panes Elsa could see a large, round curved balcony overlooking the mountains.
"You should be comfortable here..." her host mused.
Elsa placed a hand along the wood. He only cared for her comfort. He had probably done the same for Anna. If this was to be her cell, it was rather nice. Far more extravagant than her old room in her father's house. "I've always wanted a balcony...this is rather kind of you."
He looked away from her. Was he…embarrassed? "I guess..." he stammered.
She looked back. "I am…sorry about the rose thing. Anna meant well…"
"That doesn't mean you steal from others!"
The frustrated growl returned alongside his yell. Through his gritted teeth, she saw the gleaming points of his incisors and canines. With enough force, they could have snapped bone. The fur on his humped back began rising, and she saw small flashes of the black flame that appeared near him slowly pulse in one tightly clenched paw.
"I said I'm sorry!" She held up her hands defensively. The foot of the bed halted her movements.
"I-!"
"Be kind!" A youthful boy's voice piped up, interrupting his counterargument.
"You're not going to win her over with vinegar." A young but motherly voice scolded.
"I..." The beast wasn't addressing her. He was looking at some space between them. She tried to follow his line of sight, but there was no one there. She even reached forward, trying to feel some sort of mass. All that ran through her fingers was empty air. Were there ghosts in this place? The voices were silent after they said their piece, but whoever they were, he seemed to respond to him. He released a deep, growling breath. "I lost my temper... I am..." he grumbled the last word, "sorry..." There was a slow sigh and his large frame deflated. "I'll... leave you to get comfortable."
"Thank you."
After the beast shuffled out, Elsa approached the door. She watched as he slumped away. He wasn't turning back, not even bothering with other greetings or sayings. The blackness was gone. It had been since those voices intervened. She looked down at the silver handled knob and shut the door behind her.
"Well that went about as well as an avalanche."
A female voice, a bit younger and tougher sounding than the other, was bubbling from the pitcher. Elsa stared long and hard. So, she wasn't just hearing things. The voices were still here.
"What do you expect?" the younger boy asked. With his call came a warm breeze. "He didn't have good manners even before..."
"He was making an effort this time though!" the girl objected.
"Well, duh!" Along the window, traveling through the crystal floors, appeared a small trail of frost. This voice was male, too, but seemed to be a middle age range between the younger and older voices. "That last girl picked one of the roses!"
"But she's so frightened..." the motherly woman murmured. Her voice was coming from the pitcher like the younger girl.
"He's not helping himself by being a grump." The younger boy muttered.
"We should lift her spirits." The boy in the frost said.
"With what, Jack? A show number with dancing plates! We kind of can't!" the younger girl objected.
Elsa was a silent person amid their arguing. Just as she was about to ask who they were, a slight breeze, brushed the top of her hair. It continued to travel down, as if it were trying to readjust her cloak. Another touch reminded her of a friendly hand. Well, if they were ghosts, she was grateful they were the friendly, playful kind and not the vindictive ones that lashed out or murdered people in their sleep.
"Who…who's there?" she stammered, pulling her cloak tighter.
The wind stopped. "Can... can you hear me?" the younger boy asked.
Elsa nodded before answering. "Yes. Yes, I can!"
The boy sounded thrilled. "Really? That's amazing!"
"The other girl couldn't hear us," the motherly girl sounded dismal but there was a shred of hope.
Suddenly, the whole room began to be blown around. The sheet that had been covering the item in the back was lifted and tossed carelessly to the floor. She heard laughter from both male apparitions. The one that seemed to be attuned to the ice was making playful images on the windows. "Who cares?" said the younger boy, "Someone can hear us!"
Elsa came to the frosted window to pick up the sheet. As she approached, she saw what it had been covering. A full length mirror. Oh. Of course it was covered. The beast had made no qualms about his appearance, yet this betrayed his true feelings. At least the looking glass wasn't splintered. Next to her reflection, she was able to make outlines of individuals. The air spirits were both young boys, possibly teenagers. The younger, pluckier one had spiky golden hair while his companion was thinner with unkempt white hair.
"What happened to you?" Elsa asked the reflection visions. "What do you mean Anna couldn't hear you?
"There's a curse on the castle but I'm afraid we can't say any more than that..." the motherly woman said regretfully. Elsa didn't see her reflected.
"Not sure why the other girl couldn't hear us," the blonde shrugged, "I was being really loud."
"You can say that again," the white haired boy rolled his eyes.
"So this place isn't just a prison for...him?" Elsa stepped away from the mirror. By addressing all of them and not just their images in the mirror, maybe she could find common ground.
"You meant the master..." the blonde said. "He stays up here because it's not safe for him to go to the village." There was no mention of which village. Krokus was close, but there were other towns on the other side of the mountain. Anna had been coming back from one, after all. One that was probably even closer than Krokus.
"We're the ones who can't truly leave," the motherly voice lamented.
Elsa looked to the balcony. The white haired boy had frosted everything over, so she couldn't see the grounds anymore. But she did remember everything being barred. The garden itself had been protected by two varying spikes. Rose bushes and ice spikes...it served a double purpose, of keeping strangers out, but also…keeping him in. This master probably knew the extent of his own rage, and as such…
"All those spikes were his idea," the spunky girl said from the water pitcher, "But like Aqua said, we're sort of stuck in these states." Aqua must have been the motherly voice. At least Elsa could start giving these guides names.
Aqua gave a sad sigh, "He didn't want to leave us. Even if he lost his senses sometimes..."
"Don't let him scare you," the blonde boy said reassuringly. "He doesn't mean most of that growling."
Elsa's brow furrowed, "But why punish you? You did nothing."
There was a pregnant pause. The frosted boy spoke first, but he was dodging her remark entirely. "I suggest trying to rest. Don't worry, we'll be around."
"We would tell you if we could. Really. But we can't." Aqua sounded apologetic.
"There's always one of those rules," Elsa said. She opened the armoire and pulled out a thick, cotton night shift, going behind the privacy screen. Having seen two spirits, she knew they had eyes. The curtains fell over the windows and balcony doors with the soft wind. As Elsa was pulling back the bedclothes, she had to stop to admire the needlework along the edges. The star shapes were expertly sewn. One of the richer textile merchants had sold it to the master.
"Before you sleep... what is your name?" Aqua asked.
Well, she had to trust some people in this castle. This master was well meaning, but it what clear whatever dark powers he held were twisting him. These spirits were unphased by this darkness it seemed. Hopefully, it wouldn't affect them.
"My name is Elsa."
"Sleep well Elsa. You'll be safe here."
The boys blew out the sources of light in the room, leaving Elsa to curl into a dreamless sleep.
