Elsa
Mom always taught me: when you start to panic, take a walk. I've been taking a lot of walks lately.
It's been over a year since the incident of the eternal winter, and ever since then, I've been running the kingdom-or queendom, as Anna likes to call it. There haven't been any hiccups. I dine with other royals, create a sanctuary when the late summer heat kicks in, make treaties, and oversee trade. But I don't know- sometime it all gets to me. I'm not a child any more- really, I haven't been since that night with Anna so long ago- but I don't know if I'm ready to keep doing this. It's my entire life. I haven't had any other choice.
Anna makes it better, she always does, but she's growing up. She and Kristoff are closer than ever, and I know she can't be by my side forever. She's only princess, after all; she can do something different.
She was who came up with the idea of inviting back old childhood friends. It'll be nice to have something to calm myself down. And with more people, I'll feel less alone. I sent out letters inviting all three of then. Rapunzel had been here last summer, for her coronation, but I hadn't gotten to talk to her- the chaos started before I met her, and she had to leave just after on urgent summons from her kingdom. Apparently Rapunzel and Hiccup are bringing guests, but I don't mind... the more the merrier, right?
I just need someone... someone to stay. But with the princes of the Southern Isles turning out to be traitors, there are hardly any young men. And even less that I can stand.
Sigh.
I've probably gone two miles uphill since I started out a little over a half hour ago. The grass is light to step on. Experimentally, I freeze it, then unfreeze it again.
Looking back, I have a wonderful view of the bay between the trees. There are some people coming in across the bridge we put in to ease relations from the east. I can't make out their forms. I head up a few more paces, then use a platform of ice to hoist myself over a boulder. I'm at some sort of gap, a latitude on the mountain where trees apparently don't grow. I can see more clearly now, including the castle far below. It looks so much more peaceful up here.
Checking my breathing, I find that I'm feeling better now. I'm about to start my way back down the mountain when, from the cave at my back, I hear a shout and a dull thunk.
Uh oh.
I know that, logically, I should go down to the castle and get backup, but the yell sounded more scared than scary. I can take care of myself, anyway.
A thin coating of ice forms over my fingertips and I creep slowly towards the dark mouth of the cave. Inside, I don't hear movement.
Though the day outside is bright, the cave itself is black. Getting an idea, I start to coat the walls and ceiling with ice as I walk in. Because it's reflective, more light bounces through the cave.
And I see him. Curled up on the floor. There's a staff in his hand, and he wears ragged brown trousers. Though he seems young, his hair is white on his head- like mine. I recognize the form on the ground.
I've seen him before.
I run forward and kneel at his side. He's cold to touch, but if he's who I remember him to be, that isn't out of the ordinary. I sweep his hair off of his face, recognizing the features. I used to see him all of the time when I was younger. He used to fly by my window at night and trace things in the frost. He used to wave to me as he flitted past. But as I grew older, as I began to hide, I started seeing him less and less. The last time I saw him was just over a year ago.
As I'd been trudging up the mountain on my own, beginning to experiment with my powers, he materialized next to me. He winked, and said simply "Good girl."
And now after all these months, I'm seeing him again. It looked like it had been longer than a few seasons since I last saw him; his resting face had ghosts of wrinkles on it, like someone had dragged their fingers across his frosty face.
Carefully, I put my hand on his chest. Though I was being gentle, the touch sparks him awake as though I'd lit a fire, and he sits straight up, yelps, and falls back down, his hands flying to clutch at his head.
"Owww..." he complains.
"Lay still," I order. "I think you hit your head."
"Who the hell are-" the boy stops short as he squints up at me. "Oh god. Oh god oh god oh... where the hell am I?"
"Arendelle."
"When am I?" His eyes are widening.
"What makes you ask that?"
"Because," he says, hesitating slightly, "because I remember you."
I can feel my face light up. "You do? I was worried, it's been a year, and-"
His next words douse my excitement. "A year?" Pause. "Elsa, I haven't seen you in over two centuries."