A/N: Villain introduction!

I will have his theme song posted on my profile soon, but for your anxious types, I will drop it into an A/N at the bottom.

Heh, 'bottom.'

Chapter 3: The Mask in the Man

Waking up after decades of not needing sleep is… interesting. You end up blinking your way into wakefulness, all the while wondering how you weren't awake the second before. It is an odd feeling, to be sure.

But I digress. The morning was exceptional! The sun was out, thus making what could have been a bitterly cold day into a merely chilly one. The sky was clear, the wind brought the smell of pine trees into the castle, and it was all almost enough to make me doze off again.

Anna had other ideas, though. "Mathias, wake up! It's time for breakfast! You need to be ready for public, too, 'cause there's no way Elsa's going to let you sit anywhere else but at the royal table today."

Oddly enough, it wasn't the fact that I might be seen unkempt in front of nobles who could (and would) make my life miserable on a whim, it was the fact that Elsa would be there that made me get ready, double time. Once sufficiently presentable, I walked to the main dining hall, escorted by a happily babbling Anna giving an impromptu tour of the castle as we went.

"Over there is the painting of Barnabas the Barmy, he looks a little out of it, of course- and this set of armor I-"

"-Pulled the arm armor off of it the day of Elsa's coronation while singing in excitement." I finish. She gapes for a moment before recovering.

"Wow, you really did see everything!" she breathed.

"Well, yeah. I did say so. Anyway, I just thought of something. I can't be using my powers all willy-nilly like Elsa can, so I need a reason to stay at the palace."

Anna adopts her 'thinking' pose. It's quite cute and is more than a little ridiculous, but it works for her, so... yeah.

"Well, the captain of the guard is retiring soon, and you are really good in a fight-"

I cut her off- leading people, whether in defense or in attacks, would never be something I could do. I know my limits, and I couldn't take the pressure of potentially sending someone to die.

"Anna, I can't do that. I can't send people to die; I just don't have that type of mindset. Too much empathy, some would say. But thanks, though. I can try to think of something else."

She looked a little put out by my dismissal, but seemed to understand it, as she didn't press any further.

We walked in pensive silence the rest of the way to the dining hall. We enter, and Elsa waves us over. When we get seated, I hear a servant whisper: "Hey, that's the man who saved the Queen! They say he fought like a demon, that even his five-fingered punches brought death!"

I confess, I choked on my oatmeal. A blatant reference like that? I grin. I couldn't resist. Creating a tiny spark of flame, no more than an ember really, I start whispering to it, and send it on its way. That particular servant would later find a small, red t-shirt in his quarters bearing the motto:

Five Finger Death Punch

Not just awesome,

But useful too.

I bet he took it with him to the grave.

The others took no notice of what I was doing, instead chowing down and discussing various things between them. The nobles and the Council were shooting me undisguised looks of disdain, so of course I waved cheerily at them. This caused Kristoff to snort into his hot chocolate when he noticed. All too soon, I had to begin with business. I brought up the issue of my placement.

"Excuse me, Queen Elsa, but I need to ask you what you plan for me to do here. Princess Anna brought up the idea of applying for guard captain, but… it really doesn't appeal to me too much. Do you have any other ideas, perhaps?"

She thinks for a moment, and shakes her head with a sigh. "No, sorry. Nothing comes to mind, but I'll keep a lookout for a potential job or position, ok?"

I smile and nod. "Ok, Queen Elsa."

She chuckles, and shakes her head again. "Please, none of this 'Queen' stuff between us. Too formal for friends, yes?"

My smile made my face feel like it was going to tear right off! "Of course Elsa. Thanks!"

"No problem. Now, as much as I would like to stay and chat, I need to go and perform one of my more… somber duties. Some of my bodyguards were killed in the intrusion, and I am going to their families to express my condolences."

I see the unutterable sadness in her expression, and know I need to offer, even if I know she will refuse. "Elsa, would you like me to go with you?"

She shakes her head sadly. I guessed as much. As we all part company, I put a hand on her shoulder and say one last thing.

"Elsa, know this. I have watched you through your childhood, through your best and worst. You are a great person- let no one say otherwise. Just remember, I will be here if you need me."

She gives me a soft smile, making my heart beat wildly. "Thanks, Mathias. I will keep your offer in mind."

As she walks away, I notice Anna giving me sharply interested looks. I do my best to ignore her, and we set off again. After a moment of silence, Anna shakes off whatever was making her stare, and begins to babble again, filling the air with happy talk and laughter. She leads me through the castle to places unknown to me. Hey, just because I was present doesn't mean that I know everything!

After a thoroughly exhausting trek through the castle, Anna finally leaves me back at my quarters with a promise to be back shortly.

"Just remember, Mathias, we need to see the market today!" she exclaims, walking backwards down the hall.

I chuckle as an unlucky servant has to dodge the clueless princess. "Don't worry; I wanna to see it too! Wanna meet up in the main foyer in an hour?"

A grin and a thumbs up is my answer as she turns the right side 'round and dashes off to who knows where.

I shake my head, amused. 'Giant bundle of energy, that one. How do you cope, Kristoff?'

-Outsider-

As I was being regaled with facts about paintings and tapestries, Elsa was attending to her heaviest responsibility. In the castle's morgue, she was greeting and consoling the families of her deceased guards. There were many different reactions; From numb acceptance, to pure, sobbing misery, and all the way to a man who took one look at his fallen lover and went into a near berserk rage, smashing the furnishings and howling in anguish. All of these families, though, had one thing in common: they didn't blame Elsa. They understood that the guards had done their jobs, and most were even proud of it. The angry giant had even offered to join the guard to finish his other half's dream; Elsa was humbled by their acceptance of her and her power.

As the day drew on, and no more families came, the remaining bodies were moved out to the gardens and placed onto a flat patch of sand. People gathered, dressed in solemn mourning garb. Elsa came out to the sandy clearing, and addressed the crowd.

"Kind people of Arendelle, I stand before you humbled and thankful. These brave men have given their lives to protect me, and to protect Arendelle itself. Those you see here have no family, no one to claim them in death. Yet, they claimed a place in life- one that protected me and allowed me to stand before you now. They shall not be forgotten- not as long as Arendelle Castle still stands."

Her face still, her brow furrowed in focus, Elsa calls upon her power. As she raises her hands, a tall statue of ice rises behind each of the fallen guardsmen, depicting them in full armor, looking out protectively over Arendelle city. As the last one finishes forming, Elsa releases a held breath, and finishes the service.

"With my power, those who have died here shall never be forgotten. These statues shall remain as long as the stone of the castle, a constant reminder to the world of their sacrifice and courage." Giving the crowd a tearful half smile, she turns back to the castle, walking to the main entrance of the gardens.

This is where I found her, half distraught and in a black mood. Making a quick decision, I walk over to her and clear my throat, catching her attention.

Softly, I speak to her. "Queen Elsa, you look as if you could use some time away from the castle. Would you like to accompany Princess Anna and myself to the marketplace?"

Stunned by the offer, she couldn't seem to offer a response, so I take advantage of the situation. Taking her silence as acceptance, I clap my hands and grin.

"Wonderful! Walking about can do wonders for the soul. Now, we really can't have you or the princess be recognized, so we need disguises."

Focusing, I create a spark, and let it drift to my garb, talking aloud as I go.

"Now, plate armor is good for heavy fights and shock-and-awe, but for a market visit? No, terrible idea. Too much clanking! Better a comfortable shirt and breeches, maybe a long coat to wear against the cold…"

As I babble, I change my armor into what I was talking about; ending up with black denim pants, with a soft red shirt, so dark it was almost black. My trench-coat materializes, being jet black with my coat of arms on the back- A thunderbird, perching on the top of a broken sword.

As my power goes to work, my torso is revealed for a second as my clothes reform, causing Elsa to blush. I miss the cause, and wonder why, but I brush it off after a moment.

My clothing change complete, I turn to a re-composed Elsa, giving her a crooked smirk.

"Well! What are we going to do about you? Do you want to change your clothes, or should I have a crack at it?" I know that could be taken as innuendo, but still.

This time, I catch the blush. Also, this time, it's in embarrassment.

"I can conjure my own outfit, thanks!" she huffs. Then after frowning at me for a moment, she gets a sly smile on her face.

Uh-oh. Methinks I might be in trouble now!

In a blast of swirling snow, she spins. I can't make out any details-that was probably the reason for the snow- and as it dies down, my eyebrows do their best to escape my face and into my hairline.

She was dressed in a long-sleeved shirt and an ankle length skirt. The skirt appeared to be made of denim, like my pants, but I could make out the fractal pattern. The shirt was like mine, as well, but a slightly lighter shade of red. Her hair was now undone, cascading off her shoulders in a way that made me blank for a moment.

Dear god, she is trying to kill me!

Afterwards, almost as an afterthought, a long, navy blue cloak floats down from above and settles on her shoulders.

"Like what you see?" She teases. At that moment, all I could do was nod dumbly. Laughing, she skips off to the doors, seeing Anna as she had arrived.

Anna was similarly struck by Elsa's clothes- she didn't even seem to recognize her sister until she got closer.

'I guess that's a good thing, seeing as we were going for disguises.' I think. I had been wondering if we needed to do anything for Anna, but she seemed good in what she was wearing. She had on simple, functional clothes, tailored for freedom of movement. She had a dark brown cloak with a hood to cover her hair, so it looked as if we were good to go.

Walking forward and taking a position in between the two, I hook their arms in mine, and we waltz off, the sisters laughing at my antics.

-Outsider-

In a cave, deep underneath the North Mountain, an ancient magical binding pulses with the last of its power, illuminating the one who it imprisoned.

The figure is of average build, and of average description; at a distance, without seeing its face or bare chest, you couldn't make it out in a crowd even if your life depended on it.

It was a figure made for infiltration, for the shadows. As the enchantment flares for the very last time, the figure shifts- revealing the face and torso.

The face was smooth skin, not even a bump where the nose would be, and the torso was even more eerie.

The torso of the thing- as it was certainly not human, having survived centuries buried alive- was a horrific tableau of broken ceramic shards arranged into a face, locked into a rictus of agony and rage. As the figure stands, the stone shackles snapping like twigs, the face moves, and a dry voice, sounding like paper being ripped, speaks.

"Now, I am free. Now, I can take the soul that was rightfully mine. I hope that the ancestors of my enemy are ready for me…"

The face grins, exposing gaping, bloody wounds in the flesh behind.

"For I am ready for them."

A/N: The theme for Mr. Creepy is...

The theme from "Children of the Corn". Really freaky movie, and the theme just skeeves me right out.

Appropriate, because Mister ********** skeeves me out, too.

Oh! he has a name, and it will be revealed, but for now I'm censoring it with a random amount of asterisks.