The Adventurer and the Snow Queen:

A Tale of Two Worlds

Chapter 8: Casa de Arendelle

The next day rolled around and breakfast was served by a group of very polite servants. I thanked them for the meal and asked them to give the cook my thanks as well. They seemed to appreciate it. Not long after they left the door opened again and everyone's favorite former thief strode in.

"So what do you usually do?" Eugene asked as he leaned against the doorframe, looking bored out of his mind. "I'm just going to guess here and say you don't usually spend all of your time unable to get out of bed."

"Nope," I laughed. "I'm usually pretty active. I'm a bit hyperactive really, always having to do something. Sitting here in bed all day is the most annoying thing I could possibly do." I paused, thinking over his question. "I spend a lot of my time traveling through the magical realms, going on various adventures and usually almost getting myself killed in the process. The time that I don't spend traveling is mostly used up at school."

"You still have a tutor?" he asked, incredulous. "Aren't you a bit old to still have a tutor?"

"No, no, nothing like that," I replied with a chuckle. "Where I'm from, we have schools and academies where people go to learn. We go to these schools for quite a while, depending on what job you want to have. Where I'm from everyone gets an education, not just the nobility."

"I wish I was from there," he chuckled. "You have no idea how confusing the Coronian court is. Rapunzel seems to be adjusting better than me, but she has had difficulties too. My only education was from the streets, and everything she learned was from her books and what little Gothel would tell her."

"I don't think you'd do very well in school," I told him with a small smirk. "Depending on where you live in the country, that's six to eight hours of your day spent sitting at a desk, working on equations and essays and when you finally leave the teachers give you more work to do at home."

"I understood about half of what you said," he told me, though from the look on his face I guess it was really even less than that, "and I understand that I would not want any part in that."

"You and me both," I laughed. "But where I live, it is necessary if you want to have a successful career, which you need in order to produce revenue, aka money."

"I've never heard the word revenue before," he admitted, "but the need for money is something I know very well. My small time spent in luxury hasn't made me forget that."

"Trust me my friend," I told him, "That need is present, no matter what realm you are in."

. . . . .

"I overheard you talking with Eugene earlier," Rapunzel told me later that day. "What is it like, your land? It sounds so different from anywhere I've heard of before."

"That is certainly true," I laughed, trying to look normal as my brain frantically searched for things to say without giving too much away. I couldn't let her know I was from a completely different world entirely. They were already asking enough questions as it was. I had no idea how they would react to learning I was from another world. "I live far to the west," I told her, "across the Atlantic Ocean."

"In the New World?" she asked. "I thought those were just stories. You mean there are actually other lands on the other side of the ocean?"

"Yes, the New World." I could already tell at this point that time was a bit skewed in this realm, as everything seemed to be in the eighteen or hundreds, but America was already established by then. It wouldn't still be called the New World, and it certainly wouldn't be debatable if it even exists. Then again, magical realms rarely made any sense. "In my country, we don't have kings or queens anymore. We vote on who we want to lead us."

"I've never heard of anything like that!" she exclaimed, wonder in her eyes. "What is it like?"

"It's a good idea," I replied, "but it doesn't always work out. The system has a lot of corruption, and the person who gets elected isn't always the best man for the job. The guy we have right now is kind of an idiot."

"Why don't you get rid of him then?" Rapunzel asked. "With your power it should be easy. Or is he a sorcerer too?"

"It doesn't work that way," I laughed. "For one thing, you can't just go and kick the president out of the White House. That would cause chaos. For another thing, magic doesn't really work where I'm from. Remember what I told you about the dam? I can only get past it when I go beyond my land. It's a cruel gift. I am one of the most powerful human beings in history, but I can't use my power unless I am as far from home as I can get." My face fell, my thoughts going to my family and how I couldn't even tell them about my gifts without them thinking that I am insane.

Rapunzel smiled sadly, patting me on the shoulder. "I'm sure things will get better for you," she told me. She left then, sensing that I what I needed then was to be left alone.

. . . . .

By the third day I was completely fed up with being stuck in bed. For the most part, whenever they weren't hanging around my bedside to make sure I was alright, the royals and their animal/snowman sidekicks were having fun without me. Elsa was apparently constantly busy, but everyone else seemed to be having the times of their lives. At least that is what I gleaned from what they told me during their visits. I would have preferred to be doing stuff with them, but instead I spent all of my time in bed.

Luckily I was recovering. I hadn't had too many issues, other than an incident with the chamber pot the first night, and I could now stand up for almost a full minute before collapsing into a gelatinous heap. I still spent massive amounts of time sleeping though, sleep that for some strange reason kept on being interrupted by curious Disney characters.

"Rapunzel told me what you said about your home," Anna told me after she shook me awake.

I yawned and rubbed by eyes, chuckling at her eagerness. "You and Rapunzel are becoming fast friends, aren't you?"

"Yep," she replied. "Kristoff and Eugene seem to be getting along pretty well too. So what is it like, to have powers but not have powers? You told me the thing about the dam, but I mean, how does it feel to know you have all that power but not be able to use it?"

"It is the most frustrating thing in the world," I told her. "Having to watch bad things happen, knowing that I should be able to do something about it, but I can't." I groaned, knowing that feeling of powerlessness far too well. It is always there, in the back of my mind. "To have power, but be unable to use it… It's worse than having no power at all."

"You're turning out to be a bit of a downer," Anna told me with a small pout. "Are you usually this glum?"

"Not usually," I replied with a small smile. "I usually have a great sense of humor. I'll be better once I get back on his feet."

"Get some sleep then," she told me, turning to leave.

"Wait," I said, grabbing her arm. "This past few days I've been visited by you, Rapunzel, Kristoff, Eugene, and even Olaf. But Elsa never showed up. Do you know why?"

"Elsa's really busy," Anna replied, looking a bit skittish. "You know, running the country, being queen."

"It's more than that," I argued. "I spoke with Olaf. The little guy gets on my nerves a bit, but he told me something interesting. In the week since the whole "magical winter" incident, Elsa has always made time for you and the others. That was the whole point of the ice skating rink activity the day the Trickster and I showed up. After that day however, according to the snowman at least, Elsa hasn't been around to see you either. What's up with her?"

"I'm not entirely sure," she answered simply. "I think it has something to do with what that, uh, Trickster did. You know, making himself look like her. I didn't hear what he said, but I could tell it really rattled her. She won't tell me anything about it though."

"Someone's going to need to get her out of that shell," I muttered, thinking. "Why don't you go and think of a way to help. I think I hear this pillow calling my name."

. . . . .

The next day I was determined to get back on my feet. I made sure everyone else was at lunch before I did my attempt, as I didn't want anyone to watch when I most probably would collapse embarrassingly. I would have much preferred to not have an audience for that. However, just when I started to pull myself out of bed Kristoff appeared in the doorway.

"Are you sure you are ready to start walking around?" Kristoff asked, a concerned look on his face.

"Absolutely not," I replied, stumbling out of the very comfortable bed. "In fact, I am fairly certain I will fall flat on my face within the first few minutes. However, I have a track record of doing the impossible, so I am going to try to do it again." I stood up, trying to keep my legs from shaking, and began walking out the door. I walked confidently, striding out into the hallway and into a nearby sitting room, and then everything spun and I collapsed onto the couch with a grunt. "Not a word," I muttered as I saw the smirk on Kristoff's face. "Not a single word."

. . . . .

The rest of the week was spent stubbornly trying to force my body to work. I had spent three whole days, other than my few failed attempts at movement, lying in bed, and I was sick of doing nothing. It hurt, and I vomited a few times, but slowly I was able to regain control of my limbs. There was still a lot of sleeping involved, except now the sleeping took place on whatever the most comfortable nearby surface happened to be, whether it was an unoccupied bed, a couch, or just a particularly fuzzy patch of carpet. The servants would always return me to my bed before I woke up. Out of everyone there, I was most thankful for the servants, and I made sure to tell them that at every opportunity. In addition to flailing around and sleeping, there were also several more conversations between me and the others at Casa de Arendelle, but I unfortunately do not recall much about them.

Of course, I was doing more than just wandering, sleeping, and talking. Like always, I had a plan. Throughout my fumbling I eventually managed to familiarize myself with the palace, getting to know it almost as well as my own home. The parts that intrigued me the most were the locked doors. Unfortunately, there was nothing I could do about them, so I wandered as much as I could around the rest of the castle, taking note of every locked door. Elsa, even after all she and her sister had went through already, had locked herself away again, and I was determined to pop her bubble.

"And what might you be doing?" Eugene asked, appearing out of nowhere and leaning casually against the wall as I tried to fiddle with one of the locks.

"Nothing," I replied quickly, rising from my crouched position. "Just… checking out this door. Very sturdy."

"Cool it beanstalk," Eugene chuckled, walking over and reaching up to put a hand on my shoulder. "First thing, I'm a thief, remember? I know what picking a lock looks like. Second, I understand why. The icy maiden has stolen your heart."

"I have no idea what you are talking about," I objected, looking around sheepishly.

"I was there when you first saw her, remember?" Eugene told me. "Back in the courtyard, when you first laid your eyes on her, you were dumbstruck. You made some silly remark about getting lost in thought, if I remember correctly. Don't worry kid, I won't tell anyone your little secret. But just so you know, if I were you I wouldn't try to be getting through those doors until your magic came back. Not only will picking the locks be a lot easier, as you are terrible at it, but I also wouldn't want to face an upset woman, even when she doesn't have magical ice powers. You understand?"

"I understand," I laughed, clapping the shorter man on the shoulder. "Thanks." That had actually been the first time the former thief had actually been nice without any hint of spite. It looked like even he was starting to warm up to me.

And so, I waited. I discretely began to use tiny amounts of power, not even enough to pick one of the locks. Even that much was too much for me at first. But after a few more days, I was ready. I approached the first set of locked doors and cracked my knuckles, getting to work.

. . . . .

I found her in her study, scribbling something down with a quill, probably adding her queenly signature to some very important documents. Of course, to reach her I had to go through a few locked doors, but when you've got my powers, "locked" usually translates to "please enter". Even with my powers depleted as they were, a few locked doors were no match for me. I opened the final door quietly, sneaking in as quiet as a mouse, until I tripped over a chair. There was a great crash then as both the chair and I went down.

"How'd you get in here?" she shrieked, icy energy swirling around her fingertips as she abruptly rose from her seat.

"The last time we saw each other I had just defeated a shadowy demon using a spear of living flame," I told her. "I think I can find my way through a few locked doors." Unfortunately that was the moment the world decided to start spinning, and it didn't take long for me to find myself once again lying on the ground, shifting colors dancing across my vision.

"Looks like it wasn't as easy as you thought," Elsa stated matter-of-factly as she walked over, a sly smile on her lips.

"My body is still a little weak," I answered, forcing myself up with a grunt of effort. "It doesn't like me using magic so soon after what happened."

"Do you have to go through this after every fight?" she asked with a chuckle. I could also hear the unspoken question behind the obvious one. Did I get myself into fights like this one often? Far too often was the answer, but I didn't want to give her my life story right then.

"Well, usually I just return to my body and by the time I go back I'm right as rain," I answered, my other thoughts distracting me so I didn't think my answer completely through.

"What?"

"Nothing," I answered hastily. "Forget I said anything."

"Alright then," she replied, returning to her desk, another smile curling her lips and lighting up her eyes. That smile took my breath away and forced me to take a moment to find my breath again. It was unlike anything I had ever felt looking at anyone else. "Why exactly did you come here?"

"I was looking for you, Princess." I tried to flash her a sly smile of my own, but I fear that the "sly" part may have come off as more goofy than anything else. "I would like to know why you have been avoiding me."

For a second, for a split second, the cool façade vanished, replaced by a look of terror. That look was quickly hidden behind her mask once again, but I had seen it. "I do not know what you mean," she told me. "As Queen(I'm fairly certain she only emphasized that because I called her princess), I have much that I have to do. I'm sorry that I have not visited you on your sickbed, but both Anna and the Coronian Rapunzel have assured me that you are well cared for. There was no need for you to leave your sickbed on my behalf."

Not knowing what else to do, I went straight to the issue at hand. "This is about the Trickster, isn't it?" The look in her eyes was the only answer I needed. She didn't want to admit it, but at that moment she needed my help. "The Trickster is a creature of emotion, primarily fear. That's why he takes the shape he does, why he is made of shadows. Everything about him, from his appearance to his vocal patterns, is designed to instill fear in those around him. He can take any shape he can think of, but his worst are the ones that you think of. He gets into your head and turns your thoughts and fears against you, finding the most frightening shape and choosing the words that will have the most impact."

. . . . .

"But the important thing to remember is that he is never telling the truth," the man continued. "He will lie, he will twist the truth, he will scatter small truths in with his lies to make them more believable, he will make you believe him in any way that he can, but when it comes to what is inside of you, what sort of person you really are, what matters most, he is physically incapable of speaking honestly. Not that he'd want to of course. People tend to be much better than they think they are."

Elsa didn't know how to react to all of this. The Trickster had brought back all of her old fears, and now here was this stranger offering her words of comfort. She could feel the conviction behind the words, and when he spoke she felt calmer, but that didn't settle her confusion. She still had no idea what was going on. This man and his relationship to the shadow creature worried her, no matter how calming his voice was.

"So you know this creature?"

"Well," he answered with a smile that was simultaneously intriguing and infuriating, "do you ever truly know anybody? But yes, I have fought him many times, and I have come to know how he works. You could almost say that he is my nemesis." And there it was again, a self-confident smile that made her want to laugh and punch him in the face at the same time. Mentally shaking off the conflicting feelings, she focused on the important questions.

"If you know how he works, then tell me, why is he here? What does he want?"

. . . . .

"Why is he here?" I pondered that question for a moment. "That's a good question, but one I don't have an answer to. He seemed genuinely surprised to see me, so I don't believe he came here looking for me." Or at least I hoped he hadn't. I didn't like the thought that it was my fault these people had been endangered. "I've never known why he chooses the worlds that he does."

"But what does he want? Well that one is easy. Entertainment. The Shadow Trickster is the worst kind of monster, in that he doesn't do what he does for sustenance, or because he knows no other way to do things. No, he goes from realm to realm, finding individuals with the strongest wills and then he breaks them. He uses their fears against them to break their wills completely. Why? Because it's fun."

I shook myself from that dark train of thought, walking up to Elsa and giving her a caring smile. "But never mind that. It was a pleasure meeting you Princess. I hope we get to do it again soon. Now I think it would be wise if I returned to my bed before I topple over."

"One last thing before you go," she told me. "What is your name?"

I hesitated for a moment. Up until then I had been telling the others my pseudonym of John Smith. I sort of copied it from an old, time-traveling friend of mine, but it was a convenient false name. However, in that moment I felt that the truth would be the best course of action. I told her my real name(though I'm not going to tell you) and finished by saying, "But I usually go by John Smith."

"Well then, John Smith," she said, that sly smile returning. "I'll be seeing you again."

"No doubt about it," I agreed.