Gerda

I blow warm air on the bars of the ice cage, then rub them with my bare fingers. My mittens sit next to me on the ground. I'm hoping my body heat will melt this ice like it did Kai's. It doesn't look promising, but I keep trying.

Across the room from me, Anna shoves against the bars in her cage, trying to find a weak one. Kristoff chips away at his with a metal ice pick. Even the ice pick is hardly making a dent.

"This ice is denser than anything I've ever seen," he says.

"We have to keep trying." Anna slams herself against the side of her cage. "This is all my fault. I never should have pushed Elsa to come here so soon."

"It's not your fault," says Kristoff. "Elsa knew Johanna. She knew what she was getting into."

"Did she? I don't think anyone knew Johanna would do this." Anna pushes against the nearest bar, digging her heels into the ground as if the thinks the cage will slide right over the slick surface. It stays put.

"We need a plan," says Kristoff. "What happens when we get out?"

"Should we try to stop the Snow Queen?" I ask. My hands are starting to hurt from the cold. I rest them inside my coat and examine the icy bar in front of me. It might be my imagination, but I think I'm actually starting to make a dent.

"It's too late for that," says Anna. "We'll have to warn the kingdom."

"Ok," I say. I rub the bars with my hands again. On second thought, it is my imagination. They're as solid as they were when I started. "But how do we get back there? Do you think Queen Elsa's snow reindeer will still come back for us if she's … "

Nobody wants to finish that thought. A tall white block of ice covers the spot where Queen Elsa fell. It sits silent and impenetrable in the center of the hall. Anna's lower lip trembles, and I'm sorry I said anything.

"What we could do," says Kristoff slowly, "is interrupt the spell itself. No resurrection spell, no eternal winter."

"Yes," Anna nods. "Yes, that's it! We'll keep the goblins from bringing back Julian, and she'll have no reason to curse Arendelle."

"All we'd have to do tonight is get in the way. And then tomorrow we could, I don't know, bribe the goblins—"

"—enough so that they don't try to cast it again! This could work!"

"Where do we find them?" I say.

Anna and Kristoff pause. They don't know. Kai knew, but he's gone.

"Even if we knew, we'd have to get there before the spell is over," says Kristoff. He rubs the back of his neck with his free hand. "It's a pretty time-sensitive plan, now that I think about it."

"Maybe Olaf will help us," says Anna.

"Olaf isn't going to be anywhere near us."

"What about magic?" I say. "Everyone tells me magic depends on intent. So if our intent is purer than the Snow Queen's, maybe the magic will be on our side."

"Maybe," says Anna. "I mean, it's possible. Magic depends on more than just intent though. And right now it's leaning pretty heavily towards the troll prophecy."

There's a cracking sound beside me. I think maybe one of them has broken out of their cage, but I'm wrong. Kristoff's ice pick has chipped in two.

"This is unbelievable," he says. "There is absolutely no way to break through this ice! It's like iron!" Frustrated, he slams the good half of the ice pick into the floor.

It slices a crack in the ice and sticks.

Kristoff stares at his ice pick, confused. He pries it out of the ground and slams it back in. Another chunk of ice becomes dislodged.

"Kristoff, you're a genius!" says Anna. "We've been going about this all wrong. We were fighting to break Johanna's cages, but Elsa made the floor. We can break through her ice." She clasps her hands together happily. "I'd knew we'd find a way. Everyone chip at the ground! We're going to save the kingdom after all!"

A/N – Kind of an interim chapter while Johanna is off driving the plot and bitching at everyone (as per usual). Thanks for reading and reviewing, guys! Come back Friday for some cool creepy magic stuff!