"Ugh…" She could feel some sort of heat beating down on her, oppressive in its blistering warmth. Elsa was a person who could definitely wake up in the morning, but something about the darkness prevented her from opening her eyes, a lullaby serenading her into peaceful ignorance.
She was pretty sure her alcohol resistance couldn't be that bad- It was only whiskey, which was far below her usual consumption levels on a worse day. Still, Elsa couldn't shake the feeling of lethargy encompassing her entire body in some sort of all powerful sphere.
The heat, exhaustion and the smell of burnt rubber almost lulled Elsa right back to blissful dreams of chocolate and sunset-kissed skies. Almost.
Wait, Burnt rubber?
Elsa's eyes instantly shot open despite the heaviness of her eyelids, survival instincts kicking in as she forced her entire body upright from her comfortable bed. Pins and needles immediately exploded across Elsa's body, a crawling sensation haunting her entire figure in pain. But she ignored it. There were bigger things to worry about.
Like her bed. This wasn't her bed.
The bed she was on was a simple four poster bed, the curtains pulled back to allow the sunlight to shine upon her face. She didn't have any windows in her cave, save for the other secret room she rarely used.
Glancing around, Elsa's heart rate spiked as she realized she could not recognize the surroundings at all. Ornate windows to the left, a dresser underneath, a fireplace crackling to the right. Beige and brown were the only splash of colour throughout the room she was in- furniture, bedsheet, floor.
Where the fuck was she?
Another whiff of rubber wafted by her nose, and Elsa knew. There was only one place whose fireplace smelt like horse shit. Fjordmound. Stupid fires designed to wake you up...
With an irritated grunt, Elsa flung her hand out towards the fire, a tiny hint of satisfaction settling in as pure ice shot out of her hands and extinguishing the putrid flames. Now nothing more than an empty fireplace decorated with dazzling ice sculptures, Elsa settled back into the pillows surrounding her, trying her best to slow down her heart rate.
Panicking would do her no good, not in a place overflowing with pure magical power. She had to think.
Why in Thor's name would they summon her here? And how did they even manage to? She had successfully avoided them all this while- had last night's exhaustion really got to her? Did her mind's instinctive barriers that she trained so hard to create finally falter for a second?
Elsa's brain felt like bursting. She had too many questions, and right now she was feeling too many emotions to think straight. Anger, annoyance and frustration were mainly messing with her psyche, encouraging her to question everything and anything around her.
It wasn't helping. She had to leave the room and find that stupid old wizard, the one that had called her here the first time.
Rolling off the regrettably comfortable bed, Elsa realized that she didn't have her staff with her. This didn't really mean much when it came to her powers, but in armed combat Elsa was definitely left at a disadvantage. Plus, she liked the support.
Not like it mattered. Elsa was rearing to let herself go at these bastards. She would show the full might of her powers now, the result of the training she put herself through every day.
Dusting herself off, Elsa was also glad to find she wasn't naked. Last time she came here, she hadn't been so lucky. She had to learn how to fashion an ice dress in five seconds before the door opened, and the poor soul had subsequently been blasted back with icy fury under Elsa's command. Those old creeps were definitely perverts.
Placing a hand on the cool metal doorknob, Elsa hesitated for a fraction of a second before opening the door.
In a flash, Elsa was greeted with a knife whistling through the air straight towards her head, which she avoided purely out of survival instinct and muscle reflex. Dropping to a crouch in the nick of time, Elsa felt the knife nick a single hair from her head before smashing into the wooden door with tremendous impact, splintering the wood and causing plaster to fly everywhere.
That knife had been thrown to kill.
With memories of combat training kicking in, Elsa immediately channeled the raw ancient energy pulsating inside her towards her hands, shooting a barrage of ice crystals in the direction of the knife thrower while diving towards a nearby column.
A grunt of pain could be heard as a soft thwack! reached Elsa's ears, causing a wicked grin to spread across her face as she leant against the stone block for support. The attacker was male and wounded. Perfect- that's all she needed.
Thinking quickly, Elsa cast quick glances to the room she was in. With the room being the size of a grand ballroom, the stone columns were seemingly used as anchors to support the weight of the giant glass ceiling. The walls of the room were lined with gold and silver decorations, a symbol of elegance and glass reflecting against the marble floor.
Thankfully for her, the room had a lot of mirrors, which meant she could see her opponent. Sliding up the pillar with deathly silence, Elsa stole a peek in the mirror peeking out on the left side of the wall she was facing.
Her assailant was definitely male, judging from the half naked body that stood before her. He certainly towered over her in terms of height, a whole 4 heads taller. Wearing only shorts and sandals, it seemed the figure had opted to show his chiseled body instead of preparing for battle. Elsa shook her head in disgust- these people were really freaky.
Three more knives, an axe, and what looked to be a long broadsword. This warrior had little to no armour protection against Elsa's powers, and judging by his stance he aimed to face her head on using his godly strength. This was also evidenced by the gaping wound in his stomach, which was now beginning to close rapidly.
Elsa gritted her teeth in frustration. Seriously? Regeneration? What a pain in the-
Cerulean blue eyes met midnight black, and Elsa nearly hit herself on the head for her stupidity at that moment. If she could see him, he could definitely see her.
As quick as light, Elsa dove out from her cover, sliding across the marble floor with ease while avoiding the giant axe that had cleaved the pillar directly into two. The sound of the rocks crumbling onto the floor were drowned out by the rapid beating of Elsa's heart, an urgent drumming reminding her of the life she could lose at any moment. All around her, swirling dust particles kicked up a storm, setting the battlefield alight with an entrancing beauty.
Come on Elsa, focus.
Shooting forward an ice trail in front of her moving body, Elsa quickly vaulted herself into a crouching position as she slid around the ballroom, analyzing her assailant for any weakness she could exploit.
The sunlight shone down on him for just a second, but that was all she needed. Beyond the dazzling array of sun-kissed skin, she caught the tiniest glint of a green amulet resting on his neck. It was nothing but a needle in the haystack, barely the size of a coin.
It didn't matter. Elsa loved to play hide and seek.
Thinking quickly, Elsa slid to a stop beside a stone column, quickly spraying ice mist across the room from her hands. Clouds of white smog instantly rolled across the polished marble, a suffocating haze approaching the victim in the middle of the room.
With a frustrated yell, the figure brandished his sword, the sound of metal being unsheathed against a bronze scabbard almost deafening in the loud echoes of the room.
Elsa watched almost amusedly as he hacked wildly at the mist encircling him, frustrated grunts becoming more frequent with every desperate attack. However, this only served to make him visible to Elsa, the clouds forming a circle around him while masking her presence amongst the columns.
The flash of green caught her eye once more, and Elsa stopped in her tracks, moving quickly to hide behind the column while keeping her eyes trained on her target. What was he going to do now?
Despite all the things she had seen in her life, Elsa could not have been prepared at all for what came next.
The figure opened its mouth, and for a split second Elsa wondered whether it was yawning, before she saw it. Felt it, too. Bright blue flames, clear as day, spewed out like water from a dam, furiously spreading across the room with a fiery roar and engulfing the mist in a single bite. Burning hot air blasted Elsa's head back, forcing her to move behind the pillar once more as the sudden heat wave swept across the room commandingly.
"Well…" Elsa muttered faintly, bracing herself for another offensive maneuver. "I've been looking for a challenge anyway."
With a yell similar to that of a battle cry, Elsa sprang out from her hiding position and ran towards the colossal figure, aiming beams of pure icy energy in the direction of his limbs. Upon contact, ice immediately began to form over his arms and legs, attempting to entrap him in their freezing web.
However, with a primal roar, the figure instantly broke away the icy chains threatening to pull him down, rendering them useless. Or at least, that's what he thought. To Elsa, they had served their purpose.
Once again in the heat of the moment, the amulet had flashed its dazzling green, giving Elsa all the time in the realm to carry out her plan. Moving swiftly, Elsa reached the figure and parried away his first blow with a sword she had conjured out of ice, the sound of ice against metal scraping against her ears.
While Elsa didn't do this often, desperate times did call for desperate measures.
Without hesitation, Elsa slid between his legs and on to the other side, grabbing his calf in the progress and channeling some energy into the hairy attachment. Almost at once, frozen fractals formed instantly around his limb, tying him to the ground momentarily like a chain to a wall.
Using all of her body, Elsa immediately jumped upwards with a well-timed kick off the ground, somersaulting over the bowed figure gracefully and back towards the figure's front. However, before her feet could even touch the ground, Elsa's hands reached out to grab his thick neck, swinging her body onto his back in one fell swoop.
With a roar of anger, the figure must have realized Elsa's plan of attack, because almost instantly one meaty hand came rushing towards her while the other sought to strike her down with metal. Thankfully for her, the arriving sound of crackling ice meant that the frozen matter holding the figure's leg had shattered, leaving behind nothing but chunks of frozen meat and bone.
Leaping off the giant in the nick of time, Elsa landed gracefully on her feet and watched in satisfaction as the figure stumbled around, his roars of pain shaking the room. Blood immediately stained the floor as the stump spurted the red liquid everywhere, painting the room like that of a disturbing piece of art.
While Elsa could certainly feel the agony he was experiencing, she couldn't find any hint of regret in her soul. It was time to finish the job. Just as she had predicted, the amulet glew bright luminescent green once more, as the blood-covered stump attempted to grow a whole calf.
Knowing her window of opportunity was closing fast, Elsa quickly conjured up a pair of razor sharp icicles out of thin air, the sharp end glinting almost cruelly in the harsh sunlight. With a final heave, Elsa threw her hand towards the amulet, the crystal white spikes following her command.
As the ice pierced the crystal, Elsa felt a fleeting sense of accomplishment, before she felt her back nearly break from being slammed into the wall. The explosion rocked the building, sending out a shockwave that had pushed her all the way back into the walls of the room. A loud rumbling echoed throughout the commotion, almost a sign of whatever misfortune could befall Elsa next.
Then it stopped. And magically, the dust and ice disappeared, furniture and debris swirling around in the air. With an intrinsic quality about them, the displaced rocks and marble quickly made their way to their original positions, with the damaged columns also repairing themselves. Either she was going crazy, or magic was at work.
Elsa glanced up, watching in slight fascination as the room came to arrange itself in perfect order before settling on an all too familiar figure now standing at its center.
Definitely magic.
"Impressive" His velvety voice carried across the room, a bewitching enchantment to the ill prepared. "Even in your dreams, your subconscious is unmatched in ability."
"Erik." The two locked eyes with each other for a heated moment, neither daring to back down for fear of submitting control. In Fjordmound, power was everything. Without control, what did the sheep mean to the wolf?
Then, Elsa relented.
Grasping Erik's outstretched hand, She allowed a tiny smile to flit across her face, glad to see the one person she could at least tolerate in this lunatic hellhole.
"It better be an emergency, or I'm gonna freeze this place to the ground."
…
"Nice to see you perverts made some redecorations to this stinking place." Elsa was never really outrightly rude- she spent too many years going through royal training to be prim and proper. In some weird ironic way, Fjordmound was the only place she could ever freely speak her mind without care.
Here, she wanted to insult them. However, as loathe as she was to admit it, the way the sunlight cast beautiful patterns through handcrafted stained glass was something she could appreciate.
"Well, the current grand mage must have certainly felt inclined to make some redecorations, especially after the last time you wrecked the place." A tiny glance towards the bearded man's face showed he didn't really mind her attack, evident from the slight grin on his face.
"Come on" Elsa shot him a knowing glance, "You know what he did." They were walking towards the grand room, the new place designed for council meetings and whatever they liked to do in their free time- probably snack on babies and drink goat shit.
"Yes of course, but spilling blood on the sacred land-"
"Did you really just say sacred? After what they did?"
"Elsa, you put two icicles up his rear." Elsa rolled her eyes. Since when was Erik a stickler for such things? He was the only one to believe her, even got the council off her back after what happened. For someone who preferred the life of a rebel to that of a noble, he never really cared for rules.
"Should have put two more."
Earning a resigned chuckle from the large man, the two came to a stop at the towering doors, meticulously designed with gold, silver and wood. Different elements were woven together in a picturesque rosemaling pattern to frame the impressive doors, a lone symbol of beauty and power residing within this metaphysical plane.
It was impressive enough to leave Elsa slack jawed, but she chose to remain impassive.
"Game face, Elsa. I need you." Elsa cast a careful look at the man once more, surprised to see a slightly more weathered appearance than usual. While his typical wizard wardrobe seemed unchanged, she could see the change in his eyes, from happiness to weariness. Energetic to exhausted. Alive to...
Somehow, it almost seemed Erik had aged a thousand years since the last time she came.
"I wasn't lying when I said it was important." With that, Erik gave a subtle flick with his wrist, causing the doors to swing open without so much as a sound. Bracing herself for the worst, Elsa took a step into the chamber.
…
The sound of steel-tipped boots clashing against marble resounded throughout the tiny room, amongst the dozens of maps and parchments scattered around. Heaps of paper remained littered across the large planning table in the center, dusty snowflakes swirling mysteriously around the restless figure pacing the room.
Elsa worked alone. Ever since she left the castle, ever since everything that ever happened, it had always been like this. It was better, too. Elsa didn't need things to change.
Not yet.
And now these people had the gall to command her to work with another wizard, all to stop that stupid war. Brilliant, just brilliant. Even better, they had left her alone in the war room to prepare for the other mage's arrival. Elsa hated that she couldn't refuse this task- although this was clearly some sort of powerplay, she really didn't want Arendelle to go to war. Not over her.
It seemed her new partner had woken up late, something which Elsa could not relate to. She was an early bird by nature, and while she did understand the difficulties others faced she wasn't in a mood to be sympathetic.
The girl had to be powerful for the old farts to pardon her tardiness so readily- or maybe they were familiar with each other. Elsa clicked her tongue against the roof of her mouth, not bothering to slow down her footsteps as she walked around the room. She hoped anyone willing to associate themselves with this stinkhole wouldn't be half the clown she thought they were already.
Elsa didn't know if she wanted it to be a guy or a girl- she just wanted to be left alone, in all honesty. Pacing the room had worked up quite the sweat, and with the poor ventilation Elsa was quite ready to tear the place down and rebuild it with her own personal touch.
With an exasperated sigh, Elsa flicked her wrist in a circular motion and pointed up to the ceiling, a slight breeze appearing as the room's temperature instantly dropped. Tiny glittering stalactites appeared on the hand-painted ceilings, covering the faces of cherub babies and grotesque animals while filling Elsa with a brief moment of tranquility.
Honestly, she didn't have to listen to them- she just resisted less because it was Arendelle, her home. She didn't like how she had to go to Oslo though, especially when she had met that pedophile guard- but she couldn't go to Arendelle, could she? Also Erik was powerful enough to crush her, what with him being the new council leader.
And whoever this person was, it was already half an hour-
The door burst open with a loud bang, startling Elsa and causing her to stop in her tracks. Self-preservation kicked in, and glassy ice immediately expanded out from Elsa's feet in a snowflake formation, a protective circle of frozen water ready for use.
"Woah!" A high pitched feminine voice pierced Elsa's head, a melodious tune she missed but couldn't quite place. How strange, it sounded almost like a cry of surprise.
With a start, Elsa realized that the figure must have tripped over her ice, seemingly toppling towards her currently in an ungraceful manner. Without a second thought, she immediately stuck her hands out in a protective embrace, one arm wrapping behind the figure's back and another gripped tight onto a shoulder, stopping her in her fall.
The figure let out a sharp exhale, and Elsa's eyes finally focused on the figure in front of her.
Big upturned eyes stared back up at her, pools of teal seemingly almost magnetic in nature- a river for Elsa to drown in. Luscious eyelashes complimented equally thick brows, their colour slightly darker than the strawberry-blonde hair sitting atop her head. A light dusting of freckles were sprinkled across her full cheeks, features combining to form a dainty yet breathtaking masterpiece.
Under her arms, Elsa could also feel her slender yet muscular build, wiry but full of spry and strength. She could tell that this woman had curves in all the right areas, noticing the slight bumps at her chest area through the thick winter cloak she was wearing. Put simply, this woman was angelic, bewitching and ravishing at the same time.
Locking eyes with the woman once more, Elsa's breath got caught in her throat. Something about those turquoise blue lagoons suggested something far more elusive- a secret waiting to be found, a fire burning in the darkest corner.
Elsa had never found herself in these types of situations, she never even touched the people she talked to! Yet here she was, handling what appeared to be a reincarnation of unbridled and joyful beauty.
Crystal blue continued their heated exchange with autumn brown as Elsa slowly realized what she was doing. Touching a woman she had never known, in places she never dared imagine.
So without so much as a sound and a face of surprise at what she had done, Elsa did the best thing to do- she let go.
With a surprised yelp, the woman below her fell to the floor in a crumpled heap, her clothes flaying in all directions as she landed on her bum with a muted thump. A tiny whine followed shortly after, showing she hadn't been expecting to be treated so roughly.
Elsa couldn't show her guilt- she had to put on the mask, the one she was taught to wear at formal functions and meeting the dukes of various countries. Regalness and composure, nothing could break her. She couldn't- the girl below her had caught her unawares despite her bumbling entrance, a feat not many could accomplish.
She was dangerous, and Elsa had to put a wall between them before those eyes drove her crazy.
"I apologize, miss" Elsa smoothened out her own outfit, casting a look down toward the red-haired heap with what she hoped wasn't a condescending one. "Although I would hope we can formally introduce ourselves first before you throw yourself at me."
A look of brief confusion flitted across her face for a second, and Elsa froze. Did she really just say that? Wait, that wasn't supposed to come out! Shit, what was she thinking-
A soft chuckle broke Elsa's train of worried thoughts, and she looked down to see a face slightly contorted with laughter, a hint of pearly whites glinting in the light. Wait, what?
"I'm not the one creating the ice here, blondie." The girl used a hand to push herself up smoothly, effortlessly straightening her posture to measure at just a few inches shorter than Elsa. With a dazzling smile that could light up Arendelle, she stuck out her hand towards Elsa, tiny calluses and creases showing themselves up for viewing.
"I'm Anna! Nice to meet you! What's your name?" Her perky and energetic voice was as bright as the sun, and Elsa smoothly made the same motion, grasping the other hand with a careful hold. Weathered hands, just like hers. Smooth but imperfect.
"Elsa." Elsa had to go back to the cave to think about this whole encounter with a woman who was so alive, but she had to sort things out with her first. Like their plan to stop a whole war from happening, all by careful negotiations and the not so subtle threat of magic.
"Elsa! That's a pretty name!" Anna swept past her and continued toward the table, her eyes grazing the maps and parchments exposed against the maplewood furniture. "Anyway, I've already been briefed, so all we need to do is settle on our course of action."
As loathe as Elsa was to admit, they should follow the plan laid out for them. It was structured and organized, exactly how she would have done it.
"I propose we follow the plan set out for us. They have suggested that we shall be sent to the gates of the Oslo castle by magic, where we will then seek an audience with the king and his son so we may negotiate him into stopping the war."
"Makes sense." Elsa found herself looking at Anna as her fingers traced the hand-woven maps in front of her, the light scratching of flesh against paper barely noticeable. "Wow that was really easy, we didn't even have to plan!"
"Yes, it appears so." A faint ringing was starting to appear in her ear, meaning Olaf was in trouble. Probably burned something again. "Forgive me, but I must go- I have matters to attend to."
"Now?" Anna's slight whine did not escape Elsa, and she struggled to remain impassive in the face of it all. "But we barely got to talk to each other!"
"I'd say our first interaction was enlightening enough."
"What's that supposed to mean? And who stepped on your foot this morning?" So Anna had noticed her change in demeanour? Good, she had to keep her distance- no matter what.
"You did actually, just a few minutes ago. Now good day, Anna. I will see you again soon at the agreed timing in the briefing." Elsa made for the door, leaving the room without any trace save for the fading ice formations melting back into the ceilings. Of course, all this did not go unnoticed, and Anna's mouth opened a little in wonder as she watched tiny snowflakes waltz around amongst the dust clouds spinning in the air.
"Ice, huh? Interesting…"
A/N: The plot begins! Sorry it took so long, I need to introduce a lot of things and I'll be slowly doing it over the course of the story. I really hope y'all stick around for the ride, and I hope you all will have read until here HAHA. Do give a follow or leave a review so I know whether you guys like it ,or whether you guys have any questions ;)
