06. What Could Go Wrong?

The troll clan had gathered around, waiting for Elsa's answer.

The Snow Queen looked at the troll elder, and then at Anna and Kristoff. In her mind, the more oracular pronouncements from Grand Pabbie would always be tinged with risk, and she wasn't certain she wanted Anna and Kristoff to hear his assessment of what was wrong with her. On the other hand, she already knew that understanding Grand Pabbie's choice of words would probably require contemplation, so there was no danger of jumping to some obvious yet incorrect conclusion. And it was still somewhat difficult for her to talk about herself with other people, with her sister especially. Perhaps this could explain her internal world to Anna better than Elsa herself could.

"If you truly wish to, sir, you may, but you are under no obligation to," Elsa said, looking him in the eyes.

Grand Pabbie held her gaze. "Elsa, you are still discovering how much to feel is safe for you, and many times the process is an unsettling and confusing one for you, and it is often easier to suppress an emotion than to feel it and still keep your power in check. But you need to learn how to embrace your emotions -all of them, the negative ones as well as the positive- while keeping control of your magic. I regret that I cannot give you any suggestions about how to do this, but you must figure this out, for otherwise you will lose control of your power as it grows, and I do not need to tell you how dangerous that would be. You will make mistakes in the attempt, and you have reason to be afraid of making those mistakes. However, as great as the peril is at your current strength, it is nothing compared of what lies ahead if you don't."

Elsa took this information stoically, almost as if she had been expecting to hear something like it. Not a patch of frost, not a flake of snow, not the slightest dip in the temperature. Again, Anna couldn't tell if this was the old "conceal, don't feel, don't let it show" routine or if this was a good sign.

"Thank you, sir," Elsa said softly. "I will try my best."

"These incidents of doing more than you intend are more puzzling, especially your descriptions of how Olaf, the Snowgies, and Sleipnir came to be," Grand Pabbie continued. "It could be that sometimes you are still frightened deep down about using your power, and when that happens your control slips.

"However, your magic and your bond with it are amazingly strong, especially since humans are not naturally magical and you spent thirteen years trying not to use it. Therefore, it could also be that your magic is so much a part of you that it can feel your submerged desires.

"Magic that truly has a will of its own is surpassingly rare, and has thus far always occurred only in those who have been cursed. And even if that were the case, it would be unheard of for you to have your present level of command over it. But, since this is magic, anything is within the realm of possibility.

"I wish I could give a more definite answer, but the surge of your magic makes you very difficult for me to read without touching you."

Elsa remembered back to the night of the accident. The old troll had asked if she had been born with her powers or cursed, and he had grasped her wrist like a doctor measuring a pulse rate. She had felt a tingle, something brushing up against her own turbulent inner storm. That must have been Grand Pabbie "reading" her then.

"I should point out that I'm not the touchy-feely type," Elsa said.

"That is why I'm asking for your consent this time," Grand Pabbie offered.

"I don't know if I'm comfortable with this," Elsa said hesitantly.

"Oh, come on, Elsa," Anna butted in. "What could you be worried about? You just touched the inside of a volcano, for crying out loud."

"There's a big difference. A volcano isn't alive," Elsa said.

"But this would help you understand why your magic sometimes does things that you don't mean to do. Or that you think that you don't mean to do," Anna cajoled. If they were going to wager, she would bet her money on the second option Grand Pabbie mentioned.

"Grand Pabbie has strong healing magic," Kristoff added.

"Even he couldn't heal Anna's heart when I struck it," Elsa argued.

Kristoff felt a slight sinking sensation. It was very difficult to debate with someone who had been raised from birth to be a queen.

"But he knew how it could be healed," Anna said. "Kind of."

"Not exactly reassuring, if you ask me," Elsa rejoined.

"Elsa, it's not like he's sneaking up on you. Just do this!" Anna demanded.

The troll elder held out his hand. Elsa made no move to take it. "I don't want to hurt you," she whispered.

"You cannot hurt me, child," he said gently.

"I just quenched a miles-deep column of molten rock that was ready to erupt. And I've cracked solid rock, crumbled mortar, and shattered and twisted metal. Unless you are completely impervious to the cold, I can most definitely hurt you," Elsa warned.

"You will not hurt me, child," he said even more gently.

"The reason why we're talking about doing this in the first place is because I still do things unintentionally. It's foolish and dangerous to believe that anyone could possibly have perfect control of this storm inside of me."

"Believe in yourself."

"I can't."

"You can. You do."

"I don't even know who I am," Elsa pleaded. "I spent thirteen years being the good girl I always had to be. I have no idea if I am really 'good' or if this is just an act, a conditioned response."

"Trust yourself."

"How can I? When I was attacked in the ice palace, thirteen years of being afraid of hurting anybody went out the window just like that - and so did one of the attackers, almost. Even after I had already disarmed him." The temperature started to drop.

"Remember what I said about embracing your emotions."

"I don't think now is the best time to start practicing."

"Then calm yourself. You know how to do that," Grand Pabbie recommended. The temperature returned to normal. "Nicely done. Just remain calm and let me take your hand. You don't need to do anything else."

Elsa took several deep breaths, and held out her hand. Grand Pabbie delicately folded his hand around her wrist. Just as before, she felt a tingling sensation.

Then she felt the shock, like the kind received after shuffling stocking feet over plush carpet and then touching a metal doorknob - only much more so. Elsa was thrown back by the force, stumbling and almost falling before bracing herself with a hand against one of the amphitheater's steps. Frost rapidly spread out from her hand, covering everything in almost no time, and the alarmed trolls tried to jump out of the way.

"Owww! What was that for?" Elsa yelped accusingly as she stood up straight and turned to look at Grand Pabbie.

She immediately saw that the old troll had apparently gotten the worse end of whatever had happened. He was prone on the ground, seemingly unconscious.

"Grand Pabbie!" Elsa cried out. She knelt next to him, her hands hovering uncertainly over his shoulders before she folded her arms across her midsection, tucking each hand under the opposite elbow. It was one of her "safety is engaged" positions. A thick curtain of snow began to swirl around her. "What have I done? Somebody please help him!"

The other trolls looked at each other in bewilderment and disbelief. Kristoff and Anna rushed in, slipping and skidding over the frost, fighting against the spiraling wind of the Snow Queen's distress.

"Elsa, stop fueling the fire!" Anna yelled. Everyone who was awake looked at her through the blizzard. The trolls, Kristoff, and Elsa blinked in unison. "OK, so I am really bad with metaphors! But you know what I mean!"

Elsa did know what her sister meant. Panic was not an option right now. She closed her eyes and reached into the core of her love and tranquility. The snowstorm stopped, the frost receded. Anna gave Elsa a heartening smile.

Meanwhile, Kristoff had turned Grand Pabbie over. "He's breathing. I don't see any signs of injuries," he said, trying not to sound frantic.

Bulda made her way over to her father and adopted son. "Maybe a restoration crystal would help," she said.

To everyone's relief, Grand Pabbie stirred and opened his eyes with a soft groan. Bulda cradled him in her lap. The old troll blinked a few times before sitting up.

"Are you all right?" Kristoff asked. "What happened?"

"It was quite a jolt, but I will be fine," he said, and they all breathed easy. "It seems that Elsa's magic repelled mine."

"I am so sorry," Elsa gasped. "I swear I didn't do anything. I didn't mean to!" The temperature started to drop again.

"Control, Elsa, control!" Anna prompted. The temperature returned to normal.

"It's all right, Elsa," Grand Pabbie said, rising to his feet. "It was just momentary. No real harm was done. But I could not read your magic."

"Why did this happen?" asked Bulda, still concerned for her father.

"It could be that Elsa was still too agitated and her magic was thrashing about. Or that even though she was calm, she was subconsciously opposed to the process and her magic took action on her behalf. Or that the magic itself does not like to be touched anymore," Grand Pabbie proposed.

"So we're sort of stuck at the beginning," Anna pointed out.

"Unfortunately, yes," Grand Pabbie said heavily. "Perhaps if we-"

"I am so sorry, Grand Pabbie," Elsa spoke over him. "But I think I should go. Maybe we can resolve this some other time, but it's clearly not safe right now. I thank you, sir, for your advice and your attempt. If you ever need my help with anything, just let me know. Please enjoy yourselves as much as you can for the rest of the night."

She curtsied once more to the old troll and strode toward the amphitheater's opening.

"But what if you run into wolves?" Anna asked weakly. She knew the Queen's mind was made up.

"I promise I won't be too rough on them," Elsa said with a humorless smile.

And suddenly she was bathed in a white-blue light. Something was forming in front of her and behind her. First came the ears, followed by the rest of the head and the arch of the neck with a flowing mane to the withers. The already-saddled back came into being directly beneath her; she was automatically astride it and lifted off the ground as the legs coalesced to their full, awesome length. Finally the hooves solidified and the tail streamed out.