Benji straightened his back tensely, eyeing Hannah with a twisted expression. He seemed to momentarily forget the thunder.
"You what?! Where?!" He frantically questioned.
He turned away before she could answer, as if thinking critically to himself.
"No it can't be. The imbalance here is too strong for his magic to transport. You must have hallucinated when you got the head wound." He said, cringing darkly at the thunder.
Hannah looked down at her hands, feeling slightly embarrassed for even bringing it up. "I don't know, maybe." She muttered.
"Did he say anything? Did he try to hurt you again?"
"No, It wasn't like last time. He was a distance away from me, just staring. I looked away for a second, and when I looked back he was gone." Hannah described, gingerly putting a hand over her eyes in an attempt to weaken her headache.
"I'll have Queen Elsa instruct the guards to search the castle just to be safe." Benji announced.
A hefty knock sounded from behind the door, and it creaked open to reveal a man who Hannah presumed to be the mentioned doctor. Following behind him were Elsa and Jess.
Upon seeing Hannah's open eyes, Jess rushed to be by her side. "Hannah for the love of God, you need to stop fainting!" She scolded fondly.
Hannah chuckled. "Everything you say is funnier just because you have an Australian accent." She laughed again in-spite of her current condition.
"She's loopy, this one. She may have brain damage." Jess chuckled at the doctor.
"Well let's hope not..." The man replied offhandedly.
The doctor's insincere words were not lost on Hannah, and insecurity began to overpower her previously jovial mood.
Benji stood up, still in a tense state. Elsa took notice of this as he approached her; she was good at reading peoples' emotions.
"There's something I need to discuss with you privately, your majesty." He said softly, as if trying to slip away without the girls noticing.
"Just Elsa is fine, Benji. What do you need to discuss?" The queen asked, clicking the door closed gently as they left.
"I'm worried that Garth has found a way to appear in the castle. Hannah has seen him twice now." He said, glancing at the door momentarily, then back into Elsa's blue eyes.
"She saw Garth again? You said the imbalance has grown too strong for him to transport here." She started gravely, a pang of fear sparking in her gut. "They could have just been hallucinations, she was barely conscious both times, and so far no one else has seen him."
"I know, there's a chance she's just hallucinating due to her trauma, but it's better to be safe than sorry." Benji replied.
"Very true." She nodded.
Elsa turned to a guard who was posted at an intersection between two hallways, beckoning him over.
"Magnus, send orders from me to your captain, search the castle for Sir Garth of Cattarri. His presence has been reported too many times for comfort." She instructed.
"Yes at once, your majesty." Magnus turned on his heels and trotted down the hallway, his sword clanking in the sheath.
The door pulled open with a click, revealing the doctor who was departing from the room. He seemed to have an unpleasantness to his attitude, as if he was suppressing a seething resentment.
"The girl is fine. I cleaned and bandaged the wound, and left medication for the pain. I saw no indication of mental abnormalities due to the injury, and with proper rest she should be healed soon." The doctor concluded.
"Thank you for coming on short notice. I trust your family is alright after all the chaos downstairs?" Elsa asked.
"Yes your majesty, thanks to your quick thinking. My five year old son, Oskar, was separated from me and my wife briefly during the avalanche, but we have been reunited now. We might have all perished in it, or all the other disastrous occurrences for that matter, if it wasn't for your protection."
He took the queen's hand and bowed kissing the top of it with gratitude, and gave Hannah and Jess one last glance through the open door before walking on his way sharply.
Elsa grimaced at the doctor's receding form, clearly picking up on his feelings toward her friends. She and Benji returned into the room solemnly and locked eyes with Jess who sneered over-dramatically in the direction of the doctor, as if to mimic his stuck up attitude.
Hannah sighed and turned her gaze painfully to the left to look out the window.
Elsa sat next to Jess on the bed smoothing out the skirt of her gown. "How are you holding up Hannah?" She asked with a sad smile.
"I'm fine." Hannah lied, turning back to her company.
Elsa nodded her smile growing bigger yet also sadder. She knew how many weighing emotions and thoughts sweltered behind the phrase 'I'm fine'.
A knock sounded on the door once again, and Anna entered lugging Kristoff behind her.
"Hannah! You're up! We were worried." She scurried over to the other side of the bed than the others, and plopped down directly next to her. "You need to stop passing out on us like this." Anna chuckled, eyeing the bandages on her temple.
"Hey that's what I said!" Jess giggled.
"Just to inform you all, I've sent out searches for Garth around the castle- just as a precaution." Elsa interjected more bluntly than she had anticipated it to be.
"You actually think... he was here for real?" Hannah asked worriedly, subconsciously touching her neck where she had been strangled.
"Don't worry darlin' it's just incase. I still don't see how he would be able to appear here at all." Benji said placing a hand on Hannah's shoulder.
She nodded simply in response.
"So... what now?" Kristoff questioned, crossing his arms at his chest casually.
Anna's eyes got wide momentarily, as an idea lit up her head. "Ooh family game night! What should we play?" She looked around hopefully.
"Hide and seek!" Jess blurted out, lifting her arm up triumphantly.
"But Hannah's not meant to physically strain herself right now." Elsa contradicted.
Hannah kept a straight face while gently taking her covers and putting them over her head, leaving only the outline of her form visible, eliciting some laughter from the group.
"Haha, I wonder where she went?" Anna said jokingly, as if speaking to a three year old.
"Can I hide under there too? They'll never find me." Jess suggested.
Hannah lifted the covers up, still humorously stone faced, "I wouldn't advise it." She said, a smile starting to crack through her facade, "I know how afraid you are of the dark."
Both girls burst into immature laughter, while the others just shook their heads giggling.
Jess suddenly piped up again. "I know! Let's play would you rather?"
"How do you play?" Elsa asked as Olaf entered the room carrying an over abundance of snacks.
"Ooh I love family game night!" The snowman gushed, hopping onto the bed with the others and snuggling into Kristoff as he made a face of disapproval.
"Well, you say 'would you rather.." and then lost two things that the person has to choose between: which one they would rather do. It's pretty self explanatory if you think about it." Jess explained grabbing the piece of chocolate offered up to her by Olaf.
"I'll start. Elsa, would you rather lose the ability to read or lose the ability to speak?" Jess asked the queen tentatively.
Elsa's face twisted into one of deep internal debate. "Oh that's a hard one, I don't want to lose either."
"That's the point of the game silly!" Anna chuckled, raising her arms dramatically.
"I'm sorry, I'm not that good at games." She explained sheepishly. "I suppose, lose the ability to speak. I love reading, and I don't think I can go on being queen without the capability to read important documents. Also as queen, I can have people speak for me." Elsa finished, actually content with her choice.
"Good point." Hannah giggled. "That's probably what I would've picked too. Now you get to ask someone a question."
"Uhm ok, Olaf, would you rather be able to transport anywhere or read minds?" Elsa asked.
The little snowman laughed mirthfully. "Oh Elsa, I can already read minds." He stated casually.
The whole room laughed at his joke, but there was an unnerved tone about the atmosphere, when he made no effort to imply he was kidding.
"Anna, would you rather know how you are going to die or when you are going to die?" Olaf asked innocently.
Anna's raised her eyebrows with a playful attitude. "Woah, why such a serious one, Olaf?"
The snowman shrugged his shoulders and continued sharing the chocolate box with Jess.
Hannah rested against the headboard surrounded by all of her friends. This was everything she ever wanted. Yet she, of course, was the person she was, and the dark thoughts and feelings of the past and the future kept her from completely enjoying the moment. She knew this would have to end, and she would never have them again.
In addition, something else was off.
A sensation started creeping up the back of her neck, sending pulses through her spine and up to her skull. She tried to ignore it, but it was like nothing she had ever felt before. It was like a slight burning, but like it was a living thing crawling up her neck. With every passing minute, it sparked up a notch higher.
Kristoff noticed it first, since he was less invested in the game. "Hannah are you alright?"
Her face was strained and heating up a shade of red.
The others turned to her with concerned expressions. "What's wrong? Is it your temple?" Anna asked gingerly trying to readjust the bandage.
"I-I do-n't know... there's this weird burning feeling at the back of my neck." Hannah said, rubbing the area.
Jess gasped violently after pulling the back neckline of Hannah's dress down to see. Everyone leaned in to take a look.
A black in-growth of sorts was weaving its way through Hannah's skin. It took the shape of a roots or veins, branching out from the bottom of her neck, crawling to the top with a black pigment so deep it was hard to look at.
Benji viewed the infliction wide-eyed. "Oh God! God no!" He blurted out fearfully, examining the area.
"What is it?!" Elsa asked frantically, scrutinizing the area just as closely as Benji.
"What's wrong?! What's there?!" Hannah yelled, terror stricken.
Benji attempted to slow his breath, so not to freak out Hannah more. "I know what this is." He whispered.
"It's the mark of dark magic." He stammered. Benji looked into Hannah's panicked eyes.
"I think I know why you've been seeing Garth..."