List of Musics :
Nameless Song - Dark Souls OST
Ever Dream - Nightwish
Let the storm descend upon you - Avantasia
Moonglow - Avantasia
Edge of the Blade - Epica
Twilight of the thunder god - Amon Amarth
Chapter 14
The calm which reigned at the castle of Arendelle was the mark of its peaceful and continuous daily life. The maid Gerda was finishing putting the silverware away. The butler Kai was giving instructions to the cooks. The guards were on guards, but almost falling asleep. King Agnarr read and signed all kinds of important papers with a frozen gaze and almost automatic gestures. Only one person suspected that this tranquility masked anything but ordinary phenomena: Queen Iduna. Knowing them confused the lady's mind in which these secrets were circling.
"Sweetheart? Is there a problem?" the king called out, almost making her jump. "You've been staring at the same document for a while."
The lady realized he was telling the truth. She let go of the paper, her gaze twirling in search of an excuse as her hand tightened a fold on her purple dress. She couldn't think of anything to say. The queen tried to reassure her husband, in a reflex that she had trained well over the years.
"It's nothing Agnarr. I'm just a bit… concerned. "
"By what? This deal with the southern isles? "
"Yes, I… I'm not sure…"
Her words clattered in her throat. She was looking for whatever element she could distract her husband's attention with, but she had to admit that she had not read a single line of this business offer. Her voice trembled more and more. Tension grew with each hiccuped word. She felt a hand on her shoulder that stopped her turmoil and looked up to the king's worried eyes.
"Iduna, what's wrong?"
The lady no longer knew what to do. She wanted to share what was tormenting her, but she couldn't. The love that was overflowing from her husband's eyes gripped her heart. For years she had hidden from him the existence of a strange being who visited their daughters in secret. She didn't know how he would have reacted and couldn't bring herself to break Anna and Elsa's hearts. What would he think if she revealed to him that she had been lying all this time about something so strange? There was nothing she could do but sink deeper into the lie. The best way to hide one was with a truth.
"I'm just worried about Elsa. She seems to have her mind elsewhere. "
The sovereign relaxed and wore a sympathetic smile. He glanced cautiously towards their office door. They were unlikely to be heard from here.
"You noticed that, too?" he asked. "I don't know what's on her mind, but yes, she's not as focused as she usually is."
"Right? When I took a look at her exercises, most of them were a bit messy. Others weren't even done. And then… "Iduna too glanced at the door and lowered her voice. "She told me that she had better control upon her power, but when she wanted to show it to me, she only managed to freeze her window."
The magic of their eldest daughter was no joke. Iduna was indeed worried about her. Her husband too.
"Yes, she also tried to show me, but without success either. Yet she had sworn to me that she could do it just an hour before. Do you think that's what troubles her? "
"It would be understandable. She can't even stay without her gloves now. She looked so elated and sure of herself when she wanted to show me what she could do. "
"I am sure she will master them one day." Agnarr kissed his wife before adding with an amused smile. "We, meanwhile, have a kingdom to rule. There is a lot to do before we leave."
Iduna nodded automatically. This diplomatic trip away from the castle, without any way to watch over her daughters and keep an eye on this strange young man, troubled her to the utmost. Ever since the day she found out how complicated his family was, she suspected that Steven was not a bad person. However, after his return, and this strange story of amnesia, she had noticed that her daughters' behaviour had changed. Elsa was a less studious, as her husband had noticed. The queen sometimes surprised her muttering unfamiliar melodies while drawing incredible characters that her friend had described to her during his stories. If the heroes of this famous fellowship of the ring seemed quite honorable, the queen was a little apprehensive at the sight of the creatures she sometimes draw, like this terrifying dragon named Alduin or those curious yellow chicken called Chocobo. Elsa was starting to have a real personal and mysterious art gallery hidden away in her drawers.
As for Anna, she was often left alone, humming the tunes her impossible friend had taught her. Sometimes she wandered the corridors of the castle, daydreaming or whispering strange chorus that she avoided, not always successfully, from making heard by the servants. The Queen believed that her friend's return would have restored the energy she had lost. Instead, she seemed constantly elsewhere, accompanied by the songs of this musicians with the pretty but curious name of Nightwish. In just over six months, the boy with a funny strand had taught her dozens of very beautiful songs, some of which had a fast pace and a sometimes unrelenting strenght that worried the Queen.
The only thing that reassured her was that her daughters kept their promise to tell her about each of his visits. They were even doing it with joy. In addition to the music that Steven taught them with his mysterious magic rectangle, he had told them incredible stories that she herself would have found wonderful in other circumstances. However, the mystery surrounding Steven and the increasingly curious behavior of her children prevented Idunna from being interested in the adventures of these famous Tristan Thorn and Yvaine or Djidane and Garnet, and those despite the happiness that had Anna and Elsa to tell them to their mother. Sometimes she thought back to parts of these incredible stories, she would have loved to be told such stories when she was younger, but for now, she had to concentrate on the affairs of the kingdom. And also refrain from humming Élan. Anna had sung this song so often that her mother couldn't even get it out of her head and found herself humming it from time to time.
One last line with the green pencil and all that remained was to add the final touch. A bit of pink, or maybe purple, and Elsa's dress would be perfect. A smile on her lips, and with her hands without gloves, the princess placed her tool in the drawing box her sister had offered to her while singing softly. The other pencils were perfectly arranged, aligned with such precision that Elsa didn't need to look away from her artwork. She delicately picked up a new pencil as she considered adding flowers to the train of her new creation. She added a few as she resumed humming that melancholic but beautiful tune her friend had introduced her to. A song without a name it seemed, or which was called Nameless Song. She wasn't sure anymore. She would ask him again on occasion.
It had been a while since Steven had appeared. The two princesses still dreaded that he would not return and were always looking forward for his return. Elsa was always happy to hear a new story, or new music from his funny device and seashells to put in her ears. But she had realized that it was not the essential. Sometimes they would just spend time discussing about the stories they shared, their characters, or the themes they covered. Sometimes about mythology, Elsa's studies or even, without remembering why, Steven's clothes. During his last visit, Elsa had noted, to make fun of him, that he always had the same clothes and the same hairstyle. The same long black coat and blue pants, the same strand, not to mention his three chains and his pentacle pendant with red stones. Without understanding how, they had come to discuss the importance of being well dressed and the value of having a varied wardrobe. A discussion that Steven would have never imagine having one day. He had defended his style with impressive stubbornness, but Elsa had counter-argued with as much stubbornness as him. The mysterious young man, with a Machiavellianism of which he was a little ashamed, replied: "I'm not sure I have fashion lessons to receive from someone who also has the same clothes and same hairstyle every time I come. "
The princess tried to reply, but no words had managed to escape her throat. First frozen in place, under the sly gaze of the geek with a crazy strand, Elsa had examined herself carefully. She was indeed wearing the same dress and the same jacket as yesterday. Yet she was sure she had given it to Gerda to clean it. The princess then flew to her closet and opened it with the hope of simply having forgotten. Her hope was suddenly shattered. With the exception of the ceremonial dress that her parents had offered her, the cabinet contained several copies of exactly the same clothes and the same pairs of gloves. Very embarrassed, Elsa had hurried to close the cabinet and change the subject, not without triggering in Steven a euphoric laugh that she began to share. After he left, Elsa had spent a moment in front of her mirror observing her bun. When her mother came to visit her after that, the first thing she asked, to the Queen's surprise, was if she thought she should change her hairstyle. This incident had made her want to imagine new clothes and test something with her powers.
As she was about to add one last flower to her new sketch, she heard a throat clearing that made her scream and leap from her chair to point her hand in the direction of the noise. Unintentionally, she throws a beam of magic across the room that the intruder narrowly dodged in a rude gesture that made him fall backwards and bang against the edge of the bed.
"Damn it! It's getting ridiculous!" growled the geek, holding his head.
Elsa tensed in fear when she realized what she had just done and could have provoked.
"Steven! What were you thinking?" she asked. "You scared me."
Lying on the ground, massaging the back of his head, the intruder tried to explain himself and overcome the pain.
"The last time I got a box in my face. I thought that by keeping my distance it would go smoothly. Critical failure."
The young girl, whose heart continued to beat at full speed, noticed the frost forming on her chair and hurried to put on her gloves.
"Never do that again," she pleaded. "I could have hurt you."
"Believe me, I've got a lot worse than a bit of snow in my face," the geek informed.
"It could have been a lot worse than that," Elsa insisted, her voice shaking and her hands clenched against herself.
She noticed a patch of frost on the wall at the other end of the room. The result of her uncontrolled gesture sped up made his eyes widen. Steven followed her gaze and discovered it in turn. He put equally wide eyes on the princess and suddenly declared.
"Awesome!"
"No, it's not 'awesome'!" Elsa burst out, before recovering with a sigh and looking sadly at her friend. "I know you appreciate my powers, but they are very dangerous."
"Those of Scarlet Witch too and yet she remains one of my favorite Avengers."
"I'm serious, Steven!"
"Me too," he replied, standing up. "I understand you are worried about your powers, but even if you turned me into Mr. Freeze I wouldn't blame you."
In the eyes of the young man with the chains, she saw that he was, once again, perfectly sincere. Elsa ignored Steven's incomprehensible references as his words reassured her a bit. Still, she couldn't meet his gaze.
"Maybe not you," she confessed in a heavy voice, "but I would never have forgiven myself."
The geek felt the pain in the young woman's voice and understood that insisting would not help. The geek sighed as he sat down on the bed.
"It's okay, Elsa," he declared. "I will be more careful now."
The princess felt her body loosen a little of her fear and her heart slow down. She simply took the time to take a deep breath and offer Steven a look of gratitude that intrigued the geek. He couldn't, for some reason he didn't know, stop staring at her two irises as clear as a summer sky when she was looking at him. Troubled by the strange flutters that tickled his stomach. No doubt due to a poor digestion from eating ramen. Steven collapsed on the mattress.
"How long was it?" he asked.
"Ten days." replied the princess, sitting down at her desk to put away her drawing materials.
"Oh, not so much. Did I miss something?"
"My parents will soon be going on a diplomatic trip. So everyone is preparing for their departure, but I don't think that changes anything for you."
"Indeed. And you?"
"The usual. I studied quietly…"
"What a surprise."
"Hey! As I said: I studied and drawn mostly."
"Oh great!" Steven echoed running towards the princess. "I love your fanarts!"
The girl rolled her eyes as the geek moved near her. She took out her last drawings from her drawer. The compliments she received from Steven made her happy. He always had bright eyes and flattering remarks when he discovered one of her creation or magic tricks. She told herself that was probably the reason why she always forgave him his curious references. He honnestly admired everything she did. As he was discovering his sketches of Vivi and Minsc, he came across a drawing that made him arch an eyebrow.
"What is that?" he asked.
"Oh! It's nothing," the princess sneered. "It's just a dress that I imagined for myself."
Steven took a closer look at the design of a midnight blue coat with a white fur collar. His fixation on the sketch intrigued the princess. After a quiet moment, he announced to the artist.
"I don't know what Rarity would think of it, but I think it's nice."
The princess was surprised at his statement, and not because of his reference.
"You think so?" she asked hopefully.
"Yeah. Well, I don't know anything about clothes. But I admit that, for me, it's quite elegant."
The princess snickered, a little embarrassed. She appreciated Steven's intention, but her mind then focused on a detail that she deemed important. She remained immersed in her thoughts for a time that worried the geek.
"Is there a problem?"
Elsa gasped when he pulled her away from her thoughts and wondered if she could talk about what was troubling her. After the incident earlier and the disastrous results of her latest attempts, she wasn't sure it was a good idea. She squeezed her gloved hands as if they were going to fly away on her own. What if she had only imagined that she could do it? What if she loses control again?
"Hello? Earth to Elsa," Steven attempted again, waving his hand in front of his friend.
The princess understood that she could not hide her torment this time. Fixing the intrigued and innocent gaze of her black jacket friend, she almost felt ridiculous. She knew Steven and trusted him. She took a deep breath and took her courage in both hands.
"Steven, could I ask you a favor?"
The geek arched an eyebrow.
"Of course," he confirmed. "What is it about?"
"You know that I sometimes train to have better control of my power? Well, there is something that I tried and rather managed to do a few days ago. However, when I wanted to demonstrate it to my parents, I couldn't do it anymore."
"Probably the stress… Or you ran out of mana. You should check your cooldown."
A little annoyed, Elsa reminded him that she was not a magician from one of his stories, which almost bugged the geek's brain. She relaxed nonetheless, used to his strange behavior as she was.
"Stress is not impossible, but I would like to be sure. Would you mind if I tried in front of you?"
Steven didn't need to think long to understand the situation. He was the only person besides her parents, and the leader of the trolls, who knew about her power. She had no one else to show them to and to test them with. However, he didn't need to remember this to accept her request with a broad smile.
"Elsa, you know very well that I am always delighted to see you use your magic."
The princess was relieved by these words.
"What is it like?" asked the geek. "Crystal Nova or Sub-Zero Ray?"
"I discovered that I could create some kind of cloth with my magic. I can give it any shape and it is not even cold. So, after several tries, I managed to create a suit that I had in mind in a few seconds."
Elsa interrupted her explanations when she discovered that her friend had started to stare at her with eyes bigger than ever, irises like ink dots and drawn features, all over shoulders and a back stretched like a rope. The geek remained silent as a statue for a time which troubled the young woman.
"Elsa…" he managed to whisper, his voice shaking, before exploding with joy. "You have Magical Girl's powers?!"
A new silence followed, born from the confusion of the princess in front of the metalhead's stunned face. Completely lost, she tried to pronounce.
"Uh… Steven, you've known for a long time that I'm a magical girl."
"That's not what I mean," Steven explained before giving up. "It doesn't matter. You have to show me!"
"I'm glad you still love my magic so much, but…" Elsa tried to answer.
"Do you have an accessory that goes with it?"
"What?"
"Is it a stick with wings? A magic key? A shell?"
"What are you talking about?" the young woman began to worry.
"Can you cast your spell by raising your arm and saying: Moon Prism Power?"
"Excuse me?! Why would I do such a...?"
"Do you have to dance when you…?"
"Steven!" she stopped him. "I don't understand anything about what you are saying."
Cut in his tracks without understanding the reason, the geek replied.
"As usual, isn't it?"
"Yes, but right now you're too… energetic. Could you calm down a bit, please?"
At first confused, the geek was content to run to the bed and sit on it with his limbs agitated by an impatience that had not diminished.
"Go ahead! I'm ready."
The Snow Princess did not understand what was happening to her friend. He was always happy as a child when she did some magic, but now he was doing too much. She sighed to try to release the anxiety that took hold of her. She stood up to face the stranger with the huge eyes and grotesque smile. His enthusiasm always pleased her. Her parents were doing their best, but she could see that each time she uses her magic worried them. At least she felt a little quieter in front of her friend. However, she was less and less at ease as she got ready to try her spell. Steven's gaze, on the lookout for her every move, turned her limbs to stone. She tried to breathe slowly, grabbed one of her gloves with her fingertips. She pulled it out a bit. Those chocolate-colored pupils were aimed at her. She let her arms drop with a sigh.
"I can't do it." she announced with despair. "Not when you look at me like that."
"What do you mean?" the geek wondered.
"You are too… focused on me."
"Wait, you are the one who wanted to show me. And I'm sure your parents looked at you the same way."
"Yes, and it's a little easier with you but…"
Elsa searched for an argument but was unable to find one. She did not know what to do anymore. She really wanted to test this spell, but as with her family, she was paralyzed, crushed by the possibilities of the terrible things her chaotic magic could cause. She wanted to avoid an incident at all costs. She wanted to avoid hurting someone else. The princess was rubbing her arm awkwardly when her gaze fell on her screen. An idea like warm light came to her mind.
"I think I know what to do. I'll cast the spell behind this and show you the result afterwards."
"What?!" exclaimed the otaku. "But the transformation is the best part!"
Steven was about to start a speech when he discovered the pleading look of the young woman. Her blue eyes, like two sapphires, weighed painfully on him. He felt his next words might make them cry if he was not careful.
"Please, Steven." whispered the young woman.
The geek had the unexpected sensation of having his heart gripped by a powerful and icy hand. The prospect of hurting Elsa with a wrong word created nausea that he didn't quite understand the origin of. She was his friend. Maybe even one of his best friends. More than Ria or Naruto he thought, to his own surprise. Only Anna seemed to equal her in importance. But did that justify this completely physical feeling, rather than the simple guilt he had felt before? He instinctively understood what answer to give and sighed.
"Okay, okay," he lamented. "If it's that important to you."
The young blonde found a broad smile and thanked her friend before going to her screen. However, she interrupted her steps, taken by a thought that made her glance from the furniture to the young man. Steven did not understand where her new embarrassed gaze was coming from as she realized a new detail. She hesitated before asking her friend.
"You promise to not look behind?"
When Steven finally understood what was troubling her, his whole interior was turned upside down. All his muscles were stunned and heated. He probably would have blushed if his mind hadn't decided to react with logic and some anger.
"After disappointing me, you want to insult me? Besides, you were not planning on taking your clothes off, were you? "
"No, but... it's for the principle. You understand?"
Steven didn't want to bother replying. He didn't understand the sensation that had run through his whole body and wanted to think about it for a moment.
"It's okay, I promise you." he said, a little distracted, as he reached for his smartphone in his pocket.
The princess, reassured again, disappeared behind her screen, and took the time to relax. She felt much better. There were no eyes on her. This screen, although made of thin paper, gave her the feeling that she had an indestructible wall between her and the world. She could let some of the magic flow. She gently removed her gloves and visualized one of the clothes she had imagined. The mere thought of this delicate garment, in her image, relaxed her. Just like the idea of showing it to Steven.
The young man, on the other hand, could not have been more troubled. Why had he this strange feeling earlier? He then realized that he had this kind of strange feelings several times during his last visits. When he looked Elsa for too long in the eye, when she laughed heartily at one of his jokes, or told him she was delighted to see him, he also had this kind of feeling that enveloped his heart with a soft and pleasantly heavy veil. This shock of being in the same room while she was changing was new, however. He didn't understand where it all came from. As Elsa used her powers with cautious slowness, Steven searched through the images on his cell phone.
He reviewed various files containing hundreds of portrayals of characters from all kinds of games, films and series. He must have had one that elicited these same unknown emotions in him. That way, he would have a better idea of what he was feeling and why. What came closest to it were some female characters that he admired, but none of them woke up quite the same feeling. Even examining his images of Nico Robin or Elizabeth, the result of which was quite close, the sweet warmth in him was not the same. It was like comparing a cozy sweater to a roaring log fire. The young man wiggled a bit and tugged at the straps of his itchy Colt Python holster. His thoughts muddled like a stuck machine were interrupted by the voice of the princess hidden by the screen.
"I think I'm done but… I feel like I'm forgetting something."
Steven didn't know what to say to that. Basically, he wasn't very interested in clothes and never went shopping, but he didn't want to be silent. He fell back on the only logic that approached it a little bit for him: that of a video game inventory.
"Do you have any shoes?"
"Yes."
"A belt?"
"No need."
"Rings?"
"No, but it could be interesting."
"Sword and shield?"
"I won't even answer that."
"So what do you need? A hat?"
As she was about to answer in the negative, a memory stopped the princess. She put her hand to her hair and understood what was bothering her. Her bun didn't go well with her new outfit. In addition, it was the opportunity to surprise Steven after his remark on the lack of originality of her appearance. She untied her platinum blonde hair and called her friend, as she came out of her hiding place.
"I'm done. What do you think about it?"
Steven looked up in annoyance from his cell phone at his friend, then the whole universe changed. His eyes widened slowly. His head shifted completely towards her. His jaw loosened to create an expression of deep wonder. His whole body relaxed, and his hand dropped to fall on the bed, his cell phone now out of existence. He could not believe the person in front of him was the one he had visited for the past few months. He knew Elsa, the nice, often serious, straight-looking girl in her dark blue dress, her almost square jacket, and her perfect bun, but what he had in front of him could not be her.
Haloed by the rays passing through the window, Steven was facing a completely different person. A lady of incredible and impeccable dignity, despite visible embarrassment, magnified by a long dress of bright icy blue and a braid like a cascade of gold that flowed over her unveiled shoulder. Steven didn't understand. He didn't try to understand. He could not and did not want to take his eyes off this new person whose shiny dress, like a sky filled with diamonds, sublimated a magnificent appearance with a cut revealing a long leg on an elegant high-heeled shoe. He didn't know where to look because everything made his gaze want to stop, but if he landed on her delicate fingers like sunbeams, he wouldn't be able to admire her sky-colored train or her smile. He would have liked to use all the good words in the world to describe her thin lips like rosebuds, and again for her eyes as deep as a pure and mysterious ocean. He would have liked, but his mind dressed in a stunned face only managed to pronounce one.
"Wow…"
The sublime apparition gave a crystalline chuckle that Steven recognized.
"I guess that means it's not too bad," the young woman laughed.
The young man could not accept the truth. He already knew it, but a part of him resisted. He stood up slowly, cautious as if his actions were going to shatter a fragile dream.
"Elsa?" he breathed. "Is it really you?"
This question, which she thought was a joke, made the princess roll her eyes to heaven and put her hands on her hips.
"Of course, it's me," she replied, smiling. "Did your weird music end up confusing your mind?"
Steven remained silent and enthralled. He approached the lady slowly to be sure of what he was seeing. As he did so, under the puzzled gaze of the princess, other incredible details were revealed. Her dress was studded with tiny crystals and her train with snowflake patterns. All her clothing was a treasure that enveloped a pale and perfect skin. Facing her and her confused look, the young man recognized those prominent cheekbones, that heart-shaped face and those long eyelashes black as night. How could her friend have changed so much?
"Elsa, you…" he stammered. "You are…"
The young woman did not understand his reaction, nor what he meant. This hesitation made her think he was trying not to hurt her.
"What? Is there something wrong with the dress?" she asked, panicked, examining herself from all angles. "Is it too bright? I knew it was too conspicuous. I should have done something more sober."
Shocked by this questioning, Steven interrupted her in one go, almost making her jump.
"No! You are…"
The young man in the black coat couldn't think anymore. His head was a tornado of hazy, relentless sensations. A single thought managed to form and become a coherent sentence.
"You are beautiful."
The young woman widened her eyes in turn. Her twirling embarrassment changed to a quieter form. She folded her hands and looked away, not knowing where to put it. Another laugh, cut off by surprise and a strange shyness, escaped her. She managed to glance at her friend out of the corner of her eye and declare.
"You exaggerate."
Steven didn't need to think anymore. The words leaped by themselves from deep inside him.
"I have never been surer of what I was thinking in my whole life."
Facing Steven's stunned gaze, the Snow Princess wanted to laugh again. However, she was prevented from doing so when she saw the spark in those eyes she knew well now, without believing it. Was it sincerity this time again? She asked him in a uncertain voice, but eager to know the answer.
"You really mean it?"
A slight crash broke the mood and made the young man jump, then disappear in the blink of an eye. Elsa's whole body tensed, and frost formed at her feet.
"Princess Elsa?" a voice asked from behind the bedroom door.
The young woman's heart leapt faster and faster. The maid Gerda stood nearby, and the ice continued to spill. Elsa threw herself like a hare on her gloves and put them on without delay. Her breathing slowed as the ice stopped advancing and she hid behind her screen.
"Princess?" Gerda began again. "Is everything alright? I thought I heard you talking to someone."
"It's okay," Elsa hastened to answer. "I was just thinking out loud while… I was changing."
Although surprised by this excuse, which she seemed to have heard more than once, Gerda contented herself with fulfilling her mission.
"Sorry to bother you. Your parents just asked me to tell you that they would like to see you in their office to talk about certain details."
"Very well. I will join them immediately. Thanks, Gerda."
"At your service," the maid said.
Elsa listened intently and only managed to breathe normally after the maid's footsteps disappeared in the distance. She understood, and was a little relieved, that Steven was gone so quickly. Better to be sure no one noticed and this time it wasn't far. She should have been more careful, but what had happened had completely monopolized her. Elsa thought to herself that she also should have felt a little guilty for letting herself go like this, but she only felt gratitude and joy. She was delighted to see that she could indeed use this spell. But more so, she was happy that her friend enjoyed what he had seen. She was thinking of the dress of course, she told herself, shaking her head. She would have fond memories of this moment,
The young woman would think about it later. She was expected for now. She had to resume her usual clothes and join her parents as soon as possible. Since the incident, they had arranged to get her out of her room when they were sure Anna was occupied. It wouldn't last long. As she took off her gloves, another memory struck her curious mind. Steven had been very enthusiastic earlier about a strange idea and she didn't quite understand why. As long as she was experimenting, and was sure she wouldn't be noticed, she figured it was worth trying to figure it out a little better. She glanced at the door one last time and listened. Nothing. She took a deep breath, raised her arm, and spoke.
"Moon Prism Power!"
A torrent of magic burst from her hand and covered her entirely before disappearing. Elsa examines herself and discovers that her beautiful icy dress had been replaced by her old clothes.
"Oh! It works…" she wondered, before burying her face in her hands. "But it's so embarrassing!"
Ever felt away with me
Just once that all I need
Entwined in finding you one day
As she sang in a weak voice, Anna finished a word. It was the third in five minutes. Her blue stone pentacle necklace swayed around her neck at a slow pace like the time passing here.
Ever felt away without me
My love, it lies so deep
Ever dream of me
She couldn't do it. Her parents had asked her to write a letter for the royal family they were going to meet. It was a mark of respect according to them. Anna had promised to finish it today, but she realized that she should have been a little more careful. Her quill spent more time spinning between her fingers to the rhythm of the songs she mumbled than scratching the paper. She couldn't find the words and her mind wandered endlessly to something more interesting, such as the music Steven had taught her.
The princess spent her long and dull days without her friend, dragging her feet from one end of the castle to the other, a chorus in her mouth. Her friend and mother had made it clear to her that people would not understand this kind of song with strange lyrics and brutal tone. Although saddened to have to hide this new passion, she understood that she should not be unnecessarily frightened the servants. She was then doing her best to not be spotted. Except that by dint of going around in circles in this cold and endless palace, she sometimes allowed herself to whisper the words. When Gerda or Kai caught her saying a line from a Blind Guardian song, she did her best to disappear like an innocent child before having to give any explanations. It had worked so far.
Even though her mother knew her esoteric passions, unlike her father, she felt that she did not really appreciate this. Whether it was the songs that Steven categorized in a genre called Metal or his incredible stories, the wonder and joy they brought her had only show her how monotonous her life was. Compared to the great epics of Bilbo or Tidus and Yuna, her walks in the castle seemed pretty ridiculous. She turned her head towards her bedroom window, beyond which stretched the rest of the universe. A squeal snapped her out of her reverie and caught her attention behind her. Without being more surprised than that, she discovered her source of amusement sitting on her bed.
"Steven!" she rejoices, leaping from her desk. "I'm so glad you are there."
"Hi, Anna." the young man said softly, his eyes turned to the floor.
Too happy to see it, the princess with the white strand continued to speak without slowing down.
"I couldn't take it anymore. You can't even imagine. This place is already quiet, but with all the work the others have because of this trip, it has become as gloomy as a giant spider den, without the fun of the adventure of course. "
"I suppose." pronounced the geek, without enthusiasm.
"So, I was less likely to get caught while singing, but now, despite all the love I have for Nightwish, I was starting to saturate. I must have recited all their songs at least three times. Hope you have something a little different in stock this time around."
"I suppose."
Anna noticed the repetition. Her enthusiasm waned as she realized how her friend looked. The young man was sitting on his bed, slumped as if he had an immense weight on his shoulders, with a troubled look. He seemed to be thinking, but without enthusiasm or annoyance.
"Are you okay?" the young girl worried.
The geek raised his head a little, but without turning it towards his interlocutor.
"I am not sure." he replied.
"What's wrong?" she asked, approaching him to put a hand on his shoulder. "Are you sick?"
The young man with the crazy strand did not react more. He seemed to think about her answer, unable to figure out which one to give. Each of his words was spaced out, as if they were the fruit of intense reflection that ended in nothing.
"Perhaps." he breathed. "I do not know."
Anna's concern grows even more. Ever since she had hurt Steven by talking about his family, she knew when something was bothering him. However, it was not the same this time. He didn't look sad, only thoughtful and lost, but his lack of enthusiasm didn't reassure her.
"Do you need a doctor?" she asked. "I know it's complicated, but I can ask for help if you need it."
"I don't think it's necessary."
"Steven, you haven't said anything incomprehensible since you arrived. And look: you don't even react when I tell you this."
Steven looked up helplessly at the fiery haired girl. He could see in her sad eyes how worried she was for him, but he didn't know what to say to her. He did not understand this bizarre floating in which bathed his whole being. He was also beginning to tire from thinking.
"Listen, Anna. I don't know what I have. I don't feel bad, but… it's hard to describe."
The young man was more and more weary. He felt all the softness of the mattress he was sitting on and its call was as soft as its fabric.
"Do you mind if I lie down a bit?" he inquired.
"Of course not." the young girl answered him without hesitation.
Steven moved with mechanical movements on the bed and rested his head on the pillow. He didn't bother to take off his sneakers, but his friend didn't point it out to him. Anna put his coat back on, as if to put on some semblance of a blanket. Her gaze slipped for a moment over the strange object that the huge black coat hid under the armpit of the young man. The young girl had noticed this metallic curiosity with the woody handle several times, but every time she asked Steven what it was, he had seemed embarrassed and had simply said that it was an object from his home, before quickly changing the subject. She hadn't insisted and wasn't planning to do so now. Anna put a hand on his forehead, without him reacting. He didn't have a fever. Then she took his pulse. It was normal. It should have relieved her, but it had the opposite effect. Unable to understand what was wrong with her friend, fear made her body tremble. The young girl asked him, with little hope.
"Do you need something?"
"No. I do not think so."
"Steven," Anna insisted, "if you don't tell me anything, I can't know how to help you."
"I promise I ignore what I have." continued the geek.
The princess sighed deeply. She didn't like seeing her friend like this and looked for a way to make him smile, or at least elicit a reaction. Kneeling by his side, she tried.
"Do you want me to tell you a story? Or that I sing you a lullaby?"
She managed to get Steven to react, but not in the way she imagined. The look he had slowly placed on her froze her as she could perceive, beyond the neutrality of his face, how much he thought she was laughing at him.
"Sorry," the princess said in shame. "I just want you to feel better. Besides, we had to listen to new songs. You told me about a band called Epica last time. I couldn't wait. Wouldn't you like us to listen to them together?"
The geek didn't answer. Anna looked down, saddened, which caused a change in the young man. He felt a bit guilty. He felt weird, but Anna didn't deserve to have her day ruined by his muddled mood. He had to do something for her. However, he didn't have the energy to tell her a story this time around. She loved his music. It gave him an idea he would never normally have had for dozens of different reasons, but his mind was too lethargic to object. His heart clouded and heavy, he reached into his pocket and handed the contents to his dumbfounded friend.
"Here. Take my MyPhone."
Anna froze in astonishment without saying a word, until she understood the meaning of his words and what the black rectangle and the white thread she had before her eyes were.
"Are you sure?" she wondered. "But… You never let me take your device. You are always afraid that I will break it."
It was not wrong. Anna's curiosity and boundless energy had more than once jeopardized the structural integrity of his cellphone. But it was mostly because he didn't want her to come across things that she wouldn't understand and would complicate things. There were hundreds of songs and thousands of images of all kinds in his smartphone after all. If she had run into a Jedi or the Doom Slayer, he had no idea how he would have explained to her what she had seen. So, he had taken care to keep control of the device to choose what he would show her. Except that now, all the energy in his brain's security division was being monopolized trying to figure out what was bothering him.
"You're a big girl," he declared without energy. "I trust you."
The princess carefully took the black object and its cable from the geek's hands. Now that he had done what he could to distract his friend, his mind relaxed and plunged even more into the whirlwind of his sensations. In search of the origin of the chaos that made his heart fly, tangled his stomach and clouded his head, nothing mattered. The ceiling he began to stare at wasn't even quite there. His body goes numb under the invasion of new vibrations that roamed his body. His mind reduced its reactions to thoughtless automatisms.
"Uh…" hesitated the princess with the white strand, the object in hand and the headphones in her ears. "How does it work?"
"The button above to turn on and off. The password is zero, five, one, nine, nine, one. The green gauge, at the top right, is the battery. When empty, the device turns off. For music, press the note at the bottom right. You can search by song or artist name; it's all sorted alphabetically and there's a back button to return to the previous menu. The triangle is to start music. Twin bars, to pause. Double triangles are used to go to the next song or go back to the previous one. The bar with a circle and the two buttons on the sides, it is to increase or decrease the volume."
His explanations finished; Steven became a limp statue again. Anna also remained frozen in place, but tense like a thread. She didn't know how to react to this avalanche of information that she hadn't understood anything about. The young girl tried despite everything to put a little order in her head by turning her eyes towards the black rectangle she had in hand. She had seen her friend use it a lot and so had a vague idea of what he was referring to when talking about buttons, but it ended there.
Anna quickly spotted the small bump on the side. She brushed against it cautiously. Without reaction, she allowed herself to press it. The black glass surface lit up. She was already expecting it, but now she was in new territory. The figures that appeared intrigued her and she quickly made the link with this famous password that Steven had spoken of. She reminded herself that she had to touch the magic glass to cause something to happen and gently hit zero. She was almost surprised when she saw this number appear above the others. She apprehensively completed the series of numbers given to her.
Once done, Anna's eyes widened when the incredible surface revealed a series of squares with strange designs. She recognized gears on one, or one book on another, but the others were so indescribable that she couldn't guess what they were supposed to represent. Examining it all carefully, she spotted the famous gauge Steven had spoken of, a sort of imperfect rectangle, with one distorted side, filled with green. So, she had to be careful that it wasn't empty, whatever that meant.
Finally, she found the famous musical note that was supposed to be the key to the music that her friend had presented to her. She glanced at him one last time, as if to make sure she had the right to access it, but he was still completely apathic. Worried about him, but quite powerless, she resigned herself to attempting what he had allowed her to do. Pressing on the musical note, the magic window revealed a long list of words. Like Steven, carried away by curiosity, she slid her finger to scroll it. Every second, she discovered new groups of words, each more esoteric than the next, which began to drown her under the incomprehensible. What were these terms of Accept, Adrenaline Mob and Arch Enemy? Or those saying Age of Empires and Attack on Titan? And why were there always the letters OST behind?
As she was about to call out to Steven, lost in this ocean of strangeness, her gaze stopped on a familiar term: Avantasia. She recognized that name. His friend had made her listen to a lot of their songs. These were band names? Even those with OST? She wasn't sure, but at least she had the beginnings of an explanation to cling to. She pressed the name she had recognized, and the glass displayed a new list, the contents of which were much more familiar to her. She knew well 'Let the storm descend upon you' and 'Moonglow'. So it were the songs of the group, as Steven had more or less explained to her. It was then that the immensity of what she had in front of her jumped out at her as she pressed the word 'Back'.
Steven had given her permission to listen to whatever she wanted. And no matter how many times she slipped her finger, the list of group names continued. How many had she saw? Fifty? One hundred? She could not count them anymore. As the number of potential songs increased, Anna's excitement and smile grew. She felt like she was a child again and was left in the middle of a candy store where everything was free. Her exhilaration did not stop, and even heated up even more with curiosity, upon discovering even more curious names such as Disturbed, In Flames or Helloween. She knew of Halloween, but what could this group correspond to? What kind of music were they playing? How many songs of them were there?
Overwhelmed to the point of being blocked, pulled everywhere as if by a thousand murmurs coming from so many directions, Anna did not know what to do. So many possibilities made her dizzy and have a blissful smile. She needed someone to guide her through this musical forest. She shook her friend's shoulder vigorously.
"Steven! It's awesome! You didn't tell me you had so much music with you. I don't even know where to start. What do you suggest "
Despite the energy with which Anna had stirred him, Steven remained limp. He sighed and answered automatically.
"Whatever you want. I discovered Metal with Metallica and Iron Maiden. Didn't you talked about Epica earlier?"
Anna could see he was elsewhere. She was pained by his condition, but she really didn't see what to do to help him. She turned to the MyPhone again, as Steven called it, and searched the list for the names he had given her. She started by testing Epica and understood why her friend had told her about them. The guttural cries surprised her, but the female singer had a magnificent voice that carried Anna's spirit into an epic and melodious dimension that was not so far from the other bands he had made her hear.
Thus, for an hour which passed very quickly, the princess let herself be carried away by the refrains and agreement of this group which made her want to dance and run in her room. Fire was running through her veins. Her heart was beating to the beat of the drums. Her feet and arms could not stay without moving for a single moment. She found it hard to stop herself, but she had to remain discreet, preventing anyone from discovering her secret universe made of shock and screams arranged in an incredible melody. No one could understand. Her mother had told her quite often. It was getting harder and harder, but she forced herself to obey. Although it was difficult while listening to Edge of the Blade.
She stopped, however, when her gaze discovered something unsettling, or rather the absence of something. Her bed was empty. Anna turned off the MyPhone in a second and looked around. Steven was no longer there. It wasn't so surprising after all these years. She was still disappointed with his departure.
"Oh…" she grumbled. "We didn't even choose a new story for next time."
Adrenaline slipping, she remembered how listless he was and felt a little ashamed about his dizziness.
"I hope he's going to be okay," she sighed. "He really didn't look fine. He even forgot his device."
The last sentence she said froze her mind. Her eyes widened as she realized that the MyPhone was in her hands, headphones in her ears and Steven was gone. The combination of these three facts caused an explosion.
"He forgot his device?!"
Anna whirled around to make sure he was gone. Then she froze and pinched her cheek to make sure she wasn't dreaming. Steven had not returned in the second either. She was still alone in her room.
"By Akatosh… He was really sick actually." she concludes.
The princess did not know what to do anymore. She was now alone with an unknown device and an infinity of music. She only dreamed of listening to them. Absolutely all of them. However, she remembered, when footsteps in the hallway brought her back down to earth, that she was not alone in the castle and that she had a letter to write. The steps moved away without slowing down. She breathed more calmly but hurried to hide the magic object and its white cable under her pillow. She then threw herself towards her desk and quickly resumed writing the mail she had promised her parents. The sooner she finished this message, the sooner she could put those headphones back on and dive back into the musical feast that awaited her. She would return the item to Steven as soon as he returned, but she did not know when it would be and she was determined to take advantage of this treasure every second that it was possible for her to do so. There was so much to discover. He had spoken of a band called Metallica it seemed. And then, what would she try out? Soilwork? Judas Priest? Amon Amarth?
Thor! Odin's son...
A pickax strike in the middle of a frozen lake.
Protector of mankind
Another pickax strike in the middle of the snow-capped mountains.
Ride to meet your fate
The collector grabbed a pair of pliers, as Sven shook his head.
Your destiny awaits
As he mumbled his song and pulled an ice cube out of the water, Kristoff and his reindeer friend heard a stunned scream behind their backs. Turning back to their cart, the two smiled, no more surprised than usual. It wasn't the first time Steven had appeared without saying on a large block they were carrying. It had almost become a habit to see him arrive on a frozen perch. Kristoff had even amused himself by declaring that he ended up believing that he only took such a mass of ice to be able to make him appear. To which Steven, of course, had replied that he should prepare some magical protections to not inadvertently summon a great old one. To make up for the confusion, at least Kristoff could laugh when he saw his friend slide on the block or fall.
"I know it's not very nice," the collector sneered, "but coming up like this every time doesn't make it less ridiculous."
The geek in the black coat, seated with a confused face, then mechanically turned his head towards the collector below. When he understood where he was and with whom, Steven turned his face back to neutrality.
"Hi, Kristoff. Hi, Sven."
"No need for so much enthusiasm," the collector quipped.
Kristoff placed his new cube on a pile he had spent the morning preparing, while Sven brought his big muzzle closer to the geek sitting high up in the hope of getting a caress. His disappointment was great when the stranger with the strange chains remained unmoved, as if he was not there.
"One day you'll really have to explain how you do this," the collector insisted. "I've seen Grand Pabbie do magic before, but you, that's something."
Despite all the time spent together, Kristoff still hadn't learn how Steven managed to appear and disappear in the blink of an eye. Every time he asked the geek for information, he told him he had no idea how or why. Kristoff didn't think he was lying, but his ignorance frustrated him a lot. Still, it didn't change the good time they were having together.
Not a day went by that he didn't have at least one of these brutal songs in mind. Kristoff kept it all to himself, however, so as not to attract concern from trolls or distrust from other humans. It wasn't like he had many people around him. Aside from Sven and a few trolls, his life was pretty lonely. He wasn't complaining, but he easily admitted that, despite all their differences, spending time with this stranger with incomprehensible words was enjoyable. Chatting with him about collecting ice, music or having fun for a few minutes helped him pass the time. Sven apparently liked him too, especially his caresses. Kristoff had explained to him that he should not spoiled him too much, but Steven had replied: "What tells you I'm doing this for him? Maybe I'm doing this for myself, because I love to stroke soft furs, and he happens to like it. What do you think Sven? It's a good deal for both of us, right?" To which the reindeer had responded with a firm nod of the head and resulted in Kristoff giving up, but with a broad.
The tall blond still remembered the day when Steven wanted to help him with his work. Not only had it taken a very embarrassing moment for him to manage to lift the pickaxe, but the result could not even have served as an ice cube for a cocktail. In addition, the collector was still wondering how it was physically possible not to manage to move ice on ice. However, they had laughed afterwards. Steven had even thanked him for allowing him to try. Even when he was grumpy, the geek found a way to spend most of the time together smiling.
However, this time, something was wrong. As he finished tying up the little ice cubes, Sven slapped his arm and nodded his head to their friend. The geek, sitting at the top of the ice cube, seemed elsewhere, looking sad. Kristoff realized he hadn't said a word since his greetings. He shared the puzzled look of the reindeer and called out to the perched geek.
"Hey! Are you okay?"
The geek didn't move his head. He just answered in a monotonous voice.
"Yeah Yeah. Everything is fine."
The tall blond remembered the day he found his friend curled up at the foot of a tree, his jacket covered in snow and his eyes swollen. Steven had always denied having a problem. Kristoff hadn't insisted and had always regretted it a little. This funny guy was often weird, even disturbing when people said bad things about those stories and band he loved, but he was his friend. The last time he had arrived after the crisis it seemed to him. Now that he was there in a difficult time for him, he did not want to let him down.
"Steven, I've known you for years. Even without that anyone would see that it is wrong."
The geek turned his blank gaze to the collector below. He saw the concern in her gaze, and in that of the reindeer who loved his caresses so much. He couldn't ignore them like that.
"I don't… feel bad," he informed.
"I guess that's a start," Kristoff muttered. "But that does mean there is not something bothering you. Don't you want to tell me about it?"
Steven had spent a long time thinking about what was troubling him, without finding the slightest answer. He was going around in circles in his head, going through all the files in his memory in search of a beginning of explanation. Perhaps an outside opinion would add a relevant piece of information.
"It is difficult to explain. I don't feel bad as I told you. I almost want to say I'm okay, actually, but I feel weird. It is as if my interior is floating. My heart seems to be suffocating, but without hurting. I find it hard to think. It's as if it didn't matter anymore since… nothing was worth thinking about except… "
"Except for what?"
"Except for an image. An image and what is associated with it. Its colors, its sounds, the sensations it arouses. Suddenly, my head is almost empty while my body is filled with bizarre sensations. My mind tries to figure out why but has no answer. It ends up even more confused and I continue to bathe in this… Why are you laughing?"
The collector, under the intrigued looks of his two friends, tried as best as he could to stifle a sneer with his big hand with a thick fur glove.
"Let me guess," he said between laughs, "that image is of a particular person."
"Yeah. How do you know?"
"I had the same thing when I was young. Obviously not as strong, but it was the same."
"So I am indeed sick?"
"Not at all, Steven." Kristoff tried to answer, before taking a deep breath to calm down. "You are just in love."
Only the sound of the wind was heard. The geek was staring at the collector like a gargoyle. The collector and his reindeer did the same. The silence that had imposed itself disturbed Kristoff more and more while the geek remained motionless. Finally, a sound escaped Steven, then another, and finally a laugh. A laugh that grew louder and louder until it invaded the whole valley as he held his ribs and collapsed on his icy perch, under the gaze of Kristoff and Sven.
For several minutes, unable to know how to react, the two ice collectors watched the geek laugh like crazy. Finally, short of breath after emptying his lungs, Steven calmed down and found breathing normal as best he could, before turning amusedly to his friends.
"Thank you. I hadn't laughed so much since Nichijou."
"Well, you seem back to normal, at least." Kristoff sighed. "Except, I wasn't kidding."
"Stop, I'll suffocate if you continue."
"Steven!" insisted with a seriousness that cut the amused look of the geek. "This is not a joke. What you are describing to me is being in love."
The geek stared the collector in the eye and saw how serious he was. He stood still for a moment, blinking stupidly, before declaring relentlessly.
"It's impossible."
"Of course, it is possible."
"No, it isn't. And then, how would you know?"
"When I was twelve, I fell in love with a girl in town. It quickly passed, but I still remember how troubled I felt and how disturbing Bulda was with her explanations. It looked like I had found the woman of my life and that we were going to prepare for the wedding. But why do you think this would be impossible?"
"Because I took an oath in front of a statue of Lara Croft to never to fall in love with a real woman. I even renewed my vow in front of Lady Maria in the Astral Clocktower."
"Excuse me?" Kristoff asked, even more confused than usual. "What are you talking about? You're kidding, I hope."
"You want to bet?"
Kristoff didn't have to think about it.
"No, I believe you. But why would you do such a thing? "
"It was the most reasonable thing to do."
"In what way?"
Steven was silent for a moment, staring at Kristoff with a serious look that worried the collector and Sven.
"Did you know this girl well?" asked the geek.
"Not really," Kristoff admitted. "We just talked a little bit, but I never told her. With time, I moved on."
"You were luckier than many."
This cold response surprised the collector. The geek was also surprised to have spoken so frankly. He began to think and locked himself in his thoughts again. Kristoff, who had a vague idea of what was behind that sentence, did not want to end this conversation. He couldn't end this subject so uncertainly and brutally.
"You have been in love too?" he asked cautiously.
Steven remained immersed in his thoughts. As silent as the block of ice he was standing on. He didn't want to answer. Except that a part of himself, which was driven by the trust he placed in this tall icebreaker.
"Yeah." he confessed. "More than once, actually."
The annoyance Kristoff had felt earlier had completely melted away.
"It didn't go well. Isn't it?" he supposed.
"In a nutshell? The first one told me that she didn't want a loser like me to approach her. The second told me that I didn't interest her at all. The last one…"
Steven's reluctance brought a dark veil over his face that saddened the reindeer and Kristoff in advance.
"The last one told me that she wanted us to meet somewhere. I waited for hours. She didn't come and the next day I found out that she was making fun of me and all her friends were laughing with her. It was apparently funny that I thought she would be interested in a guy like me."
"Seriously?" Kristoff wondered. "But… that's just cruel."
The geek's silence was enough to make it clear that he approved, but that didn't change anything. He let out a deep sigh that testified of his immense exhaustion.
"Through time," he added, "I took a good look at the people around me. It's not just women. If someone can feel good by hurting you, they will. If you don't have something that interests them or you aren't exactly how they wants, they will reject you. People are superficial, self-interested and hypocritical. You can believe me. So being in love, opening your heart to someone like that, is literally suicide."
Kristoff and Sven exchanged a troubled look. Steven's voice was as heavy as the thoughts arching his back.
"But, Steven," the tall blond tempted, "not everyone is like that."
"I know, Kristoff. But I can't be sure the person in front of me isn't like that deep down. If I'm wrong, it will hurt a lot again. I… I'm tired of people not appreciating me because I'm not like they want."
"We appreciate you as you are."
Steven jumped up and turned his surprised eyes to Kristoff and Sven, who were staring sadly at him, but accompanied by a slight smile.
"You're the strangest guy we've ever met." confessed the tall blond. "You make references that nobody understands. Listen to music that would scare everyone. Your clothes are nothing normal. You often get angry over nothing. You don't mince your words. You have the strength of a mollusk and on top of that you are incredibly lazy. We all know that."
Steven arched an eyebrow, while Kristoff added.
"But that doesn't change the fact that you accepted us without the slightest hesitation. You come to talk to us and have fun with us. You tell us some very cool stories. You have always been perfectly honest with us and, above all, you have always respected us. I may not be a social relation specialist, but I think this is the most important. "
Steven's eyes widened. He wasn't quite sure abouit the 'honest' part, as he never told them about the multiverse, but he didn't disagree with the rest.
"Sincerely, Steven," the collector asked kindly, "do you think Sven and I are hypocritical and superficial?"
The geek felt bad. He rubbed the back of his neck in embarrassment, unable to meet their gaze. He owed them an answer. They found him to be honest and he wanted to be worthy of that adjective at least once.
"I do not think so."
"And can you tell me that you haven't met anyone else who isn't?"
The memories jostled in the mind of the young man with the chains. He thought of a certain gang of crazy ninja who had been around him quite a bit for a few years. He thought about Anna and Elsa. He had always viewed them as people primarily interested in the distractions he brought. But what if it was more than that? He realized the attention Anna had shown him believing he was sick. He remembered how friendly Elsa had remained despite her many blunders. Out of the corner of his eye he spotted the hand Kristoff was holding out to him from the floor.
"Come on! Get down a bit from there." Kristoff laughed softly. "It's not going to kill you."
Steven hesitated. He gently raised his hand. He took a deep breath and grabbed Kristoff's before going downstairs. Hitting the frozen ground, his feet slipped but the collector caught up to him and helped him stand. He met the amused gaze of the collector who asked him one last question.
"What about the girl who put you in this state? Is she like the others?"
Steven turned into a statue as his memory worked at full speed. He only remembered the last few months spent with the Princesses of Arendelle, but he felt nothing but joy as he thought back to the time spent with them. And even more with Elsa. She was not superficial. Interested? He didn't feel like it. And hypocrite, he was sure not. She was shy at times, but she had always spoken frankly to him. She had made the effort to take an interest in what he was saying, even when it must not have made the slightest sense to her. And always after having told her that she did not understand everything.
"No," Steven replied. "She is awesome."
"Then you need to tell her how you feel," Kristoff decreed, with Sven's support.
"But…" the geek hesitated. "What if I was wrong or she doesn't feel anything for me."
"No need to think that far. Just be honest with her. After that, we'll talk about it together. Okay?"
Steven froze in bewilderment. Kristoff seemed so confident he didn't know what to say to her. Sven stroked her arm cheerfully. Confused, Steven stroked her head. He was very scared. Elsa, he realized, was an incredible woman. She seemed out of his league But Kristoff had faith in his ability to tell her how he felt. He had to do it, at least to thank him.
"Kristoff?" Steven breathed.
"Yeah?"
The geek gasped which he held back as best he could. He cleared his throat to hide it and try to say what he had in mind.
"You are one of the best friends anyone can imagine having."
The tall blond chuckled before answering.
"Thank you. You are not too bad too. "
They both laughed, as did Sven. But as Steven was about to add something, he felt a very familiar dizziness.
"Oh, damn…" he mumbled before disappearing, under the astonished looks of his friends.
The reindeer and the collector glanced around to be sure, but they already knew that Steven was no longer there. They hoped he would be okay and come back soon. And another thing Kristoff cried, his voice exploding in frustration.
"He really has to explain to me how he does that!"
References:
The Lord of the Rings, The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim, Stardust, Final Fantasy IX, Dark Souls, Avengers, Batman, Final Fantasy IX, Baldur's Gate, My Little Pony, Dota 2, Mortal Kombat, Sakura Card Captors, Shugo Chara, Mermaid Melody Pitchi Pitchi Pitch, One Piece, Bioshock, The Hobbit, Final Fantasy X, Dungeons & Dragons, Star Wars, Doom, Age of Empires, Attack on Titan, The Elder Scrolls, Cthulhu Mythos, Nichijou, Tomb Raider, Bloodborne
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