I would just like to say "Thank You" to all who had responded to my notes and sent me those messages. The turnout was surprisingly large, bringing me nothing less than great cheer.

Regarding the prompts, an FMA AU is pretty close to being official, although I won't say anything about it until after I'm done with this story (which will likely not finish until close to the end of the year; prepare yourself for commitment).

And about that Elsanna fic... surprisingly, only one of the people who contacted me had any interest in the pairing whatsoever, which is hilariously bizarre considering that this ship possesses the most romantic fics under its belt in FanFiction Net. I guess this just marks the difference between... I don't know, something. I might take up the prompt anyway though, if only because some tropes are in severe need of a roasting. No one here has to read it of course, but I don't mind sharing a synopsis if asked.

So anyway, I think I've held you guys off from this UNEDITED chapter long enough. I hope you will find this fun to read anyway.

Chapter 20

You're Not Safe Here

High above the emerald walls
The gale that goes a'soaring
Its fury knows no mercy
And its chords are always roaring!

So trek your way through tales untold
Void the dangers that unfold
Wall your iron soul from cold...

Brace against the din!
The roaring gale begins!

- Second Variation of a Work Song

"Vandals! Rascals! Interferers of the peace! I'll get back at you for what you have done to my property, you low-laying flea-bitten miscreant mongrels!"

"For the last time, what the heck are you talking about, you crazy old coot!?" Anna shouted behind her, her red pigtails bouncing back and forth as she and her partner dashed over the old wood of Arendelle's harbor. A haggard-looking man stormed at their backs, flailing an entire and rather depressed-looking cod high above his head while venting colorful obscenities and accusations of mischief at the two.

"Man, what does this guy have against us?" Kristoff yelled, vaulting over an open supply cargo full of herring.

"I don't know! All I did was ask if he'd seen a woman walking around in a blue traveling cloak! You know, like how that blacksmith described her!" Anna answered back. "And then, he pulled out that giant fish and swung at me!"

Just as she finished her sentence, the Princess's blue eyes widened at a wooden bucket sailing straight for her head. Ducking to avoid a concussion, she proceeded to give the frenzied fisherman a rude look. "Maybe he just doesn't like people stepping on his boat!"

"Has it ever occurred to you that maybe, just maybe, most of these sailors are insane?" Kristoff responded; even as he gasped for breath, his voice managed to sound incredibly dry. "This was no better than when we met that big sweaty guy a couple hours ago, the one who wouldn't put on a shirt! That hug was completely uncalled for- Anna, look out!"

The redhead flicked her eyes to the back once more, and choked as an entire barrel flew towards them with alarming speed, almost guaranteed to hit the two if no further actions were taken. Kristoff tried to make a move first, by slowing his feet down and spreading his arms wide so he could block it from hitting his girlfriend.

Before the young man could act though, Anna drew upon a vastly different solution; spotting an old broom propped against a stone wall, she grasped its shaft and swung around on her heels in a circular, smooth motion. Grinning as she felt the stick kick back within her fingers, the Princess fully expected the barrel to be swatted away like an ineffectual housefly. This should have been a given, since barrels are supposed to be built solid lest the maker risked going out of business.

Unfortunately for Anna, the barrel inexplicably behaved less like a sturdy wooden container, and more like a fruit that has ripened in the sun for too long; the thing burst upon contact, spilling its contents everywhere and pummeling the Princess with fish, some sort of gruesome fish byproduct, and stale sea water. Completely stunned, all that the poor gunge-covered girl could do was stand still and blink confusedly.

A spiteful voice rang in the distance, yelling, "And don't you dare try stepping back on my boat again, you rats!"

Kristoff clenched his jaw in seething anger, clearly spelling murder in his brown eyes as he glared at the vindictive fisherman. Balling his hands into large fists, the mountain man began to march forwards with deliberate and heavy steps. Being such a heavily-built person, he emanated quite a presence that managed to disturb the tranquility of the entire harbor almost like heat, tangible even from a distance; the fisherman shuddered in dread anticipation, dropped the cod, and then turned tail to flee before his peace could be further disturbed by a fist to the face.

The mountain man snorted through his nostrils in fury and determination, but just as he was about to break into a run and give chase, a lithe hand gripped him tightly by the shoulder. "Aw come on, look at what that guy just did to you, Anna!" Kristoff protested, turning his head to confront her. Of course, this brought the unintentional side effect of not watching where he stepped; slipping on an errant piece of raw fish, the young man felt his feet give way from beneath him and collapsed to a heap. Not helping matters at all was the fact that Anna still held tightly onto him, so she was roped along for the tumble until both flopped to the floor.

"Oh no... are you alright, Kristoff?" Anna earnestly asked, lying on top of her groaning boyfriend.

At first, Kristoff merely stared upwards at the sky in a daze, seemingly knocked out cold with his eyes open. Then, his large nose twitched, and he gasped and squirmed in panic, pulling an extremely sour and tortured face until finally letting out a resigned sigh. "Okay, please don't be mad Anna... but you smell absolutely disgusting. Seriously, it's almost as bad as Sven's worst musk during summertime."

This remark only sent the Princess in a fit of uncontrollable giggles; now that the adrenaline and excitement from her tense flight had nowhere else to go, they went straight into her head to host a celebration, rendering her joyously delirious. "To be honest, I'm not too bothered by the smell at all!" she laughed, hugging herself closer to Kristoff's chest.

"Seriously?"

"Of course! I've pretty much gotten used to stuff like this ever since we've been together!"

The young man blushed furiously from such an honest comment, resisting the urge to sniff at his own clothes just to make sure they weren't especially pungent. But, even he couldn't help but feel amused as he rubbed a giggling lady's red hair with his knuckles. "What am I going to do with you, you crazy little Princess..." he muttered, wrapping his strong arms around her tightly. Anna replied back by pinching his nose, perfectly content with resting on top of him for the rest of the day. Moments ticked by as they remained in their positions, enjoying each other's company as the bells of ships sang sonorous songs up above, and as the waters slapped rhythmically against the fjord in the background.

"...Um, Anna?"

"Yeah Kristoff?"

"This is really nice and all, but I think we've been lying on the ground for long enough. We're running on limited time, and more importantly... people are beginning to stare."

Anna's cheeks flushed with blood, and she quickly rose with a rushed apology. Dusting her green summer dress clean with a lopsided smile, she wrinkled her nose a little. "Whew... even I'm beginning to feel the smell getting into my head." the Princess noted.

"Here." Kristofff said, offering her a piece of fabric tucked away in his pocket. "It's not exactly a hot water bath and soap but…" He turned his head around to investigate his surroundings and the cloudy sky, nodding curtly in approval. "Olaf told us that he would meet us by the docks around this time before heading back to the castle, with or without Elsa on hand."

Anna patted herself dry without saying a word. Kristoff cringed for his lack of tact, and tried leveling the situation out with a quick amendment: "Hey, knowing our luck, your sister might have already returned home by now, just waiting for us to finally catch up! It'll be just like the last time she… um, ran off on her own... and disappeared..." The young man slapped himself in the forehead, and lowered his head in apologetic shame for his second screw-up. "Sorry, Anna."

The Princess wringed the cloth dry of sea water before reapplying it to herself, but not before comforting the ice harvester with a gentle pat on the shoulder. "It's alright Kristoff, that sort of business is totally past us now! Feel free to refer to it any way that you would like!" Peering through the distance where a street would eventually lead into the Palace, she smiled. "You know what, I think I see Olaf right now! He looks cheerful enough, so I bet you that he has some great news to tell!"

"I have to agree with you on all points there." Kristoff noted, grinning as well when he saw the little white bouncing figure waving vigorously in the distance without a care in the world. However, the smile faded a shade or two as he witnessed the next action the snowman took. "...And he just ran off. Come on, let's follow him before we can attract any more trouble than we already had."

Perhaps thankfully for everyone involved, the trip following Olaf wasn't anywhere near as eventful as the five minutes preceding it. Through a light afternoon fog that floated lazily in the air, Anna and Kristoff followed the snowman all the way to the entrance of the towering castle gates, where he waited for them... while standing next to a stranger sitting quietly on a bench. For a moment, she reminded Anna of an old woman, a frail, hunched figure who held tightly onto her blue traveling cloak to shield from the cold, especially with the bleached bangs that still retained some raven color in odd places. That was at least, until Olaf tugged at the woman's dress to get her to look up: Although her finer details were a little difficult to discern in the blurred distance, the lady couldn't be much older than Anna herself.

The said stranger stood up with a peculiar look in her eyes, and initially stepped forward with slow, serene steps. Both Anna and Kristoff smiled politely in response, understanding that Olaf probably found yet another informant with a story or two to share.

However, the stranger's steps gradually increased in pace and frequency until she was nearly running at full speed, and then she rammed into the Princess like a cannonball, sending the redhead staggering backwards with the additional weight and force. "Anna…" the lady moaned, nearly choking the astonished girl within her arms. "A-Anna..."

"Whoa there! Are you alright, Miss?" Anna asked in bewilderment.

The lady stiffened, and she pushed herself away to stare at Anna with startlingly blue eyes, eyes that were suspiciously growing wet. "You mean... y-you don't..." she stammered.

Anna's eyebrows shot high upwards; perhaps her hair was messily dyed black, perhaps this was yet another moment in which she looked absolutely different from the last time she saw her, perhaps she was wearing clothes that she has never worn before in all of Anna's life...

...But she couldn't forget the face and voice of her very own elder sister. "E-Elsa!?"

Hearing her name again by one of her most cherished was just too much for the disguised Queen: Elsa completely broke down, tackling her baby sister again and rapidly kissing all over her face in complete joy.

"Eugh, gross! Blech!" Anna squealed in protest, although she couldn't resist the urge to laugh as the platinum-blonde tickled her with even more kisses. "Elsa, I'm happy to see you too, but what is going on?"

At first, the jubilant Queen was too busy drinking in Anna's happy presence to reply, continuing to shower her sister with affection for a few more seconds... and then something peculiar began to reach Elsa senses. She remained standing within Anna's proximity for few moments, cocking her head to a side in confusion… and then the lady's entire face puckered in horror. She retreated, putting as much distance between her and Anna while pinching her nose. "Anna, you reek! What on Earth did you get yourself into!?"

"Fish." Kristoff stated matter-of-factly, choosing to join in on the conversation. "I was wondering when you'd finally notice the smell yourself."

"Kristoff!" Elsa cried. She tackled the mountain man in the same manner as she did with Anna, and planted a big kiss on each of his cheeks. Much to Anna's amusement, the platinum-blonde said absolutely nothing about Kristoff's usual body odor.

"So... the Princess began, brushing a strand of red hair behind her ear as Elsa turned back to her. "Where were you all this time? When we finished and returned to the castle to see you, you were nowhere to be found! In fact, Gerda told us that you left home no later than we did!"

The happiness on Elsa's face abetted, and she dipped her chin shyly as she laid her hands over each other. "Um… all this time, I genuinely wanted to go out with you guys, I really did! I just couldn't do it without feeling so nervous about being around people." She gave her family a guilty, awkward smile, and tugged at the stitching of her borrowed vest. "I still wanted to help out, so when Helge suggested an idea… in the end, I guess I took it a little too far, didn't I?"

"More like you decided to take Helge's suggestion, and ran full-throttle with it." Kristoff snorted. "Still, this must have been a very interesting experience for you, wasn't it?"

"Yeah! I want to hear everything that you got to try out in disguise! You look so different now!" Anna exclaimed excitedly. "I mean, it's a pretty good-different, but how many new people did you get to meet? Where did you go? Did you get to walk from one end of Arendelle to the next?-"

"Anna."

"-Did you get to play pranks? Did you try performing in the middle of Arendelle Square to see how much money you can earn? How many chocolates would you have bought-"

"Anna!" Elsa interrupted, silencing the excited redhead with a clap of her hands. "I know this is exciting and all, and admittedly I really, really want to tell you what I did... but we still have job to do." Blinking a little, she wiped at her blue eyes with her knuckles before giving a weak hiccup. "...I'm sorry about that, guys. I'm just really, really happy to see all of you again..."

"Ah, don't worry about that, Elsa!" Olaf chirped from below. "If I had any tear ducts, I'm pretty sure I would be the first to cry! At least, that's how it works, I think... Wait, do I need a pair of real eyeballs?" The little snowman shook his head. "Nevermind. So, what are we going to do now?"

Elsa nodded in acknowledgement. "We leave town immediately. You guys are aware of our destination, right? It's the Th-"

"Thulite Path, yep!" Anna finished. "It's not too far from here, but that means the monster could get scarily close to the kingdom. Nothing we can't handle, though!"

Elsa stared at everyone without saying a word, and then abruptly slumped over in dejected disappointment. "All of this work... and you already found out for yourselves without help…" she moaned.

While the reaction was comically melodramatic, a slight twinge of embarrassment plucked at the younger sister's heartstrings, so she tried making amends by approaching the platinum-blonde and patting her on the shoulder with a soft hand. "Elsa, what you've done must have been incredible enough as it is, and I'm proud of you for helping out. Come on, let's go-..."

Something lodged itself in Anna's throat as she spoke, canceling out whatever she was about to say next. Her blue eyes peeked over Elsa's shoulder, where she saw the great Palace Gate doors being slowly pushed open by an entire squadron of soldiers, fully equipped with spears on hand and musket rifles strapped to their backs, the blades of their tips and bayonets gleaming even in the dull lighting. Leading the group was Captain Arvid, who stood out from his subordinates by a strip of yellow trim running down his darkly teal military jacket. Each and every one of them wore a grim expression that could only spell trouble.

Anna's blue eyes followed them as the squad marched down the street, and slipped out of sight around the corner. "Did… did anyone just see that?"

The others didn't say anything, although all but Olaf had their faces painted with concern. Finally, Elsa tucked in the bottom of her lips, and pointed a finger to where the soldiers vanished. "I think they were heading for that part of town, westward. Do you think we should check it out?"

The ice harvester crossed his arms, and grunted, "What about the Spøkelse? We've been delayed for long enough as it is."

"Don't worry about that, Kristoff. I've already made arrangements to have a carriage and supplies ready for Sven." Elsa explained. "Once we're done figuring out whatever is happening, we can make a swift exit."

Kristoff blinked at cloaked lady, and eventually relented with a shrug of his shoulders. "Fair enough." he conceded. "Come on then, I'm wondering what's deal with these military guys too..."

As the company briskly walked through the streets, Anna couldn't help but feel on edge, like something was silently grinding against her teeth and making her hairs stand on end. It raised the bumps on her skin, made the air feel chillier and more ominous than it already was. She looked from one side of the road to the next, still feeling the uneasiness taint her conscious like repugnant mold. That was when it suddenly struck Anna; the town was entirely bare of its own townspeople. Not even the homes were occupied or lit. There was still an ambiance of chatter that can be heard in the distance, but that only made Arendelle one step closer to being a ghost town. Where were they? Where did they go?

The answer laid at the western edge of town, where the source of background noise came from; what looked like the entire population of the city gathered around, clamoring to have a look at the other side of the crowd. Kristoff overlooked all of the excitement with an exasperated sigh, and hoisted Olaf up on his shoulders. Then, he glanced at the two sisters, and flicked his chin towards the crowd. "Follow me."

With Anna hanging onto Kristoff by his shirt, and Elsa in turn gripping on the back of Anna's dress, the company was able to trudge through to the very front, jostling others aside and slipping through cracks until they reached a clearing that opened to the Arendelle woods. There, a horrible sight came to greet them: Escorted by soldiers were ragged-looking people, all of their clothes and what little possessions they carried in tatters. Mothers held onto crying babies coated in ash, and children had sinister cuts on their knees and elbows that oozed faint trickles of dark blood. Some people were carried on stretchers, looking badly battered and bruised all over. Others walked on crudely bandaged limbs, which only exacerbated the pain in their faces and the lifelessness in their eyes. They looked more like refugees of some cataclysmic battlefield, a vicious war waged without anyone's knowledge.

Next to Anna, Elsa lifted a hand up to her mouth to stifle a horrified gasp. "They… aren't they one of Arendelle's rural villages? It looks like they all left their homes to come here…"

"Everyone, stand back!" Shouted an authoritarian voice; Captain Arvid stepped from the trail of injured towards the curious audience. He held his gloved hands out in front of them, splitting the horde apart to clear a path. "Return to your homes immediately, there is nothing for you to see here!"

"Don't you dare say things like that!"

The Guard Captain bristled to the ends of his trimmed beard, and he slowly turned around back to the battered group of villagers with a questioning eyebrow. From within, a ragged-looking woman emerged, sporting a hastily-constructed crutch while nursing her abdomen. The man gave her a pointed look, but she didn't pay him any heed.

"Listen everyone! Please, it's for your safety!" she yelled at the top of her lungs. "You have to run from this place, or else all of you will be at risk! A monstrous giant has descended from the high mountains, tearing down all of our homes and destroying everything! Go now, before you too are subjected to its rampage!"

Mutters slithered throughout the crowd, some of them naturally questioning the crutched woman's sanity. After all, admitting that a giant creature was responsible for anything is an easy way to get laughed at in public, especially given the noticeable lack of giant monsters roaming the lands of Norway these days. Giants and other mysterious creatures were supposed to be told during fairy tales to scare children and easily-frightened adults, and only exist in fairy tales; even trolls, a frequent discussion topic among the folks living on mountainsides, were widely regarded as tall tales told by the rural man, with little basis and grounds for reality. Anything to suggest otherwise is to question years spent living mundane lives tailored for safety, security, and comfort away from the wild and the unknown shadows of the night.

Of course, most of the onlookers sounded genuinely concerned by the injured woman's words, no doubt recalling the more… interesting aspects introduced into their lives over the course of three weeks. They had a sorceress for a Queen, a snowman that could walk and talk, and many strange and cryptic stories told with increasing frequency in Arendelle's mountain ranges… what can possibly be done to prove the poor woman wrong?

"None of you are listening..." The said refugee mumbled to herself as she looked around the audience, still noticing the disbelief in their eyes. She sucked in a breath, and shouted: "Look, I saw him for myself! He was a great hulking thing that could have towered over even the tallest man! His heaving chest and belly shook the ground with every step, and his back was covered with spiny crystals! Men flew when he swung his arms and kicked, and his anger only served to make him even stronger! Please, you have to believe me!"

Something brushed past Anna's side, breaking her out of her enraptured listening; the telltale blue cloak was enough to tell her that Elsa wasn't taking these news very well. Almost instinctively, the Princess reached out to hold her back-

An earsplitting howl rang through the misted air, powerful enough to be heard from all corners of town, deep enough to rattle the base of Anna's feet and spine, resonant enough to interfere with her very heartbeats. It wasn't so much as a sound as a force of nature, like towering ocean waves capsizing mighty galleons, or an avalanche burying all in its wake without discrimination before leaving a clean, forgotten slate. The best thing anyone could have described it was as if a bear the size of a house ripped its chords in the echoing mountains, but that was only but a pale image to the real deal: It was terrific, it was alien, it was absolutely raging and scornful... but most importantly, it was purely primal. The roar, having not been heard for entire generations has now reintroduced itself with a vengeance, bringing along the natural response that used to touch humans so long ago; fear. Fear that signified just how easily life can be snuffed away, fear that speak of avoidable accidents and miscalculations that leads to fatal consequences. Fear for the unknown that lies waiting in the dark, fear that one day, one may never get to enjoy that one last ray of skylight, that one last touch of a loved one.

Yes, it was the fear that reminded people that they were just prey, mere insignificant specks of existence, to something much greater and terrible than they could comprehend in this massive, incomprehensible world.

Somebody screamed.

The effect was simply mass hysteria; people began to yell at the top of their lungs, shoving strangers aside as they frenziedly looked for cover that they inherently knew would never be enough. Others simply forfeited, standing completely still with frozen expressions on their faces as if they'd just died standing up. Infusing with the already chaotic air was the heavy slamming of doors and windows as citizens and neighbors shut each other out, forming a wretched symphony that had no rhyme or reason. The horde of people became an absolute maelstrom, where there was no beginning or end to the pandemonium that took its terrifying hold.

Only a few within Arendelle retained enough of their composure without losing their heads: Anna and Kristoff were among them, but they were also joined by people from all walks of life, ranging from parents, to workers, cooks, servants, to even innocent children; they did their best to keep a level head and calm the nearest hysteric down, sometimes separating a group before a mindless brawl could take place, even as they themselves shivered down to their toes with no relation to the cold, the monster's cry still taking its hold on their minds.

Elsa too worked her hardest to keep her people safe and sound, although unlike the others she was decidedly less tranquil about it; dark though stormed in her mind, plaguing her with guilt and frustration as she yanked people roughly by their collars. What she was doing wasn't anywhere close to fast enough, and it doesn't make sense; she was a Queen, and an enchantress bestowed with the powers of ice and snow. She could create an entire winter with a snap of her fingers. Why couldn't she protect her own people from her own mistakes, why must she have created Marshmallow? Now that he's uncontrollably rampaging across towns, this puts her squarely into blame for these villagers' anguish.

I did this. She thought to herself, as she walked through the swarming people to face the mountains from beyond the fjord. It is all my fault that these people here are afraid... Elsa looked down at her borrowed vest and dress, the ones that had kept her hidden from the public view for so long. What seemed like a blessing then was now a hindrance, one that had no place in what she was about to do.

She couldn't take it anymore.

A single ball of sparkling blue light flew up to the sky, trailblazing its own path like a miniature comet. It shone with absolute brilliance, replacing the grey and dreary Arendelle landscape with a wash of cerulean, almost blinding in the suddenness of the change. When the flare slowed in speed and reached its maximum height, it exploded with a distinct pop, releasing streams of stars everywhere. A flooding wave of winter air rushed through the streets as a result, frosting nearby structures, sending goosebumps up one's skin as a greeting: While the previous atmosphere was rather brisk, especially considering the summer season, this was just simple biting, bitter cold.

People stopped in their tracks to shiver and look up; a delicate snowfall has now sprinkled downwards, illuminated by tiny motes that glowed against the graying clouds. Silence rolled with all the presence of deep thunder; in that one moment, the blazing spectacle had pierced through the murk of confusion and fear with all the dexterity of a spear, pacifying the entire town.

Eyes flitted in every direction, searching for the source of this phenomenon. Eventually, they traced the spent comet's flowing tail, which lead directly down to the middle of the once-panicking horde, and to a single woman in a blue traveling cloak with an outstretched hand.

The lady darted her view from side to side, painfully aware that she might as well had the entire kingdom focusing on her… but then she scowled, tearing off her bonnet and running a flickering hand over her hair. Onlookers gasped as raven strands gave way to near-white, but she didn't stop there; stamping one feet on the ground, an elaborate snowflake platform made of ice materialized out of nothing, lifting her high above even the tallest citizen's head with flashes and wisps of sky-blue sparks, until she towered high above as how a proper Queen should address to her subjects.

"Qu-Queen Elsa!?"

"Your Majesty!"

"It's the Queen!"

"What is the Snow Queen doing here!?"

Elsa could already feel herself withering away from these excited interjections, but she steeled herself into standing straight and composed, using her raised crystalline platform to isolate herself from the population who now strained to get a better look at her. Having to deal with this sort of pressure all day, she found some comfort out of growing more and more accustomed to these situations.

"E-... Elizabeth?"

The Queen's blood ran still. Slowly, Elsa turned her head towards the voice, and swallowed hard as she began picking out specific faces in the crowd, people who only ever knew her as just a stranger with a penchant for odd questions, or even worse, as a supposed "friend" by the name of Elizabeth: the Snow Queen could barely maintain eye contact with a man who she'd previously seen at the bar, before accidentally coming across a stunned blacksmith with his mouth agape. She tore her eyes away from him, and then realized the next person she was looking at was a shivering slip of a girl who stood out like a lone flower in a snowfield, her wide eyes going through the motions that ranged from confusion, to distress, to-

The Snow Queen squeezed her eyes shut. She didn't want to see the betrayal in their eyes, she didn't want to feel like she deceived her people's trust any further than she already had.

"Everyone, listen to me!" Elsa commanded. "I am aware of what is at stake here, and as Queen of Arendelle I will take responsibility and deal with this monster before night falls!"

"..Take responsibility?"

"What is she talking about?"

"Do you think she can win-"

"Furthermore!" Elsa pressed on, swiping a hand to cut off the whispers within the crowd. "You must not leave your homes or the boundaries of this town tonight! There is danger at work here, and I cannot protect everyone, even with my powers, if any one of you leave without my authorization! Those who have been displaced by the giant creature, have my guards escort you into the Royal Palace! You are dismissed!"

The audience slowly melted away under the Queen's orders, thinning out the crowd enough for a few individuals to walk up to her with ease. Elsa's blue eyes scanned across them, selecting out the uniformed captain currently directing his soldiers with a final command. "Captain Arvid, I am in need of you assistance! And bring your horse!" The Head Guard spun on his heels to promptly salute the Snow Queen, and paced his way before disappearing into the mist and out of sight.

"Elsa!" Anna exclaimed.

"You must return to the castle too, Anna. Take Olaf and Kristoff with you, and pack any other belongings for the journey ahead."

"Elsa, what are you talking about?" Anna protested. "Are you listening to yourself right now? You sound as if you are going facing Marshmallow alone!"

"That's because I fully intend on doing just that." Elsa replied affirmatively, stepping down from her crystalline pedestal with stairs that formed beneath her feet. "If I don't do anything now, we will have to worry about two threats simultaneously endangering the kingdom."

"But-"

"Think about it, Anna - my powers are more than enough to either pacify Marshmallow and have him leave everybody alone, or to…" Elsa hesitated, and then shook her head in grim determination. "...Or to take care of him once and for all. Once he is out of the equation, we should have an easier time dealing with the Spøkelse uninterrupted."

The redheaded Princess pulled a sullen face, and she placed her hands on her hips with a scowl. "But Elsa, I don't want us to be separated again! Who knows what could possibly happen if you just go off on your own once again?"

"Anna, please!" Elsa exclaimed, staring at her little sister straight in the eye. The redhead blinked; within her elder sister's icy blue eyes were dark shadows of weariness, pain, anger... and desperation. "I have to do this… or I wouldn't ever forgive myself." She raised a hand towards the direction of the castle, where the last refugee now disappeared behind a corner. "Have you seen those villagers? I'm supposed to be the one protecting them, to keep them safe..." She sighed, and held herself within her arms as she looked away. "I-… I don't know if I can forgive myself if I don't make this right."

A massive figure on four legs approached the two with hoofed steps, tossing its trimmed head with a proud snort. The horse stared at the sisters with dark, unblinking eyes, and puffed steam through great nostrils that blew back Anna's pigtails and bangs. Seated on top was Arvid, who overlooked them with patient, expectant eyes. Without a word, he lent a hand towards the Queen of Arendelle. She took it, and was carefully lifted to the back of his horse.

"Elsa, wait!" Anna cried, gripping onto one of the steed's reign. Her big sister turned her head to the Princess, her icy blue eyes sad but resolute.

"Just... just try to stay safe, okay?" the redhead said, releasing her hold with the reluctance of a little child finally saying good-bye to her security blanket. The gesture was wholly unbecoming of Anna, causing the platinum-blonde to shudder in ugly revelation: she might as well be their mother in this situation, going out into the unknown world with a very possible chance of never returning. She could still easily recall the previous Queen who resembled Anna so well, smiling to a terrified teenage girl to tell her that...

...that...

...You'll be fine, Elsa.

The Queen of Arendelle blinked out of her trance. For everyone's sake, for those who she had grown to love with all her heart, Elsa will not make the same mistake. Nodding to herself, the lady smiled a little guiltily for the distress her baby sister was clearly going through. "I will return before nightfall, Anna. I'll see you there before long."

"Your Majesty," the Captain declared, "I have men stationed at the town's boundaries who could be of assistance to us-"

"-There will be no need." Elsa politely interrupted. "Just take me due west, until we are deep enough into the woods."

The Guard looked almost hesitant, especially as he flicked his view to the redhead Princess who now watched the two in silence. "...Very well, Your Majesty. Hold on tightly!" He shouted a command to his steed, and they galloped off to the distance. Anna continued watching them, even as they gradually grew smaller and smaller, until they vanished completely into the afternoon mist.

A heavy hand rested itself on Anna's arm, prompting her to glance to the side; Kristoff looked back at her, a neutral expression worn on his face. "Come on," he said, "let's go get Sven out of his stable."

Anna tried her best to muster up the will to move, but she continued to look out to where Elsa and Captain Arvid disappeared. "...Do you think she'll be alright?"

The mountain man grunted, briefly looking just as troubled as his girlfriend. "She wouldn't have any problems if it really was Marshmallow over there... I mean, the rumors seem to line up pretty well-"

"What rumors?" asked a man's voice. "You mean the Snow Monster of the North Mountain?"

Both Anna and Kristoff turned their heads to the source, and raised their eyebrows upon seeing a familiar face approach them. "...Wait a minute." Kristoff muttered. "Aren't you that blacksmith, Sigurd?"

"Ah, so you cared to remember! Well then, now I certainly feel I owe you my theories about that monster..."

Careful as to not slip off from Captain Arvid's horse and onto the forest floor, Elsa unclasped her hair bun, letting the single plait drift freely in the air as the steed galloped uphill through clearings and over gnarled roots. The high columns of trees zipped by her peripheral vision as she stared ahead, her teeth clenched in grim resolve. In front of her, the uniformed man flicked his eyes backwards on occasion, always with a hint of uneasiness in his eyes. For most of the trip, they were silent.

"Halt." Elsa commanded, lifting a hand. They have reached a clearing where the number of trees were not so densely packed, with a sizable area that leveled out the hilltop. Behind them was the barely visible kingdom, which was currently a speck standing out of the grey cliffsides and rolling waters.

The Captain grunted in obedience, and pulled the reigns of his horse. Once the beast finally stopped with a soft whinny, the Snow Queen descended from her seat, landing a little clumsily onto the small piles of fallen leaves and broken twigs. Surveying her surroundings with an approving nod, she gathered power around her fingertips, manifesting as motes of blue and white light grouping together into a luminescent chunk of ice.

"Excuse me, Your Majesty..." the Captain of the Guard began. "Are you sure that you wouldn't require assistance?"

The Queen shook her head. "I just need you to stay by the sidelines, in case if there's any trouble." She looked back out of the distance, into the grey fog where Marshmallow could probably be lurking unseen. With a release of her will, the ball shot upwards like a rocket, popping into another brilliant flare that could have been seen for kilometers around. The message carried in it was simple: I am here.

"I created this creature, Captain Arvid. I cannot allow yet another to deal with him in good conscience except for myself."

The man remained silent for a few seconds as he stared at the magical trail of snow leading to their location, before finally bowing his head in response. "Of course, Queen Elsa."

The Queen of Ice and Snow sagged in relief, and smiled weakly at the uniformed man and his ride. Thank you-"

...High above the emerald walls, the gale that goes a'soaring...

The rumbling voice sent venomous needles and chills up Elsa's spine, and she snapped her head back to the wilderness in reflexive panic. Out of her vision, the horse began stomp and kick in a fit of nervous pique, requiring all of the Captain's veteran years of service just to remain seated and manage the creature before it could hurt something.

...Its fury knows no mercy, and its voice is always roaring...

Something wasn't right. When she created Marshmallow those three weeks ago at the North Mountain, all she had in mind was the explicit desire to be left alone, in any ways possible. This was reflected in the golem himself, who in the short time she had spent with him did nothing but ward away intruders, attacking only when stricken first. While a snowman like Olaf was able to form an entirely unique and full personality, that was because she just feeling... happy. Happy for being free, happy for finally being less of a burden to her family and her kingdom... or at least, so she thought at the time. Marshmallow, on the other hand, was always meant to be a guardian...

"I can only get within eyesight before being chased back down by that snow giant! The thing never leaves its post, ever!" whispered a familiar recollection.

"No... no no no!" Elsa whispered. "It... it can't be...!"

"Your Majesty, what's the matter?" Arvid shouted, fear touching his voice in between commands at his horse to settle down.

Elsa whipped her head back at him, and shouted: "I was wrong! Get back to the kingdom without me, have each and every citizen within the castle walls!" She faced forward, and spread her hands out to gather even more will at her fingertips. "I'll buy you some time and slow it down."

"Queen Elsa, I cannot just leave you here to get yourself potentially killed! As Captain-"

"-As Captain of the Guard, you must follow your orders!" Elsa snapped back, finishing the sentence for him. "I need you to alert everyone and give out commands while I'm still here! Now go, before it's too late!" The Queen of Ice and Snow raised her hands high up into the air, causing the ground to rumble like a minor earthquake all around her as her sorcery began to take effect: Spires that glistened and shimmered sprouted from the forest floor, growing as tall as the surrounding trees, forming equally-spaced rows that stretched as far as the eye can see. The gaps in-between were then filled and reinforced by interlocking columns of thick ice, some intersecting around the bark of trees to provide extra strength and reinforcement. From behind, massive pillars rammed into the wall at slanted angles with the force of a gunshot, providing even more support to the newly-created ice barricade: what was once nothing was now a beautiful and mighty fortress structure that exhumed strength and fortitude, the sole source of vibrant color and order in the grayed wilderness. Rimed patterns of flowers and snowflakes spanned across, glittering like constellations harvested straight from a night sky.

At the very top stood Elsa, who now turned back to the awe-struck captain and his horse, her cape flapping in grandly in the wind, her eyes as stunningly blue as her massive craft. The man swallowed nervously, and finally pulled on a reign to bring the horse around. The Snow Queen watched them sadly as they disappeared into the mist and the trees, towards that speck that they all called home.

... Brace against the din! The roaring gale begins...

The sound of footsteps could be heard overhead, heavy, dull, and muted, pacing at the same tempo as the chanting of this unsettling poem. Elsa's entire body tensed, and she breathed slowly as she waited with her senses alert, counting seconds as time walked by...

A faint, silhouette darkened the mist ahead of her, casting a shadow that stretched across the floor like a spill of black ink. As it drew closer, Elsa watched with dawning horror as the shape became more defined, more pronounced, revealing details that was completely otherworldly to the Queen's awareness and knowledge: For one, the creature was definitely humanoid, and easily over twice as tall as she was. It's face reminded Elsa of a grizzled, battle-scarred, mean-spirited bald man, with shadowed eyes and wrinkles like a hybrid of granite and elephant skin. Its jaw was inhumanly angled, and had three jagged stone outcroppings jutting out of its chin in place of a beard. Its heaving and sinewy chest was as broad as a horse carriage, and while the body tapered downwards to a relatively small waist, a pot belly bulging out nevertheless signified physical bulk. Its limbs were bizarrely arranged as well; bone-thin arms and legs expanded to the girth of full-grown trees from the elbows and knees down, with fingers as thick as pillars and shovel-sized fingernails caked in what seemed to be years and years of dirt and refuse.

Most strikingly of all, however, was what the monster had on its back; crystalline spines grew from its great back and shoulders, illuminated by some unknown internal source. The grandest of these structures were two giant hexagonal prisms extending from its shoulder blades, bathing the nearby scenery in amethyst-purple light.

The spines clinked together with primitive chiming notes, as the giant stopped in front of the magically-created wall. Observing it with an almost curious interest, the monster then looked up to stare straight at the Queen of Ice and Snow, its mouth forming a wide grin with mossy, tombstone teeth.

"Ah... so you were the one responsible for that fascinating light..." the giant said. Its voice physically assaulted Elsa's ears like serrated chunks of stone and gravel grating each other in the deepest, darkest crevices of the Earth. "How do you do, human? If you don't mind assisting a simple traveler, kindly tell me the closest route to Arendelle."

Shrugging off the urge to cover her ears, Elsa demanded, "Why would you like to know?"

The monster's pleased smile grew even wider. "So I can crush its inhabitants to a pulp, and burn that little fishing village to the ground."

It's not like his appearance came entirely out of left-field.

Questions? Thoughts? Theories? You can either share them with me, or post them as a review below.

See you guys soon, fans of Frozen. Happy Frozen Fandom Month and Snow Sisters Week.