It's strange how you can be surrounded by an entire kingdom who loves and cherishes you, a sister who adores you, and yet still feel so alone.
After her return as sovereign of Arendelle, things couldn't have been grander for the powerful Snow Queen, Elsa. Her family rekindled, her kingdom prospered in her rule, she had more loved ones than she could ever hope for, but something was missing. Could it be romance? No. As beautiful as the thought seemed, Elsa didn't see herself with a romantic partner any time soon. Could be a close companion she could tell anything to? Impossible. She had that in her bubbly sister, Anna.
Deep down, she knew what she craved, but wouldn't accept it. Her deepest desire seemed unreadable. She's already searched far and wide, through all her royal expeditions and trading endeavors, Elsa secretly took the time she spent miles away from Arendelle to search for that one thing missing in her life. That one thing that'd make her feel complete.
"Someone to relate to..." The Queen sighed as she sat at her office desk, her fingers gently grazing her forehead whilst a curious Kristoff looked through her vast collection of literature as she spoke, though he listened carefully to her confession, nonetheless.
"I'd be lying if I said I understood what you meant." The mountain man replied, his eyes still scrutinizing the hardcover set of books, which were positioned neatly within a considerably large book cabinet.
"I mean someone to relate to. As in, someone like me." She explained.
Rubbing the back of his neck, Kristoff gave her a look of confusion. "Well... She may not be as 'poised' as you, but you and Anna have a lot in common, sort of."
"But can Anna conjure spells? Can she control ice and snow? Can she create an entire blizzard with a wave of her hand?"
"Oh..." Kristoff sighed, defeated. "I thought you were over the whole 'finding someone with powers' thing. Besides, you hate dating."
"It isn't like that." She scoffed with an eye roll. "I just thought it'd be nice to have someone around who understood what life is like living with, well, a gift. And don't act as if you haven't noticed people treating me peculiarly."
"They just don't understand."
"It's been three years, Kristoff... Three years since all was said and done, and I'm still constantly being treated like a monster."
"That's what happens when you constantly give people the cold shoulder."
He was so corny, but she couldn't stifle her chuckling smile. "This is serious."
"So am I." He joked as a royal guard entered the queen's quarters, seemingly distraught.
"Your majesty! The mysterious thief has been spotted, again! She's said to be out and about in the marketplace!" He informed hastily.
With those words, Elsa leaped out of her chair and rushed out the door, with Kristoff following behind.
For the past week, a mysterious thief has been constantly swindling and pillaging Arendelle, and despite the guards' greatest efforts to defeat them, the criminal manages to escape each time. Elsa was informed of the matter recently, and decided whenever the criminal's spotted yet again, she'd use her abilities to take matters into her own hands and finally put an end to the chaos.
The day was young, the rays of the summer sun shining brightly upon the fair kingdom. The bustling crowd made crime all the more possible for the mysterious thief, with the massive count making a pursuit extremely difficult to commence. But that didn't phase a determined Elsa in the least.
Anna was also informed of the situation, and met with Elsa and Kristoff in the marketplace, a load of bags in her hands.
"Any sign of him?" Elsa asked, catching her breath after all the intense running.
"We looked everywhere, but all I found were cute boots and a two for one sale over by Crazy Gazeem's."
The Queen groaned just before a distressed cry filled the busy corners, catching the group's attention.
"My food!" A woman shrieked as the thief made their escape, bolting through the crowd with ease and carrying three bags of stolen food.
Elsa didn't hesitate, and began perusing the criminal, with Anna, Kristoff, and the guards following behind. The thief managed to evade the crowd and headed into the forest, making dozens of twists and turns to fool the Snow Queen. However, Elsa couldn't be hoaxed, and followed the thief's every move, with every sharp turn and precise twist intact. Once the thief was in her sight, she commanded him to halt, but her orders were ignored and the criminal's speed merely increased, shockingly.
Perplexed, Elsa furrowed a brow as she continued her chase, but shook it off and put her attention back into capturing her kleptomaniac, shooting blades of ice downwards in an attempt to freeze their feet, but the criminal's intense speed outsmarted the Queen yet again, as he was able to swiftly dodge every blast.
Losing her patience, Elsa paused in her tracks, watching intensively in the path the thief was willing to take. Once she took a moment to concentrate, dozens of feet ahead, the thief's path was blocked by an enormous wall of ice shards. The mysterious criminal made an attempt to escape, but multiples of the ice shard wall appeared at every turn, forming a cage, of sorts, and confining the criminal within it, capturing him at last.
"Yes..." She sighed quietly with a smile. With Anna, Kristoff, and the guards having been lost back in the crowd at the marketplace, Elsa walked towards the ice-made prison and looked through the bars. Within the confined walls, she was able to spot her thief, who was on their knees out of apparent fear, their back turned to the Snow Queen.
Elsa took a deep breath and diminished one of the bars to allow herself entrance, slowly walking over to the thief, who's face was masked by their hood. "Hello...?" Elsa spoke softly, but was met with no reply. Without a choice, she removed the hood, and the thief was revealed to be a beautiful young woman, about the Snow Queen's age with long, flowing blonde hair, blue eyes, and nearly unnoticeable freckles. She had an innocent appearance, which baffled her majesty.
"Y-You're... the thief? The one who's been terrorizing my kingdom and evading my guards each time?" The Queen inquired.
The girl gave no answer, her wide eyes looking up to Elsa. She silently began lifting herself up, her eyes looking onto Elsa's, as if examining her, not saying a word the entire time.
Feeling the girl had something to say, Elsa decided to lead in a light tone, instead, as she cautiously backed away to keep a safe distance. "...Yes?"
Before the girl could reply, a ball of fire shot down from the treetops, right onto the surface of the ice prison. The impact knocked Elsa off her feet, and the moment she shook it off, her eyes looking up in confusion and shock, a man appeared, grabbing onto the girl's arm and dissolving his fiery spell, looking down on the Snow Queen with a harsh expression. He was tall, young, slender, with fiery red hair flowing down to his shoulders, and piercing emerald eyes. With a chiseled chin, fair skin, and a scar cutting across his eye, the man was handsome, yet intimidating to a high degree.
Before the Queen had a chance to ask questions, or even collect herself, the mysterious man formed a wall of fire around himself and the thieving girl, which towered and towered until their bodies were completely from Elsa's viewpoint. Once it vanished into thin air entirely, the two were nowhere in sight, leaving the Snow Queen speechless and perplexed.