Elsa had never seen a castle like this before. Every inch of its tall, round towers with their even taller spires were exquisitely detailed with carvings of snowflakes, curlicues, and horses. Carved into the walls of the doorless front gates were two life-sized, rearing horses whose front hooves connected to form an archway.
As they walked down the main pathway, they were silently greeted by strangest of statues. They were in the shapes of many types of unearthly creatures. Some had the head of a moose with the body of a man, some were small as a mouse with crooked teeth for eyes, and others were smooth-skinned like whales but with a cluster of insect eyes on their mouthless faces.
"It's beautiful," Jack said.
"Yes, but what are these supposed to be?" Elsa said as she stopped by one of multi-eyed creatures.
"Monsters, I guess," he said with a shrug.
"They're so life-like. Are they even statues?"
"Well, maybe you can bring one to life and ask it."
"I can't do that."
"Have you even tried?"
"No."
"Then how do you know?"
"I've always been able to bring my own creations to life, but I've never exactly had practice on another person's creations."
"You could practice here."
"That wouldn't be right. They aren't mine."
"Oh you're no fun—whoa!" he yelped as sudden wind whisked him up in the air by his ankles.
"Jack!"
He twisted and turned, but still remained up in the air as if held by an invisible hand.
"I can't—I can't control it! Look out!"
Elsa turned just as a multi-eyed creature grabbed her arm with its webbed claws. She blasted it away with a gust of snowy wind, and it crashed into the lumbering moose-headed man. She froze them both together in a block of ice just as the mouse with teeth for eyes leapt in the air to bite her. It slammed into a sheet of ice Elsa instinctively raised up, and the creature slid down to the snowy ground in defeat.
"Elsa, help!" Jack cried out as the wind blew him towards the open doors of the castle.
A gigantic dog statue with a cat's head as a tail charged at Elsa.
"Get out of my way!" she yelled at it and trapped the creature in a cage of ice. It bashed its head and tail against the ice bars as she chased after the winter spirit. "Jack!"
"Elsa!"
He disappeared into the castle. Elsa ran up the steps and slid into the entrance hall when BOOM! The double doors slammed shut, leaving Elsa alone in the chamber, save for a black iron lantern that glowed with a silver light. It stood next to the only staircase in the doorless, windowless room, and it spiraled down, down, down into the dark dungeons of the castle. She could hear Jack yells echo from below as the mysterious wind pulled him deeper under the castle.
Elsa took the lantern, straightened herself up, and took a deep, calming breath.
"Hold on, Jack, I'm coming," she whispered.
She lighted down the ice steps and into the darkness. The glow from her lantern reflected in the lidless eyes of the numerous sea creatures that swam just outside the dungeon's clear walls of ice. Elsa gripped her collar and looked away from the wall. She forced the thoughts of her parents' shipwreck away. That was in the past. Jack needed her help now.
After what felt like an eternity, the staircase came to an end and Elsa entered a tall, cold room lit by glowing blue pillars that framed the ornate throne an elfin woman sat in. Her long black hair framed her light blue face, her voluminous black furs spilled onto the floor, and her tall crown crafted out of black gems glittered in the faint light. To her left stood a staff with a glowing silver ball of light floating above it; to her right was an oval-shaped mirror that did not show Elsa's reflection. The woman smiled as Elsa cautiously approached her.
"You have escaped my Hopeless Storm, fought off my ice golems, and have at last come to me, Queen Elsa of Arendelle," the woman said warmly.
"And who do I have the pleasure of speaking with?"
"Queen Umbra of the Moon, and the one who bestowed you with your powers."