Part Three-Ice
(Do you wanna build a snowman?)
Elsa's icy heels clicked against the cold floor as she paced in circles.
Don't let them in. Don't let them see. Be the good girl, you always have to be. Conceal. Don't feel...
No. She couldn't go back to that.
Put on a show!
(Stop it!)
MAKE ONE WRONG MOVE AND EVERYONE WILL-
(They already know)
Paths of ice trailed behind her as she paced. Snowflakes whipped around her hair and face, falling faster and faster, slowly forming into a miniature storm.
Slowly, Elsa took a deep breath.
Anna. Think of Anna. Think of how you'll feel when you see her again.
The snowflakes began to fade away.
Think of chocolate. Think of snowmen. Think of happiness.
Elsa glanced down and saw that the ice had melted.
Triumph. That was the first thing she felt.
You've done this before. You never have to not feel again.
She started to laugh. She couldn't help it. Elsa had almost forgotten how easy it really was to control the curse.
Then she remembered that one, fateful night.
Immediately, the ice around her feet froze over once more. Swallowing a small lump in her throat, Elsa conjured up the images in her head, Anna's laughing face, a snowball fight with her parents before everything had turned bad...
No! Try again.
Her mother reading her a bedtime story, her and Anna running from an angry servant when Elsa had accidentally set off a snowstorm in the kitchens, sledding with Anna...
As she felt puddles of water underneath her feet, Elsa breathed in a sigh of relief. Maybe just a little more work, and she would be safe enough to be around. Just safe enough to help the people of Storybrooke find Anna.
But she wouldn't unfreeze the town. Not yet. Rumpelstiltskin had taught her how to keep a deal, and he taught her well, probably without him even realizing he was doing it.
If he hadn't been on the other end of the deal, he might have been proud.
"You're not evil, dearie. It isn't in your nature."
He hadn't stated it to reassure her. He had stated it as a fact, a dead fact. Elsa was almost certain that she shouldn't take that sort of advice from the Dark One, but besides for Anna and maybe her parents, he was the only one who ever told her that. Even if he wasn't trying to reassure her.
Rumple immediately let his hair drop over the offending white streak and looked around to make sure no one else in the diner had heard him, but almost everyone was focused on the walking, talking, overly happy snowman. Well, at least Olaf was good for something.
Those gathered around him just stared. Rumple quickly regretted coming clean so fast, and he cursed himself vehemently.
"Wait," Hook said slowly. "You-"
I should have said it was Anna. Dammit, I should have just said it was Anna, and left it at that.
"Yes," Rumple snapped. "It wasn't-it wasn't that serious."
"You said you nearly died," Emma pointed out.
Well thank you Miss Swan. "I-well, I wouldn't have died."
I just would have never woken up.
"Oh, pardon our assumption then." Hook rolled his eyes. Rumple wanted to strangle the pirate, but refrained, considering there were witnesses.
"What happened?" Belle asked softly.
Rumple immediately felt his irritation dim. "A practice session went awry. That's all there is to it, really."
They were quiet. Rumple could practically see the wheels turning in their heads as they processed what he had told them.
Finally, Belle shot him a small smile, and squeezed his hand.
"Thank you for being honest with us," She told him.
Her eyes read 'We'll talk about this later.' Rumple couldn't agree more, but the guilt that was quickly piling up threatened to crush him under it's weight.
Thank you for being honest with us.
If only she knew.
"Has there been any progress in finding Anna?" Rumple asked uncomfortably, quickly trying to change the subject.
"No," Emma said, looking relieved to get over the awkwardness that resulted in the conversation. "We plastered nearly every surface of the town with posters. So far, there's been no sign of her."
"We have two more days." Rumple reminded her. "I tried going to Elsa for something of Anna's so that we could use a tracking spell, but as you can see..."
"It didn't work out," Regina muttered. She had stopped shivering, but still kept the blanket tightly wrapped around her shoulders.
"We'll go door-to-door if we have to," Snow said. "We can't let her trap Storybrooke in eternal winter."
They all nodded in agreement except for him. Rumple just stayed silent.
"But she won't," he wanted to say. "She doesn't have it in her. You may not know this, but I do."
He held his tongue though. He wasn't in the mood to defend Elsa at the moment. Besides, it wasn't in his nature.
(Or ride our bike around the halls?)
Walking out of the mines, George had discovered quite quickly that Storybrooke had really let itself go. Ice was quickly building up in the streets, and the dwarves and various other citizens were working overtime trying to clear it all away. (Ah, that was why no one had bothered to do anything while he broke out) He quickly decided that he need some warm clothes. you know, since it was so. Cold.
His old house was abandoned. The only sign that anyone had been there since he had been imprisoned was the yellow 'caution' tape was pulled over the doorway in an 'x'.
George took great pleasure in ripping it down.
After retrieving his winter coat and snow boots, George set out to see what the town's current happenings were.
He kept his head down as he walked through the streets. There weren't as many people out and about as there normally were. But he stopped about a block away from Granny's Diner when he recognized Snow White coming out of it, followed by Red Riding Hood. Her faithful dog, George thought disdainfully.
As he watched, Emma Swan came out next, followed by her son, a man George had never seen before with a hook for a hand (he was positive he would remember a man with a hook for a hand), the Evil Queen-with a blanket over her shoulders and being helped out of the door with another man? Hmm, apparently the Queen had a new beau. George wondered how long that man would last until he met Graham's fate. Then came out the Dark One, with a brown-haired woman George thought he kind of recognized but whose name he couldn't quite call to mind. Finally, out came his enemy, holding an infant.
Ah. So Prince Charming recently had another child? Yet another weapon in George's arsenal. George couldn't help but smile. Oh, he couldn't wait until he had the chance to enact his revenge.
Now they were all quiet as Rumpelstiltskin talked. He looked slightly anxious, and he was using his hands as if to emphasize certain points.
George got a little closer so that he could hear what they were saying.
"-And Hook and Emma will go to the northeast part of the town, and Regina, you'll stay home and rest," Rumpelstiltskin was finishing.
"I'm fine!" Regina snapped.
"You don't get your head frozen and then recover within twenty minutes," Rumpelstiltskin said calmly. "Don't worry, Henry will keep you company."
"I want to help!" Henry protested.
"It's not safe," David told him.
"I'm not a little kid anymore!"
"Henry, you're staying with Regina, and that's final," Rumpelstiltskin said. "And her outlaw can stay with you too, if he wishes."
Regina and the man next to her both looked uncomfortable. George watched as he slowly took his hand off her shoulder, and how the Queen looked both upset and relieved at the gesture.
"I still don't think we should split up," Emma pointed out.
"It's our best option," David said. "We need to find Anna. Keep your cell phones with you at all times."
George backed away again as David kissed his wife and handed the infant to her. Slowly, the group broke apart. George watched them go, then walked past the diner, head down. He stopped when his eye caught a poster attached to the telephone pole. He went up to it to get a better look.
The poster depicted a painting of a red-haired, freckle-faced girl. Underneath, the caption read:
If You See This Girl-Call Sheriff Swan Immediately
Anna, If You See This-Come to the Sheriff's Station Immediately
George ripped down the poster, rolled it up, and stuffed it in his coat pocket. He continued walking.
He had a girl to find.
(I think some company is overdo)
In the next month, Elsa showed tremendous improvement in controlling her powers. Rumpelstiltskin allowed her to go back to Arendelle, even though he kept popping into the castle at unpredictable times.
The new Queen and princess's disappearances had caused an uproar in the kingdom. Things had gotten so bad, Arendelle rejoiced when they came home, ice powers and all. For a while, things had settled down. The sisters had even gotten used to Rumpelstiltskin's random appearances. Anna even attempted calling him 'Rum-Rum' once, though he gave her a look of death and told her if she ever called him that again he would turn her into a snail and squish her under his boot.
Anna took the hint, and decided to just avoid him from then on by going to visit Kristoff. Elsa had a sly suspicion the two were becoming more then just friends, but didn't ask any questions. She just hoped Kristoff wasn't as bad as Hans.
Between running a kingdom, learning to manage her ice powers, and monitoring Anna, life was fairly good. Even better than it was before. Elsa didn't have to 'conceal.' She didn't have to 'not feel.' She could let people in, let them see her for who she was.
But when a block of ice falls, it shatters.
Just like her life did.
Elsa learned that the eternal winter that she had cast on the kingdoms Rumpelstiltskin had requested were still active. And worse, the kingdoms were suffering.
When she received word that some poor villagers had frozen to death, she had immediately called Rumpelstiltskin.
"Here, dearie."
He grinned at her impishly, and folded his scaly hands in front of him in expectation. "So eager to start today's lesson, are we?"
"Why is it still winter in the kingdoms?" Elsa demanded. She had chosen to meet him in a ballroom, and had ordered the guards to stand outside, ready for her to call upon if she needed them but far away enough so that they wouldn't overhear any of Elsa and Rumpelstiltskin's conversation.
"You cast the curses. You tell me," the Dark One said matter-of-factly.
Elsa bit her lip. She had no idea how to lift a curse! She had half-expected Rumpelstiltskin to do it for her, but now she realized that was childish.
"How do I stop the winter?"
"Whoa, slow down dearie! I didn't say you could lift the curses!"
Elsa felt her temper rise-and the blizzard beginning to form.
"You're not in charge of me."
"But we did have a deal. You keep the kingdoms frozen, I teach you magic. Simple."
"But people are dying!" Elsa snapped. "Why do you even want the kingdoms frozen?!"
"It's complicated. Let's just say keeping the kingdoms frozen will delay a certain Evil Queen to accomplish an act of vengeance. It's hard to explain now, but it will matter in the future."
"You're insane."
"No, I can just see the future. But trust me, it's hard to tell the difference."
"I don't care about whatever you saw in the future! People are dying!" Elsa snapped. The blizzard was starting to pick up.
"You should care about what happens in the future, dearie. It's rather foolish of you not to. Oh, and by the way-" Rumpelstiltskin pointed to the snow swirling around her. "If you're trying to freeze your own kingdom, so far, you're doing an excellent job."
"Get out!" Elsa snapped. "I'm unfreezing the kingdoms!"
Rumpelstiltskin's eyes narrowed. "Are you breaking our deal, dearie?"
"I said leave. You're no longer welcome here."
"How are you going to break the curses without my help dearie?!" Rumpelstiltskin had to yell over the icy winds that whipped around the two of them.
Elsa paused, but the anger was quickly building up inside her.
She couldn't see Rumpelstiltskin through the blizzard, but she heard his voice. "Fine, the deal's off! Try mastering your powers without me dearie! Without my help, you'll never thaw the kingdoms!"
"Wait!" She screamed. "Come back!"
He didn't respond.
"Tell me how to thaw the kingdoms!" The snow whipped around, dissolving into her chest. Rumpelstiltskin was prancing away mockingly, his back turned towards her.
"COME BACK!" She screamed, and before she knew it, the ice shot out of her like a torpedo.
She saw Rumpelstiltskin freeze in mid-step, jerk, and stiffen. Then he fell to the ground.
For a minute she wasn't sure what had happened. Then she saw a strand of his hair turn white, and with horror, she immediately knew what had just happened.
"Rumpelstiltskin?" Elsa went over to his side and kneeled next to him. She placed a hesitant hand on his shoulder and shook, but the Dark One didn't move. Elsa flinched once she realized his touch was ice cold.
"Rumpelstiltskin!" Elsa cried.
No. This couldn't be happening. She needed his help! Surely her magic wasn't strong enough to take out the Dark One?!
"M'lady?" Someone knocked on the door. A guard. "My Queen, are you all right?"
"Don't come in!" Elsa cried. "Get Princess Anna, quick!"
"My Queen-"
"GO! NOW!"
Don't get her wrong, Belle understood the necessity of finding Anna. But she had hoped she would able to go with Rumple so that she could talk to him about...well, everything that had happened in the past year. Including him being kept by Zelena and his son dying.
Instead, Rumple had gone off with David while Red went off with Belle. Belle personally felt a little put off. Was it because he was so focused on finding Elsa that he split them up? That, or...was it possible? He didn't want to talk to her?
The thought made Belle's stomach clench.
Give him time, Belle thought. Be patient.
Although she couldn't shake the uneasy feeling that something was wrong.
As they went up to their first house, the two of them nearly slipped on the icy pathway. When they managed to get to the porch, Red knocked briskly on the polished wooden door.
"Don't worry," Red told her. Belle had confided in her friend about her worries. "Your relationship didn't last this long for nothing."
"I hope you're right," Belle murmured.
A blonde woman in a slick green jacket opened the door, shooting them a small smile.
"May I help you?" She asked.
"Hello Mrs. Green," Belle said politely. She took one of Anna's posters out of her pocket, unrolled it, and displayed it for the woman to see. "On behalf of the Sheriff's department, we were wondering if you've seen this girl anywhere?"
Mrs. Green frowned. "No Belle, I'm sorry. I've never seen that girl in my life."
"Are you sure?" Red asked. "You were both royalty."
The woman shook her head. "No. I'm sorry."
"Thank you," Belle said, despite feeling disappointment. "Have a nice day."
"I will as soon as this winter's over," Mrs. Green said with a wry smile, then closed the door.
"Okay," Red sighed as she and Belle turned around and began descending down the driveway again. "One house down, a hundred and ninety-nine more to go."
After they hit about twenty more houses (with no sign of Anna) Belle started to walk to the next house when Red stopped her.
"What?" Belle asked.
"No one lives there anymore," Red said grimly.
"How do you know?"
"The former resident was a lawyer who was arrested and imprisoned about a year ago. He was known in our land as King George."
A chill went through the back of Belle's neck, and it wasn't the icy weather.
"The one who David and Snow overthrew?" Belle asked.
"That's the guy." Red studied the double-story house for a minute, then stiffened. "Someone's been here."
"What do you mean?"
"There was caution tape over the door," Red said as she started towards the house. "Someone tore it down."
"Maybe one of the dwarves did," Belle suggested as she followed her friend.
"They don't have any reason to be here. Neither does Snow or David." The two women climbed the steps up to the porch, and Red opened the door.
"It's not locked," Belle whispered. "Was it locked before?"
"I don't know." Red walked in slowly, making no sound. Belle did the same.
Inside, the house looked untouched except for the empty coffee cup on the desk.
Red swallowed. "George was here recently."
Belle went over to the coffee cup and touched the ceramic surface. It was cold, but it had to be recent. There was still a little coffee left, and it certainly didn't look more than a year old.
"We have to warn the others," Belle said, turning around. Too late, she noticed Red had gone still.
George was standing in front of them, gun out and pointed right at them.
"Now," He said slowly. "I don't believe it's a full moon tonight, is it Miss Lucas?"
(I've started talking to the pictures on the walls!)
Rumple wasn't eager about riding with the legendary Prince Charming, but it was either Charming or the pirate. Admittedly, it was a hard decision, but at least David had never gone on a long angry rampage trying to kill him.
David's truck slowly pulled to a stop. He and Rumple were looking in the north part of town, while Snow and Robin checked in the east, Emma and Hook checked in the west, and Belle and Red checked in the south. Regina and Henry were to go home.
If there was anyone Rumple trusted to watch over Belle, it was the werewolf. Granted, he and Red didn't like each other. But to be honest, a werewolf was a pretty damn good line of defense, and she and Belle had a good friendship going. It was only when they got out of the car did Rumple remember it wasn't a full moon tonight.
"Do you have the posters?" David asked, jarring him out of his thoughts.
"Yes," Rumple responded, telling himself not to worry. What could possibly go wrong?
"Hey," David slammed the car door and gave Rumple a sad look. "I'm sorry about your son."
Silence. Rumple felt like something had just hit him in the chest.
"He was a good guy. Just wanted to tell you." David took off walking, wrapping his scarf around his neck.
Rumple grit his teeth and clenched his cane in one fist. He tucked the poster under his arm and followed David onto the sidewalk.
Obviously noticing his silence, David shot him a backwards glance but didn't say anything.
"Let's get started," Rumple said after a while, his eyes firmly locked on the rows of houses ahead of them.
Eyes on the houses Rumple. Eyes on the houses.
As soon as his gaze flickered to across the street, he knew he had made a mistake.
Bae was standing on the sidewalk across the street. He looked about six years old now, and looked exactly as he had that age except for the cruel smile on his face.
He pointed to Rumple, and mouthed 'eyes on the houses.'
Rumple turned away, his heart pounding in his ears. Bae's laugh was ringing in his ears, and even though it was freezing cold, Rumple was sweating bullets. He stole a quick glance at David, who was walking down the street as if nothing was happening.
It was official. Rumple knew he was going insane.
([Hang in there Joan])
When she told the servant to get Anna, Elsa absolutely did not remember telling him to bring Kristoff too.
The two of them strode in, arm-in-arm, giggling over some stupid joke one of them had told the other. When they saw Elsa crouching over an unconscious Rumpelstiltskin, their smiles were immediately wiped off their faces and they rushed over to them.
"What happened?" Anna gasped, kneeling next to Elsa. Upon seeing the white streak in Rumpelstiltskin's hair, she stiffened, probably remembering that fateful day of her childhood. "Oh Elsa..."
"What happened?" Kristoff asked, looking a little lost.
"Elsa, what are we going to do?" Anna asked, almost desperately.
"We can go to the trolls," Elsa muttered, her mind racing. "There has to be a way to figure out where they are..."
"Even if we could find them, they wouldn't heal him!" Anna snapped. "You know they don't deal with dark magic!"
"Hey!" Kristoff snapped, obviously sick of being kept in the dark. "What's going on?"
"Elsa froze his head!" Anna told him impatiently. "Now we have to do something!"
"What? Why?! He's the Dark One! Why would we want to heal him?!"
Elsa swallowed. "We need him to tell me how to break the curses I cast on the kingdoms."
Silence.
"Wait what?" Anna asked, blue eyes widening. "You don't know how to-"
"No!" Elsa took a deep breath, trying to keep herself calm. "We have to get to the trolls."
"They won't want to heal him," Kristoff said darkly. "Anna's right, they don't deal with dark magic."
Elsa stared at him. "How do you-"
"Oh-" Anna giggled nervously. "I forgot to tell you. Kristoff was raised by trolls. He kind of knows about this kind of thing."
Elsa stared at both of them. "Of course," She sighed. "So do you know where they are? It's been a while since...I last visited."
"Oh yeah. I know where they are." Kristoff's face was grim.
"Can you take us there?" Elsa pressed.
"Seriously? You actually want to help the Dark One?"
"Kristoff," Anna pleaded. "Please?"
Kristoff sighed. "Look." He gestured to Rumpelstiltskin, who was still crumpled on the floor unconscious. "He's pretty powerful, isn't he? Maybe he'll heal by himself and we won't need to go to the trolls. They probably won't heal him anyway. Let's just give him a few days. I mean, no one can be more powerful than the Dark One, right?"
Anna bit her lip. "He may have a point Elsa. Besides, didn't he try to kill us?"
"Yeah, but-" Elsa felt the floor beneath her beginning to freeze over. "But I need his help. He's the only one who can tell me how to thaw out the kingdoms. I don't know how to do it myself."
And I don't want him to die, She thought. He may be awful, but I don't want to be responsible for anyone's death. Even his.
"We'll give him a couple of days," Anna said gently. "Kristoff's right. No offense, but-you can't be THAT powerful. Powerful enough to take out the DARK ONE."
Elsa looked into her sister's eyes and immediately detected not only nervousness, but a little bit of fear. Dread was starting to grow within her own chest.
What if she was that powerful?
Powerful enough to kill Rumpelstiltskin?
No. That was impossible. Anna an Kristoff were right. Rumpelstiltskin would probably be fine in a day or two. Yes, he'd probably kill her. But at least Elsa would know that she wasn't too powerful.
"All right," Elsa murmured. "We'll give him a couple days."
Anna bit her lower lip again. Elsa knew Anna had to be wondering the same thing she was-how far the extent of Elsa's power really was, and if was far enough to perform possibly the greatest feat of all.
Killing the Dark One without his dagger.
Regina was bored. The damn winter that had appeared out of nowhere had kept her inside for far too long.
'Come on,' she thought, as she picked absent-mindedly at her nails. 'It's the goddamn middle of August!'
"My Queen."
Ah. It was her guards.
"Any news on the fugitive?" Regina asked, boredly, already suspecting what the answer was.
"My Queen, I regret to inform you that the...unexpected weather has halted all our efforts on looking for Snow White. More than one scout has been lost to the blizzards. There is nothing we can do."
"I suspected as such," Regina sighed. She had already gone to Rumpelstiltskin, demanding his reasons for casting the curses that had put the Enchanted Forest through a seemingly random winter. But the bastard had told her that since he wasn't the one who had cast the winter, he couldn't do anything about it. By his look of sheer amusement, and the unusually mischevious hint in his voice, she suspected he did indeed had something to do with the curse, even if he hadn't cast it directly.
There was nothing she could do.
Regina was on her feet immediately, and she stalked to the balcony.
She had it all planned out. She had known Snow White's exact location, and she knew that the trap she had set for her wouldn't fail. She had consulted with Rumpelstiltskin, and he had told her as much.
If it wasn't for this winter, she would have Snow White in her clutches already.
Screaming in frustration, she hurled a fireball out the window.
(It gets a little lonely, all these empty rooms,)
(Just watching the hours tick by...)
"You ladies are going to stay right there," George said slowly, as he walked towards them. Belle suddenly saw he was clutching a coil of rope in the hand that wasn't pointing a gun towards her and Red. Her mind flashed back to a similar incident with Ariel not so long ago.
What did George have in mind? What was he going to do to them?
"Hold out your hands, bitch," He said.
Red gritted her teeth. "I'm a werewolf."
"You," George ignored her and addressed Belle. "Put down your purse. Tie her up or I shoot her."
He tossed the coil of rope towards Belle. Trying hard to keep her hands from shaking, Belle began to wrap it around Red's wrists.
She had to come up with some sort of plan. Was there a weapon she could use somewhere-
That's when it hit her. Rumple's dagger! She could call him, and he'd come rescue her!
"I said drop your bag!" George snarled. The gun clicked, ready to shoot.
Belle's hand went into her purse, rummaged around for a second, then pulled out the dagger. She held it aloft and in the air, Rumpelstiltskin's name gleaming on it's surface.
"Rumple!" She cried. "Help us!"
She waited a few seconds.
Nothing happened.
Yet it provided a good distraction. George recognized the dagger, stopped, froze, and stared at it in horror. With those precious seconds, Red attacked, and tackled George to the ground, knocking the gun out of his hand.
"Rumple!" Belle screamed, desperately holding the dagger in the air. "Rumple we need you!"
Nothing. George managed to regain possession of the gun, and pulled the trigger. Red yelped as the bullet hit her in the shoulder.
Belle acted instinctively. She dropped the dagger, snatched a table lamp from the desk, and smashed it into George's head, knocking him to the ground. Then she grabbed Red's arm and slung it over her shoulders. Snatching the dagger, she dragged Red and herself out of the house and out the front door as two bullets impaled into the wall behind her seconds after she passed.
She made a mad dash to Red's car, dragging Red behind her.
"Keys!" Belle gasped.
Red, one hand acting as a tourniquet for the flow of blood coming from the wound, fumbled through her pockets with her free hand and gave them to Belle. Belle unlocked the car doors, and helped Red into the passenger seat, she herself going around and into the driver's seat.
"Here," Belle panted, unwinding her scarf around her neck and pressing it against Red's wound. "Use this to staunch the blood flow."
"Why didn't-" Red gasped, as her trembling hands pressed the scarf against the wound. "Why didn't the dagger work?"
Belle's mind was running wild, trying to come up with an answer herself.
As soon as she did, an immediate pang went through her heart. More than a pang, really. Her heart twisted hard, until it was practically wound in a knot.
Red stared at her, her eyes pitiful, having come up with the same conclusion.
"I-" Belle swallowed. "No. I don't...I don't believe it."
"Maybe there's another explanation Belle," Red said quickly, trying to reassure her.
"There is no other explanation." A tear leaked out of Belle's eye and slowly ran down her cheek. "None."
"Look," Red squeezed Belle's wrist reassuringly with the hand that wasn't covered with her own blood. "Hear him out. He may have a good reason for it."
"I know his reasons for this!" Belle cried. More tears came out. "But I'm his wife! He should trust me! I trusted him..."
With a strangled sob, Belle wiped her eyes.
"Talk to him," Red said softly, fighting back a ball of anger at Rumpelstiltskin that threatened to appear. Anger wouldn't help Belle. But leave it to the Dark One to break his own wife's heart. "You two need to talk."
"I know," Belle murmured. "I plan to. Just-keep your hand on the wound. I'm dropping you off at the hospital first."
She placed the keys in the ignition and started the engine.
"It'll be okay," Red said softly.
Belle's eyes locked onto hers, and they looked unsure.
A/N-Took me a while to get this chapter right. As for Rumpelstiltskin wanting to keep the kingdoms frozen in the past, well, I noticed that in the scenes back in season 1 with Snow White and Red Riding Hood it was snowing. Sooooo, I dunno. Coincidence? Though I'm probably wrong. Judging by the season 4 spoilers released already, a lot of my theories in this story are already wrong. :P
Also, Mrs. Green is meant to be the Frog Princess. I don't know if anyone caught that.
Aaaaand, I'm done. No more pointless facts that the readers probably don't care about. On a final note, review please! Only two more chapters to go!