"Elsa, hurry up, we have to get back up north, we're way to close to the southern border" Kristoff urged his sister.
"Sorry Kris, I'm coming" Elsa and Kristoff had been sent to a small village, just outside the borders of the southern kingdoms, to find a specific scholar in magic. A scholar that had researched a method to enhance a magic users control over their powers. The blonde teenager always had trouble controling hers, which is why she rarely left her hometown, and why she had traveled so far south to gain all the insight she could in the scholars research. She wasn't looking forward to the ordeal, especially not when she had read about other hybrids experiencing extreme loss of control and that it takes weeks to finally have some semblance of restraint again. As her magic reserves were considered more than adequate, she would need the control, unless she wanted to freeze anything she got close to or touched.
The King and Queen, Elsa and Kristoffs parents, had been torn between dealing with Elsa growing powers themselves, and sending their daughter uncomfortably close to the south. The people that had knowledge about magic in Arendelle had warned the King that a hybrid would peak in power during puberty, the changing moods and development kids goes through during that period would also happen to the respective hybrids powers. At first it would increase out of proportion, until it naturally found the right amount the person could handle. And in the end Elsa had been sent with Kristoff, after a long and tiring discussion about pros and cons.
So of course Elsa was not looking forward to it. Her magic was like a royal vault filled to the brim with gold. If all those coins suddenly duplicated, and that result would duplicate again before you had time to expand the vault. The gold would overflow, force the vault door open and flood into the hallway. Elsa shuddered at the thought of what she would have to endure.
When she was finally ready to leave after gathering all the transcripted pages of the scholars research, and a few personal tips she had never written down, Kristoff had readied their disguises and packed some food for the trip in the saddles of the two royal horses outside.
Elsa quickly said her goodbyes to the elderly lady and was on the horse as swiftly as she could. The night was fast approaching in the winter, and they had a long way home. On top of that, they had received a message from John, the spy in the south. He hadn't told them anything of great importance, but he had warned them that the southern king knew Elsa was close and that he had sent trackers to find them. So when they saw three dozen guards riding through the town, paranoia had hit the burly brother and he quickly threw the brown garb over Elsas head and pulled the cloak over her hair. Better play it safe.
Kristoff had reacted as any older brother would, he had fussed about it with only Elsas safety in mind. He was close to just throw her over his shoulder and ride off without any thought about the goal of their trip. Luckily Elsa was smart enough to calm him down and give him a specific task his mind could wrap itself around and focus on, ready some food and clothes. It only took him a minute and forty seconds to ready it all. A tad quicker than Elsa had hoped for. Now that they were finally heading home Kristoff relaxed and let his shoulder slump down and ease away some of his tension.
"How you holding up anyway? Your birthday is close now" he asked when he had collected his thoughts.
"I'm fine I guess, I haven't felt any major changes so far" she lied, she had spontaneously frozen over things she touched during the last six months, and she only ever felt comfortable touching her family, giving them hugs or handshakes.
"Alright, good to hear, other than the abrupt departure it was fun hanging out with you again sis, ever since our parents started grooming me to take over the throne we haven't spent much time together" the tone in his voice was saddened by memories of them playing in the snow and frightening the staff in the castle.
"It's only natural Kris, we both knew the day would come for you to become a man" She grinned and beamed with positive energy.
"When did you get so mature little snowflake?" he had to chuckle.
"The moment I figured out my brother was an emptyheaded goof. The real question is why haven't you become wise and mature yourself?" she couldn't help but laugh, joking around with her brother was always something that brought joy to her.
"Ouch, that one stung. Besides, i never said you were wise. Just mature, definitely not wise" he shot back.
"Oh you big baby, we both know that it's all an act and that you're the perfect person to sit on the throne".
"I'll always be a child at heart, no matter how I might act when I sit on the throne and have to run the kingdom" he directed the horse a little closer to Elsa and ruffled her hair, and pulled her hood down a little, while leading them towards the right when they met a fork in the road. An innkeeper had told him the night before, that to the left was a mansion owned by an old man who paid royal guards to keep his grounds free from wolfs and other pests. And by pests the innkeeper meant the orphans that was sometimes seen being chased away from his apple trees.
"Yeah, even when you're..." Before Elsa could finish her awesome joke, she was interrupted by a huge ball of flame and a loud bang down the left path.
They both stopped to see the ball of flame and smoke rise into the air, until it dissipated and a glow from the fire lighting the top of the trees. Kristoff pulled Elsa's horse closer, not planning on letting go. But the good natured kid had already decided that she had to help, so she tried to wrestle Kristoffs hand away from the reigns.
"Stop!" Kristoff almost yelled, "I know you want to help, but the very same people looking for us is down that road, we can't risk it" he tried to reason with her, knowing it had a fifty/fifty shot at working in his favor.
Elsa shot him a glare that told him to shut it and let her go, if she was able to help she would, no matter who might be in trouble and how evil or good the people she would save actually were. She would always save a person in need, which could be seen in the castle staff. She had begged her father to take in the kids that the orphanage couldn't and give them work and a warm place to stay. So a lot of the kitchen and cleaning staff was composed of kids ranging in age anywhere from nine to seventeen, obviously some had been there longer than others.
"Alright, but no one. And I mean NO ONE!" he stressed, "Is to see you using your powers, it will be difficult enough to explain our very none southern looks and even harder if anyone recognize us" Elsa nodded and he released the reigns, they both turned their horses and spurred them into a gallop towards the fire.
It didn't take them as long as Kristoff had anticipated, maybe a minute at full speed, maybe less. When the mansion slipped into view Elsa could feel the magic coming from inside the house, her heart clenched and her eyes involuntarily had a faint glow in them. Kristoff didn't notice, his eyes were fixated on the man that had just been forcefully pushed through the threshold of the door and landed with a thud and a skid on the ground, he was motionless. They came to a stand still a short distance from the men standing in front of the residence. When blood started seeping out of the mans ears and mouth he looked to his right expecting Elsa to be there, but only her horse was present. He heard sand and soft snow and gravel being squished and displaced under hurried footsteps, he looked in the direction of the sounds and saw her run around the right side of the group of guards in front of the entrance.
No one paid attention to the kid, everyone was focused on the scream coming from the house and the part of the wall that was launched into five guards next to Elsa, the impact created a small cloud of dust and smoke. Kristoff's mind created about a hundred bad scenarios in a second, bile was suddenly pushing against the lower part of his esophagus trying to escape his stomach. The feeling lasted for seconds that felt like years, as he watched Elsa's eyes widen at the mangled man on top of the independent piece of wall. And then he noticed the glow in her eyes.
'Fuck, Elsa look away, close your eyes, anything, just don't show them' he thought as she turned to disappear into the burning building. The guards had seen her, but none had moved to apprehend her, Kristoff figured it was from terror. But the guards simply didn't know what to do against such forces, they were just backup coming to pick up two men that planned to defy direct orders, according to the letters they had recieved earlier that day.
Kristoff gazed at the hole created mere seconds ago and saw a girl younger than Elsa with red hair, the garb she was wearing clung to her left side, a line of blood ran down her thigh. Her eyes unfocused, and a facial expression that screamed defeat was all he managed to see before the flames picked up from the new source of oxygen the hole had created, obscuring his view.
When Elsa saw the disfigured old man in front of her she felt scared, sick, weak and multiple different emotions, she understood the concept of death and had easily accepted it when her cat had died, knowing that sickness and age took life. But this picture wasn't like the peaceful looking cat she buried, she couldn't stop herself from looking, even if looking was disgusting and sickening. Something about looking at him made her understand why all the guards back home wouldn't tell her about certain war stories.
She curled in on herself for a second as her stomach decided to shrink to a tenth of its original size, and her late lunch took up too much space. Only now could she look away and get back to saving whoever was still inside. She twisted on the spot and saw the kneeling girl inside and made her way to the open double doors. Just before she entered she saw a man missing two fingers pressing a piece of burning wood to another mans severed leg. Her stomach threatened to shrink again from the trail of blood in the dirt and the small pool that had formed underneath the two men.
'Come on! Save the girl, vomit later' She forced herself to enter the burning building while subconsciously lowering the temperature of the air immediately around her body.
Elsa took in view of the flames inside of the mansion, a picture of three men dressed the same as the ones outside was impaled on broken planks in distorted ways. Her insides was being tested, the thing that pulled her away this time was the movement of a large pillar in front of the girl sitting 30 feet away from her on the floor. The girl stared at the pillar but she didn't move. Elsa reacted without thinking, running to the only person alive in the blazing inferno. As she saw the pillar rapidly increased in speed, she formed a pillar to stop it, but the heat was to much for her to form ice solid enough to handle the weight. It cracked and snapped in half, but she had managed to knock it marginally to the side.
Unfortunately it wasn't enough, the girls right arm had been crushed underneath the massive wooden pillar, producing an agony filled scream. Acting fast was essential. If the support pillars was falling it couldn't be long before the ceiling and roof was coming down.
Falling to her knees next to the screaming girl she frantically tried to move the pillar, forming strong ice around her hands to be able to touch the burning pillar, "It's gonna be okay, just hang on" she reassured the girl as much as herself, the wood was creaking. The building would collapse soon, but Elsa's almost fifteen year old mind couldn't come up with a solution to get the girl out. The heat was too strong to make anything large and her body wasn't strong enough to move the pillar. She was starting to panic, telling the girl the same sentence over and over, "It's gonna be okay, just hang on".
Just as she was about to give up, the girl looked at Elsa. Well it was more like the girl looked straight through her, Elsa didn't know if the girl could even see her, her eyes looked foggy and tired.
"Cut it off" the girl weakly commanded.
Elsa couldn't believe her, how in the seven hells could she tell her to cut off half of her arm, "What?!" She managed to get out, doubting her sense of hearing.
"Cut it off, or we'll both die, the roof is gonna collapse" she spoke up, a little more force behind her words.
'Is this girl serious? Should I really do it? I mean, shes's got a point...WHAT!? Am I really gonna do this?' Elsa asked herself as she looked around to check if no one was watching, there wasn't. Focusing her magic was troublesome, but there was no time left. She forced magic into the palm of her hand to create ice strong enough to survive the heat. The blade took shape from the hilt and grew into a smallsword. It was sharp and thin. Elsa had never created a weapon before, and never ice this dense and sturdy. The pride she felt from her accomplishement was odd considering the situation. She lifted her left hand wielding the sword, and brought it down to cut the girls arm off at the elbow. As soon as the ice made contact with the floor, she quickly reshaped it to encase the cut.
When the ice was in place she tore strips from the brown dress she was wearing and wrapped it around the ice, it was sloppy and carelessly done. Elsa deemed it enough for now and lifted the girl off of the floor and turned to the front door. It was completly ingulfed in flames now, only the opposite side of the already blown up wing of the mansion was clear enough to pass through. So she ran as fast as she possibly could into the long hallway that ended up leading out back to the field behind the large home.
The building collapsed behind her leaving only a part of the east wing standing, waiting to be caught in the flames. She placed the girl on the damp grass and removed the crude bandage she had made to check on her ice, when she removed it she saw something she couldn't have predicted. Her ice seemed to have created a hard shell, but it was like a fluid unerneath. It flowed and swirled around the clean cut she had made. If she had to describe it, it was almost as if her ice was alive, mending the cut on it's own.
And then the last couple of minutes hit her, first she was joking around with Kristoff, then the explosion happened, as they rode towards the house Elsa had felt her powers act up because of the strange force from inside the house. It had compelled her to get closer, to seek it out, it was like a cry for help mixed with distress and despair. Then the bodies, seeing that was something she could have lived without. And finally the girl. It wasn't until now that she understood the powers was coming from her, the somber surge she had felt riding to the house originated from the girl laying dead still on the ground before her. The girl she had touched without freezing her, despite the stress she had felt.
Looking at the the girls skin that started to somewhat lighten a tone or two, the single strip of hair that turned white from her scalp, up the soft curls, ending at the tip. Her eyelids had a dim light in them, at first it was purple, then the weak purple light in her right eye gradually lost it's color, fading gently to become a pure white. The same as hers. She got up in shock, and stared in disbelief.
'Another one like me...' she thought before she heard rustling in the bushes next to the still standing walls, redirecting her thoughts to the sounds. For a splitsecond she was hit with dread, until she heard an "Umph" and saw Kristoff tumble through the bushes and onto the ground.
"Damn roots," he muttered as he stood and ran to Elsa, "Elsa, we need to leave. Now! This whole thing will attract the village and most likely more guards." he was right, and they both knew it. Elsa glanced at the girl, the ice was now only a thin layer covering the cut, unmoving unlike before. Her eyes didn't glow anymore either. Elsa tore her eyes away from the banged up girl and looked to Kristoff.
"We can't leave her here alone!" She whisper-shouted.
"Yes we can, and we will." he took her by the arm and pulled her to the bushes he had come from, the horses tied up behind some shrubbery and trees away from the view of the guards. they saddled up and hastily fled the scene, leaving the girl behind on the ground.
AN: If you think things are going a bit too smoothly for Kristoff and Elsa, don't worry, it's all according to plan.
Love Mr. Turtle