Chapter 2: A Fiery Stranger
Kristoff's yells echo across the frozen lake for a long while after Anna and Hans have disappeared from sight. He turns his attention from yelling into the distance to trying to pry the ice from his feet. At least he is doing something. I am just lying on the icy floor, curled up as best I can with my arms and shoulders frozen to the lake. But why would I do anything? Anna is lost, her heart frozen like the coldest of winters. And I am a failure, a danger. Anything I do results in harming a loved one or a stranger.
A small voice inside my head wonders if perhaps I should at least try. Perhaps not all hope is lost. Perhaps there is some way to still save Anna from the icy fate I have doomed her to.
I smother that little voice. It's no use. Nothing I do will result in anything other than hurt or death.
"Don't give up, Elsa! There must be a way to save her! All ice can thaw!" Kristoff grunts to me as he starts smacking the ice at his feet with his bare hands.
I shake my head faintly. "You failed, Kristoff. I failed. Maybe we should just.. just accept that." I sigh heavily. "I never should have left. I should have stayed and faced judgement."
"I think creating an eternal winter was a bit overreacting, indeed," Kristoff mutters ever so softly.
I would have snapped at him, but it feels like every good emotion, want, desire and dream has been sucked from my body, leaving a pained, empty shell behind.
Kristoff continues to pound loudly on the ice holding his feet, to no avail, and ultimately gives up when his hands are scraped and bloody from the sharp ice.
I am ready to give up. I am ready for the icy storm that swivels around us to swallow me whole. The cold never bothered me, but I now wish it did. It would give me some other pain to focus on than the pain in my heart.
Footsteps come across the ice again, and I whip up my head in sudden hope that it might be Anna. That Anna might have changed her mind and her heart, and that all is not yet lost. But the footsteps are too heavy for Anna's light step. Perhaps it is Hans, come to bring me a swift death.
But I am not so lucky.
The stranger that crouches besides me bears no familiar face. He does bear a face that I would have admitted to be handsome, had I not just seen my sister walk away from me.
"Looks like you could use some help," the stranger speaks in a deep voice, with a hint of amusement hidden beneath.
I focus in on his face, which is so different from any faces I have seen throughout my life. His skin is probably as pale as mine, and his hair is as black as soot. His hair is slightly longer than Kristoff's maybe, and is arranged messily along his forehead. Beneath those messy strands of black hair, two golden-flecked, brown eyes gaze at me patiently.
His leather clothes are simple, but well-made, and all bear shades of black and brown. The only big splash of colour to his figure is the blood red cape that is slung around his shoulders.
"Yes! Yes, we do need some help! Do you have anything to take care of this?" Kristoff yells from the spot where he is rooted to the ice by his feet, and he points dramatically to the ice below.
"Just a moment, I'll be right there," the stranger replies and turns his gaze back to me.
I flinch back as he draws a falchion from his back in a very swift movement, and he immediately pauses.
"I am not here to hurt you. Do not worry, you will be free in a jiffy," he says, as he slowly moves the falchion in the slight space in between the ice and my shoulder.
The stranger carefully wrenches the blade deeper into the ice, and with a powerful shove, he breaks the ice holding my left arm. He does the same for my right arm and shoulder, and soon I can sit up normally.
I slowly rub some feeling back into my hands and arms, while gazing up at the stranger. He's tall. As tall as Kristoff, I imagine. He's not as broad as Kristoff, but lean and well-balanced.
"Thank you for your help." I manage to say, still careful in both my words and actions. It is not often people show me kindness, and ever since both Hans and Anna made such a drastic personality change, I am not sure who to trust.
"My pleasure," he replies with a small smile.
"Enough polite conversation, get me out of here! Ice is my life, but right now I wouldn't mind being free of it!" Kristoff is once again trying to scrape the ice of his legs, while glaring in my direction.
"Of course, my apologies." The stranger is quick to free Kristoff as well and then the two join me again.
I'm still sitting on the ice with my arms huddled around me, staring slightly absent-mindedly into the distance.
Kristoff gently touches my shoulder. "Elsa.. We have to go after her, you know that right?"
I feel the anger start to show on my face as I look up at him. "We don't have to do anything! Anna is lost, Kristoff. Her heart frozen solid. We don't even know where she went. It's no use."
"Don't say that, Elsa! There is always hope!" The three of us look up at the new voice and find Olaf bobbing and bouncing on Sven as he comes galloping towards us.
Kristoff welcomes Sven with a big hug and much laughter, as well as much ear scratching. Olaf pretty much rolls to my side and re-attaches his head to his butt as he looks up at me.
"I'm sure that Anna is still there somewhere, even if her heart is frozen solid," Olaf says with a wide, hopeful smile.
The stranger is looking rather surprised at Olaf, who is happily gazing from one to another. When Olaf spots him in the company, he comes bobbing towards him.
"Hi! I'm Olaf and I love warm hugs!" the snowman says with his twig arms up in the air. "What's your name?"
For a long moment the stranger looks at Olaf as if he's some kind of anomaly, then he extents his hand and shakes one of Olaf's twig arms. "You can call me Aidan. It's.. COOL to meet you, Olaf."
"Likewise, likewise!" Olaf says. He is about to happily continue the conversation when Sven takes a chance at biting at Olaf's nose, causing him to roll away. Sven jumps after him, not about to give up on his quest for Olaf's carrot.
"Aidan, I'm Elsa and this is Kristoff," I say, but to my surprise, Aidan nods knowingly. He sees my surprise and jumps to explain.
He motions across the lake towards the frozen Arendelle. "I came to Arendelle for your coronation, Elsa. I hail originally from the Ashen Mountains, far to the East. It's been a long time, though, since I have been there, as I travel around most of the time. When I got to Arendelle, however, it was a little bit colder than I expected it to be." He says the last words with a big smile and gazes down on me, and I duck my head in shame and embarrassment. He continues, nonetheless. "I understood from the citizens that their queen froze the land and had fled to the mountain, and I decided to see if I could help." He scratches his head a little awkwardly. "Let's say I have some experience with curses and powers and all that jazz."
I raise my eyebrow at him. "I don't even want to know. It doesn't even matter. Anna and Hans are long gone." Aidan looks a little surprised at my remark, but I don't really care. Nothing really matters anymore. Anna's gone for good and it's my own fault.
"But Elsa, you cannot give up. She's your sister," Olaf gazes up at me with a quivering lip of snow.
"I'm sorry Olaf. I don't know what to do." I gesture to the storm around us, still swirling and blowing snow everywhere. "I cannot thaw this winter, I do not know how. I do not know how to thaw a single flake. How can I thaw Anna's heart when I cannot even thaw a single flake? It's over."
I grit my teeth and slowly start to walk away from the group.
"Where are you going?" Kristoff yells over the howling of the wind.
"I'm going to the North Mountain. Where I cannot hurt anyone." I mutter softly, more to myself than to anyone else.
I think I have walked about thirty feet when I feel someone's hand softly grab my arm and stop me. I am about to turn around and growl at whoever dares to stand in my way, but my hands are shaking too much.
Aidan turns me around and holds my cold hands in his. "Elsa. You cannot give up on your sister."
"I am not giving up on her. I am accepting that I can only hurt her more. So it's safer if I just go back to the North Mountain." I am slightly surprised that my voice is so steady, but I decide not to wonder on it for too long and just take it for granted.
"Alright, if you don't believe in your own ability to save her, then you must believe in your ability to save others." I gaze up at Aidan and his golden eyes stand serious and sad at the same time. "Now she has the same powers you do, a lot of people are in danger, Elsa. Her frozen heart brings not only coldness, but cruelty as well. If you cannot save Anna, you have to try and save other innocent lives."
As I gaze up at him, I can feel tears rolling down my cheeks. They feel warm against my cold skin.
"You are a queen, Elsa. Your duty extends beyond the boundaries of Arendelle. Don't give people any more reason to fear you."
"I cannot save people if they hide in their houses when I walk by. That fear will soon turn to malice and I cannot be here when they come for me with pitchforks and torches!" I hiss at him.
Aidan shakes his head. "I suspect Anna searches for a land where they do not know that such powers as yours and hers exist. The greater the terror will be that she can inflict." His golden flecked eyes gaze intensely into mine and I gulp.
"Please Elsa, you cannot condemn those people to terror and misery just because you are afraid. You have to be brave."
I pull my hands free from Aidan's soft grasp and narrow my eyes. "Fine," I growl. "You're right. I do have a duty, and if I cannot save Anna, I can at least try to save as many people from her as I can."
Aidan's confident smirk makes its return to his face. "I knew you weren't as cold as you seemed."
I ignore him and make my way back to Kristoff, Olaf and Sven, who were looking at me and Aidan from a small distance away. I quickly wipe the wet tears from my cheeks.
"Alright, change of plans," I say to the others. "We have to find out where Anna and Hans are headed. We are going to limit their damage and see if we can't put a stop to them. Whatever they have in mind, I think we can assume that it isn't good."
Kristoff doesn't seem too happy about my choice of words and doesn't seem to agree with 'putting a stop to them', but he keeps his mouth shut for now.
"We know they didn't go to Arendelle, but then where?" Kristoff asks.
"It would make sense if they went to the Southern Isles. It's where Hans comes from, isn't it?" Aidan offers.
Kristoff glares at him, but before he can comment, Olaf cuts him off. "The Southern Isles! It's sounds sunny, and warm, and cozy!" Olaf chimes, his little twig arms pushing his cheeks up in a jubilant smile.
Kristoff shakes his head at Olaf. "Olaf, the Southern Isles have a year-long summer. You'll.. You'll melt."
"You mean I won't be able to go?" Olaf asks with yet another quivering snow lip.
"The only ones that will go are Kristoff and me." I interrupt sternly.
"What about Sven?" Kristoff says as he motions to the reindeer, who widens his eyes in imitation of a puppy.
"They don't have reindeer in the Southern Isles, if I am correct. We would be too conspicuous if he came along."
"What about me?" Aidan asks. "You'll need all the help you can get and I can give it to you."
I'm getting annoyed with Aidan's unlimited confidence and shake my head at him. "This is not some sort of holiday. It's just going to be Kristoff and me."
From four sides I am now confronted with protest. Olaf argues that he can create perfect diversions and has always wanted to see the Southern Isles, while Kristoff seems to vouch for Sven, who is also not content with my decision. Aidan's protest is a silent one that plays along his face in the form of irritation, annoyance and defiance.
As they all continue to try to convince me otherwise, a headache seems to gather behind my eyes and I explode in annoyance.
"FINE. Fine. You can all come." My small explosion has caused snow to be blown in everyone's face. Kristoff smiles and takes of his hat to shake it clean of the white stuff, while Sven licks it off his own face. Olaf only giggles. Aidan shakes his head and gazes at me through his messy hair that falls past his eyes, a smirk once again playing on his lips.
"Don't be too happy just yet!" I warn them. "You," I motion towards Kristoff. "Sven is your responsibility. You have to make sure he doesn't get us into trouble."
"No problem!" Kristoff makes a strange sort salute at me, and Sven tries his best to imitate the pose.
"You," I crouch down to see Olaf at his own height. "You cannot offer warm hugs to everyone when we are at the Southern Isles, okay? Not everyone is okay with that."
Olaf seems a little distressed about the fact that I have ordered him to refrain from giving everyone hugs, but seems content enough that he can come along anyway, by the way he dances around in the snow.
"And YOU." I rise again and put my index finger sternly against Aidan's chest. He just gazes down at me with that smirk of his. "You are going to lose that arrogant attitude and cut down the funny remarks. This is not a road trip. You will do as I say, or I will put you in an icy cage before you can blink! Am I clear?"
Aidan's smirk widens and he bows dramatically, pulling his cape to the side in a wide gesture. "Whatever you say, my queen."
His sarcasm earns him another growl from my lips as I stalk away towards Arendelle, my varied travelling company following behind me, with Aidan in the back.
A.N. And that, my lovelies, is Aidan. Yes, he is sort of a prick, but he's got his good sides too, you'll see soon enough. Elsa and Kristoff are having none of his attitude though.
Please let me know what you think!