It hd seemed as if the temperature had dropped as Anna ran through the corridors, tripping over her feet as she slid across the ice, nearly losing her balance. She gasped as she heard a laugh, followed by, "Be careful, Anna!"
"Olaf?" she exclaimed, slipping as she jumped, landing smack on her back, a wave of pain coursing through her body. The snowman giggled as she groaned in pain, rubbing her back as she sat up, "Olaf, what are you doing here? I told you to wait outside with the Guardians and Kristoff!"
"But they get really boring, Anna!" Olaf complained, "all they do is stand there and wait and I used up almost all of Sandy's sand to play with!" Anna rolled her eyes- did Elsa really have to create this pest?
"That's your own fault, now isn't it?" Anna accused, carefully standing upright, "now I need to go find my sister!" Olaf pointed past her. Their reflections were blurred in the ice.
"She's over there," he said simply. Anna followed his arm to see that Elsa was indeed standing in a doorway, peeking out like a curious child. Damn it! Why does he make everything so easy? she thought as she sighed with relief- not that she didn't want things to be easy. A little mess now and then was fun, in her opinion. Being careful not to lose her glance again, Anna glided over to elsa, who caught her before she tumbled at her feet, Elsa gripping her arms tightly.
"Be careful, silly," Elsa chided lovingly, then gasped, suddenly letting go. The quick release of the weight caused Anna to crash, her chin smashing against the floor. Elsa winced as Anna got up, blood coming away on her mitten when she rubbed at the wound.
"Sorry, Anna," she apologized, her voice becoming a faint whisper. Confused, Anna looked at her arms- ice had begun to form, piercing through the shawl until she could felt eh coldness against her skin.
"It doesn't matter, Elsa," Anna shrugged it off, cracking at the ice until it fell to the floor, shattering into a million pieces, "what matters is that you're okay."
"Anna, why…." Elsa began, then coughed, "why did you come?" Pain flashed n her blue eyes before she turned away, not waiting for an answer. With difficulty, Anna went after her sister, wobbling as she she almost crashed into a wall. How can she walk in this place?! she thought.
"Elsa!" Anna shouted after her, "Elsa please come home!" Elsa stopped in her tracks, and Anna saw her shoulders tense up.
"This is my home, Anna," Elsa said calmly, clasping her hands as she turned to face her sister. Anna shook her head.
"No- you're home is in Arendelle!" Anna shouted, jumping as her voice echoed against the cavernous walls, "your home is with me!"
"Anna- they tried to kill me!" Elsa pointed out, making Anna falter- she hd a point.
"Just…. just stop this eternal winter and they'll welcome you back!" Anna pleaded, "I'm sure of it!" Elsa rolled her eyes.
"Can't you see? I can't do that!" Elsa explained, "all i do is make this ice and snow- I can't take it way, even if I wanted to!"
"Well….." Anna trailed off, then said defiantly, "well, if you can't stop it, then I will!" Elsa widened her eyes, curiosity flooding them.
"And how do you plan to stop this winter?" Elsa asked curtly, "how do you plan to stop me?" Each word hit Anna like a knife, burying deep into her flesh, digging and twisting into her. Anna opened her mouth to say something, but why came out instead was the brisk howl of the wind, no words to carry.
"I thought so," Elsa said coldly before turning away.
"E-Elsa wait!" Anna shouted, sliding after her, arms outstretched to grab her cape, pull her back, anything.
"No, Anna!" Elsa shouted, curling her hands into fists, ice crystals starting to form. Anna stopped short, her green eyes expressing a child-like innocence as she said with pain, "Elsa, please! Come home!" She finally noticed Elsa's clothes- an icy blue dress that was formfitting, the sleeves and cape looking as if they were dotted with bits of freshly fallen frost. She looks beautiful, Anna thought, then again, she always was.
In a white blur, Elsa spun on her heel, arm outstretched, and before Anna knew it, she collapsed, holding ghee stomach. Coldness crept into her, chips of ice falling to the floor. Anna looked at the ice, then at her sister, astonished, "….Elsa, why….?"
Elsa herself had a look of pure terror on her face- why did she always hurt people?! And her sister, of all those people? Olaf scurried over trying to hold her up, to walk away, but it was no use. He ended up falling apart under Anna's weight. Backing away, elsa jumped when she heard a voice echo down the corridor, scared and worried.
"Anna?!" yelled the voice, "A-are you alright? I heard yelling!" Elsa drew in a sharp gasp, going to hide behind the doorframe of the next room. Peeking out, she saw Anna and Olaf, joined by a third person.
"Who is that?" she asked herself quietly, her eyes trained on the teenage boy who was helping Anna. HIs skin was as pale as snow, looking a tad gray, his hair completely white, spiking in different directions. A blue hooded sweater hung on his skinny frame, a pair of brown capri pants jutting out on equally skinny legs. A wooden staff with a large crook at the end was clutched in his hand. As she watched him hoist Anna up, she noticed his feet- gray white, like the rest of him and narrow, but bare. He wore no shoes to protect his feet from the freezing cold that was her castle.
"That," came a dark voice, "would be Jack Frost." Elsa jumped, turning around to find Pitch standing behind her, watching on with boredom as Anna and Jack hurriedly limped out of sight.
"Geez," Elsa muttered, "you startled me!" Pitch smirked.
"Isn't that what I'm supposed to do?" he asked haughtily, "startle people?" Elsa ducked under his arm, walking away from him.
"Don't ignore me, Princess," Pitch said, watching her fading back. Suddenly Elsa spun on the ball of her foot, tossing her arm roughly until she thought it would rip from its socket, sending shards of ice at the man who was playing off her pain.
"That is Queen to you, you scum!" she screeched. Pitch simply took a step back, watching placidly as the attack smashed into the wall, disintegrating on the spot.
"Feisty, huh?" Pitch joked, brushing non-existent dust from his cloak, "but I think you could do better then that, no?" Narrowing her eyes, Elsa shook her fists, ice crystals dripping from her hands like rainwater.
"Do better then what?" asked a voice, surprising both of them. Turning, pitch jumped in alarm, scuttling backwards suddenly. The teenager was back, staff poised and ready fro action as he glared at the boogeyman.
"Jack Frost…" Pitch drawled, standing up straight as he composed himself, chin up, eyes cast menacingly down, "I don't believe any one asked you." Jack immediately held his staff in front of him in defense, the tip glowing a strange blue-white color.
"Wait!" Elsa interrupted their squabble, "wait!" Pitch raised an eyebrow, confused.
"Why are you with him?" Jack questioned before she could get anything out, "why are you letting him use you?" Pitch rolled his eyes- Jack first always twisted his motives around.
"What….?" elsa mumbled, then shook her head, "I'll get you an answer later, right now who are you and why are you in my castle?!" Jack was taken aback, appalled.
"Come on, Jack, answer the Queen," Pitch encouraged. Jack glared at him, turning back to Elsa, he gave her an awkward bow.
"Who are you, and why are out here?" Elsa repeated as Jack stood up, "better yet, why are you with my sister?" Although her voice sounded angry, her eyes were full of curiosity.
"The Guardians and I are trying to help her bring you home!" Jack explained.
"Guardians…..?" Elsa asked.
"I'll explain later, but right now we have to get Anna to a doctor!" Jack exclaimed. Pitch cackled, in a blur of black appearing behind Elsa, placing his thin hands on her shoulders.
"You mean you have to get the little well to a doctor," Pitch sneered. Elsa spun on him, glaring as she suddenly slapped him across the face. Her hand stung from the force, and an outline of her hand was imprinted on his cheek.
"Do not insult my sister in front of me, peasant," she demanded, her voice cold and harsh. Rubbing his face, Pitch grinned.
"Does that mean I can insult you?" he teased. Elsa raised her hand, going to slap him again, but found herself stopped halfway through, Pitch's fingers curled around her wrist. She winced as she felt his long nails dig into her skin.
"Unhand me!" Elsa commanded, trying to pull away from him, but he held on tighter, drawing thin lines of blood on her wrist. Pitch glanced up at the ceiling, looking as if he were thinking long and hard about making a decision. Jack suddenly ran at him, staff at the ready.
"Let go of her!" he shouted, swinging the staff downward, but halfway through the swing, Pitch had grabbed the staff, keeping him from completing the attack. Pitch kept his eyes not eh queen, show s now looking scared and vulnerable…. as he liked.
"You know why they need to bring your precious sister to a doctor, my Queen?" he spit at her mockingly. Jack wrenched himself away from the staff.
"No!" Jack shouted, "don't you dare!" Elsa looked from Jack to Pitch, feeling tears sting the corners of her eyes.
"No…." she mumbled, her lower lip quivering. Before answering, he squeezed the wooden staff, feeling it splinter in his palm.
"Stop!" Jack protested, trying to pull it from the boogeyman's grasp, but to no avail. Pitch had crushed it completely. Roughly, he shoved it at Jack, the force of the action making him crash flat on his back. Pitch leaned in close to Elsa, his breath hot in her ear. Elsa whimpered, craning her neck as far away as she could.
"Because of you!" Pitch whispered harshly in her ear. Crying with rage, Elsa pushed Pitch away, falling as she she did so. Slamming her hands to break her fall she let the tears flow, each drop freezing as it dripped off her chin, smashing once it hit the floor. Footsteps echoing, he walked over to her, crouching so he and the queen were eye level. Jack watched on with horror. He knew he should be doing something, anything to get her away from Pitch, but he couldn't move. Not because of Elsa's ice, but because he was scared, He and no idea what to do and Anna was freezing to death outside (literally) with the other Guardians, hoping Elsa will come out of exile and come home.
"Elsa," Jack called, catching her attention, "if you want you can come home! Anna is waiting for for you!" Elsa widened her blue eyes, wiping away her tears furious as she sat up.
"Anna….?" she asked, her voice barely a whisper. Jack nodded, crawling over until he was at least two feet away from her and Pitch, fearing that if he got any closer Pitch would injure her some more.
"Yeah," he encouraged, "she's waiting outside for you, and so is Kristoff and Olaf…. everyone in Arendelle wants you to come home as well, Elsa. They need you to be their queen!"
Carefully, Elsa began wedging out from under Pitch, sliding her way to Jack, who held out a hand expectantly, wiggling his fingers encouragingly. If what he was saying was true, then she could reverse everything that had happened. No one would no longer be scared or hurt because of her… Before she could grab Jack's hand, she felt a sharp tug at the back of her head, and she felt herself being dragged across the floor away from Jack. Pulling her by the braid, Pitch was crouching on the floor, trying to keep her away from the one person who would thwart his plans. Pitch kept his fingers non her hair, playing with her braid as he made her sit up next to him. His gold eyes were glaring at the Guardian, who had his mouth open to say something to protest, anything, but what came out was barked nonsense, shock in his blue eyes.
"Elsa, my sweet, sweet beautiful Elsa!" Pitch cooed, placing a hand gently against her cheek. Elsa pulled away, but Pitch pulled her back, holding her face in his hands like a clamp. Struggling, Elsa tried getting away, but Pitch only held on tighter, his nails dangerously close to the corners of her eyes.
"Pitch, let go of her!" Jack shouted, going to move, but Pitch sent a glare his way, a wave of black sand rose behind the two, crashing over Jack, burying him deep. The last thing he heard before he was engulfed completely were Elsa's muffled shouts, the last thing the saw was Pitch shoving her face into his robes, making it look as if he were comforting her, filling her head with convenient lies. Anything to keep Jack from telling her the truth about what it was the boogeyman was doing. What it was he wanted.