Kristoff tensed, waiting for the cold sand to slid through his skin. he wind howled, nipping his skin until he felt it was about to fall off. Still tense, the ice cutter lifted his head gently, brown eyes wide with shock. Immediately, he snapped his head down again, squeezing his eyes shut one more.

"You…. you!" he heard the Queen of Arendelle screeching, sounding like a pterodactyl about to feed on its prey. Accompanied by a disgruntled cry of anger from the bogey man, Kristoff lifted his head once more, this time keeping his eyes glued to eh action, tears forming from the wind.

"Elsa….?" he asked, his voice barely audible above the howling wind. Elsa didn't answer- she actually couldn't, considering she was too buys trying to get Pitch to get his grimy hands off her, hands flailing around wily, share of ice flying without predation as to where their destination was. Kristoff ducked as once piece flew over his head, landing a few inches next to his head. Black sand swirled in the air, and Kristoff noticed the two figures still standing there, unaffected by the howling wind nor Elsa and Pitch's struggle. The sword was still in Pitch's grasp, but it looked smaller, somehow, as if he was losing the sand he had stolen from the Sandman….

"You monster!" Elsa shouted at him, "All this time….!" She slashed at the air with her fist, sending icicles toward Pitch as if they were missiles. Steam hissed after them, hovering momentarily before it evaporated. Kristoff shuddered, staying in the ground. He felt his stomach bun rom being exposed to the ice for so long, a tingling sensation in his fingers. His clothes were wet, blond hair ruffled as the wind played with it. He knew he should be helping Elsa, ward off her attacker. But he couldn't move.

"Look at yourself, Your Highness!" Pitch jeered at her, swinging his sword. Elsa jumped out of the way, rolling to a stop next to Kristoff. The mountain man cried out in surprise as Elsa grabbed him roughly by the arm, trying to pull him up as she got on her knees.

"Come on, Kristoff!" she begged, the wild look returning to her eyes, "get up, get up, GET UP!" Kristoff obliged, cringing as Elsa gripped his arm tighter, trying to drag him into a run.

"Your Majesty!" Kristoff protested, jerking his arm away roughly. Tears rolled down his face- partially from the wind numbing his cheeks, partially because when Elsa had touched him, it had hurt. It had burned, as if flames were eating away at his body. He shivered, clutching his arm.

Elsa froze, her lower lip quivering.

"And you've done it again," Pitch sneered, beginning a slow clap, the sound echoing on the wind, taunting and cruel. Elsa could hear it in her head, looping over and over like a broken record. She shook her head. It wasn't supposed to be like this, she thought, I just wanted…

What had she wanted? Freedom?

Look where that got me, she thought forlornly, casting a glance between the two men. Because of her selfishness, Anna was possibly going to die. Because of her selfishness, Kristoff was injured- a civilian in her kingdom, one she was supposed to protect from harm. Because of her selfishness, the one person who she felt was her only friend was now awaiting the same fate as her sister….

"I never should have left…." she whispered harshly, fingers curling into fists. The winds of the blizzard had begun to pick up once more, tugging playfully at the ends of her hair, the hem of her long cape.

"I must say," Pitch went on, "you've done so much better than most of the others." Elsa snapped her head up.

"Others?" she asked nervously. Pitch nodded, inspecting his nails as if dirt were caught underneath them, as if they were a mirror and he was admiring his reflection, even.

"Don't you remember what I said to you earlier?" he asked, raising an eyebrow in question.

She gulped. elsa remembered everything the bogeyman had said to her. She remembered how he revealed in the feeling, feeding off of other's pain and suffering….

"You live off fear…." she said, mostly to herself. Kristoff rubbed his arm, pins and needles creeping under his skin. He didn't want to stay out in the open any longer- especially with the one person who had caused Anna and her sister so much grief, trying to tear them apart even further then they already were.

"Elsa!" Kristoff shouted over the wind, "forget him! We need to go!"

"Yes, Elsa," Pitch smirked, "you need to go."

But Elsa was not paying any attention to what they were saying. She could hew Pitch's voice in her head, declaring his love for terror and agony. How he strived for it, to rule over it as king….

"No." she said, suddenly stern. Pitch looked taken aback, but only momentarily, before he flicked his wrist. Kristoff eyed warily the black sand that fluttered from his sleeve, evaporating as it fell into the snow.

"Don't be stupid-" Pitch began, then followed with a surprised howl as Elsa suddenly flung her arm to the side, shards aiming for his face. Kristoff gasped, lurching forward to grab her arm, to stop her.

"Don't!" he protested. Elsa yanked her hand out of his grasp, chest heaving as she tried to catch her breath.

"And why shouldn't I?!" she cried, her voice warbling, catching slightly in her throat. After everything he did… she thought angrily, after everything he did to Anna! Sighing, Kristoff glanced over Elsa's shoulder to see Pitch Black wriggling tine h snowbanks, wincing as ice crept up the sids of his head, encasing him completely.

"Never mind…" he said, his voice barely audible she watched the ice continue to slide across his body. His hands and feet froze in mid-swing or kick as the coldness snuck over him like a shadow, shrouding him from everything else, cutting off all his senses. Esla watched as well, half horrified. She had killed someone.

But at the same time, there was no feeling of regret. For some reason, she didn't feel as bad about it as she should have.

"Do you think….?" she asked, exchanging nervous glances with Kristoff. He shrugged, pulling off his black woolen hat to run a mittened hand through his blond hair. After everything he and seen, he wasn't really sure about what to do- whether it be Elsa performing the actions or not.

"I-I don't know, Your Highness," Kristoff gulped, adam's apple bobbing, "but we should probably get back to Arendelle, no?" Elsa nodded.

"Right- Anna is waiting," she said. Suddenly, her face seemed to light up- her sister was waiting for her. Anna was going to be alright once she got home! With a burst of excitement, Elsa went to grab Kristoff's arm, then hesitated, pulling back.

"Are you alright?" she asked. Kristoff gave her a confused look. Elsa gestured to his arm. A thin layer of frost had begun to form on the cloth, some of it already beginning to harden. Kristoff nodded, biting his lip.

"We should probably get that taken care of," he said simply, "but first, we need to get you home." Smiling, Elsa nodded, grateful that she hadn't hue thin any major way, shape, or form. The smile suddenly disappeared.

"What's wrong, Elsa?" Kristoff asked, concern flashing in his eyes.

"What about Jack….?" she said, her voice barely audible. The winds had died down, leaving a soft breeze to caress her skin and hair as it flew past.

"Huh?"

Elsa felt tears begin to form in her eyes once more- was all she did cry?! Pull it together, Elsa! she scolded herself, before answering, "Jack. Jack Frost…." A dazed look in her blue eyes, she began running, tripping over Pitch's frozen body. Kristoff followed, shocked when he stole a quick peek at the monster.

The ice had begun to turn black, obscuring Pitch from outside viewers. Within seconds, the only thing left were his golden eyes, brightly lit suns hanging precariously in the midnight sky. Shaking his head, he ran after the Queen of Arendelle, calling for Sven to follow as he did so.

Once they were home, and this eternal winter had been thawed, Kristoff had to remember to never get on Elsa's bad side. Ever. Squinting he whipped his head side to side. All he saw was snow and wind and ice.

"So how do you propose we get home?!" he shouted to Elsa, who was shielding her face from the harsh winds. From the way her braid was flying about, it looked as if it were about to get ripped off her head at any moment, leaving her bald. Elsa widened her eyes. She hadn't thought of that.

Out of everything, she and not figured out a way to get home. Of course, when she had originally set out, she never planned on going back, instead leaving Anna and her fiancé to rule Arendelle in her eternal absence.

"Damn it!" she hissed clutching her head as if a migraine was coming on- which it probably would soon if she didn't think fast.