Elsa leaned over the ship's railing, struggling to hold down her lunch. After her second week of sailing, she'd finally gathered the courage to leave her quarters. Elsa watched Arendelle grow on the horizon at a painfully slow rate. She had to stop herself from hopping over the side, freezing the water, and sprinting for it.
"Are you sure you're alright, Your Majesty?" Fritz was, as always, hovering by Elsa's shoulder.
"I'm fine, Fritz." Elsa chuckled to herself. "I think I've had enough worship for one lifetime. I never thought being treated like a queen could make me feel less narcissistic. Let's hope 'Elsianity' doesn't spread to here. I swear some of the guards called me 'the Snow Goddess' when they thought I couldn't hear. "
"What? Ha! Those crazy guards! Worshiping you is such a dumb idea! Only idiots would do it!" Fritz laughed for a long, long time.
Elsa stared at him.
"We, uh..." Fritz cleared his throat. "We're almost to port. I'd better go get your luggage." He scurried off without another word.
In the middle of Anna's bedroom sat a sturdy wooden box turned face-down. It hadn't moved from its spot on the rug all week, save for the occasional wobble. Slowly, steadily, a pair of red pigtails attached to a princess stuck itself out from behind it. Anna reached a hand for the bottom of the crate, while in the other she held out a carrot.
"Hey, little guy, you hungry?" She lifted up the box-
"Raaaaaarwr!"
-and then immediately dropped it back.
"You know snowmen don't actually get hungry, right?" said a voice from behind her. Anna spun around to find Kristoff slouched against the wall, arms folded.
"I'm trying to make him a peace offering," said Anna. "The poor guy's probably just cranky. Are you sure we can't let him out?"
"Something tells me that wouldn't be the best idea for our long-term welfare," said Kristoff.
"Well, maybe if we stopped acting scared of him, he wouldn't be so-"
"Scared of who?" said a second voice.
Anna spun around yet again. Her face lit up. "Elsa! You're back early!" She zoomed out the doorway to tackle her sister. "How was the boring political stuff?"
"It was... something, all right," said Elsa, returning the hug. "I'll tell you about it later. How's Mary-?" She was cut off by a low growl. Elsa's eyes shot towards the crate. "What's in there? Tell me it's not a wolf cub."
"Don't worry, I learned my lesson about those." Anna ended the hug and made for the box. "This is something way cooler. We found this guy running around the castle right after you left."
"You might want to make an ice-pen around it before we let him out," said Kristoff.
Elsa complied, and then Anna reached over the side of the pen to lift up the crate.
"Rawr!" Where the box once stood, there was now a great, big, feral, bloodthirsty snowrabbit.
"Sussebassen?" Elsa stumbled backwards in shock.
The little icy creature charged towards the ice-wall, hissing and baring his claws, but try as he might, he couldn't escape.
"Wait, you know this thing?" Anna frowned.
"It- It looks like one of my childhood toys." Elsa examined the creature closely. While its body shape and movement were more akin to a real rabbit, the creature had details unmistakably based on her old stuffed bunny. Its snowy fur was even matted and frozen together in the exact same patterns. The snowrabbit seemed to have been made from the same formula as Elsa's snowbirds – a body of magically-flexible ice in the shape of the animal, complete with icy eyes, claws, and feathers – or in this case, fur – woven from snow. There was even a personal flurry hovering over the snowrabbit's head. At this point, Elsa's subconscious knew to add those to all her new snowmen to avoid another "Olaf situation."
"Remember when you flipped out in the garden?" said Anna. "You must've made him then."
"Yeah, looks like you're still bringing snowmen to life by accident," said Kristoff. "That's not good."
Elsa bowed her head, her brow creasing. "Just when I think my powers are completely under control..."
Anna put a reassuring hand on Elsa's arm. "It's only a teeny slip-up. Not exactly an eternal winter, right? I mean, look at this widdle guy. He's so cu-" Anna started to stick her other hand in the pen, but she had to quickly retract it lest she lose a finger.
Sussebassen snorted and bared his claws, as if daring Anna to try that again.
"Were all your childhood toys this bloodthirsty?" deadpanned Kristoff.
Elsa's face reddened. "He's supposed to be a... a bad bunny. Any time I displeased our parents, it was Sussebassen's fault."
Anna snickered. "Whoa, you were a sadistic little kid." She counted off on her fingers. "Hmm, so Olaf was a non-alive snowman, Mary was an imaginary friend, and Sussebassen was a stuffed animal." A thought struck her. "Hey, do you still have that old toy?"
"I played with it so much, some of my magic rubbed off on it somehow," said Elsa. "It ended up covered in frost that wouldn't melt. When I outgrew it, our parents threw it out. They didn't want you finding it and asking questions."
"Ah, of course." Anna made a sour face at the mention of that particular time in their lives. "Well, can you get him to calm down? Sussebassen doesn't need to be caged up all the time."
Elsa turned towards the cage. There were bits of fluffy snow dribbling out Sussebassen's gums, like he was foaming at the mouth. "I'm not sure he can understand us. That's odd. I've never made such an... animalistic snowman before."
"I bet he's a big softie inside like Marshmallow." Anna leaned over the side of the pen, waving the carrot above Sussebassen's head.
"I'm not sure you should-" Elsa was interrupted by the sound of footsteps. She turned to find yet another person coming towards them from down the hall. "Mary!" Elsa ran to give the snowwoman a hug, though Mary didn't return the gesture. She stood stock-straight, her eyes unblinking.
"Whoa, I don't think I've seen her leave her room on her own all week," said Kristoff.
Elsa gave Mary a concerned look. "You haven't left your room all week?"
Mary ignored her, fixing her gaze at the ice-pen. For the first time, Sussebassen seemed to ease up. His icy eyes locked on Mary's. "You brought another snowman to life by accident," said Mary, her voice a near-monotone.
Elsa bowed her head. "Looks like it."
"Is this going to happen every time you get upset?" Mary pointed to Sussebassen. "Look at him, Elsa. He's every bit as purposeless and unhappy as I am. You said it yourself, your magic is making people out of thin air just so you can hurt them. When is it going to stop, Elsa? How many more snowmen are you going to make like this? Five? Ten? A hundred?"
Elsa clenched her fists. "Zero. So long as my emotions are under control, this won't happen again."
"That's what you said last time."
"We're not discussing this!" snapped Elsa. "Just because I made you by accident doesn't mean you can't be happy. You're making yourself miserable!"
Mary scowled. "You're saying there's something wrong with me?"
"No, I-"
"Anna, wait-!"
Suddenly, Elsa and Mary's heads shot towards the bedroom. Anna had climbed halfway into the ice-pen, cheerfully ignoring Kristoff's shouts.
"Elsa's snowmen do not have to be miserable all the time." Anna extended her carrot towards the beast. "See, Mary, all Sussebassen needs is a little kindness. Who's a cute widdle bunny? Who's a-?"
Sussebassen proceeded to slash Anna's arm from wrist to elbow.
The others cried out in horror, but all that escaped Anna's mouth was a faint, "Oh, he got me." She dropped the carrot and gripped her arm. Her fingertips were painted red. Anna turned back to the group. "Don't worry, it's just a little scr-"
Anna couldn't say much else because the next instant, her ears were filled with a howling blizzard. For several long seconds, the bedroom was solid white, and when the wind died down, Sussebassen was slumped against the back wall, eyes closed, surrounded by the tattered remains of the ice-pen.
Anna turned her head in time to watch her sister wave her arms again. There was a burst of blue light, then a squealing sound as Sussebassen flailed helplessly before finally going limp. Anna required a moment to gape. Elsa's face looked nearly as feral as Sussebassen's.
"Um, Elsa-" Before Anna could finish, Elsa flicked her wrist, causing Anna to yelp and clutch her arm. The wound had been sealed by a thin layer of ice. "Whoa, ice-bandage. That's handy. Thanks."
Elsa immediately ran to her side. "Are you alright?"
"Yeah – ahh – I'm fine." It was at this point that the pain decided to kick in. Anna made an effort to look normal. "It's just a scratch, Elsa. Trust me, I've had way worse."
In a split-second, Elsa switched from worried to furious. "What were you thinking?"
"Oh, you're right, I nearly lost an arm there," said Anna, rolling her eyes. "I can see the headlines now: Nation mourns tragic loss of princess. Cause of death – homicidal rabbit."
"I take it you wanted it to scratch you?" said Kristoff. "Because I don't know any other reason you could possibly think petting it was a good idea."
"I- I-" Anna looked back and forth from Kristoff to Elsa, her cheeks gaining color. "I was trying to show Mary that snowmen don't have to be unhappy all the time. I thought if I could get Sussebassen to calm down and act a bit nicer..."
Elsa gave a patient smile and patted Anna's shoulder. "Well then, your heart's in the right place, but your methods could use some work. Now don't scare me like that again."
"Hey, Elsa?" Kristoff walked over to poke Sussebassen's limp form. "Is your ice-rabbit knocked out or what?"
"I think I did something to him. Here, let me see if I can-" Suddenly, a beam of blue light shot from Elsa's hand and struck Sussebassen once again. The rabbit's eyes shot open. Elsa, Anna, and Kristoff impulsively backed away, but Sussebassen stayed in place. He didn't snarl, he didn't lunge – It was almost like he didn't even want to draw blood. The trio exchanged glances.
"I guess he's calmed down?" As Kristoff spoke, Sussebassen hopped up to him and snuggled his leg.
"Aww, he's friendly now!" This time, Sussebassen allowed Anna to scoop him up in her arms and stroke his ears. "Oh, I bet I know what happened. When Elsa zapped him, she fixed his brain. Now he's cute and cuddly like he should be."
"I- I what?" From the way Elsa stared at him, you'd think Sussebassen was still a vicious monster. "I didn't mean to! I was only trying to keep him away from you! Maybe I can turn him back?"
Anna gave her a look. "Uh, why?"
"I can't tamper with my snowmen's minds like that!"
"It doesn't sound like you hurt him," said Kristoff. "If anything, you made Sussebassen happier. You accidentally made him feral in the first place, so who says you can't accidentally make him friendly?"
"Well..." Elsa's eyes met the floor. "So long as it was just an accident..."
"Great! Thanks, Elsa! Now I've got an awesome new pet!" Anna was about to waltz out the door with Sussebassen in tow, but Elsa halted her.
"Why doesn't Sussebassen stay on the North Mountain for now?" Elsa said sternly.
"Why?"
"He should meet his siblings."
"But-" Before Anna could protest, Elsa snatched Sussebassen out of her hands.
Elsa liked to think her powers were under control, but she hated to admit that she still sometimes had a slight tendency to accidentally bring snowmen to life. Mary wasn't the only one Elsa had created during their last adventure. There were the Mini-Marshmallows, a whole flock of snowbirds... The Ice Palace had actually run out of space, so Elsa had been forced to create an entire town of ice further down the North Mountain just to house them all.
"We'll talk about this later." Elsa turned to Kristoff. "Take Anna to the infirmary, please. Make sure she gets her arm bandaged up before the ice melts."
"Uh, yeah, sure." Kristoff looked just as confused as Anna, but he obediently led her out the room.
As soon as they were gone, Elsa shut the bedroom door behind them and set to work erasing the shattered ice-pen from off the carpet.
"I didn't mean to alter Sussebassen's mind." It wasn't clear if Elsa was talking to Mary or to herself. "I didn't mean to..."
"This changes things." Mary's eyes no longer looked dead. There was something like eagerness in them. "This proves that you can alter your snowmen's minds, even if you don't want to."
"It was only an animal." The more she spoke, the more it sounded like Elsa was talking to herself. "If I'd done that to a person, it would've been different."
"No, it wouldn't have." Mary grabbed Elsa's arm. Elsa flinched, but she didn't struggle against Mary's grip. "Don't you see, Elsa? This is the answer."
"No it's not."
"Do what you did to Sussebassen to me! Make me happy."
"No."
"If there's something wrong with me, then fix it! You're my creator. Isn't that your job?"
Elsa shook her head, her eyes clamping shut. "I can't."
Mary's grip tightened. "Why not?"
"Don't you see what I did?" Elsa's wasn't one to raise her voice, but Mary was getting her there. "I broke Sussebassen's mind and put it back together. If I did that to you, it would be like I'd killed you and made a new snowman."
"What difference does it make?" scoffed Mary.
"I don't want anyone else!" snapped Elsa. "I want the little girl who spends hours in the library! I want the little girl who plays in the mud with Olaf and then runs around naked because she doesn't know any better! I want the little girl who-" Her voice broke. "-who keeps losing her shoes. I- I-" She buried her face in Mary's shoulders. "I want you."
Surprise had overtaken Mary's eyes... but after a moment, they narrowed. "No." Mary wrenched herself free and marched towards the door. "I won't be your decoration again. I'm not a phantom. I need more from life. I need purpose. Something has to change."
The door slammed shut. Elsa was left alone in the bedroom, standing in absolute silence save for the soft sound of sniffling.
As soon as she'd handed Sussebassen off to a guard to deliver to the North Mountain, Elsa slinked into her room and threw herself onto her bed without so much as slipping off her heels. Her head was pounding, her throat ached, and overall she didn't want to be awake right now. How could she have been so stupid? The entire voyage, Elsa had been painting this idyllic scene in her head: When she finally returned home, she and Mary would have a tearful reunion, Elsa would say all the right words, and then Mary would apologize, go back to living happily as Elsa's daughter, and never ask to be erased again.
But instead, Elsa had screamed at Mary and guilt-tripped her, which had only made Mary more stubborn than ever. Elsa rolled over above the covers, clutching her forehead. She'd ruined everything. How could she have let Mary reach this point? What had Elsa done wrong? If her parents had been here...
Elsa hadn't been in the best mood before, but the thought of her parents didn't exactly improve it. Yes, they'd made mistakes, but Elsa had loved them. She'd loved them in a way she didn't love anyone else, and... and all she wanted was for Mary to have that love, too. Why had Elsa ever thought she could do this? She was barely able to keep herself happy, let alone a whole other person.
Assuming Mary even was a person. Now more than ever, Elsa couldn't help but wonder... what if Mary was nothing but Elsa's depression given life? The result of years of isolation? What if Mary, by nature, couldn't be happy, the same way Olaf couldn't be unhappy?
Your magic is making people out of thin air just so you can hurt them.
Elsa loved her magic, loved that she could create anything she could imagine, but why did that have to include life? The Paganians had to be wrong. Elsa wasn't a goddess! She wasn't! She...
Her stomach tightened. No matter how hard she tried, Elsa couldn't shake off this overwhelming sense of wrongness. Honestly, the reason she'd sent Sussebassen away to the North Mountain was because she couldn't stomach the sight of him. When Elsa accidentally brought him to life, some twisted part of her psyche had caused him to become a mindless beast, and instead of trying to reach out to him like Anna had wanted, Elsa had snapped Sussebassen's mind like a twig, leaving nothing but a blissfully happy shell behind. What had she done? Who was to say Sussebassen wasn't a person? There had to be something behind those icy eyes, didn't there?
Elsa rubbed her own eyes. The last thing she saw before shutting them was her bookshelf, where she'd left Frankenstein lying in plain sight. The book Elsa had been reading to pass the time on the voyage. Elsa wasn't sure why she'd picked it out – She didn't even like that book very much. But it'd just seemed... topical, somehow.
Elsa found her thoughts growing more and more abstract until finally she drifted off. After only a few minutes, she began tossing under the covers. She'd always been embarrassed to admit it, but every time she read Frankenstein, Elsa had nightmares.
A stream of lightning shot through the night sky, followed by a thunderclap. Sussebassen was sent fleeing into the shrubbery. Ever since his arrival, he'd spent his time exploring the mountainside, which was oddly the only place in the wilderness seeing snowfall. There were other rabbits here, but they always fled at his approach. Instead, Sussebassen found himself drawn towards the big, white creatures that roamed here. They seemed to live in icy structures scattered across the mountain, with the largest of these structures sitting at the peak, towering above the landscape. Somehow, Sussebassen couldn't shake the thought that he was connected to these white creatures. Were they his kin?
Suddenly, Sussebassen's entire body seized up. It wasn't an entirely unfamiliar sensation – He'd felt this way a couple hours ago, right before the strange calmness had come over him. This time, however, Sussebassen wasn't turning calmer or friendlier. His mind wasn't simply changing – It was growing, and it wasn't the only thing. His body was changing, too, twisting and morphing. His fur receded, his ears flattened, his limbs snapped and stretched, and the snow piled on top of him, making Sussebassen larger... and larger... and larger... And all the while, his mind was growing smarter... and smarter... and smarter...
Snowmen, as you might remember, come from their creator's imagination. Every little facet of their personalities is dictated by their creator's mind. And the funny thing about the human mind is that it can get the real and imaginary worlds mixed up. Sometimes, when a person is asleep, their mind tricks them into believing that their nightmares are real. Usually, this ends with the person waking up and realizing it was only a dream, no harm done. But if that person happens to have the power to bring snowmen to life, and they also happen to be having snowman-related nightmares...
Marshmallow had been having a wonderful time polishing his tiara when out of the blue, a strange thought gripped his mind. He found himself marching out of the Ice Palace and towards the icy staircase, where his siblings all seemed to be congregating. Every last snowbird, ice-creature, and Mini-Marshmallow was gathering into a mob, at the head of which stood a snowman Marshmallow had never seen before. He wasn't the largest snowman, but the newcomer was still head-and-shoulders above the average human. His body was made of ice, but a thin layer of snow appeared to be stretched over it like flesh. He was also the only snowman present that had a detailed, humanoid face, complete with strands of snowy hair and a pair of bulging, icy orbs for eyes.
Overall, he looked a bit like the illustration on the cover of Elsa's copy of Frankenstein.
"Brothers! Sisters!" Sussebassen's voice was strained and scratchy, yet nonetheless deep, reverberating across the mountainside. "My eyes have been opened! We snowmen do not belong in this world. And it's time we changed that."
The crowd roared.