Mask of Shame

Chapter 3

It’s been a couple of months since the aggravating meeting with the Northuldran. Elsa had pushed the failure of it to the back of her mind. The one at the forefront was what transpired in her bedroom.

The shadow. That one moment became an occurring thing. She saw it out the corner of her eye every day now. She swears it’s watching her, with a steady increase of seeing symbols out of simple designs around the castle.

Elsa felt a little crazy. Trying to concentrate on easy tasks that’d take less than 20 minutes lead to being done hours later. Concerns arise from her subjects and neighboring allies. Letters flooded her already overcrowded desk. A maid knocked at the door, asking to come in. Elsa rubs her eyes and allows her. She doesn’t look up and a brown envelope is placed in front of her.

When she hears the door close, she grabs the envelope and examines it, seeing only ‘To Your Majesty’ scribbled on the front. She opens it and pulls out another lengthy letter, sighing she begins to read:

‘To the Ice Queen, 

I’d like to start off apologizing for how I reacted, that was wrong of me and it set a bad example for the Northuldran. All I ask is for your presence during the supply run. Please. In return, we’ll double what we owe you. People really are dying and the spirits aren’t making it any easier, they’re restless like a force had been triggered. Yelena says she knows something about your mask, why you feel like the world is behind 50ft of glass?

Or why anger is your first reaction to situations, whatever that means. I personally do not know as she refused to tell me but I am asking again, please. Find some compassion in your icy heart for us. We’ve done nothing but cooperate and deserve the same respect, especially from one such as you. You set an example for your kingdom, this is the least you could do.

From, Honeymaren’

Elsa raises a brow after reading. What intrigued her was Yelena’s knowledge. Never mind Honeymaren or her pathetic begging. Finally, answers that her book did not give. She’s spent countless nights going through it. Nothing seemed to benefit her or explain other than the cryptic spell that gave her these powers. Or is it the mask? She doesn't even know at this point.

The platinum-blonde sits back in her chair, lifting her hand and summoning an icicle within her palm. Her magic has grown stronger, her gloves not stopping the ice from spreading through it. She morphs it into the symbols of the spirits. The book talked about a fifth spirit. A bridge between humans and the magic of nature. Is that what she is?

She doubts it though. All she brought was destruction and created fear. Elsa grimaces when she thinks back to the incident that had transpired a few weeks ago. 

She thought she saw the shadow again. She deemed it the embodiment of fear and anger as it always provoked those emotions after this day. While talking to a maid, it appeared behind her. Elsa watched helplessly as it did a cut throat motion and before she knew it, icicles were piercing flesh. Blood oozed down the translucent material and a puff of white smoke indicating the maid's last breath.

Elsa's body went stiff and her own blood ran cold. Shock took over and the room froze. Top to bottom was solid ice, snow falling around her. She stayed in that very room for about three days. Starvation and dehydration was a punishment for her crime. One she'd be dethroned in an instant if someone found out.

She'd stare at her gloves for hours on end, chest heaving with anxiety and a mini snowstorm whirling both inside herself and room. Elsa's eyes shifted to the frozen blood. Her body screamed to cry, shout, say something. Anything. Most important feel anything. She should be feeling remorse, anguish, guilt but nothing.

Instead, it was fear of her own self. A burning anger towards her jealousy. She growls, seeing the one thing she didn't want to out of the corner of her eye. Her mask forms teeth, rising into a snarl as if a separate mouth, eyes glowing a bit brighter than normal.

"You. I didn't ask for this." She says in a sheer rage she didn't even realize was bubbling.

It tilts its head. "But you did." It smiles wickedly. "You read the warning, you put the mask on. Now you suffer the consequences."

It steps forward causing Elsa to step back, bumping into the frozen body and sending it tumbling down. It shattered like ice, Elsa's eyes widening in horror. She was going to be sick. She had to get away. She had to leave.

It was then that she made the decision to hold a meeting after finally leaving the room. There was a buzz, wondering where the queen had disappeared and even Anna got so worried she attended the meeting. Elsa explained that not a single soul was to step foot into the room and if she caught them, they'd immediately be forced out the castle.

Her blue eyes met her sister's. "Even you Anna." She said without a hint of remorse as pain and betrayal flashed across Anna's features.

Elsa lays her head down at the desk. Everything has gotten worse. She runs a  gloved hand through her hair, ruining the intricate bun and pulling it out into a braid. Back to work she reasons, pushing any furthur memory or thoughts of the past few days away.

It wasn't until a week later where she recieved another latter from Honeymaren. This one far uglier than the pleading the first had. The desperate cry for Elsa to help turned into degrading her being as a person and diminishing her reputation. Mocking her competency once again.

"A failure as a queen." Elsa read outloud, fingers gripping the paper tightly. So hard it threatened to rip.

She's glad to be in her chambers or even that it was night. If anyone saw her like this, the term monster would definitely appear. She paced back and forth, grumbling and growling to herself.

She crumbles the letter, throwing it across her room. The blonde curses at how easily the words got to her and how violently she reacted to them.

'So be it Honeymaren. I'll go to Northuldra.' Elsa thought, finally stopping at her window to look out over Arendelle.

To do so although, she had to repair a few broken relationships. Starting with Anna, so she could look after the castle while she took leave. She doubts it'll work but it's worth a try. Elsa furrows her brows.

"Screw you Honeymaren."

Managing to make her do stuff without even being present...she smirks.

"Well played."

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Apologies for the short chapter. Finally finished testing and I choked on this one lol-

I swear I have plans for this story, I did a layout and everything xd

I'm just slow and have the attention span of a goldfish.