Thirteenth In Line (Rewind to Write Contest Entry)

To Thaw A Frozen Heart

As thirteenth in line in his own kingdom, he didn't stand a chance. He knew he'd have to marry into the throne somewhere.

As heir, Elsa was preferable, of course, but no one was getting anywhere with her. But Anna... She was so desperate for love, she was willing to marry him just like that! He figured after they married, he'd have to stage a little "accident" for Elsa.

And then no one would stand in his way of ruling over Arendelle.

It was all planned out. From the second he heard Elsa was to be crowned queen of their neighboring kingdom, he began to plan a method of worming his way into the royal family—an elaborate and simple plan that would ensure his rise to power and the elimination of all who stood in his way of that goal.

And his plan nearly succeeded during the first attempt. But no one, not even him, accounted for the queen possessing magic over ice and snow and casting a winter without end over the entire land.

And then Elsa doomed herself, and Anna was dumb enough to go after her.

The second he was left in charge by Anna, he decided that he could work with it and make a few changes to his plan. And everything went smoothly after that. Everything. All that was left was to kill Elsa... and bring back summer.

And he would be the hero that saved Arendelle from destruction.

Until he failed miserably. He suffered pure and utter humiliation on top of losing his chance to finally be visible and be loved by everyone.

He had grossly underestimated the power of true love. Something he never experienced in any form in his life. All twelve of his brothers were favored over him while he was neglected and left in the shadows. He was invisible to them all, including his parents; not just three of his brothers for two years like he told Anna. He was always alone and invisible.

He told a simple lie. But not just to Anna, but also to himself.

He never had love in his life. So naturally, he never would have thought that such a concept would be his downfall. It was ridiculous! Absurd! And yet it cost him whatever he had managed to gain in his twenty-three years of life.

How could the one thing he wanted more than anything be the one thing he could never have? The answer was that a heart without love was forever frozen. And frozen hearts could be dark. Very dark.

And—as he unfortunately learned—only true love could thaw a frozen heart.

And that left his fate sealed.

And now, his physical fate was sealed within the dungeon of his own home, as he was once again cast into darkness and cold. Completely familiar and nothing new, but somehow worse than ever before.

He lost his one chance and was suffering eternally for it.

All he wanted was to thaw his frozen heart and see the light that everyone else saw.

It was never about power. Okay, it was about power, but desperation left you scrambling to find a solution before it was too late. All he wanted was the attention; to be loved and looked up to. He wanted the love of a kingdom to thaw his frozen heart and fill the void his family never did. Love was love. And he wanted any and all of the love he could find to save him from his dark fate.

But his desperation and jealousy and hurt didn't just freeze his heart. It darkened his mind. He was blinded by desperation and lead astray by the promise of love that power would give him. He wanted a throne to sit upon and people to love and cherish him. He wanted the love of his people to thaw the ice that encased and filled his heart.

After all, everyone knows that it takes light to make heat. And it takes heat to melt ice.

And, of course, it takes darkness to make cold. And cold thickens ice.

Love, though... Love thaws ice. And that was what he wanted.

As thirteenth in line in his own kingdom, he didn't stand a chance. He knew he'd have to marry into the throne somewhere.

And because of that, he lost that.

If only he wasn't so blinded by himself; by his desire to be noticed; by his dark and frozen heart...

He could have gotten that chance at love.

He had ONE SINGLE CHANCE. And now he had none.

And his heart was more frozen then ever now. Anger, hatred, lust, and revenge... They fed his darkness. They fed his desire for power. But they only fed the desire for the opposite reason he wanted.

Love could thaw a frozen heart. But hatred could shatter it.

And he hated them. All of them. Elsa, Anna, his brothers, his parents, that commoner and his reindeer, and that oblivious and idiot snowman...

They all took everything he ever wanted, or never allowed him the chance to experience it at all to begin with! They took away his hope. They took away his chance to thaw his frozen heart.

They cost him his chance at feeling love for once in his life.

And that was all he ever wanted.

He wanted love. Salvation. He wanted a chance. Just one. One chance was all he needed and he blew it. Instead of letting his darkness rule over him, he could have sat upon the throne of himself and found true love. He could have done everything the right way: Honestly, kindly, sincerely.

Instead, he let that darkness claim his throne and control and manipulate him. Desperation and jealousy were powerful emotions. He knew that more than anyone. But love... That was something he wanted so badly that it broke him and drove him further into the darkness of his mind and the ice of his heart.

His frozen heart was a cage. And love was his escape.

And now he could never have it.

And all he wanted was revenge now.

But he still had one chance. If he could forgive them and try to redeem himself...

But would they do that for him? Grant him that chance? Forgive him...?

He doubted it. But he had two options before him now. Only two. And they both decided his fate.

Option one: Seek forgiveness and redemption, and maybe, just maybe, finally thaw his frozen heart.

Or option two: Seek revenge and lose that chance forever, but take a first chance to show everyone just how he felt and how much he has suffered.

If only they knew how he suffered... If only they knew a life without love... If only they knew what it was like to have a real frozen heart!

As thirteenth in line in his own kingdom, he didn't stand a chance. He knew he'd have to marry into the throne somewhere. But now he that chance was lost.

But maybe he still had a chance at thawing his frozen heart after all...

He just had to play his cards very, very carefully.