The Snow Queen: Jelsa *Third Book to Frozen Love*

Chapter 4

"You can't learn history in reverse!" -Disney's The Sword in the Stone

Elsa

"You're not touching the Snowboy," the sharp tone of her voice shook me out of my confusion. My shoulders tensed, and I stepped between Ursa and Jack. Ursa just raised her thin eyebrows like a sympathetic mother.

 "My dear, you only protect the boy because you don't yet know any better. Come with me, and you will understand." She held out her hand. My eyes paused on it, considering the options. "I will not harm him as we talk," Ursa spat impatiently. Her eyes screamed desperation, and the truth was, I wasn't sure if it was for mother-daughter bonding time, or a chance to use me as a weapon. But when I glanced at Jack, he gave a nod that would've been imperceptible to anyone but me. As scary as it was to admit, I was curious about my past, and I trusted Jack to figure out a way to escape in the meantime. 

"Lovely!" All trace of hunger vanished from Ursa's face, replaced by the glee of a toddler. A powerful wind current brushed past me and swept Jack into the air, carrying him out of the room struggling. When I reached out to him, Ursa urged me down the opposite pathway. To focus my anxiety, I filled my lungs up with the crisp air and let it out through my nose. 

"Why did you show me that little girl? How could you have given me my powers?" I demand, hurrying up to keep up with her long strides.

"Dear, the role of the Snow Queen has been passed down for centuries and centuries, and though it's unconventional, a queen can always appoint her own heir if she is devoid of a natural-born one," she answered congenially. 

"Have they been around as long as Mann--I mean, the Man in the Moon?" I wondered aloud.

"No, I'm afraid that he is far more ancient."

"And what about a Snow King? You do need one to, um, produce an heir, correct?" I asked. Ursa chuckled.

"Of course a king has to be chosen. But after he has done his job, he is frozen for eternity, as I showed you back in my throne room. After a queen's reign, her daughter must do the same to that queen." I cried out.

"The heir has to kill her own mother?!" 

"Don't think of it as killing; think of it as preserving her legacy for the ages," Ursa smiles. "Usually the heir is trained enough to perform the ceremony by your age--I did at twenty-three--but in your case, we'll need to get right on your lessons immediately. That is because of your parents, who kept you from me and locked you away in that castle your entire life! I couldn't risk alerting mortals of my existence. And now we've found each other again!"

"That's why I could never go outside," I whispered. 

"I'm afraid so, darling. The people who gave birth to you didn't know how to care for you, because you were different. It's their fault that my daughter is dead, and it's their fault that you were so isolated. Fortunately, I took care of them a few years ago."

"Wait," I froze on the spot, eyes wide. "Y-you killed my parents when I was sixteen? In that storm?"

"Was it when you were sixteen? Hm. The years blur together when you live forever." She giggled, obviously expecting me to find this funny. When I just stood there grinding my teeth, she stopped. "Conjuring up a storm is quite simple for the ruler of winter." I turned around, trying to keep the tears from falling. I felt like the hole in my heart that had just been starting to heal was being ripped open once more. I wanted to scream, but the scream seemed stuck in my throat.

"So you cast these powers on me, k--" I choked, "--killed my parents, waited for me to control my powers, and then created Lady Pitchiner?" 

"Very good," Ursa praised proudly. " I made a deal with the Dream Pirates a long time ago to make her the Nightmare Queen, and awakening her has been the most useful thing I've done in a long time." I wasn't sure what she meant by that. I didn't even know if I should believe anything she said. Still, she'd known so much about me...and she possessed the same powers as us...

I remembered that strange connection to her I'd experienced when we first met.