Twisted in Time

Chapter Five: The Story of the Ice Queen

I floated down to the familiar forest floor once again, looking around through the shadows.
I turned at the sound of rustling and North emerged from the trees. "Ah Jack, there you are," he said with his usual bright smile.
I gave a slightly irritated chuckle as one by one the rest of the guardians came into the clearing.
You know it's really too bad that you all finished your rounds so quickly. Things were just getting interesting down in Arendelle." My words came out slightly sarcastic.
North gave me an intrigued look. "Did you find anything?"
I swung my staff around as a paced. "Hm well uh let me see," I said sounding clearly annoyed. "Nope, nope. I didn't find much. Just ah, oh what was it? A girl with ice powers!"
The guardians immediately exchanged looks. The silence in the air was stifling.
"Anyone going to explain that to me?" I looked around at them. "Huh?"
Tooth turned to North solemnly. "He deserves to know."
The Russian man looked back at her and sighed deeply. Slowly, he turned back to me.
"Jack," he started, glancing at the sand man. Sandy stepped forward, nodding at North before bringing his hands to swirl sand in the air.
"A long time ago, when you were just an infant, a baby girl was born to the king and queen of, what in our time, is the ancient kingdom that was Arendelle."
Sandy's sand morphed into an image of a frail baby within the castle of Arendelle.
"She was named Elsa," he continued, "and though the monarchs didn't know it then, their daughter had inherited powers. Powers that came from the queen's sister, Ingrid."
I tilted my head curiously. "How did Ingrid get her powers?"
North chuckled lightly. "Now that, Jack, is a tale for another time."
I simply nodded and dropped the subject, waiting for him to continue.
"As Elsa grew, her icy abilities emerged and the truth was revealed to her parents."
The sand pictured a young girl crying because of a small cut on her finger. It suddenly began to snow in the room she was in and she looked shocked. Her surprise was quickly replaced by happiness. She bounced around as she touched the small flakes.
"In the beginning, Elsa controlled her powers beautifully."
The girl of sand controlled streams of snow as she weaved them through the air.
"Her cheerfulness was true as her family grew larger with the birth of a new princess, her sister, Anna. Their friendship was unchangeable."
The images changed into two children, which I guessed were the princesses, playing together with carefree smiles on their faces.
"Or at least...that's what they thought..."
I looked at North pressingly, turning my view to the sand which was rapidly changing.
"One night, the girls went out to play like they always did."
The two girls were laughing and playing with snow inside of a big room.
"But this time was different."
I continued to watch as the sand figure representing Elsa created columns of snow. The Anna figure jumped onto each one, gradually gaining speed. Elsa began to stagger, not being able to keep up.
"S-she's going too fast!" I said, looking at the other guardians. They remained silent, their eyes solely on the sand.
Elsa struggled, slipping on the icy floor just as Anna had jumped off the largest pillar.
"No!" I yelled. Elsa cried out, extending her arm in a desperate attempt to save Anna from the fall. But the stream of ice that shot from Elsa's hand did not create another ice pillar. It hit Anna.
North sighed, continuing. "Because of that accident, Anna was knocked unconscious."
He gestured to the sand as two more figures entered the scene, crowding around the small princess.
"The King and Queen rushed into the room, knowing that only one thing could help Anna, the aid of the ancient rock trolls."
I watched as the sand showed a grassy clearing with small creatures that resembled rocks. Anna was brought to what looked like the chief.
"This troll," North said, pointing at the leader, "they call Grand Pabbie. He is the wise leader of their tribe, with much knowledge of the art of magic."
I was only half listening to him as I watched the sand. "Did he heal her?"
North sighed. "Yes. He healed her...but it came at a price."
I turned to him.
"The only way to remove the ice magic from Anna's mind completely was to also remove any memories she had of magic."
I lowered my eyes before turning to the picture as Grand Pabbie was taking out the traces of magic from the small princess. "So she...wouldn't even know that her sister had powers?"
North nodded. "Yes, and that is a big part of their story."
The troll was now showing Elsa something.
"What's he doing now?"
The Russian man watched Pabbie. "Before the royal family left, Grand Pabbie gave them a warning. He told them that Elsa's power could be dangerous if it wasn't controlled."
Sandy waved his hand, rearranging the sand.
"So, in desperation to keep their daughter from her own dangerous strength, the queen and king shut Elsa away from the world.
But as this was happening, Princess Anna, with no knowledge of what had happened to her, felt as if her sister had suddenly decided to end their friendship.
Anna was left alone for years. In her mind, she had become an only child. And Elsa...with every day, a fear of her powers grew inside her. Her parents' goal was to help her control her magic...but in truth they only made it worse.
I watched Anna's figure, waiting longingly outside of Elsa's door, Elsa inside her snow covered room with a frightened look on her face as her parents tried to calm her down. It was as if I could feel their sorrow.
"In their own ways...they were both so alone..." I whispered.
"Oh but Jack...their story does not end here."
My head cocked up to him, urging him to continue.
The sand morphed with North's words. "When Elsa was around the age of 20, and Anna 16, the queen and king boarded a ship headed for Corona, so they could attend their niece's birthday."
A ship of sand bobbed along the waves of a golden sea.
"That was the last time anyone would see them again."
My eyes fell to the floor.
"They weren't alone though, for across the sea, in Burgess, you died, submerged in that icy lake."
I looked quickly back up at North, only to be met by his eyes focused on the sand. I turned to it as well, my brows instantly furrowing.
The ship disappeared beneath the waves, the sea turned into a funeral, and Anna stood by the graves with no sister beside her.
"Elsa was overcome with grief and fear. So much so, that not even the burial of her own parents would cause her to escape her isolation.
"She eventually did get out though, even if not by her own choice. A few years had passed and Elsa had come of age."
"Her coronation..."
North nodded his reply. "All of Arendelle was celebrating, especially a certain red-headed Princess. The castle gates were finally opening, and Elsa had a slight problem on her hands."
I watched as Elsa stood at the coronation, gently removing her gloves. Her shaky hands grasped the ceremonial items and her face was the definition of anxiety.
As she faced the crowd ice began to creep up on the golden objects and she barely was able to make it through the proclamation before she swiftly put the items back and slipped on her gloves. She turned back to her people with a small smile of relief.
North continued. "At the after party, Anna met a dashing prince from the Southern Isles and thought it was love at first sight. So when he asked her for her hand in marriage she said yes.
"Wait hold on," I interrupted, trying to wrap my head around the concept. "Anna got engaged to a man she just met that day?"
North chuckled as he nodded. "Elsa had the same reaction. Anna of course got agitated by her refusal and pressed her."
I watched as the two royals bickered, Anna moving ever closer. She took a grab for Elsa's glove, her face full of earnest questions. Elsa looked at her sister, saying something before turning and walking to the door.
Anna shook the glove as she spoke with both fury and sorrow. Elsa turned at her outburst and shot a blast of powerful ice.
The entire ballroom was taken aback, including the princess. Anna's face showed a mixture of shock and betrayal as she watched her sister hesitate before fleeing out the door.
   "Elsa's revelation of her power shocked the kingdom. She went into hiding, unaware that she had caused a cloud of unending snow to descend on Arendelle.
   So Anna had no choice but to go after her. She journeyed far, making new friends along the way."
   Three figures formed from the sand. One a tall man with shaggy hair, another a reindeer, and the last a small snowman.
   "The prince from the southern isles, who had grown worried about his fiancé, rushed off with some men to find her. Meanwhile Anna had arrived at Elsa's new solitude, a grand ice castle."
   An image of Anna entering the castle appeared.
   "Anna tried to convince Elsa to return to Arendelle, but the queen refused, too afraid of her powerful magic. But Anna pressed her, begging her to come back."
   The sand showed Anna and Elsa debating, snow swirling around them.
With one burst, the snow pulled into Elsa before shooting out in every direction. Anna was hit and fell on the floor.
   "Elsa, accidentally, had hurt her sister again. Anna moved quickly with her friends and visited the rock trolls.
   "Grand Pabbie told them that Elsa's ice had struck her heart and she would slowly freeze unless she was saved by an act of true love. So they journeyed back to Arendelle."
   "The prince," I mumbled.
   North nodded. "Exactly. Princess Anna was taken to the prince and they were left alone. Just as he was about to kiss her, he stepped back and revealed his true plan, to become the sole ruler of Arendelle."
   I slammed my staff against the floor in anger, creating a small gust of cold air. "The traitor!"
   "That he was," North agreed with a low gruff. "He left Anna to freeze to death as he went out to finish off Elsa as well. Luckily though, Anna was saved."
   I watched an image of Anna be rescued by the snowman I had seen earlier.
   With a gust of wind the sand changed yet again, showing the prince walking through what seemed to be a snowstorm, trying to reach Elsa. Anna had been trailing behind him as her hands began slowly turning to ice.
   "The prince told Elsa that Anna had died because of her and Elsa collapsed in grief."
   The prince had risen his sword and was about to deliver the fatal blow when Anna jumped in front of Elsa, freezing completely before his sword hit her figure of ice. The sword shattered, pushing him back.
   Elsa quickly stood up, gasping before collapsing on the sculpture that was her sister.
   When I was sure all hope was lost, Anna thawed and embraced her sister.
   "It was the true love of these two sisters that broke the curse, healing Anna. Once Elsa realized that love would thaw even the coldest ice, she was able to unfreeze Arendelle and the sisters lived happily ever since."
   As North completed his tale, the sand disbanded and scattered into the air. I thought the whole story through, piecing it together. And then my anger was returned
   "Why...why didn't you tell me this earlier?" My voice was a harsh whisper. "She was confused! A-and alone!" The voice I had was rising with every word. "I could've HELPED her!"
   "Jack," North said, trying to calm me down, "you must know that we kept Elsa's existence from you because Manny gave us specific orders to, not because we wanted to."
   I looked up at him. "M-manny? Why would he say that?" I felt betrayed. Did Manny not trust me anymore?
   The giant man sighed. "Jack...we may not know why he kept this from you, but perhaps it was because he knew that Your and Elsa's destinies were not meant to intertwine until now."
   I closed my eyes, letting his words sink in. "Then...what happens now?