Melt for me

Chapter twenty one

                                                          **Jack**

She paces around the study, waves of confusion and angry just radiate off of her. Elsa rubs her hands together, a servant follows behind her dusting her off or asking questions like; "My lady I know you must be in shock" or "Is there anything I can get you?"   After the whole 'flammable oil in the oven thing', a whole wad of girl servants rushed Elsa to her room to get changed and freshened up or whatever.   

Not that I know what went on because I tried to follow but Elsa chucked a pillow at my head. Which I took as a; 'Get the hell out Jack or so help me, I will end you.' Lets just say  I waited for her outside of her bedroom, nothing new there.

The servant treats Elsa like a delicate flower, afraid to touch her and yet afraid to leave her alone. Hands hovering over her shoulders then recoil when Elsa looks their way. Its more than I can take. Elsa looks over to me, I jerk my head towards the servant.  How can Elsa talk to me when she's there? Or risk looking like a crazy person. 

Elsa clears her throat. "Helga you know what would be nice right now... a warm cup of tea."  Helga the maid, nods like a drone, eager to do a task that her mistress has set for her. "Of course your Majesty! Right away." Helga hurries out the door, shutting it as quietly as she can.  Elsa is composed and regal but as soon as the door is closed, she collapses on the nearest chair.

"Elsa!" I say quickly, flying to her side in an instance.  Elsa glares at me and waves me off. "Don't you start treating me like a helpless flower. For goodness sakes Jack don't look at me that way." I put my hands up and back off. So she did notice the way Helga was treating her. 

Elsa sighs and lays back in the chair, no longer the stoned face girl I saw when everyone else is around, she in now more relaxed and open. Is it because I'm here?  She rubs her temples. "Flammable oil... really who ever wants to kill me should try a little harder."   My head jerks up, wanting to see what kind of reaction she has on. .  

She is also studying me. "I have my suspects," she says softly. I title my head and narrow my eyes, wondering if I should tell her who I think it is. No, who I know it is. "Go on.."   "Lord Victor is my first guess. Or one of the other lords. They have been wanting me off the throne and Anna on ever since they found out I had this curse."   I roll my eyes at the name, Lord Victor. "He may be a sneaky rat but he isn't smart enough to pull this off. He didn't even come down to see if you were okay because its the servant corridors. Lord Victor keeps his distance from 'normal' people."

Elsa slumps back into her chair and fixes her eyes on mine. "Okay Mr. Sherlock Holmes, who do you think it is?" I hesitate. I'm not so sure she will believe me. I mentally face palm my self. Are you kidding yourself Jack?  She believed that your friends with the Tooth fairy, Santa, Sandy and The goddam Easter bunny. How much loyal can you get?

"I think its... Pitch." The name itself causes the room to darken a bit, like its a curse itself. Elsa's eye brows knit together.  "Pitch.." She says slowly. I shiver, hearing his name on her soft perfect lips makes me uneasy.

I nod.  Elsa stands up ever so slowly, her lips pursed together. Thinking. "Pitch.."     I cover my ears. "Will you stop saying his goddam name? It makes me shiver just hearing it from your lips!" Elsa looks taken back but her face softens. "Sorry," she mumbles.   Elsa brushes past me and goes towards a part of the massive book shelf that literally covers the walls in this study and touches the roof. "Why are there so much books in here anyway..." I ask not expecting an answer.

Elsa starts climbing up a rickety looking ladder. "My Father had it built for my Mother when they got married. To remind her of home and where she came from-" She slips a little, I rush over to catch her but she's already clinging on tightly to the ladder and climbing higher. "My Grandmother was Queen Bell of France. She loved books and passed that trait onto my self and Anna," She says reaching for a plain looking brown leather bond  book. 

I hold the ladder steady, preparing myself to catch her if necessary. "You know I could have flied up to get you that book."  I can almost hear Elsa rolling her eyes; "Yes and we would have been here all day. No, we need to get there now."    I shake my head and chuckle; "There? And where would there be, princess."  Elsa tips the book foreword a little, a groan and a creek follows. The book shelf parts ways, dust and the smell of mildew comes with it. I cough and wave away the disgusting smell. 

A door is in the middle of the two parted book shelves, old, cracked and wooden with a strange sign on it. "Um.. Elsa. Knock, knock?"  Elsa slides down the ladder, her dress flapping around her. I watch in awe as she safely lands on the ground, brushing herself off like its nothing. "Are you kidding me? Now that you want to get down a ladder you do it so gracefully but when its an inch off the ground you go down faster than the titanic?"   Elsa ignores me and grabs the sleeve of my blue sweater, pulling me foreword and towards the weird door. 

"What is this.." I say, again she ignores me but instead firmly presses her free hand onto the door.  She says the words so easily, like they have been programed into her brain. "Accendo -cendere -cendi -censum."    Without even so much as  an another word, she lets go of my sleeve and enters the dimly lit room. This time, I don't hesitate as I follow along side of her.

With a groan and a creak the book shelves mold back into place. Locking us in what ever room this is. My eyes adjust to the dim light and widen when they take in the sight.