Reborn

9 - Fear

Kristoff didn't have time to think.

He immediately rolled off to the side. There was a thwunk as the ice dagger hit a tree trunk and shattered. "Elsa, what the hell's the matter with you!?" he shouted, rolling onto his feet. The shards of ice suddenly lifted up in the air and spun around, reforming the ice dagger in midair. He glanced over to Elsa, who simply flicked her hand.

He immediately ducked and rolled again. Kristoff hissed as the dagger sliced his foot before landing in the snow beside him. Kristoff jumped to his feet and ran...

...into the waiting arms of Patchy and Sideburns, who had only just gotten up and seemed unaware of the danger they were all in. "You're not getting away that easily!" Sideburns growled, tightening his grip on Kristoff.

Kristoff saw Elsa now had the ice dagger again somehow and was aiming it at him again. He kicked and squirmed, but he couldn't get free.

His blood ran cold.

Nononono!!

She threw the dagger.

Sideburns turned at the same time. "Now let's-uhhh!!" Sideburns arms suddenly went slack. Kristoff dropped to the ground and immediately rolled out of the way just as Sideburns dropped to the ground - the hilt of the dagger sticking out of his back.

~

The moment the dagger hit Sideburns, it was like a switch had been thrown in Elsa's mind. Her eyes went wide as she saw Sideburns lying on the ground. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Patchy making his escape. But she barely registered that fact. All she saw was her arm extended like she had just thrown the dagger.

Which was made of ice.

She stood there, shellshocked. Wh...what? How could I..? Why...? Kristoff! She was suddenly aware of Kristoff on his hands and knees, just finishing vomiting onto the ground. She ran over and rested her hand on his shoulder. He flinched and tried to squirm away. "No! Kristoff, it's me!" he shook his head and tried to back away. Elsa tried to get closer, but he shouted 'Stay away!', his arm shooting up as if to try and protect him from whatever he thought she was going to try and do.

Her heart shattered.

"What happened?" she asked. He slowly lowered his arm to look her in the face. His eyes - wide with terror - flittered back and forth over her two eyes. The air filled with tension as scepticism and confusion flickered across his face.

"You...you don't remember?" Kristoff asked, shifting his feet just in case he had to run. Tears filled Elsa's eyes at the thought of what she must have done to him to make him so terrified of her.

"No," she whispered, her voice cracking. Tears leaked out of her eyes. She let them fall. "I don't what I did to you, but I am so, so sorry. I would never try to hurt you." He fell silent and then came over and wrapped his arms around her, drawing her into an embrace. She rested her head against his shoulder, somewhat surprised by the embrace.

"You tried to kill me."

What? Elsa pulled away and looked at him, brushing the tears from her eyes. "How? Why?" Kristoff simply pointed at the dagger in Sideburns back. "Did...did I throw that at you?" Elsa whispered, horror lacing her voice. Kristoff nodded, eyeing her, acting suddenly afraid that she was just pretending and that she was about to kill him. She gasped and her hand shot to her mouth, her eyes going wide. "What possessed me to do that?" she asked.

"I don't know, but I think something or someone had actually possessed you," Kristoff stated. "I know you and you wouldn't try to kill me...unless I had hurt Anna."

Elsa then remembered Grand Pabbie's words.

Oh, shit!

"The evil," she whispered. Ohnoohnoohnoohno!

"What?" Kristoff said dumbly, then recognition flared in his face. "Oh."

"If it's already making me try and kill you...should I continue going with you?" Elsa said in earnest and turned to Kristoff. He started, then seriously contemplated her suggestion. I shouldn't continue with them. She didn't want to try and hurt him, Sven, or Olaf and ruin their chances of reaching Anna. Or worse - kill one of them in the night while their asleep.

Elsa shivered. Not a great mental image.

"No."

She frowned. "Wait, what?"

"You need to come with us," Kristoff stated, sounding more firm and sure of himself.

"No, you don't understand. This time I can - and probably will - kill you guys with my powers. If someone else is controlling them, someone who wanted to kill you, Kristoff...no, I can't risk it." Elsa stood up, determined to leave.

"Elsa, shut up and listen."

She froze in place. She turned around to berate Kristoff for speaking that way to the Queen of Arendelle, but he quickly cut her to the chase. "Listen," he said urgently, standing up, "Pabbie said for all of us - that includes you - to go North. I don't know why, but maybe it's because the evil can't reach us there or something. But I trust Pabbie. You should, too. Come with us. You'll - we'll - be safe up North from whatever possessed you to try and kill me."

Elsa knew exactly what possessed her - the Evil. But why? Why did it want to get rid of her and Kristoff? Why didn't it just kill her then and there? And why didn't it just get rid of Kristoff, but instead got her to almost do it for it?

She let out a sigh. "I-I can't." She didn't want to leave them, but she didn't want to be any danger to their lives.

"You have to."

Elsa looked him in the eye for a moment, then nodded. "Okay. But if it happens again, I'm gone. I'll make my own way up North."

Kristoff scoffed. "As if. You are no good at directions."

Elsa smirked. "I built my Ice Palace on the North Mountain."

"We've already passed that."

Elsa winced. "Well, I'll keep heading in that direction," and she pointed in the direction that they were headed.

Kristoff shook his head. "Sure. You'll somehow find a way to get lost. You always do. Even if by some miracle you keep in the right direction, me, Olaf, and Sven will already be going in that direction, so might as well stick with us."

Elsa rolled her eyes. "Fine," she huffed and turned back to the sleigh. "Hang on, where's the sleigh?"

"Sven! Olaf!" Kristoff shouted.

"Whoo! What a gale! Do you two have any ideas of what caused that?" Olaf said as he wondered over - out of shape. Way out of shape. Sven followed, shooting Elsa a grumpy look.

"Where's the sleigh?" Elsa asked, avoiding the question.

"Back there," Olaf said, pointing behind him and Sven. "In splinters."

Elsa cringed. Oops.