Thread: Heart of Ice (501st & Kinzie)

The years stretched long and lonely for Elsa in her castle of ice. She had begun to lose track when Arendale's cemetery had grown just a little more. Her sister had passed away at the ripe old age of 93. El-elsa...you're here! Anna had stammered, locking eyes with the youthful ones of her deceased sister. All around her, loved ones looked on curiously to the fading Queen staring up into space, with her hand half clasped around nothing. Kristoff, who sat opposite to the spirit, stared right at her, as if he, too, could see Anna's sister. Elsa could only nod as tears welled up in her icy blue eyes. I am. I had never really left. Her thumb caressed the top of her sister's hand as Anna began to ramble on about all the stuff that she missed. Even in old age with her body losing it's hold on life, she seemed just as spirited as ever. While she had never once doubted that saving Anna's life in return for her own, there was a deep ache in her chest at the lost opportunity to see Anna grow up and have a family. She had never missed the important events, always watching from the side as the brunette wed Kristoff, as she had her children. Those were the only times that she had ever really left the castle. And as Anna peacefully passed away, Elsa realized this would be the last time. There really was no reason to keep track of time when one was dead and had no ties to anything. Marshmallow was her only companionship, and he faithfully scared away any curious youngsters from approaching the icy fortress hidden behind the mountain. Days and weeks stretched into months and years as the ice queen watched over Arendale. They evolved, dissolving the monarchy and replacing it with a democracy, though Anna's descendants still held the superficial title of King or Queen. It was one of the only peaces Elsa had, to see her sister live on in these people. But just as soon as she thought she had found acceptance in being bound to this plane, the fear began to creep in. 'You will always be alone...' 'You're doomed to an eternity where you're nothing more than a legend - a fabled existence that people slowly forget each day.' What had once been a fear of harming people came a fear of this afterlife she was forced to bear alone . The whispers of doubt lingered only long enough for Elsa to grasp onto them and develop the fears herself. She found herself looking over the town less and less, and sitting on her crystal throne more and more. At the very back of her mind, she had registered that her lowering self-esteem was having an affect on the winters, making them much harsher, much colder. On this particular day, the low had reached the negatives, and the forecast called for a foot of snow. Elsa felt she should have fixed it, done something to quell the blizzard going on outside, but she was too caught up in the dark thoughts brewing in her mind. She sat on her throne with her chin rested on her palm in a most un-Queenly gesture, but there was no one to judge her for the brief lapse in poise and manners she usually exuded. Well, that was what she thought, until she sensed the presence of two people approaching her castle past Marshmallow. Eyes wide, she stood in one graceful movement and made long strides towards the entrance. Elsa halted when she stood at the top of the staircase, looking down on the massive doors. Had her fears taken a corporeal form and were coming after her now? Her expression remained stern, but indifferent, as if whoever was coming didn't scare her one bit. In reality, she was concerned that there existed someone who could get past her snowy guard.