by Jen Calonita
Anna didn’t understand what was happening, but she knew they had to get out of the way of whatever was coming. “We need to warn the others. Quickly!” Anna yelled. “Sven!”
Sven ran straight toward her. Anna jumped onto his back.
“Hey! Wait for me!” Kristoff ran after them. “Go, Sven! Through the village!”
“Take cover!” Anna shouted as the blue glow grew closer, ice trailing along right behind it, threatening to overtake them. “Everyone get inside!” Kristoff finally caught up with them and jumped onto Sven’s back behind Anna.
People began running as the wind whipped up. The temperature plummeted and the sky became completely gray. Suddenly, there was a whooshing sound. Sven stopped short, throwing Kristoff and Anna off him as the blue haze washed over them and kept going. Anna and Kristoff struggled to stand up as the ice crackled and spread under their feet as a squall seemed to draw up around them, filling the sky with snow.
Anna didn’t even realize she and Kristoff had been holding on to each other. She kept waiting for the freak storm to pass, but instead, now it was snowing. In the middle of the summer. Her heart pounded hard. What is going on in Arendelle?
Three days later, Anna was still wondering.
For the past seventy-two hours she’d watched the scene outside her window. Blinding snow and ice covered the rooftops, blanketed the ground, and piled high in snowdrifts. Ice crackled and formed giant icicles that threatened to topple off rooftops and crash to the ground.
“We stay inside,” Papa told Anna and Ma as a fierce wind blew outside their bakery door. “We keep the fire going as long as possible and we bake as much as we can. We need the food. Who knows how long this weather will continue?”
Even with a fire raging, the house felt colder than Anna remembered its ever being in winter.
“It is good you moved the chickens and the animals into the barn, but it still must be awfully cold,” Ma said, rubbing her arms to keep warm.
Anna stared out the window. The streets were deserted. Snow was drifting higher in front of doorways despite people’s best efforts to keep it from piling up. They needed a way out of their homes in an emergency, but Anna couldn’t help wondering where they would go in weather like this. They’d freeze to death.
“It’s awfully crowded now with the animals and that ice delivery boy staying in the barn with his reindeer.”
Anna looked up. “Kristoff doesn’t mind. He likes sleeping in barns,” she joked.
Ma looked at her curiously. “You two know each other?”
Anna looked out the window again and tried not to let her mother see her blush. “A little. I wish he would come inside.”
Papa threw another log onto the fire. Their pile of kindling was getting dangerously low. They’d have to go out and cut down more soon. “I asked him to, but he won’t leave his reindeer.”
“I don’t understand,” Anna said. “How could it snow like this in the middle of the summer?” Her gut told her something or someone had caused it. “Is Arendelle cursed?”
Ma and Papa looked at each other.
“There’s no such thing as curses, right?” Anna pressed. Why did she think they knew something they weren’t telling her?
There was a heavy pounding at the door, and Papa and Ma looked at each other again. Papa rushed to the window and peered out. “Let them in! Quickly!”
Ma opened the door, the snow and wind practically overtaking her as she struggled to hold the door for their visitors. Two men were bundled up from head to toe in hats, gloves, and layers of scarves. Still, they were shivering.
“The snow is getting deeper,” said Goran, unwrapping a scarf from around his face. “Soon it will cover rooftops if it keeps falling.”
“That’s impossible,” Ma said, quickly handing him a hot mug of glogg. “It has never snowed that much.”
Mr. Larsen looked grim. “I believe we are cursed.”
“See!” Anna agreed, and her parents looked awkward.
“Did you not see how it came from Arendelle and traveled up the mountain?” Mr. Larsen continued. “How else do you explain snow like this in the middle of the summer? Something happened at Princess Elsa’s coronation. I am sure of it!”
“No one from Arendelle has come to bring news of the princess or what has happened,” Goran agreed. “For all we know, we could have lost her in this weather.”
Princess Elsa was their future. Anna was pinning her hopes to her. “I’m sure she’s fine. Right, Ma?”
Ma was looking at Papa. “Surely the princess is safe. She is probably busy preparing the kingdom for this unforeseen blizzard.”
Anna looked out the window again, straining to see her beloved Arendelle, but the mountainside was covered in a sheet of ice and there were whiteout conditions. Arendelle looked as if it had disappeared.
“Then why send no word to all the villages?” Goran asked. “Wouldn’t the castle come to tell us what is happening? We can’t continue like this. We are running out of firewood. The crops we planted must surely be dead by now, and we will have nothing to store for the real winter still to come. We aren’t prepared for these conditions.”
“In a few weeks’ time, we will run out of food,” Mr. Larsen added grimly. “The fjord appears to be frozen over, so no ships can get in or out to send for help. The horses will not last long outside in this weather. We are done for.”
The situation was direr than Anna had realized. “Papa, someone needs to get to Arendelle and find out what is going on.”
Papa put his hand on her shoulder and attempted a smile, but it was weak at best. “Why don’t you go to the bakery and make sure the fire is still burning while Ma gets everyone more glogg?”
“Papa—” Anna tried to interrupt, but he cut her off.
“Go ahead now,” he said softly. “Don’t worry.”
“Listen to Papa,” Ma agreed.
Anna walked slowly to the kitchen. She looked back, hearing the men and Ma talking quietly by the fire. It popped and crackled even as a breeze blew through cracks in the walls. Curses. Was such a thing possible? Ma and Papa seemed to know something they weren’t saying, but Anna was with Mr. Larsen: there was something unnatural about the weather and the way the ice had traveled up the mountain. Anna had never witnessed anything like that before. Maybe curses were real. But why was someone or something threatening to destroy their kingdom? How much longer would they be able to survive like this?
Not long at all.
One thing was certain: someone had to get to Arendelle and find answers fast.
Papa was in no condition to journey to the castle and get help. Goran and Mr. Larsen were also older. Would they even be able to make it down the mountain? They needed someone skilled at traveling in conditions such as those. Someone who was skilled at handling ice.
Kristoff.
Anna looked back at the others again. No one noticed her standing near the doorway to the bakery. They didn’t see her quietly go upstairs and search her armoire for her warmest hat, cloak, and gloves. They wouldn’t find the note explaining why she had left until they came to her room looking for her. And they were too engrossed in their conversation to notice her slip through the bakery doorway and gather supplies of water, bread, and whatever vegetables she could find. Without a word, she pulled open the door, determined to help her people. She was almost blown back by the wind. Anna was shocked at how cold her exposed face felt, but she kept going, holding on to railings and overturned carts as she slowly made her way to the barn.
When she arrived, she found Kristoff playing his lute for Sven and the other animals, who were all huddled around a small fire. He saw her and dropped his instrument in surprise.
“What are you doing out in this weather?” he asked.
Anna’s teeth were chattering. She rubbed her arms to keep warm. “I want you to take me to Arendelle.”
He sighed and picked up his lute. “I don’t take people places.”
“Let me rephrase
that.” She threw the bag of supplies at him.
“Hey!” He winced and rubbed his shoulder.
“Sorry!” She stepped closer, holding her ground. “Take me down the mountain. Please.”
Sven nudged the bag, and Kristoff opened it. Inside were some carrots, rope, and an ice ax. He looked at her curiously.
“Look, we need to figure out how to stop this winter. You saw it yourself—the ice started in Arendelle. We need to know what happened down there at the coronation that caused this. It feels…magical.” Kristoff didn’t laugh at her suggestion, so she kept talking. “We need to find out what’s going on and figure out how to protect the kingdom.”
Kristoff pulled his hat over his eyes. “We leave at dawn.”
She took a horse blanket off a barn stall and threw it at him. It hit Kristoff in the face. “Sorry! Sorry! I’m sorry. I didn’t…” She cleared her throat. There was no more time to waste. “We leave now. Right now.”
Anna was going to Arendelle. It wasn’t the way she had planned to make the journey, but she was going all the same. She thought again in wonder of the frozen castle and the princess. Her gut told her someone down there needed her. Anna could feel it in her bones.
Elsa’s mind was swirling as fast as the snow that fell around her in thick sheets. She’d run across the fjord, the water beneath her feet freezing as hard as glass with each step. She headed deep into the forest and didn’t stop till the moon was overhead. Faster and faster she asked her legs to carry her, away from the castle, the village, and the only life she’d ever known.
Anna was alive.
Nothing was more important than finding her.
A cold wind whipped her purple cape in front of her face, blocking Elsa’s view. She pushed it aside, trying to get her bearings. She didn’t know where she was, but it didn’t matter. She had to keep going so she wasn’t followed. Another gust of wind sent her sideways. The howling whistle sounded like voices.
Monster! Monster!
The Duke’s words echoed inside her head. It was coronation day, but instead of being crowned queen, she had revealed her powers and fled Arendelle. The kingdom was hidden under a deep freeze she had somehow caused. But how? Her magic allowed her to create ice. Could it also change the weather? The idea was awe-inspiring and worrisome at the same time. It was the middle of the summer. People weren’t prepared for snow. How would they manage? Were they frightened?
Elsa thought again of that mother shielding her baby from her. Monster. Was that what her people thought of her now that they knew the truth? She remembered Lord Peterssen’s face when ice had grown around him like daggers. Hans had looked equally astonished when a blue glow appeared above her hands and snow blasted into the room. She could only imagine what the Duke of Weselton was saying about her to anyone who would listen. They’d all thought they knew her. The truth was no one did.
Would Anna?
That was when it dawned on her: Did Anna know she was a princess of Arendelle? Or had she been kept in the dark, as Elsa had been? Why was Anna’s existence a secret in the first place? Her parents had obviously wanted her to find out about Anna, or they wouldn’t have hidden that canvas and letter in her lockbox. Why were they being kept apart?
How could I have left without that letter? Elsa cursed herself again. And Olaf! What if someone found Olaf in her room? Her heart started to beat wildly at the thought. A blue glow appeared above her fingertips. She shook out her hands and tried to concentrate. No! She couldn’t let her powers control her.
The only way to save Olaf and retrieve the letter was to go back to the castle. Elsa turned toward home—or at least she thought she did. Arendelle was obscured by the blinding snow. She couldn’t find her way back if she tried.
And even if she did…Monster. That was what the Duke had called her. What if Lord Peterssen and the advisors agreed with him? She’d be sent to the dungeons. She’d lose her crown. She’d never find Anna.
Just breathe, she reminded herself, and the blue glow above her hands disappeared.
Olaf was a pro when it came to hiding. Over the past few years, they’d worked out a number of places in her room for him to disappear to if anyone came calling. Now if he just heard a voice outside her door, he’d spring into action. Besides, no one had entered her room since her parents died. Chances were they weren’t going to look in her room now, either. Hopefully Olaf had heard the commotion, grabbed the letter, and hid. When things calmed down, she’d find a way to go back for him. Olaf knew she’d never abandon him. That just left the problem of the missing letter.
Think, Elsa, she willed herself. What do you remember reading? She’d been so excited she’d only skimmed it the first time, looking for what was most important: proof that Anna existed. But she had noted a few other phrases. There was something written about trolls. That made sense. In her vision, she’d seen a large group of trolls and their leader, called Grand Pabbie. The family had traveled far by horse to find him, crossing a river and climbing into the mountains to a valley. The mountain range ahead of her was remote and imposing. Maybe that was where Grand Pabbie was! In the distance, the rocky face of the North Mountain loomed, large and impressive. Even in the summer, the peak was covered with snow. Few had attempted to climb it, which meant no one would follow her up there. The mountain was a kingdom of isolation, and it looked like she was the queen. She’d keep going in that direction until she found the trolls or her legs gave out. She wasn’t even tired. And the cold never bothered her, anyway.
For two days, Elsa trudged through the snow to reach the base of the North Mountain. It was a feat she hadn’t been sure she could manage, but when she finally arrived, she had a bigger problem. She might not have been cold, but she definitely didn’t have the equipment to climb a rocky facade. Or did she?
No one could see her at that altitude. She didn’t have to conceal her powers in the middle of the wilderness. After having been locked away in her room, hiding her secret from the world, she was suddenly free to use her magic in a way she never had before. All her practice had led her to that moment: what could she create to help her move mountains?
Elsa looked down at her hands. She was wearing only one glove. Her gloves had served as “protection” from her powers for far too long. It was time to let go. She pulled the glove off and let it fly into the wind. She was finally free.
Lifting her hand to the sky, she concentrated on creating a giant snowflake that crystallized in midair and floated away. Then she lifted her other hand and made another snowflake, watching it fly away as well. Pulse racing, Elsa kept building, her face breaking into a smile as she realized the possibilities were endless. Here she could really use her gift and see what she was capable of.
A blue glow circled her swirling arms as she imagined crystals that immediately froze and shattered into snow. Think bigger, Elsa resolved as she shot a stream of ice up the mountainside. What else can I do? she wondered. Anything. Everything I can think of! She’d never felt so alive.
Elsa kept shooting snow into the air as she ran closer to the base of the North Mountain, stopping short when she stared into a gorge with a hundred-foot drop. Once more, her cape caught on the wind, hitting her in the face. The item served no purpose on a mountaintop. Elsa unclipped the brooch holding it closed and let the cape fly off the side of the mountain, disappearing into the darkness. The gorge was a different problem. It had to be almost thirty feet across. It was impossible to jump, but with powers like hers, why did she need to worry about jumping?
For so long she had feared anyone’s knowing she had powers, but in her recovered memories, her family looked at them as a gift. Now she could see why: look at what she could create with her two hands! If she used to make winter wonderlands in the castle for Anna, why couldn’t she create an ice palace on a mountaintop? Let your fears go, she reminded herself. She imagined a staircase of ice connecting both sides of the gorge. Was it possible? What about a staircase that carried her up the entire mountain?
Elsa took a deep breath and backed up a few paces before running across the snowy peak. Staircase, she thought as her hands shot out in front of her, forming several icy steps that climbed into the air. She paused for a split second before gingerly stepping onto the first one. The stairs were so sturdy she ran up them, throwing her hands out over and over, creating steps that led her all the way to the peak of the North Mountain. Her mind and her fingertips somehow worked in perfect harmony to create exactly what she needed at exactly the right moment.
When Elsa finally reached the top, she didn’t find any trolls, but the view was breathtaking. Few mountaineers had climbed to such heights, and there she was, high over the entire kingdom. Arendelle was far in the distance, as tiny as a speck. Even if she hadn’t found the trolls yet, the North Mountain felt like a good place for her to recharge and figure out how to find Anna. She’d build a palace as stunning as the landscape to shelter in. One that reflected the new her. Mama had called her powers a gift, hadn’t she? Well, they were. And there was no reason to conceal them from the world at the top of a mountain.
Elsa stomped her foot into the snow, creating a giant snowflake that unfurled under her. The snowflake multiplied again and again, forming the footprint for her new home. Next she imagined her fortress rising into the air, and it did just that, the frozen wonder growing and expanding. This time, the ice didn’t form sharp, jagged daggers. She created ornate columns and archways more exquisite than even those found in Arendelle Castle. Elsa filled in every detail she could think of for her home, until she created the peaks that would be her roof. For a final touch, Elsa made a giant snowflake that burst into the most intricate chandelier she could imagine.
Standing inside her creation, Elsa knew there was still something missing. She had created a new look for her life, but hadn’t done a thing to change her own appearance. Pulling at her uncomfortable hairstyle, she let several loose tendrils frame her face. Next, she took out the tight bun, and her braided hair hung down her back. Elsa didn’t stop there. This gown had weighed her down for too long. It was time for it to go as well. With a wave of her hands, she imagined a new dress that suited her personality and style. Something light and freeing. Ice crystallized over the bottom of her teal dress, forming a new one that was a shimmering pale blue. Gone were the itchy high collar and the annoying long sleeves that restricted her movements. Her new gown was strapless, her neck was open, and her arms were loosely wrapped in silk. A light sheer cape was made up of a pattern of snowflakes as unique as she was.