A Twist Of Fate

Chapter 12

Elsa, Anna, and Kristoff hopped out of the sled and made their way to the valley of the trolls. There was a little walk to get their from where the sled was left, so it was an awkwardly silent walk there. Elsa trailed a little bit behind Anna and Kristoff, leaving a small trail of frost behind her.

Her mood today was just terrible.

Elsa bit her lip and wrung her hands together, pondering over how exactly to ask Pabbie her questions.

Like, oh, the man who almost murdered me, has come back and it turns out he has fire powers. Oh and one more tiny thing, I have forgiven him and he is so kind and gentle that I might actually have feelings for him.

Elsa frowned. Yeah, like that would ever work. She looked up and in front of her, and noticed Anna and Kristoff tightly holding their hands together. Elsa's frown still stood. But, in no time at all, the group had made it to the Valley.

"KRISTOFF!!" The trolls rolled up to the three, making a loud greeting to Kristoff before going to the sisters. "Anna, Elsa!" Bulda took their hands and brought them down to her level. "It's so good to see you again! Especially you, Queen Elsa. Last I heard from Anna, you have a prince in the castle, courting you!!"

Anna giggled and nodded, Bulda smiling wide, and Elsa clenching her teeth together in a small, forced smile, one she had mastered over many years. "Well, actually...we have...two princes in the castle..." Elsa laughed nervously. Bulda made a curious face and Anna pressed her lips together and nodded. "Oh do ya? Who's the other?" She asked, and the other trolls started to listen after fussing over Kristoff. "He's.." Elsa bit her lip. "....Prince Hans, of the Southern Isle."

The rolls gasped and murmured to them selfs. Bulda raised an eyebrow, clearly in surprise as well. "What ever could he need to be here?"

"Well, you see, his brothers left him with us. From when I first saw him, he was beaten up, and I was told it was from his brothers."

"Careless, cruel people, they seem to be." Bulda remarked.

"Yes...and, also...." Elsa turned and found Anna standing and conversing with Kristoff and a few other trolls, Sven huffing along too. Elsa's voice dropped to a murmur. "He seems to have...abilities....like mine..." Elsa but her poor bottom lip again. ".....fire powers."

Bulda's eyes widened. "Really? My, I'm surprised we hadn't known that. We must tell Grand Pabbie, come,"

Elsa sat on her knees on the floor of a shack- probably where Kristoff lived when he was older -and stared at the fire. She'd always been so intrigued by fire, by heat, by everything warm.

But I guess that's what happens when you're as cold as the arctic.

Her eyes flicked all around the flames, catching the red, yellow, orange, and even blue. But mostly the red....like autumn leaves. Oh, yes, the autumn equinox will be upon them soon... Autumn was probably a season she favored just as much as winter. She remembered how when her and Anna were little, they used to go out to the gardens and play with all the leaves, and drink hot chocolate...

Elsa found herself smiling ever so slightly, at the memories. She looked down at her hands, which were folded in her lap. Then, Hans came to mind. She no longer saw him as the prince who had came to her coronation, nor the mad driven man who tried to kill her. She saw...well, what he was like now. A man, in simple clothing, with auburn hair that was no longer perfectly in place- his sideburns were always trimmed, of course -and with that warm smile she wished she would have seen sooner, and not that regal, smug one from two years ago. Elsa started blushing and smiling like a fool, until the door opened and Grand Pabbie rolled in. "Your Highness," he acknowledged. "Oh, Grand Pabbie, hello." Elsa turned and offered a small, warm smile. "I heard you're having a problem? With, the thirteenth prince?"

"Yes, I am. You see...he has abilities, like mine. Fire, though. And, he can't control it. I want to know how to help him, but not the way my parents did." Elsa explained. She loved her parents dearly, but if she was honest, the way they tried to help her with her powers weren't the best way to go.

"I see...Your Majesty, I may need to see that young man, to learn more about him. And with controlling his powers...I'd suggest having him hold an object, and think of good, loving things, and the point out how he doesn't burn anything when he does that." Pabbie advised. "Yes, I've tried it with him holding," my hand. "An object, but....I don't think he has any good memories..." Elsa frowned, looking back down at her lap. Pabbie sighed and nodded. "Then, try to...make good memories, or thoughts."

Elsa nodded, and began to stand. "I'll try my best. Thank you, Grand Pabbie." She began to head toward the door, when he spoke again. "Anything, Your Majesty. And, be wise on which prince you trust the most. Both still have their secrets."