The cold air was warm to my skin. Lying in the castle that I constructed with ice had lifted a weight off my shoulders that I could not explain. Getting that uncomfortable dress off and replacing it with a lightweight blue dress felt amazing beyond comparison. My hair was no longer in a tight, proper up-do. It was now in a loose braid that I usually wore when I slept.
No one could see me. No one could hear me. No one could be hurt because of me.
And for that, no one would care. They would continue on with their lives even though I was gone. Anna would probably marry that price that she apparently had so much in common with. And she would be happy. Everyone would be happy without me.
A gust of wind startled me from my thoughts. The icy air shot at me through the large double doors, and it took more than a lot of force to close them.
After finishing the task, I slouched on the floor again. I never knew it could be this easy to breath. I never knew what it was like to not having to worry about being good enough, to appease everyone's thoughts. And most importantly, I had a smile on my face that was real. It was not plastered on like it would be at any event, nor any day. It was the first real smile I had since the day Anna was almost killed.
"Oh, now here's a lonesome little dove feeling sorry for herself. Humanity at its finest." A loud voice startled me out of my contentment.
I jumped up and spun around to the direction of the sound.
I now faced a boy hardly older than myself staring at me in confusion. His skin was pale, paler than even my own, and his white hair contrasted oddly with his blue eyes, in fact, the only thing that was not blue or white was a brown staff that he held. He was different to say the least. Everyone that I had seen with white hair like that was elderly...
Anna's streak. I made that happen. It was my fault that she was teased because of it. It didn't matter that she didn't care, because I cared for her.
I felt tears threatening to escape my eyes once again, but I held then back with all of my will.
Realizing that I was in the company of someone again, probably another one of the commoners, I put my shoulders back and straitened out my face.
"This area is off-limits to commoners," I said surprising smoothly.
He furrowed his brow. "Wait... You can see me?"
What? I rolled my eyes. "Obviously, or else I would not be talking to you."
He stood there in shock. "This is amazing! Finally! I can't believe after all this time that someone knows what I look like, talk-"
"...Right. Now please keep your thoughts to yourself and make your way out of my home."
"Your home? Last I checked, this spot was an area for wilderness creatures to run around. Now I guess your giant castle takes up all the space."
"Goodbye."
"And why would I take orders from you...?"
"Do you know to whom you are speaking?" I was annoyed with this trespasser.
"Not exactly."
"Queen Elsa of Aerindale," I said dryly. "Maybe if you paid attention to current events you would know."
"Oh, my apologies, 'your highness,' but if I recall, Aerindale's that way," Jack pointed South through the valley towards the bay.
"I'm on... vacation." I bit my lip. I was a good liar because of all the practice I have had, but for some reason my usual façade was failing me today.
"Vacation in the middle of the mountains? No, you're trying to get away from something. Or someone, for that matter. Could it be because of the fact that you have magic?"
I stood there in stunned silence.
"You can see me, but yet you really don't know who I am, do you?"
I panicked internally but on the outside remained stoic. "You need to go."
He rolled his eyes. "As you wish, 'your highness.'" And he walked back out the double doors.
I looked to make sure he had gone, but I could not see him even though there was nothing blocking my view.
I looked out over the valley from the balcony, it really was beautiful, especially since this high up in the mountains everything was covered in snow.
"Elsa?" I heard my name faintly being called from inside my castle. "It's me, Anna."
No! What was she doing here?
I straightened my posture for what felt like the twentieth time today and stepped back inside. "Anna?"
"Woah," Anna seemed shocked, "Elsa... you look... different. It's a good different. And this place... It's amazing!"
I couldn't manage not to smile. I loved her as my sister. How close we were... "Thank you. I never knew what I was capable of."
"I'm so sorry about what happened, I mean if I'd known I-"
"No, no, no, it's okay." I backed up two steps. "Y-you don't have to apologize. But you should probably go. Please." Before I hurt you.
"But I just got here." She started climbing up the stairs.
"You belong down in Aerindale." I backed up further.
"So do you."
"No. Anna I belong here. Alone. Where I can be who I am. Without hurting anybody."
"Actuałly, about that--"
A white figure moved fast towards Anna and me.
"Wait, what is that?"
"Hey! I'm Olaf and I like warm hugs!"
Was that a...snowman?
"Olaf?" Something was tugging at my memory.
"You built me." He stood at the bottom of the staircase next to Anna. "Remember that?"
Of course! The last day I used magic in front of Anna I-- we-- built a snowman and named it Olaf. I ignored the fact that that was the day I struck Anna with my magic. I could not break down in front of her. "And you're alive?"
"Um, I think so?"
I didn't know I had that much power.
"He's just like the one we built as kids," Anna knelt beside Olaf.
"Yeah," I smiled.
"Elsa, we were so close. We can be like that again."
I gasped as a flashback to the day I hurt Anna came to my mind.
"Catch me!" Anna playfully screamed.
"Slow down!" I panicked as I slipped on ice and fell. I hurriedly shot the spell, praying that it casted where I needed it to.
It didn't. Instead, I shot Anna in the head. My own sister.
I heard her cry in pain as she fell to the floor.
