A/N: Hello, this is the start of a dark A/U fic. This fic takes place in the same period in time as Frozen.

I suggest you at least give it through this first chapter to see if it hooks you, but I'm biased :P (I mean, hey, it's only 1,900 words).

Anyway, enjoy.

A young red head by the name of Anna Adgarson wandered the streets of a little town named Arendelle one late summer night. Darkness had befallen the land and few shops were left open, most people laying down for a good night's rest so they could start over tomorrow. She was out far passed her curfew, risking punishment to satisfy her own judgment-destroying curiosity. And where better to satisfy said need to know than at a curiosity shop? Her and her brother, Kristoff, had passed it on the way back from the market earlier that day, and something grabbed hold of Anna's attention, though she couldn't quite place what it was.

Kristoff will actually kill me if I get caught she mused. Better not get caught. The girl saw a flickering candle in a nearby window, recognizing the store and grinned. "Now," she whispered to herself, "let's find something interesting."

Quickening her pace, she crossed the street and entered the shop. The young woman slowly made her way through the entrance, observing all the strange trinkets laid out around her. It was unnerving to say the least. The notion that entering this shop was a mistake formed in Anna's mind, but she dismissed it as quickly as it came upon her.

On the shelf next to her sat a shrunken head, the eyes sewn shut, face contorted as if it was made from a real, suffering person. Anna hoped it wasn't. The hair was straw-like, dry and brittle, the skin cracked and stretched.

A little down the shelf was a jar with an unidentifiable liquid in it, along with a singular eyeball resting at the bottom, preserved in the sealed glass container, watching ever so diligently over the store.

The back shelf was packed with old books, all of which were torn, worn, and dusty. It looked like they hadn't been touched in decades. A majority of them were about sorcery and magic, a subject Anna wasn't so sold on. She had caught wind of stories about a magic flower from over seas, word of a magic lamp, and witches that could turn people in to frogs with a snap of their fingers, but she never had any real proof. Just stories she was told by sailors and her brother, adopted for entertainment, not fact.

"Hello?" Anna called cautiously, as if her presence was unwelcome. "Anybody- Eep!" A dead rat on a shelf caught her eye. A fly buzzed around the aging carcass, looking for an opening to lay its eggs.

"What can I help you with?"

"Ah!" The red head jumped at the voice, her focus turning from the dead vermin to the clerk who had silently appeared, almost as if she formed out of the shadows themselves. Anna's heart was racing through her chest, she gasped to catch her breath. "I- um- I saw this place earlier and was just- just-"

"Curios?" The clerk had raised one eyebrow, staring back at Anna with a chilling, soul-piercing glare.

And that's when Anna noticed it. Or rather her. The clerk was a woman who didn't appear to be much older than Anna was. Her complexion was flawless, her skin eerily smooth. She was as pale as the moon on a clear summer night, and her hair resembled the silver aura surrounding the lunar body. The clerk's lips were blood red, pointed in an unamused frown. Her eyes were piercing and blue, an icy, vile sea entrapped behind them. She was gorgeous, she wore a... night gown? Does she live here? Was she asleep when I walked in?

The red head desperately needed something, anything to latch on to and make into an excuse. She noticed a small array of jewelery behind the front desk. "I- Um... I want to take a look at the necklaces you have back there." Anna smiled uncomfortably, trying to manually siphon away the palpable awkwardness filling the air.

The clerk briefly looked less upset with Anna and silently walked over to a waist high door and unlocked it, granting Anna access to behind the desk. "Have a look."

Quietly and slowly, the red head responded "okay," and inched her way towards the jewelery. She noticed a staircase to the second floor as she did. She does live here. She timidly glanced back at the pale woman before pretending to be interested in one of the necklaces. It appeared expensive. There's no way I'll ever be able to afford this. Nonetheless, she continued 'inspecting' it. It was beautiful, a ruby at the center, and the red head would have bought it if she could. Though whether it would have been to diffuse the tension or because she really wanted jewelery, Anna didn't know.

Anna picked up another necklace and pretended to compare the two. She scrunched her nose as if in concentration and was acutely aware of ice blue eyes burning holes in her sides as she shopped.

"You know," the clerk started, "I think I have just the thing for you." That was when Anna noticed how soothing the woman's voice truly was. She didn't hear it before, but now that the air seemed less thick to her lungs and her heart relaxed, she did. I think she's starting to warm up to me, Anna optimistically speculated.

The woman picked up a small, wooden box that she kept under the desk and opened it. She paused for a moment, looking at the the contents (which Anna couldn't quite see at that angle, despite craning her neck) as if she loathed and loved the item all at the same time.

She turned to the red head. "Here."

It really was perfect. It was a necklace made completely out of silver shaped in to a crocus. Despite being metal, the craftsmanship on the flower was astounding, every last detail was captured. Clearly no time or talent was wasted in the creation of this masterpiece, and certainly no dime should be wasted when selling it.

In contrast to her sudden, burning desire to own this necklace, Anna waved it away. "Oh, I could never afford-"

"Just try it on," the clerk insisted. The woman leaned forward, quite literally scaring Anna stiff. The red head stayed as still as a stump as the pale woman hooked the necklace on her. A gentle brush of cool, dainty fingers on the back of Anna's neck made her hair stand on end. Her heart beat faster than ever, her mind blanking completely. "There," the odd woman said, stepping back.

The red head looked down at the metal against her chest. "Oh, wow..." She picked up the flower and tumbled it in her hands for a few seconds, marveling at it. In that time she had a strange sensation, like she bonded with the necklace as a mother bonds with her child. "I... How much is it?"

With a grin that Anna couldn't quite place between evil and kind, the woman replied "oh don't worry about it, it's yours."

Anna's eyes widened as the looked back down. "Whoa, really?"

"Yes. I hoped your curiosities are satisfied."

"Yes, I mean, yeah, I mean wow, thank you!" The red head met the clerks eyes. Big mistake. She immediately was swept over by a chill running down her spine, the most primal part of her brain telling her to get out.

The woman just stared back back, nodding to acknowledge the thank you. "I- um- I should go. Thanks, uh, bye." Anna quickly disappeared out the door, clutching her new necklace.

Unbeknownst to the red head, the clerk grinned and whispered to herself. "If only it was always this easy."

Across the sea, in a kingdom known as The Southern Isles, a man's attention was caught by his dagger. The handle was simple, nothing covering the metal. On either side of the handle was a detailed carving of a crocus. The entire weapon was made of pure silver, which, in most cases was not very practical.

This was not most cases. The carvings on the handle lit up.

"Finally," the man said to himself, "she's resurfaced. It's been half a decade, but she's back." He grinned and left to pack his things. He had to leave that night.

Anna neared her home, a small but livable abode on the outskirts of town, a cozy home made of wood. She tip-toed towards the front of her house, careful not to wake up her dog, Sven. He was loud, and if he woke up, Kristoff surely would too. Then I'd be dead. Kristoff had always been protective of her, more so now that they were on their own.

The large dog slumbered as the red head crept through the shadows to her front door. She cautiously opened the portal, which creaked as it swung. She froze, squeezing her eyes shut and expecting Sven to start barking, but nothing happened.

Closing the door as quietly as humanly possible and letting out a sigh of relief, Anna waited for her eyes to adjust to the darkness. Inside, the moonlight couldn't illuminate the night, and lighting a candle could rouse her brother.

Pupils properly dilated, Anna just barely avoided a table and found her way into their short hallway. She arrived in front of her room and glanced to the right, where Kristoff's door remained shut. She listened, and through the thick door heard not so faint snoring. Snickering, the girl slunk in to her room, making sure to close the door behind herself.

She took of the necklace, getting one more look at it before tenderly placing it on her night stand. After changing in to a night dress, the red head laid down in her bed, ready for a good night's sleep.

The pale woman was in Anna's room, and Sven could be heard barking outside, but she sound came through muffled, as if he was miles away. The clerk bled in to the shadows, and no matter how hard Anna tried to look at her, she could never focus on her. The mysterious woman stayed within the periphery of the red head's vision, seemingly vanishing in to the dark corners of the room. Anna pulled her covers tighter, as if the cloth would protect her from an attack.

Then, finally, the woman approached Anna. She grinned a twisted grin and the room began to spin. Sven's barking intensified. The blonde bent over and whispered something in to Anna's ear, but Anna couldn't hear it.

Closing her eyes to make it go away, the red head waited, then opened her eyes again to find an empty room. She felt floaty, like she was no longer bound to her bed. A glance at her night stand revealed that her precious necklace was gone.

Anna sat stark straight, coated in sweat and heaving for air from her dream. She clutched her chest first, then, heart still pumping blood entirely too fast, turned her attention to the night stand. She found the necklace sitting there and grabbed it tight, as if it would be stolen away the second she let go. The contact calmed her down a small amount.

Checking the room, the girl found no trace of the woman from the store. She allowed herself a sigh of relief and deflated. It was just a dream.

She turned to fluff her pillow and saw a small, crimson stain. It was fresh, damp against her fingers. Anna's heart skipped a beat as she checked herself for injuries with her hands, but found none immediately noticeable. Wait, it was a dream, right?

She looked up at the door, which now hung ajar.

A/N: I have a decent amount of free time, since it is summer and I'm off of university, so updates will be within a week of each other.

What do you think so far? Tell me below!