A/N: Hello. :) This is my next chapter in my Frozen story. This chapter, in itself will be a tribute to RemainUndefined's Scorched storyline, though it remains incomplete, as will the next chapter. Other than that, I hope you enjoy.
Chapter 2: Cursed
Meanwhile, the woman that persecuted Elsa was grumbling to herself as she left Arendelle. Most of the grumbling in particular was towards Alicia since she spoke out for Elsa. What's more, she called her pathetic. It was definitely not something that she could just forgive, even if she did have a point.
"Pathetic, am I? I'll show you pathetic. In fact, I have an entire book on what's pathetic! And you're on it!"
The woman then turned behind her to see that the gates are still open. She gave a growling glare towards those doors before continuing onwards, stewing in her spite. Much to her dismay, it didn't change one bit after her visit. Why would it? Arendellians never could take a hint.
"Bah! Still, those gates are open! Why isn't Arendelle frozen in the first place?!"
That's when she remembered what Alicia told her in the castle. She said that it was Elsa and Princess Anna who fixed everything the former was prosecuted for. But how could that be possible? Nothing could stop her powers from growing. Unless... That's when she remembered the counter-curse. Only an act of true love can thaw a frozen heart. And only one person has been a prime example of that.
"Of course... the Princess! This is all her fault! If only she stayed dead!"
It was frustrating to the woman that the Princess interfered, but it wasn't altogether unexpected that Arendelle would still stand from that. In fact, she made a plan for that scenario long before she came here. Her spectacle at the castle was merely a warning. It's the next step of her plan they should be worried about.
With that in mind, the woman continued on the path that led away from Arendelle. And yet, she wondered what truly became of the Princess since the Great Thaw. She hadn't seen her inside the castle, but she still must be around, though she didn't care enough to see her personally. Little did she know that fate would have other plans. Much to her indifference, a wind blew by the elderly woman as its leaves were headed to the other end of the path, coincidentally where Anna and the others were coming from as it blew by her, giving a small chill as she shivered a bit before a tall, rugged, and handsome blonde-haired man with a black and red leather coat, a dark green shirt under it, a snow cap, pointed shoes, and pants turned to her.
"You okay, Anna?"
"Yeah, Kristoff. Just felt a little chill."
The snowman beneath her began to speak to her as he had a feeling that the snow cloud over his head may be the source.
"Oh. It must be my flurry. It is pretty cold."
"No, Olaf. It's okay. It was probably the wind."
Anna was dressed in a light blue and green dress and wearing a purple scarf as she rode in a sleigh with Kristoff, the iceman who helped her in searching for Elsa, Olaf, the snowman she inadvertently created when she fled from Arendelle, and Sven, the reindeer who accompanied Kristoff his whole life. They were on their way back from helping Kristoff with his ice business, which was admittedly difficult for Anna to help out with physically, especially more so for Olaf and his thin, wooden arms. But they were able to pack the ice to deliver to the populace of Arendelle, and just in time for the Autumn Festival, too.
With the duties Elsa must do, Anna felt it could help her sister to deliver ice to them to save her the hassle of providing them, which was among the reasons why he was named Ice Master and Deliverer. Still, Kristoff appreciated the help that Anna gave him.
"So, uh... thanks for the help, Anna. Really."
"Sure. I mean, you've done a lot of hard work as is. It wouldn't be right not to return the favor, you know?"
"Yeah. I guess."
Anna leaned back on his sled and gazed up at the sky. As far as they were concerned, it was just another day in Arendelle. And it's usually in days like this where it was easy to relax and enjoy the view, something Anna was especially grateful for. After a life of shut doors and closed gates, she was finally free. Even better, she had Kristoff, Sven, Olaf, and Elsa by her side. To her, every day she spends with them is perfect. That's why she wanted those days to last longer.
"You know, we should do stuff like this more often. Just relaxing and enjoying the view."
Kristoff can agree with Anna on that. He has worked pretty hard lately. Although, if being an iceman taught him anything, it's that there's always be more work to do.
"I wish we could, Anna. But the Autumn Festival is a busy time for me. You know that."
Of course she did. Anna did suggest that he be made Ice Master and Deliverer. Though it did help Elsa focus more on her duties, Anna mainly did this to repay him for finding her sister, and, to a lesser extent, because she owed him a sled. Still, Anna felt bummed that she wouldn't get to hang out with Kristoff unless it's to help him out in days like this.
"I know. But it's... that's kinda unfair to be working all the time, isn't it?"
"Yeah. I know."
Olaf saw the saddened face of his friend. It wasn't the first time he saw that look, but each time, he knew just what to do.
"Well, I'm no expert, but I think someone needs a warm hug."
Anna could tell what he was doing, and if her smile was any indication, it's working. He always did like warm hugs. She and Elsa were no different. Anna began to hug him tightly as she spoke softly to him.
"I love you, Olaf."
"I know."
As Anna held on to Olaf, Kristoff couldn't help but smile at her. If only they could be together all the time. He wanted that more than anything, too. Sadly, he had a lot of work on his hands this season. Although... with the Winter season coming up, it'll be easier to make time. That's when he got an idea.
"You know, Anna... on the bright side, the Winter season will be coming close. And it's gonna be pretty cold out for me to work, so..."
"But Kristoff, you didn't let the cold bother you before."
"Yeah, but Bulda always gets a bit worried when I work too long on the cold, if you remember."
Having met Bulda before, Anna could tell how much of a handful she was when he was growing up. She was overly enthusiastic about setting her up with Kristoff. True as it was, Anna began to realize what he was getting at.
"Oh, right. Wait. You mean... you're gonna take a break?"
"Well, yeah. And maybe then, we could... uh we could be together. Does that sound good?"
Anna began to smile towards him as she looked to him before she planted a kiss on his cheek, making him blush as she replied to him.
"It sounds great."
Kristoff began to bear a big smile on his face. It wasn't the first time he'd been kissed, but each time, her love warmed him. And he would do anything to repay that love. Especially if it's to show her how much he loved her himself. For him, there'd be one thing to show for it: a ring. Now that she's accepted his offer, all he had to work on now was how to say those four famous words to her.
"Great."
With the future looking up, Kristoff put his eyes back on the road and looked ahead. Not long after he did, however, he took notice of the woman in the black cloak far ahead of him, urging him to pull on Sven hardly with his leash and causing the reindeer to heel while Anna held tightly on Olaf as she felt the whiplash from a sudden stop, turning to Kristoff with a surprised look.
"W-What just happened?"
Anna looked up ahead to see the woman walking in the middle of their path. That must be why he pulled over so quickly. It's a good thing he did, or she would've been a reindeer pancake with a sled combo. Though, Kristoff was in a hurry with the ice he needed to deliver, so he tried to hurry her along.
"Hey, lady! Think you can get out of the road?!"
Anna didn't think it was necessary for Kristoff to use that tone with her. She could've been ran over after all.
"Kristoff."
The woman, being in a very sour mood already, only retorted at Kristoff meanly with a glare, to which Olaf concurred.
"Well, maybe I would be already if you didn't try to run me over!"
"I wasn't trying to!"
"Well, we were going pretty fast, so..."
Before Kristoff could protest further, Anna placed her hand on his shoulder, trying to keep him from escalating the situation. She knew he wasn't trying to, but Anna also knew he could've put it differently. So, she took over for Kristoff, hoping to put the unease to rest as she put Olaf aside and got down from the sleigh to walk up to her.
"Uh, sorry about that, ma'am. We weren't really trying to run you over. It's just that we were in a hurry and—"
With the Princess trying to explain herself, the woman only gave a look of recognition to her. Her face, however freckled it was, reminded her too much about Queen Elsa. It was then that she realized who was speaking to her: the Princess.
"You..."
Anna was caught off-guard by the woman's glare. She hadn't met this person before today, yet she acted as though she knew her. Was there something she didn't know?
"Wait. You... know me?"
Without hesitation, the woman grabbed Anna by her hand, a shrieked yelp escaping the Princess's lips as Kristoff became frightfully worried and tried to come to her rescue, hopping off his sled and running towards Anna.
"Anna!"
The woman took notice of his valiant attempt and growled as she used her open hand to blast a black mist at Kristoff, trapping his legs in ice. Seeing this was a great surprise for Anna, even more so with its color. Unlike Elsa's which was colored bright blue, hers was pitch black. Not even the sunlight could reflect off of it. While Olaf was shocked by the color, Anna was utterly shaken to realize who she was.
"Well, that's not something you see every day."
"Black ice...? You're... you're a witch...!"
The witch gave a vicious look towards Anna, tightening her vice grip on her hand. Clearly, she had no intention of letting her go.
"And you're the one who ruined everything! You weren't supposed to be alive! Arendelle was supposed to be frozen forever! The Great Thaw was never meant to exist!"
Anna's eyes widened in alarm. Though it occurred to her that she came from Arendelle's direction, she wondered how that witch knew about the Great Thaw. To add to the list of questions quickly being written in her mind, Anna wondered what she had against Arendelle and why she hated her so much. However, among the growing number of inquiries, only one escaped her lips.
"W-What are you talking about?!"
This only further infuriated the witch as her nails practically dug into Anna's skin, earning a pained wince from her as she spoke onwards in anger.
"Enough! You will be punished for this!"
The witch then began to speak in a strange tongue. Even with the knowledge she had in the library with her previous life of isolation, Anna's situation briefly inhibited her knowledge of what language she was speaking, but she knew it wasn't anything good.
Ab ossibus ad pulpam ad a pulpa ad ner vos, a nervis ad cutem ad pilos.
As the witch repeated this phrase, Anna began to feel a burning sensation in her heart. Sure enough, that sensation spread like wildfire throughout the rest of her body. All she could do was writhe and groan in her clutches as her spell set in. All the while, Sven, Olaf, and Kristoff could only watch in fear as Anna suffered her torment. Not willing to endure any more of it, Kristoff turned to Olaf, hoping he could find something to cut through the black ice trapped around his legs.
"Olaf! Get me my ice pick!"
"Aye-aye!"
Olaf looked in the sled for his ice pick to extricate him from the black ice as the chant resumed with Anna beginning to look the worse for wear.
A nervis ad cutem ad pilos...
Anna began to give out as she sank to her knees with the heat inside her getting worse. She felt as though her whole body was burning from the inside out. The pain was starting to be too much to bear... Fortunately, Olaf found what Kristoff needed just in time.
"Hey, I found it!"
"Great! Now hand it over!"
Olaf picked up the ice pick and went over to Kristoff, hopping off of the sled as he brought the tool of escape to Kristoff, who quickly took it and began to pick himself out of the ice. While the iceman tried to free himself, Anna's condition took a turn just when one thought it couldn't get any worse. Her red hair began to glow with a fiery aura. Her eyes were the next to change as they changed from sapphire blue to a golden amber color before they glowed bright orange as well. To make matters worse, her skin itself began to burn hotter than a boiler. However, the witch didn't seem fazed by this heat as her chanting grew louder.
Ab ossibus ad pulpam ad a pulpa ad ner vos, a nervis ad cutem ad pilos!
The chanting continued quicker and louder as a red diamond marking glowed on the arm that was held captive by the witch. Anna couldn't bear to endure the pain any longer as her groaning turned into a scream of pain, making Kristoff look to her in fear and urging him to speed up the picking. While trying to free himself, Kristoff tried to encourage Anna not to give in as the witch finished her chant.
"Hang on, Anna! I'm coming!"
AB OSSIBUS AD PULPAM AD A PULPA AD NER VOS, A NERVIS AD CUTEM AD PILOS!
With her last shout, the witch finally released her grip of Anna's arm, letting her fall to the ground while she disappeared in a black mist just as Kristoff broke through the ice and freed his legs. By the time he did, however, he was too late. Anna laid on the floor, one of her pigtails unfurled to show that half's full length on the ground with the witch nowhere to be found. Immediately, he assumed the worst and ran over to her as Olaf and Sven looked on sadly.
"Anna!"
Kristoff knelt down by the ice and tried to lift her in his arms. As he held the unconscious Princess, Anna began to moan as her eyes began to open again. This came as a relief to Kristoff, considering how she was screaming not too long ago.
"Oh, thank goodness! Are you okay?"
"I... I don't know. I felt like I was on fire before, but now..."
Trying to make sense of what was going on with her, Anna tried to place her right hand near Kristoff's shoulder for comfort. But in doing so, Kristoff quickly felt a burn on where she laid her hand, exclaiming at the pain it caused him.
"Agh!"
When she found out it was because of her, Anna was taken aback as she pulled her hand away before she realized what she'd done. Every other time she touched him, it never burned him at all before now. The mystery began to entice her as Olaf noticed her hand beginning another act of involuntary rebellion, much to Kristoff's surprise.
"Oh! I-I'm sorry, Kristoff! I didn't mean to... burn your skin? How did I do that?"
"Uh, probably the same way you're doing that."
"Huh? Doing what?"
Kristoff tried to find a delicate way to put it to his friend as he spoke nervously.
"Uh, Anna, don't freak out, but... your hand?"
Confused initially about what Kristoff was talking about, Anna looked over to her hand and saw that it was on fire. Literally. In her panic, Anna waved her torch, trying to put it out as she exclaimed in fear.
"AAH! My hand's on fire! Put it out!"
Per her frightened request, Kristoff looked for the first thing that came to mind in putting out the fire: the witch's black ice. He picked up one of the blocks that came from his escape and held it up.
"Here, Anna! Use this!"
Kristoff then placed the cube on Anna's hand, putting out the fire as it began to melt in its clutch, the resulting water turning it into smoke as Anna tried to take a deep breath and calm herself down. While she did so, Kristoff looked around, trying to find the witch who cursed her, only to see no trace of her. He was clearly not happy with what they went through and he knew that Anna was no happier with that.
"Hey! Stop hiding and fix her right now!"
Unfortunately for Kristoff, there was no response in the forest as Anna continued to look at her hand.
"Come on! I know you can hear me!"
Meanwhile, Anna was in awe over what her hand has done since her encounter with the witch. First, it burned Kristoff, and now it set itself on fire. What's next? To answer her unspoken question, Anna's hand began to surprise her yet again. It generated a glow that's usually seen in festivities, entrancing her with its beauty as she tried to get Kristoff to notice.
"Uh, Kristoff? You might want to see this."
Kristoff didn't think there was anything good to see, considering what he'd seen so far. Nonetheless, he turned around to look, expecting another disaster to help her out with.
"See what?"
What Kristoff saw was actually contrary to what he expected. Anna's hand was generating... colors? It was shooting small sparks of them in green, red, and even blue colors around them before they disappeared, leaving them in awe along with Olaf and Sven, who watched in interest. Anna was procuring fireworks!
"Whoa!"
"How are you doing that, Anna?"
"That's what I like to know."
Beautiful as the display was, Kristoff had a hunch about what could be responsible for it, or more accurately, who.
"I'll bet it's that witch. We have to go find her and make her change you back."
Play David Pemberton Music: "Another World, Another Time" (1:33)
Desperate as she was to be back to normal, Anna had concerns about this plan.
"But Kristoff, what about my powers? I might burn the forest down if I just run off with no idea how to control them."
"Well, what do you suggest I do? Take you back to Arendelle like this?"
Whether he intended to or not, he actually gave Anna an idea. The only person who could be on par with her right now is Elsa. If anyone could help somehow, it's her. Besides, seeing what she could do sparked Anna's curiosity about her powers. The least she could do is find out. With that in mind, Anna began to make a face that suggested she had a plan. However, it was to Kristoff's concern
"Wait. You're not... you're not really considering that, are you?"
"You got any better ideas? I'm all ears."
Kristoff tried to think of another approach to suggest, but alas, he couldn't. At least, Elsa would be able to help her. Maybe that's what she had in mind...
"Okay. Back to Arendelle, it is."
With that, Anna and Kristoff went back on the sled with the latter using the rope to signal Sven.
"Let's go, boy."
Sven then proceeded his match to Arendelle as Olaf wanted an encore of her fireworks.
"Hey, Anna, do you think you can show me those fireworks again?"
Unbeknownst to the group, however, the witch was watching them from afar on the path behind them as she gave a glare to them. Everything had gone just as she planned thus far. And she's more than certain it'll work as she turned her glare back to Arendelle.
"If Arendelle won't freeze... then it'll burn to the ground."
End David Pemberton Music: "Another World, Another Time"
A/N: Apparently, I've jinxed us. Still, Anna is too stubborn to give up. Then again, maybe the witch had that in mind. There'll be more info on her soon, but not in the next few chapters, so try not to hold your breath over that. Beside that, I will address that there will be some inclusions of Frozen II's deleted scenes that have recently gone online. Though, I can't say for sure if I'm adding the deleted songs in the mix. I guess we'll see...