Arendelle's queen paced fervently in one of the many rooms of the castle. A single candle provided some light in the otherwise darkened space.

"Come on Elsa. Get it together. Just control it."

The young queen desperately tried to assure herself as she hugged her arms to her body tightly, shoulders hunched and heeled shoes making soft thuds on the carpeted floor.

A soft breeze blew into the room, lifting the curtains apart and showing Elsa the glow of the almost full moon that hung aloft in the sky. Fearfully, she made her way over and closed the window. The moon still seemed to mock her and Elsa suddenly remembered what its presence promised this night and in the coming nights ahead. But it would be fine. She would gather what she needed while she could, and go away. Far enough away where people would be safe from-

A sudden pain ripped through the queen, forcing her to her hands and knees as she groaned piteously. Her platinum blond hair hung about her face, which was scrunched in agony. As fast as it had appeared, though, it was gone, leaving no sound but that of Elsa's labored breathing.

This ailment-this curse had plagued her for as long as she could remember, which was not long after she had isolated herself from the world in her room.

She could remember about a week after she had struck Anna and the two were separated, she had had a nightmare. A young dream-Elsa ran through an ashen grey forest. There was no color and barely any light save for a glowing moon above. A growling-inhuman and growing steadily closer followed. In the dream, she had made the mistake of turning to catch a glimpse of her pursuer before tripping. After attempting to stand and continue,a pair of yellow eyes met her gaze and all was consumed in darkness.

After that, Elsa couldn't remember much. Just that the next night before the full moon, she had been crippled by debilitating pain, as she was now. And the night of, was a complete blur. But somehow, she just assumed.

Neither she, nor her late parents before their deaths could fathom why when she told them. They themselves had only witnessed it once. But it was apparently enough to keep them away from her when they realized the first signs of her curse made themselves known in one of these episodes.

So as she suffered behind closed doors, no one was any wiser. Of course the staff knew of her ice powers, so when they discovered her room in tatters, her lying in the middle of it all, they had just believed that she had had a tantrum and lost control. Her parents never let anyone near her room when it was close. None could hear the growling and clawing, the noise as if an animal was attempting to break free.

And now that everyone knew of her powers, Elsa foolishly believed no more secrets would hinder her relationship with her people, and most of all with Anna. Her baby sister knew now of the incident that started the thirteen year long separation between them, but refused to let Elsa blame herself as she apologized profusely.

This was different though. The young queen was more afraid than ever to admit this to anyone. More so when she had fled her coronation, than when she was ambushed in her ice palace, even more than when she believed she had killed her sister twice. She had embraced her icy powers as a part of herself. But Love could not thaw this tragedy. There was no beauty in this at all. No grand palaces, nor lovable snowmen resulted from it.

Because she was a monster on the inside despite what anyone could try to tell her otherwise. This couldn't be kept secret for much longer, she was sure. It was slowly building and soon would overwhelm her. But until that time came, she would hide. Thirteen years made her perfect at it after all.

Another wave if pain, greater than the last one, evoked a cry from Arendelle's Snow Queen. Her last view was of the nearly new moon, still hanging above her before all was black.