Frozen Guardians Pt. 2 (Teaser)

Frozen Guardians Part II: Pitch & Elsa

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Meanwhile, a similar encounter was taking place just a few windows away...

Elsa stepped into the library, gazing about the dim room. Little sunlight filtered in through the half-drawn curtains. And it was cold. Unusually so for a warm, summer afternoon. She liked it that way. There was a quiet stillness about the cold and the darkness that brought her peace. Elsa spent much of her time in such places, ever since she was a child. It was just... Inviting. The young woman trailed about the shelves, glancing the spines of books. She was supposed to be studying up on law and regulations, but for once, she chose to do something more leisurely. Read a book, a novel. Something grand and exciting. More adventure than I'll ever have, she thought sarcastically to herself. It was the unfortunate reality of her life, but Elsa never complained. And... Powers or not, she wasn't much into getting her hands dirty. Speaking of... She looked upon her gloved hands with disdain. Still, she would at least like to know what may lie beyond the castle walls. And so, Elsa set herself down at a table, carrying several fairy tales and those of the like. The princess flipped open the first and gazed over the timeless line, 'Once upon a time', before venturing further into the story. She propped her chin onto her fist and scanned the words. A faint smile touched her lips; she could imagine Anna as the princess of the story, playing and venturing about. The grin quickly faded, however, as she remembered how long it'd been since they'd seen each other. She did want to see her sister... If only things could be different. Elsa sighed, turning the page when there was a knock at the door.

"Princess Elsa, your afternoon snack."

She hesitated slightly before answering, "Come in."

"May I?"

"Yes, please." The young woman answered, folding her hands in her lap. A servant entered the room with a tray of pastries and tea. "Over here, by the window." Elsa directed.

"Ah, there you are. Like to keep hidden snug, nice and tight." The middle-aged woman gave a watery smile. Suddenly, though, the smile dropped and the servant spoke, "My apologies, your highness. I didn't mean to sound... Offensive..."

"No, it's fine." Elsa shook her head. She hadn't had human contact in some time, so she might as well take advantage of the situation. She missed talking to people. "Although, I do like my privacy..." The woman placed the trays and a tea set onto the table. "Thank you."

The servant curtsied with a, "You're welcome," before promptly leaving the room. Elsa sighed as silence entered the room once more. She lifted the teacup to her lips... And then froze. The hairs on the back of her neck pricked up. Elsa sat back and set her tea cup down. She had another visitor, this one uninvited.

"Good afternoon, Pitch." She spoke out into the supposed emptiness. A few moments passed before a figure emerged from one of the dark nooks in the library. A smirk appeared on his face.

"'Afternoon, your highness."

Elsa pursed her lips, "Impeccable timing, as always."
His sneer grew wider as he stepped closer, "Studying?" He leaned over the desk and caught sight of the fairy tales. "No..." The man scanned over what was set on the table. Tea set and pastries... "How quaint." A fake smile crossed his face.

"Very." Elsa replied, ignoring his sarcasm and taking a sip from her cup.

"Do you honestly find reading fairy tales a good use of your time?"

"Good use of my time? No." She glanced down to the book and flipped a page. "A necessary distraction? Yes."

He chuckled, "I would expect as much."

"I suspect that you don't really care for stories."

"They're far from the truth."

"You think so?" She lifted a brow, then took a bite of her snack and swallowed, "My parents..." Elsa halted upon mentioning them, but continued, "They told me that stories teach lessons." A moment later, "I've always thought of them to be a reflection of reality."

"Then you are still so very naive, your majesty." Elsa furrowed her brows and he continued, "By now, shouldn't you realize that stories are nothing but pure fantasy? An ideal image of how the world should be. Always a happy ending to those that do good. Always a terrible fate to those that don't. And it doesn't work that way. Something I've always known."

The young woman faltered, "So have I... I just don't like to acknowledge it."

"You must learn to. If you ever plan on making something of your life."

"Say I remain within these castle walls."

"Then you lead a pointless existence." He spoke directly, then gazed upon her gloves. "You are capable of so much and yet you waste your abilities on this mundane life." He gestured about the area. Elsa opened her mouth to speak, but he went on, "To long for a normal life... That is the lowest of expectations."

"I don't wish for anything more than a normal life... As long as I have my family... And the acceptance of my people."

Pitch's eye twitched with irritation, "And what of your powers?"

"I don't need them." Was her response.

"You intend to ignore them...?!" A look of disdain crossed his features. "Then I suppose you'll be wearing those gloves for the rest of your pathetic life." Elsa flinched. "Try to take them off, princess." He narrowed his eyes, "See what happens."

A faint scowl began to form on her face and she looked down to her gloves. Elsa eyed him before taking ahold of each and removing them one at a time. Her hands were lifted, feeling completely naked. "Are you satisfied?" The expression upon his face was somewhat mischievous, but mostly blank. She reached for her tea cup and took a dainty sip. For some reason, she felt rather ridiculous about the whole situation. "Would you like to sit down?"

"Oh, Elsa, I thought you'd never ask." He strode over to the chair across from her and set himself down. The tray of pastries was pushed aside so that they were staring directly at one another.

"Tea? Cake?" She set her cup down.

"...I don't rely on such trivialities as tea and cake."

"I know you don't need it. But do you want it?"
He appeared to be in thought for a few moments, placing his elbows onto the table, folding his hands and resting his chin on them. "... Alright." Elsa held some slight suspicion toward his sudden change in decision, but brushed it away, bringing a cup and the kettle forth. The young woman lifted the latter very carefully, and poured. She swallowed, concentrating hard. "You see?"

"What?"

"If you had perfect control of your powers, you wouldn't need to focus so hard." Elsa paused. "You could do anything without a moment's hesitation." Her eyes lowered as he said this. "Don't you want that?"

"Yes..."

"Pretending that your abilities don't exist doesn't help anything. Nor hiding them. You must learn how to USE them. That is the only way you will control them." He shifted his position, "I've told you this before and I will again." Leaned forward. "I can teach you how to use your powers."

"... For good or bad...?" She looked to him questioningly.

"That is up to you."

Elsa bit her lip, then picked up the cup and handed it to Pitch shakily. The slightest amount of frost formed upon the surface and she panicked. "Here, take it." The statement came out as nearly a plea. More ice crept upon the cup, beginning to cool the tea inside. Finally, Pitch reached forward and placed his hand onto it. To her astonishment, a grainy black substance crawled onto the cup, trailing toward the frost. His nightmare sand...
Both intermingled, creating a thick layer of black and blue. Elsa's eyes widened and she looked up to Pitch.  He said nothing as it continued to spread, the faintest of a smirk upon his face. The cup fell to the table, a jagged crack through the center, nearly breaking it in two. Tea spilled over the table spreading out its edges. Elsa had withdrawn, shaking and her cheeks paler than they'd ever been before. Pitch lifted a brow, disapproval slowly etching itself onto his features. "No... Wha... How... How did that...?" The princess shook her head gazing at the broken teacup before her. A brilliant shade of darkness, veiled in a coat of ice glinted in what little sunlight entered the room. Gradually, she lifted her eyes to meet his, imploring for answers.

"Just a little experiment I was hoping to try out." Was his eventual response.

"Pitch, I... I..." Elsa combed back her hair.

"You don't think I've been hanging around this whole time for nothing, do you?" She furrowed her brows, opening her mouth to speak, but he continued, "When I say this, I..." He let out a mixture of a scoff and chuckle, "I mean it when I say I don't just tell this to everybody... I think you're... Special." Elsa shifted in her seat, taking in his words. "Don't. Waste. Your talents." He spoke, his voice lowering. Her gaze fell to her exposed hands, then raised up as she watched him stand to his feet. "Consider my offer."
Elsa blinked, contemplating a proper reply. But before she could, he'd disappeared into the shadows of a nearby corner. The young woman sighed, eyes focusing on the teacup once more. Then, quietly, she stood and with a nearby cloth, wiped up the spilt tea.