Elsa jumped up as a book was thrown onto her stomach. There was Anna, hands on her hips, already dressed for the day in a navy blue dress, simple white designs of the Arendellian crest.

Elsa studied the book that Anna had thrown, running her fingers along the old and worn leather cover of the book, staring at the title. The Secrets of Alchemy: Book One. Elsa sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose before looking up as her sister. "Anna, what are we gonna do with an alchemist? How is science going to help magic?"

"I skimmed over it and the book talks about how alchemists work with dark forces too. They conduct crazy experiments just to find the source of magic. Maybe an alchemist can help us figure this out!"

Elsa sighed giving a shake of her head, "Listen, I love your enthusiasm, but I don't think alchemy-"

The feisty princess frowned. "You said we were working together on this, so hear me out." The last thing the princess was going to do 

"Okay." Elsa slipped out of bed. She was sure alchemy wouldn't solve magic, but then again, she'd take any help she could get at this point. "I know an alchemist that lives in town...." She finally responded, slipping out of bed. She heard Anna's stiffled squeal before leaving to let her sister get dressed.

Elsa opened her large, walk in closet, studying her dresses. She decided she'd wear something short sleeved and simple, since fall was only just arriving and the cold air hadn't set in quite yet.  She chose a white dress, laying it on her bed as her handmaid, Karalie, entered with three other servants to prepare the Queen for the day.

"What does my schedule look like today?" Elsa asked. It was usually the first thing  she asked her handmaid ever day, and Karalie always knew the answer. The young woman's raven black hair was up in a braided bun, and she gave a small smile and a dip of her head as she greeted the Queen. 

"You've a few meeting later on, a talk with the Council about the upcoming Fall Fete. Kai would know more about that, Your Majesty." She said, her voice soft and innocent as she turned to the dress Elsa had chosen. "Simple. Are you headed someplace?" She inquired.

"To...see someone. My sister will be going with me." Elsa responded, smiling softly as the handmaid delicately did the Queen's hair in a Dutch braid. "Thank you, Kara, but I can take it from here." She needed answers as soon as possible.

Karalie stared a moment, but gave another dip of her head. "If there's anything wrong, Your Majesty-"

"I'm fine." Elsa quickly replied, watching as the handmaid left and she quickly dressed. She put on her brown leather boots, smiling as she looked in the mirror at herself. Just a normal mirror. No black ice. No Evil Elsa.

Elsa grabbed the thick book that Anna had thrown, sliding her hand over the smooth, leather cover once more before she opened the door. To her surprise, Anna was nowhere to be found. Shutting the door behind her, Elsa's chest burned, a sharp, searing pain spreading through her, and she had to grip onto the dresser to keep herself from falling.

She groaned and winced, and just as she was about to call for someone, the sharp pain in her chest went away. Elsa stood up quickly, walking down the long stairway with ragged breaths as she tried to regain her composure. Elsa made it down the stairs, Anna leaning on the rail waiting for her.

"I'm ready, but can we eat first?" She replied, hoping that Anna didn't notice the slightest shake in her voice.

Anna smiled, standing up straight. "Of course. We can't travel on an empty stomach, so I packed plenty of open sandwiches!"

Elsa smiled warmly as the two sisters walked outside the castle doors. Two fjords horses greeted them at the castle doors, Freya and Sindra. Elsa touched the soft black coat of her horse, Sindra, muttering soft words in her ear while Anna's horse, Freya, with her white coat, nudged Elsa's shoulder.

Elsa mounted her horse as Anna did the same. "I think I remember where the alchemist lives."

Anna raised an eyebrow. "Have you ever met this alchemist?"

"Well, no..." She admitted with a slight frown before steadying her horse, "I've heard about her though. Just follow me." With that, the two sisters rode off into the town.

************************************
ANNA'S POV

Anna looked straight ahead of her, the wind slapping her face. The fall trees became blurs of brown, orange and red as Freya galloped away. They had long passed the normal town homes and the princess could see where the houses ended and the forest started.

Elsa and her horse made a hard right turn, and Anna followed. Anna hoped her sister knew where she was going, that she knew the way and that they weren't lost in the woods. Luckily, her worries faded as they approached a small rustic cabin, the brown hues mixing with the cozy fall colors. The two sisters halted as she studied the house.

It looked empty.

Anna hopped off her horse slolwy with a grunt and stared at the small cabin,  her eyes narrowed. The two sisters carefully approached the house, Elsa reaching for the knob. As she did so, green fog seeped out the cracks of the door, ceiling around the Ice Queen's hand like rope.

"Elsa...?" Anna whispered, trying to add some firmness to her voice as she stepped back. Freya whined, and Sindra aggressively beat the dirt with her hooves.

Elsa yelped as the door burst open and she was tackled to the ground. Anna didn't think, she just reacted and rushed to her sister's rescue, but the green fog was too thick for her to see. "Elsa!" As the fog cleared, Anna saw that the person who tackled Elsa was a teen girl, no older than 17.

"Get off of my sister!" Anna hissed angrily, and she was about to lunge for whoever had attacked, till Elsa shoved the girl off her, quickly standing up and straightening her dress.

The girl stood up and smiled sheepishly. Her hair was the color of ebony with strands of blue highlighting them. Her hands were thickly gloved, goggles rested on the top of her head, and in a messy brown and black uniform to protect her from spills. "I'm so sorry, miss. I didn't see you there. I was just...trying to get some fresh air." The girl had some kind of native accent, but Anna couldn't pinpoint it.

Anna walked up to Elsa, glaring at the young girl. Something wasn't right about her. Anna could sense it.

Elsa sighed, her voice becoming cold and sharp, "It's fine."

Anna noticed the sharp tone in her sibling's voice. Her once kind and loving sister seemed to be changing. She whispered in Elsa's ear, keeping her eyes on the girl. "This is the alchemist you talked about?"

Elsa cringed. "I expected her to be a lot older."

Anna cleared her throat, turning to the young girl. "I'm Anna, and this is my sister, Elsa."

The girl's smile faded and her eyes darkened. She gave both Anna and Elsa a glare that could peirce through skin. "My apologies, Queen Elsa," She quickly bowed and walked back into her cabin, the two sisters following behind her.

Anna bit her bottom lip as she thought. The girl seemed happy at first, but the minute she heard who they were, her demeanor changed completely. Anna ducked as she almost hit the low ceiling. The cabin was a mess. Shards of glass we're scattered on the floor, potions were brewing, purple ooze spilling out the sides of the pots. Contents of potions were spilled on the floor, some even scorching the wooden floor.

The girl walked to her small desk. It was neat and tidy, unlike the rest of her cabin. "Why are you here?" She snapped.

Anna stared at Elsa mouthing out the words, "Should we tell her?"

Elsa nodded, motioning for Anna to explain as she walked over to a bookshelf, sliding her hand over the worn leather of the books.

Anna sucked in her breath. "We never did catch your name."

The girl frowned, "It's Hallory. Hallory Winket."

Anna laughed awkwardly, "Right...so, Hallory, we- my sister- has a problem. She has...well, we don't exactly know what it is."

Hallory raised an eyebrow.

Elsa sighed and flicked her wrist, a flurry of snowflakes floating in the air. The snowflakes then disappeared into thin air.

Hallory stumbled backwards. "Sorcery. The prophecy is true..." She had become a citizen of Arendelle a year after the Great Frost that Elsa caused, and never saw the Queen's powers in person. She preferred to keep to herself and stay away from the rumors. 

"No! It's not sorcery." Elsa quickly explained, trying to calm Hallory down. It only seemed to be making things worse. As Hallory backed away, she rested her hand on a small lever, accidentally causing a loud alarm horn to go off in the cabin.

Anna covered her ears, wincing at the high pitched roaring, but she noticed the sound seemed to be doing something to Elsa.

"Turn it off!" The Queen yelled, clamping her hands over her ears.

Hallory struggled with the lever, "I'm trying!"

Elsa screamed, and as she looked up at her sister, Anna noticed that Elsa's eyes were...black. Pitch black.

Before Anna could stop her sister, a sharp shard of black ice shot out from Elsa's hand, impaling the alarm horn and breaking it into pieces. Elsa's eyes turned back to blue, and she gripped the bookshelf to steady herself.

Hallory shuddered, "I told you it's sorcery!"

Anna shook her head. "It's not! Elsa was born with ice powers, but ever since we went to the Enchanted Forest, her powers have been acting weird lately...." She whispered. "But she didn't tell me about this." There was a hidden sharpness to her voice as she stared at the black ice, then back at her sister.

Elsa gasped, "This is the first time it's happened...Did I hurt someone?"

Anna shook her head, saying nothing more.

Hallory seemed to be in thought, then she grabbed a chisel and hammer off her desk, breaking off a piece of black ice. "Fascinating. It's like nothing I've ever seen before. This isn't just ice."

The sisters gave each other a look. "Wait, what?!" They said in unison.

Hallory walked over to her desk, rolling around in her chair. "It's more than just ice. Just by looking at it you can tell there are multiple other components in this...whatever it is. It isn't pure ice. Not like your usual powers." 

Elsa walked over to the desk, leaning over slightly. "So what is it?"

Hallory shrugged, "I don't know, but I'll do some testing. Come back tomorrow and I should have some answers. I'll do my best, your Majesty."

************************************
ELSA'S POV

The two sisters walked out of the cabin. Elsa tugged at her fingers. It was a habit she had picked up after years of wearing gloves to conceal her powers. She worried that Hallory wouldn't be able to find out what was going on, that she wouldn't get the answers she so desperately wanted.

Anna sighed, "I don't think I like that girl very much."

"Why not? She's willing to help us." Elsa replied, a bit surprised at Anna's tone.

"I suppose, " The princess answered, mounting her horse, "But there's something off about her. I dunno."

Elsa thought to herself. Anna wasn't the skeptical type, but for some reason, she didn't seem to like Hallory. Elsa, on the other hand, thought the young alchemist was fine. "Well, I like her," Elsa said as she mounted her horse, "She might be able to help."

The sister's made it back to the kingdom in an hour's time. Elsa hopped off her horse, tucking some stray hair back in her braid. "I'm going to go to the library. Maybe I'll find something."

Anna nodded, "Okay. I'll be in the study upstairs."

Elsa raised an eyebrow, "The study?"

"Well, yeah. The study has a bunch of maps and geography and history books. I figured it could help us find out where this crystal came from."

Elsa smiled warmly. She didn't know what she'd do without her sister, and the study also brought back memories. She remembered how much her mother used to love that study, but also how she'd spent restless nights reading dozens of books after Elsa had accidentally harmed her sister.

Elsa walked through the castle doors, immediately entering the ball room. She walked up the stairway and turned down the hall, heading to the library as she passed the dark corridors. The doors to the library were already open, to Elsa's surprise.

As Elsa walked in, she noticed Stefan, the head of the royal guard, scrolling through the books. Elsa cleared her throat, showing her presence.

Stefan twirled around, his raven black hair combed and slicked back, every crease in his uniform perfect. "Oh! Queen Elsa, I didn't see you there."

Elsa smiled, "It's fine," She turned to the section labeled: Arendelle History, "What are you doing here?"

Stefan bit his lip, "Uh, actually, I was just searching for a good book. I read when I can. What about you?"

Elsa turned around, "I'm looking for some books that'll explain... what's happening with me..." Elsa rubbed her hands as they trembled, starting to tug at her fingers again.

Stefan nodded, "Don't worry, Your Majesty, we'll figure it out." He gave a proud smile, which was just as perfect and clean as everything else about him.

Elsa nodded. She bit her lip and sighed, "I'm sorry about that dinner party. I wasn't trying to hurt anyone. I swear my powers were under control until-

Stefan raised his hand, "No need to explain, My Queen. Besides, we made sure no one outside these castle doors knew about what happened."

"Thank you, Stefan." Elsa grabbed a book called The Magic of Arendellian History. She pulled it out, grunting as she slammed the heavy book on the table and sat down. She began flipping through the book, it's pages grazing her fingers. The Ice Queen concentrated hard as she flipped through the book, noticing the stare that Stefan was giving her.

Suddenly, Elsa heard a voice. Bit this time,, it wasn't her mother's voice. It was her own,, but the same evil tone like her reflection in the mirror. Elsa...please. You know I'm inside of you. Let me out. You know that you're meant to be dark. Let the Frost control you.

"No! No!" Elsa screamed.

Go get the Crystal...GET IT NOW! ELSA! ELSA! THE FROST WILL SET YOU FREE!

Pain shot through Elsa's body, her head pounding. Elsa whimpered, then screamed as the pain got worse, clutching her chest as blood rushed to her ears. He surroundings spun around her as her legs gave in and she fell on her knees.

Stefan rushed to Elsa's side, "Elsa! My Queen!"

Elsa raised her hand, leaning on the table for support. "I'm...alright..." She slowly sat back down, breathing heavily. As Elsa found an important looking page, Stefan dropped two more books on the table and began reading. Elsa looked up, "I don't see why you'd want to be reading with me."

"I'd do anything as long as it's with you."

Elsa blinked in surprise, "Excuse me?"

Stefan stuttered, "I mean, it's just that...as your royal guard...I am-well, what I mean is that- I don't have a problem with reading if it's going to help you."

"Right..." Elsa cringed as she looked back at her book. As she flipped the page she noticed something interesting. "Stefan, look." Elsa pointed to the sketch on the paper. It was four large stones in front of what looked like a forest. She noticed the markings on each stone, each one different. "These look familiar, but...I can't place it."

Stefan read aloud, "Far from the borders of Arendelle is an Enchanted Forest. This ancient forest has said to inhabit magical spirits and people who can control them. It has been around before King Haggard, the founder of Arendelle," Stefan looked up, "It looks like a few pages have been ripped out."

Elsa gasped, "Wait...there's two enchanted forests?!"

***************************

HALLORY'S POV

Hallory walked up to her desk, rolling around while waiting for the elements of the ice to separate. She sighed. Separating certain elements could take days or even weeks. To her luck, the machine had finished and Hallory pulled out the small flask labeled: ELEMENT #1.

She sat it on the desk, grabbing her tools needed for the extraction. Hallory put on her goggles, making sure they were tight. She dropped a tiny bit of the homemade chemical(something she always used to determine an element) and put it into the labeled flask. The unknown element began to bubble, then it began to spread, a black substance covering the desk then the floor, seeping up the walls of the cabin.

Hallory gaped at what had happened before a curious smirk spread across her lips. "Interesting..." She touched the black substance, and quickly pulled her hand back, the chemical burning through her gloves. Hallory watched in horror as her hand began to turn to black ice, a think frost taking it over. "No, no, no!"

She rushed to the sink, pouring hot water on her hand, but the ice only spread faster. It was up to her elbow now. "No! Stop!" Hallory screamed as the ice burned her skin. (yes, ice can burn). Then, it stopped, and vanished as quickly as it appeared. The ice disappeared from the walls and the floor and the desk. Hallory examined her arm, but their was no evidence of ice.No evidence of any of it.

She rushed back to her desk, quickly containing the remaining chemical in the flask. Her eyes widened as realization kicked in.

She had a plan.