꧁༒☬S.1 EP.8: To Believe in a Myth-PART 2☬༒꧂

EPISODE SYNOPSIS: Elsa begins to get realistic dreams about the Black ice, and her hair begins to change; Anna tries to force Sorenson into telling her the truth; Kristoff worries for Elsa and Anna's safety, but ends up on a fight; Hallory is torn between helping Elsa, or getting revenge, and gets lost while on a mission

Kristoff stumbled into Elsa, frowning. He noticed Elsa's concerned expression.

"Kristoff, what's wrong?" She asked.

The ice deliverer turned around, noticing Stefan was still near. He couldn't tell Elsa the truth with Stefan around, not after the captain threatened both Elsa and Anna. No. Kristoff would have to wait. "It's...nothing." He lied. He felt a sharp pang in his chest. He'd never lied to Elsa before, and hated that he did just now.

Elsa stared at Kristoff, "It doesn't sound like it's nothing." 

Kristoff sucked in his breath, "I'm fine, Elsa. Really." Lie number two. He sighed as he quickly passed by Elsa back into Holmes' house.

His breath hitched as Stefan shoved past him, going to sit down on the couch. Kristoff leaned on the door as Elsa continued to speak.

She held her head high, like the Queen that she was, but Kristoff could see a hint of fear and pain in those blue eyes. "Tomorrow, my guards will see how far back the river goes, and see what's stopping the flow. We will find someone for you to quarter with, but, until then, you and your family may stay in one of our guest rooms in the castle."

Holmes gasped and shook his head, "Your Majesty, I am not worthy of-"

Elsa raised her hand, making Holmes quit talking. Kristoff felt a deep anger as Stefan leaned over, whispering in the Queen's ear.

"Queen Elsa, we can not allow commoners to just live in the castle! What happens when everyone will be asking to stay?"

Elsa kept her straight face, "Holmes' situation is dire, Stefan, and waiting for a villager to take his family in will take time." She said, turning to the captain. "Is that a problem?"

Stefan shook his head and frowned, standing up tall. "No, Your Majesty."

Kristoff let out a soft snort. He knew Stefan always looked down on the lesser fortunate, and here he was again. Anger boiled inside him as Stefan's threat filled his mind.

"It'd be a shame if something were to happen to you and the little "friend" of yours." Although Kristoff wasn't afraid of Stefan, there was a part of him that wondered if Stefan was really capable of killing Elsa. Was he? Hans certainly was. 

A shiver went down his spine at the thought of it. He watched as Holmes nodded. Kristoff, Stefan and Elsa walked outside, mounting their horses as they waited for Holmes and his family.

Elsa turned her horse around to face her guards. She looked at Stefan. "Holmes will ride with you, Stefan," she then turned to Kristoff, and he waited for her orders. "His son, Lukas, will ride with you, Kristoff." He nodded quickly as Elsa nodded to another guard, "Kindra will ride with you, and his daughter, Dahlia, will ride with me."

Everyone nodded in agreement, and it only took around 30 minutes for Holmes and his family to walk out of their home, each of them with a small satchel.

The entire family seeed to scream autumn season, especially the young boy who walked up to Kristoff. He had chestnut brown hair that was short in the front and came out in long tufts at the nape of his neck, with deep hazel eyes to match and slightly tanned skin.

Kristoff forced himself to hold back laughter as the boy, who Kristoff assumed to be Lukas, struggled to mount the horse. He leaned down, picking up the young boy with ease.

"Thanks!" The young boy said, trying to hold on tight to Kristoff, "I'm Lukas!"

Kristoff smiled, Holmes and the rest of his family mounting the horses. "Well, Lukas, it's nice to meet you. I'm Kristoff."

Lukas nodded, "I know, you're the Mountain Man! Everyone knows you. You sung that song about Goblins and Ice." He begins humming the tune.

Kristoff let out a small chuckle. A few months back, for the Light Festival, he decided to entertain the kids with a song he had come up with, and ever since then, he seemed to be a kid-magnet. He found himself surround by children begging him for another crazy song, and he'd soon begun to hate the song himself. If the kids weren't asking to hear him sing, they were asking to see his reindeer friend, Sven.

Kristoff looked up at Elsa, who was just finishing talking to Holmes' daughter. She nodded, then looked up at everyone. She said nothing, but nodded, softly kicking her horse into a fast, yet steady canter.

Kristoff did the same, smiling the entire time as Lukas blabbered on.

"I heard that you only wear leather and fur because you have to sheild yourself from the sun so you don't turn to ash."

Kristoff snorted, "What? N-no..... I'm perfectly....normal...?" He paused for a moment, "Who told you that silly story?"

Lukas frowned, "My sister did. It'd be pretty cool if it were true…She said you were part troll." He said, a slight smile on his face as he neared the end of his sentence.

Kristoff shook his head and made his horse speed up into a steady gallop as they neared the kingdom of Arendelle. He began to wonder what Anna was up to. After all, he and Elsa had been out all day.

Then, Stefan came back into Kristoff's mind, and he frowned deeply. He glanced in the Captain's direction, who was looking far off in the distance, a smile on his face as if he wasn't plotting against the Queen. Kristoff shook his head they neared the kingdom.

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ANNA'S POV

"No! You know something! I know you know something!" Anna yelled out in anger, slamming her fist on the table as she looked at Sorenson. He just stood there, as if he didn't even care. Just another person Anna had encountered, who was keeping secrets. Anna hated secrets. Her entire life, from her parents, to her sister, to the servants, had kept secrets from her that damaged her life, destroyed her relationship with her sister, and she wasn't letting it happen again.

Sorenson shook his head, "You don't get it! You're not ready for all of this at once!" His eyes were flashing from yellow to pink.

Olaf frowned. Anna had allowed him to come with her, since he had seemed awfully bored. "Well that's not going to assist us, is it?" Olaf replied with a huff.

Anna let out a scream that filled the room, sounding like a dying seagull as it echoed. "What can you tell me then?" The princess asked, pointing to the water horse painting on the redwood dome. "What about this?"

Olaf smiled. "It's a water horse." He answered for Sorenson.

Anna scoffed, "I KNOW IT'S A FUCKING HORSE!" she lashed out as Olaf flinched at her loud words and she slumped on the ground, trying desperately to sort things out. It didn't help that all she could remember of her childhood was what Elsa told her. She couldn't imagine it. She couldn't dream about it. She could only think of what fun they probably had, listening to her sisters descriptive tales.

All because of her parents' decision. 

The feisty princess looked back up at Sorenson, his pink eyes staring at her. "I just....tell me something. Please."

Sorenson sighed, "I don't see why you're so interested in all of this. The Ezarite Crystal is dangerous. That's why it was destroyed!"

Olaf shook his head, "It wasn't destroyed. Elsa found it, and now she's....she's different."

Sorenson's eyes widen as he knelt down, looking at the talking snowman, "What do you mean, different? Has she hurt anyone? You all knew about this crystal?!"

Anna interrupted before Olaf could continue. "Yes. We knew about it, but forgive us if none of us trusted you. The Crystal was not destroyed." 

"Elsa's had some close encounters. This...this evil is getting stronger, controlling her." Olaf said solemnly, and shook his head.

"I just want to help my sister." Anna croaked out. She was pleading at this point.

Sorenson nodded, then frowned, his eyes darkening as if he was in deep thought. "That doesn't make sense...." He paused for a moment, "I'm sorry, but as I said earlier, Elsa is the only one who can stop this. It's up to her, and her only." He looked back up, "Has she been having hallucinations? Hearing things, maybe?"

Anna thought for a moment before she spoke, "I know she's been hearing things, but I don't know if she's hallucinating. She hasn't told me about it." Anna winced. It could very well be that Elsa was hallucinating, and hre sister was just keeping it from her. Pain. Secrets. Hurt. More secrets.

"See you in two weeks!" Anna said, hugging her parents. Apparently they were on their way to the Southern Sea for a wedding in the kingdom of Corona. Of course, Anna and Elsa couldn't come, since someone had to rule the kingdom once they left. If only Anna had known....

Anna....

"Go away Anna!" Elsa said, and the words stung like bee stings at Anna's heart. Anna had only wanted to play, and still, she couldn't figure out why her sister seemed to have better things to do than spend time with her. There was always some Excuse. If only Anna had known...

Anna...?

"Enough, Anna!' Elsa yelled out, turning away from her sister. Although there was no physical door, it was like Anna's world was crumbling again, being shut out by her sister. She couldn't take it anymore. The secrets. The pain.

"No, why do you shut me out? Why do you shut the world out?!" Anna could feel her anger boiling. If Elsa wouldn't answer her questions voluntarily, then she'd force her to. As Anna held Elsa's satin glove, she realized that she was tired of it all, and she snapped, "What are you so afraid of?!" She wasn't going to let her sister walk away again.

"I SAID, ENOUGH!" Elsa yelled, ice forming from her fingertips, spreading like flames to kindling on the wood floor, the ice connecting like puzzle pieces as they formed into sharp shards of ice, pointed in every direction. If only Anna had known....

"Anna!" Sorenson said for the third time, shaking her.

Anna looked up, snapping out of her trance, "Y-yeah...sorry..."

He stood up quickly, not waiting for Anna to say anything else as he headed downstairs, leaving the dome study. Anna quietly followed, lifting her green skirts as she hurried down the steps, Olaf following, a small book labeled, Earth Giants: A History, in his twig arm.

Her mind continued to race, and although she was glad that Sorenson was telling her something about the Ezarite Crystal, she still longed to know what secrets he was hiding. Sorenson kept walking, and Anna had trouble matching his quick stride.

Sorenson made it downstairs, his ears twitching as he bent down, grabbing a thick book from his private shelf. He grunted, walking over to Olaf and Anna. "I think that you and Elsa need to see the damage the Crystal can cause..." He said softly, handing Anna the book. "There's a map in there. Follow it, and you'll receive some answers."

Anna looked at the book. It had no title, and the burgundy cover was worn and ancient. She looked at Olaf, who was gaping at the site of the thick book.

"Ohhh, goody! Another good reading challenge! I can't wait to delve into it's mysteries..." Olaf exclaimed.

Anna couldn't help but chuckle as she turned to Sorenson. "Thank you so, so much. I'll come back with the other book tomorrow." She said, opening the door, smiling as a strong gust of autumn wind blew in her face. Still, near the back of her mind, Anna wondered what secrets she had to unfold.

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ELSA'S POV

Elsa sighed as she unmounted her horse. Everything was going wrong, and she still had piles of paperwork for the upcoming Fall Fete. She sucked in her breath, turning to face her guards. She glanced at Kristoff. He had been acting awfully weird lately.

Shaking the thought from her head, she forced a smile, something that she had found herself doing a lot ever since the crystal. "Stefan, you and another guard will show Holmes and his family to their rooms. I'm sure they're tired. Do what you please when you're finished, I have a few things to attend to. " Elsa nodded quickly, turned around, and walked away quietly into the throne room.

Kai and Gerda were already waiting for her at the steps of the throne, Gerda tapping her foot like she always did. Elsa smiled at the both of them, then looked around. "I know that we have much to do, but have you seen my sister?"

Kai shook his head, "No, Your Majesty. I believe she left to go see someone. She said she'd be back before nightfall."

Elsa sighed. She knew her sister was probably looking for answers, but she'd have felt better if Anna were at the castle with her. Elsa nodded, "Very well then. What do we have to do first?"

Gerda looked at her comically large clipboard. "You have a meeting with...er...the journalist..."

Elsa frowned deeply, "I have to meet with Ergarr Wess? Can't it wait?"

Kai and Gerda shared a look, and Kai cleared his throat, "Your Majesty, you've postponed the meeting for the entire week..."

Elsa grumbled, "Fine, but let's make this quick." She said, heading to the West Corridors, where most meetings were held at the large table in one of the rooms. She turned, noticing Gerda and Kai's expression. "What?"

Gerda sighed, "He wants to speak with you in the library." She said quietly, not looking up from her clipboard.

Elsa held back a groan as she headed to the library. The double doors were already open, and Ergarr was sitting at the table, scribbling in his notepad. He frowned as he looked up at the queen. "Your Majesty."

Elsa nodded, "Ergarr. You wanted to speak, what about?" She said, sitting across from him. She knew what his questions were going to be about, and she prepared herself.

Ergarr looked up from his notepad, a slight smirk on his face. "So, Your Majesty...I'm sure you had your reasons, but don't you think that allowing Holmes into you kingdom may cause trouble?" He said softly.

How the hell did he get word of that so fast? 

"No. My people know of Holmes dire situation, and they also know that I wouldn't let anyone in the castle just because of special treatment." Elsa said calmly, then paused for a moment. "You should know me better than that."

Elsa could hear a small scoff from the journalist. "Do I, Your Majesty?"

Elsa struggled not to flinch at his words, for she knew he was subtly referring to the Great Frost she had caused 3 years ago. Ergarr continued. "How exactly do you plan to deal with Holmes' situation exactly?"

Elsa knew the journalist was waiting for here to slip up. "I have guards ready to set off in the direction of the river tomorrow, just to check whats blocking the river flow. As for the cattle, I will see to it that they are taken care of."

"Right. It must be hard handling all the stress, seeing how upset you seemed yesterday. It was a bit out of character I must say..." He said, his voice trailing off.

Elsa cleared her throat, "Yes, well-"

"And your guard is a no-show.."

Elsa swallowed hard. "I'm sure he-"

"And your sister seems to keep running off..."

Elsa frowned, her anger beginning to boil, "Don't you -"

"And you're left to run a kingdom that we don't even know if you're fit to run..."

And with that, Elsa snapped, her eyes turning icy black once again, filled with rage and pain as she stood up swiftly, black ice covering the table and spreading onto the bookshelves. "I'm NOT a failure!" Elsa screamed out, shards of ice rising from the floor, heading in the journalists direction.

Ergarr screamed as flurries of black snow surrounded him, the shards of ice getting closer and closer. A guard, along with Kai, burst through the double doors leading to the library. They rushed in so fast, Elsa was sure they had been waiting outside, as if they knew this would happen. Kai gasped as he saw Elsa, the ice up the Ergarr's neck now. "Queen Elsa! Queen Elsa, stop!"

Elsa didn't listen. She refused to listen. All those people constantly telling her how she should act, how she should rule, She was tired and hurt. Now they would pay, starting with Ergarr. Elsa concentrated hard, the snow becoming thicker.

Kai rushed forward, shoving Ergarr out of the way as he grabbed the Queen's hand. Elsa flinched, yanking her arm away. As she did so, a wave of black ice shot out from.her hand, sending Kai and Ergarr back into the wall.

Her emotionless, black eyes met with Kai's deep brown ones, the walls began to get covered in small snowflake patterns. 

Kai and Ergarr struggled to breathe in the brisk air, the dark snow whipping around them so fast it was almost like a blizzard.

Perhaps it was Elsa's lack of energy  or perhaps Evil Elsa was trying with her, but something made Elsa's eyes turn back to blue. It took her a moment to realize what was happening. She stared at Kai, who was gasping for air.

 Elsa gasped as she looked around.

Black ice covered everything, and sharp icicles rose from every direction. As the ice turned to it's normal white hue, and began to vanish, Elsa spun around, shaking her head. "I...what...."

"MONSTER!" Ergarr shouted as he stood up. "MONSTER! The press will certainly be hearing about this!" He said firmly, although his hands trembled as he gathered his things.

"N-no.... please!" But it was too late. Ergarr stormed out, leaving her to deal with the damage. Elsa's surrounding's began to spin as she stumbled out the room. You were meant for this.... "Get out of my head!" Elsa screamed. She could hear Kai calling her, but ignored it.

Elsa looked down the hallway, sighing heavily as she messaged her temples. It was getting worse, and Elsa knew it. She flinched as Kai walked over to her.

"Queen Elsa....you need rest-"

"No!" Elsa snapped. "No. I.... I've too much to do." She winced, rubbing her forehead. "No one outside of this castle is to hear about this."

Kai nodded, "Yes, Queen Elsa..."

She could see out of the corner of her eye, Kai rubbing his frostbite hands as she walked away.

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

HALLORY'S POV

The fall leaves crunched beneath Hallory's boots as she walked, entering the forest. She had heard many tales about it, none of which were true, she knew that.

In her hand, she carried, the book given to her by the Mysterious Man, labeled The Crystal of Ezarite. She had read it before she left, and decided that if Elsa wouldn't go after the crystal, she would.

Hallory shivered as a guest of wind blew her hair in her face. She frowned. A part of her told her this was wrong, but the Mysterious Man was right. She wanted revenge. She wanted to see the Queen of Arendelle pay for everything that had happened to her people.

Hallory had to admit that Elsa didn't seem like such an awful person, but that meant nothing. The most evil people are the best at hiding it. Her anger boiled as terrible memories of losing everyone she ever loved filled her mind. And it was all because of the Ice Queen.

But now, all Hallory needed to do was make the Queen slip up, which should be easy to do considering her people hadn't forgotten about three years ago.

She continued to walk, reading the book while she did so. "It's here somewhere....?" She said, more of a question than a statement. She hadn't expected the complete shift in weather. Here, in the forest, it was fully winter.

As Hallory looked up, she frowned. "I just passed this stupid tree and hour ago!" She said, looking at the small 'x' she had carved in the bark to mark her last spot. She kicked a small rock in anger.

She looked up at the sky, seeing that it was getting dark. "I'll just head back then, ya stupid forest!" She yelled out to no one in particular. But, as she walked, Hallory realized she had absolutely no idea where she was heading.

"Wait..." She mutters, spinning around. She looked back up at the sky. "Oh no...." And as a wolf howled in the distance, it was then that Hallory realized...

She was lost.

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KRISTOFF'S POV

Kristoff munched on his carrot, staring at the ground. He couldn't get his mind off of Stefan's threat. What if Elsa was in danger, and he was already too late to safe her?

He looked up as he heard a loud grunt, and then the sound of wood hitting wood. Stefan and a few guards were training not too far away from where Kristoff was sitting.

Stefan had his staff pinned against his opponents neck. "Next time, draw your staff quicker." He said firmly, and the guard nodded as Stefan lowered his wooden weapon.

Kristoff took another bite of carrot and watched as Johann walked past him, suddenly being stopped by Stefan.

"Stable Boy! Let's see if you can duel!" Kristoff could sense the devious tone in the Captain's voice.

Johann stuttered. "No, I... I'm good." He said, but as he walked off, his path was blocked by Stefan's staff.

"That wasn't a question, Stable Boy." He said threateningly, shoving a small staff in the fourteen years olds hands.

Kristoff bit his lip. He knew he should intervene. He knew Stefan wouldn't play fair. And yet, something made him stay where he was. Something made him feel just a hint of fear.

Stefan was tall, and hovered over the young boy as he got in a defensive stance. "Make the first move, boy."

Johann swallowed hard, and Kristoff winced as the boy swung but missed, getting wacked in the stomach in return. He swung again, his staff coming in contact with Stefan's. Stefan then chuckled as he kicked the boy, making him fall to the ground. "Go on, get up." The captain said.

Once again, the boy got up, still trying. Again, he missed, and this time, Stefan hit him hard in the face with the but of his staff. Johann helped as he knelt over in pain.

Kristoff could feel his anger boiling, and he clenched his fists. As he stood up, watching as Stefan hovered over Johann, Kristoff knew why he had felt fear. Stefan reminded him of one person, and one person only.

His father.

A topic he had never brought up, not even to Anna. Kristoff knew how Johann felt, to be helpless and weak, unable to do anything except take the blows. But it was different now, Kristoff could do something.

And so he did.

"Stefan, stop it." Kristoff ordered sharply, walking over to Johann as he helped the boy up. He motioned for the boy to leave, glaring at Stefan. "That's enough."

Stefan rolled his eyes. "I was only toughening the boy up!" He laughed.

"If you want to fight..." Kristoff paused for a moment, then spoke out of impulse, "Fight me." His fist tightened.

Stefan looked at Kristoff for a moment, then smiled as he shrugged, his grip around his staff tightening. "Fine. Make your move."

Kristoff grabbed a staff and frowned. He definitely wasn't used to using such weapons. He glared as they circled each other slowly. Raising his arms, Kristoff swung down, their staffs clashing together. What he didn't realize, was that his stomach was left open, and Stefan kneed him in the stomach.

Kristoff groaned, and readied himself. Stefan swung at him, and Kristoff dodged, but the Captain whacked him on his back, making Kristoff fall forward.

He got up slowly, but as he did, Stefan's staff rammed his side, and Kristoff yelped out in pain. Stefan hit him in the face with the but of his staff, and Kristoff doubled over, his ears ringing, the metallic taste of his blood in his mouth.

Stefan chuckled as he kicked Kristoff to the ground. "I told you. You're nothing against me." He said, pressing his staff against Kristoff's chest.

Kristoff groaned through gritted teeth, the pain searing through his chest as Stefan kept him pinned. But Stefan didn't keep his concentration for long as he spoke. "Your just a helpless, weak, peasant-"

Before he could finish, Kristoff lunged forward, tackling Stefan to the ground. I climbed on top of him as he caught the Captain off guard, landing a heavy blow to Stefan's face. Anger boiled through Kristoff as he let out his rage, and kept swinging.

"I told you...I. Am. Not. Weak." Kristoff said, raising his arm to land another hard punch. He was stopped as he heard a familiar voice.

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!" Elsa screamed out, furious.

Kristoff winced as he turned around and got off of Stefan, who was groaning in pain. Kristoff looked down at his bleeding knuckles. "Elsa...I..."

"Don't." Elsa snapped, storming up to him, looking down at Stefan, "So you're letting out your anger on a Captain now?" She said, helping Stefan up.

Kristoff looked away, but readied himself as Stefan lunged. Elsa stomped her foot, creating a thick sheet of ice on the floor, causing Stefan to slip.

"I don't know what is going on with you two, but this ends. NOW." Elsa said, then glared at Kristoff. "I expected better than this." She said angrily, and her magic faded with a flick of her wrist.

Kristoff sighed, "Elsa-"

Elsa raised her hand, and Kristoff knew words wouldn't help. "I'm done here." She looked back at Stefan, "You should learn to control yourself as well." She said before walking off angrily, the ice vanished.

Kristoff could only glare at Stefan as he walked off. "Just great." He muttered as he entered the castle, rubbing his sore body. He knew he'd wake up with some bruises. Kristoff rubbed his sore hands as he heard footsteps.

"I can't find it!" Anna yelled out nervously.

Kristoff turned around slowly, smiling as he saw the love of his life running up to him. He needed a distraction, and Anna was just that.

As Anna walked up to him, her stride got slower, and she frowned deeply. "Kristoff....? What happened?" Concern in her soft voice.

Kristoff winced as he swallowed. How must he look to her with his busted lip and bruised hands? "Just...a little rough training. You seem anxious, what's up?"

Anna looked Kristoff up and down, then sighed. "I can't find my book, but that doesn't matter right now." She reached a hand up to his face. "We should get you-"

Kristoff quickly interrupted, "What book?" 

"The one about the Crystal of Ezarite."

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ELSA'S POV

Elsa groaned as she stormed inside the kitchen. It was dark, now, and she was dying for some nice hot chocolate.

She lit a match, heating up the stove as she set a pan on top. She walked into the ice room, looking for the fresh milk that Gerda mentioned. She looked on the shelves and grabbed the small bottle, then reached for the chocolate.

Elsa always kept chocolate candies in the ice room. She wasn't too fond of soft chocolates. She walked back to the hot stove, pouring the milk first, then adding the chocolate and cocoa powder, letting it melt together. Although this wasn't the normal way to make hot chocolate, this was Elsa's favorite way.

Elsa sighed heavily as she thought. She'd had another outburst, Ergarr was reporting everything, she still had paperwork, and Kristoff was acting extremely off.

The Queen looked through the window, seeing her reflection. But something was different. Her hair was different. Elsa looked at her braid, and noticed that another strand of her platinum blonde hair was now black.

"No....no...no!" Elsa hid the strand of hair behind her ear with shaky hands. She went back to the pan, swirls of melted chocolate mixed perfectly. As she poured it into a glass, she was startled by a dark figure in the shadows.

At first, she thought it was Evil Elsa, but the figure revealed himself quickly.

Stefan.

Stefan cleared his throat. "Your Majesty, I want to apologize for earlier-"

Elsa shook her head, "Please, don't." She placed the hot chocolate on the table. "What do you need?" She let the hot glass burn her hands, gripping it tightly.

Stefan sat across from her and swallowed hard. "At first, I was afraid to say anything, because I was threatened." He sighed and looked down.

Elsa looked at him with concern, "Go on."

"I'm afraid you might be in danger, Your Majesty. Grave danger. Someone...is plotting against you." He whispered.

Elsa blinked in surprise. This wasn't the first time someone had plotted to kill her, and her mind trailed to Prince Hans' devious plans. "Who is it?"

Stefan paused and looked up, "Kristoff Bjorgman."