Elsa wore metal gloves, meant to keep her from using her hands—or, more specifically, her magic. The chains were anchored to a large boulder on the floor that prevented her from moving more than a few feet. She pulled on the chains, hoping to yank them free, but it was no use.
Once again, she was a prisoner in her own castle.
The chains were only long enough to allow her to walk to the castle window. Outside, Arendelle wasn’t just covered in snow; it was buried. Layers of snow were piled so high past rooftops that houses were no longer visible. She heard a crash and wondered what had fallen: A house? A statue? A ship? She could see the boats out in the harbor, frozen where they were anchored, and she could do nothing to change it. It seemed the more she panicked, the bigger the storm got. As she felt her fingertips tingle, icicles grew like weeds in the dungeon, causing the walls to groan with misery.
Where were all the people? How were they staying warm? She thought again of the mother and baby she had frightened in the castle courtyard on coronation day. Were they safe?
Was Anna?
Elsa closed her eyes, overcome with worry. “What have I done?” she whispered.
Mama, Papa, please help me break this curse, she pleaded. The kingdom can’t survive much longer. Help Anna remember who she really is!
As she suspected, no answers came.
She would have to figure this out on her own. The only way she could do that was escape. Maybe if she could get word to Anna without actually going near her, she could jog her memory. If only she had that letter as proof of the truth. Elsa concentrated on her cuffs and they started to glow. Break, she willed them. Break! Instead, the cuffs started to freeze up, making it almost impossible to move.
The situation seemed hopeless.
“Princess Elsa?”
Elsa looked up. Lord Peterssen was peering at her through a barred window in the dungeon door.
“Lord Peterssen!” she cried. The ice on her cuffs stopped forming immediately. She rushed to the door but was yanked back by her chains.
“Are you all right?” he asked, holding tightly to the bars.
Aside from Olaf, Lord Peterssen was the only other person in her life who treated her like family. Her father had trusted him with his life. Maybe she could do the same. “No. I need to find someone. Desperately. Lord Peterssen, did my parents ever talk about having another child? A girl? Younger than me, with red hair? Her name is Anna?”
For the briefest of seconds, she thought she saw Lord Peterssen’s brown eyes flicker. “I…the name does sound familiar.”
“Yes!” Elsa tried harder to yank the chains out of the wall so she could get closer to him. “Do you remember her?”
“I’m sorry. I don’t know who you’re talking about,” he said as the wind howled fiercely. “You are the only heir to this kingdom.”
“But I’m not,” Elsa stressed. “Lord Peterssen, please! I must find this girl. She’d be a few years younger than me. We need to start a search! I must find her before Prince Hans does.”
“Prince Hans?” Lord Peterssen appeared puzzled.
“Yes. You cannot trust him! He does not have the best interests of the kingdom at heart.” She longed to say more, but didn’t want to scare him off. “I know my word doesn’t hold much weight at the moment, but you must believe me.”
“No one can search for anyone in this weather,” he said. “We are running out of firewood, and food is growing scarce. The people are freezing! They’re getting desperate. Prince Hans went after you, but he has not returned.”
“Where is he?” Elsa’s cuffs started to glow again.
“No one knows, and we can’t send anyone out to look for him. This cold isn’t even safe for our livestock,” Lord Peterssen told her. “The men who brought you here are the only ones who have made it back. Unfortunately, the Duke met them before I did, and he convinced them to lock you in this dungeon.” She saw his eyes flash angrily. “The men were scared after what happened at your ice palace. I only just learned you were down here. The Duke will pay for claiming authority in a land where he has none.”
“Then you will set me free?” Elsa asked, yanking harder to pull off her cuffs. They glowed brighter. “I can help.”
“I’ve searched everywhere for the key to this room but cannot find it,” Lord Peterssen told