King Agnarr kicked his horse, encouraging it to go faster and faster down the hunting trail. The King's royal guards tried to keep up with him, but the King's horse was the fastest in the kingdom. The guards glanced at each other in disbelief as a light frost lined the ground behind the King's horse. King Agnarr held onto his son tightly, trying to warm him with his body heat. Although, it didn't appear to be working. His son was feeling colder despite the summer sun blaring down through the trees. His horse's hooves clattered over the cobblestones as he charged through the town and toward the castle gates. People gasped, jumping back as they saw the trail of frost settle over the road in the King's wake. As the gates opened to let him in, the King yelled out in a frantic tone. "FETCH ME THE HEALER! BRING BLANKETS!" Bursting through the gates, King Agnarr yanked his horse to slow down abruptly before the steps as servants rushed out to help him. His horse skidding across the smooth cobblestone, barely coming to a complete stop before the King slid off the saddle. A servant draped a blanket over the Prince in the King's arms while he carried him inside.

The front of the King's clothes were becoming frosted, causing the King to shiver. The Healer rushed out from a hallway, escorted by more servants that were out of breath. The Healer peeled back the blanket to look at the Prince's face. Nathan was shivering violently in his unconscious state and water was leaking from his eyes as if he was crying in his sleep. The Healer swallowed, covering the Prince back up. Gesturing him toward the Healer's quarters, the Healer rushed out. "This way. Tell me what happened." The King followed the Healer, informing him breathlessly. "I'm not sure. We were set upon by wolves. When I found him, it looked like he'd fallen from his horse... but this frost is... It's coming from him. Is he bewitched?!" The Healer gestured the King to lay Nathan out on a cot, telling him softly. "It's possible. There are many things that roam the woods... I will do my best." The King waved the servants out, slamming the door before asking the Healer. "Is he going to die?" The Healer touched Nathan's head, answering in a low distracted voice. "I'm not sure. I've never seen anything like this. It's as if he is suffering from frostbite..."

The King looked down at his frosted clothing that was starting to melt now. The Healer covered Nathan in more blankets after checking him for wounds. Then rushed to boil water in a small cauldron over the fireplace. While the Healer prepped things, he told the King solemnly. "I see no witch marks on his body. I'm thinking it is a curse. Was it just wolves out there?" The King searched his memories, uttering out shakily. "Yes. There was a small boy. A Northuldra child. He was being hunted by the wolves. I think they were after his reindeer. But that's all. I saw no one else." The Healer tensed, turning guarded eyes on the King as he stated out with a deep concern. "The Northuldra child...? You saw him?" The King nodded, answering promptly. "Yes. Why? What's wrong?" The Healer glanced at Nathan, regaling in an uneasy tone. "There are stories going around about that boy. They say he ran away from the orphanage... That he is being raised by Trolls." King Agnarr rolled his eyes, telling the Healer seriously. "He's just a boy. Had I known that, I would have taken him back here." The Healer scoffed, telling the King dryly. "Forgive my rudeness, Highness... But Arendelle has been at war with the Northuldran for years. After the war that took so many lives... your father's life. No one would or will ever adopt a Northuldran child. He's better off where he is."

King Agnarr took a deep breath, telling the Healer bluntly. "The war is over." The Healer pointed to Nathan as he locked eyes with the King and said just as bluntly in return. "A curse lies over the Enchanted Forest. Protecting all... but a single Northuldran. How do you know that boy didn't curse your son? That you weren't set up? Trolls are crafty like that... Devious. No matter what you believe... Trolls hold grudges, and that boy has no love for your family." The King shook his head, firmly retorting. "It wasn't the boy. I've seen magic. The boy is innocent." The Healer poured warm water into some herbs and started to carefully help Nathan drink it. Shaking his head though, the Healer told the King. "Believe what you will, Highness... but the men that live up by the North Mountain talk about that boy. They call him; the King of the Trolls. They say that if you meet his gaze or acknowledge him that a curse will befall you." The King scoffed, growling out. "That's a bunch of-" Before he could finish, the door burst open and the Queen rushed in. She rushed to Nathan's side and the Healer tried to stop her from taking Nathan's hand. Feeling how cold her son was, she blurted out frantically. "What happened?!"

Taking his wife's hand, the King took her away from Nathan. Escorting her out into the hallway, he discreetly whispered to her what happened and what the Healer had told him. The Queen tensed, leaning closer to him to whisper back just as discreetly. "The Northuldra wouldn't do that. We don't believe in curses... This has to be something else." The King hugged himself, nodding as he whispered under his breath and periodically scanned the hallway for eavesdroppers. "I know... But there was no one else out there." The Queen put a hand on the King's chest, feeling how wet he was from the melted frost. Her eyes narrowed on his chest; her voice distant as she said to herself. "He's freezing... but it can't be..." The King put his hands on her arms, asking a little confused. "What?" The Queen licked her lips, locking nervous eyes with him as she whispered out softly. "I'm not sure... This feels familiar. Like I... Like I know this story." The Queen looked around, then told the King swiftly. "I might know what this is. Come with me. I'll need your help to find it." The Queen rushed off toward the library within the castle with the King at her heels. He knew exactly where she was going and faintly recalled her old storybook.

Nathan dreamed that he was swimming in a deep dark river. It was peaceful and calm, but whenever he tried to go up to the surface, he found his way blocked by thick ice. He banged on the ice with his fists and feet, but the ice didn't even chip. A soft voice started to vocalize a haunting melody and for a moment Nathan saw a blurry form walk soundlessly across the ice. He banged on the ice, then stopped as he suddenly caught his reflection in the ice. His reflection was covering its eyes. The longer he stared at it, the more he saw frost crystalize down his hands. Nathan reached out to touch his reflection, when he suddenly jerked awake with a start. Why had he been afraid of his reflection? Sitting up, he panted softly and took in the room he was in. He recognized the Healer's quarters and relaxed. Was it all just a nightmare? Had he fallen off his horse and blackout out? The Healer's voice told him from the other side of the room. "Oh, good. You're awake. That's a good sign." Nathan lifted his hands off the wool blanket, noticing the frost that had formed on it. Flexing his fingers, Nathan groggily asked the Healer. "How many months was I out?"

The Healer chuckled, answering promptly. "You've only been out an hour or two." Nathan blinked, asking curtly as he lifted his blanket a little. "But the frost?" The Healer walked over to him, setting a bowl down and picking up a washcloth as he told him curtly. "I'm still trying to figure that out. My conclusion is that you are cursed. Do you recall encountering anyone? Anything during your time in the woods?" Nathan shook his head; he was a bit distracted by the frost on the blanket. Wasn't frost supposed to be cold? The Healer reached out to unbutton Nathan's shirt, then pressed a warm cloth to his skin. Nathan closed his eyes, enjoying the warmth that he felt. The Healer then took the cloth away and put his hand against Nathan's chest. Slowly the heat faded away, until he felt normal again. The Healer's hand drifted down his chest a little more, uttering out to himself. "Fascinating... You're still as cold as ice. Your body isn't retaining heat." For the first time, Nathan looked at the Healer and asked a little worried. "What do you mean? I feel fine." Nathan's jaw dropped as he looked at the Healer. He'd seen the Healer a few times before. He had always been kind to him. Someone to trust.

However, as he stared into the Healer's soft green eyes, he questioned every second that he'd been alone with him. Within the Healer's eyes, he saw him touching on his patients inappropriately. It was like he was seeing into the Healer's every dark memory. Swatting the Healer's hand off his chest, Nathan fell off the side of the cot and moved away from him. The Healer rushed around to help him, asking nicely. "Highness? Are you ok? Let me help you?" Nathan scooted across the stone floor; his eyes locked on the Healer's as image after image revealed itself to him. Shaking his head, Nathan screamed out. "NO! Stay back! Stay away from me!" The Healer reached out to grab his wrist and Nathan gasped as he saw images of the Healer stroking his cheek while he slept in his bedroom or how he'd run his hands down his arms whenever he'd seen him. The actions all were so incident at the time... but seeing his true intent behind the actions was making him sick. The Healer yanked Nathan up to his feet, telling him seriously. "Highness, relax! I'm trying to help!" As Nathan's distress grew, he shoved the Healer back and yelled out. "LEAVE ME ALONE!"

The second Nathan's hands hit the Healer's chest, a burst of frost shot from his palms and turned the Healer into a solid human of pure ice. The shove made the frozen Healer fall back, his new icy body shattering across the stone floor, leaving only his clothes intact. Nathan gasped sharply, practically frozen in fear. Had he done that? Had he just killed someone? Nathan's hands shook violently as he tried to rationalize what had just happened. He expected to see blood and bones, but all he saw was broken bits of ice everywhere that was starting to melt away. The door burst open to reveal a worried female servant that had heard all the noise. She started to ask if everything was ok, until she saw the ice and the Healer's clothing. Nathan tried to calm her, pleading out. "Wait! It's not what it looks like. It was an accident!" The servant inhaled, then screamed so loud that Nathan flinched. The fear of getting caught and blamed overwhelming him enough that more ice burst from his palms, coating everything in the room in a slightly thicker layer of frost. The sight of it caused the servant to scream louder as she rushed from the room. The sounds of her screaming and running footsteps echoing in the halls. Nathan wanted to run but was too scared. Sinking to the floor, he huddled himself up. Wrapping his arms around his legs, he started to cry when his parents rushed into the room, followed by over half the staff that wanted to get a look at the scene.

His father and mother quickly slipped into the room, slamming the door before the other servants got a chance to see what happened. Nathan scooted himself into a corner, struggling to explain through tears. "I didn't mean too... I don't know what happened..." His mother glanced at his father, then slowly walked up to him. In a soothing voice, she tried to calm him down as she said. "It's ok. Honey, remember how I told you to breathe when you're scared?" She adjusted her dress to step over some ice, giving him a warm motherly smile when he nodded. Kneeling in front of him, she touched his cheeks and lovingly told him. "We'll figure this out together. Ok? Just breathe and trust me. Your father and I are not going to let anything happen to you." Nathan took a deep jagged breath as his mom coached him into taking a deep breath. He stared into her soft brown eyes but saw nothing. Had the images been all in his head? He didn't understand. His mother kissed his forehead. While his father told them softly. "I'll contain this and go find the Northuldran boy myself. Are you sure about this, Iduna? We don't know if the boy can take us to them..."

His mother looked to his father, answering confidently. "If he can't, then we'll find them on our own. But we must find them. They are the only magic users for miles. They'll know what this is." His father nodded, then slipped his way back out into the hallway to break up the eavesdropping servants. Once the door was shut, his mother whispered to him with a smile. "Don't worry. Tonight, we're going to visit some people that should know what this is." She ran her hand through his dark hair, then pulled him close. Snuggling up against his mother, they sat in silence and watched the frost melt around them. When the frost was gone, his mother wrung out the Healer's clothes and tossed them into the fire. Once they were turned completely to ash, she took Nathan's hand and led him out. She escorted him calmly back to his bedroom, telling him to change into something that would cover his skin as much as possible. She didn't want anyone to feel how cold he was. Slipping on his lightest winter clothing, he pulled on his riding gloves as he followed her out to the stables. They killed time in the stables by talking about horses, until his father had concluded business and joined up with them.

Under the cover of darkness, they mounted up and rode out of the gates. The few guards that saw them leave were confused as to why the royals were going out without any guards to protect them. Prompting some of guards to rush to the stables to try and follow them... but once they had slipped into the woods, they lost them. While trotting through an old mountain path toward the Ice Harvesters' village, Agnarr told them over his shoulder cautiously. "A few of the servants claimed that the boy could be found hanging around with the Ice Harvesters. He's apparently learning their trade." Nathan tensed in his saddle. He really hoped that this boy would help them. He needed to figure out what was happening to him before he hurt anyone that he really cared about. To Be Continued...