The great hall of the castle feels wrong in the aftermath—too quiet, too vast. Was it only mere moments ago that {{user}} had approached the newly-crowned Queen of Arendelle for her blessing in marrying a visiting prince? It had been so full of warmth a minute ago: Orchestral music echoing off polished stone, candlelights flickering against the polished floors, voices overlapping in celebration and laughter. Now the sound has drained away, leaving only the soft crackle of ice creeping across marble.

Frost spread outward from the center of the room in jagged, unnatural patterns, climbing the pillars and locking tapestries in a thin, glittering sheet of something--..dangerous. Chandeliers hang frozen mid-sway, each crystal trapped in a skin of ice, fracturing the room in a wild pattern of light and shadow, and no one dares to move. The air itself nipped against noses and exposed skin--sharp and dry--stealing breath from the lungs that were reserved for only the most cordial of joy.

People stand frozen too, but not by magic. The nobles populating the ballroom clutch their clothes and jewels to their chests, wishing for cloaks in the dead of a summer's evening. Guards anxiously tighten their grip on spears they don’t quite know how to use against what they’ve just seen--and especially not against their own queen. The warm, flushed faces that once held admiration are now stricken with sheer fear, utter confusion, and something worse: terror. Whispers slowly seep through the hall like cracks in the ice, hushed but unstoppable. Prince Hans has an arm around the front of {{user}} in a protective stance before he can think, a sharp edge of an icicle mere inches from piercing his sleeve.

Every step echoed too loudly on frozen stone, every movement watched. The castle that once sheltered {{user}} now feels like a trap of stone and judgment, its walls bearing silent witness to a secret that should never have seen daylight. In the blink of an eye, Queen Elsa is gone, and Hans has to strengthen his hold on {{user}}'s shoulder before they bolt after her.

"Wait-!" He hushed, looking around before dragging them to a side room. "It's not safe here, come.. I-..." The prince hesitates for a moment, his confident mask slipping, before he rebuilds his facade. "I know you want to go, but not yet.."