Simona and the Ice Queen: The Encounter

"GET OUT OF MY HEAD!"

A shout echoed across in the frozen mountain range. It was followed by a loud crash. 

"Stop your voices! You are making me crazy! As if I'm not already crazy... get...OUT!"

Another crash.

Simona was in the ice cave she's been living in ever since she ran away that
performance night of The Snow Queen. She had completely forgot about
that night that occurred so many years ago. Simona was losing track of time, losing sleep,
losing her sanity. In fact, she had completely lost herself. The evil
Ice Queen's powers and control had infected her mind, part of her heart, and nearly her entire memory
like a virus, a cancer. The Ice Queen kept Simona locked away in her own mind.
Simona wasn't even aware most of the times whenever she did things that
she was in fact being controlled by the Ice Queen. On the rare, infrequent occasions, though, because Simona was
the Ice Queen's total opposite emotionally speaking and had so much of a heart, the real Simona
would momentarily break free from the Ice Queen's control. 

However, on days like today, Simona would try and break through that prison with all her
might, to see if she could be free, even for a few moments to try to
regain her blurred memory and sanity. This day in particular, she felt crazy, and
yearned to taste what it was like to be sane again. This day, she was blatantly arguing with her crown and
smashing ice stalagmites and large icicles in the cave. 

She finally yanked the tiara off her head and threw it against one of the
icy walls as if to smash it. But the tiara simply bounced of with a tiny "ting" and rolled
on the ground, without a scratch on it.

"Its useless..." a malicious female voice said coldly in Simona's head "You are powerless against me..."

"STOP!" Simona screamed, startled to still hear the voices even without the
tiara. She grabbed her head in pain and bent over on the ground.

More of the evil Ice Queen's voice echoed in Simona's mind, going on about various ramblings.
Simona couldn't take it any longer, so she ran out of the cave into the snowy surroundings.

Simona ran and ran the the snow. To her relief, the farther she ran, slowly she heard the voices grow fainter.
She closed her eyes, wondering the whole time who she really was.
Her thoughts and running came to a crashing halt when she knocked into
something and fell on the ground. When she opened her eyes to see what she knocked into, she
saw that what she knocked into wasn't a something, but a someone.
In front of her on the ground looking at her was a man with short black hair
wearing a long dark brown coat and tan-yellow boots.

"Oh, I'm so sorry sir..." Simona stammered, embarrassed. "I didn't see you... I'm very--"

"It's you!!!" The man interrupted her in surprise as though he saw a ghost.

Simona looked at him confused. "Excuse me...?"

The man looked at her in a combination of amazement and shock. He got up from the snow and offered a hand to Simona.

Simona looked up at the man, still very confused and got up. "Can I help you with something, sir...?"

The man grinned as he gazed at Simona's face, "It is you."

Simona sighed. "Sir, I don't know what you mean."  

"Well, I--" An icy wind started to pick up. The man began shivering.

Simona held his hand, concerned. "You're shivering. Come, I live in an ice
cave not too far from here... its not much warmer, but we'll at least be
out of this wind... We'll talk some more in the cave..."

Simona and the man walk back to the ice cave. They sat down towards the back
of the cave, completely away from the wind outside. She took out a
blanket and covered the man with it, while she just sat there in her
dress. 

The man looked at her, "Aren't you cold?"

Simona shakes her head "No. Perhaps because I'm always cold, I've grown numb
to it... I mean, my skin is blue for goodness sake!" She couldn't help
but let out a small chuckle, "but, why were you looking at me like you
saw a ghost earlier?"

The man sighed, "I know you, Simona."

Simona raised an eyebrow at the man "Who's she?"

The man looked at Simona and blinked. "You. You're the actress from a number of
years ago who disappeared after hallucinating at the performance of the
Snow Queen!" 

Simona blinked this time "I don't know, sir. I don't remember anything of being an actress.
I only know that I am the Ice Queen."

"Ice Queen...?" The man asked. Simona nodded.

Simona looked at the man "Who are you anyways...? And, how did you end up in this neck of the woods?"

The man looked away "I got lost in a blizzard about a week ago when my car broke down."

"I'm sorry to hear that."

"Its okay," the man sighed, still looking away. "and, I'm a bit surprised you dont remember me."

"I'm sorry for that..."

"No, I can totally empathize... and since we just so happened to see each
other again..." The man looked into Simona's blue eyes, again as if he
had seen a ghost "I'm so sorry..."

Simona looked at the man confused. "Why? You didn't do anything to me..."

The man bit his lower lip, memories haunting him "No... I did..." He looked away then looked back into her eyes.

"I'm so sorry for giving you that crown."

Simona stared at the man, still very confused. "What crown?" she got up,
picked up the intact tiara she threw earlier and took it back to the man
"This crown?" She asked before placing it back on her head. She saw the
voices stopped and she was feeling sane again, so she figured it would
be safe enough to put the tiara back on.

The man looked in horror at the crown.
"Yes" He looked away sorrowfully "The night of the performance of the Snow
Queen... just before you went on stage to do your opening act as the
Snow Queen... I was the person who gave you that crown." He shook his
head "I didn't feel like myself when it happened, and don't even
remember how I came into possession of that crown. And I had no idea
that when I gave it to you, you would hallucinate and transform into
what you are now. ... I have been feeling so guilty and so haunted for
years knowing that the sweet actress -who now is right here before me-
was driven to insanity and disappeared because of the crown... because
of me."

Simona didnt know what to feel or what to say, after hearing
the man's recount. She didn't even remember that night even existed.
She sighs and rests her cool hand on his shoulder. "Its alright... I
guess. I dont remember anything of what youre talking about, to be
honest I dont know if what you just said even happened. But... I forgive
you, if that will make you feel better."
The man smiled "You are still the same kindhearted Simona I knew. Your appearance may have
changed ever so slightly, and you now call yourself the "Ice Queen," but
your heart is still so warm." He breaks into a small smile, the fact
that she was still somewhat herself didn't make him feel as hopeless. He
stood and helped Simona stand up, and then he kneeled before her.
"Even though I am grateful that you are still somewhat fine, I will forever
be haunted by what I did to you Simona..." The man said, looking down at
the ground "So, now as I kneel before you, now that you are the Ice
Queen, I ask of you to let me be your servant, my Queen. It is the only
thing I can do for you now after what I had done to you."
Simona kneeled down to the man and looked at him. She spoke to him sweetly "You don't have to do that. I'm alright."
The man smiled, "Please, my queen, please allow it."
Simona sighed with a smile "Alright, if you insist, only if it will make
you happy..." she paused "What was is your name anyway?"

The man's smile broadened "I am sorry for being so rude, my queen, for
not giving you my name sooner. My name is Gustavus Hunter. But, everyone
calls me 'Gunter.'"
"Thank you, Gunter." Simona said before giving Gunter a hug. "I'm so happy I ran into you today~!"
Gunter couldn't help but laugh after Simona's remark.

An evil laughter echoed through the cave, overriding the momentary joyous laughter of Simona & Gunter.
Simona's eyes widened in fear after the freakish laughter. "No!"
Gunter looked up at Simona. "Simona, what is the matter?!"
Simona began to tremble. "She's back!"
Gunter stared at her. "Who's back?!!" He stood up in a defensive position "I shall defend you, my Queen!"

Another maniacal laugh was heard. "What fools! I find your feeble talk is so amusing! But if you wish to serve me, Gunter, I shall grant you that wish!"
Suddenly, Simona's tiara on her head began to glow brightly.
"No!" Simona cried out "What are you doing?!!"
Simona's eyes then began to glow as the Ice Queen took over her.
Simona obviously looked as though inside she was fighting something, but
the powerful and evil Ice Queen stepped though and raised Simona's hand and
pointed it at Gunter.
Gunter bravely looked at the evil Ice Queen in the eyes and then ran at her to try to knock the tiara off.
But before he could take another step, a "Zap!" of ice lightning came from
Simona's hand, placing Gunter in a "bubble"-like oddly malleable chunk of
ice. The Ice Queen through Simona shot out another ice lightning bolt at Gunter and he
suddenly started to transform. His long dark brown coat molded to his
skin and turned into black feathers, his tan-yellow boots turned into
webbed feet, his nose and mouth extended out and turned into a yellow
beak, and his body size shrunk down to three-quarters of its original
size. In a matter of moments, Gunter's human form transformed into that
of a penguin's.

In another evil laugh, the Ice Queen left, and Simona 'broke free' again.