Since I’m most likely never going to get around to finishing this…here’s what I have so far for Day 7 of EA Week back in spring. Had to change the mechanics a bit for Planeswalking and how Ignition/Ascending works to fit the narrative, but…eh.

Only one out of one million people are born with the Spark. A fragment of the Blind Eternities—the space between worlds in the Multiverse—that somehow found its way into their soul. And even among those with the Spark, not all are able to truly ignite it. To ignite that roaring flame which would burn away all limits, cast down every wall, break free of every mortal boundary…

Many have lived and died, ignorant of the gift housed within, waiting for that one singular push to ascension.

To becoming a fully-realized Planeswalker.

Anna could no longer feel her limbs as the ice rapidly took over. It crept across her body, stealing warmth and feeling until at last her vision turned black—Hans’ sword bearing down on her outstretched hand being the last thing she saw.

And then there was nothing.

…Before voices suddenly exploded into the void, assaulting her mind from every conceivable direction.

“—I’m flying solo, at least I’m flying fr—“ “—hit the stage, I hear the universe calling my na—“ “—deceive yourself, deceive the worl—“ “—prize for rotten judgment, I guess I’ve already wo—“ “—perish in snow and ice, unless you are freed with a sword sacr—“ “—scale of 1 to 10, how would you rate your pa—“ “—no honor on the battlefield; only a sin we call victo—“ “—the stream, and over the garden wall to—“ “—and strange, finding you can change unexpect—“ “—go your earthly tether, and become—” “—life’s too short, to always feel shut out and unlov—“ “—applause! Sit down and praise…my Golden Theat—“ “—met with a terrible fate, haven’t yo—“ “—is cruel; why should the afterlife be any—“ “—your birthday date, if I may—“

Images flashed through her mind’s eye at speeds far too fast for any human to follow—a beach, gleaming towers reaching for the sky, a sprawling forest, a giant moon—and the pressure built in her head at the overload of her senses. She could smell the metallic tang of blood, but also freshly baked bread; she could taste the sweetness of cake but also the acridness of smoke; she could feel a warm breeze sweeping over her, but also the chill of—

That’s right. The chill.

Anna was dying, freezing completely. She might be dead already.

Except for the persistent thud of her heartbeat…or was it the primordial beat of the universe, coaxing that which previously lay hidden to reveal itself?

There was a crackle through the air, like lightning right before it strikes, and suddenly the images and voices and sensations disappeared. The void returned, black and terrifying…before a single spark shone in the darkness. It vanished briefly, but returned almost at once with far greater intensity. White, green, blue, black, and red flared to life in the void, bathing the ethereal space in these five colors with such strength, Anna would have shut her eyes if she could.

But she couldn’t, and she could only watch as red overpowered the other four, rapidly growing to encompass her vision—

Ascend.

—and Anna released a shuddering gasp, warmth rapidly flowing through her veins as her body thawed. Teal eyes blinked a few times, dazedly noting the slim arms wrapped around her before looking down to meet disbelieving glacial-blue.

“Anna…?” Elsa breathed, voice cracking as her fingers tightened against her sister’s cloak.

“Elsa—“

The name was barely out of her mouth before Elsa abruptly drew to her full height, pulling Anna closer until her face was buried deep into the princess’ coppery hair. Anna’s heart beat wildly at the action even as her own arms automatically mirrored Elsa’s. It had been years—almost forever, it seemed like—since her sister had been this close. Breath ghosting against her skin, impossibly-soft blonde hair tickling her cheek…and blue eyes so full of love, so focused on her, that Anna wondered why she had ever sought love elsewhere.

“You sacrificed yourself for me?” Elsa asked, lips curling into a beautiful smile as she shyly pulled away to address her, their hands still firmly grasped in each other’s.

Anna grinned. Of course she did. Of course. All doubts had burned away the moment she darted in front of Hans’ sword, because really…Elsa was at the heart of her world. Thirteen years outside her door, thirteen years of devotion…one day of understanding.

“I love you,” she stated matter-of-factly, as if that would explain everything.

And it did.

Anna had forgotten about her surreal experience in that moment after freezing, but before thawing. So caught up in the excitement of the following weeks was she that it had completely slipped her mind…until the bishop visited the castle one day, quietly requesting an audience with the princess.

Elsa insisted she be there for this meeting, no doubt just as curious as he to know of what happened to Anna during that time.

“My head hurt…a lot,” she said, picking nervously at her skirts and acutely aware that this could seriously complicate the church’s doctrines. “There was a lot of noise, and everything was so colorful.”

“Colorful?” they both echoed at the same time, in varying degrees of confusion.

Anna nodded, swallowing hard as she tried to remember. “Honestly, I’ve forgotten a lot of the details, but I do know there were distinctly five of them at one point.” Her heart beat louder in her ears, and she almost swore she could feel the crackle of electricity in the air. “And there was…red. A lot of red at the end.”

“Hell…?” Elsa breathed fearfully, eyes widening at its implications.

Surprisingly, it was the bishop who shook his head, a small smile of something forming on his lips. “No, Your Majesty, not at all. Just red. Fury, passion…and warmth.”

The fine hairs on the back of Anna’s neck rose.

“I, uh…sorry if it wasn’t what you were looking for,” she mumbled, trying to ignore how unbearably hot the room suddenly felt at his words.

Red.

“No need to worry, Your Highness,” he reassured her, cracking a warm smile. “While it wasn’t necessarily what I was looking—or rather, hoping—for, it was an interesting surprise nonetheless. Fortunately, it won’t conflict with the church’s doctrines, as I’m sure you’re also concerned for. Wouldn’t want you to be hounded by my fellow clergymen now, would we?”

Elsa turned her gaze to him, brow furrowed as she frowned. “You seem oddly unfazed about this.”

“Perhaps. But it’s certainly not my first encounter with such a phenomenon, exceedingly rare as it is. I’m very lucky, in fact. And of course, the both of you have True Love on your side—hardly a thing the church can argue against,” the bishop agreed as he stood up, joints creaking with the motion. “Now if I may, Your Majesty, I must be on my way for the afternoon mass.”

“Wait! Before you go…exactly what is this phenomenon?”

Anna barely heard their exchanged words, too aware of the burning in her skin and the tingling in her fingers. Her whole body felt restless, charged, and the electricity in the air seemed more apparent. Elsa’s cool touch on her forehead snapped her out of her daze momentarily, and only then did she notice the bishop had already left.

“What’s wrong?” her sister asked, concerned blue eyes searching hers intently, and Anna suddenly noticed how strained her own breathing was.

“I-I’m fine,” she answered out of reflex, abruptly standing up and smoothing over her skirts, “I just…I just need some fresh air. Yeah, that’s it! Fresh air…This room feels t-too stuffy.”

Everywhere feels too stuffy, too constrictive, too limiting.

It was strange…and Anna didn’t like it. At all.

“I’ll, uh…I’ll see you at lunch, then?” she managed to say in-between the tingling beneath her skin, and the incessant pounding in her ears.

The queen immediately frowned. “Anna, I can come with you—“

“No, no…you have your duties and all,” Anna said as she made her way to the door, waving away her sister’s concerns as heat began to choke at her lungs. “I mean…you were here for the meeting even if you didn’t really need to be, and I’m sure your work has piled up since then!”

Too hot. It was too hot. A sense of urgency gripped her as her hand turned at the doorknob.

“Anna, you know I’ll always make time for—“

Elsa’s voice trailed after her as Anna darted through the door; body burning, red creeping across the edges of her vision.

Then white.

Green.

Blue.

Black.

Anna rounded the corner at the end of the hallway, foot raised in a half step—

“What is better? To be born good…or to overcome your evil nature through great effort?”

—only to land on snow.

A cold wind blew at her dress, slipping past the meager protection it offered her to sink deep into her bones. Her whole body shivered at the sudden change in temperature, hands rubbing at her arms, and eyes darting about frantically to take in her new surroundings. She was at the peak of a mountain, it seemed. A sea of clouds stretched on around her, parted here and there to offer glimpses of the land below.

At least she wasn’t burning hot anymore.

“We have…a visitor,” a deep voice drew her attention, and Anna nearly jumped out of her own skin at the sight of a real live dragon crouched upon a nearby rock. His gray scales seemed dulled with age, the edges of his wings had a few holes in them, and of the two horns jutting out from his head, one of them had broken in half. His golden eyes, however, burned brightly with curiosity and sharp intelligence.

“I’ll handle this.”

The second voice came from a burly man standing beside the dragon; garbed in a mixture of leather, furs, and iron armor. A sword hung at his side, a shield on his back, and a horned helmet adorned his head, covering most of his features.

“There is no need, Dovahkiin,” the dragon rumbled, turning his head to address the man. “You have more pressing matters elsewhere. I will deal with this…traveler.” He glanced back at her, and Anna swore she could see the faintest hint of a smile. “But perhaps you should lend a cloak. She seems to be freezing.”

“Wh-Where a-am I? Where’s the castle?” Anna asked as the man—Dovahkiin, was it?—pulled out a patchy cloak made of various furs from his traveling pack. His eyes filled with confusion as he stepped closer to hand over the cloak, opening his mouth to speak, when the dragon answered for him.

“You are at the peak of my strunmah. My mountain. In my tongue, it is called the Monahven…but the joorre know it as—“

“’The Throat of the World,’” Anna completed, the name falling unbidden from her lips. Teal eyes immediately widened in shock as she hastily slapped her hands over her mouth, as if that could take back what she had just said.

Dovahkiin. Dragonborn.

Strunmah. Mountain.

Joorre. Mortals.

“H-How do I kn-know that?” she muttered, hands returning to her sides as Dragonborn—or is it ‘the Dragonborn’?—carefully placed the fur cloak over her shoulders. “How? I’ve n-never even heard a-any of these words b-before!”

“That is because you are Wunduniik se Sovaarre,” the dragon replied, claws clicking against the rock as he moved closer to her until his snout was little more than a hand’s width away. “’Planeswalker’. You understand all.”

Anna furiously shook her head, her body shaking from a different reason besides the biting cold. “No, no! I don’t understand a-any of this! What do you m-mean by ‘Planeswalker’? Where’s A-Arendelle?” Tears brimmed her eyes at the blank looks she was receiving. “I just n-need to go back h-home! You s-sent me here, r-right? Send me b-back!”

The Dragonborn frowned, eyes puzzled. “I’ve never heard of ‘Arendelle’ before. But you’re in Skyrim, the northernmost province of Tamriel. Nirn, if that helps any.”

The dragon made a sound that could be interpreted as clearing his throat, golden eyes flicking over to the man nearby. “Dovahkiin, perhaps it is best if you leave. Your tact…leaves much to be desired.”

If Anna wasn’t so distressed right now, maybe she would have giggled.

“Wha—My tact is perfectly fine, thank you very much!” the man retorted even as he took a step back, clearly accepting the dragon’s suggestion anyway. “You don’t get by as Listener, Harbinger, Archmage, and Guildmaster without tact!”

“And you cannot defeat Alduin without the knowledge of an Elder Scroll,” the dragon scoffed, though that maybe-smile was on his scaly face again. “Go. Do not keep the fate of this world waiting.”

The Dragonborn merely chuckled, as if sharing a private joke. He gave her a nod, favored the dragon with a brief wave, and turned on his heel to stride down a snowy path Anna hadn’t noticed before.

“I am afraid I have been a poor host,” the dragon’s deep voice drew her attention once more, and she turned her gaze away from the path to meet surprisingly kind golden eyes. “My name is Paarthurnax. And I welcome you to our plane.”

“I-I’m Anna,” she said, drawing the fur cloak closer around her still-shivering body and trying to rein in the chattering in her teeth. “Princess Anna of Arendelle.”

“Ah…a kulaas,” the dragon—Paarthurnax, her mind corrected her—rumbled, head bobbing in a small nod. “It is not entirely unusual for one of the Wunduniikke to hail from a high status…as I understand it.”

“About that…what do you mean by ‘plane’?” Anna asked, panic settling in even deeper. “And you keep calling me a ‘Traveler’. Didn’t you bring me here?”

Despite his fierce visage, she could see the dragon’s eyes soften, bowing his scaly head ever so slightly. “Krosis, kulaas. But it was not I who brought you here to this sovaar. This…plane of existence.” He leaned back a little, so as to give her more space, though his eyes remained level with hers. “You are what they call a ‘Planeswalker’. One who walks—travels—between planes, worlds. It is you who have brought yourself here.”

Paarthurnax huffed slightly, breath unintentionally blowing her bangs a little and helping in warming her up from the coldness of the mountain—even Arendelle never got this cold.

“Though this seems to be your first ‘Walk’…seeing as you do not even know what you are,” the dragon continued. “I am honored to have been your first witness.”

“But why am I a…a Planeswalker? I don’t even know how I got here!”

“I am afraid I cannot answer all of your questions, kulaas. I am not a Planeswalker myself…though I have met a few in my long years as an immortal dov,” Paarthurnax replied with infinite patience. “However…I can, most likely, send you back to your plane through…other means.”

“’Other means’?” Anna echoed, heart unsure whether it wanted to drop at the thought of what it could entail, or soar because she could go home.

The dragon abruptly raised his wings, and with a mighty flap, took off into the air. Anna struggled to keep her fur cloak around her, buffeted by the sudden wind as she yelped in surprise. She blinked furiously as the wind died down, gaze following Paarthurnax as he glided over to a structure somewhere behind her.

It was an ornate wall that curled slightly at the ends—the etchings that might have been words on its surface too faded to read. Paarthurnax settled bodily at the top of the wall, right next to the stone dragon figurehead at its center. He turned his head to look at her, and taking the cue, Anna hurried through the snow to stand in front of the large wall.

“In Dovahzul, one can turn a Word into a Word of Power,” Paarthurnax’s voice boomed from above. “Three Words of Power form one Shout…and these Shouts have the potential to bend Time and Space itself.”

“So you can send me back!” Anna exclaimed excitedly, unable to keep a smile from forming on her face.

His head dipped into a nod. “I have meditated upon the Words for centuries upon centuries. I may be able to form a Shout to return you home.” He snorted, smoke curling from out of his nostrils. “However…I do not know if a single Shout will suffice for your journey across planes.”

Anna frowned. “But one moment, I was—“

“You Walked, kulaas. It is not the same. We are but ponds—drops, even—to the vast ocean of power you hold inside of you. It is not so vahk, so…easy, to cross such boundaries. Not even for the immortal dov.”

The dragon hummed thoughtfully, though to Anna, he almost seemed just a little bit…miffed.

“Fahin. What color do you see, kulaas?” At her confused look, he continued, “When you sharpen your focus and look at the world around you…what do you see?”

“Sharpen my focus?” Anna repeated, not sure where this conversation was heading. “And colors? What are you talking about?”

Red, a part of her mind whispered, and she tried to stamp it down. You saw red once.

Paarthurnax exhaled deeply, smoke curling out from his mouth and drifting over to her on the mountain breeze. “Sum, kulaas. Breathe. Focus, and calm your heart. See the world as it is—the power, the mana which flows through all of creation,” he rumbled, “There are—“

“—five,” Anna completed for him, her mind flashing back to that strange moment when she had rounded the corner of the hallway. “Five colors…right?”

His lips curled into what was probably the dragon equivalent of a smile. “So you do know of them. That is good. Now…what colors can you see from here? On the Monahven?”

White was the first thing that came to mind, with the snow and the clouds all around her, but Anna doubted that was what Paarthurnax meant. Unfortunately, try as she might, she couldn’t see anything.

“L-Last time was just a fluke. I don’t see any colors,” she admitted after a few minutes of frustratingly trying to look for something other than their landscape. “I mean, I do see colors, like the white of the snow, the gray of your scales, and the brown of these furs, but…” She trailed off helplessly, shrugging her shoulders.

“Hmm…white is one of them, as you know. But if you cannot see it flowing through the world, then it is not a Color—“ Here, Anna could practically feel the capital letters used. “—but rather…just a simple color,” Paarthurnax rumbled, “And nothing more.”

He gave a human-like sigh, shaking his horned head briefly. “No matter. I will send you back to your world with Shouts. When you return…I would suggest you attempt once more to see. It will make it easier to control your Walks.”

Anna swallowed hard, nodding. “Thank you! F-For helping me, that is.”

A chuckle drifted down to her as the dragon shifted on the wall, disturbing a few clumps of snow that had accumulated up there. “My days on my strunmah are mostly spent in solitude. There is not much else to do, I am afraid.” His eyes gleamed as that dragon-smile briefly appeared once more. “It is I who should thank you. For indulging an old dov in conversation, however brief a time.”

So he’s…lonely? Well I mean, it’s a mountain, after all. I doubt anyone actually wants to be alone, especially up here. Even Elsa—

Elsa.

“So…what do I have to do?” Anna asked, teal eyes hardening in determination.