The last week had been packed with appointments and visits. Elsa had long forgotten that strange conversation in the dungeons. Harvesting season was coming to an end, and Elsa had been busy rushing from one village to the other, thanking the local people for their hard work and ensuring them that their efforts were appreciated and valued in the castle. After a quick lunch, Elsa asked Mildred where they were heading next, but she replied, "Your Majesty, I have to confess, there is no more appointment this afternoon. Actually, you have no obligations for the rest of the day and tomorrow."
"What does this mean, Mildred, why was I lied to?"
"Please, Elsa, would you just trust me and follow me? I promise, you will soon understand."
Elsa was not sure whether she should be angry at Mildred for lying, or just trust her. Elsa decided that she was too exhausted for arguing, sighed and followed Mildred, who had opened the secret door in Elsa's office. A few minutes later, they arrived in the very dungeon cell where Elsa and Mildred had talked a fortnight earlier.
"Grand Pabbie?!?" The chief of the trolls was the last one Elsa had expected to see. "It's so nice to see you!" Elsa's joy was sincere, as was her surprise. "What are you doing here?"
"Mildred has told me about your conversation. I am here to help you." Before Elsa could recall the details of the talk, he continued, "I have brought a burning stone." Pabbie produced a crystal from underneath his cloak. It had a dull and dark red color. "It's not really burning, is it?" Elsa said with a sceptical look, "what is it supposed to do?"
"If you really want to feel the freedom of being bound again, as you described to Mildred, be so kind and touch the stone with your ice." Half out of curiousity, Elsa created a tiny snowball and let it float to the dark stone. The moment it touched it, the snowball melted into millions of tiny waterdrops which stood still in mid-air for half a heartbeat before being sucked into the crystal. In the same moment, the previously dull stone started to shine so strongly that the surprised Elsa had to cover her eyes. A few seconds later the shine had subsided to a flickering, red glow.
"Take off your dress, Elsa."
This was unexpected, but it was not so much the strange nature of the request that startled Elsa, but the fact that somebody was giving her an order. For as long as she could think, she had been the one giving orders, not receiving. "This is getting interesting", she said, but decided to play along. She opened the ribbon what held together her glittering dress in the back of her neck, and let the gown slide to the floor. Grand Pabbie was shocked to see that Elsa had been wearing nothing but her light blue overknee stockings and her shoes below the dress. He could not help noticing the little goose bumps on Elsa's soft, pale skin, and that her nipples seemed to get hard.
"The cold does not bother me, but it DOES have an effect."
The troll blushed instantly.
"You didn't expect me to be naked underneath, did you?"
"No, I didn't," Grand Pabbie felt caught again.
Elsa herself could not believe that she was standing nude in front of the old troll. Suddenly, she was very aware of Mildred standing behind her, and who must now have a full view of her nude ass. Elsa felt exposed, but she also felt that trying to cover her private parts would make her appear self-conscious and even emphasize her her nudity. Instead, she wanted to show that she was still in control of the situation and fought the urge to cover herself. She took a deep breath to regain her confidence, but by doing so, raised breasts, again catching the troll's attention.
It's not that Grand Pabbie was staring at Elsa out of erotic interest, it was just out of plain interest. For him, human bodies, in particular that of Elsa, were too tall and slender, the legs too long, the skin too pale and much too soft. Why human women shaved all body hair was a mystery to him.
"One of the advantages, if cold does not bother you. No panty lines." Elsa giggled and gave Grand Pabbie a smile, reassuring him that everything was fine.
Mildred had silently picked up Elsa's dress, folded it up and placed it on a wooden stool on the far wall. The troll regained his posture, reached for a small necklace and attached the burning crystal to it. "Elsa, kneel down, in front of me." For Grand Pabbie, this was just a necessity, because he was too short to reach Elsa's neck. For her, it was another command, and it sent a tingle trough her body. Elsa had never knelt in front of anybody. Surprisingly, this new experience was oddly intriguing, and the fact that Mildred was watching her every move excited Elsa more than she would have ever thought.
Elsa held up her hair for Grand Pabbie and he put the necklace around her neck. "Stand up now and put your hands behind your back. Mildred, if you please?" While Elsa rose, she could hear the noise of chains behind her, but she resisted the urge to turn around. Instead, she put her hands behind her back and stood still, until the touch of cold iron around her wrists confirmed what she had expected. It took Mildred a few moments, but then two distinctive clicks indicated that the metal cuffs had been firmly locked around her wrists. The weight that suddenly pulled down on them signalled that Mildred had let go of the chains. Finally, Elsa turned around to see that a heavy chain, only a few feet long, was linked to the metal ring in the wall, just above the stone bed.
"What a strange game you are playing with me," Elsa said, smiling to relax this awkward situation. Grand Pabbie said, "Mildred and I will leave now. I will stay in the castle and not be far, and Mildred will see after you regularly."
With that, Mildred and Grand Pabbie left the cell, closed the door and Elsa heard the heavy bolts fall into place. Left behind was their almost naked, chained up Queen, who was slightly confused, but still amused and somewhat touched. She knew that what these two had done was a gesture of understanding and friendship.
