Elsa was granted access to the dungeons barely a half an hour after the sun had brought light to the kingdom of Arendelle. She felt awake, alert, and ready for this conversation. She had slept well, and her training with Daryun – although painful due to her muscle's recoil from the day before – brought about a certain level of confidence and strength. Today was a new day, and with Grand Pabbie somewhat handled for the time being, it was time to tie up a few other loose strings. If Elsa's calculations were about right, it wouldn't be incredibly long until Arthuria received her letter regarding the marriage. That, Elsa supposed, would be when the final real challenge could actually begin. The queen of Arendelle considered setting up a meeting with Leonard soon, but she quickly cancelled that idea so as to not completely offend Arthuria. Discussing the entire notion with her first seemed much more graceful.

'How has he been?' Elsa asked a somewhat rough-looking collection of guards. They were the night shift, and their work was almost at an end.

'Quiet.' One answered gruffly.

'It's a little creepy.' The smallest of the guards added.

'Hm.' Elsa hummed. She almost wished she hadn't snuck out after giving her body a quick rinse following her workout. Having Anna with her wouldn't have been a terrible idea, but the older sister didn't relish the idea of Devil mentally provoking her either.

'Do you wish to meet with him?' The last guard questioned.

'Please.'

The trio of individuals eyed one another, but then the oldest of them nodded, unlocking the multitude of additional reinforcement upon the most isolated and cramped cell. Elsa was allowed inside, and her heart twisted at the sight of Devil hanging by his wrists, his knees collapsed on the floor and his head slumped over. He seemed to be sleeping, and it looked devastatingly uncomfortable. Elsa rubbed her arms in empathy, and she chewed on the side of her mouth. This wasn't right. Even if he was considered something of a criminal, did Devil deserve this? He was still in the guise of the individual known as Grimoire, which Elsa found to be curious. Surely it took a degree of mental power to maintain a transformation, yet Devil seemingly insisted on not revealing his true form. This brought about many a scenario to Elsa's imaginative mind.

'Queen Elsa.' Grimoire slurred tiredly. 'To whom do I owe this honour?'

'No one. I wished to speak with you on my own accord.'

'So soon?'

'Yes.'

The chains that bound Devil rattled a bit as he stood up. When he did so, he could move his hands enough to allow, perhaps, manageable eating and drinking as necessary, but otherwise, he could do very little else. He appeared drained, as being in such a cold, dark, and dank part of the palace would do to a person, but not even close to defeated psychologically.

Elsa was aware of the tiny opening in the door's upper half to allow easy monitoring by the guards, so she had to form her thoughts and words very carefully just in case one of the men outside decided to really listen in on what Elsa preferred to be a hushed, private conversation.

'How did the chat with Grand Pabbie proceed?' Devil asked with presumption.

'Poorly. He was not co-operative.'

'Not as co-operative as me, you mean?' Devil grinned, Grimoire's somewhat attractive-yet-dark face stretching with the expression.

'Yes.'

'But you made him uncomfortable enough, I am willing to bet. He is a coward, in the end, so, your work with him is done. I'm the one who coaxed him into trying something again. If anything, he was letting me do all the dirty jobs this time. His pain in relation to you humans runs deep. Keep an eye on him, but you've likely done the right thing by confronting him immediately. Ties were severed with the trolls, I would imagine?'

'It seems that way.'

'Keep them broken. You're better for it. Grand Pabbie's memory manipulation is possibly more damaging than my shapeshifting. He could twist your whole world if he really wanted to. He fears your wrath, Elsa. If he knew your magic was so flimsy right now, he might not have backed off so easily. He is bitter and ignorant. Keep him far away. His clan is harmless enough, but remnants of what we trolls used to be resides in that elderly creature's bones, and he couldn't shake it even if he wanted to. He would only seek to use you for fights to come; nothing more or less.'

Elsa swallowed tightly, looking at Devil with perplexity.

'Why are you saying all of this to me?'

The troll's grin faltered, but he was quick to regain his footing, maintaining the arrogant, teasing persona of a near-madman.

'I don't like how he plays the game. He creates artificial scenarios that would never be if not for mystical influence. I simply bring out the truth hidden by the façade of conventional expectation and social grace. There is a fundamental difference between myself and that Grand Pabbie. I've never liked him.'

'And thus, you betrayed his trust.'

'There was never trust to begin with. We used one another. He hates me, too. He likely knew this was what would happen, eventually. Although…I doubt he thought I would ever allow myself to be captured.'

'One would question such an obvious ploy.'

'And yet, here I am.' Devil snickered.

'Because of my mercy.'

'Because of your weakness…is what some might say.' Devil's features relaxed slightly, his dark hair masking almost half of his face.

'What would you say?' Elsa asked, curious as to why she was capable of having such a civil conversation with who she thought to be her ultimate antagonist.

'I would say that, before I began playing, you were still but a babe learning to walk. Now, however, there is a different story at work.'

Elsa couldn't respond immediately. It was true. Her confidence was still in utter shambles before Devil, the mirror, her feelings for Anna, and everything in between. Devil had created scenarios that practically forced Elsa to either step up or crumble beneath the weight of his challenges. Was this all on purpose, or was this the troll's true goal?

'You want to claim credit for how I am now?'

'No. I wanted to break you, Elsa; make no mistake. The game has two endings and two endings only: My toy shatters, or it changes into something I no longer desire teasing. I believe I understand humans better than any other troll. I thought I would make your soul collapse. There was so much against you. The formula I created resulted in your downfall.'

Elsa watched as Devil shrugged, shaking his head in disappointment.

'I haven't lost in a very, very long time. Your will and conviction is something to behold. Your sister's support and affection knows no bounds. You both have provided me with new and intriguing data. But, then again, your tenacity shouldn't really surprise me.'

'What does that mean?' Elsa gripped at her hands on her lap, her posture unmoving and her mind working in overdrive to dissect everything Devil said. His words were always laced with a potential for duel meanings, and she didn't want to miss a single notion.

'The last person I broke was years ago. For a troll like me or Grand Pabbie, it would feel like only a week has passed, but I know that's not true. She was royalty, like you, and a kind, caring, and considerate woman. She loved her husband like no other. I wanted to see how far that love would hold her together. "Love" is, after all, the most interesting emotion humans exhibit. Every single game I play shows me this. That being said, I put her through my trials, and eventually, I tried something I had never attempted before. Can you guess what it was?'

Elsa waited in anticipation, her heart thumping rapidly and her face buzzing.

'I do not wish to falsely believe I can understand what polluted acts you performed.'

'You could, if you wanted to, but I'll pretend otherwise.' Devil sighed, his confidence shifting for but a fragment of a second into an expression Elsa wasn't sure she had truly seen it was so very brief. 'I made love to her in the form of the most attractive being I could possibly manifest. It took a grand amount of research. You've heard of elves, have you not? I modelled myself after one of them. Fair in every way. Light in colour. Silver and gold. I felt quite ridiculous, honestly, but in the end, she failed the final trial, and I made her an adulterous woman. She and her husband died not long thereafter, taking her secret to the grave, likely still reeling at night due to her infidelity.'

'How dare you…!' Elsa grimaced.

'She was weak. There was dissatisfaction in her relationship. I merely brought it to the surface. An heir was needed, and she felt defeated because she couldn't seem to conceive…' Devil paused, his eyes diverting as he forced the maniacal grin to remain. 'But she was also beautiful. I will say that, at the very least.'

Elsa flinched back.

'You were in love with her.'

'Don't force your foreign emotions upon me, "Queen" Elsa. I love nothing but the agony upon a human's face the moment they come undone from the inside out. You wear pain just as gloriously, but you somehow always manage to rise above as well.'

'And I will continue to do so.'

'Evidently. Your sisterly bond was unprecedented. Your strength is more than tripled with Anna at your side. I attempted to taint that connection, slowly beginning to understand your origins and using that to my advantage. And yet,' Devil paused, shaking his head with a questioning smile of bewilderment. 'She forgave you again and again. Not only that, but you claimed your faults and admitted to them one after another. Even when I provided you with an easier path to walk, you refused me. Even still, you are a queen who understands her weaknesses and uses them to propel you ever forward. Leonard, King Arthur, Sir Daryun, Prince Maxwell, and even your corrupted council; they all support you. These are not small humans by any stretch of the imagination. I can't remember the last time I witnessed this level of charismatic prowess in such a faulted person of power. You have defeated me, Elsa, and this is where I will remain as punishment for initiating a game I did not win.'

'You are more honourable than I expected.'

'Do not misunderstand. I have lived a long time. I see things much more differently than you humans ever could. I created my own rules to save myself from my personal existential dilemma. I can just as soon break them if my mood fancied it. Grand Pabbie finds solace in family, and I find it in knowledge and wisdom. I look forward to putting this newly acquired information to use the next time I prey upon another of your kind that holds such prestige and influence over the masses.'

Elsa sighed inwardly. She believed every word this creature said, for better or for worse. Part of her sympathized somehow, feeling an intense semblance of sadness emitting from Devil the more he spoke. They weren't so dissimilar. Elsa lied more than this "enemy", as far as she was concerned.

'I will not keep you locked up here forever, Devil.'

'You should.'

'But I won't. It wouldn't be fair.'

Devil didn't respond to that, and Elsa decided to move on. She didn't need to elaborate. She wouldn't, in that moment. The conversation would be taken in another direction for now.

'I need answers regarding Gerda, please. She is suffering, and I imagine it is because of your curse.'

'I prefer to use the term "agreement".' Devil giggled, returning to form. 'She is, indeed, "suffering" because she broke the contract. That is all you need to know. Her life isn't in danger, but the severity of her illness has manifested in direct correlation to her betrayal.'

'Why can you not give me any more details if the game is done?' Elsa pushed, becoming sick just at the thought of her head maid continuing to hurt.

'Because I choose not to. The contract between Gerda and I also included a binding of our tongues. I do not wish to be chained in a cell and vomiting all over your pretty dungeon.'

Elsa frowned, but couldn't bring herself to force anything more out of Devil. She thought about threatening him with what she could muster from her magic, but she didn't want to agitate the dangerous being.

'So be it. As long as Gerda is not in danger then I can accept that answer.'

'How diplomatic of you.'

Elsa thought about leaving then, but there was one final detail regarding Devil that she wanted to clear up that was persistent in creating an itch in her thoughts.

'Shapeshifting isn't your only ability, is it?'

'Hm? What makes you say that?' Devil smiled all over again with Grimoire's face.

'You can mentally attack someone as well. You wield a magic that has a dark attribute to it. I remember feeling it during the time you nearly revealed yourself as Grimoire when Lord Leon began losing himself. Not only that, but you tried to break my spirit when Anna and I were going through a difficult period. Am I wrong?'

'…You are not.'

'But you do not seem willing to use that magic often. Are there side effects?'

Devil giggled, and his elusive response frustrated Elsa.

'I don't need to answer that, "Queen" Elsa.'

'If you want your sentence reconsidered you do. I did not pick for more information regarding Gerda, but this is material I need when arguing your case and your final verdict. Your cooperation has been appreciated thus far, and I will be including this talk in my report to the council and Leonard. I need to know what you're capable of.'

'I'm capable of many things.'

'That I know. How many things, specifically?'

Devil's eye twitched, and Elsa found a little satisfaction in that.

'You're stubborn.'

'Not unlike you.'

'No. Not unlike me…' Devil chuckled and then looked at Elsa directly, his dark eyes flickering in auburn and fire. 'It is dark magic learned from a particularly foul human. He is not "of this world". The last of his kind. Witches were common enough back in the day, but a capable warlock was another story. I became his "apprentice" in the guise of his wildest dreams. The son he didn't have. The relationship he pushed away. He saw through it, of course…'

'Get to the point, Devil.' Elsa's stomach turned. She hated these stories of manipulation…perhaps because they hit too close to home.

'He showed me dark magic. He taught me arts that a troll could easily grasp with the correct amount of human knowledge and materials. Dark magic, naturally, draws its strength from one's own life. It is an obvious trade off for something so unnatural and cursed. I use it seldom, but it is mine, nonetheless.'

'You used it on me.' Elsa needed to confirm.

'It was the moment you were down and I thought for certain that I would break you. Your knees were bloody, your cheeks were soaked in tears, and you had nearly completely betrayed your sister hours after finally earning her true affection and trust back. When else were you going to break but then? It was a gamble, and you stole a few years off my life because of your incredible resolve. It was nauseating yet refreshingly riveting at once. I couldn't wait until the next round.'

'I see. Cursed contracts, mental attacks, and giving life to rock monsters? They don't all seem completely related.'

Devil hesitated to answer, and when he did, his voice finally sunk into a somber tone.

'…They are. That is the truth.'

'You look tired.' Elsa noticed at that point.

'It's boredom. I'm fine.'

'Thank-you for answering the majority of my questions, Devil. I will vouch for your cooperation when deciding the duration of your stay here. Is this acceptable?'

'No need to get formal on me suddenly, Elsa. Our relationship is past that point, wouldn't you say?'

Elsa squirmed inwardly, but sustained her regal stance and elegant presentation.

'No. You threatened my kingdom. I understand you, but I do not consider ourselves anything but hardly acquaintances.'

'Hmph. We're both monsters in this playground of a world.'

'Stop it.'

'I understand you more than anyone ever could.'

'Anna surpasses your understanding of me with complete and total ease.'

'Heh. Because you're sisters?'

'Because she is my sister, my best friend, and the one I cherish above all others.'

'Because you love her?' Devil kept his volume very low, almost in a hiss.

Another test? No. A real question. Devil was watching Elsa intently here. His eyes were almost stretched wide open, as if he needed this finality. Elsa narrowed her brow and nodded, gripping her hands in one another and answering without a hint of hesitation or remorse.

'Yes. Because I love her beyond the capability of words.'