6) The Twist Ending
All things considered, this party was going pretty well!
King Candy idly chewed on a chocolate that looked oddly like one of the Sugar Rush hills, and sipped hot cocoa from a golden goblet. The jewels encrusted on the side glimmered regally, drinking in the candlelight that flickered around the corridor, and steam rose from the rich, brown surface and tickled his nose.
He’d heard a few murmured comments about weasels, for some reason he’d ask Elsa about next time he saw her, but apart from THAT things were going swimmingly. The little man was a sucker for parties, and being known as sweet and jolly and universally friendly was an excellent facilitator for keeping irritating rumours quashed.
The wallpaper was a dark mauve, and the carpet beneath his silk shoes a deep scarlet red. On the other side of the ornate doorframe, he could still hear laughing voices and the smooth, easy sway of a waltz kicking in amongst the band. He straightened his bowtie, with a classy little tweak, and slicked down his puffy tufts of hair.
Well, he had a dancefloor to rock-
-a hand clapped down on his shoulder, quietly and pointedly firm. The King froze.
"…can I HELP you, thir?"
He couldn’t hide the flash of irritation in his voice, or on his face as he span around. It was instantly replaced by a grimace, before he did his best to hide THAT.
He’d been told the King of Arendelle was…touchy about his appearance. Oh, he looked handsome enough, with an ornate blue robe and a thick beard. But his nose was gone, a pair of cratered slits narrowed in the centre of his face. He’d lost both ears, and the fingers on one of his hands. Apparently his backstory wasn’t the best; he’d been caught in an accident at sea, plunged into icy water and battered by waves. Frostbite hadn’t been kind.
The little man shivered, just slightly.
"Can I HELP you~?"
"Why are you here? We don’t get visitors."
The other King’s voice was level, but imperious. His eyes examined King Candy, as if he was looking through a particularly interesting novel. King Candy took that as a challenge.
"Why-why I wath in~VITED here by your DAUGHTER, thir! Hoohoo! She needed a guest of HONOUR~!"
"And she got one."
The other King smiled, and King Candy found himself smiling with him. He didn’t quite notice that the ruler’d found the right bit of ego to stroke.
"But isn’t it getting late? I imagine the kids’ll be up early, won’t they?"
"Well I can thtay a few more MINUTETH, surely~? Ahoo!" The little man batted his eyelashes, playfully, before skipping over to the door. "They haven’t even got ta the DISCO yet!"
The King of Arendelle stepped forward, and gripped his shoulder again. A flash of anger burned through King Candy - did he know who he WAS?
"Sir, I insist-"
"Now LITHTEN, pleathe-"
The little man reached out a hand to the King’s chest, to push him back as firmly as he could-
-and clipped through him. The wires of code that ran through his sprite burned crimson, and snapped electricity at his hand.
The King gave a yelp and staggered back, his own eyes flashing yellow as red static burned from his sprite. The King of Arendelle surged blue, and his sprite stuttered for a few frames as it rippled-
-but that was all King Candy needed to see it.
The man was clad in a white jacket, a fine one at that, with a blue undershirt and purple cravat. His skin was mottled blue, and his nose and ears were still gone, but he still looked unmistakably handsome, with piercing green eyes and rich red hair that flowed as sideburns down his cheeks. He stuttered again, and the King of Arendelle was back.
The two men stared at each other, for a long time. Silence hung in the air like a knife.
"…you can’t tell them. It’s for their own good. It’s for HER own good.”
Desperation flashed in the back of the man’s eyes, and he dropped to one knee and gripped King Candy by the arms before the little man could step back. The smaller man stared into the King’s face, eyes wide, and took specific notice of the sword glinting on his belt.
"I know what she IS." The King of Arendelle’s voice dropped low, and he could hear the anger bubbling at the bottom like the rumbling of a dormant volcano. "I know about the reset-”
"Dad?"
It was the princess. The red-haired one. She smiled teasingly, as the King of Arendelle hastily stood up off the floor and King Candy straightened his jacket.
"What’re you doing? They’re bringing the cake out!"
"I’m coming, dearheart." He smiled, fondly, and strode towards the door. The princess took that as her cue, and disappeared behind the doorframe.
The King of Arendelle stopped, just before leaving, and turned with an expression so cold it should have taken more of his face off. He looked down at King Candy, with a hand on his sword.
He nodded, and the little man followed. He strode out, following his alleged daughter.
…well, hadn’t TONIGHT suddenly got interesting.
