Chapter Text
Taylor couldn't do much to stop herself from giggling.
The young five-year-old was supposed to be sleeping, her bedtime long past. Mama had tucked her into bed hours ago, kissed her on the forehead and made Taylor promise that she would close her eyes and actually try to sleep instead of staying awake reading one of the picture books Papa had bought her.
Taylor had promised, she had even meant it at the time.
Still, Taylor didn't feel like sleeping anymore, even if it was the middle of the night. It wasn't really her fault either, at least that was what she told herself. Their neighbors were playing with firecrackers again, which had woken her up in the first place. Loud pops and cracks echoed through the neighborhood every few minutes, accompanied by colorful explosions that briefly lit up the dark night sky outside her bedroom window.
Red, Green, Yellow, and Blue!
Another firecracker exploded somewhere down the street, sending golden sparks scattering across the sky before slowly disappearing into the darkness.
Taylor had spent the last few minutes standing on top of her bed so she could get a better view through the window. It was probably dangerous, Mama always told her not to stand on furniture.
But Mama wasn't here, and what Mama didn't know couldn't hurt her. Besides, she was a big girl, she was Five and three quarters. She could stand on a bed and not hurt herself!
At least, that was what Papa sometimes said before Mama heard him and told him that was a terrible lesson to teach their daughter. After watching another colorful explosion light up the dark night sky, Taylor decided that she wanted to watch them with Mama.
Papa could come too, but Papa had work tomorrow, and whenever Papa had work, Mama said they needed to let him sleep.
So Mama it was.
Taylor carefully climbed down from her bed, her feet landing against the carpet with a soft thump.
She froze as her sock covered toes buried themselves in the carpet. Her eyes widened as she stared at the closed door. For several seconds, Taylor didn't move, as if she was frozen in place.
Thankfully, nobody came running and she didn't hear Mama calling her name. Papa didn't suddenly appear to tell her to get back into bed.
Taylor released the breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding in her belly.
A success!
Slowly walking towards the door that led out of her room, Taylor made sure that every step she took was on her tippy toes. It was easier said than done since she was wearing socks, festooned with her favorite hero’s logo, Alexandria. Mama always made her wear socks whenever she went to sleep when winter came.
Taylor didn't understand why Mama made her do that. She had lots and lots of blankets. Why did her feet need blankets and socks? Mama said she would understand when she was older, with a wry smile on her face.
Adults said that a lot. Even Emma, and she was the coolest kid in the world!
Carefully opening her bedroom door, Taylor poked her head out into the hallway, looking to her left, and then to her right.
Darkness greeted her, and it swallowed Taylor whole.
The hallway always looked different at night. During the day, it was just the hallway. There were pictures hanging on the walls, a table Papa kept forgetting to fix, and the ugly wallpaper Mama said they were eventually going to replace.
At night, everything looked different to her eyes.
The coat hanging near the stairs suddenly looked like a person. Taylor stared at it suspiciously, tilting her head a little.
The coat didn't move.
Good.
Taylor stepped into the hallway just as another firecracker exploded outside, which made her jump.
"Stupid firecracker," Taylor whispered underneath her breath. She wasn't scared, not one bit. She was a big girl. She was five and three quarters years old!
That was practically an adult!
Taylor continued down the hallway until she reached her parents' bedroom. Grabbing hold of the cold door handle, Taylor twisted it slowly, opening the door just enough for her tiny body to slip through. The warmth from the heater her parents had in the room immediately soothed Taylor's cold feet.
Taylor looked down at her socks. Maybe Mama was right about wearing them, not that Taylor would ever admit it to her.
Sliding into the room, Taylor closed the door silently behind her. Mama and Papa's snoring filled the silence. She immediately covered her mouth with both hands to stop herself from giggling. They made a lot of noise whenever it was time to sleep.
Papa was louder of course and Mama insisted she didn't snore at all. Taylor now had proof that Mama was a liar.
Maybe she could tell her tomorrow over breakfast.
Sneaking her way toward the side where Mama slept, Taylor stared at Mama's peaceful face for a few seconds.
Her auburn-colored hair, which reminded Taylor of Emma, was messy, with several strands covering her face. Her chest slowly fell and rose with each breath she took. Mama looked like a princess straight out of Taylor's favorite fairy tales.
Well, she would have if it wasn't for the drool trailing out of her mouth. Taylor tilted her head slightly. Yeah she was pretty sure princesses probably didn't drool. At least none of the princesses in her books did.
Maybe that was something the books left out.
"Mama?" Taylor whispered, in a low voice.
She didn’t get a response, merely Mama shifting her head slightly, soTaylor leaned closer and whispered again. "Mama?"
Still no response, so Taylor frowned.
She reached forward and wiped the drool off Mama's face with the nearest thing available. Mama's own hair, which lay across her pillow in a carpet.
Mama coughed slightly as it got in her mouth. Taylor immediately pulled her hand away and smiled innocently. Brown eyes slowly opened and met Taylor's own, albeit with a bit more confusion in them.
"Taylor?" Mama murmured, trying to blink the sleep from her eyes as she did so.
She blinked several times before slowly sitting up, careful enough not to wake Papa. Mama rubbed the sleep out of her eyes before reaching for the glasses sitting on the nightstand next to the bed.
"Shouldn't you be asleep?" Mama whispered. "It's way past your bedtime."
As if summoned by her words, their neighbors decided to launch several more firecrackers judging by the loud explosions going on outside. Taylor pointed toward the window in lieu of a response. Mama glanced toward it, then back toward Taylor.
Taylor gave her Mama a big smile.
"The sky's awake, so I'm awake, so we have to plaaay," Taylor whispered dramatically, stretching out the last word as she threw her arms outward.
Mama responded with a blank stare, so Taylor continued smiling at her.
Mama then slowly ran a hand through her slobbered hair. Her lips turned downward in disgust when she touched the wet strand Taylor had used to wipe Mama's drool. Taylor's smile became slightly more nervous.
Mama looked at the strand, then at Taylor with suspicious eyes. She didn’t know why, but it made Taylor look away. "Taylor."
"I don't know." Taylor answered a little too quickly. Mama’s eyes narrowed as she looked at Taylor.
"I didn't ask anything."
"I still don't know."
Mama stared at her for another few seconds before shaking her head. "Taylor, you know you're supposed to be asleep. You're going to wake your father up, and you know he has work tomorrow."
Mama was scolding her, but there was a smile on her face.That meant Taylor wasn't really in trouble.
Probably.
Papa groaned softly from his side of the bed and started twisting and turning. Both of them froze, not even breathing.
Taylor slowly looked toward him just as Mama did the same. Papa mumbled something neither of them understood before rolling onto his other side.
Taylor covered her mouth again after Mama pressed a finger against her lips, but neither spoke until Papa's snoring resumed.
"But you don't, Mama," Taylor whispered, lower than before.
Mama raised an eyebrow. Taylor knew that the school Mama worked at was in the middle of its holiday break, and Mama had been getting restless with house projects over the last week.
She had painted the bathroom at least two times already and that was after moving all the plates in the kitchen. Papa said the bathroom walls were getting smaller from all the paint, and then ducked as Mama tried to swat him.
Mama told him that wasn't how paint worked, but Taylor wasn't sure who was right.
"I need to finish my curriculum for the semester tomorrow.” Mama whispered, leaning in close to Taylor’s face.
Taylor's smile immediately turned into a small frown and she lowered her head. "Oh."
Mama stared at her as Taylor tried not to look too disappointed. She wasn't a baby anymore and sheunderstood Mama had work to do.
Even though Mama wasn't technically going to work, Taylor turned toward the door. "Okay. Goodnight, Mama."
She had barely taken a step before Mama sighed, it was a very specific kind of sigh.
Taylor knew that sigh very well. She immediately turned back around to look at her Mama. Mama pulled the blankets covering her off, revealing the baby-pink, fluffy socks she wore to bed.
Taylor stared which Mama noticed. "What?"
"Nothing." Taylor answered quickly once again, but this time she pressed forward. "Your socks are warmer than mine."
"Because I'm the adult."
"That's not fair."
"Life rarely is." Mama smirked at her daughter.
Taylor wasn't entirely sure what that meant. Mama stood up and stretched before quietly walking over to the bookshelf sitting in the corner of the bedroom. Taylor's disappointment immediately disappeared. "What are you doing?"
Mama didn't answer, instead focusing on her task.
Skimming over several books, Mama pulled one out from between two much larger books. It was old, judging from how the cover was tattered and faded.
It must’ve been really old, maybe even older than Grandma Rose. The edges were worn down, and the cover faded from years of use. Taylor had seen the book before, but Mama had never read it to her. Whenever Taylor asked about it, Mama said she'd understand it better when she was older.
Taylor's eyes slowly widened as Mama turned around, the book in her hands. "Do you wanna read a fairy tale?"
Taylor's answer came immediately, without a moment’s thought. "Yes!"
Papa shifted and Taylor slapped both hands over her mouth. Mama's eyes widened before she pressed a finger against her lips. "Quietly."
Taylor nodded rapidly, her hair bouncing up and down as she did so.
"Yes!” she whispered.
Mama smiled, and beckoned Taylor to follow her. "Come on."
"Have you ever heard of the Snow Queen before?"
Taylor shook her head as she wiggled in her seat next to Mama.
They had settled onto the old recliner that Papa had left in Taylor's room after deciding he didn't want it downstairs anymore. Mama claimed it was because the chair was ugly. Papa claimed it was because Taylor needed somewhere comfortable to read.
Taylor believed Papa, well, mostly because she liked the chair. Mama held the old book across both of their laps, as of yet, unopened.
Taylor stared at the faded cover, and a woman with white hair stared back at her. The woman wore an elaborate crown atop her head, surrounded by swirling flurries of snow and ice. Behind her stood what looked like a massive palace made entirely out of ice, its towers reaching toward a gray sky.
Even with the cover faded as it was, the Snow Queen's eyes were still as vivid as the last time Taylor had seen her.
They were blue, a bright and icy blue that seemed to reach into Taylor’s own eyes.
Taylor kept staring at them, unable to look away.
For a strange moment, she felt as if those same blue eyes were staring back at her.
It wasn’t an angry stare , and not like the evil queens from some of her other fairy tales.
Her eyes were warm, but also so sad. Taylor leaned closer to the book, not taking her gaze off the Queen’s image. Something about the woman seemed familiar, but she couldn’t explain how.
She didn't know why, and it troubled her.
"Most kids don't usually read this story around your age," Mama said, breaking Taylor from her thoughts. “But I'm sure you're mature enough not to get scared, right, Taylor?"
Mama had a smirk on her face. Taylor immediately straightened her back. "I'm not scared, Mama! I'm a big girl now."
Her voice only cracked a little bit, which made Mama giggle.
Taylor crossed her arms, her face turned into a pout as she did so. "I am."
"I didn't say you weren't." Mama said through her giggle, which only intensified.
"You laughed." Taylor huffed.
"I can't laugh?" Mama raised an eyebrow.
"Not when I'm being serious."
Mama pressed her lips together, but her shoulders still shook with suppressed giggles.
Taylor narrowed her eyes at her Mama.
Adults were impossible!
Mama eventually managed to control herself before pointing toward a tiny white shape floating beside the Snow Queen's elaborate crown. "What do you think that is?"
Taylor leaned forward to get a better look.
"A snowflake, of course." She smirked. Mama was going to need new glasses if she couldn't see that.
"You would be right," Mama said, "if this wasn't the Snow Queen."
Taylor's smirk disappeared and Mama's grew. "That's one of the Snow Queen's loyal bees."
Taylor stared at the snowflake and then back at her Mama. "That's not a bee."
"It's a snow bee." Mama explained, a small grin akin to a fox’s on her face.
"Bees aren't made of snow." Taylor argued back!
"These are."
Taylor frowned as Mama tapped the picture with a dainty finger.
"They fly through the winter sky searching for naughty children to take back to the Snow Queen's ice palace."
Taylor's eyes widened slightly. "Really?"
"Really." Mama confirmed with a nod of her head.
"What does she do with them?" Taylor asked, curious.
Mama pretended to think for a few seconds, tapping her lips with her finger as she did so. "Nobody knows."
Taylor pulled the blanket slightly higher as Mama continued."But I've heard she especially likes children who misbehave."
Taylor didn't say anything, simply listening as her heart fell into her Alexandria socks.
"Children who don't listen to their parents."
Taylor sank lower down the chair.
"Children who refuse to eat their vegetables."
Taylor pulled the blanket up to her chin, trying to hide from the snow bee while her eyes darted around the room.
"And especially children who like to stay up past their bedtime."
Taylor's face turned red as Mama smiled triumphantly. "That's not funny!”
"I thought it was." Mama giggled.
"The Snow Queen wouldn't take me." Taylor shook her head.
"Oh?"
Taylor shook her head firmly once again. “Nope!”
"Why not?" Mama asked as she ran her hands through Taylor’s auburn hair. Taylor stared down at the white-haired woman. For some reason, the answer came easily to her.
"Because she's nice."
Mama's smile faded slightly, but Taylor didn't notice.
She was still staring at the Snow Queen. Something inside her chest felt strange, but it wasn't bad.
Looking at the drawing made her feel warm. It felt like looking at an old photograph she couldn't remember taking. Taylor reached forward and gently placed her finger against the Snow Queen's face. "She looks sad."
Mama looked down at the cover and for a moment, she didn't say anything. Then she wrapped an arm around Taylor and pulled her closer. "Maybe she is."
"Why?" Taylor asked as she looked up at Mama.
"Maybe she's lonely." Mama murmured, her head buried in Taylor’s shoulder.
Taylor frowned. "Then she needs a friend."
"Maybe she does." Mama smiled.
Taylor thought about it for only a second. "Can I be her friend?" Emma could be her friend too!
“I'm sure she'd appreciate that." Mama laughed softly.
Taylor smiled.
Somewhere far away, beyond Taylor's room, another firecracker exploded. The light briefly flashed through her curtains. Mama opened the book, pausing at the table of contents. "Now, do you remember what we do with books or with pages that don't have any pictures?"
Taylor immediately raised her hand despite sitting directly beside her.
Mama pointed at her.
"We imagine the scenes in our head using our imagination! Like a movie in our heads."
"Correct." Mama leaned over and kissed the top of Taylor's head.
"By doing that, we bring the characters to life. You don't need a television screen to visit somewhere that doesn't exist anymore."
Taylor tilted her head. "Anymore?"
Mama paused. "Doesn't exist.” She corrected herself, unusually quickly.
Still, Taylor stared at her suspiciously as Mama quickly looked down at the book. "Now let's begin."
Taylor settled against her, her suspicions already forgotten. Mama turned to the first page of the story. The paper was yellow with age, and there weren't many pictures beyond the occasional drawing along the edges, exactly as Mama had warned her, but Taylor didn't mind.
She closed her eyes and would make the pictures herself.
Mama cleared her throat.
"About the mirror and its pieces…" Mama started to read.
Taylor listened carefully.
And slowly, the bedroom disappeared. She imagined snow and great mountains in her mind’s eye. A great palace surrounded by an endless winter ruled by a queen with brilliant blue eyes that seemed to pierce through anyone who looked at her.
But something was wrong. The woman in Taylor's imagination didn't have a crown and nor was she sitting on a throne either.
Instead, she was standing outside. Taylor could see mountains behind her. The woman wore white, but if it was a dress or pants Taylor did not know. Her long pale hair flowed freely behind her as snowflakes danced through the air around her.
She was smiling.
Taylor knew that smile, but she didn't know how or why that was.
The image disappeared almost as quickly as it came and Taylor opened her eyes once more.
Mama was still reading. Taylor frowned before closing them again. Maybe she'd imagined it wrong. Mama said imagination could do whatever it wanted, after all.
Still…
For some reason, Taylor really wanted to go and build a snowman.
A/N
If I had a nickel for everytime I’d written a Worm x Frozen crossover featuring immortal Elsa and reincarnated Anna it’d be two of them!
Yes this is the remake/reboot of The Snow Queen’s Worm! Hopefully featuring way better writing and just way better overall! Case in point, this version of the prologue is triple in length compared to the original!
Of course my buddy Night_Stalker is here as the beta/co-writer this time so it will be a lot better!