"Where are you going?"
Anna yelped, her foot caught over the windowsill. Firm but gentle hands grasped her by the shoulders and helped her back inside. It was the first time Elsa had touched Anna in years. They stood by the window and stared at each other, Elsa with incredulity, Anna with resignation.
"What the fuck are you doing," Elsa said finally
Anna smirked, surprised by her sister's swearing. "Pretty good, right?" She spun neatly in her black boots and adjusted the high collar of her jacket.
"Is that.. a beard?"
Tugging her cap more firmly on her head, Anna gently patted her cheeks, careful not to smudge the cosmetics, "Just some shadow to give my cheeks more definition. It helps with the disguise." Anna cleared her throat and spoke with as deep a timbre as she could manage, "Good evening, Your Grace. I am Andrew Summers, adjunct to the assistant harbor master."
"You sound like a young boy, Anna."
"A very pretty one," she grinned cheekily, proudly straightening her uniform, which she had pilfered from her father's collection. "Andrew is popular with the ladies." Anna waggled her eyebrows suggestively, her smirk broadening at Elsa's outraged splutter. "Oh don't fret, Elsa. Andrew is a perfect gentlemen and only gives his attentions through coffers, which makes the ladies love him all the more."
"You've been visiting brothels?" Elsa hissed angrily, her hands clenched at her sides. In the glow of the full moon, Elsa's loose hair framed her face like a nimbus of light. Her blue eyes, usually so solemn and subdued, were bright and sharp with feeling. Anna marveled at the sight, even as she shrugged off her sister's reaction.
"Spare me your judgments, Elsa," Anna scoffed with a laugh. "You might think them only thistles and weeds, but they're the only people who have shown me kindness."
"Because you throw coins at them," her sister replied with vexation.
"No more than the next man," Anna dismissed. "The people who visit the brothels seek a temporary escape. No one questions me there. No one doubts me." Anna rolled her eyes at Elsa who had been shaking her head disbelievingly. "I'm safer there among the crowd than in the royal box at the theatre," she pointed out.
"Not alone you are," Elsa shot back, her brows tightly furrowed. "I can't believe you've been risking your life–"
"Want to come?" Anna leered and snorted outright at Elsa's expression.
"I– I can't leave the palace," Elsa whispered despairingly, her arms clutching her sides as though to protect herself. Fear gleamed in those eyes, but Anna knew that it wasn't fear for her sake. Elsa has always been afraid of the outside world, and even more so since their parents' death. "I can't," Elsa repeated, looking away in defeat.
Anna made a noncommittal sound to indicate she thought as much. "Suit yourself," she said. Anna swung a leg over the windowsill with practiced ease, evidently used to the prospect of climbing down three stories.
"How long have you been doing this?" Elsa asked quietly, just watching her leave.
"Mm," Anna calculated absently as she gazed down, "Maybe a year and a half. I started about eight months after Mama and Papa died."
"Why didn't you tell me?"
Anna glanced back at her sister with a puzzled smile, "Why would I need to consult you?"
"At the very least I could send a guard with you–"
Anna snorted, unimpressed. "They'd blow my cover in an instant. Chill out, Elsa. I'm a big girl. And in this costume, I'm an officer of Arendelle. None of the locals will touch me. They fear you too much. Sorry," she added when Elsa flinched. "What else do you expect when you lock yourself up in the castle and only issue orders from the tower?"
"I never wanted to be Queen," Elsa murmured, looking away again.
"It doesn't have to be such a burden," Anna replied, beginning to sound impatient. "It wasn't for Mama or Papa. Come on – a throne to sit on and a whole kingdom of people to cherish you. Who wouldn't want that?"
"I don't."
"Well," Anna said, nonplussed, "There are things I do want, and I'm going to get them myself. Now, I must be on my way. The show will start soon and I hate to miss the opening number." Without further ado, Anna climbed the rest of the way out of the window and briskly began to clamber down the wall, using familiar footholds.
From above, she heard her sister call out helplessly, "Please be safe, Anna."
The next time Anna tried to escape the palace, Elsa was waiting beside the window. Her sister's command was simple and unyielding. "You can't go."
Anna scratched her nose. "You couldn't have told me this before I spent two hours getting dressed?" She held out her arms to model for her sister. "I even bound myself this time. I was pretty late to fill out but it's finally started happening." She peeked at Elsa from beneath the short rim of her cap. "Come on, Elsa, it's just one night. I've been cooped up in the castle for months."
Elsa's face was neutral. "We're too close to Coronation Day," she said. "Visitors have already begun to arrive. The town will be full of unknowns."
Anna exhaled in disgust, the gesture mediated by the humorous quirk of her lips. "And we can't expose ourselves to unknowns, can we?"
Her sister stared at her measuredly. "No," Elsa replied shortly.
Anna turned to face the window, closing her eyes and letting the light of the moon stream gently on her face. She pursed her lips together, unwilling to let Elsa see them tremble.
"We live in a cage, Elsa," Anna remarked lightly. "How long do you think you can protect me this way?"
Her sister didn't answer. Weary now, Anna turned back to her room, pulling off her cap and beginning to remove the pins from her hair. She could feel Elsa's silent gaze as she walked away.
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"Just try to make her say something to you," Anna giggled, feeling drunk with freedom. "Besides, Arendelle is a small kingdom. Why stay trapped in the mountains when you can be out on the open waters?"
"It's true," he allowed with a smile, "The Southern Isles is the perfect place for some spirited adventure."
"It's a great big world out there," Anna gushed, swinging lightly in his arms as they danced on the balcony. "Why not go out and meet it? I'm already eighteen and I feel like I'm still learning to crawl."
"I know just what you mean," he admitted, "There are so many things I would change in my own kingdom, if I could."
"Well, why not!" Anna exclaimed. "You might have twelve other brothers to deal with but I bet that's nothing compared to Elsa." She wagged her finger. "No one can get to her."
"You know," he said slowly, "You're right." He nodded to himself then cast a warm glance at Anna, "We should definitely go back to the Southern Isles."
Anna squeaked, "Really?"
He swept her up into an embrace. "What do you say, Anna? Will you follow me home?"
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Elsa's eyes were bright and sharp with feeling. Anna would never figure out how to read them. Swallowing her pride, Anna made her confession, "I can't live like this anymore." Inside, she pleaded, Don't say it. Don't say it.
Elsa hesitated, but her answer was simple and unyielding. "Then leave."
And Anna did.
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Amid the polite murmur of the ship's cabin, her laughter rang out clearly. Anna pressed the merchant's hand warmly with hers, rewarding him with another smile as he left the hall. At the touch at her elbow, Anna looked up and turned her cheek to receive her husband's affectionate kiss. "We have number four," she murmured in his ear.
Hans straightened, smiling fondly as he squeezed her shoulder. "Excellent," he remarked. "Let me introduce you to Captain Bjorgman."
Anna blinked at the broad shoulders and the mess of unruly blonde hair. "Surely that head of hair isn't protocol," she teased.
The Captain blushed and scratched the back of his head. For a sailor as decorated as he was, the man carried a gentle and unassuming air. "No, my lady," he replied bashfully, "I've been on leave for the past three months, visiting family across the waters."
"I've instructed Captain Bjorgman to fulfill all of your needs," Hans gave his wife a subtle but significant look.
"Thank you, Captain, for your loyal service," Anna said smoothly, "Won't you join me on the deck? After a few hours, I've already missed the sea air."
"Certainly, my lady," the man replied hastily, bowing slightly and beckoning with his arm for Anna to precede him.
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"The rumors are true, my lady," Kristoff reported quietly. He watched for a reaction but could detect none.
Her eyes closed and her hands resting on the rails of the ship, the lady tilted her head back and breathed in the salty air of the ocean. Though dressed in the refinery of a princess, the lady possessed an athletic, lithe build and was clearly comfortable on a ship, even if she had spent most of her life in the mountainous regions of Arendelle.
"Well, Elsa," the lady murmured to herself, "That explains a lot."
"Six months ago, the royal town of Arendelle was frozen in a blizzard for almost two weeks, but since then there have been no outbreaks. It seems that the Queen has gained control over her powers," Kristoff hesitated.
"What is it, Captain?" the lady asked, turning to glance at him.
"This development poses new risks for your plan, my lady," Kristoff answered.
Anna smiled gently at him. "Don't fear, captain. It was never my intention to approach the waters of Arendelle. We must operate solely within the territory of the Southern Isles."
"The new King wishes to have closer relations with Arendelle," Kristoff pointed out. "I am confident we can best any ship and crew of the Southern Isles, but a sorceress–"
"Elsa would never leave Arendelle," Anna laughed, turning back to gaze at the open waters that stretch before them. The ship they stood upon was a double-masted schooner called the Icarus. Though a relatively small vessel, with only enough room for about sixty men and ten cannons, the Icarus was the fastest in the fleet by far.
"If Queen Elsa should hear of your capture–"
"It's been four years, Captain," Anna informed him briefly. "She hasn't spoken to me since I left Arendelle. The only contact we've had is the wedding gift she sent me, and that was a perfunctory gesture, much like my thank you card," she added mildly. "I know my sister, Kristoff. Elsa won't come."
At a noise on the dock, Anna glanced over and tsked with faint disapproval. "He's moving quickly," she noted.
Kristoff peered over the side of the ship and just caught sight of Prince Hans disappearing into his carriage with an obviously female companion. "My lady!" he exclaimed.
"Pay no mind, Captain," Anna had already turned her attention back to the sea. "Hans is going to sleep with the merchant's wife and then blackmail her for information. The merchant works for Hans' fourth brother."
"Princess Anna, I had no idea–"
The lady smiled as she turned her face up again into the sun, evidently basking in its warmth. "My husband is an ambitious bastard whose hopes rest on nothing less than the throne of the Southern Isles. He is incapable of love and capable of utter cruelty."
There was a pause. "Yes, my lady," Kristoff finally replied, obviously baffled and dismayed.
A gust of wind from the sea blew over them and Anna beamed, briefly lifting her arms to receive it.
"You and I may live outside of Arendelle, but we both know where home is," the lady remarked casually.
Kristoff started in surprise. "How did you know?" he asked.
"Your necklace. Only a man of the mountains would wear those troll markings."
Unconsciously, Kristoff reached for the pendant that hung from his neck. It had been a gift from Pabbie, years ago when Kristoff had first set out to explore the world.
The lady continued, "Hans may think he is the master manipulator, but I've learned a few things from him. He's convinced I want you because you're good looking." Anna studied the captain from the corner of her eye and smirked at him mischievously. "You are certainly easy on the eyes."
Kristoff blushed, "Thank you, my lady."
"But besides that," the lady relented, laughing at his discomfort, "I knew I could trust you. Hans must never obtain the throne. He might think happiness lies in a crown but he would only find himself emptier than ever. Arendelle would be his first target for expansion." The lady smiles and Kristoff shivers at the flash of fire in her eyes. "We must never let him become king."
There is no hesitation this time. "Yes, my lady," Kristoff answered firmly, jaw set with determination.
"Call me Andrew, Kristoff. I'm the Captain now. We set sail in two weeks."