AN: *Peeks out*

First Chapter of my first story that's sort of a prologue. Kind of nervous but hoping some people will enjoy this. Next chapter will be posted next week... hopefully. Reviews and critiques are welcome; flames are not. I warn any flamers that I do own a fire-extinguisher.

Then again, I don't really know how this will turn out to be. Still, you are warned. Oh, and this:

Disclaimer: Sadly, Everything belongs to their original owners and I just put them together.

Now, without further ado... Enjoy.

Chapter 1: Night

Through the darken air of the closed-off quarters, a sigh echoed off the wooden walls. That quiet, yet mournful sound seemed to slip out from the deepest bowels of a beautiful waif of a woman sitting among the sheets of the lone bed in the chamber.

Anna... what, in hell's name, are you doing?

The lone thought bounced through the girl's head in desperation; trying to make its master see sense. The beginnings of a migraine could be felt by her as the desperate thought continued its clamour. Fingers slide through auburn-shaded hair to rub at the temples, hoping for the pain to melt before it truly hinders her trails of thought.

For it was only in the darkest hours of the night, where she believed that even the gods' eyes could not penetrate the darkness, did she delved deepest into her own being.

How many lies are they spitting to lure you into war? It's too easy to be true. Where's the hidden snare, the concealed dagger? I must remain vigilant…must not allow myself to get comfortable. Always aware, emotionless. Never hesitate.

Her code, her mantra, and her lifeline repeated itself for several long moments. Its echo has long become a reassurance to the girl, and its old tune slowly relieves the pain in her head. After long moments pass, she retracts her hand and rests it upon her knee. With the temporary clarity, she continues on with her thoughts.

No…I have not forgotten. I am always careful in my searches. I am positive that nothing is out of place nor left behind. No loose shackles to bind me with…nothing to hurt me with…not again…I am always careful.

Anna has acknowledged ages ago that her mind was not the typical state of other girls her age. She knows that she should very well be chained in an asylum for the disjointed and erratic thought patterns that she often has received.

Hmm, as if stone can contain me.

If a lit candle had been placed into the room, its light would reveal a peculiar sight indeed. A beauty that has seen no more than nineteen summers, though the expression on her face makes her appear older than she is. Her sleeping attire resembles the clothing of a young boy; a simple cotton long-sleeved chemise and cotton trousers.

Even the way she sits is quite odd; as she sits with her legs crossing one another and her hands resting on her knees. Her back is ramrod straight and long red locks flow freely down from her head. Her breath comes and goes evenly from a surprisingly toned chest hidden by the fabric, and her chin is tilted down. Sprinkles of freckles that appear on her sun-kissed skin create constellations which disappear under the clothing.

A sparkle emits in the dark. A silver chain could also be seen disappearing into the cloth around her neck. The only article of jewelry she will ever allow herself to wear.

However, the most disturbing, and yet mesmerizing feature of the girl lay within her eyes. The colour of them resembles the hue of sea water at mid-day… at least, for now. The girl has often found irony in the fact at how like the sea in which her eyes behave.

It is unknown to her the amount of hours she had spent in her life looking at mirrors into her own eyes… to see the hues of her irises shift and change. Just like the ocean tide. One morning, she may awaken to have chips of arctic-blue ice, yet rather rarely. Another day, she may have eyes with the delicate green shades of algae. Most times, she merely stares into the depths of her own teal sea. Knowing why and how this came to be, she never questioned it, merely accepting the quirk.

Now, her eyelids shield those orbs behind the thin cover of flesh. Even if she did not, those eyes would be useless in the darkness of her quarters. Anna was many things, but even she had her limits. Nevertheless, the darkness does allow the other senses to expand while sight is laid to rest. Ears are filled with the crashing of the ocean waves. Nostrils smell the salty breeze coming from the open porthole, while the buds on the tongue taste the remnants of her earlier meal. The lithe frame feels the creaking and rocking of the great wooden vessel in which she travels in.

The remembrance of her current location allows the series of events that had led her here to flow through her thoughts. A bitter laugh is denied release from the girl's throat.

How far have I fallen, dear Anna? What type of hell will I willingly put myself through to escape the demons that forever hunt my soul? Hope…is nothing more than rope. One clings to it to avoid falling, but if focus is loss… it becomes no more than a hangman's noose.

Despite those words, hope is the same reason that the girl currently is traveling in a warship. The desperation to be proven right swirls in her abdomen and tightens her chest. The rest of her frame remains still, while the inner storm tosses emotions and memories around to create chaos.

However, she knows the perfect way to calm the tempest.

Any sense of time turns in on itself as the girl sinks into her softer memories, in an attempt to remember the peace lost so long ago.

*0*0*

Sunlight filters through the summer air. The dancing water of a nearby creek seems radiant with the sun's attention and the swaying grasses soak up the rays gratefully. The breeze carries the scent of wildflowers across the meadow and through the branches of the bordering tress. Among the flora of the fertile field, the reddish-gold mane of a little 5-year-old girl in a blue colored dress stands out amongst the surrounding greenery. As the young child continues to pick the flowers which she knows best, a deep voice is carried by the summer breeze and enters her ears.

"Anna Marie? Where have you wandered off to?"

"Coming, Pappa!" the reply came from the little girl known as Anna Marie. She gathers the collected flowers carefully in a pocket sown to her dress and went to find her father. A silver necklace around the child's neck radiates in the sun as Anna skips the edge of the quaint field.

A man and a younger boy stood near a wagon on a worn path which passed by the edge of the meadow. Evidence of a relation between the two individuals was displayed in the way that the body structure of the fairly well-built man was just beginning to show in the boy's growing frame. The father and son matched almost in every way: bright blue eyes, straw colored hair, and humble working clothes of the common folk.

The wagon that they stood next to was harnessed to a large female reindeer. Boney antlers crowned the reindeer as she munched on the nearby grass. A young reindeer calf playfully jumped and cantered nearby. The jumps of the calf grew higher and longer as the he drew confidence in the flower-scented meadow.

"Anna, you're so slow. We're gonna be late," taunted the 8 year-old boy. The father in turn gently scolds the boy,"Kristoff, don't tease your sister. We have plenty of time to go to the market." While this goes on, Anna uses the adult reindeer's harness to climb up and sit on the large creature's back, shouting, "I'm ready."

"Did you find what you were looking for?" asked the Father. The little child nodded her head and replied, "Yes, Papa. I found a lot of marigolds growing. They are very good for cuts and making the skin better, right Pappa?"

The knowing smile that grew on the man's face and a slight nod of blond locks was all she needed for a reply. After all, he taught his precious Anna everything he knew about herbs. As her hunger for knowledge expanded annually, she would devour her father's teachings as if they were honey. Regretfully, the man was powerless to his daughter's puppy-eyes, but he drew solace that his little girl would one day be a grand herbalist and make a good living on trading healing herbs for supplies.

"Move over, Anna. I want to ride Marta, too," said Kristoff as he bounded out of the wagon and said reindeer looked up from her grassy meal at the call of her name.

"But you already have Sven to carry you. So, I get Marta." Anna replies. Said calf came running to his young master's side as his name entered his youthful ears that sat near two stubby lumps of fuzz that were his own antlers. The father of the two children interrupted before his son could reply, "Don't argue, now. I'll keep Sven close and Anna, make some room for your brother."

With the dispute settled, the two children were soon seated, clinging to the docile mother reindeer by its thick coat of brown fur.

"Hold on, little ones," called the father as he coaxed the reindeer mother and son from the grassy meadow and onto the pathway towards the market. The air filled with summer's breezes, pollen, and sunlight accompanied the small, odd family as they journeyed forth into the day.

*0*0*

With another sigh, she retreated from the memory. It was these types of memories that soothed the young woman's soul. The only ones that have ever granted her respite from the world's crueler intentions. Though, the temptation to remain is strong, the age old habit of awareness is stronger. A task easier to do as the memory had calmed the worst of her inner storm.

Getting too caught up in the past, am I? Well, if things turn out for the worst, it is good that I can recognize my family when I get my glimpse of Heaven. Surely, I won't be allowed in after my deeds, but a glance is all I need. Still, I must not look too far ahead. I must allow the future to play out…only then, will the paths of my own and others, be determined.

Her mind's eye then focuses onto her goal, and her destination. The reason for this usually unneeded self-reflection lies across the water which she is currently travelling. The rumours that she has heard and recited a thousand times begin to echo again in her thoughts.

Born of the coldest winter air… Ice that contains the strength of a hundred men…An impenetrable castle of ice and stone… Perpetual blizzard that she controls… An army containing an array of icy creatures… Unimaginable power and control over Winter itself…

The array of thoughts emits a chuckle that lacked mirth from the lips of the young woman. As of late, Anna often has had the Snow Queen of Arendelle in her thoughts. The idea always fluttering in her mind. Anna's earlier fascination with this legend has turned to the point of obsession. Questions of the kingdom, the Queen, and the upcoming battle attempt to filter into the mix of thoughts.

How…how did I miss such a presence? Is she alike to me? How did she stay hidden for so long? Does she conceal her true strength? Will…will she kill me? Ha… Only if Luck was not so cruel of a bastard. Death had taunted me for many years…

However, Anna pushes these familiar distractions aside for now to focus on her purpose. The reason she sits on a straw-filled bed in a warship is to participate in the coming battle. The same battle that she'll participate in as the key to dethrone and kill her Majesty. In this, her own strength must match the Queen's or be prepared to enter Hell.

To Anna, it's not unknown as to how her secret came into the light. In fact, if the Queen had just screamed it herself to the world, it would have been less obvious.

But no screams were necessary. All souls who have come and gone know that actions have always spoken louder than words. And when actions are let loose to the winds, any listening ear is instinctively drawn to the disturbance. It so happened that the King of the Southern Isles endured the brunt of her explosive unveiling with the loss of his eldest son; making the action's volume deafening to the unfortunate King.

Anna acknowledged the fact that her own reveal had occurred in a similar, but quieter fashion.

Though her current predicament may spell her death, she does not regret what she had done to attract the attention. She'd acted in means of protecting the only people to care for her during her greatest time of need. Anna was eternally grateful for the two souls who had become her sanctuary.

Those pieces of filth should have never tried…On the bright side, they did apologize.

Images of the mangled flesh that could no longer be distinguished as human flicker through her mind's eye. Dark satisfaction rears up at the memory of carnage by the temporary smirk that donned Anna's lips. The succeeding events weigh those same lips down into a frown.

But I still wished they didn't have to see. Gerda was heartbroken…Kai, take care of her.

After being found by the royal guard of the Southern Isles and the King himself, it was then that she did find the truth. She had sat very still, listening with a concealed, yet increasingly ravenous hunger as her deepest wishes were confirmed.

After hearing such words from his Majesty, she sought to distant herself from such fantasies, but the truth clung to her in its cold grip. He spoke of the circumstances of the loss of his eldest son to the Queen's wrath. In the end, she agreed to accompany his Majesty's fleet to the Snow Queen's realm and face her. A few months later, here she was.

But, his Majesty's underestimation of me will be his downfall.

Once again, the temporary smirk returns and fades. Maintaining a façade has become instinctual to the young lady.

Unknown to many who meet her, Anna was far more intelligent than any gave credit to the peasant girl. She knew the games of the affluent quite well. Long ago, she had made it a priority to make the rules and loopholes into her specialties. She merely had added her own rules to the King's game, but this was her own secret and one that will remain so.

Fourteen days. Just one last morning. Then, all of this will end.

Until the time comes, that bit of information will remain secluded. For now, she knew to follow the drawn lines in the sand with the delicate obedience and grace of a timid hound. Appear to be the malleable creature that they think of her to be, while her mind constructs their ends with her sharpened teeth.

Throughout all of this, the woman's frame remains relaxed, the breathing even, and the senses sharp. The only movements occur underneath her eyelids and the corners of her mouth. But, now she is still. Physically, the strawberry-blonde is the picture of tranquility.

If a candle were truly lit inside the room, no one would be able to tell the tempest hidden beneath the calm beauty. But if one looked carefully, an eye could catch the sway of the smallest specks of pollen on the sea breeze which surrounded the lone figure still sitting on the bed.

Nevertheless, with no candle to dissolve the ink of night and the turbulent clouds shrouding the near full moon, all was hidden. After all, Night was always very skilled at hiding its secrets. A trait that Anna has used to her advantage many times before.

AN: So, until next time, Au revoir. :D