One month.
One month was all it took for every bad thing Alek could think of to catch up with her in this new life of love and safety. Mama had promised her that no harm would come from reclaiming her old self, and Alek was foolish enough to believe her. In truth, she had no reason not to. Elsa was the perfect mother, even though the young girl had nothing to compare her to, she was sure there could be none better. When her daughter continued to experience night terrors, Elsa held Alek tight, whispering sweet nothings into her ear until she regained consciousness and cried herself to sleep. When she feared that practicing her magic would hurt something or someone in the castle, Elsa provided a safe space where Alek could better learn her craft. When the queen had realized their new resident was significantly malnourished, she had a physician work with the castle cook to get Alek back to health in no time flat.
For a short while, Alek began to wonder if things really were okay again. Then again, she couldn't find a memory far enough back when her life could actually be considered 'okay' so how could she really know? She simply tried to be content with the pleasant feelings she went to sleep with at night, and hoped it would be enough.
But such things never last.
One short month after Queen Elsa of Arendelle decided to officially make Alek her own, the young girl found herself wandering around the castle courtyard. She breathed deeply, enjoying the crisp air that signaled autumn would soon be upon them. Her lessons were done for the day, and for this, she was glad. Alek enjoyed learning new things on a daily basis . . . For the most part. She was so used to being consistently on the move with Reiner – always running, hardly ever sitting still – that when she was now asked to remain at a desk for several hours a day, it got her skin itching and her legs burning with want.
Elsa often allowed Alek to play outside until she was called for supper, and that made up very well for the prolonged periods of sitting. Today, Alek found herself strolling aimlessly, her neck craned in an awkward fashion so as to better consider an odd-looking cloud hanging just outside the boundaries of the castle. If she would have relieved the pain in her neck only a moment later, she would not have noticed the stranger happening upon her with a most disgusted scowl resting on his scruffy face.
The visitor looked unhappy, surely, but not so unhappy that Alek was stupendously shocked and confused when he reared back and smacked her face with the back of his hand. The blow was so sudden and jarring, that she actually tumbled backward and fell square on her behind with an audible humph forced out from her teeth. The stinging pain took several long seconds to make itself known, as she sat, dumbfounded and afraid.
A castle guard clad in the official green uniform of Arendelle was next to Alek by the time she felt a hot liquid running from her nose into her mouth. She tested the substance gently with two shaking fingers, pulling them away to see her own ruby blood coating the appendages. The guard stood between Alek and her attacker, a sword unsheathed and glimmering in the diffuse light of early evening as it pointed menacingly at the man's unshaven neck.
"In the name of the Queen, you are under arrest!" The guard commanded in a tone not to be toyed with. The man sneered wickedly at the guard.
"And what is my crime?" He demanded.
"You have attacked a member of the royal family. Her Majesty will decide your fate for such an act of treason."
At this, the man sneered, his dark lips pulling up at the corners in a terrifying smile. He stared at Alek, smiling stupidly, as the guard proceeded to bind his hands behind his back. It pulled at her stomach in a way she hadn't felt in quite a long time. The sensation made her want to be violently ill for reasons she didn't understand.
"So the rumors are true," he laughed. "Does Elsa know what a filthy witch she's brought into her home?"
The guard shoved the hilt of his sword into the back of the man's neck, forcing him away.
"You shall not speak Her Majesty's name with such disrespect!" He declared, attempting to push the man toward the castle, where he would inevitably be put in the dungeons.
The man seemed unconcerned, continuing to cackle like a rabid hyena as he was being dragged away. Gerda had come to call Alek to dinner, and took in her appearance on the cold ground. She helped the girl to a standing position and began leading her inside, whispering concerns of her pain on the way. But before she could find sanctuary within the castle walls, Alek heard the man scream:
"The queen can't protect you forever, Aleksandra!"