A/N: I told myself I wouldn't start work on this until I finished with Burning Low. But, it's still my main priority. Updates for this fic will probably be fairly few and far between until I finish with my main story.
Moving away from an mAU setting and trying something canonical. Let me know what you think!
Enjoy!
Standard disclaimer that I don't own any of this. Frozen all belongs to Disney.
At what point does the prey accept its fate? Knowing they're overpowered in every way, just waiting for the wolves jaws to latch onto its body, bringing the end of a life with just a twitch of a muscle as teeth tear into flesh and shatter bone.
For Elsa, waiting for the end seemed to be worse a fate than the end itself. At what point would the kill turn into an act of mercy? Whenever that moment would come, it would come with a bittersweet release. With adrenaline pumping through her body, she ran for her life. The forest she was accustomed to now seemed foreign as she dashed past the branches and stone, the only sound coming from her feet against the snow and her heartbeat in her ears. She didn't know where she was going, and she didn't care. Survival was the only thought racing through her mind.
Through the corners of her eyes, she saw the mist disappearing through the trees. It wouldn't last for long, just a fleeting moment served to remind Elsa that she was not the predator, but the prey. The periodic laughter sent chills down her spine as she desperately tried to catch her breath with every step. This was a game that she had absolutely no control over. She would try to defend herself by sending blasts of ice flying toward the shifting mist amongst the trees, only to miss every time. Always a moment too late to see her hunter, much less hit it. She stopped, collapsing against a nearby boulder as her chest heaved in a desperate attempt to catch her breath.
"Why did you stop?" Shrieked a directionless voice as Elsa caught glimpse of the mist that narrowly escaped her sight when her head frantically shot to face it. "It's much more fun when the toy runs!" It came again as all logical thought within Elsa's mind left. She turned and pressed her back onto the stone, eyes darting across the forest as she wiped the sweat off of her brow. She couldn't keep this up for much longer. The voice continuing to taunt her, laced with a shrill cynicism.
"Elsa!"
She turned toward the direction of the familiar voice before starting her frantic dash again. "Anna!" She screamed with the little breath she had as she chased toward the direction of her sister's voice. A second wave adrenaline hit her with a renewed vigor, sending loose snow into the air with every step.
"You think you can save her?" The voice came again, taunting her. "You couldn't save your kingdom, what makes you think you can save your sister?"
Fueled through the adrenaline and determination, Elsa did her best to block out the taunts and laughter. She tried telling herself that it wasn't real; it was all in her mind. The mist she could only see through the corners of her eyes weren't real. She wasn't hearing any of the insults and taunts; it was only her panic induced state creating hallucinations. Although the splatters of blood against the trees served as a reminder that everything was very real. Sprawling up a hill with little more than her own will, she leaned against a nearby tree and tried to survey her surroundings.
"Elsa!"
This time it came from behind her as she turned back around and looked down the hill. She fell to her knees when she saw her sister, the one person she tried her entire life to protect, caught within a man's grasp. She couldn't see the man's face concealed by Anna's head. Despite the distance from the top of the hill, she could make out several bruises and cuts across her sister's skin, obvious signs of a struggle.
"Your future is bleak."
"Why are you doing this!?" Elsa screamed in defiance as she slammed her fists into the snow and attempted to slide down the hill and toward her sister. She ended up slamming into a solid block of ice that materialized right in front of her eyes. The impact sent a sharp pain throughout her previously numb body.
"Your kingdom will splinter."
With the last bit of her strength, she pushed herself off of the ice block and barreled down the hill only to crash into another block as the laughter echoed throughout the forest.
"Your land shall be cursed with unending winter."
Pushing herself up to her knees off of the ice block, she caught a quick glimpse of her reflection before she turned and tried to face the mist that teased the corners of her eyes. Upon hearing Anna's grunts of defiance as she tried to escape the figure's grasp, Elsa pushed herself off the block again and desperately tried to make it down the hill.
"With blasts of cold will come a dark art."
Elsa's descent down was abruptly stopped when she felt something constrict around her ankles. She looked back and found icy shackles around them as they constricted harder around her. The pain in her body was negligible when compared to her need to protect her sister. Try as she might, she couldn't remove the shackles. Whereas normally she could control snow and ice at will, she could not get the shackles to budge.
"And a ruler with a frozen heart."
"Anna!" Elsa screamed again as she leaned against her quivering arms that threatened to give out from under her at any given moment. "Anna, look at me!" She pleaded, voice weak from exhaustion. At the edge of her vision, she could see Anna's blue eyes angle down to meet her own as she continued to struggle against the arms constricting her body. "I'm sorry!" Elsa cried, tears mixing with sweat as they fell off of her face.
"Then all shall perish in snow and ice."
"It's not your fault." Anna struggled, voice strained from the hand firmly grasped over her throat. "None of this is your fault! We'll be okay!"
Elsa saw the arm around her sister's stomach release, and for a brief moment, her strength returned to her as she desperately clawed at the snow in front of her in a vain attempt to descend the hill. She didn't dare try to use her powers with the risk of hitting her sister. She heard the shrill sound of metal against metal, causing her to cringe in pain from the sound.
"Unless you are freed with a sword sacrifice!"
"Elsa! I lo-"
Anna's words were cut off abruptly, eyes cast down to greet the sword that has been sent through her chest. Her blood dripped off of the tip of the blade, trickling down into the snow beneath her.
"Anna!" Elsa screamed, tears now cascading down her face in an endless stream. She saw her sister very briefly look down toward her as the life faded from her eyes and she fell onto the snow with a dull thud.
The man sheathed his sword and turned away from Elsa. "The Southern Isles send their regards."
As her sister lay dead at the bottom of the hill in front of her, Elsa collapsed onto the ground, finally losing any strength or will to fight. Her chest heaved with heavy sobs, her entire life gone in the blink of a second. Through the tears, she saw the mist coalesce in front of her. "Who are you? Why are you doing this?" She pleaded, desperate to find any kind of answer for the death of her sister. Feeling a freezing chill at the bottom of her chin, she was forcibly lifted off of the ground and onto her knees. She felt a new set of chains bind her wrists behind her back, her struggles to escape from them in vain.
The mist in front of her almost had a human figure to it as it confidently strode around the defeated blonde. "I'm surprised you don't know me, Elsa. I know you." It taunted in a smooth tone as it made its way back in front of Elsa. She saw a separate cloud of mist form and coalesce in front of her in the shape of the very sword that had previously been inside her sister's chest and held it across her neck. The chill radiating off of the blade caused a chill to shoot down her spine as she shut her eyes, trying to brace herself for what came next.
"I'm the queen of the ice and snow."
And just like that, the wolf clamped its jaws.
Elsa awoke in a panic, nearly launching herself as she sat up on her bed. Through quickened, heavy breaths, she tried to get a reading on her surroundings. She was in her room, sunlight basking through the large window that cast a painful glare off of the layer of ice covering her surroundings. Piles of snow were collected on the vanity in front of her, the corners of the room, and the window sill. Looking down at her hands with a wide eyed gaze, she clenched her hands several times before patting down her body to be sure everything was still there. With a heavy sigh, she cradled her face in her hands as a few tears escaped her eyes and fell down her face.
It was the pounding of the door that caused her to snap her head over toward the sound of the loud thumps. With every pound on the door, the wood would creek and bulge as small slivers of ice fell off of it. Backing into the wall behind her, she brought her knees up to her chest and sunk into herself. She wanted to call out and demand what was happening, but the words wouldn't come to her. Instead she just cradled herself, her muscles clenched with every pound of the door. Eventually, the door gave out as it fell onto the ground and sent a cloud of frost and snow into the air, obscuring her vision and cracked the ice on the floor as wood splinters shot across the room.
"Anna, it's down!" A man called out whom she immediately recognized as Kristoff. As the cloud of snow eventually started to dissipate, she saw the large man pick up the fallen door and move it to the side as her sister came dashing through the cloud and into her room. Sliding on the ice as if it were second nature for her, she immediately landed on the bed next to Elsa as she wrapped her arms around her sister.
"Anna, I-" Elsa muttered, voice low and cracked, trying to find the words to explain what was happening.
"I don't care what happened. I only care that you're okay." Anna reassured in a worried tone as she held onto her sister tighter. With shaky arms, Elsa returned the embrace and dug her face into Anna's shoulder. Through the corner of her eyes, she saw Kristoff give her a short salute as he bowed before leaving the room, understanding that the sisters needed a moment.
"It was a nightmare." Elsa began. "I was being chased, and I was in chains and I couldn't escape and… and" She tried to continue, but found it impossible as her crying made it hard to even breathe, much less explain herself. The memory of the nightmare still fresh in her mind as she held onto her sister who she had previously just saw dead on the ground.
"Shh." Anna comforted, running her hands gently through Elsa's blonde hair. "You can tell me all about if after you feel better."
"Hans killed you."
Anna paused and backed away slightly, running her arms down Elsa's as she held her at arm's length. Her eyebrows furrowed. "You saw the ship leave yesterday; he's off to the Southern Isles to hopefully rot in a jail cell for the rest of his miserable life." She passionately explained, her grip tightening around Elsa's arms.
"I know. I signed the paperwork myself to arrange the passage." Elsa replied as she wiped the corners of her eyes with the heels of her hands. "But it seemed so real… and-" She looked over toward the broken door propped up against the wall, ice finally starting to melt.
"I couldn't stand that door." Anna said quietly as she turned her eyes toward the floor. "I'm glad to see it gone."
In all honesty, Elsa was too. In many ways, it was a sign of everything that had went wrong with their childhood and their relationship. It wasn't even a large door, but it was enough of a barrier to keep the two apart. No matter how hard Elsa wanted to tear it off of its hinges and reconcile with her little sister. She knew that she had to stay behind it, not only for her own sake, but for Anna's.
"I don't mean to interrupt." Kristoff said hesitantly as he made his way back into the room, leaning against the doorframe. "But you could try talking to Grand Pabbie about this dream."
Anna turned to face the man, arms never leaving her sister. "You think he could erase the memory?"
Shrugging, Kristoff pushed himself off of the doorframe and took another slow step toward the sisters. "Maybe. But, there may be something more to it that he can tell us." He explained.
Anna looked expectedly over toward her sister, who was still trying to find some sort of control over her breathing.
"I have so much to do today, Anna. I don't know if I'll have the time to take a trek into the mountains." She protested. Her first official day of being queen of Arendelle, she didn't really imagine it being spent in an expedition to the trolls. She didn't exactly know what was in store for her for the day, only what Kai had told her the night before.
"The castle survived just fine before your coronation, it'll survive another day." Anna protested right back as she took Elsa by the hands and stood up. Even if Elsa wanted to decline and take on the day's duties, there was no way she could bring herself to deny her anything. "Besides, it'll be fun!" She exclaimed excitedly, face lighting up in ways that caused Elsa's heart to flutter.
After spending thirteen years behind a locked door, there was nothing she wouldn't give to make it up to her sister.