A/N: Thank you, FrozenSolace, for telling me about the error I made with "branch of ice!" I edited it and please let me know if there are any more errors. :)
"You're just a spare! That's all you ever were and that's all you'll ever be!" the evil prince growled in Anna's face. She was currently backed against the wall, tears streaming down her cheeks.
"Do you really think your sister wants you?"
"She does want me!" Anna argued, her resolve weakening. "Elsa loves me!"
"Really? You need to wake up out of your sweet, little dream, baby cakes, where there's always a happily ever after because guess what? The only reason she keeps you around is to save face! You boost her image. That's all you're good for: an accessory," he snarled brutally. Anna winced, her vision blurred from the massive number of tears.
"She can't get rid of you because if she did, the entire kingdom would be at her throat. 'What happened to the princess, who's going to be queen if something happens to Elsa, she needs to get married and have heirs,'" he mimicked the many arguments that would surely be used if Anna were to disappear. The prince stepped back a bit.
"You know, Anna, this all could have been avoided. But after what you did to my brother, you're going to be sorry. Unfortunately, by law I am not allowed to kill you. I suppose I'll simply kill you from the inside using your own uncertainties. A sort of suicide, hmm?" Anna eyed his towering form. He was quite similar to Hans in a variety of ways- the sideburns and the eyes. The only difference was that he was larger in stature and had a hair color of jet black.
"I suppose my work here is done for now, judging by your pitiful, sniffling appearance. Good day, Princess," he spat her title as if it were a curse word. "We'll continue this conversation later," he called over his shoulder.
Anna slid down the wall, hugging her knees and attempting to recover from the verbal assault she had just underwent.
"He's right, he's really right," Anna whispered quietly to herself, sobbing nearly silently save for the occasional hiccup.
For the first time in several months, Anna was utterly and completely alone.
…
"Good day, Queen Elsa," a voice sounded behind her. Elsa turned to face the person. She recognized him as Prince Galahad of the Southern Isles. Despite her shared history with the youngest of the Southern Isles' royal family, Elsa performed her duty as queen and spared a small smile.
"Good day to you as well, Prince Galahad," Elsa replied cordially. "What business draws you to Arendelle?"
"Why, aren't I allowed to admire the lovely Queen of Arendelle in all of her glory?" the prince asked, taking Elsa's hand gingerly and kissing it chastely. Elsa felt nothing but an impending sense of dread as well as extreme disgust from the gesture rather than her general indifference to the action.
"Charming, yet I have the feeling you are here on an agenda of a different sort than what you have shared," Elsa pinpointed regally.
"I suppose you've caught me," he responded, an amiable grin set on his face. However, as friendly as it appeared, Elsa felt exceedingly wary of him. "I've come to this glorious kingdom in order to apologize for my brother Hans' actions on behalf of the entire realm of the Southern Isles. What he did humiliated us all and we regret it greatly. We can only hope for your forgiveness in this matter," Galahad expressed, humbleness in his tone. Elsa eyed him quietly and contemplatively, carefully considering the words she would use to phrase her response.
"The offense your brother has committed to Arendelle was primarily focused on my sister and me. I will consult with her first, and our decision in the matter of forgiveness will be delivered to you tomorrow. Until then, you may stay in one of our guest rooms on the west wing of the castle," Elsa spoke confidently and was sure to portray this in her gaze as well. "Gerda, please show him to the room in which he will staying.
"Thank you for your consideration, your majesty," Galahad replied, bowing to Elsa. She nodded her head slightly in response and walked off to find Anna.
She scanned the halls, checking for any signs of the bubbly, sweet young girl that she loved so dearly.
"Anna?" Elsa called. She checked the hallway with Anna's favorite portraits including Joan of Arc.
This was rather bewildering to Elsa due to the fact that the castle was rarely this quiet for long. Especially if Anna was there. Something surely would've crashed, broken, or shattered by now.
She moved further through the hallways and found herself at the doors to their respective rooms.
"Anna?" Elsa asked, peeking in Anna's room. The space was dead quiet with not a sound to be heard. Elsa then looked into her own room, calling out but to no avail.
"Where could she be?" Elsa murmured to herself, looking about and becoming more desperate by the moment.
"Anna?!" Elsa called out a little louder.
"Hey, Elsa," a voice sounded behind her. Elsa whirled around immediately, relieved that her sister had finally shown up. However, the moment Elsa gazed into her eyes she knew something was terribly amiss.
"Anna, is something wrong?" Elsa asked, attempting to take Anna's hands into hers. Anna stepped back a bit, though, avoiding the contact. Elsa frowned a bit. That was extremely unlike Anna. She normally had a certain degree of clinginess to her.
"No, why would you think that?" Anna asked, almost monotone. Elsa found herself extremely worried. Never had Anna been so devoid of emotion. She was normally such a cheerful, optimistic person.
"Something's wrong, Anna. Talk to me," Elsa demanded, an edge of fear creeping into her voice.
"Nothing's wrong with me," Anna said, her gaze averting to the ground. Elsa felt the barest hint of tears brimming in her eyes.
"Anna-"
"I'll see you later, Elsa," Anna interrupted emotionlessly. Elsa watched wide-eyed as her sister turned away from her.
At that moment, Elsa finally knew what it was like to be on the other side of the door.
…
Later that afternoon, Elsa decided to search for her sister once again, finally deciding that she had given Anna enough time alone. Elsa immediately headed for the last place she saw her, hoping that she hadn't went far.
However, as Elsa's passed Anna's bedroom door, she noticed that it was slightly ajar. More strangely, Elsa thought she heard voices and… crying? Elsa furrowed her brow and stepped carefully toward it, gently pushing it open a bit further so that she could peek in.
To Elsa's horror, she saw Galahad standing over Anna, who was lying on the floor.
"So what are you going to do about it? Go whine to your sister? I think not. You know she doesn't love you, doesn't need you. Why do you think that you two were apart for all those years? She didn't want to deal with an annoying, sad, pitiful, whiny, little-" he jumped back in surprise at the sudden ice wall that came between him and Anna.
"Prince Galahad of the Southern Isles," Elsa spoke loudly and firmly, making it quite clear just how angry she was. She stormed toward him in large strides.
"Queen Elsa, I will gladly explain the current situation- oof!" Elsa swung hard and punched him directly in the jaw. She watched as he fell to the ground from the sheer force of it. His expression turned into one of pure fear.
Elsa raised her hand and angled it at him. A branch of ice shot down quickly so that a sharp point was precisely at his throat.
"I don't want your explanation. You have wasted your opportunity for forgiveness," Elsa nearly growled. The point grew closer to him.
"Are-are you going to kill me?!" he stammered, terrified. Elsa bent down slightly so that she was close to the prince's face.
"No, because I would like for you to deliver a message to various peoples of your kingdom," Elsa quietly but icily spoke. "You will tell your council that Arendelle, for the remainder of my family's days, will never engage in trade with the Southern Isles again. And you will tell your brothers that if any of them arrives on Arendelle soil, they will not be as lucky as you and Hans are."
"Wh-What exactly does that mean?" Galahad stuttered. Elsa chuckled humorlessly.
"Use your imagination," Elsa said, smirking slightly with half-lidded eyes.
"Now tell my sister the truth," Elsa demanded, the smirk immediately disappearing as she removed the wall between him and Anna.
"Anna-"
"Princess Anna!" Elsa barked harshly.
"Princess Anna, I solemnly swear that everything I said earlier was completely false. I don't know the relationship between you and your sis- Queen Elsa and no one I've met so far has believed that you were a spare," he said, desperately attempting to appease the infuriated queen.
"You told her she was a spare?" Elsa questioned sharply. All Galahad could do was look on in fear.
"I'll have you know, Prince Galahad of the Southern Isles, that my sister is the most precious thing in my life. Her position in the royal family is of no importance to me and, considering that status is all that is significant to those of your bloodlines, I will tell you that she is far from a spare. She is the most kind-hearted, personality-filled, quirky, beautiful princess in existence as opposed to ratty, evil, lowdown, dirty-dog princes such as yourself as well as your brothers.
"I suggest you pack your bags. A boat will be leaving for the Southern Isles in thirty minutes and if you're not on that boat- well, I suppose I could always send a letter to King Thurman of the Southern Isles detailing my sentiments," Elsa mentioned breezily at the end of her threat.
"Yes, your majesty, I'll leave your presence immediately. I will leave this kingdom immediately," Galahad stumbled over his words. Elsa immediately disposed of all ice in the room.
"Very well," Elsa replied, false cheeriness in her tone. Galahad was nearly out the door when Elsa called out once more.
"And, Prince Galahad?" He hesitantly stopped and turned to look at her. "If I were you I would hurry. There's only twenty-five minutes left after all. You wouldn't want to miss your boat," Elsa advised, the threat lingering in the undertones of her speech.
"Yes, your grace, I'll be on my way now," Galahad said as he practically ran out the doorway.
Elsa stared meanly at the doorway for a beat or two, but after, quickly released a breath she didn't know she had been holding. All hints of anger and tenseness disappeared from her expression.
"Anna?" Elsa asked tentatively, stepping closer to the poor red-headed girl slumped against the wall. Elsa carefully sat down close to her sister.
Before Elsa knew it, Anna flung herself into Elsa's arms, holding on tightly. Elsa returned her embrace, rocking back and forth slowly while whispering comforting words in Anna's hair.
"Elsa, he found me this morning and he-" Elsa winced as Anna let out another heart wrenching sob.
"Shhh… It's okay, Sunshine, it's okay. Did he ever get… physical… with you?" Elsa asked, dreading the answer. To her great relief, Anna shook her head.
"He said he couldn't kill me, so he was going to kill me from the inside," Anna choked out.
"Love, why didn't you tell me about this earlier?" Elsa murmured gently.
"Because- because he said you didn't love me. I'm an accessory and you keep me just because you don't want everyone to be against you," Anna spoke brokenly. Elsa's eyes widened, and another flare of anger sparked in her chest at the thought of Anna suffering his merciless onslaught of cruelty.
"Anna, I love you more than anything in the entire world and I don't see you that way at all. You've never been an accessory to me," Elsa said, emphasizing the noun with incomprehensible venom. "You're my baby sister. You're my sunshine." Elsa closed her eyes for a moment, remembering an old song their mother used to sing to them to get them to sleep.
"You are my sunshine,
"My only sunshine,
"You make me happy,
"When skies are grey,
"You'll never know, dear,
"How much I love you,
"Please, don't take my sunshine away." Elsa sang quietly and calmingly. Elsa noticed happily that Anna seemed to be significantly more tranquil now that Elsa had reassured Anna of her place in Elsa's life.
They sat in silence for a few moments more.
"I think Prince Galahad was so scared that he pooped his pants," Anna whispered, giggling slightly. Elsa laughed quietly in response. "I don't think he knew that you meant you'd put his brothers in the dungeon if they came. I really think he thought that you were going to kill them and him, too, after that threat you made about the boat." Elsa smiled, looking down at Anna, who seemed to be cheerier.
"Who said I wasn't going to kill them?" Anna looked at her with an expression that said "Seriously?"
"I know better, Elsa. You wouldn't kill anybody unless you had to in defense of yourself or me."
"You're one hundred percent correct, dear," Elsa responded, holding her sister a bit tighter and kissing the top of her head.
Suddenly the loud ringing of a clock resounded throughout the castle, alerting the sisters that Prince Galahad's boat would be leaving right about then.
"Do you think he made it to the boat on time?" Anna asked curiously. Elsa hummed in response, looking at the doorway where she had last seen him.
"Well, I could always send a letter to King Thurman expressing my feelings."
"Elsa!"