Content Warning: Violence.
A ringing cry, as if underwater, woke her. A wounded animal, dragging itself away from the knife, leaving a bloody trail behind it.
Anna slowly came to, opening her eyes to complete darkness. Well, not complete: a dim light fell on the bed. She sat up and looked around for the sound. When it didn't come again she slipped over the side of the bed, stepping into her boots. She peered into the darkness for her sister, but the other side of the bed was cold, and unslept in. So why did she hear someone murmuring? Movement at the corner of her eye drew her attention to the mirror in the corner: through it a woman bent over something, motioning a man at the far door closer. She squinted, and the view leapt into focus. Her hand shot to her mouth. It was Hans. Hans and…her. They were looking over-
She almost screamed at the sight of Janice's prone form, blood matted on the back of her hair, a bloody scepter near her hand.
"Hurry up! Do you want to get caught?" Their voices sounded far away, though they were close enough that she could take a few steps and touch them, but thankfully too focused on Janice's…on Janice to notice her. Anna quickly crouched almost behind the frame of the mirror, watching the scene unfold with one wide eye.
"Who would see? Besides, we wouldn't have to worry about it if you hadn't held up your side of the deal," Hans hissed at Anna's twin, who merely growled and dug into her pocket for a small vial.
"It wasn't my fault; she stopped appearing at court for some reason, so she wasn't wearing the crown long enough: the doses were too low to kill her outright. Thallium! It had to be your precious thallium! Why didn't you give me arsenic?"
"You think even having my men in place as doctors would be enough to keep suspicion at bay if you had used arsenic? Think, Anna."
"It still took too long; you know how much she suspected."
"It did enough," Hans said, propping the limp queen up against the side of the bed. Her head leaned dangerously and Hans gripped her chin roughly to hold her in place, grimacing as saliva stained his glove. "Just use it quickly, before she comes to."
Anna's heart leapt to her throat as the other woman pulled on a pair of her own gloves, and she had a wild thought of running through the mirror. It was crazy and unlikely to work; she had no idea how the magic object worked, whether she'd be trapped between the worlds if she wasn't invited in, if Hans and that woman had a whole group of guards at their backs, if Janice was even going to live. Every thought was like a bolt to her heart.
The woman unstoppered the bottle. Anna stood. No time for thought. Just action.
She leapt.
Hans looked up with a start. "What the he-" His words cut off abruptly as Anna's foot swept upward, striking him under the chin hard enough for him to nearly sever his tongue with his teeth, his head snapping back. He collapsed and screamed, the sound a twisted echo of a real scream, his mouth quickly filling with blood.
The princess gaped up at this new attacker, identical to her down to their braids, but with an animal snarl on her lips. "Who-who…who are you?" Anna grabbed her by the collar and yanked her to her feet.
"This, princess, is your conscience speaking," Anna said, drawing her arm back. "And she says: Fuck you." Her fist shot forward.
The other Anna slammed to the ground, her lip bloody and torn, and her hands spasmed on impact, liquid flying out of the bottle. It coated her arms and shoulders in shining droplets, and she spluttered and gagged against the ones that had fallen into her mouth, swallowing some in the confusion. She trembled, grabbing her throat.
"A-Anna?" Janice asked, staring up at her blearily. Her eyes were unfocused, but she reached for her, and Anna quickly grabbed her hand. She bit her lip, her eyelashes wet, and wrapped her arms around the woman.
"Hey, don't worry, I'm right here, hang on, we need to get you up, okay?"
"Anna? My Anna?" Janice said, and frowned. "You…you're here?"
"Yes, and now we shouldn't be, okay?" Anna grabbed Janice around the stomach and began to pull her upright, grunting under the strain of her deadweight. She gasped as the doors burst open.
A pair of concerned guards stood just inside, taking in the situation: the Southern Isles prince rolling on the ground, his face twisted in pain and blood bubbling out of his mouth, staining his neck and shirt, the princess of Arendelle, sitting stunned, covered in a strange liquid and dripping blood from a gash on her lip, and the near comatose Ice Queen of Arendelle being led to her feet by an incredibly scary looking double of the princess.
"Perfect timing! Look, they were attac-" Anna's words were cut off as one of the guards rushed over to her twin.
"Prince Hans!" the other guard cried, and hurried to the downed prince. Neither of the two spared their wounded queen a second glace. Anna stared at them, stricken, as Janice's weak arms clutched at her, her grip so light she barely felt it.
"Anna!" Elsa called from the mirror, hands gripping the edge tightly, and Anna's twin was startled back into movement.
"How many of-oh for, what are you waiting for?" she screamed at the guards, "just shoot them!" The man at her elbow pulled the revolver out of his holster obediently, and Elsa raised her hands. The four of them jerked back in alarm, Hans quickly pushing himself away across the carpet, as frozen fire burst into existence, flaring up from all sides, surrounding them in crackling flame. The other guard quickly began to draw his own weapon, but Elsa was there: tangled roots shot from the ground, wrapping themselves around the legs and arms of the small group. The other Anna cursed as one wound its way around her neck, the end of it curling over her mouth. A light appeared at the open door.
"What-wh…what on Earth is happening in here?" Gerda said, clutching the edge of her shawl to her as she stared at the confused scene within. The hand that held the candlestick shook. Anna looked up at her, her hand bloody from supporting Janice's head, and their gaze met. She was startled to see thick bags under her eyes, severe lines across the woman's face, and a plethora of age spots dotting her forehead. So even Gerda was different, here.
She became aware of how different when the woman said, "I thought this would be over with by now; who are they?"
"Anna, please, tell me, what's happened?" Elsa begged at her side, her hands shaking as they gripped Janice's other arm.
"We're leaving, that's what's happened," Anna answered, and Elsa wrapped Janice's arm around her neck to match her sister.
"And we're taking her back with us because none of you good-for-nothings deserve her," Anna yelled. She jerked her chin at the other woman, who glared venomously at her. "And that is the poison she's been using on Janice, along with that one over here," she sneered at Hans, whose tears were mingling with his blood, staining the carpet, "so I hope you've got someone to clean things up because good bye."
"Guards! Guards! The Queen has been attacked!" Gerda called into the hall. The sound of numerous heavy footfalls came well before the echoes faded. Elsa and Anna exchanged a terrified look.
"I can't…I can't keep them all at bay, unless…unless I…"
"Then we'll shut the door," Anna decided, and Elsa's eyes widened, but she nodded. Janice's limp head wagged against her chest as they drew her towards the mirror, waiting patiently in the corner.
"My lady, are you all right?" The pounding increased in volume, hard against the hallway floor.
"C'mon c'mon c'mon!" Anna gasped, and they moved faster.
"Halt!" The sound of boots on carpet.
They dragged her over the threshold.
The repetitive click of hammers cocking back.
Anna released her grip on Janice and spun, facing the mirror and the raised weapons, gleaming dangerous in the faint light, attached to men who bore no allegiance to their master, but instead stared coldly back at her. She darted forward, and they fired.
"Anna, look out!" Elsa cried, reaching for her, but Janice's weight brought her to the ground. A bullet shot through the mirror and struck the bedpost; two more tore through the edge of her dress, and Elsa felt a lance of searing, burning pain as a third sliced open her skin in a thin, bloody line across her upper arm.
Anna gripped the side of the mirror and shoved, hard. Elsa watched, breathless, as the guards ran at them, their forms turning, tilting, following the path of the mirror as it fell. One of the men thrust his hand through.
The mirror hit the ground and shattered. One of the pieces cut Janice on the cheek.
Kristoff and Gerda burst into the room, the man wielding an axe while Gerda stood a step behind, clutching her shawl and a candlestick. She gasped, once.
"Gerda! Please, I can't explain, but she's been hurt!" Elsa said, holding Janice up against her chest. Anna stood by the broken mirror, her eyes wide with fright and terror. There was a burn mark across the side of her bodice.
"She got hit in the back of the head, and she's been poisoned, and may also be suffering from something magical and-"
"Your Majesty, you're bleedin-" Elsa almost screamed in frustration. "No¸ Gerda, it's nothing, please, please, we need help!"
Gerda turned to Kristoff, who was holding his axe as though it would protect him from the barrage of words. "Wake Kai immediately. He'll call for a doctor." He nodded frantically and took off, nearly tripping over the books lying by the door. Gerda strode toward the kneeling pair and crouched at Janice's head. "Let me see it."
Elsa obligingly lifted Janice's head, smoothing away the matted hairs so Gerda could examine the wound. Several deep incisions were present, oozing blood, and Gerda was silent as she assessed the damage. "She's likely concussed, but it looks worse than it is."
"But that's not all; she's been poisoned, and for some time," Anna said, her voice high and strained. Elsa was deliberately not looking at the bloodstain on the floor.
"What kind of poison was it?" Gerda asked, ignoring the cold as she smoothed the ice of Elsa's dress away to examine her arm. Elsa flinched as some of the crystals fell into the wound, but did not otherwise complain.
"The…the other me – I'm sorry, I wish I could explain, but – she said it was thallium…I don't know what that is, but she was using it on Janice's crown, and Janice would wear it, and I guess it made her sick, and-" Gerda looked up at her in alarm. "She's been poisoned by something you don't recognize, via the skin, and you're touching her?" Anna's hands jerked away from Janice's arm. "Get away – both of you – right now!"
Elsa shifted away from the limp woman, gently setting her down, and then stood, wringing her hands. Janice lay there between the three of them, her eyelids fluttering. She looked so thin.
"Wash your hands, immediately."
"But we haven't any water," Elsa whispered. Gerda shot her an exasperated look. "You are an ice mage."
Elsa blinked stupidly. She hunched her shoulders and summoned her ice, melting some into the large basin that appeared, and Gerda waved her over to the chair she drew forward. Anna and Elsa hurriedly washed their hands at Gerda's urging, Anna more slowly than her sister, distracted by the sight of the deposed queen.
"A-anna? Are you…are you…" Janice said, her voice sounding sluggish. One of her hands slowly came to her forehead, pushing through her hair clumsily. A whole clump of it fell away.
Anna knelt at her side, hands hovering over her body, her vision obscured for some reason. "Yes, I'm here, Janice, I'll always be here, okay?"
Janice nodded, seeming pleased with this response, and tried to lift her arm. Anna's tears spilled over; she wanted desperately to grip her hand. Elsa stood over and away from them, hands pressed over her mouth, body quaking.
A floral pattern appeared at her side, and she quickly took Gerda's shawl with a tight, pained smile. She wordlessly wrapped the garment around her hands and leaned over Janice, gently taking her hand. Janice smiled dazedly up at her.
"You look just like Mother," she whispered. Her brow furrowed. "I wish…I wish I could've saved you…" Anna tried not to choke.
"Hey, it's okay, you're here, we're together, and it's going to be okay, all right?" Janice looked up at the ceiling; she wondered what she saw.
"We'll always be together," Janice murmured. "That's what you said, remember? And I…no, no, it was me who said that. But I lied, didn't I?" Anna heard Elsa begin to sob.
"No, Jani-" Anna bit her tongue, considering, and then began again. "Elsa, it's okay, I forgive you."
Janice smiled. "You always were better at saying that than me," She frowned, lost in a memory, or a series of ones. "And better at games, or reading, or numbers, and I was…jealous, because I was supposed to be." She slowly drew her gaze to Anna's face, to the tear tracks that cut across her cheeks. "And I just…I wanted to be better than you. Because I thought I had to be, for Father, for the Crown. But that wasn't fair, was it?"
Anna silently shook her head.
"How…how can you forgive me for that?"
Anna inhaled shakily, and looked up at Elsa. Gerda was holding the taller woman, stroking her back as Elsa quivered. Her eyes were filled with raw pain as they met Anna's.
"Because I know that, for every time you rejected me, every time you said no, deep down you loved me."
Janice was quiet beneath her, and for a time all Anna could hear was her rushing heartbeat.
"I did, once."
Anna closed her eyes. Beneath her eyelids, an image arose, called up from the darkness.
"Once I froze the pond in the gardens on my birthday, and we skated for hours in the middle of July. Do you remember that?"
"She's taking water in too fast; into the boats, quickly!"
"You made me a picture of it, years later, and slipped it under my door. I never told you, but I kept it in my desk. It…it made me feel calm."
A roiling, surging wave, towering above like the wrath of God, a blow waiting to fall…
"Paint me a picture, will you? Of us on a ship, out on the ocean."
Bubbles rising, bursting at the surface, bodies struggling upward…
"I just…I wish I had told you."
A tear landed on her cheek.
Elsa gave a weak cry as Kristoff crashed into the door, dragging a stunned doctor and sleepy Kai along with him.
Anna had eyes for only one person. She placed her covered hand against Janice's face. One of the lesions had opened, staining the edge of the shawl.
"You're telling me now, and that's all that matters, okay?" Janice nodded, her eyes falling closed.
"Your Highness, if you please, I could examine her." The doctor.
"Anna, I know you don't want to, but please, let him look at her, okay?" Kristoff.
"I think we'll need to bring her to a safe room, first." Gerda.
"Mr. Bjorgman, if you please…?" Kai.
A hand on her shoulder. Elsa. Anna moved her hands away, and Kristoff wrapped a blanket around Janice before lifting her up.
Elsa knelt beside her sister. She slipped her hand into Anna's.
"Will she…do you think she…"
Elsa's hand squeezed.
"We can only pray."