"God have mercy on our souls," the man wailed on his knees.
"Look lads," a voice called out, "He's pissed himself!"
Unable to hear above the raucous laughter and his own whimpers, the man could still feel the heavy footfall of boots which stopped in front of him. Hands roughly pulled back the man's head so that he could stare up at the most dreaded pirate of the northern seas.
"Captain Andrew," he gasped.
A bright flash of teeth. "Ambassador of Weselton," the voice was a warm lyric tenor, bright and clear. "Welcome to the Icarus."
"Mercy, I beg of you," the ambassador uttered plaintively, though he hoped for none from this notorious sea-robber.
A short and delicately framed man, Captain Andrew cut an innocuous figure among his burly, unshaven and unwashed crew. His dress was simple but prim, a blue jacket and pleated silk satan scarf overtop a loose white shirt, and light brown trousers. Tall black boots matched the black gloves he wore. Beneath the narrow brimmed black hat, long strawberry blonde hair was pulled back in a pigtail tied with ribbon.
In terror, the ambassador stared at the pirate's face, which was brown with the sun, smooth and youthful. The pirate smiled affably and the ambassador shuddered, choking out another plea. He knew what menace, what unpredictable violence simmered behind those mild eyes. Everyone had heard of what the villain had done to the princess of the Southern Isles.
"What is your life worth to you?" the pirate asked.
"Everything," the ambassador blurted. "Take everything. Just let me go."
"And your crew?"
"Do what you will," the ambassador cried, "Just spare me."
In a flash of light, Captain Andrew drew his sword and placed its tip to the ambassador's neck. Shrill noises of terror quivered gratingly in his throat.
"What a miserable prize, men," the captain remarked, his voice melodic in its contempt. "A coward." Low hoots of mockery and feet drumming upon the deck answered him. "You offer little sport to us, Ambassador, though we are glad for your coin and your goods."
"And his beer!" another voice called out to a chorus of cheers.
"It is a fine ale," the captain conceded, tilting his head as he studied the man kneeling before him. "You will take a message for me," he decided finally. "To that puny milk-livered prince who continues to hide from me. If Prince Hans wishes to avenge his murdered love, he will meet me upon the high seas." The teal eyes glinted hard in the sunlight. "We will see who is the better man."
"Y-you did kill the princess then," the ambassador stammered out, partially regaining his composure now that his life was assured.
"She has been dead for a long time," the pirate laughed. The ambassador trembled at the obvious joy in the man's voice. "Take my message to that pathetic wretch. If he does not answer my challenge by the next moon, I pronounce him a coward and unfit for the title he so proudly carries. And if you don't," the pirate said, leaning down, his voice a soft purr in the ambassador's ear, "I will find you. And I will scoop out your eyes with a spoon and feed them to you."
Andrew straightened and, with a small nod, ordered his men to toss the ambassador overboard. Idly, the captain watched the man flail helplessly in the water until he was rescued by his crew in their escape boat. Cheerfully, Andrew waved farewell as the ambassador and his crew hastily rowed away.
"Did you leave them fresh water?" Andrew asked his first mate.
"Enough for three days, Captain," Kristoff answered. "We took everything else. I already ordered the men to scuttle the ambassador's ship."
"Let's count our booty. To my quarters, Kristoff."
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"He can't ignore your challenges for much longer."
Fingers gripped his bare shoulders, her nails pressing sharply into his skin, but he kept talking. "He may not have expected you to fake your own death, but you can be sure he'll be prepared when he does finally meet you."
A leg hooked around his knee and a strong arm pushed him back first onto the bed. A nimble hand reached into his trousers and Kristoff groaned in response, his head falling back. "You– you can't expect him to fight fair," he gasped, his hips lifting to meet her lips. "We've hidden our loot well. He doesn't have the resources he thought he would." Kristoff's eyes squeezed shut in pleasure as the pressure increased. "Anna," he moaned, "He'll find a way, to hurt you."
Swiftly, she rose up and straddled him. She hummed in pleasure as he slid inside her. "Don't be afraid, Kristoff," she murmured. "I have the Icarus. This life has only just begun. Nothing can stand in my way."
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"Ship ahoy!" came the lookout's cry.
The captain and first mate turned to look in the direction of the sailor's stretched hand. In the far-off horizon, they saw the white speck glistening in the setting sun.
"What flag?" Kristoff called.
It took a while before the sailor could answer. "The flag of Arendelle!"
Andrew snorted in disgust. "Arendelle is useless to us," he said contemptuously, "They trade only in hides, cloth, and lumber, which we can't store or sell." He raised his voice and sang out, "All hands to anchor!" With an answering shout, the men set to work, springing to the bars and heaving round to pull the cable up from the waters.
"Heave and pull, my hearties!" Kristoff shouted, "Unship your bars and make sail!" The first mate turned to his captain who had pulled out his spyglass. "Something the matter, Sir?"
"The ship," Andrew murmured, squinting into the distance, "It moves against the wind." He exhaled in wonder as he slowly closed his spyglass and tucked it into his jacket.. "They're pursuing us."
Kristoff watched his captain. "Sir," he said intently, "If it's her–"
His captain made a sound of annoyance. "Of all the grand gestures," he muttered. Turning to address the ship at large, Andrew barked his commands. "All hands below!"
"Sir?"
"Do as I say. They won't harm us. Second watch, load the cannons! We will be prepared regardless. The rest of you, below. Kristoff, with me."
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Andrew recognized the captain. He had served the King of Arendelle for many years.
"Foul pirate," Oaken shouted across the bows of their ships. "You will surrender at once to the Queen of Arendelle."
"Barbarous crook," Kristoff shouted in return, much to Andrew's amusement. "The Queen is welcome to discuss the terms of her surrender aboard the Icarus."
Oaken swelled in anger but, before he could answer, a slim hand rested on his arm and a startlingly bright figure stepped forward, a woman in a luxurious icy blue dress and train. Her clothes, so out of place on a ship in the middle of the ocean, were themselves a statement of power. This woman was untouchable, even from the elements.
Despite himself, Andrew's mouth curled up in a fond smile. "My lady," he called out, "It would be a great honor if you would join me for dinner."
The woman did not reply but a jet of ice and snow burst forth from her hands.
"Your Majesty," Oaken yelped in protest, the sound oddly high for a man so large.
The woman turned her head, ostensibly offering some kind of reassurance, even as she continued to move forward, walking upon a bridge of ice that formed beneath her feet and carried her to the pirate's ship. Lightly, the sorceress landed on the deck. With a sweep of her hand, the ice disappeared.
"Now that's ice," Kristoff breathed in amazement, unable to contain himself.
If Andrew was impressed, he did not show it. Lifting his hat, the pirate made a polite bow and gestured toward his cabin. "Welcome aboard, my lady. Won't you join me in my quarters?"
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They stood by the window of the captain's quarters and stared at each other, Elsa with fury, Anna with amusement.
"What the fuck are you doing?" These were the first words Elsa had said to her in years.
Anna grinned lazily at her sister as she tossed off her hat and shrugged off her jacket, letting them drop carelessly to the floor. "I've missed you too, Elsa."
"I had ships all over searching for you," Elsa hissed, hands clenched at her sides. "For months we looked."
Blithely ignoring the frost on the walls, Anna flopped onto the couch which sat under the window. Propping her legs on the table, she eyed her sister curiously. "You must have recognized the name of the pirate," she remarked. "I knew you didn't think I was in actual danger."
"Roaming the seas, attacking merchant and diplomatic ships – what isn't dangerous about that?" Elsa demanded.
Anna gazed at her absently, then blinked, laughing a little. "I'm sorry, Elsa," she smiled, "It's been so long since I've seen you. I didn't know that you could become even more beautiful..ler," she sounded out musingly.
Elsa stared at her. Her look of confounded frustration was too familiar and Anna giggled. For just a split second, Elsa's face crumbled and then Anna was in the presence of the Queen.
"This is insanity," Elsa said lowly, her face impassive and her eyes carefully subdued. "Why? Why were you driven to do this? To become a common criminal who preys upon the innocent?"
Anna shrugged, not caring to explain. "I had a moment of clarity. And I'm far from common," she replied wryly. "This is my second season of sailing under a pirate's flag and already men cower at the mere mention of Captain Andrew and the Icarus."
"You're digging your own grave, Anna."
"I've made my bed and I'll lie in it. It's more than can be said of you."
Elsa flinched, her queenly persona cracking. "What do you mean?"
Anna smiled. "How many years?" she asked lightly. "How many years did you lie to me? Hide from me?"
"I– I had to," Elsa said. Her eyes shimmer with feeling. Anna could see that this was a speech her sister had been practicing for most of her life. But the moment in reality would necessarily fall short and Anna had no interest in being dragged further into the tragedy of Elsa's life.
"You have no right to be angry with me," Anna said blandly. "For the first time, I've made my own freedom. Here, upon the open seas, I am one with the wind and sky. I am finally free." Anna leaned forward. Her face was as calm and congenial as ever, but her eyes were dark with intent. "You can't take that from me," she said softly. "I will never return to Arendelle or to the Southern Isles. I am the master of my own fate."
"Are you?" Elsa offered her own bitter laugh. "You ran to a man's arms to escape Arendelle. And now to run from him you've become a murderer and a thief."
"A thief, yes," Anna admitted, unprovoked by her sister's words. "Despite the stories, none have died by my hands or by my men's. We're interested in treasure, not blood."
"Yes, I came across some of your victims," Elsa smiled thinly. "They certainly could stretch a tale."
"Is that how you found us? I thought we had done well to avoid you so far."
Elsa gazed at her, her face suddenly tense. Some thought flickered in her eyes. Anna raised her eyebrow questioningly.
"No, Anna," Elsa replied finally. "I was tricked into coming here. By Hans."
A shout from outside the cabin. Kristoff's voice.
Together, the sisters turned to look out the window. Silently, they studied the horizon. Though still far off in the distance, the mass of ships approaching them was clearly visible.
"Cunning bastard," Anna observed absently. "He drew you out here to take out both of us at once. I didn't think he had the resources."
"I paid for those ships, and for their weapons. I gave them to Hans in order to find you." Elsa exhaled an angry puff of frost. "I didn't know the villain for who he is."
"You didn't marry him," Anna noted mildly. "He fooled me for the longest time. Well," Anna sighed, moving away to retrieve her jacket and hat. "I've thrown enough obstacles in his bid to the throne. He'll try his best to slaughter everyone."
Elsa started, turning toward her sister. "Anna," she said firmly, "We can't fight him. Even with my powers, there's no way we could win against that firepower." Disgust distorted Elsa's fine features. "I'm still not very good at controlling my abilities. You can't rely on me."
"I don't, dear sister," Anna said, back to her.
Elsa's eyes narrowed with suspicion. With a gasp, she raised her hands, stopping the knife with a sheet of ice. She didn't have time to appreciate that the knife was still sheathed. A blast of snow blocked a well-aimed kick.
With a cry of pain, Anna fell to her knees. Her hand clutched her head. From beneath her fingers, a second jet of white hair streaked down through her braid, joining the first that had been inflicted so long ago.
"No!" Elsa cried in despair, stopping in her tracks. She clutched her hands to her chest. The horror of past memories blinded her. She hadn't struck Anna again, but maybe she didn't have to. Maybe there was some piece of ice still inside Anna, something that responded to Elsa's powers. Maybe–
Elsa crumpled to the floor.
With a wince, Anna shook her bruised hand. It was fortunate that Elsa had a glass jaw. Stepping outside the cabin, Anna waved Kristoff over who had been busily directing the men in preparation for battle.
"Let Captain Oaken know that we have taken Queen Elsa prisoner. If he wishes to bargain for her life, he will inform Prince Hans that any act of aggression upon the Icarus will mean the Queen's immediate death and outright war with Arendelle. Set sail towards Weselton."