A/N: Is this possible? Am I really managing to update a story in less than a month? This is truly a Christmas miracle, a bit late yes, but better late than never. Thank you for your support, and for reading my stories. Here goes the second chapter!
I hit the snow-covered cobblestones, hard. A groan fell from my lips and for a moment I stayed there, confused and in pain. But soon enough my survival instincts kicked in and the picture in front of me came into focus. A guard, a royal one judging by the crest on his chest and the helmet on his head, was looking back at me with a sneer on his lips.
"What do we have here, hmm? A small dirty thief?" he asked, and gave me no time to answer before grabbing me and pulling me upright.
His face was so close to mine I could see his unshaved cheeks and smell the alcohol on his breath. I tried to break free, kicking and pushing, but it was futile. He was bigger and stronger than me, and at that moment I felt like a ragged doll in his hands.
"Please sir, I didn't do anything. Let me go, please" I whimpered but I could see in his hard eyes that there was no way out.
"Please sir, let me go" he mocked me. pretending to sound like me "you know what happens to scum like you, don't you?"
"No, please no" I begged, but there was no strength left in my voice. No more luck for me, it was all over.
"Oh, don't worry. There's room for everyone in the dungeons. You'll love it there."
I hanged my head in defeat. No one who entered the castle's dungeons returned. People started calling it "La Cova del Drac", the Dragon's Cave. It was a death sentence and both me and the guard knew it. What a miserable way to end my life. Trying to make things better, but only managing to make them worse. I just wished Ness would be okay without me. That she would get to live a long and happy life.
You have always been a burden after all I tried to convince myself she'll be better off without you.
The guard had no regard for my pitying thoughts and interrupted them without consideration.
"Now let's see what you hide under that hood, shall we?" and before I could react he had turned his words into actions.
I should have been used to his reaction after all this time. But I wasn't. His eyes widened in shock, before his face transformed in a mask of hatred. He threw me to the floor again, and I hit the street once more. But that time, what stung the most weren't my hands or knees, but the thorn in my heart that embedded itself deeper with every fearful look thrown my way.
I looked up and had to close my eyes at the sudden brightness. Dawn was already breaking, and the sun's rays were illuminating the streets. And with them came the first street-goers, who soon became spectators of the scene I had a leading role in. I saw mouths gaped in horror, hands clutching chests, hating sneers and, worst of all, eyes full of fear.
The guard had his right hand on his sword but didn't seem very keen on using it. Instead, he was looking at me with a mix between obscure fascination and disgust. I held my head down, scratching the frost under my fingers with my nails to try to distract me with the pain. It didn't work.
"You…you are a monster!" said the guard once he found his voice again "a hideous beast."
I heard whispers agreeing with him and fought back the tears. It would only feed their macabre pleasure.
"Serena? Serena!" a familiar voice suddenly yelled, forcing my eyes up.
My sister was running to me, worry and fear written on her face. She fell on her knees and held me to her, as if trying to cover me from all the stares. I quickly hid my face in her jacket, grasping its fabric with all my might.
"Let her be!" she said, her voice strong and firm "she's done nothing."
A sudden pang of guilt shook me to my core, and I felt my face burning up with shame.
"I caught this…freak…stealing! Would you call that do nothing?" stated the guard and I heard him approach us.
"That's not true" continued my sister without hesitating, her faith and trust in me unbreakable "you must have mistaken her for someone else."
I knew I had to step in. If I did nothing we could end up both in the dungeons, and I would never do something like that to her. I pushed away from her embrace to look at her. Her brown eyes searched mine with confusion.
"He's right" I admitted and pulled the little flask from my pocket.
The glass shone under the sun calling all eyes upon it. Ness' eyes widened in disbelief and started shaking her head.
"No, no, no…"
"You needed the medicine. I couldn't stand there and do nothing while you tried to hide your pain. I just…had to do something. Anything."
She closed her eyes for a moment and when she opened them again they were blurred with unshed tears.
"Serena…" she whispered, defeated.
She carefully caressed my cheek and pushed my forehead against hers. I let her, drawing strength from our closeness.
The guard, who had been taken aback from our display of affection, quickly regained his focus. He grabbed me again and pulled me away from Ness's arms. I yelped in surprise but didn't resist. Though it pained me, I knew there was no point in doing so.
"You all saw it" the guard raised his voice so everyone could hear him "she has confessed!"
He shook me to emphasize his words, an all seemed to agree with him. Honestly, I didn't blame them. I was a thief and deserved to be treated as such.
I heard the sound of grooves against the cobblestones and the rustle of a cart, and soon enough a wooden carriage pulled by brown horses appeared into view. And I knew that my time was over. Once they put me inside of it, I'd never see daylight again.
However, a part of me was surprised at how quickly the carriage had appeared. It hadn't been that long since the guard had caught me, and he had done it alone. How had he managed to inform the other guards so quickly? Unless…Unless the guards were already looking for someone, anyone really, to do something suspicious. Were they so desperate to clean up the streets?
The answer came easily to me: yes.
So, in the end, I had been in the wrong place at the wrong time. Not that it mattered anymore.
"Wait!" Ness' voice rang out, followed by a wave of confusion.
All eyes turned to her, including the guard's driving the carriage.
"What is it?" asked the guard grabbing me with irritation.
"She's innocent" she said as she stood up.
"What?" I whispered, and I heard voices in the crowd echoing my question.
"She has confessed!" repeated the guard.
"She did steal the medicine, that is true" continued my sister with an unwavering determination "but she only did it because I forced her to. I'm the one who came up with the plan. She only carried it out,"
"And why was she the one to do it?" asked the guard, more confused than angry.
Ness took a deep breath, or as deep as she could in her condition, and her eyes flickered to mine for a moment. It was a mere second, but it was enough for me to see the resolve reflected in them. She had a plan and was determined to complete it.
"Because I am sick. Very sick. That's why I need the medicine. She stole it for me. I'm the eldest, she'll do anything I tell her no matter the consequences" she was interrupted by a coughing fit and my heart clenched. Although, in truth, it actually helped her to prove her point.
After the coughing subsided, she continued.
"I thought…I thought she could pull it off, that she wouldn't get caught. I was obviously wrong" she looked at the guard's eyes "so take me instead. I am the one who has truly committed the crime. Not her. Only if you take me, justice will truly be served."
"No!" I screamed trying to break free from the guard's grasp "Ness don't! It was me! She had no part in this! Please, I'm the thief!"
My words fell to deaf ears. Ness's, however, had been taken seriously and the people's opinion on the case was changing. But it didn't matter! The only thing that Ness had achieved by speaking up was to doom both of us. Because, what was stopping the guard from locking me and Ness up?
However, inexplicably, the guard's hand hesitated. I looked up at him to see a troubled frown on his lips. His eyes were frantically turning from the crowd to Ness, looking for someone to tell him what to do. Did he care that much about the people's opinion? Or rather, did the King care about it?
Perhaps, yes. Maybe the monarch was trying to clean his image. That would explain why the guards were patrolling the streets at night looking for excuses to fill the dungeons. The King was trying to give a false image of financial stability and safety, and for that to happen the scum, scum like my sister and I, had to go.
But the guard was now facing a big problem. He couldn't act against the people's wishes, could he? That would undermine his orders. I could almost see the gears turning inside his head and knew his decision before he opened his mouth.
"It appears I have apprehended the wrong thief" he said, letting me go.
I fell to my knees and saw how he grabbed Ness' arm, pulling her with him.
"No!" I yelled as I scrambled to my feet and tried to run behind them "please!"
But I was too late, and the guard had already pushed Ness inside the carriage. He slammed the door closed and walked to the front of the cart. I ran to it and fiercely grabbed the iron bars of it's small window. It was more like a squared hole though.
"Ness!" I screamed, and soon enough her pail face appeared.
"It's okay, it's okay" she hushed me, covering my hand with her cold ones.
I struggled to find my voice in the chaos of my emotions.
"Why? Why have you done this?" I asked, lips trembling.
She smiled sadly, and I saw a tear leaving a trail in her cheek.
"I don't have much time Serena. We both know that" she pressed my hands tenderly "so go live your life. Get out of here. Go see the world. Do what you've always wanted to do. You're still young. It's not too late."
"No" I said, shaking my head and feeling the tears falling "we were supposed to do that together. I won't leave you behind. You are my sister for God's sake! I'm not leaving you. No."
My lasts words were merely a whisper, but I knew she understood them. She pressed her forehead against the bars, trying to get as close to me as possible.
"I'm asking you to leave me behind, Serena. Don't feel sad for me" she kissed my hands, putting all her love in the gesture "don't forget that I love you. I always have, and always will. Remember that."
"I know. I love you too." I said.
"Good" she nodded and smiled once again.
Just then the cart started to pull away. Ness was quicker than me and, after kissing my hands one last time, she pulled them away from the bars and pushed me away from her. I scrambled back a few steps and when I looked up again, she had disappeared inside the carriage.
I didn't run after her. Didn't scream, or cry. I just stood there in the cold. Feeling empty, numb and lost.
A/N: Okay so, when I first started planning this story I thought that it would be great if my characters spoke some words in a language that wasn't english (since they're from a realm that's not Arendelle). Even though in Arendelle they technically don't speak english, I still wanted to put a word here and there in another language (similar to what they do in the AC games). But, I'm awful at coming up with made-up names and words sooo I finally decided that they would speak a bit of my native language. It's just going to be random words, and I will always make sure to translate them, but I just wanted to let you know in case somebody gets confused. Okay, I'm going to shut up now. I hope you enjoyed it! See you in two weeks!