A/N: There's going to be a dark theme to part of this chapter, but don't worry. Nothing is explicit. Just a heads up. Also, thank you everyone for the reviews/follows/favorites! I'm glad you like the story so far! There's plenty more awesome to come!

Chapter 3: Lukewarm Welcomes

Princess Anna awoke to the sensation of cold water washing over her, then receding back to the sea again. She slowly opened her eyes. Sand was the first thing to come into view. She was lying on her stomach with only her arm to buffer her head from the wet shore. She winced as she tried to rise, ceasing her attempts immediately when she felt a sharp pain coming from her left side. Gently, she rubbed her fingers over her ribcage until she reached the injured spot in question; a bruise perhaps…or worse…

The next thing she acknowledged was something heavy pinning her legs. The rowboat that she and two seamen tried to escape in had been damaged. Pieces of wreckage littered the sand with a fairly large chunk sitting on top of her. Using her hands, she clawed her way through the sand, digging herself down to slide out from underneath the wreckage. Once she was finally free, she forced herself to her feet and wobbled a little before gaining enough balance to keep her upright. As she stood there and clutched her injured side, she looked out to the sea in sadness.

I'm the only survivor… She sighed. Those poor men… Anna closed her eyes for a moment of mourning.

"I wonder where I am…." She said out loud, looking out beyond the beach she had landed on. "This certainly doesn't look like Arrendale." Then, an idea struck her. She fished into her satchel and pulled out the Captain's compass.

"This little compass has never failed me yet, after twenty years sailing these seas. It will bring you to land, I promise" The man's voice echoed in her mind.

"Well little fella, you certainly came through for me." She smiled sadly. "Thank you, Captain…" She rubbed excess water off the cover and gazed at the spinning dial. North, it said, pointed straight back to the icy waters. "That storm really did blow me south…" she groaned and tried brushing the wet sand off of her already sopping garments. The bottom hem of her dress was frayed and torn in some places. Her cloak was full of holes, ripped apart when the rowboat was destroyed. As she walked up the beach towards the main path, she nonetheless wrapped her covering closer to her. Everything she wore was soaked to the core, and the cold air temperature only made her shiver more.

"I'm r-r-really starting to hate w-w-winter…and ice…and snow." She stuttered. Suddenly, something caught her eye from the distance. Smoke was rising above the tops of the trees.

"F-fire! Thank g-goodness!" She tried to walk as quickly as her sore legs would carry her. After a while of following the path, she found herself entering what looked like the main city of whatever kingdom she landed herself in. Not too far in the distance she could make out tall gates separating the town from the castle grounds. She glanced up at the large structure. Unlike her own castle in Arrendale which gave off a warm appearance, this royal residence was built more like a fortress. It had an aura of magnificence to it. Several banners hung in the front bearing the kingdom's royal crest and colors. Anna knew there was something familiar about the image, but the name escaped her at the moment. During Elsa's coronation, she familiarized herself with several royal crests from the many foreign visitors. She hoped her royal "hosts" were allies of Arrendale as she walked about the town.

A rumble of her stomach stopped her. I should probably get something to eat… She scanned the buildings for the nearest tavern. When she made it, she stood out front and peered inside. Through the window she saw the warmth of a fire burning in the fireplace, and that was enough to bring her inside. Anna noticed the dining room was nearly empty. An older man was sitting in the back corner drinking what looked like a beer, but there was no one else dining. She walked to the bar where an older man and woman were cleaning glasses. Anna assumed they were the owners of the establishment.

The man noticed her first. "What can I get for ye?" He asked. His voice was gruff, and he looked the worn-down princess up and down, taking in her disheveled appearance.

Anna tried to control her shivering so she could talk. She tried not to let the man's intimidating stare get to her. "I-is there any chance you have something warm? Soup perhaps?" She reached into her satchel for her coins, but found most of them missing. The storm carried them off. Anna managed to pull out three small bronze coins and held them for the couple to see. "T-this is all I have… You see…I was in an accident and lost my-"

"Of course we can help you, dearie," the woman smiled. She moved towards the kitchen to fetch a bowl when the man grabbed her arm.

"Lilith, we'll do no such thing!" He growled. "What ye got there won't even earn ye a scrap of bread!" He smacked Anna's hand away and the coins went flying onto the floor. "This isn't a charity house! Times are tough 'fer us all this winter!"

"Hansel!" Lilith hissed. "Look at her, she needs help! What's one bowl of soup going to hurt, hmm?"

"Please…" Anna begged the woman, "I can r-repay you…I'll do dishes…s-serve your tables? Please…I'm soaked to the bone…and it's so cold out…"

"We're ALL cold, girl." Hansel said. "Tis winter! The harshest winter this land has seen in years!" He marched out from the bar and took Anna's arm roughly. "If I served free food to every cold, hungry tramp that walked into my bar I'd go broke!" He then shoved Anna outside and slammed the door.

Anna landed roughly on the ground, hitting her injured side to the cobblestone. She silently cried out in pain as she struggled to stand and brushed the dirt off of her wet clothes. She glanced quickly through the tavern's window and saw Hansel and Lilith arguing with one another. Anna sighed and started down the street again. She tried entering several other establishments and met with similar results. She had no money and nothing to trade, since everything on her person was water damaged. All except for the Captain's compass.

I wonder how much I could get for you. She ran her trembling fingers over the dial. …No, I can't part with you… your master sacrificed himself and his ship to save me. Little compass, you're my last reminder of his bravery and kindness…

Anna turned a corner into an alley and leaned against the wall, slowly sinking her way to the ground. No one in the village seemed to want to give her the time of day. She weakly brought her knees up to her chest laid her head on them. This is hopeless…I'll never be able to sur—oh no, is that a SNOWFLAKE?! Anna spotted a white speck landing on the ground next to her. Looking up, she noticed the white evening sky and several more flakes coming down. Great…I'm already cold and wet. Why not add snow to the mix too. It's not like my day could get any worse…

Two sets of boots stopped right in front of her. Anna looked up to see two tall, similarly dressed men standing before her, leering at her crumpled form on the ground. Both men had brown eyes and short brown hair and long sideburns. They each wore long black coats with black trim, with grey pants showing underneath. Their stares made Anna uncomfortable.

"I don't believe I've seen you around these parts, sweetheart. Have you, Dirk?" He asked, looking at his companion.

"No, Derrick, I have not." The other replied, kneeling down to get a better look at Anna's face. He lifted her chin up and smiled. "She must be new to the trade."

"Um, excuse me?" Anna asked, yanking her head away from him. "Trade?"

"You look like you could use a helping hand…Miss?" Dirk asked.

"Oh, um…An-," she decided not to use her real name, "Annabelle."

"Well, Annabelle," Derrick said. "How would you like to earn some money? It sure looks like you could use some, from what we saw."

They saw that?Oh boy. "I uh, appreciate any help you could provide." Anna said with a weak smile.

"Perfect!" Dirk said, helping the girl to her feet. "We've got a place not too far from here." He and his companion took her arms and roughly led her from the alley. "There's a warm bed in it for you too; of course, you'll have to work for it."

Wait…what? Anna gave him a look. "Wait a minute…where are we going?" She realized the two men were leading her towards a darker, "sleazier" part of the city. "I don't know about this…" She tried to break off their hold.

"Oh trust us, sweetheart. We've gone here plenty of times before." Derrick said.

"There's nothing to worry about." Dirk said, giving her a sleazy grin. "The only question you have to answer is…which of us will you have first?"

Anna's eyes went wide with both fear and disgust. She couldn't believe what she was hearing, and she hated herself for being naive enough to trust these two strangers. Using what energy she had left, she wrestled away from the two men and ran in the other direction where they came from. She quickly glanced behind her to find the men hot on her trail. She rounded a corner but at the same time she slipped on a patch of ice and fell to the ground hard. Slightly dazed, she touched a hand to her forehead and gasped upon seeing spots of blood on her fingertips. By the time she got back to her feet, her assailants had caught up with her.

"Guys please…stop. Leave me alone."

"Nonsense, we insist you come along! It's for your own good." Dirk grabbed her arm and harshly twisted it behind her back.

Crying out in pain, Anna shoved her foot backwards into the man's groin. Dirk growled in pain as he dropped to his knees, releasing her. To make up ground, Derrick stepped forward, and Anna retaliated by slashing him in the face with her nails, hard enough to draw some blood. Then she stomped his foot and ran out of the alley, but right into an armed guard.

"Stop her!" Derrick shouted to the guard, who then promptly seized the princess. "She has laid an assaulting hand on members of the crown!" He said, limping forward to Anna. He gripped her chin hard and sneered. "Lock her in the dungeons. It'll give our pretty little minx time to cool off."