Elsa's heart beat fast as she held her sister. One moment, everything was fine, and suddenly here was Anna in her arms, and she was hurt. "Anna, we have to get you to the doctor," she said. Elsa went to get up, only to have a shaky hand to pull at her sleeve, stopping her.

"Wait," Anna panted out, talking through her teeth, "Be—be careful, Elsa... They... they ambushed us... when we were already-" Anna paused, groaning in pain, "in the mountains."

Be careful? What did Anna mean by- then it struck Elsa. "...They knew you were there," she murmured, tensing up. She didn't want to believe it, but if there were a spy amongst them... She looked back at her sister, who was doubled over against her.

The Queen hugged her sister again. "I'll be careful. Let's worry about all that later, okay? Right now, you need help. I'm going to lay you down now. We'll do it slowly-" and Elsa gently moved her sister to a laying position on the ground. Anna breathed heavily, tears coming down her face at the pain of moving. Elsa cringed inwardly at the sight, but did her best to help her sister, telling her to breath, whispering words of comfort. As soon as Anna had laid down completely, Elsa took a pillow from her cot, and carefully eased it under the strawberry-blonde's head, who sported clenched teeth and a grimace, grunting out her breathing in pained gasps. The shock had left her completely, leaving Anna with the consequences.

Elsa ran out the door, crying out "Kai, Gerda! Anyone!" A guard came to her first. "Please, fetch the doctor," she said, wringing her hands. The guard looked over into the room, noticing the princess. Eyes widening, the man bowed quickly before rushing down the hallway.

"Elsa," came her sister's voice, and an arm which reached out for her. Elsa ran back to her sister and took it, squeezing her sister's hand, rubbing her cold arm.

"Shh, shh, "Elsa said, "I'm right here. Don't speak, sweetheart. Help's coming, alright? You're going to be okay." Elsa stroked Anna's head, smoothing out her hair. Realizing her forehead was warm, Elsa stopped her hands, keeping her palm there. She's burning up. Elsa bit her lip. That could mean infection, and Elsa knew that was bad, very bad. The Queen allowed her hand to cool a few degrees, and rested her palm on Anna's forehead, hoping it would suffice until the physician came.

Though she was sure the doctor was coming soon, Elsa felt the seconds tick by like minutes, and the minutes like hours. She kept trying to console the wounded girl, whose gasps of pains Elsa was sure would remain in her nightmares for years to come, and she felt lost, not knowing what to do, feeling helpless as she watched her sister suffer before her. Why is my baby sister always the one who gets hurt? Why her? Am I not the one the Duke hates so much? Elsa's eyes welled in tears.

"Your Majesty!" The royal medic came, bag in hand and several nurses in tow. Elsa turned her head, quickly wiping her tears with one hand and straightened her back, still keeping Anna's palm in her grip.

"Dr. Pål," came Elsa's reply, "Thank heavens you're here." The doctor was already kneeling beside Elsa, bringing out his supplies.

"Your Majesty, what happened?"

"I'm not sure of the details. She said her party had been attacked." Elsa bit her lip, worry etched in her face as she looked at her sister, who's eyes were clamped shut and her face settled on a grimace.

The doctor nodded, his eyes never leaving the princess as he worked on assessing the extend of Anna's injuries. "I've no doubt about that. That wound was obviously from a sword."

"She has a fever too, Doctor. Could it be infected?" she asked, trying to keep her voice from warbling.

Dr. Pål looked carefully at the laceration. "...I don't see any signs of it, right now. Her fever could mean various things." He then turned to address Anna. "Princess Anna? We'll be moving you to the bed now, alright?" Anna opened her eyes a little to look at the physician, then nodded, and Elsa felt relieved that her sister was still awake and aware.

Elsa helped the nurses and the doctor carry Anna to the bed, who cried out at being jostled, despite how careful they had been. How on earth did Anna manage to come back to the castle sporting such an injury? How long had she been walking? The Dr. Pål ended up answering her question, as he looked at her feet, which were red from the cold, nearing frostbite. "Her highness must have travelled on foot for hours, " he stated, somehow reading the Queen's mind.

"Oh, Anna," she whispered, and Elsa kissed her sister's hand, tears threatening to fall again. Oh, how it hurt to know how long Anna had suffered for. But she was also very proud, amazed at her sister's strength.

"Your Majesty," came the doctor's voice, and Elsa looked at him, "If you would allow us, we need a bit of space to work." Elsa nodded, and gave her sister's hand a tight squeeze before standing back and letting the medical staff have the run of the bedroom. She took a seat at the edge of the wall, and gave a sigh, trying not to let anxiety overpower her.

Now that she was sitting, she let her mind think about what the implications of this were. Weselton, that accursed neighbour of hers, had tried to kill her sister. Even though they had been asking for a re-opening of diplomatic talks; albeit in a callous manner. Elsa scowled; obviously they weren't even serious about that. This was clearly an act of war, if she'd ever saw one.

Wait.

War. War. Elsa's hands frosted at the tips. The reality of it came crashing down on her, her throat suddenly very dry as she let it sink into her. Arendelle hadn't dealt with war since her great Grandfather's time. Their army was small, and the kingdom's ships had all but fallen into disrepair since... well since the Late King and Queen were lost at sea. And she had only barely taken the throne.

What were they going to do?