Blue eyes fixed themselves on the seaside kingdom far in the distance. Not long now. He grimaced; various horrible scenarios flashed through his head at the thought of his brother, who had flown there earlier in the week.
Truth be told, deep inside the idea of Aeron being even in Arendelle terrified him. But he was distracted from his dismal thoughts when he heard a pair of light feet bounce up behind him. "Arendelle's in sight. Wow, it's so pretty from here! I bet it's even better up close! Hey, you think Queen Elsa will make it snow?"
He turned to see his smiling younger sister. "Aerín, you know better than that. While I don't doubt that she'd make a little snow for entertainment, I think what you have in mind is a little extreme. And it wouldn't be good for her to do that right now."
"Aw! But Arendelle seems like the kind of place that prefers the snow!" Aerín sighed, folding her arms on the railing and resting her chin on the railing. "I mean, you can feel it can't you? The earth feels like it's singing prayers for winter. I'm sure the water is the same way."
Aksel decided not to comment, instead choosing to state "Arendelle appreciates all four seasons I'm sure. The kingdom isn't equipped for an eternal winter. Regardless of what Hans did, his account of Arendelle's inability to handle the unexpected winter should have been accurate enough."
Aerín's smile faltered. "Yeah…Hans," she muttered. A tear fell from her eye. "How could he do such a thing? I don't understand."
Aksel's expression darkened, and he checked the deck to make sure no one was with them. "What's left to understand?" he sighed. "He conspired to overthrow the Queen. His ambition wasn't so different from that of other people, and I'm sure that other people thought of doing something similar."
"But this is Hans, Nas-" She stuttered and swallowed. "Aksel. You and Aeron were more his older brothers than any of the princes were. You mean to say that you believe the Hans you practically raised, that I grew up with, would have done this?"
Aksel sighed. "Aerín," he said wearily, "You know we can't talk of this."
"Answer me!" she insisted. "You're scared of answering the question!"
Aksel looked at the deck. "I don't want to believe it either," he admitted. "But believe me, there are harder realities to accept." Like three years ago.
As if reading his mind, Aerín's gaze softened and she hugged Aksel. "That wasn't your fault."
"Don't get me wrong, Aerín, I don't blame myself at all." His eyes went cold. "Not myself."
"Aksel," Aerín began, but stopped herself and bit her lip before deciding what to say. "He couldn't remember what happened at all, even though we all saw what happened. He wasn't himself that day."
"Are you sure of that?" Aksel shivered as screams of distant passed echoed in his years. "He was The Seventh One, Aerín. 'Harbinger of death' wouldn't even come close to describing what he could do. It would have been more appropriate to call him the Devil. He could deceive people so perfectly, a skill exceeded only by his ability to kill. Why should he treat us any differently?"
Aerín sighed and tightened her embrace. "I know what he did as The Seventh One. I've heard stories. But he's our brother. He would never mean to hurt us."
"I thought the same thing until that day," Aksel replied bitterly. "Yes, he's our brother. My brother. I love him too, Aerín. You think I want to believe that he would willingly do these things? But he did them. So easily. Right in front of me." Old wounds, healed and faded with the passing of three years, tingled, the memory of a battle long ago that took so many lives. And for what?
"We have to trust him, Aksel," Aerín insisted. "That's what family's all about."
"I don't know who to trust anymore," Aksel admitted, closing his eyes. Tears streamed down his face. "I really don't know."
Because he betrayed that trust. He betrayed us all.
And I'm scared he'll do it again.
Far away, on the tallest tower in Arendelle, green eyes were staring out to sea. Towards a vessel he knew drawing closer.
Aeron sighed. Well, vacation's over. Time to get back to reality.
What a world. Deep down, these words bitterly repeated themselves. Over and over.
Holding his glider, he kicked off from the tower and glided back down into the castle courtyard. More than once, he had entertained running away from it all. From the responsibilities. From the truths. From the Southern Isles. From reality. Maybe the rest of his life wouldn't be so dismal then.
But he was a High Knight. He had vowed to serve the throne, serve his foster brother, to the best of his ability.
You have. And look where you are now, a voice whispered in his mind. And what good are promises anyway? Look at how easy they are to break.
Aeron was now wandering aimlessly through the halls. Shut up. My day is horrible enough. I don't need this kind of crap from myself.
Then why take it from anyone else? The voice laughed and faded into silence, leaving him alone in his thoughts.
Which wasn't all that much better, to be honest.
Aeron clenched his teeth, resisting the urge to close his eyes. He knew if he did that, he'd have the nightmares again. Echoes and memories of ghastly deeds performed long ago in the service of the crown. He fell against the wall and slid down, with his arms resting on his knees and his face directed towards the ceiling.
Where am I, anyway?
All around him was thick stone. No carpet or wallpaper, no wood, nothing fancy. Just stone.
Great. Watch this be the dungeon. He groaned inwardly. Even my wanderings betray me. He got to his feet and walked, aimlessly pushing a door open.
And was bewildered by the sight ahead of him.
The room before him was completely destroyed. The wall before him was completely gone, blocked from the outside by a series of boards. Wow. What happened here? He navigated carefully around the rubble, bending down to examine a pair of…cuffs? Whatever they were, on the ground. He picked them up and frowned. No typical cell has these kinds of cuffs. These cuffs are meant for dangerous prisoners. The kind that are dangerous to let have any use of their hands. He dropped them and walked to the wall, inspecting the damage.
His frown deepened. Ice damage. He was quite familiar with it. He'd had to deal with it many times. Now that he knew what he was looking at, he could see it everywhere in the cell. But why here? Why up there even? He glanced at the roof. Did they lock Elsa up in here or something? Ok, that's just cruel. Wait. He inspected the damage, tracing his fingers over the cracks. This can't have been around for even a month. The breaks are too well defined.
But it's summertime here-oh.
Aeron dropped the cuffs, feeling incredibly foolish, and equally somber. So Elsa was locked up here. During the Great Freeze. And all this damage is from when she broke out.
"Aeron, what are you doing here?"
Aeron spun around to see Elsa in the doorway, looking puzzled at his presence. "I'll answer that in a second. What are you doing here? Your majesty," he added quickly. "This doesn't exactly look like a nostalgic place. Positively nostalgic anyway."
Elsa grimaced and walked towards him. "At the very least, I need to have the wall fixed soon. I can't avoid this forever." She sat down on one of the clear spots on the cot and cleared away a little more rubble before motioning for him to join her. He sat down, tossing half a broken brick aside.
"You were locked up here." It wasn't a question.
Elsa nodded. "Yes. Hans kept me here after he brought me back from the North Mountain."
Aeron nudged the cuffs. "This is a high-security cell. Those cuffs are made for the most dangerous of prisoners. And by that I mean the people with more muscle than there is rubble on the ground." At this, Elsa glanced about at the mess. "Yeah. That's a lot of muscle. Is this the only cell of its kind in the castle?"
Elsa sighed. "No. There are three other identical ones, each in a different corner of the dungeons. And these kinds of cuffs," she said, nodding at the cuffs, "Are the only kind of cuffs in the dungeons. There are even replacements in a storage chamber." Aeron could see the hurt and betrayal in her eyes, and he heard it in her voice too. But most of all, he could see her fear. The quiet fear that maybe they had been right. Thirteen years of pain and suffering, come back to haunt her.
Aeron tried to lighten the mood. "Maybe he had a traumatizing experience with human rhinos or something." Elsa snorted, mildly amused at the image that came to mind, but she slumped back into her emotional low. "You really think that the dungeons were here specifically for you?"
Elsa's jaw tightened. "No. But they were remodeled specifically for me. These cuffs were all brought into the castle starting from ten years ago. And," she continued, "the walls of the four cells were thickened and strengthened."
Aeron said nothing. What could he say? He was no Anna. After a moment he sighed. Screw it all. "Were you imprisoned here before then?" Elsa shook her head. "Then there isn't much to worry about, is there? Your parents clearly prepared for the worst, but they didn't force you in here the moment it was finished. They believed in you, Elsa. They could have gone all the way with this, but in the end they chose to believe. Benefit of the doubt. Trust. That's worth something, isn't it?"
Elsa bit her lip. "But what if they were right?" she asked quietly, looking at her hands. "What if I am a monster?"
"Have you done anything that would warrant the title?" Aeron asked as quietly. "I don't think changing seasons and a couple of ice-related accidents counts. They were accidents. And no one died. No one suffered permanently."
"Anna died," Elsa whispered. Aeron raised an eyebrow, but didn't interrupt. "I hit her heart."
"And?" Aeron was unconvinced. "She's alive, isn't she?"
"Aeron, you don't understand. If I hit someone in the heart with my powers, they will slowly turn to ice." She swallowed. "She froze right in front of me," she whispered hoarsely. "She was dead."
"Then how is she flesh and blood?"
"Only an act of true love can thaw a frozen heart," Elsa stated. "Anna had the choice to save herself, but instead stepped in front of...Hans' sword and took the blow that was meant for me."
Aeron raised an eyebrow. I would think that she'd break apart rather than the sword. No matter. Some things are better left unasked. "I still don't see how this makes you a monster. I know you didn't mean to freeze her heart. You love her too much for that. And somehow I don't think you believe that's why you're a monster either." He leaned in closer. "Tell me, your majesty. I won't judge."
Elsa breathed heavily, like she was in pain. "On the north mountain," she said finally, trembling with emotion, "the Duke of Weselton's guards tried to kill me." Aeron listened as she continued. "At first I tried to defend myself. But at some point, I snapped." Visions of the fight flashed before her. "I tried to kill them."
She remembered the anger, the frustration, and the satisfaction. "I wanted to kill them. Now it makes no sense, but back then I thought that the whole world was against me. I was so tired of it all, tired of hiding, tired of being fearful. If Hans hadn't come when he had..." she swallowed.
Slowly, Aeron took Elsa's hands in his. There was a small pop of static when their hands met and Elsa reflexively jerked hers back for a moment, but reached forward again and grasped Aeron's hands. "Elsa." She was a bit startled at his use of her first name. "Look at me. They were trying to kill you. You were only doing what was natural. You were trying to protect yourself."
"I shouldn't have," Elsa began, but Aeron cut her off immediately. "Morals tell us we shouldn't have had that urge, but in the end we are only human. We are fallible. We can only note our failings and try not to repeat them." He wove his fingers together with hers. "Elsa. You're a far better person than you give yourself credit for. Being hard on yourself is admirable, but don't overdo it. Much of your fear of yourself is unjustified. Look at my hands." He lifted them before her eyes. "These are the hands of a monster." Elsa opened her mouth to protest, but he cut her off. "Elsa, these are the hands of someone who has actually killed. Not just once. Not just twice."
"You remember that I am the Seventh High Knight. Well, a great portion of my career thus far has been devoted to killing people. Enemies of the Southern Isles. I've killed soldiers, I've killed politicians. I lost count long ago. It's so bad that where once I felt like I murdered myself in murdering another person, I can no longer feel anything beyond a dull throb when I kill someone." He loosened his grip. "If you want to call yourself a monster, only do so when you can stop feeling. The people that don't care...those are the monsters. Not you. People like you are too beautiful down here," he tapped the area over his heart, "to be monstrous."
Elsa had gone quiet as she pondered over his words. Aeron began to draw his hands back, but she tightened her grip to keep them firmly in place. "You still feel." He looked at her in surprise. "You still feel their deaths. Maybe not immediately after the fact, but they haunt your eyes. They haunt your face." She smiled softly at him. "Maybe you should forgive yourself as well."
"Elsa, I just told you that I assassinated and eradicated enemies of the Southern Isles," he said cautiously. "Are you not at all worried that I might be here to kill you?"
Elsa shook her head. "You're an honest person, Aeron. Maybe mysterious, but you're truthful in your own way."
"I lie frequently in my line of work," he admitted. "I am a master at deceiving people."
Elsa's smile faltered, but she only tightened her grip. "Maybe you're able to deceive people with your words and body language. But I just know it. I don't know how, I just feel it." Aeron's breath hitched a little. He quickly disguised it with a quick cough. "There's something about you that lets me see into your heart. I can't explain it, and I don't know you that well, but I know it's there." She hesitated, but then resolve shone in her eyes. "I trust that. I trust you. Maybe the evidence is against you, and maybe it bothers me more than I let on, but I choose to believe. Doesn't that count for something?"
Aeron's throat tightened. He had shown her this side of him, and she accepted it as easily as he had accepted hers. And his sins were undoubtedly much weightier than hers. He smiled back. You really are too beautiful to be a monster.
By the way Elsa's face flushed softly, he must have said that aloud. Yet it wasn't an embarrassed flush like she had had the day they had met. It was a happy blush, accompanied by a tender, glowing smile. "You have a good heart too, Aeron. It's heavily scarred, but it's there."
Aeron got to his feet, still holding Elsa's hands. "This place is too depressing. Let's get out of here." Elsa smiled softly, allowing the High Knight to pull her to her feet. The feeling of his skin against hers sent a tingly, electrifying feeling up her arm. "Let's head back up."
"By the way, we were alerted to the approach of a ship not too long ago," Elsa said. "It was waving the flag of the Southern Isles."
"I know. I saw it earlier. We'll have to meet them at the docks. Ah, right, did you set affairs in order so we can set sail soon?"
"Yes. We can leave as soon as two days from now."
"Perfect. Now all that's left today is the matter of my siblings."
"Siblings?"
"They're both on that ship," Aeron explained, "My little sister and my brother both."
"They're both coming here?" Elsa asked, raising an eyebrow. "Your brother I can understand, but why your sister too? Isn't she only eighteen?"
"Glad you remember, your majesty. But to be fair, she captains that ship."
"What!"
"To be even more accurate, she owns it." Aeron fought down the urge to laugh at Elsa's astonished expression. "And I think you will all be thrilled to meet her, especially you."
"Why is that?" Elsa asked, hurrying to keep up with his quick pace. He just grinned back at her. "You'll just have to wait and see."
Even as they returned to brighter places however, a small part of him couldn't help but remain as dark and cold as the dungeons they left behind. She knows that my soul is stained. But would she accept me if she knew how dark that stain is?
He doubted she would. But for now he'd let himself believe otherwise.
This is sort of filler, as was last chapter . I really hate my lack of planning. Oh well. I hope you liked this. Also this is part 1 of a Valentine's Day update. (Okay, I submitted this late Valentine's Day night .) I wish this chapter was longer, but I ran out of ideas that fit with the general idea of this chapter
Aeron Solo wuz here
