Disclaimer: I don't own Frozen.
Chapter four: Investigation
Elsa groaned. Frustrated. After three hours of browsing through the 'Royal Arendelle Archives and Library', she couldn't find even the slightest hint of what she was looking for. The cause of her reckless searching? She didn't know herself. All she knew was that she didn't have much time.
"I'm wasting my time, " she muttered. Some time after the party ended the night before, she parted ways with Anna happier than she ever remembered feeling. Once in her chambers, she tried to sleep—she really did—but Anna's enchanting eyes kept popping in her mind. Everytime slumber came, she would wake up with a weird feeling in her stomach and the very vivid memory of Anna's eyes.
She succeded to ignore those symptoms with relative ease but then, the familiar feeling of her soul freezing—feeling that disapeared 'till then, she noted—returned with a vengeance. She remembered, before being caught up in the evenements of the coronation, that she had thought her situation was magical in nature. 'Time proved me right, it seems, ' she thought, rather dryly. And here she was. Drowning in mountains of century old parchments and smelly books, trying to find a clue as to why she felt like dying everytime she wasn't in her sister's warm embrace.
A particularly violent shiver went through her body, almost topling her over. She stood up, suddenly, chair clacking loudly on the ground. Primal insticts told her that Anna was drawing away from the castle. She didn't know how she knew that, but what she did know chilled her further than this unnatural cold: Anna was involved in this, and that meant she was mayhaps affected the same way she did!
She stormed out of the room and sneaked out of the castle. A queen unleashed.
--X--
"'twere a mighty party ya got 'ere yesternight, Yer Highness," a sailor said while balancing a large barrel over his shoulder. "And I've never seen somepeople dancin' like ya and 'er Majesty!" A large majority of the people on the docks nodded along while the rest laughed heartily.
Anna only blushed, "Well, I had a lot of spare time to practice." The laughing stopped. Everyone was staring at her; before looking at each other.
"A marvellous dancer and a modest princess!" A woman exclaimed and the laughing resumed.
Anna didn't feel all that good when she woke up that morning. In fact, she felt like a hundred horses passed over her in her sleep. She couldn't understand, that night, she slept better than any other night she could remember. The memory of her sister's smile—so full of joy and love—was both so foreign and familiar to her, she could've slept through an earthquake if only she could dream of that smile; she didn't even feel the fatigue she usually got when dancing so much.
But when morning came, she could feel her entire body sagging, sapped of all its strengh as if by magic. When she finally succeded to get off the bed, Elsa's smile came to mind immediately. But fear held her. What if Elsa pushed her away again? She did promise never to do that, but that only fueled her fear. If Elsa lied, she couldn't be sure what would become of her. Elsa was the reason she even cared to live, Elsa was all she had left. Elsa was life.
She returned to the present. Escaping those thoughts was just what drove her out of the castle. Looking around, she noticed everyone going back to their work. They've chatted for at least thirty minutes, now.
Alone, she went to return to the castle. Passing by an old building, she heard some snifling. Approching, she could at last make out what the weird noises were: someone was crying. Walking faster, she arrived on the doorsteps, but the noises didn't seem to come from inside the house. Instead, they seemed to come behind it.
Rounding a corner, a strange sight awaited her. Between twin wood boxes, in the dark, dump backway, surrounded by rats, squirels and other such rongeurs, a little girl sat. Kneeling on the ground, crying. "What—" she went to ask the little girl but a hand pulled at her sleeve.
"I wouldn't go there if I were you," a smooth voice said. Turning around, a charming smile awaited her. "I've been here for only a few days but even I know that this particular backway is a no-go." The smile returned, even more charming than before.
Anna blinked. Couldn't he see that this little girl needed help? 'And what's with the creepy smile?' She pulled her sleeve off of his grasp, backing away. "Who are you?"
The man's eyebrows shot up, surprised. As if some thing didn't go as he expected. Recovering, the man went on one knee in a very exagerated bow. "My apologise, Your Highness," the man looked up, smile in place. "I didn't get the chance to introduce myself at the coronation since Her Majesty and yourself were otherwise occupied. I am Prince Hans of the Southern Isles, and it is a pleasure to make your aquaintance." An expecting look on his face, he got up.
She now understood the weird behaviour. She scowled. He expected her to somehow swoon at his handsome face. "Excuse me," she said, almost angrily, "but that little girl clearly needs help."
Hans frowned as Anna turned around. He couldn't have hoped for such a boon as meeting the Princess—alone and so soon that is. But the plan of seducing his way to the throne seemed to be an impossibility given the Princess' response to his presence. So, the Princess was off the list and the probability of her older, more experienced sibling falling for the bait was close to null.
There were very few choices before him, and returning home barehanded was not one of them. He could always kidnap the Princess and request some riches in exchange for her continued existance but that was a very risky tactic. A muffled cry cut into his thoughts. He rushed into the dark backroad. And seeing what was happening gave him an idea.
The little girl stood there, eyes glowing white. An army of small creatures between her and a surprised princess. A sinister grin broke on his face, charming front all but forgotten. There were some things people of this kingdom loathed more than anything. And luck seemed to be on his side that day.
The girl was a witch.
--X--
Elsa's nerves were starting to get loose. Half an hour of searching, and Anna was nowhere to be seen. It also didn't help that she had to hide from everyone on the street to avoid needless distraction. She leaned against a wall, sighing. Her freezing seemed to have been subdued at least, a clear sign that she was nearing on Anna's location. She got off the wall and resumed her searching.
"What are you doing, Anna?"
