Kindled
By: Lady Yami / Moonybell
Chapter 4: Drowning and Drugs
AN: Ahahaha. Long chapter. Finally a moment between them. Sorry.
X X X
Oh, what glory was water. My dry skin burned instantly on contact with the salty water. I didn't mind it. Keeping my upper arms on the board, I began a furious kick towards a densely wooded isle, dagger still in my teeth. Honestly, I would have found the mental image of myself preposterous just a few months ago.
And for this month's issue of Crazy Women we have Former! Princess Hannah Westergard of the Southern Isles. She's seen here modeling Underwear Given to Her By Someone She Hates. She's just concussed aforementioned gentleman with the board she's using to flee for her life! Hannah's lovely dagger is courtesy of August Reinhart. Hair by Her Insane Brothers.
Yup. Lookin' good, Hannah. Lookin'. Good.
I risked a glance back at the ship, minding the dagger in my mouth. There was a great amount of general yelling and carrying about, but I saw no silver head. He'd been my only issue. By the time those neanderthals got a lifeboat down to chase me, I'd be well into the woods. My plan was nearly flaw-
My head went under.
I pulled myself back up. In the instinctual gasp for air, the dagger dropped. I grabbed for it. Ow. Salt water stung my open cuts. I managed to grab it by the hilt after a moment of fumbling, and jammed it in the board. Curse it all! An undertoe. Foolish of me. The narrow channel between isles were no stranger to such things. Swimming against it would drown me.
I pulled myself back out of the water, gasping. I tried to swim to the side, out of the current's grasp. Another vicious tug. I started to panic. If it didn't hold me underwater and drown me, it would drag me along the bottom and knock me out cold. Neither were options I really wanted to explore.
My out of shape body wasn't helping me any. I was too thin, muscles soft and unused. I pushed. Again, I went under. My sides seared. Excellent. A cramp. Augustus had always told me to stretch before swimming. I swam towards the surface, desperately clawing at water. It wasn't helping, I wasn't going up. And I was colder than before. There was a chill current behind me.
Drowning is a legitimate fear for anyone with a brain. I was no exception. I was terrified. My lungs burned, and there was an odd pressure between my ears. I thrashed, pouring in all the desperation of my dying animal body. The pain was lessening now, drifting away to some place. The last logical bit of my dying brain fought. I reached for the fading light.
A hand reached back.
X X X
I dreamed.
I drifted. All around me was dark. Far above, a tiny spark floated in the abyss. I grasped for it. It grew further and further, more miniscule with each passing moment. I opened my mouth to cry out, reaching.
A hand clasped mine.
The scenery changed. No longer dark, but a dreamy seascape. Perfect blue surrounded me, silvery fish darting past. Kelp waved gently in the current. My skirts billowed around me. My hair, intact and long, danced around my elbows.
King Elias floated in front of me, hand in mine. Palm to palm. Face to face. He smiled at me, gentle, eyes half lidded.
'Thank you', the last little shred of good in me tried to say.
But he was gone. I woke up. I was fairly certain they'd taken me to Arendelle to make me swallow sandpaper. That was what it felt, like, at least.
A reindeer licked my face.
Awkward. After a moment of general confusion, I pushed the reindeer to the side and tried to get my bearings.
"Ah, yer up." A blonde said, shooing the reindeer away. A long braid hung over her shoulder, which she swung back to place a tray of porridge. I was in a bedroom. A proper one, with a bed I didn't have to share with rats. If I hadn't felt like hell, I probably would have rolled myself up in the blanket screaming in joy.
My first thought was that she had a mighty jaw for a woman. I then felt bad, as I did, too, to be quite honest. Hazel eyes regarded me carefully. "Heard from m'man ya took a dip in the ocean. After holdin' a knife to his throat." She growled, stirring the porridge. She'd pulled the chair from the desk to my bed, resting there casually. She wore trousers. Trousers! I was a bit jealous. The embroidery on her sleeves was rather nice, my addled mind noted. It stirred a memory.
"Kjerstin. The ice...person."
"I'll have ya know I'm Arendelle's Ice Mistress and Deliverer." She sniffed, but even she seemed dubious of it.
"Arvid's mountain trick." I croaked.
"The one and only." She punched me on the shoulder. I was literally knocked over. She peered at me. After what seemed like a glint of murder in her eyes, she poured a glass of water from a pitcher on my nightstand.
"Sorry. Forgot ya just nearly died n' stuff." Her apology didn't seem entirely sincere. I didn't blame her. She pulled me back up, and thrust the glass of water into my hand. I briefly thought I'd like it if I never saw the ocean again, but my mariner heart wouldn't let such a thing happen. I sipped it carefully. At first. Seconds later, I guzzled it, not even caring when it slid down my chin and dribbled onto my breasts. I then grabbed the pitcher, and guzzled that, too.
Kjerstin leaned back in her chair, quirking a brow at me and trying not to laugh. I glared at her, then dumped the last bit of the pitcher over my head, scrubbing at my face.
"Nearly." I said. I could feel my cheeks reddening. "Who pulled me out?"
"Eli." Kjerstin said simply, confirming my suspicions, and then stirred the porridge again. "It was impressive, as he had a pretty good concussion and could barely see. Blood erry'where in that pretty blonde hair. Took two maids to scrub it out." I nodded, trembling at the memory. "Them undertoes are nothin' to scoff at."
"I know that." I said dryly, then caught myself. I...owed this castle now. Just a bit. Okay, a lot. I was torn, just a bit. I'd wronged him again and again, and then he'd gone and saved my life. It would have been easier to have drowned. I flopped back in bed.
"Ya gon' eat or not? I didn't let Sven drool in it."
I stared at the canopy above me. It looked expensive. "That's the reindeer, isn't it." I stated. It wasn't a question.
"Indeed! Now eat your porridge you ruddy nutjob. I'm only doin' this cuz Arvid asked me. I still feel like punchin' ya."
"Now's the time." I said honestly. Shakes came and went through my body. Malnourishment followed by a near death experience didn't do a body good.
"Quit yer melodrama-n!" She yanked me up again, and handed me the tray. "Now eat! Eat or Arvid won't let me leave this room ever. I got work to do."
I picked at my porridge. It was...porridge. But it was warm. The door clicked open, and Arvid stormed in.
"Kjersti! I told you, no Sven indoors!"
Kjerstin rose to her feet. I nearly choked on my porridge in laughter. In her boots, the mountainwoman was just a breath taller than the prince. He caught me looking.
"I'm taller than her when she's not in her boots!" He wagged a finger at me. "And nice stunt, by the way. You're a real piece o' work, you know that? Aughhh." He grabbed the chair, straddling it, head resting on his folded hands. "I mean, I totally thought you were nuts before, but now I think you're just batshit."
For some reason, hearing the innocent prince swear made me smile. He caught that. "God above, you're so weird."
"You nearly married me, once." I laughed, chomping away at my porridge...which was not a sandwich.
"Speaking of not a sandwich," I started, earning confused looks from the couple, which I ignored, "Where's the Snow King?" I gazed around, as if he might leap from behind the curtains. The mental image made me laugh.
Everything made me laugh.
"You drugged me." I beamed, managing to be incredibly happy while being just as angry.
"Turnabout's fair play, jerk!" Arvid shot back, grinning. It faded, just a bit. "But the doc said you were all torn up from twisting and turning, so it's for your own good."
"It's not a sandwich." I lamented.
"Do you want a sandwich? Because you have to finish your porridge first." Arvid chided.
"He's going to make a great father." Kjerstin sighed wistfully.
"Not now, Kjersti!" Arvid flushed.
"Your children will be so stupid it will rupture the space-time continuum and it will take a time traveling group of hyper-intelligent heroes to undo the damage they'll do." I contributed, cheerfully finishing off my drug-porridge. Whatever. If I have to be humiliated, then tortured and die, or whatever, I might as well be stoned off my head.
"Honey, what's a conni-tinny-yum?" The mountainwoman asked her gentleman. Said prince just shook his red hair.
"Why are you guys being so nice to me?" I blurted. Thanks, opiates. It was bothering me. Well, as bothered as I could be about anything. I pondered that the pitcher would be a nice hat, but stopped myself in time. "I mean, I-"
"Am a conniving, two faced, bloodthirsty, sociopathic psycho? That? That I knew." Arvid shifted a bit, seaglass eyes thoughtful. "We haven't forgotten. Nor will we, ever." He rapped his fingers on the back of the chair. "I'm not sure what Elias has planned for you. Will you like it? I hope not. But will it kill you? No."
"There are worse things than death." I replied. Still wanted pitcher hat. Nope. Resist. Urge.
"Sure. But. Right now, worry about getting better." The prince nodded at me.
I stood up on the bed. "Oooh! I'm the Snow King! I'm very pretty and a huuuuugee sparkly jerk! You tried to kill me and beefed it, then I saved you! Ooh! I'm sooo tough!" I knelt down to pick up the pitcher, as my mighty crown. When I turned it over on my head, I found myself drenched.
King Elias walked into the room.
Kjerstin raised her hand. "I refilled the pitcher, while you were talkin'."
Elias gawked at me. Nope, still not a sandwich.
"I see that you're...well?" He ventured. Kjerstin was in hysterics. Arvid looked from his girlfriend, to me, then back again, to his brother, then broke down laughing himself.
"Take me seriously or I will beat you up." I pointed threateningly at Arvid. Elias came up and gently pushed my hand down, gripping my waist and pushing downwards. I resisted at first, looking down on him, for once. There was a diagonal slash across his forehead, neatly stitched. "See? I already beat your brother up."
Elias sighed, using more force. I plopped to the bed, bare knees in front of me. His hands left my waist. That disappointed me, a bit. He sat on the edge of the bed, not too close to me. Yeah. Yeah that's right. Hannah Westergard's no pushover. I wobbled, yawning.
"Before the good doctor's medicine kicks in, I'd like to talk to you, a bit." Elias said levelly.
"It uh...kicked in a few minutes ago." Arvid snorted.
Elias raised a golden brow, but continued. "Firstly, we are not going to kill you. Secondly, we are not going to sell you into the sex trade or something of the like." His scowl darkened. "For you to even think such a thing of us is deplorable."
I stared at him, uneasy. "H-how'd you know I was worried about that?"
"Ya talk in yer sleep." Kjerstin added. The reindeer was back, settling at her feet like a big dog. He stunk.
"Then what in God's name did you bring me here, for?" I fumed.
"We didn't want you to die." Arvid said quietly.
"You may thank my brother for your life, actually." Elias said carefully. "I was...less than willing, at first. But he thought there could be a shred of good in you." He seemed genuinely uncomfortable.
I looked to Arvid, who offered me a grin. "We're gonna see. Kjersti has some...relations...that could perhaps help us pick the best path for you."
The mountainwoman folded her arms and leaned against the wall. "They'll just say she's a fixer upper."
"Right. That's what we're hoping for." Arvid nodded at me. Beside me, Elias was caught in thought, staring down at his own hands.
I folded my legs under me, hands clasped in my lap. I dipped my head, just a bit. I'd give them no more. "Thank you for the chance." I said stiffly. I meant it. But it was so hard to swallow my pride. I fair trembled with emotion.
"Yerp. Try not ta blow it." Kjerstin sailed out of the room. Arvid followed, along with the reindeer. Thankfully, the smell of the reindeer followed.
I was left alone with the Snow King. I was also very drugged. Musing, the king delicately spun frosty tendrils betwixt his fingers, patterns curling and twisting until the knit themselves into a snowflake. In my drug addled state, I reached out to touch it.
He surprised me, jerking his head towards me when he saw my approaching hand.
"Ah, I...sometimes when I'm thinking I forget." He closed his hand around it. I winced, it must have been pointy. With a delicate crunch, it was gone. When he opened his hand again, only swirling blue mist remained. There was not a mark on his hand to be seen.
I knit my brows together, unabashedly leaning in to touch his hand. He froze. "It...doesn't frighten you?"
I snorted. "As if I would fear you, King Elias." I was now thoroughly inspecting his hand, as if that would solve the mystery of his powers. I had one in both of my own, tilting it to and fro. I continued, "I saw you then, in your palace. You are no killer."
He looked over my shoulder, for a few moments.
"You told me something, back then. You told me not to be the monster they thought I was. If all of it was a farce... You and Arvid, saving Arendelle, why would you say something like that?"
I paused my inspection, still holding his hand in both of mine, and stared at him. I shrugged, then quirked a brow. "Don't know what came over me." I laughed. "It's...hmmm..." I leaned in closer to him, to inspect his other hand. The tips of his ears colored red, stark contrast to his nearly white hair. I tapped my fingertips against his palm, curious. Sometimes, his grip was quite cold. Otherwise, cool, like now. Perhaps it varied with emotion? "I can't rightly recall. Maybe I was quite emotional. Who knows." I shrugged.
His hand wrapped around mine, delicately holding my fingers. I also realized, at that point, that I was half leaning on him, breasts pressing right onto his shoulder. One thing I did have was boobs. Yup. I looked downwards into his face, drugs making me wobbly.
"It meant a lot to me." He said simply. "I had high hopes for you. Your betrayal hurt." He gazed at me unflinchingly, blue eyes surrounded by silvery lashes. He had a kingly stare, I thought. I felt my cheeks warm.
I wet my lips, speechless and wide eyed. I could find no words. Strange. He rose, my hand sliding from his, and gently pushed me back. "Now sleep off the draught. You have a lot ahead of you. None of which you will like." He grinned over his shoulder, then left.
I drifted off, frowning a bit. Why did I say that, back then?
AN: Yup. I imagined a female Hans would have quite the rack, for some reason. o.o
Hannah: This porridge is drugged.
Hannah:...
Hannah: YOLO. *eats drug porridge*