Chapter 4: The Rescue Part 1
Elsa sat idly at her open window and watched the snow fall gently over the kingdom. Her tenth birthday had come and gone without much notice. Only faithful old Gerda had changed her daily routine, bringing a small cake up to Elsa's room. It was a small gesture, but much appreciated. Well, her father had also summoned her to the throne room, but that was a meeting that she'd sooner forget. Ever since the accident they hadn't been able to look each other in the eye, and feeble attempts at conversation usually trailed off into nothingness within minutes. He had awkwardly congratulated her on the milestone, and then immediately ruined it by asking if her control had gotten better. So I'm not allowed to go even one day without being reminded about that? Will this life ever change?
She supposed it wouldn't. Everyone had settled into a pattern over the last three years. Elsa herself never left the apartments designated for her use, and even the servants avoided spending any more time than needed in her company. In fact, other than a short session with a tutor each week to review her self-study, Elsa rarely talked to anyone at all. Not that she wanted to, anyway. By now there was no denying it, her powers were growing stronger, but her control wasn't keeping pace. Any object she held barehanded frosted over in minutes, and of late she had stopped taking off the gloves even to sleep. Too much human contact would inevitably cause problems, and Elsa had enough of those already.
As far as she could tell, the rest of the castle had shut down with her. People rarely passed under her windows, servants or not, and the main gates were almost always shut to the public. The keep was in a perpetual state of grief, reflecting the mood of its king. Her father still cared for the wellbeing of the kingdom, and he had excellent councilors that managed the details with exquisite care, but the castle was no longer the center of attention. Townsfolk that had once pointed to the closed gates and gossiped endlessly now passed by without sparing a glance for the imposing oaken doors.
Even if I can never learn to conceal this curse, she thought, maybe everyone else will return to normal some day. Everything depended on Anna, if only someone could find a way to wake her up. Elsa hadn't seen her sister since her isolation began, but Gerda had described her strange state to Elsa several times. Anna was breathing, but she never spoke or opened her eyes, and her mouth was closed to food and drink. Despite this, she did not waste away and even seemed to grow older at a relatively normal rate. It was plain to everyone that she was under a spell, and just as plain whose fault it was, Elsa thought bitterly.
Her father's anger had been monstrous. Once it became clear that Anna was not simply unconscious, he had stormed up to the west wing and demanded that Elsa release her sister from her grasp. Elsa had been petrified, unable to respond except by shaking her head repeatedly. How could she lift the enchantment when she didn't even know how it had happened in the first place? She didn't know how any of her powers worked, and there was no one to ask. But he just kept getting more and more upset, and finally he went so far as to strike her with his open hand, knocking Elsa to the ground as he slammed the door shut in his wake.
Her hand unconsciously touched the long-healed cheek. In all fairness, he had come back to apologize eventually. She was still his daughter, and in a calmer mood he knelt and made amends. But in a way that was worse than the anger. Because no matter how much she wanted to, no matter how eloquently her father asked, she didn't know how to reverse any of her magics, not even the smallest icicle. In tears she had turned him away empty-handed, unable to mend her own broken family. The king had returned many times without result, but eventually even he had given up hope in her. Instead he spent his time by Anna's side, holding her hand and speaking gently to her.
Elsa herself spent almost every moment of the day thinking about her little sister. Even in her dreams, Anna was there, laughing and begging Elsa to come and play. It had gotten so bad that Elsa seemed to feel her even when she was awake. Whenever her thoughts wandered, she always wound up facing the same direction, staring through the walls towards Anna's room. It was like a tiny cord tied to the back of her mind, always twisting Elsa back around if she turned away.
Suddenly Elsa became aware of a commotion in the courtyard down below. She turned away from the wall and looked out. One of the gates was actually opened! A small party of riders on horseback entered the parade grounds, followed by a large coach pulled by two more horses. The light snow had stopped falling, giving Elsa a clear view of the newcomers. Their clothes seemed foreign, and she didn't recognize any of their faces except for one. The man at the head of the group was one of Anna's doctors, but he often traveled abroad on the king's orders in search of an exotic cure for her condition. Elsa had never liked him very much, he had a weasely face and greasy hair. As she watched, they dismounted and handed off their horses to the groomsman.
Elsa lost sight of them when they entered the castle, but in a flash she was peeking out through the interior doors that connected her wing to the main entrance. The new arrivals were in the middle of a conversation with her father, but she was able to overhear one of one of them who was speaking loudly. "-was fine for the journey north, but the weather can only get worse from here on out. I would strongly recommend we begin immediately, even before tonight if possible." The king said something in reply, too low for Elsa to understand. "No, my liege. There is no guarantee. But this treatment comes with the strongest recommendations and personally-" He was cut off as a far off door closed behind the talkers.
Elsa listened for several more minutes, but there was nothing more to hear. She returned to her room, trying to guess what the doctor had planned. It must be something to do with Anna. But what? Why did the weather matter, there was no way her father would expose Anna to the elements, especially at this time of year. Anna had always been weak to winter temperatures, and prone to collapsing if it was cold enough. Given her already weak condition, sending her outside would be crazy! Or maybe it was just another bottle of unknown substance with supposedly magical properties. Elsa didn't think much of the failed "remedies" that the doctors had tried in the past, but Gerda was adamant that it was the proper way to break an enchantment and she always kept Elsa informed when something new was going to be tried.
But Gerda was nowhere to be found. Strange. Everything about today was very strange. Elsa was totally concentrated on Anna and staring through the wall towards her when she noticed it. The vague awareness in the back of her head that she had come to think of as a reflection of Anna had changed. It felt different, almost… anxious? Something was definitely going on that shouldn't be. But she couldn't leave to find out. Elsa froze, unable to overcome her fear. Not just of her father, but fear of exposing herself, of leaving what had become her sanctuary and becoming the center of attention. Conceal. And really, it could just be nothing, right? She was worried, so she had imagined that the "Anna" in her head was worried. After all, it's not like Anna was actually anywhere but asleep in her bed! Don't feel.
Having talked herself out of calling for Gerda, Elsa forced herself to sit down and open a book. Don't let it show. She wasn't truly taking in what was written on the pages, but she turned them anyway. However, the nagging doubt in her mind wouldn't go away completely. As the hours passed, dark clouds gathered on the horizon, mimicking Elsa's mood. Suddenly she realized that the tenuous string mentally pulling her to Anna's room had moved. It wasn't nudging her towards the east wall anymore, it was coming from out the window! In the last few years that had definitely not happened before.
Before she knew it Elsa was peeking out the window with a horrified expression on her face. That was Anna, being pulled from a litter into the carriage that had arrived earlier. What was her father thinking, didn't he see those clouds on the horizon? Elsa's panic rose, and the sky seemed to rumble in response. But the men working outside only looked up for a second and moved a little faster in their work. Within minutes they had finished loading their supplies and mounted up. The skinny doctor came into view next to her father and bowed. He seemed to promise something, although they were too far away to hear, and with a few last words he climbed onto the box next to the driver. In a flash and a crack of the whip they were off, leaving through the main gate and taking Elsa's last hope with them.