Chapter 6: The Monster That I Was

It was a beautiful late autumn day in Arendelle. The sun was shining, the air was cool, and the fjord waters still, a far cry from the winter storm that passed through at the beginning of the week. It was the perfect time to be outside before winter truly settled in. Though Anna was grateful to be outside of the castle, she really wanted to get off this stupid ship already.

Earlier today, Anna had been bouncing up and down with excitement for this tour. She had never seen a steamship up close before and she thoroughly enjoyed seeing the smokestack and sidewheel up close. This time, unfortunately, the center of attention was on Elsa and when the Americans found out she had a knack for architecture and fine details, they quickly refocused their tour to accommodate and impress the Queen. That left Anna very bored as the group moved among the lower decks.

This is taking forever, why is this boat so big? My feet hurt. I want to go home and play with Olaf, whenever he comes home with Kristoff. Anna knew the American steam frigate wasn't 'big' in the grand scale of things though, it just happened to be the biggest she'd ever been on (the Royal Arendellen Navy's largest ship was only a brig). At least Elsa is enjoying herself, my poor sister is always working-

Anna stopped when she reached a dead end. She looked around, but the passage was devoid of anyone but herself.

"Whoops, maybe I should have been paying attention," she said to herself upon realizing that she was lost. She started formulating a plan in her head. The ship wasn't that big, it wouldn't take them long to find her...but Elsa was going to be furious when they got back to the castle. Wait, but Elsa didn't know she was gone yet. Anna learned the hard way that when her sister started going on about her favorite hobby, she never shut up about it. She had almost regretted asking Elsa about her love for architecture a few days after they were reunited. She must have still been preoccupied with talking about the ship's detailing and design otherwise she never would have let Anna wander off in the first place.

So, Elsa didn't know. The deck and bulkheads hadn't even frosted over. Anna still had time, she could go find the group, slip back in, and pretend she was never gone. First, she had to remember where they were going. That handsome translator said something about going to see the...steam engine! Anna remembered now, they were on their way to see the steam engine. So, she had to meet them there.

She turned around to begin her search, but did a double take when she noticed a word written on one of the doors that lined the barren passageway. It read "Storeroom" in English. She studied the word carefully.

"Hmm, that looks like steam to me." Anna grabbed the handle and opened the door. The room was dark, but the light filtering in from the passageway was enough for Anna to tell that this was in fact not the way to the steam engine.

"Oh, it's a storeroom," she corrected herself. "Ooh, I wonder if they have any chocolate in here?" Curiosity got the better of her and she grabbed one of the hanging lanterns in the passageway then went back into the storeroom to search.

In the light, Anna could tell this wasn't the kind of storeroom that stored food. It was a little messy and filled with what appeared to be medical supplies. "Let's see what we got here." Anna focused on a large demijohn that caught her eye. It was labeled "Turpentine" in English. "Ooh, I wonder if this is somebody's wine stash?" She picked it up and opened it. It was definitely not wine, it smelled terrible.

"Wait, what am I doing? I need to get back before Elsa finds out I'm gone." Anna closed the demijohn and placed it back onto the shelf. She only managed to turn halfway around when she heard it slip off the shelf and shatter on the floor.

"Uh oh," Anna said when she saw the mess. She slowly backed out of the storeroom.

Anna never made it out. Her foot caught a bundle of cloth lying on the messy floor and sent her sprawling onto her back with a yelp. The lantern she'd been carrying flew out of her hands, into the air, and landed on the deck in front of her.

Elsa was enjoying herself immensely. When their tour had started, she had other things on her mind, like her date—er meeting—with Elise later that night. She didn't care much for the tour, she agreed to it for Anna's sake though the ship did impress her. And make her jealous, jealous that Arendelle didn't have one of these.

It was only until the ship's engineer mentioned something about the ship's construction that got Elsa hooked. She asked one detailed architectural question about the ships design and next thing she knew their tour took a very interesting turn that focused on naval architecture and structural design rather than an overview focus that it was before. Elsa was overjoyed with this sudden change, everyone else in her party maybe not so much.

"So, as you can see your majesty, this is why the Brooklyn Navy Yard had to choose this arrangement," the ship's engineer said in English. Elsa had inquired about the layout of the steam engine in relation to the storage of its fuel, which she had insisted on seeing and thus why her once regal blue outfit, porcelain skin, and platinum blonde hair were now stained with coal dust. It had only been a day and the Americans had already given up on letting themselves be surprised by the young Queen.

"Ah, I see now, that make's sense. I vas vondering though, vhat...uh...vood...uh," Elsa started in English before giving up and turning to the translator. "I was wondering what type of wood these door frames are made out of," she finished in Norwegian. Elsa had dropped the translator soon after getting into the tour, preferring to talk to the engineer directly in English. He was still useful though, for times like this. If Elsa hadn't been high on excitement right now, she probably would have started hyperventilating at the mere thought of messing up in front of these people.

"Oh, that would be-"

Ringringrinringringringringringringrinringringringringring!

Elsa saw both the Captain and Engineer's eyes go wide at the sudden bell ringing. A sailor ran into the room before either of them could react.

"Capt' a fire broke out in one of the storerooms. It's already spreading fast," the sailor said. Elsa noticed something else was wrong though.

Wait, where's Anna?

"Get the Queen and Princess off the ship now!" Captain Hill ordered. Elsa gasped as a hand grabbed her arm and started forcefully pulling her to the exit.

"Wait, wait, where's Anna? Where's my sister?" Elsa turned to see who was pulling her. It was Admiral Hoffman. If Elsa wasn't so distracted with Anna's whereabouts, she probably would have frozen his hand as a reflex.

Elsa could see it in his face before he even answered causing her eyes to flash with panic. "I don't know, your majesty."

"What do you mean, you don't know?" Elsa ripped herself out of Admiral Hoffman's grasp and took off in the opposite direction, deeper into the ship.

"Elsa, wait!" She could hear him yelling at her as she ran down the passage way. She turned a corner and hit a wall of smoke. She had to keep going though and pushed on, coughing as the smoke entered her lungs.

Elsa made it to the end of the passageway and grabbed the door frame for support. That's when she heard her over a fit of coughing.

"Elsa, help! Elsa, please help!"

Anna!

Elsa ran towards the voice until she found her little sister coughing on her hands and knees.

"I'm here Anna, I'm going to get you out of here." With all the strength she could muster, Elsa lifted Anna back onto her feet and led her back towards the exit. "Everything's going to be okay."

A thought crossed Elsa's mind that maybe she should use her magic to blast her way out of here, but before she could even get a chance to raise her hand Elsa heard the cracking of the deck above as broken and burning wood fell down on them. With her last ounce of strength, Elsa managed to throw Anna aside as a beam of wood came crashing down. She managed to see Anna out of harm's way as a beam fell down and struck her in the head. Elsa's vision turned black, her last thoughts were of Anna's safety and hoping that she wouldn't be meeting her in death anytime soon.

Anna spun around as soon as she hit the deck. There was nothing behind her but a wall of burning wood.

"ELSA!"

Anna tried going back, but she kept getting farther away.

"ELSA!"

Suddenly, Anna realized what was happening. She was being pulled away by someone and he was talking to her.

"...the ship is lost. If you don't get out here now, you'll die," he said. Anna recognized him as one of the Marines from yesterday. Apparently he spoke Norwegian. It didn't matter to Anna though. She kept struggling and screaming, she had to get back to Elsa. But the Marine kept pulling. She almost broke free when another set of hands joined in to pull her out.

Admiral Anved Hoffman was being pinned down by some American Marine on the last boat off the USS Missouri when Captain Hill and the other Marine emerged from the inferno carrying a screaming Princess Anna. He gulped, that was only one of the two. Queen Elsa was still missing.

"Sailor, get us out of here," Captain Hill ordered as he and the Marine dragged Anna into the boat. The two sailors with the oars started rowing away.

"NO, I NEED TO GO BACK FOR ELSA," Anna was screaming and kicking hysterically, tears were flowing out of her eyes like waterfalls. "WAIT, PLEASE, MY SISTER."

"Sarge, get over here and help us hold her down." Anved heard the Marine holding back Anna ask the Marine pinning him down in English. Anved didn't understand what he said, but it got the Marine off of him.

Captain Hill and the two Marines were too busy handling Anna to notice the Arendellen Admiral slip off the boat and back onto the burning wreck that was once the USS Missouri. Admiral Anved Hoffman had lost two members of the royal family to the sea already. He was never going to allow the sea to take another one again.

Elise was still barely over her encounter with Anna from last night. She had awoken in the morning with iced-tear covered cheeks and the moment the servants left her alone again she had cried herself back to sleep. Elise finally got up for good and now her anticipation for tonight was growing.

Elsa was supposed to visit and Elise could not wait any longer. The only thing on her mind since waking up was Elsa. Anna's words still played out in her head. Elsa actually like her. Elise needed her now, she needed Elsa here to reassure her, to tell her the she was not in fact a monster. She needed Elsa to tell her that she loved her.

Elise was ready to do anything for it. To get down on her hands and knees and beg for forgiveness from Elsa. She was even ready to forgive Anna's visit if it meant appeasing Elsa. That would be a big step for her because if Elsa didn't cherish her younger sister so much, Elise would have considered cutting Anna's throat the moment she got of this cell.

No, she would live with Anna if it meant being with Elsa. Elsa was so very much worth it. Elsa was perfect.

Elise closed her eyes trying to picture her twin. Elise thought she herself looked beautiful, but Elsa just topped it. That long almost-white hair, Elise could only imagine what it would like down and unbraided. And it was in such contrast to Elise's own short pitch-black hair. Even their faces were sharply contrasted even though they technically had identical faces. When Elise looked at Elsa's face she didn't see herself, she saw a whole different person. Elsa's face, especially her eyes, always radiated love and caring at least when she wasn't wearing that stupid emotionless mask. Elise's on the other hand was always stern and intimidating. And then there was Elsa's awkward smile. It was as if Elsa didn't know how to smile, which was actually quite possible. It made her look so timid, yet so adorable.

Wait, what am I doing? Adorable? Really, Elise?

Of course, Elise thought Elsa was beautiful, but maybe she was taking it too far. After all they were sisters...

A strange commotion coming from the window startled Elise out of her stupor and she realized she'd been sitting in the same spot staring at the same wall since she had gotten up. She moved to get better view out the window, a bad feeling slowly developing in her gut. Elise's breath caught in her throat at the sight of smoke and fire rising from that steamship, the bad feeling having transformed into full blown terror.

Elsa was on that ship. Elise didn't know how, but in that moment she knew Elsa was on that ship and in grave danger.

Elise didn't pause to ponder on how she knew, she had to get out of here and help Elsa now.

She glanced down at her hands, her brow knitting in concentration, all her thoughts and will power focused on getting Elsa to safety.

Queen Elsa's 'unbreakable' manacles started gathering frost…

By the time the small boat reached the docks, Anna's struggling and screaming had subsided from fatigue. It still took all the effort of the two Marines to drag her onto the dock however.

Chancellor Jakobsen came running through the horde of wounded sailors that covered the dock when he spotted Anna on the last boat. "Where is the Queen? Where is Queen Elsa?" He stopped short when he saw the state Anna was in.

"The Queen is still on the ship," Minister Herbert answered from Jakobsen's right. He had been attending to an injured sailor.

"Captain, what happened?" the Minister asked turning to the Captain. Captain Hill just shook his head.

Jakobsen didn't need to understand English to know what that meant. He approached the Princess, shooing away the Marines that still held on to her. He wondered how life could be so cruel to someone as sweet and innocent as the Princess.

"Please, you have to go back for her. Please, she's my sister I can't lose her," Anna pleaded between sobs. She tried moving to the water again, but Jakobsen held her back. "Let me go, I need to go back for her."

"Anna, listen to me," he commanded. "We can't go back, the ship is completely engulfed in flames. I'm sorry, but..."

"Where is Admiral Hoffman?" one of the Marines interrupted in Norwegian looking around the dock.

"Wait, Admiral Hoffman must've gone back for her. He got her out, we just have to go back to pick them up!" Anna cried out enthusiastically. No one had the heart to directly tell Anna that Elsa was dead.

Captain Hill and Minister Herbert exchanged a few words in English, then Herbert spoke to them in Norwegian. "We can't get near the ship, when the fire reaches the powd-"

Boom!

The USS Missouri disappeared in a fiery explosion, but it was the shriek from Anna that got to Chancellor Jakobsen as she collapsed in his arms.

"Oh God, this is all my fault. Elsa no..." she whimpered.

Anna's world fell apart. All her nightmares had come true. Elsa was gone. Anna should have known it was all too good to be true when she finally got Elsa back. And it had all been her fault.

Anna felt completely detached from the world, not even realizing Jakobsen had put her down or hearing the words being spoken around her. But she did hear one thing though. It was in English, but Anna still recognized that word even in a foreign language.

Ice.

Anna's head shot up so fast she felt dizzy, but she didn't let that deter her. She quickly noticed what was suddenly attracting everyone's attention. A large chunk of ice floated in the harbor, not far from where the wreck of the ships slipped below the waves.

"Get that chunk of ice now!" she screamed, although the two Marines, several sailors, and guards were already in a boat rowing towards it.

Practically everyone held their breath as the chunk of ice was attached to the boat and towed back. Chancellor Jakobsen could see Anna shaking with anticipation, though her tears were still flowing steadily. Jakobsen couldn't make out anyone on the ice as it got closer. Maybe she was inside it? Jakobsen hoped so, for Anna's sake more than anything else.

The men on the boat were rowing at impressive speed and they got back to the dock quickly. Anna was by its side the moment they arrived.

"Break it open! Someone break it open now!" Anna demanded as the sailors and guards secured the floating ice to the dock. Two men approached with axes and started hacking away. Within a few blows, a large section caved revealing a hollowed out center. Jakobsen shoved the guards out of the way to get a look inside for himself. Anna was already through the hole by the time he even got a chance to see inside.

Jakobsen released a sigh of relief at the sight. Elsa was alive, though he hadn't expected the other two bodies that were in the cavity with her. Elsa was sprawled out in the middle, barely conscious, with Anna sobbing on top of her. She kept repeating "I'm so sorry" over and over again. He was slightly curious what she meant by that, but it wasn't the time nor place to care.

Admiral Hoffman was sitting upright next to them practically coughing his lungs out. He looked fine, except for his hands which appeared severely burned. Actually now that Jakobsen thought about it, Elsa didn't even have a burn on her.

As for the third occupant, he had no idea who that black-haired girl lying next to Elsa was. In fact no one on the dock knew who she was. Like Elsa, she appeared completely unburned, but her clothes weren't singed like Elsa's. It actually looked like parts of it were...melted. In fact, it reminded Jakobsen of Elsa's ice dresses.

There was an audible gasp from everyone who could see into the ice chunk when the black-haired girl shifted and revealed her face.

"This must be Princess Elise," Admiral Hoffman spoke up when he finally managed to get control of his breathing. Everyone but the council members present were hopelessly confused.

Her eyes half opened and when they fell on Anna, her mouth opened in an attempt to form words. "...N-not…mo…mon…" Eventually she gave up and slipped back into unconsciousness along with Elsa.

When they tried to carry the three royals back to the castle, the guards were forced to pry Anna off of Elsa. Elise was holding Elsa's hand in an unconscious death grip. They tried to pry them apart too, but gave up when the twin's hands froze over.

A/N: Thanks Road and Mig for the help as always.

See, what did I tell you? The past always finds a way. In case you you didn't look it up before, the actual USS Missouri caught fire and exploded in Gibraltar on August 25th, 1843 while on a diplomatic mission en route to China. So it happened a little early, but it still happened. You can look it up yourself, but make sure you specify the 1841 or steam frigate USS Missouri otherwise you'll just get the battleship USS Missouri and Pearl Harbor references. The Wikipedia page is actually legit, the source can be seen at the very bottom under references. It's a dot mil site.

While I was typing this, I suddenly I realized I should actually look up the weather of Arendelle (I consider the Arendelle of this fic to be around Bergen, Norway). So "the air was cool" line is kind of bullshit because it's actually supposed to be in the high 30s °F (not to mention it was probably cooler in the 19th century then it is now). I just took the liberty and kept it as a "cool" late autumn (like late November) day because I started the fic with the intention it wasn't quite winter yet. I blame the movie itself for that with all it's talk about summer, it skewed my perceptions. I won't make a big deal out if it though, but I apologize if I ruined your immersion.

I'm sure Bergen doesn't consider 30s °F winter though, but I'm pretty sure it is to the average reader.

Anyway thanks for reading. I'm not going to beg for reviews, but don't hesitate to ask about something.

Forgot to mention, the whole scene in the storeroom was meant to be social commentary about how you shouldn't leave storerooms in a mess and store hazmat in bad places you shouldn't on naval ships. So keep your storerooms clean, squids. And yeah, I'm talking to you, you asshole Culinary Specialists.