The Sins of the Father
Chapter Seven
Assurance
Elsa raced up the stairs, taking them three at a time, refusing to slow down. Once on the second floor, she raced to the infirmary, hoping and praying nothing had changed since she had received the message.
As she neared the infirmary, she slowed as she heard a very familiar voice, loudly finishing what she could only assume was a rather lengthy joke.
" . . . And so the one man turns to his friend and says, 'Gee, I'd love to, but who has the time?'"
Elsa heard Kristoff erupt with laughter, his guffaws echoing throughout the halls. Cautiously, Elsa knocked on the door and entered.
Her heart soared with relief as she saw Anna awake, sitting up in bed, laughing with Kristoff.
"Elsa!" Anna flashed her signature smile and Elsa rushed forward, embracing her.
"Anna! I was so worried! I thought you would never . . ."
"Oh, stop it!" Anna said. "Do you really think a little fire is enough to take me out?"
Elsa pulled away, looking Anna over for any lingering injuries. "You . . . You look great!"
"Please," Anna rolled her eyes. "I am most certainly not 'great' at the moment. I look like someone threw me in a ditch and left me there for a week."
Elsa and Kristoff laughed. "So . . . what do you remember?" Elsa asked tentatively.
Anna smirked. "I remember some creepy guy in robes appearing out of nowhere and threatening you. I remember him making fire appear in his hand. You screamed at me to get out of the way and you pushed meāhard!" She paused, looking at her hands. "After that, I remember . . . screaming, and heat, and pain, and then . . ."
She looked up at Elsa. "And then I woke up here. To Mr. Sunshine over here snoring in my ear."
"I'm sorry!" Kristoff protested. "I was tired!"
"It's all right," Anna said. "Just promise me you'll work on the drooling before we get married. It's not particularly appealing."
"I do not drool in my sleep!"
"The puddle on your pillow says otherwise," Anna responded, laughing.
Kristoff sensed that the sisters needed some time to themselves. "Now that you're awake, I'm going to go back to work for a little while. I've got a lake up in the mountains that's calling my name. Ice as thick as can be, just like glass."
He leaned in, sharing a long kiss with Anna. "Don't do anything dangerous while I'm gone."
Anna smiled. "So I guess skiing is out of the question?"
"For now." Kristoff stopped in the doorway. "I just want to know you'll be here when I come back."
"Oh, just go!" Anna said. "I'll be fine. I have Elsa here. What could possibly happen?"
Kristoff smiled. "That's what worries me!" He turned to Elsa, sharing a glance with her. Elsa read his eyes perfectly. Make sure she's all right.
The Royal Ice Master departed the infirmary, leaving the two royals with just each other once more. Elsa wrung her hands, unsure of what to say.
"Elsa," Anna said. "What are you so upset about? What's wrong now?"
"Nothing," Elsa replied. "Everything . . . Everything's just fine."
Anna raised an eyebrow. "Elsa, we were attacked. Our ballroom just got burned to a crisp all over again. I was unconscious for four days. Of course everything's not fine!"
"We . . . We're doing our best to find out who the attacker was, but so far we've uncovered nothing," Elsa said.
"Hey," Anna said, patting a spot on the bed next to her, gesturing for Elsa to join her. "We'll find him. We always do. Don't worry."
Elsa sat down cautiously, unsure if she should share the rest of the details. "Anna . . . When you were unconscious . . . I . . . I was scared. Very, very scared. I . . . I couldn't stand the thought of never finding out who did this to you. So I . . . I made a decision. And . . . And I'm afraid you're going to hate me for it."
Anna's face grew concerned. She leaned forward, taking Elsa's hand. "What decision? What's going on?"
Elsa felt her heart sink into the pit of her stomach. "It's . . . It's nothing! Forget I said anything!"
"Elsa." Anna's voice was firm, uncompromising. "What did you do?"
"I . . . I . . . I hired a mercenary to find out who attacked us," Elsa whispered.
The color drained from Anna's face. "You did . . . what?!"
Elsa turned away, too ashamed to face Anna's gaze. "Please, Anna! You don't understand! I . . . I wasn't sure if you were going to survive! And I had to find out who attacked you! I just had to! Our investigators weren't getting anywhere! I needed someone who could work in the shadows, make the contacts we could never hope to make!"
Anna nodded, her mind overloaded, trying her best to understand, to accept Elsa's decision. Finally, after a long silence, she spoke again. "Who did you hire?"
Now Elsa was terrified. She is going to hate me! she thought. Stupid! Stupid! Stupid! She took a deep breath, bracing herself for the judging, the anger, the distrust, the very real possibility that Anna would want nothing to do with her anymore because now she was tainted.
"His name is Jansarnen," Elsa said, still too afraid to look Anna in the eye. "He . . . He's the man who attacked me last year."
Anna pulled back, too stunned to respond. Her mouth hung open, her eyes stared disbelievingly at her sister. Forcing her throat to respond, she said, "You . . . hired . . . who?!"
Elsa turned to Anna, begging her with her eyes to understand, to forgive her. "Please, Anna!" she whispered. "It was the only way!"
"And you just thought I would be fine with this?!" Anna's voice was now very loud.
"You don't have to deal with him at all!" Elsa said. "I've got everything under control. You don't have to worry about a thing!"
"Don't I?!" Anna cried. "Elsa, what were you thinking? You hired that monster to find another monster? Why?! Help me understand!"
Elsa stood, her back to Anna, her shame now overpowering her. "Anna, I saw you lying on the floor of the ballroom. Flames were creeping toward you. I couldn't tell if you were breathing or not. You . . . You didn't move. I . . . I thought . . ."
She paused for a moment. "And then you were here, and you wouldn't wake up, and all I could think about was the fact that I would probably never see you again, never hear your voice, never talk to you again, never just be with you. And I . . . I . . . I had to make sure we found the man who did this. Because he should have to suffer, like you've suffered . . . because of me. I . . ." Elsa could no longer control herself. The tears started flowing without reservation. "I've ruined your life, Anna! I've caused you so much pain! All I want . . . All I want is for you to be happy. And if that means . . . If that means you never want to see me again . . . If you can't forgive me . . . I understand."
Elsa turned back to Anna. "I just wanted you to know that . . . I did all of this for you."
Anna felt her anger dissipate. "Elsa . . . Elsa, no." Forcing herself to her feet, she walked to Elsa, folding her arms around her. "Of course I want you in my life. How could you think like that?"
Anna took Elsa's head and held it gently in her hands. "I'm just worried about this mercenary. What if we can't trust him? What if he betrays us?"
Elsa shook her head. "He won't. I made him a very, very good offer."
Anna nodded. "Just promise me something, Elsa. Promise me this is about justice, not vengeance. We're going to find this man and punish him to the full extent of the law, but you're not going to do anything you'll end up regretting . . . right? I'm worried about you. You told me you can still feel the darkness in your heart. Don't let it consume you. Please! Don't make the same mistakes he made. Stay in the light."
Elsa pulled Anna into an even tighter embrace. "I won't, Anna. I swear. I will not fall. I won't be like him!"
Elsa breathed deeply. "As long as I have you . . . You are what keeps me strong, keeps me from falling. I need . . . I need you to believe in me."
"I do," Anna whispered. "I do. Unquestioningly."
The sisters did not know how long they stood in each other's embrace, nor did they care. Time had lost all meaning to them. All they cared about was knowing that they had each other, and that no matter what, they would always be together.
AN: Anna is all right, and she has accepted Elsa's somewhat rash decision. Hopefully, Jansarnen will have some information soon. More to come!
