A/N: Thanks to everyone who's followed/favorited and/or is reading but not reviewing.:)
Thanks to bananas-rule-2015 for beta-ing.:)
Elsa Tomago-Elsa will be okay; just give her a chance.:) Well, Elsa knows she can't go after Anna if something happens, so she said the only thing she could-that Anna was forbidden to leave the castle grounds. Of course, we all know Anna is not going to listen, but still.:/
johnpatgillespie-I thought Elsa and Anna needed a bit of happiness, at least for a little while.:) Oh, okay! I'll go look:)
rachel-Thank you!:)
Dragonheart35-Anna's just trying to help, but it remains to be seen if she does help or just causes more trouble.:P Well, I'll put it this way-Elsa is not going to spend the whole story seriously injured and simply being the mastermind behind the actions to bring Jade to justice since she can't take physical action herself.:/ Just wait a bit longer.:) If you have any special requests regarding what magic you want one of the crystals to have, please tell me, because most likely I can work it in, at least in one scene or something.:) Agreed-Agdar is very very dumb when it comes to magic. Especially Elsa's.:P
On to the story!:)
"Papa, what do you mean Anna left?!" Elsa demanded the next morning. "I specifically instructed her not to leave the castle grounds in case someone wanted to kidnap her again." It figures Anna didn't listen. What else is new? She started to get out of bed by herself; then thought better of it. "Oh, what's the use?" she muttered to herself. I can't go outside like this whether I'm strong enough to search for Anna or not… Elsa was actually quite certain her legs would cooperate just fine to go look for Anna, but she didn't dare go out in public completely unable to use her hands. Using her emotions to subconsciously direct her ice magic wasn't nearly reliable enough, and Elsa was determined not to do something stupid. Going to look for Anna herself was stupid. And her burns and her wounded shoulder still hurt quite a bit besides.
"Elsa, she went to go see if there was a healing power crystal in that cave. She took that snowman of yours Olaf with her. I'm sure that creature would scare away anyone who might try to bother her," Agdar said.
Elsa scowled at that. "Olaf is not scary. He's just a little snowman," she pointed out. "Papa, why did you let Anna leave? You have to go after her and bring her back! 'Cause I can't…"
"Olaf talks. It's a talking snowman, Elsa. You should not have made a living…thing out of snow," Agdar said with a frown. "And you want to know why I let Anna leave?" Without waiting for an answer, he carefully picked up a very surprised Elsa and carried her over to the mirror. "This is why. Look at yourself, Elsa. I will not pass up a chance to get you healed properly and quickly."
Elsa just blinked at the 'other' Elsa in the mirror. All Elsa saw were worried blue eyes blaming herself for Anna leaving in the first place. And okay, that girl in the mirror was pretty beat up. But it wasn't anything surprising or shocking to her. "That is not a good reason to let Anna leave by herself for something she may not find that may not even help me even if she did find it," Elsa said firmly. "Papa, I'm still the queen. I know I need help-a lot of help, actually-but I'd appreciate it if you wouldn't intentionally let my orders be broken."
"I daresay your father knows what's best for you better than you do," Agdar said flatly. "You were just short of being suicidal not that long ago. You still need help whether you like it or not."
Elsa just closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Papa, you don't know what's best for me. You never did. You did try, though. "Looking for a power crystal to heal me might be the best thing for me, but it isn't the best thing for Anna or anyone else. You are the one who taught me that a good king or queen always puts the needs of his or her kingdom in front of their own." She looked her father right in the eyes. "Papa, either go send someone-hopefully someones-after Anna yourself for me, or I will go summon someone to do my bidding on my own. Better yet, actually, please go after her yourself. Anna is out there alone. Do you want her to end up looking like I do at the moment?" Elsa asked in the most unemotionally realistic voice she could muster. "And I am not suicidal. Not anymore. I'm on a mission; I have a job to do to take care of my country and my family. I don't think I'm depressed, either…I'm probably just a little…traumatized…like I'll probably have bad dreams for awhile again from what happened." Then again, I was okay last night…maybe I just needed to clear my head? I don't know. I confuse myself sometimes.
Kiara knocked on the doorframe before coming in without invitation. "Snow Queen Elsa, I just went down to the dungeon to give my brother breakfast and he's not down there," she said seriously. "What d'you want me to do? Go after him? I still have the ice power crystal. Maybe I can scare him and make him think you're on his trail. 'Cause Hans doesn't know you got hurt so bad as far as I know."
Elsa gave her father an I-told-you-so look. "No, Kiara, but thank you for telling me. I'll not have you going out alone too. Here is what you can do, though. First, tuck that crystal somewhere safe where no one can see it or know you have it." Elsa rolled her eyes when Kiara nonchalantly tucked it down the front of her dress. "All right, I suppose that works. Now go back to the dungeon and look for any possible clues Hans may have left; then report back to me. Do not use any powers unless someone attacks you. Jade, wherever she is, thinks I'm entirely out of commission at the moment. The last time she saw me, I was half blacked out and a complete mess. She can just go right on thinking that. If you use the crystal, she'll probably think it's me, which we don't want. Understand?"
"You use logic too much, Snow Queen Elsa," Kiara said, faking a yawn. "But yeah, I understand. Be right back." She ran off to follow Elsa's simple instructions.
Elsa turned her attention back to her father. "Now Papa, I want you to go find Anna. Immediately. You know where she went and I don't want to attract attention by sending a group of guards. Go after Anna in disguise. Wear peasant clothes or something, I don't care. But go get my sister!" She paused for a moment, noticing her father's surprised look at her authoritative tone. "Yes, Papa, I'm using my authority this time. That's an order! But I'm saying…please, too," she added, giving her father a lopsided smile. Please? I can't go by myself…
"Now what if someone tries to attack you while I'm gone?" Agdar asked.
"I p'otect Elsa," Anikka announced proudly from the floor, where she was playing with Elsa's birthday present dolls and the scaled-down ice palace Elsa had made.
Agdar pursed his lips at the child and sent a disapproving look at Elsa. "So there is my seriously injured daughter in her room by herself and a five-year-old girl thinks she's going to protect her," he said flatly.
Elsa struggled to her feet and looked her father right in the eyes, her blue eyes flashing. "I said, go get my sister," she said in a quiet voice that somehow demanded to be listened to. "Now." If something happens to Anna…
Agdar abruptly left the room and shut the door. "Very well, Queen Elsa. I shall be back."
Elsa sighed and slowly limped over to the comfy chair in the corner of her room, tired of staying in bed. Yes, she was still sore in more places than she cared to count, but she felt much better. Mostly just her burns hurt; even her shoulder just ached quite a bit now instead of throbbing and feeling like something had shot her…which was technically true, but Elsa didn't like to remember that. She smiled at Anikka as she watched the little girl play. I'm glad I made that little ice palace, even if it was by accident. Anikka loves it. I kinda would rather she didn't play with my dolls from Anna, but that's selfish. And Anikka is being careful. "What game are you playing, Anikka?" she asked curiously.
"Elsa play too?" Anikka asked hopefully.
"Anikka, I don't think I'd be much fun. I can't even hold one of the dolls," Elsa said softly. "Also, if I sit on the floor, I won't be able to stand back up, even if you try to help me."
"Can too!" Anikka hopped up and put the Elsa doll under the older girl's arm. "See, Elsa can too hold dolly!" she said proudly. "Elsa play Elsa. Anna is take…taking?" (Anikka beamed when Elsa nodded that yes, that was the right word) "taking Elsa to ice palace. Elsa hurt. Ice palace make her feel better. C'n I sit on Elsa lap? Please?"
Elsa smiled a bit as she immediately nodded. "Of course. Just…try not to touch my hands or my shoulder, that's all. They're still sore. And I can't really hold you very well, either." Actually Elsa's hands were more than just sore-they hurt-but she didn't want to tell little Anikka that.
Anikka happily climbed onto Elsa's lap, now holding both dolls herself. "I not hurt Elsa," she promised. "This Elsa hurt too. Like you. But going t'get better."
Elsa frowned but then gave Anikka a lopsided smile when she realized what the little girl meant. Anikka had wrapped doll Elsa's hands up in some bits of white cloth she'd found. "I'm sure you took extra good care of her," Elsa whispered. "Anikka, why would you want to play with a doll who's hurt like me? She can't be much fun in whatever imaginary game you've set up…"
"So's ev'ryone take care an' love her. Make Elsa happy again," Anikka said, her little voice cracking a bit as she clutched both dolls close and dropped her gaze. "Make Anikka happy, too." While the grown-ups at the orphanage took the best care of all the children they could and Anikka knew it, the little girl still missed someone taking care of her personally. The orphanage had not been home to her; she wanted someone to love and take care of her like her parents had done. Elsa didn't know it, but Anikka had been wishing she could 'live at Elsa's house' since she'd met Elsa last summer. Anikka just wished her brother Timothy could have been there with her. He would have been happy here too; she just knew it. "Anikka miss Timothy."
Elsa hugged the little girl as best she could. At least Anikka knows I'm trying to anyways… "Anikka, I'm no mother, but I do love you and I'll take care of you as best I can. And if there's something I can't do, I'll find someone who-" Elsa cut herself off when she heard Anikka's quiet but fearful voice. "What was that, Anikka?" she asked.
"Bad Jade," Anikka said again, hopping down off Elsa's lap. "Bad Jade, Elsa," she repeated, her brown eyes wide in fright. "No hurt Elsa!" Anikka shouted.
Elsa's mind raced as she tried to decide what to do. This is exactly what Papa was afraid of. I have to do something! Now…wait, I know… Elsa struggled to stand up, keeping her eyes fastened on Jade standing by the window. "Jade, get out of my castle," she ordered. "Get out. Now." To Anikka she said, "Anikka, hide somewhere safe. Do it now." She inwardly sighed in relief when the little girl crawled into the scaled-down ice palace and just stayed in there curled in a ball clutching the dolls. Good. She should be safe in there.
Jade just gave Elsa a disdainful grin as she strode toward the slightly younger girl. "You're alone with a five-year-old. I would have thought the Snow Queen would make sure there was someone guarding her when she's in your condition."
Elsa stood her ground and stared Jade right in the eyes. "Leave me and my country and family alone," she said in a threatening tone. "If you want help with funds or a home, I will do that. But if you are here for my powers or to hurt people I love, get out. Now." Inside Elsa was shaking in fear, but years of emotional control let her keep that from showing on the outside. At least mostly. If Jade had been more observant, she would have noticed the sheen of ice forming under Elsa's feet.
Jade shoved Elsa roughly until she was pinned against the wall. "Just who do you think you are?" she hissed angrily. "You are nothing if you don't include your ice powers. Nothing but a helpless little girl everyone could throw away and not need anymore. You're worthless." Just like the rest of her family. I hate the whole lot of them. They took my parents…everything…away from me. Arendelle could be so much more than it is now, too…Arendelle is my country, too! I love Arendelle.
Elsa's face crumpled at that and a single tear trickled down her bruised cheek. Elsa, get it together. You have to keep Anikka safe. You have one defense at your disposal right now, and it isn't even your powers. Just…do it. It might be mean, but you can do it. Get Jade out of here. You can't chase her, but get her out of here. She's just trying to get to you where it hurts most. In one swift motion, Elsa scrunched her eyes shut and swung her right elbow up as hard as she could, catching Jade in the jaw. "Jade, leave my home! Now!" she shouted.
Jade clapped her hands to her jaw and stumbled backwards away from Elsa. "Where did that come from?!" she demanded.
Elsa moved so she was standing in front of the scale version of the ice palace where Anikka was hiding, still holding her elbow up so she could do the same thing again if she needed to. "That would be called using the defenses at my disposal. Jade, you need to leave. You will not hurt me or my family or friends or anything else in or about my country. Get out!"
"Arendelle is my country too!" Jade shouted back.
Elsa's poker face fighting expression softened at that comment, and she dropped her elbow from her defensive position. "Jade…yes, Arendelle is your country too, but you're hurting people. Do you understand that? You burned down the orphanage Anikka used to live at. Three children died in that fire. Children, Jade. I don't understand why you're doing all these things you're doing; but if you love Arendelle, you would stop venting whatever you are angry about on innocent people," she said quietly. Is Jade really just hurting inside herself or something? I don't know…
"You hurt innocent people yourself, Queen Elsa," Jade spat. "Don't try to paint yourself in an oh-so-perfect light. You did nothing wrong, per se…you're just not willing to go the distance for this country. It's your father I have the vendetta with. You just happen to be a side casualty because I need your powers. I don't care what happens to you or what you do after I get what I need from you." Jade paused as she marched right up to Elsa and stared her right in the face.
I'm not perfect, not by far, but I did not hurt innocent people on purpose… Elsa refused to flinch or back down even though she felt terrified. What was she supposed to do? She wished someone else in the castle would hear what was going on and come help her and Anikka. You want someone to hear you, Elsa, then you scream, a little voice told her. "Jade, if you don't leave, I am going to summon someone here to help me," she warned.
Jade ignored her. "I want to get rid of your horrible idiot of a father," she hissed. "It's his fault my parents are dead! You were just a little eight-year-old kid then. I don't blame you for that. It's your stupid parents!" Why did I tell Elsa that?! Now she has far too much information about me and exactly what I want…this girl might be injured and traumatized, but she is definitely not stupid.
Now Elsa screamed at the top of her lungs. She would not put up with this any longer. Someone please hear me. Please.
Anikka was still curled up inside the scaled-down ice palace when she heard the older girl's screaming. For someone she had almost always heard speak in a quiet voice, albeit one that said 'listen to me', Anikka thought Elsa screamed awfully loud. And she wasn't squealing in that high-pitched, hurt-your-ears voice, either. Elsa was just loud. Anikka was sure everyone in the castle had to be able to hear her.
And then she heard ice crackling loudly, a pained yelp, and then all the noise abruptly ceased. Anikka twisted herself around so she could peek outside of the tiny ice palace. (Even for five-year-old Anikka, being inside Elsa's scaled-down ice palace was a very tight fit. It was more like a very large dollhouse than child-sized.) Anikka hesitated. Elsa had told her to stay hidden somewhere safe. But she could see Elsa lying on the floor right outside her icy hiding place. What if that bad Jade girl hurt Elsa again? Elsa was trying her best to block the entrance, but now she wasn't moving.
Anikka was still thinking when she heard a door burst open and footsteps come running into the room. Then two-maybe three?-voices ordering Jade to leave.
"I need her powers!" Jade exclaimed now. She backed away from the two other people in the room who she knew were only too eager to capture her. What do I do? "I…either you attempt to capture me or you help that queen of yours," she announced her ultimatum. Jade still had power crystals; while they didn't hurt Elsa if used on her directly, they would definitely affect the others. Jade decided she would rather avoid being captured than risk bothering with this whole situation anymore. She could always come back. Jade had most definitely not expected Elsa to start screaming like that, of all things. Well, I have to admit she's smart. I didn't think Elsa would be any trouble at all when she can't even use her hands. Elsa's pretty resourceful…she needs to be completely neutralized. I think in some ways she's more dangerous than her dad…what to do, what to do…
Elsa lay on the ice-covered floor where she had fallen, but she wasn't completely unconscious. Gerda, Kai…please leave me. Just capture Jade and then bother with me. She still wasn't entirely sure what had happened; just that one moment she was screaming and the next she couldn't put any weight on her right foot and immediately fell and hit her head hard on something.
Both Gerda and Kai hesitated for less than a second before turning their focus to Elsa. Somehow it seemed far more important to take care of Elsa than to capture that Jade person.
Jade grinned and slipped out the window. That had been exactly what she assumed and hoped would happen.
"Don't pick her up yet. We don't know what happened to her," Gerda told Kai. "She could have hurt her spine or something…Miss Elsa? Can you hear me?" Gerda smiled in relief when Elsa gave the slightest of nods, even though she made no effort to open her eyes. "All right, can you move your toes, Miss Elsa?"
"Mmhmm," Elsa mumbled. "Gerda…I didn't hurt my back…" She slowly blinked up at Gerda and immediately shut her eyes again against the light; although she did feel completely conscious again. "My right ankle hurts. I think I fell and hit my head," she explained finally.
Gerda quickly and gently scooped Elsa up and carried her back to bed. "Anikka, it's safe to come out now. Miss Elsa, why didn't you tell someone to stay with you? Now you're hurt again, on top of everything else from before," she scolded. Gerda fluffed Elsa's pillows; then frowned when she actually looked at the girl's foot and ankle. "Kai, fetch the doctor. Again. Miss Elsa, you had better hope your sister finds or has found a power crystal that can heal you. At least partly," she said briskly.
Elsa made no reply to that. "Is Anikka okay?" she asked. As long as I managed to keep Anikka safe, I don't care. I can deal with it hurting like that.
Gerda's expression softened at that. "She's perfectly fine. How couldn't she be? You were blocking where she was hiding," she told Elsa. "Just rest quietly, Miss Elsa. You shouldn't have been trying to fight on your own like that."
Elsa winced as she shifted uncomfortably in a futile effort to find a more comfortable position for her ankle. Well, at least I didn't land on that shoulder anyhow. That's good. I just want Anna back home safe whether she found something to fix me or not. She's far more important than I am.
"I would suggest keeping her sedated for awhile," Raske told Gerda a short while later. "I know she doesn't like taking any sort of medicine, but she needs to rest, even if it's forced. Give her another dose in three to four hours. I know Queen Elsa well enough to be quite sure she will try to get up the second she wakes up. Do not let her put any weight on that ankle at all. She will just have to stay in bed and that's that."
"No concussion?" Gerda asked in concern. "I know she hit her head when she fell."
"Surprisingly not. She will probably have a severe headache when she wakes up, though." The doctor paused before continuing, "I know all of us are grateful for what she's done for Arendelle, but she simply cannot do any work of any kind whatsoever. She needs to rest. Her body can't put up with being abused like this forever. Also…off the record…if you'll pardon my saying so, she's been traumatized repeatedly in one way or another almost her whole life. She may easily deal with physical pain, but she's still going to feel hurt on the inside that someone purposely hurt her. Just…please watch her and take care of her. Somehow she still seems like the little girl I saw over thirteen years ago. She's just excessively mature in other ways."
Gerda gave Elsa a concerned look. Elsa may have been the queen, but she was nearly a daughter to Gerda. I saw Elsa grow up. She may seem like the little girl from thirteen years ago, but she's not. Eight-year-old Elsa wasn't traumatized like present-day Elsa is. Elsa is getting better...or she was until someone did this to her...but still. Gerda remembered Elsa getting all upset the day before because she hadn't been wearing her brace, and decided to take the liberty of asking the doctor about it. "Miss Elsa became rather upset yesterday when she realized she wasn't wearing her brace. I think she was frightened of being trapped somewhere unable to stand up again," Gerda said carefully, wanting to hear Raske's response.
"Normal reaction," Raske told Gerda. "Especially from someone like Queen Elsa, who already had a history of psychological issues. She'll be fine. Since she does genuinely need a brace to stand up or walk, don't worry about it. Just keep reminding her that she is indeed safe at home and that she doesn't have to wear it all the time. That way you're helping her but not bothering her about it."
When Gerda didn't say anything and just sat down next to Elsa, the doctor added, "Really, she's adjusted well to losing her ability to run and such. Much better than some children far younger than she is have to things like that."
Gerda shook her head. "That's because she has the two-three depending on how you count them-things she always wanted most: a family that loves her, to be able to control her powers...and just to be accepted exactly as she is. That being said, I know Miss Elsa is still sensitive inside, which is why the princess hurting her affected her so much. Goodness, this is none of my business. I highly doubt Miss Elsa would want me to say such things..."
Raske frowned and gave a dry chuckle. "You do know I already knew those things about our queen, I daresay," he said quietly. "I know she is more than capable to be our reigning monarch and I respect her as such, but I also know there is a part of her that was never able to grow up properly. That doesn't affect her ability to govern Arendelle, but it does affect her ability to deal with her emotions. That also is at least part of what made her want only a couple simple things all her life."
Those things are what gave Elsa the little hope she did have when she was younger...once she lost that hope, she had nothing left. I remember finding her sitting on the floor in her room in the middle of an icy mess trying to slice her wrist...if Anna hadn't realized what she was doing... Gerda gently brushed a wisp of hair away from Elsa's sleeping face and finally just said, "Thank you, Sir Raske. That will be all for now."
Anikka curled up in a ball next to Elsa, who was fast asleep now. "Elsa need love. Elsa love ev'ryone. Ev'ryone oughta love Elsa too," she announced.
"Dad, I'm looking for a power crystal that will help Elsa," Anna repeated for the umpteenth time as she pawed through a small pile of power crystals she'd found on the ground in that cave. "I can't tell which ones are which!"
"Anna, come along now. There is someone coming. Just grab the whole pile and come!" Agdar whispered frantically.
Anna finally grabbed four different crystals she thought might be the right one-they were all shades of yellow-and ducked into the shadows with her father as footsteps came closer. She clapped a hand over her mouth when the someone came into view. It's stupid Hans! What on earth is he doing here?!
"He doesn't like warm hugs," Olaf announced.
Agdar and Anna figuratively froze for a split second; and then Agdar shoved Anna in front of him. "Run! Just run!" he shouted.
Hans was left standing in shocked surprise at the figures dashing out of sight.
Outside the cave, Anna ran right into someone else, who turned out to be Espen. "Princess Anna, I can tell you which crystals you have," he whispered, and yanked her behind a rock. "Electricity. Light. Healing. Not sure what this one is," he said, pointing to the fourth one. "The light one is really weak-it's pretty much a magic lantern or lamp and that's about it. I'm guessing you wanted the healing one…I'd use it for the most serious injuries first. Because it will give out." He jumped up and started to run off, but Anna grabbed his arm.
"Why should I believe you? You're Jade's brother," Anna hissed. "You might be lying to me!"
"Ask your sister. I tried to help her before. After Jade burned her hands. Look, Jade's my sister…I agree with some of her goals, but not the stuff she's doing. She's hurting a lot of innocent people, including you and the queen…just…yeah. I need to go." Espen ran off, leaving a very surprised Anna behind.
"I don't trust him, but I think he's telling the truth," Anna said finally.
A/N: Next chapter coming soon!:)
