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Elsa's Stress

(A/N: Second one up today.)

Elsa sent for Jekyll immediately. She hadn't taken half-way measures with an ice pigeon. She'd created a team of horses made of ice and snow, and a sleigh of the same, and she'd mounted and ridden it as fast and far as she could. The world below had passed in a blur… She had never known she could move as quickly as this… She had reached Scotland in a matter of hours, if that, and she had found Jekyll alone in his hotel room. She'd almost given the poor man a heart attack when he looked out his window to see her in a shroud of snow. Upon recognizing her he immediately let her in and asked her what was wrong. She'd said three simple words and that had been it.

The Black Death

He'd mounted the carriage with her without further question. They'd torn across the sky, and only then had he pressed for details… So she'd told him… He'd never know how grateful she was that he sat there so calmly like nothing at all was wrong and like everything would be okay…

They landed in front of Anna's home. Jekyll had disembarked. He'd gone to the door. He'd faltered… Elsa's heart had dropped into the pit of her stomach. In that brief moment she had seen terror in the eyes of the doctor. Terror unlike any she'd seen in him before even when it came to Hyde. "Doctor?" she'd fearfully asked. "Wh-what do you need? The… the 'costume'?"

Jekyll was silent. "I doubt very much the… costume… did anything for those men in the end… And if it did, the protection it offered was as minimal as could be. They believed in a miasma theory," he said.

"Diseases can be transferred through the air. They weren't entirely wrong in that respect in that case, were they?" she uneasily asked.

Jekyll was silent. "The costumes did little to prevent airborne illnesses," he finally said. "The protection the costumes offered wasn't protection from that."

"But it maybe, however unlikely, offered something," Elsa said. "It covered them wholly, didn't it? No chance of contact with bodily fluids or blood, right?"

Silence again. "Get me the costume," he finally said. He started as in about a second he was decked out in a costume of ice. He looked himself over in vague surprise, then turned to Elsa who looked near tears.

"Help her," the queen pled, voice breaking.

Jekyll was still. "Go home, Elsa," he finally said. "When I have news, I will send it to you. But go home." It seemed initially that Elsa was going to do no such thing, but all at once she turned on her heel and walked swiftly away not once looking back. He watched after her until she was out of sight, then turned back to the house. After a moment he walked into it with his cane at his side. He had never been gladder for the fashion statement than he was right now. He removed the mask though, so he wouldn't frighten Anna if she was still in good condition. He went to her room and tapped gently on the door. "Princess Anna?" he said.

"Doctor? Is that you?" she asked. She sounded weak and tired…

"It is," Jekyll confirmed. "May I come in?"

"Do you dare?" she asked with a tight laugh.

"It is my duty," he answered.

"If you want to risk it, that's your choice," Anna replied.

Jekyll took a breath then entered the room. He paused immediately on seeing her. She was pale, sweating, and looked feverish. "How long since you left China?" he asked.

"Six or seven days I think?" Anna replied. Jekyll's jaw tightened a bit. It was a lengthy trip from China to Norway, which would generally be promising, except there was no guarantee she had been in China still when she'd become infected. If she had been bitten by a flea, or if someone infected had been on the same train or the same boat… An infected person began to show symptoms two to six days after exposure. She was still very likely within the time frame.

"Are you having trouble breathing?" he asked. Anna swallowed and nodded, clenching her teeth and closing her eyes tightly. She began to cough. Jekyll slipped on the mask. He had told Elsa it probably wouldn't make a difference, and it probably wouldn't, but he would take slim chances over no chances. With luck it wasn't pneumonic, and thus not transferable by air. However, one could still catch it via direct contact with someone infected. That didn't bode well for her husband and child. It was rare it spread easily from human to human, however, which was promising for her husband and baby he hoped; yet there was still a risk it was pneumonic after all. This costume wouldn't likely protect him from that. It would protect him from contracting the disease via direct contact, though, more likely than not. He didn't plan on making any direct contact one way or another, however. He hated himself for putting on the mask when Anna saw what he was wearing and a terrified and nervous look crossed her features. "Don't be frightened," he assured. "I would happily remove this mask at least. I doubt it does anything to protect me from anything airborne, but…"

"But if there's a chance it offers even an inkling of protection after all, it's safer you wear it," she quietly said.

He was quiet. "Yes," he finally admitted. "Now, I'm going to ask you some questions and conduct a brief investigation, and I'm going to stay by you and monitor you for a while until we're sure this is passed, alright? I won't stay in the house, necessarily, but I will come regularly."

"Don't let Kristoff or Gerda back," she said.

"Of course not, my dear, of course not," he replied.

Frozen

The dark pigeon arrived at the palace as she was getting ready for bed, tearful and extremely stressed over everything that was happening. She was startled to see it and unsure of where it came from. It had seen her in the process of undressing, stilled a moment, then moved away from the window to preen itself elsewhere not far off. Puzzled, she finished getting into her nightgown and let out her hair, brushing it. In a few minutes the bird returned and flew right inside to the night table, startling her. She blinked at it. A letter canister was tied to its leg. After a moment she reached out, taking the canister off the leg. She scanned it in silence, taking in the words, then read it again from the start in more detail to make sure she hadn't missed anything written in it.

"Menw… This is an interesting way to let yourself in, and vaguely unsettling. You could have landed outside, transformed into a man again, and entered legitimately instead of flying into my room at night when it should have been obvious that I was getting ready," she said in a chastising and unimpressed tone, giving the bird a look. The bird paused its preening to give her a look straight back that seemed borderline disdainful. After a moment it flew towards the window and landed before turning into a man again, sitting on said windowsill and looking vaguely put out.

"My lady, you are a damn sight more lovely than most any woman I have seen before, but do not flatter thineself to think thou art worth my emulating the disrespect and dishonor Lancelot showed t'ward Arthur. To many other men perhaps, but not to me. I have seen first hand the damage that did. That said, I am aware I have far overstepped my boundaries and could in fact be put to death without question for even thinking to be in a married woman's room late at night when her husband is gone away. For that offense I apologize most profusely, but it was an urgent matter for reasons we would rather not get into right now. Happening to run into Soredamer along the way would have slowed the process down immensely. Now if you would please determine what to do with the information you have read. If I must yet fly a great distance more, I would just as soon leave as quickly as possible."

"You come here late at night and expect me to allow you to go without properly resting? How many hours have you travelled, Menw?" she replied, secretly glad for the distraction he'd brought with him. "I'm too tired to answer tonight, and I doubt you'll go anywhere without further messages to bring so you're stuck here, I'm afraid. You might as well take the time to rest and get comfortable. Not in here."

"That goes without saying, my lady," he replied, bowing to her. He had grievously overstepped his boundaries as was, but then he'd never really fully adjusted to proper social etiquettes and constructs even in his own time let alone this one. For reasons.

"I'll forgive you this offense this time, but do not enter my room again without permission," Elsa stated, still a little bitter at the intrusion but again, still honestly glad for the distraction.

"My lady," he answered, bowing once more.

She approached the window and looked out. "That wing of the castle over there is where the guest rooms are. Choose whatever suits you, rest, then tomorrow I will see you in the library in private at nine o'clock sharp. Enter by way of bird or rodent then, if you are so determined to avoid reminiscing with Soredamer," she said, pointing the wing out to him.

"My lady," he replied, again bowing. He straightened up. "The physician disappeared earlier in the night. We know not where he is."

"He is here with us. I… needed him for something," she replied. He raised a curious eyebrow. "It's nothing I will trouble you and your companions with, Sir Menw. This is my problem to address." He didn't push. Instead he transformed and flew away to the castle wing she'd pointed out. She watched after him, mystified as to what reason he could have possibly had for showing up in her bedroom unannounced in the dead of night. He couldn't have been that oblivious to what was decent and respectful and what wasn't. Maybe she should probe Soredamer as to that man's nature, but not tonight.

Elsa returned to her bed and crawled under the covers before settling in to read the letter Menw had brought a third time. It was from Lot. It was descriptive and yet somehow vague. The cut and dry was it was a proposition of trade and an inquiry as to whether she herself had trade connections with the Middle East or the Asia's that might be open to a similar proposition. It was confusing because was Lot even in any sort of position or situation where he could afford a trade? That he would even suggest such a thing seemed like a large and risky gamble, but at the same time it would be entirely unlikely of him to make a promise or proposition he couldn't hold to. This implied that there was some sort of plot in the works that he wasn't telling her about. That raised a slew of other questions that she would be wise to ask in audience with Menw tomorrow. She sighed, laying the letter down and massaging her temples. It was one thing after another here… First Hans, now Anna, now the Black Death, now this… She just wanted it to all end… On top of all her other worries making her sick to the stomach, tomorrow she also needed to put her finishing touches on the draft of her pledge to Norway and kind thanks to Sweden for showing interest in Arendelle, along with her apology that the arrangement offered by the Swedes would not be the arrangement she opted into. Gods have mercy on her mental state. She sniffed, feeling her eyes burn with tears, then lay down in bed and blew out the candle before falling into a restless sleep…

Frozen

The next morning found Elsa at a desk in the library carefully penning her letters to Norway and Sweden, hypervigilant for any possible confrontational language. She had sent to the King of Scotland, pleading for her husband's return, and she dreaded to receive the answer. Somewhere inside her she knew what it would be. A resounding no… It always was… She was more than a little grateful for Soredamer's company and support through all of this. Soredamer was offering advice every so often but was otherwise silent, reading books and sipping at tea. "What is Menw's nature?" Elsa asked.

"What a strange question," Soredamer replied, looking over at her in confusion.

"When I saw him last, he seemed very… uninformed of proper social convention," Elsa said, careful not to tell Soredamer she'd seen him only last night. "He once flew into my room in the dead of night while I was dressing, then flew away upon seeing what I was doing before coming back once more."

"Oh… That," Soredamer said like suddenly it all made sense to her. It probably did too, but Elsa was still in the dark. "Menw's story is… interesting, to say the least. You see no one really knows whether Menw was, well, born human. Theories were commonplace around whether or not he was natural born bird, beast, fish, or whatever else."

Elsa started, stopping dead in her writing and looking quickly over in shock. "Excuse me?" she said.

Soredamer nodded. "When Arthur first met Menw, he met him as a dog, for some context, and to make a long story short it was ultimately never stated by Menw what he actually was. His lack of understanding of human boundaries and oftentimes logic gave rise to rumors he had not been naturally born human. Others said he had been born human but as an infant had been taken in by animals and so was raised as beast rather than man. Stories differed on whether the animals were of a magical variety or whether the fae turned him into what the animals were so he would fit in with them," she said.

"So that means…?" Elsa pressed.

"That he would have thought literally nothing of flying into your room even if you'd been stark naked," Soredamer stated, shrugging. "It might have clicked after a moment how unbecoming and offensive it was, but it wouldn't have been on his mind at first. He would have left more because he remembered that doing such a thing was considered improper by human thinking, not because he himself necessarily understands why that is. That is to say he would have understood it after the fact, he learned these things as he came into himself you see, but he wouldn't have agreed with the logic behind it necessarily. When a dog accompanies you to the chamber pot or to a bath and sits there watching you, does it see anything embarrassing or awkward about it? No! It just wants to be close to its master. If a bird catches you skinny dipping in a lake, what does it care? You're just another creature as far as its concerned, and a frightening one at that."

"That's unbelievable," Elsa said in disbelief, eyes wide. "I've never heard of such a thing!"

"In the end whether Menw was natural born animal, raised by beasts over men, or even simply identified more with the animals of the earth than the humans, it all led to the same thing," Soredamer said. "The court didn't care. He had proven himself more human than some humans, whether he too was human or not by birth. He was just one of them, in the end, and they treated him as such not caring for the truth of his origins when all was said and done. How is your letter to Norway and Sweden coming?"

"I think I've covered myself in every feasible way and then some," Elsa said, handing the letter over for Soredamer to read through. After this there was the matter of Lot, then when Jekyll returned, she needed answers about Anna's state… She grimaced, feeling a headache creeping up, and tried to focus on one thing at a time. Which was impossible given her baby sister was dying and her husband was… was awaiting execution…

"It seems respectful, not confrontational or accusing at all," Soredamer said.

"I'm hoping your right. Norway and Sweden are friendly with one another ultimately, so the odds are this will go off without a hitch. At least that's the plan," Elsa said. "With luck Sweden simply concedes and lets it go. I'm hoping to foster that feeling in them with my words."

"I think you've done fine," Soredamer said, handing it back.

"Thank you," Elsa said, taking it and scanning it again. "Anyway, I have a meeting here shortly. If you wouldn't mind?"

"Of course. Good luck, your majesty," Soredamer said, standing and leaving with a curtsy.

Frozen

Elsa watched after Soredamer as she left, shutting the library door behind her. After a moment she heard squeaking and looked quickly over. She spotted a rat creeping out of a hiding spot and frowned a bit, raising her hand to freeze it before stopping herself. Rats could never have gotten this far in so easily… She lowered her hand once more. "Menw?" she said. After a moment the rat transformed into a man. Elsa inwardly winced. "How long have you been here?" she asked.

"I entered as you were discussing your letter with Sora," he replied.

"Please, take a seat," Elsa said. "I have questions about this venture Lot's hinting at, as you can probably imagine."

"I wish I understood it well enough to answer them, my lady," he replied, sitting. "The gist of it is that as long as Lot is masquerading as a noble, he needs to be able to back his claims. He and Dinadan formed some sort of elaborate plot involving Dinadan's golden tongue and Lot's political prowess to start building a foundation of powerful political and economic connections, which a Duke of course needs in his everyday life. Tell a lie enough times, eventually it may become the truth. That is the basis of their planning, as far as I've been able to tell. Dinadan's merchant's eye has seen a way to back the claim with tangible evidence. Some sort of plan to form their own standalone economy. Lot has a base of operations in the Orkney Islands, he has the memory of the city that once existed on the island upon which his home castle sits, and he and Dinadan have a shared vision. With their two drives combined, I personally have little doubt they'll actually succeed at it too. It begins with building connections and finding a supplier for Dinadan to use to push merchandise; exotic goods and the like. It also involved real estate for some reason or other. I didn't go into the details and they were cryptic about it."

"Build his own economy?" Elsa asked in disbelief.

"Every great city was founded by someone or something," Menw answered.

"That's incredible… Either he's totally out of his mind, or he's stumbled on something greater than we can even imagine at this state," Elsa said.

"I opt for totally out of his mind, but then he's pulled off some extraordinarily amazing feats before. The foundation for any nation is trade. Exotic goods sell for high profit in Britain. Suppliers in the Middle East and Asia would turn them a fat profit almost immediately. Add to that the potential for trade partners in Arendelle, the Isles, and perhaps their own allies, and they already have a strong foundation in their corner upon which to build an economy," Menw said. "More than that I couldn't say. It would be more Lot and Dinadan's matter to discuss than mine. Think about it, my lady. I still have this same message to deliver to King Caleb. If you'd like I'll leave you alone with your thoughts a while so you can determine what to do; then I'll come back to collect whatever response you may decide on."

"I'll write to Sultan Ali of Agrabah," Elsa said. "I'm sure I can convince him to open trade with Lot if I can at least somewhat explain what's going on and the reasons for all of it in the first place. It won't take both me and Caleb to convince him once he knows what it's for… It's for my husband? Isn't it?"

"It's for them," Menw said. "But that sense of normalcy, that sense of nostalgia, may indeed pacify Mordred for a while. And it would certainly make Lot's existence less… unusual to the royal parties involved in Scotland's welfare."

"A Duke no one's heard of appearing out of nowhere and building up a town for himself wouldn't be unusual?" she asked dryly.

"Royals are busy people. With some juggling it would be possible to convince the King of Scotland, should he stick his nose into things, that Lot is simply a lesser-known Duke that maybe was granted a title by the man's predecessor or by the King himself. I doubt royalty remembers every single royal title they've bestowed. And if Lot catches the man's eye, and we can convince the king nothing is out of the ordinary, it could benefit us all greatly. There are over seventy islands in the archipelago that is Orkney. Only a fraction of them are inhabited, as far as anyone knows. His palace is situated on an island that supposedly isn't, as is the ruined town that once existed on its soil. Likely other ruined towns on others that no one has yet discovered. His purchasing islands that seem to otherwise be worthless, and subsequently developing them, could well go totally unnoticed, aside from initial purchase of said islands," Menw said.

"This seems absolutely mad," Elsa said with a sigh, sitting down.

"Because it is," Menw replied. "But all towns started somewhere with someone first building up a settlement and thusly founding it. It doesn't have to even be a process that takes many years to get a foothold. What really would he need? Housing, some businesses, suppliers, purchasers, trade partners."

"Necessities would be food and water," Elsa said.

"Hunters, gatherers, farmers, cultivators," Menw said. "Dig some wells, tap into the fresh water supplies, and those matters are tended. The base of a city was already once there, so obviously they have all of that on hand."

"Add in a food market or two and you're well to do," Elsa said, nodding. "Or buy directly from those supplying. Hunters could sell meat, gatherers and farmers could sell their produce."

"If they can stock themselves, all the better, but they would not always need to with the added benefit of trade routes," Menw said. "Ships back and forth from the mainland, or from Arendelle and the Islands and this Agrabah you speak of. Fine cloths, exotic spices, food… The more tradesmen that can be convinced to take the plunge the better. Dinadan is persuasive. He'll manage it well enough. How long, really, to set all that up?"

"It would depend. With Arendelle? Not long at all," Elsa said. "The Isles I'm not so sure. They're experiencing a period of contention with Scotland."

"But they're willing to go under the table just as we are," Menw said. "Why should they go through Scotland at all if they can easily enough sneak under the radar?"

"I won't condone such dishonesty," Elsa seriously replied.

"You won't need to. Only they will," Menw answered.

"And I just turn a blind eye?" Elsa asked.

"You don't even know for sure if the Southern Isles will agree. You'll never have to know, really, whether or not they agreed to help us. It isn't Arendelle's business," Menw said. "Though your lands are allies, you hardly micromanage each others' trading partners, do you?"

Elsa shook her head at him. He was right, though. She wouldn't know one way or another what Caleb had chosen to do if no one spoke of it. And even if she brought the point up, it wouldn't matter. The Princes of the Southern Isles were the princes of deceit also. If they didn't want something known, it wouldn't be known.

"I'll write to Agrabah and put forward this pitch for trade," she said. "But Orkney is under Scottish jurisdiction; it isn't a monarchy anymore, Menw. Agrabah has an honest ruler who will want to go through Scotland, so it may land on the Scottish King's shoulders whether such a deal goes through."

"Then you write nothing at all to the Sultan of Agrabah. Leave the matter to the deceivers more inclined to underhanded and corrupt methods," Menw said.

"I had given the Knights of the Round Table more credit towards honor than this," Elsa said.

"The Knights of the Round Table are no more," Menw stated a bit sadly. "Nevertheless, rest assured that as soon as this can all be legitimized, it will be. Lot is not generally inclined to such dishonesty and is far from thrilled that this is what needs to be done. Yet it is."

"But it isn't. He hasn't explored every option," she said.

"Maybe not, but the man is just underhanded enough that he can be convinced to bend the rules if it means a faster route to reaching his goals," Menw replied. "Sometimes it is costly, but in this instance I'm not so sure that will be the case. We have nothing to lose, Elsa, and everything to gain," Menw said. "The distraction of helping his father build a miniature empire will also be key to distracting Mordred from other matters… He was speaking to a man just the other day. A man who, when I came upon them, seemed to be playing with his mind. Jekyll states in a good deal of concern that it was likely a certain 'Mr. Hyde' and that Mordred should not be let out of our sight for the rest of our stay on the mainland."

Elsa was silent at this. "Go," she finally said. "I will write to the Sultan, and if he doesn't ask the right questions, I won't give him the details."

"Should he write the correct questions?" Menw asked.

"I'll refer him to Caleb claiming Caleb knows more of it than I do," Elsa replied. "Now secure your trade connection with the Southern Isles. You have Arendelle's. Lot can write up the agreement and send it to me whenever he so chooses to. Now I have a letter to Norway and Sweden to finish up before I tackle court. And a million other things."

"You shouldn't be straining yourself," Menw cautioned.

"I know," she said with a sigh. "But Hans is…" She trailed off. "Hans isn't here right now to offer his helping hand, and I don't want to disturb Anna. I would give the task to Soredamer, except no one knows who she is and as far as is being assumed, she's a mere lady's maid who should have no say in the court of Arendelle."

"Have Kai receive the grievances in written form and submitted to the attention of you, then have them pass Soredamer's eyes rather than dealing with them in person for yourself. It will greatly cut down your stress and help ensure the safe delivery of your child," Menw said.

"Where is this all coming from?" Elsa asked.

"There were enough childbirths in the Round Table for me to understand how bad stress can be for a pregnancy. Especially when one is so close to a due date," Menw said.

"I've done that already and will continue to," she replied. "Travel safely, Menw."

"My Lady," he answered, bowing to her before taking on the form of a bird and flying out the window. It was about time he visited the Isles anyway. He still had an obligation to Lars to help him better control and manage his shape-shifting. Elsa watched after him and winced. Maybe she should have told him what was going on with Hans after all? But they had so much to do for themselves, and on top of that the whole situation with the boy Mordred… Maybe telling them about Hans would only put Hans in more danger at that rate. She sniffed and sank down in a chair. She felt tears stinging her eyes. She let them come freely this time. She couldn't hold them back anymore. She just wanted to cry…

Frozen

Jekyll stared at the black and swollen node in grim silence, moving Anna's arm with his cane from a distance. Dammit… He sighed through the nose, and if he wasn't wearing the damnable mask, he would have pinched the bridge of it and massaged it a bit. He closed his eyes and shook his head. "Dammit," he whispered out loud.

"Doctor?" Anna's weak voice asked, strained and painful.

Jekyll forced a smile. "Shh… Rest, my dear," he assured. She began to cough again and he grimaced, putting a little more distance between them. "Rest," he repeated again. She soon was still, and he left the room immediately, shutting the door behind him and leaving the house rapidly. He pulled off the mask and breathed in the fresh outside air. He grimaced. What was he supposed to do…? Maybe there were medicines that perhaps could make a difference. He had to try something! For gods' sakes, on average there was twenty-four hours to forty-eight hours after the first symptom appeared before death occurred in the average patient! Untreated, she was doomed unless by virtue of a miracle!

There was nothing he could do…

He let out a shuddering breath, sinking down against the door. "Dr. Jekyll, is it true that there has been a case of plague?" a worried woman asked, lingering nearby. She wasn't the only one. Rumors spread quickly in this little town. He had been asked multiple times about it.

"There is nothing to fear," Jekyll replied. "Everything is under complete control. You needn't worry," he said with a sigh, standing up wearily. "Just… give this home a wide berth for a little while, if you please. There is no guarantee it is plague." A blatant lie, but it did the job to stop potential panic. People uneasily drifted away, but they'd taken him at his word.

"Doctor, what is the verdict?" a voice asked. Jekyll turned. Kai was there with Gerda. He had been the one to ask, looking very worried.

"Be with the queen, dear Kai and sweet Gerda. Just be with her," Jekyll answered. "Things will be… difficult for her right now." More than difficult. She'd told him what had happened to Hans and her despair and panic over that… She'd frantically been writing to the Scottish King's vassal pleading her husband's case, but the man turned a deaf ear to her and had on more than one occasion called her stupid and foolish for thinking he would be swayed to return her husband to her alive.

"Will Anna live or die?" Gerda asked.

"There is… a chance she will live," Jekyll said.

"But not a large one," Gerda realized solemnly.

Jekyll was quiet. "There is a very miniscule chance she will live," he amended. Silence.

"Elsa should know," Kai finally said. "If it comes on her suddenly and she has no time to prepare or say goodbye… She needs to know…"

"I know," Jekyll said in a whisper. He let out a breath and put on his top hat. "Let us be on our way."

Frozen

"There is nothing that I can do for Anna anymore," Jekyll seriously and solemnly stated to a broken-looking Kristoff and an utterly stunned Elsa. "The best that… that I can do… is try and make her last days as comfortable as possible… There is a chance that she will recover, I refuse to claim she is doomed when she isn't! But that chance is… very small."

"How small?" Kristoff hollowly asked.

"The… mortality rate is I believe seventy, maybe… maybe eighty or ninety… percent in cases of the plague," Jekyll said. Utter silence met his statement. Suddenly Elsa rose, devastated, and left, going to try and comprehend the truth in those words on her own. Kristoff sobbed, breaking down and sinking into a chair. Jekyll stood at his side, resting a comforting and grounding hand on his friend's shoulder.

Elsa entered her room, shutting the door behind her. She rested her head against it, teeth clenched, closed her eyes and began to silently sob as grief started to consume her; as it became more and more apparent the futility of her situation… She was going to lose her husband and sister both… She was going to lose the two people she loved the most in this world, and there was absolutely nothing that she could do about it…

"Queen Elsa, there is someone here to see you," Kai said.

"I will see no one," she replied hollowly.

"The man will not leave," Kai stated grimly. Elsa bristled, going silent. With those words she knew immediately who it would be… She blinked a few times rapidly, wiped her eyes, then turned and opened the door, leaving it silently and going to meet the 'man' who had come to her…

Frozen

"What do you think now, my queen?" Carabis asked. She could say nothing, only sat on her throne in silence, head bowed. "My poor, frightened girl," the troll cooed in false sympathy. "You know… I can make it better." She tensed a bit, but didn't respond. "I can restore your sister's health. I can save your husband's life."

Elsa was quiet. "The fae do nothing without price," she finally said in a whisper.

"No. We don't. And you will indeed do something for me in repayment for my saving your beloved and your sister," the troll stated.

Silence. "What price would you ask?" she finally questioned. Not because she was inclined to pay him any price, but… but just because if there was some sort of reasonable chance…

Carabis smirked darkly. "You will give yourself to me," he growled wickedly.

Elsa's eyes began to glitter angrily. She looked slowly, darkly up, fixing him with her icy cold and openly disgusted glare and scowl. "Get out," she said, voice shaking in rage. "I will not be your new Ice Maiden."

"The Ice Maiden never thought she would be either," he answered. "Funny, what love will drive people to do."

"Get out!" Elsa shouted, shooting from her chair and attacking full-force with her powers. He vanished into thin air before the attacks could land. "I'll find another way to save my husband and sister," she hissed in hatred and disgust. He had won the Ice Maiden as his little pet once upon a time, his pretty little slave. She would not give in as the Maiden had. She would solve this herself just as they'd solved the Ice Maiden's problems as well as their own during that whole sordid incident…

A sudden pain went through her abdomen and she sucked in a sharp breath, arms quickly covering the baby bump. She gasped a bit, stiffening. That… wasn't supposed to happen. Pale, she swallowed nervously and looked down at her pregnant belly in concern. That wasn't supposed to happen… Tears threatened her eyes. She sucked in a sharp breath, looking quickly up again, then turned and walked swiftly away to rest. She needed to sleep. Sleep would give her time to destress a little bit. Stress wasn't good for the baby. Stress wasn't good for her baby…