So here is chapter seven! Thank you so much for all reviews and please don't forget to tell me what you think of this latest chapter! Share what you think will happen next (or what you hope for).
Thanks again for all support, it's mean more than I can say!
Chapter Seven: The Self Made Wreak
My eyelashes flutter. Dimly I feel consciousness returning with dizziness and constant trembling. I feel feverish, one moment burning hot, the next ice cold. Dimly I think I hear a voice, singing in a low, masculine voice. It's a nice tone to listen too, moderately deep and with a sharper edge to it.
I'm not going to let down on my goal
There must be a way to touch her soul
Something she is holding back
The warmer side I've always lacked
And who knows maybe there is a way a change
Out of temptation and out of rage
Who knows maybe there was a way to go
Before I ruined everything I know
Twenty five and a self made wreck
With nothing left in your deck
I played the game out of pride
Twisted, borrowed, bent and lied
I stepped out of line and now I pay the price
Things are never cheep on the dice
I listen, breathing deeply, finding the voice soothing, though the words are sad. He must notice that I have stirred for he breaks off after the second verse and says,' hello Queen Elsa.'
'Hi,' I say, blinking and opening my eyes only to met the green ones belonging to Hans. For a moment my brain is confused, then I ask,' where is everyone else?'
'Hunting to see if they can find whatever it was that stung you,' says Hans,' so we can know how to treat it, expect Haydn and I, he is just over by the other sleigh looking through the supplies.'
'Why are you still here?' I ask, lifting myself a little and finding I am curled up in the back seat of Kristoff's sleigh, while Hans is sitting atop the baggage at the back.
'Someone had to stay with you and they didn't trust me to wonder off,' he says,' so Haydn and I stayed. Please lie down, you have a fervour.'
I relax back against the cushion placed under my head and ask as I let my tired eyes shut for a moment to hopefully help the dizziness,' what were you singing?'
'It's an old Southern Isles song,' he says,' it's about a man who commented a crime and is trying to find repentance and the road home, I used to hate it, I still do, but differently.'
'I should think you liked it,' I murmur.
'It's a bit painful,' he says quietly, then breaks off,' but why are we talking about me? How are you feeling?'
'Hot, then cold. I'm never cold, not like this.' I open my eyes and look up at him.
His eyes are full of concern and he says in a rather soothing voice,' you'll be fine, we'll find out what's wrong and fix it.'
'You don't look like you are doing very much to that end,' I say, in a rather sharp tone.
He sighs slightly, apparently sorry that the hard tone has returned,' someone was supposed to stay with you,' he says.
'You might look through Kristoff's tool box while you are at it,' I say.
'And have my head bashed when he finds out? No thank you!'
'Kristoff doesn't bash heads, he is a softy at heart.'
'Not toward me he is not and no I'm not complaining, just stating a fact.'
'Well, if he finds out you went though the box tell him I told you too.'
Hans swings his legs off the sleigh and taking out Kristoff's tool box begins to fish through it. I lie back, looking up at the swimming sky, the snow flakes fly and catch on my lashes, their activity makes me feel more giddy than before. My sight goes more and more wild, till the whole sky is a mass of blurred white and blue. I shut my eyes, suddenly scared. I want Anna and reach out a hand.
'Hans,' I say.
'Queen Elsa?'
'Where are you?' I reach out my fingers and feel his hands close over them.
'Right here,' he says, his tone rather bewildered.
'I want Anna,' I say,' where is she?'
He pauses a moment,' I don't really know,' he admits,' I'm sure she'll be back soon.'
I open my eyes again and see some of the spinning has stopped. I glance at Hans,' your hands are freezing,' I say.
'I think that's your fervour talking,' he says,' I don't feel cold.'
I shiver and feel my teeth are chattering.
'Would you like a blanket?' he asks.' There is one here that was covering the tool box.'
I nod my head and he lets go my hand and brings a blanket. I sit up and the world tips. His hand supports my shoulder,' here,' he hands me the blanket.
I slide it about my shoulders and drop back against the pillow. He looks at me with concern,' do you need anything else?' he asks.
'No,' I say, hugging myself and playing in a feverish manner with my hair.
'Right then,' he slips down from the sleigh and resumes looking over Kristoff's tool box. Moments later he hitches himself back onto the baggage,' nothing in there,' he says,' and Haydn is going through the rest.'
I take a sharp breath, dizziness waves in on me again and I shut my eyes. After a pause I ask,' did I faint?'
'Yes you did,' he says,' Bulda said you should stay lying down to avoid a replay.'
'Do we have any fruit?' I ask abruptly.
'Yes, we have some apples, do you want?'
'I think it might do me good.'
'I'll get you one.'
He leans over in the sleigh to reach for the apple. I open my eyes as he hands it over. Red and wet it looks good. The chain of his handcuff brushes my hand as he gives it to me and I remember the feel of cold steel attaching to the hand that caught me from falling. I glance at him. Half of me despises him, the other half... it's a conflict and I don't know what it is feeling. Either way I know my mood toward him has fluctuated a lot, from friendly to freezing cold.
'Thank you,' I say, taking the apple and liking the feel of the smooth surface beneath my fingers. I sit up a little, hitching the pillow up and leaning against it. For another moment I close my eyes, waiting for the dizzy wave caused by moving to wear off, then I take a bite of the apple.' These are nice,' I say,' why don't you have one?'
Hans smiles faintly,' you're being nice,' he says.
'You shared your coffee,' I say,' consider it a returned favour.'
'Okay, thank you,' he leans over and takes one up.' Mmm, these are good, we don't have ones like this in the Southern Isles.'
'Surely you have apples there?' I object.
'Yes, but not nearly this juicy, they always taste a little... dried up.'
'I could set up trade of them with the king,' I say,' after all we trade many things.'
Hans gives a slight laugh,' only on your suggestion,' he says,' papa hates apples, he won't think to bring them in.'
'What was that about papa?' asks Haydn, now coming up, with a bag in his hand,' oh, Queen Elsa, how are feeling?'
'Giddy,' I say,' but okay, any sign of some medicine?'
'Nothing, but the old cream and something in Kristoff's bag called," Ye great troll ointment," I'll be honest, I wouldn't trust anything with that name.'
'Me neither,' I admit,' sit down Haydn and have an apple while we wait for the others to get back, maybe one of them has found some herb that will help.'
Haydn does as directed, sitting in the front seat and looking over the back of it at Hans and I.' So what was that about dear old papa?' he asks his brother.
Hans swallows his piece of apple before responding,' just that he hates apples, any fruit really.'
Haydn laughs,' I think we and Baldwin are the only ones who didn't inherit that trait,' he says.
'And which is Baldwin?' I ask,' and now we come to it Haydn, Anna and I were wondering which number heir you are?'
'I'm eight in the family, four under me. Baldwin is the third eldest.'
I nod, but say no more. I am suddenly burning up again and my face feels flushed. I clench the apple a little tightly in one hand and with the other begin to fidget with my braid again.
The sound of boots on the snow makes me look up and I see Anna running toward me, with Bulda at her heels. Hans jumps down from the sleigh and Haydn, getting to his feet, asks at once,' found anything?'
'I think I have,' says Anna, her brow creased with worry. She hurries over to me,' Elsa,' she says sweetly leaning over me.' How are you feeling?'
'Anna,' I say, clutching her hand,' don't worry I'm fine.'
'I think I might have caught what stung you,' says Anna,' well not the exact thing, but one of it's kind. Did it look like this do you think?'
She holds out a glass bottle to me and I peer inside, where I see a small, red insect. It has large eyes and it's pointed tail is alight.
'I think it was,' I say,' what is it Anna?'
It's Bulda who answers, climbing up on the sleigh to see me,' it's a fire bug dear,' she tells me,' I don't think it's sting is agreeing with your powers.'
I feel a shock. That makes sense to me, it would match all the weird hot and cold I have been experiencing. I flex my fingers, my powers do feel weak and there was that blast I hit out before fainting, that was uncontrolled.' Can you do anything?' I ask Bulda.
'I have thought of a few things that might help,' she says,' but I can't be sure. I simply put together what I know of medicine with what Anna knows of your powers and maybe with a little added help from you we could manage something. I know a leaf that is marvellous for burns, maybe some of that on the sting would not go ill.'
I nod, trying to focus,' that sounds possible,' I say,' could we find it anywhere near here?'
'I'm sure we could, but it is a little rare and I'll just have to look a bit.'
I nod, then say to Haydn,' you and your brother go with and help Bulda, I'll stay here with Anna.'
Haydn nods and the three of them depart. Anna slides into a seat and gets my head on her lap. She soothes my hair,' you are going to be fine Elsa,' she assures me.
I smile up at her,' how can I not be,' I say,' with all of you rushing about so.'
It is not long before Olaf turns up, followed by Sitron. It seems he met up with Haydn and party and they told him to return to the sleigh. Sitron sits down, apparently tired, and begins to chew happily on an apple, thrown him by Anna.
Olaf flops onto the front set of the sleigh and declares that winter can be done with now, he wants summer again.
'Winter has loads to love though,' objects Anna,' woolly hats and warm, steaming meals.'
'And coffee,' I say sleepily.
'You always drink coffee,' Anna points out.
'But it's so much nicer in winter,' I say.
'I love coco,' murmurs Anna.
'With marshmallows in it,' muses Olaf.
'Or some cream,' Anna is getting dreamy.
Olaf licks all round his mouth,' heaped with sugar,' he says, gazing at the sky.
'With a fire pudding,' chimes in Anna again.
Olaf sits up with a jerk,' I need a marshmallow right now!' he declares, almost in a frenzy.
'We don't have any,' I point out.
Olaf grips his little stick fingers and gazes up at the stars,' I'm making a wish right now,' he says,' that Hans or... the other one, will have brought some!'
'Oh here are Kristoff and Sven!' cries Anna, abruptly breaking away from marshmallows and coco.
'I was told you found the insect Anna,' says Kristoff, beaming at her,' I met the others.'
'Yip,' says Anna,' come join us here and have an apple.'
Kristoff strolls over and drops into his accustomed seat, which extracts a yelp from Olaf.
'Those are my feet!' cries the snowman, while the ice man hurriedly jumps up again.
'Well what were you doing on my seat?' demands Kristoff.' Shift up!'
Olaf moves up with an offended air, but is perked in no time by Anna, who gives him an apple, while throwing one to her husband and a carrot to Sven.
It is about fifteen minutes before we hear the others returning. Bulda gets up on the sleigh and shows me that she has a whole leather beg of leaves.' These are the ones,' she says,' but, I'm thinking, Queen Elsa, wouldn't it be better for you to return home?'
'No,' I say, at once, sure someone had been going to suggest this,' if this... allergy is connected to my powers Pabbie is the one I need, besides, your people need help and there is no time to delay, we go on and directly.'
Bulda smiles at me,' you are a truly good, selfless queen,' she says.
I feel so deeply touched by her words, but feel they are not true of me,' no,' I say,' I'm not.'
'But you are.'
I look round and blink, because it was Hans who said the words,' you scarcely know me,' I object, but I meet the green eyes and see admiration in them. I look away, there is no expression I can give in response that would be it's equal.
Bulda places one of her leaves on my cheek, making it stick on with a touch of Kristoff's old cream. It at once soothes it and I feel some of the heat flood out of my face.
'That... that feels better,' I say,' thank you.'
She smiles and slips into the front seat of the sleigh. I am lying down so take up the whole back seat, which causes a slight seating problem. There is of course space for a forth person in the second sleigh, but to separate Bulda from Kristoff while she is going through so much seems cruel. In the end Anna makes space for her between Kristoff and herself, saying that they can chat about the new dish Bulda was going to teach her to cook. It's apparent that it's a recipe she must learn, for Kristoff almost starts drooling on the mere mention of it and we slide away in good state.
I grow drowsy and drop off to sleep, when I awake I see Anna is asleep with her head on her husband's shoulder, while Bulda is watching the road ahead. I sit up and look over the back of the sleigh to the one behind. Olaf is out of sight, apparently sleeping on the back chair. The two brothers are talking in low voices.
Haydn sees I am looking over and smiling, gives me a perky wave. I wave back and flop against my cushion before I can make awkward eye contact with Hans. I look up at the midnight sky and feel the cold breeze on my face, I am feeling much better, not so giddy or hot.
Bulda climbs over presently to change the herb and I sit up, making space for her on the seat. We ride on next to one another, talking in low voices, while we watch the moon. Anna stirs at last too and we four all talk, about anything that is jolly and will keep us going. Kristoff tells us a story about his early days in the ice business and we all laugh at a funny tale from Anna about how she once ate a whole chilli.
It is nearing four o clock, Kristoff says so from the stars, when we see the Valley of Living Rocks is in sight. That breaks off our discourse and we stop just outside it to alight. Haydn takes Sitron's bridle, while the poor horse backs, obviously scared. Sven starts to get excited on seeing his old home, but droops when he sees that both Kristoff and Bulda look sad and serious. Anna links an arm through her husband's and takes hold of one of Bulda's hands, while Olaf walks over to Sven and gives him a comforting pat.
Hans and I automatically glance at one another.
'Do you need a hand?' he asks,' or are feeling better?'
'Much better,' I say, though my head has begun to spin a little now I am on my feet,' you don't need to be concerned for me.'
'You'd be concerned if it were the other way about,' he says.
I look scornful,' don't fatter yourself,' I say.
'That was meant to your advantage Queen Elsa.'
'That wasn't meant to yours.'
He looks down, his face sad. The face of someone who has a wreckage behind and is regretting the turn of his life.
And suddenly I realise what my mixed feelings toward him are, they are sadness and pity!
More to come!
Please review, each one is so much enjoyed!
