The guards in the cabins didn't actually solve anything. If possible, they created more conflicts. Now shootings were frequent and more people would try to fight and rebel because of them. It became a weekly cycle, and it still scared poor Prince to death. He never could get used to it, and even in later years, he couldn't even touch a water gun. Elsa was upset that her son had to witness things like this at such a young age. But she couldn't do anything about it.
Though they stayed out of trouble, Anna, Kristoff, and Elsa were harassed more by the guards than anyone else was. For example, when one of them would polish the guards' shoes, the guards might kick them in the face intentionally. Once, Kristoff came to the cabin with a black eye and polish stains on his cheeks. Another time, Elsa had been trying to fix a leaky roof. The guards took the ladder away and set fire pits around the cabin she was working on so she couldn't use her powers to get down. She was stuck for three days straight until she slipped and fell off, breaking her arm and a rib in the process. And she still had to work the next day, pain or not. And there was a lot of pain. The guards were cruel, sometimes barely leaving any food for the ex-royal family. The only guard who was nice to them was Adam. He would help with the jobs, treat injuries and he cared for Prince to the best of his ability. He slowly became good friends with the family, even considered to be an uncle by Prince. Turns out he wasn't such a bad guy after all.
Speaking of Prince, the boy was growing up real fast. He was changing too. His hair went from being a whitish color to becoming more of a red color in the course of two years. His eyes went from royal blue to a brown color within three years. No one knew why. He also didn't inherit the ice powers his parents and brother had. His family was stumped trying to figure out why he changed like he did. Even Prince didn't know. From his second birthday on, it remained a mystery. Until, that is, he turned seven.
It began as a normal day. Prince woke up before anyone else, as usual. It was still dark, and he could see the northern lights from the window. He'd seen them before, but never that bright, and never up close. He had to show his mother. It would be a lie to say Prince was nothing like his aunt, which meant his method of waking Elsa up was to crawl on top of her shake her awake.
"Mamma!" He yelled in a whisper. "Mamma, wake up!" Elsa groaned, only half awake. Yep. Definitely like his aunt.
"Go back to sleep baby." Prince put all his weight on her side, which wasn't a lot because he was smaller than she was.
"But I can't. The sky is awake! It's super bright, and you're gonna miss it!" He whined. Elsa sighed and giggled. She sat up and put her arms around her little boy, hugging him close and tickling him. She sprinkled little kisses all over his cheeks and nose. Prince laughed.
"I love you sweetheart. But you really gotta stop hanging around Anna so much." Elsa told him, still holding him tight. Prince smiled and pointed to the window. Elsa looked and saw the most beautiful northern lights display she'd seen since before they moved to the camp. She thought of Jack, remembering how the guardians used the lights to signal a gathering. She figured it had to be pretty important for the lights to be that bright. She hoped everything was alright. She missed her husband and she really missed Chris. She tried not to think about her eldest son, who was probably eight by now, because she knew it would make her cry, something she didn't want to do in front of her younger son. Prince looked up to her and she wanted to be strong for him, especially in their current situation. She tore her gaze from the lights and back to the smiling child in her arms before her unshed tears could fall.
"You're right little buddy. The lights are amazing." She placed a soft kiss on his forehead. "But we still have a few hours before we need to be awake. Try to get back to sleep."
"Can't we go look at the lights up close?" Prince begged. "Maybe then I can figure out what they are!" Prince had always loved science, and he was always trying to figure out how things work. The northern lights especially. He felt like they meant something, almost like they were calling him. He had to know! Elsa looked from the window to her son. He'd asked before, always getting "no" for an answer. How much could it hurt? It was his birthday today anyway. She was about to respond when Adam, who had heard the whole exchange from his cot in the corner, cut her off.
"I'll take you to see the lights bud. If your mom approves that is." Elsa just nodded and let Prince slide onto the floor. Prince thanked her with a hug and ran to get the jacket Anna had made for him out of his outgrown baby clothes.
"Thanks Adam."
"No big deal. It is his birthday." The guard took the boy's hand and led him to a clear patch behind the cabin. The moon was full, adding even more beauty to the northern lights. They duo stood watching in silent awe. Suddenly, a single moonbeam shown on the little boy. He heard a voice he didn't recognize.
"You are Princeton Alexander Frost, the second born of the Guardians Jack Frost and the Snow Queen, brother to Christian Robert Frost. Your family has been targeted by enemies for years, and I've chosen you to end that turmoil. The change in your hair, eyes, and your lack of powers are signs that you are different. Chosen to save your family from the camp, and from anything else to come." Prince stared at the moon, intrigued by the unknown voice. "Today your unique powers will be displayed, and your family will be free by nightfall. I'm sending your father to meet you in the woods once you're out. Look for the trail of hearts." The beam dissipated, leaving Prince to gawk at the moon. Adam nodded. He'd been waiting for this moment.
"There you go Manny. You got it perfect as always." He whispered. Prince stared for a few seconds, then shook his head.
"That was...abstract." He shrugged. "We should probably go back and get ready for roll uncle Adam."
"You won't be going to roll this morning. I told my boss earlier that you all were accounted for and would be going straight to work." Adam said cheerfully. Prince gave him a sideways glance.
"How can you be happy about that? Your coworkers force us to do back braking labor, with relentless harassment being shoved in our faces, and little to no food." He deadpanned.
"Considering what the moon just told you, I'd want to get the day going asap." Prince couldn't argue with that. He didn't even care how or why Adam knew, he'd seen weirder. He and Adam met up with the rest of Prince's family and went off to their respective jobs. Kristoff and Elsa went to work on dishes, while Anna and Prince worked laundry. Adam did breakfast. The little boy didn't bring up his encounter. Everything went smoothly from five o'clock to seven o'clock, then a couple guards approached Anna and Prince. It wasn't hard to tell they were looking for trouble.
"Hey there, beautiful." One of them purred to Anna. She ignored him and continued to work. "Playing hard to get huh? I like that." He went to stroke her cheek, but she evaded his touch.
"If you don't mind sir, I'd like to get back to washing these clothes." Anna said politely. The guard smirked. He forced Anna to her feet and twisted her arms behind her back.
"How bout washing my clothes and yours after some fun in my cabin?" He whispered in a deep, husky voice. Anna shivered and fought to get free. Prince ran to get Kristoff.
"Let go of me you pervert!" Anna struggled, but he was strong and held her tight. The guard only smirked more. He spun Anna around to face him and smashed his lips onto hers. Anna couldn't do anything but fight harder, but to no avail.
"Feisty little thing, aren't you? Let's take this to my cabin." The guard purred. He began to walk in that direction, dragging Anna behind him. She struggled and protested, screaming loudly for help. The guard slapped her to shut her up. "Quit screaming! You can make as much noise as you want in a bit." That only made her scream louder. The guard raised his arm to slap her again, but someone grabbed it before he could swing.
"Get your filthy hands off my wife!" Kristoff growled. The guard stared for a moment, then slowly let go of Anna. He let his arm hang by his side before slamming his fist into Kristoff's jaw. Normally, a punch like that would have the recipient out like a light, but Kristoff was strong and he held his ground. The two of them got into an all-out fist fight, other guards and men in the camp coming to aid their respective side. Soon gunshots added to the shouts of the brawl. Elsa, Anna, and Prince watched from afar.
"Are you alright Auntie?" Prince asked. Anna shivered and shook her head.
"I will be buddy. Later." Elsa wrapped her arm around her sister's shoulders. Then she remembered a disturbing thought.
"Anna, Kristoff is fighting with the guards! Do you know what that means!?" Anna looked confused, then it dawned on her.
"Hans's threat! We did one of the three things!" They both looked at Prince, who looked back curiously.
"What things? Who's Hans? What threat?" Elsa didn't answer. She picked up her son and held him close. He began to get worried. "Mamma? What's going on?" Elsa sighed and told him the truth. He'd never heard about his family's old life outside the camp.
"Before you were born, I was the queen of Arendelle, your father was king, and Anna was princess. Your father and I had another son, who was a year old at the time. Anna was preparing for her and Kristoff's wedding when your father received word that our enemy, King Hans, had built an alliance with Germany and was coming to attack. To stop any premature bloodshed, we had everyone surrender. We sent your brother to be with your father's friends and out of harms way.
"When Hans arrived, he wasn't able to see your father because he didn't believe in him, thank goodness. But he could see that I was pregnant, and because of that sent us to live here. Thank goodness I was, because otherwise we'd be dead. But Hans gave us three rules to follow: Don't fight with the guards, don't try to escape, and don't help anyone escape. If we broke even one of these rules, he threatened to...to have his men..." She stopped as tears began to fall. She hugged her son and kissed his forehead. "I don't want to loose you." She whispered. Prince let what he'd heard digest. He put the pieces together quickly, although he didn't know what Elsa ment by losing him. Elsa set him back down. The three of them were silent for a long time.
"What exactly did he threaten to do?" Prince asked. Elsa couldn't bring herself to answer, so she looked to Anna for help. Anna sighed.
"Well uh... He threatened to kill you. He used your life to blackmail the rest of us into not turning this camp into a blood-stained frozen wasteland." Anna and Elsa both winced. Prince just nodded. He hoped the moon had been right, and he would use whatever powers he got to save himself and his family.
The guards managed to stop the fight after about four hours. Six guards ended up dead, four prisoners too. Kristoff was bruised, but otherwise fine. But all the living guards involved were a bloody mess. One of them happened to be part of Hans's army and told him through a messenger that Kristoff had tried to rebel. It was a lie of course, as he was only trying to defend his wife, but Hans rushed to the camp nevertheless, eager to see Elsa and Anna suffer by watching Elsa's baby die. Meanwhile, the ex-royal family and Adam were in the cabin, discussing what would happen to them.
"I'm really sorry for the fight guys." Kristoff said. "I know we had a deal with Hans, but I couldn't let that creep hurt Anna." He hung his head.
"Kristoff it's okay. I would have done the same thing." Elsa reassured him. Anna smiled and hugged her husband.
"And it isn't your fault this Hans guy is apparently psychopath, sociopath, and child murderer." Prince said dryly. He shrugged and attempted a smile. "I guess everyone's gotta have a hobby."
"Much as I appreciate your wit and knack for sarcasm sweetheart, now is probably not a good time." Elsa told her son. She put an arm around his shoulders. He leaned against her chest, listening to her heartbeat.
"I know. Sometimes you just gotta deadpan to keep from losing it." He tried to smile again.
"Understandable." Elsa chuckled in spite of herself. He was right, it worked. Adam cleared his throat.
"So if Hans is coming, he should be here by now." He said. It had been hours after the fight. Everyone shrugged. An awkward silence filled the air.
"Might as well ask now," Prince began. "but what did this guy do exactly?" The adults exchanged glances. Then Elsa, Anna, and Kristoff told Prince about the "great thaw" incident, and how that had caused Hans to go nuts. Adam mentioned that he slaughtered his father, his twelve brothers, and countless nieces and nephews just to get the throne of the Southern Isles. Prince caught on quick after that. "So even though he got to run a country as king, he still wanted revenge on you, us, for--...embarrassment? Disruption of his plans? Fun?"
"No idea." Elsa sighed. "We figured he would give it up after he took over his own kingdom and focused our attention on rebuilding our family." All the adults winced. "...which obviously didn't work. We all ended up separated."
"Not all of us." Prince pointed out. "I mean, you got me, and Aunt Anna, and Uncle Kristoff." Elsa smiled at the boy's optimism.
"She won't have you for much longer, brat!" Hans stood in the doorway, a smirk on his lips, and an evil glint in his eyes. Everyone shot up. It was time...
