A/N Thankyou, thankyou to all you lovely readers and reviewers.
I think this is the longest chapter I've written so far. Hope you all enjoy.
Okay, so warning for this chapter: Language, child abuse and attempted murder of a young child.
Chapter Ten.
"Why Papa, why?" Elsa asked her Father as he tightened the specially made manacles around her small wrists.
The King lowered his head in shame. He didn't want to inprison his eldest daughter here like some lowly criminal, but for now he felt he didnt have a choice. "I saw you Elsa. I saw you attack your Mother. You were out of control. This is the best place for you. Down here, where your magic can be contained, at least until I decide how best to proceed."
A tear rolled down the young girls cheek. "But I didn't mean to do anything wrong. Mama attacked me first. She hit me with a belt, she tried to strangle me. It was scary Papa, I couldn't breathe. I thought I was going to die. I didn't mean it Papa. I didn't mean any of this."
Adgar knelt down in front of his daughter. "Elsa. I'll admit your Mother has made it no secret that she isn't fond of your magic, but she would never physically harm you...so you need to stop these lies!"
"It's true Papa."
"Enough Elsa! you cannot accuse your Mother of this atrocity without any evidence. And I cannot see a mark on you. On the other hand, your Mother has a nasty gash to her neck, which you yourself inflicted."
Elsa pleaded with her Father. "Please Papa, you have to believe me."
The King rose to his feet. "I'm sorry Elsa, but I simply cannot. Now, I will send Gerda in at first light. She will bring you breakfast and some clean clothes."
"How long do I have to stay down here?" Elsa then asked timidly.
"For as long as it takes for us to decide how best to control this power of yours. Now, try to get some rest. Goodbye Elsa."
Elsa slumped down on the stone bench provided. "Goodbye Papa."
Adgar had requested for Gerda to tend to his wife's injury. He was contemplating asking for the palace Doctor, but he really couldn't run the risk of him asking any questions in relation as to how the Queen had received such a wound.
When he arrived at the royal bedchambers the maid was just finishing with the Queen, and Anna was sitting quietly on the bed playing with her dolls.
"Well, Your Majesty. I've cleaned and dressed the wound," Gerda was saying upon his arrival. "Luckily it wasn't too deep, and it should fully heal within a week or two. However, I'm afraid to say there maybe a small scar."
Idun gasped. "Did you hear that, Adgar? I could be scarred for life, because of her!"
"Thank you Gerda, that will be all." the King informed the maid, before promptly ushering her from the room.
Once they were alone, Adgar's eyes flicked to the younger Princess. "Is Anna okay?"
"I think so, but I'd rather have her sleep in here tonight. I hope you don't mind, it's just, she insisted she wanted to be close to me. Bless her, she was scared stiff."
Adgar kissed his wife, before stroking her cheek. "Of course Anna can sleep in here, can't you sweetheart?" he said, pulling the small child into his lap.
"Papa? is Elsa really in the dungeon?"
Before her husband could respond, Idun interjected. "It's where she belongs. Naughty people are locked in the dungeon, and Elsa has been very naughty."
"She hurt you bad, didn't she Mama?"
Idun kissed her daughter on the cheek, before taking her from her husband's arms and tucking her into bed. "Yes she did. But dont worry, Elsa isn't going to be able to hurt anyone anymore."
"I think I'm going to miss her," Anna whispered sadly. The little redhead then yawned, before laying her head down on the pillow and falling fast asleep.
Idun climbed into bed and Adgar joined her, but neither of them could rest.
Adgar was first to break the tense silence. "I talked to Elsa, Idun. She insists that it was you who attacked her."
The Queen gasped. "That liar! you didn't believe her, did you?"
"Of course not, but I need for you to tell me exactly what happened."
To put his mind at rest, the Queen began recounting her side of the story. "I went to make sure Anna was okay, because of the storm and all. When I reached her room, I found Elsa there with Anna, in her bed. I panicked. I was afraid Elsa may accidently use her powers to hurt Anna, so I brought her in here where she would be safe. Then I went back to talk to Elsa about the rules. I only informed her politely that she would need to return to her room and not to come near Anna again, as we had already agreed. But she wasn't listening. Suddenly she went crazy and began lashing out..I tried to stop her, but those powers of her were no match for me."
"So you didn't do or say anything to provoke her?" the King pressed.
"Absolutely not! I'm telling you, she's dangerous. The longer we keep her locked in the dungeon, the safer it'll be for everyone."
For now the King believed his wife was telling the truth, but there was still that niggling feeling in the back of his mind that she was holding something back. "Don't worry, we'll keep Elsa down there until we come up with a more permanent solution. Now, let's see if we can get some sleep, afterall, it's been a rather eventful night."
Elsa was disturbed from her slumber by the clicking of the lock, followed by a set of soft footsteps. Once her eyes adjusted to the semi-darkness, she found Gerda strolling towards her.
"Oh Your Highness, my sweet child, what happened?"
Elsa slowly sat herself up. "I hurt Mama again."
Gerda stepped a little closer. "How?"
"There was a big storm, and Anna was scared. I went to see her...to help calm her down. I should have left as soon as Anna was asleep, but I fell asleep too and Mama caught me. She was angry. I've never seen her so angry before. She pulled me out of bed and then...and then...I got really mad and I thought of a knife, and one appeared in my hand, just like that. I accidently cut Mama with it and now Papa says I have to stay down here, because I'm too dangerous. I told you, I hate these powers. I hate them and I wish I didn't have them."
Gerda wrapped her arms around the sobbing child, but retreated when Elsa winced in pain.
"I'm sorry, Your Highness. Did I hurt you? or is it those ghastly things?" she concluded, directing her gaze to the rather uncomfortable looking restraints.
"No, you didn't, I'm fine."
Gerda however was suspicious. Elsa never was a very good liar. "Your Highness? is there something you're not telling me?"
"It's nothing, I promise," the child insisted.
"It's not nothing. Now, let me take a look."
Elsa relented, allowing Gerda to examine her back. When the older woman saw the slashes to her pale, delicate skin, she elicited a shocked gasp.
"My goodness! who did this to you?!"
Elsa meekly replied with a, "nobody."
"Oh sweet child, someone must have done this. These wounds are fresh, they must have been inflicted recently, so you must rem..." Gerda slapped a hand over her mouth at the realization that the Queen could be responsible for doing the unthinkable. "Did...did your Mother do thisto you?"
"NO!" The manacles covering her wrists began to freeze. "Gerda, you need to leave."
"I'm not leaving, Your Highness, not unless you tell me the truth."
"LEAVE NOW!" Elsa ordered, as thick ice coated the walls.
"But Your Highness, I will need to clean the wounds, they could get infected."
Elsa felt her body surging with power. "Please Gerda, just go...please?"
At the Princess's request, Gerda reluctantly left, and Elsa finally calmed enough for the ice to recede.
As the maid walked briskly back upstairs to the castle, she was contemplating telling the King what she had seen. But will he believe me? what if the Queen finds out I told? I could lose my job, my livelihood. Oh what should I do?
When Anna had awoken the next morning, her Father had already left, and her Mother was up and dressed. "Hello there, sweetheart. Did you sleep alright? no nasty nightmares I hope?"
"I slept great, Mama. And nope, I didn't have any bad dreams."
The Queen was a little surprised. "None at all, are you sure? It's okay if you did. After what happened last night, it's alright to be a little scared. Your sister was acting very bad."
The younger Princess had a better reasoning as to why Elsa was so angry. "I don't think Elsa meant to hurt you Mama. She was just afraid of the storm like me. She was only pretending not to be, so she could be the big brave sister. So, because she was really scared her powers went a little crazy. Don't worry, when she's happy, they're amazing. Elsa had to have been very sad last night. And I feel really bad. I think I said something nasty. I wish I could say that I'm sorry."
"You want to what?!...oh sweetheart you don't need to be sorry. Elsa wasn't scared of the storm, honey. She just likes to hurt people for the fun of it. Because with those awful powers, she knows she can. She thinks she's powerful and no-one can stop her. But I will put a stop to her...soon.
"But she's never hurt me."
"That's because I stopped her. She may not have hurt you yet, but it's just a matter of time. Anyway, that's enough talk of your sister for the time being. Now, I have to leave the palace shortly to attend to some business, but when I return, how about we go and play outside?"
Anna bounced up and down on the bed, giggling. "I'd love to."
It had been five days since Elsa had first been imprisoned. The only time she was allowed to leave was if she needed to use the bathroom, and the heavy manacles were only removed at mealtimes.
She was sad and lonely. She missed Anna terribly. Whenever she felt darkness creeping over her, Elsa would think of bubbly, cheerful Anna, and suddenly she would feel much better. Anna would always be like a bright light, guiding her, but now it had seemingly been extinguished. At the very thought of never seeing Anna again, she could feel the darkness overwhelming her very soul.
It was early that morning, when Elsa received a visitor. Only it happened to be the least person she was expecting to see. It was her Mother. One glance at the Queen had Elsa cowering away, her legs drawn up to her chest.
"Oh dear daughter, you look terrible," the Queen mocked. "But then again, isn't that how monsters are supposed to look? ugly, grotesque and devoid of emotion."
I'm not a monster," Elsa protested weakly. The young Princess hadn't been feeling well since the previous day. For some strange reason she felt extremely hot, and beads of sweat had formed on her forehead. She had never felt like this before.
The Queen approached, her lips curled up into a wide smirk. "Do you know what happens to monsters Elsa? they have to be destroyed."
What does Mama mean by that? Surely she doesn't want to... "Please don't hurt me again Mama. I'll be good...I promise. Papa can find a way to take away my powers. I can be normal, just like you've always wanted."
The Queen laughed hideously. "Your Father is weak. If he wanted to remove your powers he would have found a way the moment he discovered them. He's always had a thing for you Elsa. You've always been his favorite. Now, because you are firstborn, and because it is your birthright, one day you will rule this Kingdom. Only, I don't intend to let that happen. Because, let's face it, monsters can't rule Kingdoms. So, if you're no longer around, then Anna becomes the rightful heir. This Kingdom will have a proper ruler, not a monster like you."
Idun crept closer, revealing a vial of clear liquid.
"W-What is that?" Elsa questioned shakily.
"It's a medicine I accquired a few days ago. It will put you to sleep...an eternal sleep. No-one will suspect a thing, they'll think you just...well died naturally."
Elsa could feel her heart pounding, her whole body shaking as her Mother drew closer. "No Mama, please don't!"
Idun forcefully grabbed her daughter's blonde hair, pushing her head back against the stone wall. The Princess grunted in pain, her vision quickly blurring. Dazed and confused, Elsa tried to fight, but her body was burning up and her powers had seemingly been suppressed. "MAMA NO!"
"Shut up, you little brat!" Idun commanded as she slapped a hand over her mouth, muffling her pitiful cries. "Now, you are going to drink this like a good little girl, Elsa."
The Princess struggled, but in her severely weakened state, she continued to fail miserably. Idun managed to pry her mouth open and force the liquid down her throat. Elsa choked and spluttered, but the Queen plugged her nose and covered her mouth to ensure she swallowed the entire contents.
Within moments of ingesting the liquid, Elsa jolted, before writhing around uncontrollably. "Mama! Mama! what's happening?!"
"Sshh Elsa, the Queen said in the most soothing voice she could muster.
Dizziness overwhelmed the young child. The burning sensation had vanished and was replaced by extreme coldness. It was another feeling she has never experienced before. The room was spinning and she could feel her heart racing, before it began to slow, until finally, everything began to fade.
The Queen cradled her daughter as her breaths slowed, until they were almost imperceptible. "I'm setting you free Elsa. You'll soon be released from this evil curse."
"But...I-I love you Mama..." Elsa gasped, before she closed her eyes and her small body became still.
The Queen exhaled a shuddering breath as she used the back of her hand to touch her daughter's cheek. It was stone cold. Satisfied that the deed was done, the Queen laid her daughter back down. At first glance, it would seem like the child was simply just sleeping..only Idun knew any different. She then walked to the door and quietly exited the cell.
"Idun dear, there you are," Adgar said when he finally located his wife. "Gerda and I have been looking everywhere."
The Queen composed herself. "I went to see Elsa."
Adgar was a little surprised that his wife would want to be anywhere near their eldest daughter just now. "Oh, how is she?"
The Queen slipped her hand in his. "She's perfectly okay. She was very tired though. When I left, she was sleeping peacefully."
The King nodded. "Good. Although I think tomorrow, it may be a good idea for her to come out, wouldn't you agree?"
The Queen feigned a smile. "Yes, that's sounds like a great idea."
Adgar felt a little uneased. Idun was acting perculiar, but he couldn't quite put a finger on it. "Well, I've got a meeting to attend to. I will see you later dear."
Once the King had departed, the Queen turned to Gerda and Anna. "Right, since it's a beautiful day, how about we go outside?"
Anna shook her head. "Sorry Mama, Gerda is taking me to make chocolate cakes. That beats going outside any day."
Although the Queen was slightly disappointed, she decided to allow Anna to make the cakes. "Well, okay then. But be sure to save me one."
Anna answered excitedly. "Yes Mama."
After the chocolate cakes were ready, Anna asked Gerda if she could take one to Elsa.
"I don't think that would a good idea, Your Highness. Maybe some other time."
The Princess folded her arms and pouted. "Please. I'll be quick, I promise."
The maid really did not like the idea of either of them getting into trouble. "If your Mother was to find out."
"I won't tell if you won't. So can we? Please... pretty please."
Finally Gerda agreed. "Alright, but I'll come with you, and we need to be quick."
Elsa's eyelids fluttered open. She blinked twice, her vision slowly clearing. She was expecting to find herself in some place called heaven, but to her surprise she was still chained in the dark, dingy dungeon.
Why am I not dead? Mama said...Then she remembered everything. Mama tried to kill me. She gave me bad medicine. She wanted me to die. How could Mama do that?
Tears flowed freely down her cheeks as suppressed anger tore through her heart. The memory of her own Mother trying to murder her came flooding back. The power inside of her bubbled and raged like hot lava in a volcano. She could feel it filling her entire body, until she could no longer contain it. In an instant, the shackles restraining her shattered into tiny pieces. Elsa rubbed her sore wrists, before sliding off the bench.
The moment she heard the clink of the lock to the dungeon, Elsa braced herself. This time, she was prepared for anything.
"Elsa?!" Anna didn't wait for Gerda, she raced inside the cell holding the chocolate cake. "Elsa, look what I brought for you."
Elsa staggered backwards as a blinding pain shot through her head. Images of the Queen flashed in front of her. Her Mother, who just hours ago had attempted to take her life.
"Stay away. I hate you!" Elsa shrieked.
Anna stopped dead in her tracks. "I'm sorry Elsa, I didn't mean what I said. I've come with a peace offering. It's your favorite...chocolate cake."
But Elsa didn't recognize her little sister's voice. All she could hear was her Mother's insults. Monster! witch! Her mind was a jumbled, confused mess.
Anna attempted another apology. "I really am sorry. I didn't mean to say you were dangerous. Do you forgive me?"
"NO! YOU HATE ME AND I HATE YOU. I WISH YOU WERE DEAD!"
Gerda, who had followed Anna inside with a lantern, could see Elsa's contorted features. The yellowish hue to her skin, the pain in her darkened eyes. There was a rapid drop in temperature, and they both shivered violently "Anna, come out, now! it's not safe."
But the younger Princess was not afraid. "It's fine. She won't hurt me." Turning back to her sister, Anna gingerly inched forward. "Elsa, it's me, Anna."
"Get away from me. You tried to kill me!" Elsa screamed as she was blinded by another vision of her Mother's face, now grinning evilly.
"Elsa? what are you talking about?" Anna walked even closer, whilst still trying to reason with her older sister. "Elsa, please, stop. I want you to be my big sister again...because I love you."
But all Elsa could focus on was her Mother's flaming eyes and hideous laugh. "GO AWAY!" she raised her hands and a blast of ice shot out, colliding with the younger Princess's tiny body, and knocking her to the ground. Lethal icicles protruded from the ceiling and sprouted out from the floor. More ice formed on the walls, causing enough pressure for the stone to crumble. Anna attempted to crawl away, but a piece of falling rock hit her head, rendering her unconscious.
Hearing a loud ruckus, the guards immediately entered the cell to see what was happening, but they were instantly flung backwards by a wave of cold air. As it was too dangerous to enter any further, Gerda raced to find the King and Queen.
Adgar's meeting with the council had just concluded when Gerda came sprinting down the hallway. "Your Majesty, you need to come quick!"
Idun, who had been speaking with Kai, heard the commotion. "What is wrong?!"
"It's Princess Anna...she was in the dungeon. She's hurt," Gerda informed them breathlessly.
Adgar and Idun followed by Gerda and Kai hurried down to the dungeon. When they arrived on the scene, they saw Elsa cradling Anna in her arms.
Idun's eyes widened as she beheld her daughter, who was very much still breathing. How can this be? how is she still alive?
The King's eyes were blazing as he stomped towards his eldest daughter. "Elsa? what have you done?!"
"I-It was an accident. I didn't mean it." When she saw her Mother come into view, she felt threatened. Elsa shuffled backwards until she was flat against the wall.
Idun wasted no time in dishing out punishment. She stalked towards Elsa, and smacked the Princess across the face.
"Idun, what are you doing?" the King demanded as he lifted Anna into his arms. She was stone cold and blood was trickling down the side of her head.
"That witch did this! she hurt my baby! Guards, restrain my daughter and bring her upstairs."
With every ounce of energy spent, Elsa couldn't resist. The two guards each took an arm and escorted her out.
"Adgar, is she okay? is she breathing?" Idun asked in a panicked tone.
The King put an ear to her chest. "I can hear a faint heartbeat. I think she is okay. But let's get her upstairs, quickly."
Elsa glanced at her Mother, and the Queen glared at her daughter.
Idun was livid. You will die for this, Elsa. Next time, I will not fail.
A/N Okay so we've had Idun's surprise attempt at killing Elsa...next will be Adgar's turn. More to come...