Chapter 10:

Romance, Deception, and An Act of Peril

As promised, here is the longer chapter. Quite a bit of excitement in this one. Once again, thank you all for the reviews. If you are enjoying this story, please leave a review. I love reading them. :)

Just as they had planned, Paul and Elsa had a quick dinner with the rest of the family before setting out for the play. Anna joined them as well, but she didn't speak to Elsa at all; clearly still upset at her sister. After finishing his last bit of food, Paul stood up and pushed his chair in. "I'm going to go get dressed now," he said to Elsa.

"Ok. I will do the same," she said.

"Where are you two going?" Aaron asked, a hint of worry in his voice.

"Paul invited me to come with him to see Romeo and Juliet at the local theatre," Elsa explained. "It's one of my favorite Shakespearean plays so I'm pretty excited.

Aaron tried hard to keep a straight face as the news slowly sank in. Paul was actually going on a date with Elsa! His Elsa! Oh no. Paul was going too far this time. He had already warned him about wooing Elsa, but it appears that Paul didn't take the hint. He was boiling with anger. Nonetheless, he did his best to maintain his rage.

"Have a nice time," he said through gritted teeth.

"Thank you, Aaron. We will," Elsa said, getting up to go get dressed.

"Yes, do take care," Anna said, speaking for the first time all evening. "As for me, I think I'm going to take a walk through the village."

"Be careful," Elsa called out to her sister. She received no reply.

It took Paul no time at all to get dressed for the evening. He put on a white shirt, black pants, and a pinstripe suit and tie. He wanted to look his best for this evening with Elsa. Paul had a feeling that the two were really starting to connect, especially after the guitar lessons he'd given her. There was no doubt about it, Paul was in love with Queen Elsa of Arendelle. Everything about her made him crazy with passion. Her beauty, her charm, her intelligence, her personality, she was one of a kind in every way. He knew that Aaron would be furious if he learned about his true feelings, but he didn't care. Paul learned a long time ago that love is something that should never be kept a secret. That's why tonight, after the play, he would reveal to Elsa how he really felt. The only thing that worried him was her reaction: What if she didn't feel the same way? He would be crushed to say the least, but he had to do it. He couldn't keep his feelings bundled up any longer. It's now or never.

Paul waited in the parlor for Elsa; butterflies flying up and down his chest. "Get a hold of yourself, Paul," he muttered to himself. A sound of footsteps came from behind, and Paul turned around to see Elsa wearing a bright light green dress coated with ice.

"Wow! You look beautiful!" Paul exclaimed.

Elsa smiled. "Thank you, Paul. You look pretty handsome yourself."

"Thanks. Well, what do you say we get going? The show will start in about twenty minutes."

"Ready when you are," Elsa said.

Paul held the door open for Elsa as she stepped into the carriage Paul had arranged to take them to the theatre. Along the way, the two talked about Shakespeare's plays, which ones they liked and which ones they didn't. Their conversation was pretty lively to say the least.

"Othello has always been my favorite," Paul said. "Such a tragic tale, but it's so well done."

"That's Shakespeare for you. The man was a genius," Elsa said. "The first time I read Hamlet I cried my eyes out. I've actually never seen one of his plays actually performed before so I'm pretty excited for this one."

"I have a feeling you're going to like it," Paul admitted. "The company that puts on the plays is widely known for their talented cast."

The carriage stopped in front of a large white building. Paul excited it and went to the other side to open Elsa's door. He extended a hand and the Snow Queen gently took it as she stepped out of the carriage. "Why thank you, Paul," she said. "You're such a gentleman."

Paul smiled in return. "So far, so good," he thought to himself. The two went inside and took their seats in one of the balconies. The view of the stage was excellent; Paul couldn't have gotten them better seats Elsa thought as she looked around the theatre. Pretty soon after they sat down, the play began and Elsa watched with excitement as Shakespeare's characters came alive right before her very eyes.

Meanwhile, while Paul and Elsa were attending the play, Anna was taking a walk down one of the many streets of Urvea. She was still very mad at Elsa, and thought that the fresh air might do her some good. Why couldn't her sister see true love when it was standing right in front of her? The man was taking her to see "Romeo and Juliet" for God's sake, one of the most romantic love stories of all time! Even after they had renewed their bond over the past year, Elsa was still a complicated person to understand. Anna didn't know why Elsa was so reluctant to trust in love; she wasn't months ago when she discovered that love was the key to controlling her powers.

She went down an alleyway, which led to the East Side of town. Upon entering, she quickly noticed that it was definitely a sketchy place. Trash covered the streets, and the buildings were dilapidated and covered in dirt and grime. The people she encountered weren't any better. Most wore raggedy clothes, and smelled terrible. Anna decided that this place wasn't for her. She turned down the same alleyway that she had come in from, and was grabbed from behind by someone. Anna kicked and screamed; the person's grip getting tighter the more she resisted.

"Help me, help me!" Anna screamed. She tried to turn her head to see who had caught her, but before she could get a good look at the man, a sack was placed over her head. The man pinned Anna to the ground, and retrieved some rope from his pocket, and quickly tied her hands and feet together. He then threw Anna over his shoulders and ran off into the night.

The play was excellent. Paul wasn't kidding when he said that the theatre company had a talented cast. They were outstanding! After the two left the theatre, Paul suggested that they take a walk. Elsa agreed, and the two made their way toward a large fountain in the center of town. It was quiet. There weren't many people around; most had likely retired for the evening. Elsa sat down on the fountain's edge, and Paul soon joined her. The two continued their conversation from before about Shakespeare, with Elsa telling Paul how well she thought the actors were that evening.

"The actor who played Mercutio was hilarious," she said, laughing at the memory of the play. "He acted just like I thought he would when I first read the play."

"Those guys have talent, that's for sure," Paul said. "I saw their production of Macbeth last week, and it blew my mind."

"I would have liked to have seen that," Elsa said.

"Yeah, I wish you did too!" Paul admitted. He and Elsa looked into each other's eyes for a minute. They stared at each other both wondering what the other was thinking. A voice in Paul's head told him that now was the time to confess how he felt. Paul took a deep breath, and opened his heart.

"Queen Elsa, there is something I have to tell you," he started.

Elsa looked worried. She knew instantly what was coming next, and she was deeply afraid of it.

"I like you a lot. More than as a friend. I have ever since we met. Since I left Arendelle, you're the only thing I've thought about. I know you must have thought I forgot about you because I didn't write, but the truth is I was too afraid too. I didn't know what you say. Plus, you seemed to have your eyes all over Aaron so I didn't want to ruin the relationship between you two."

"Paul, there is no relationship between Aaron and I. We're just friends," Elsa explained.

"Really? You seemed to really like him during our stay at Arendelle," Paul retorted.

"I was being nice. I treat him the same way I treat everybody. Paul, you're a really sweet guy, and I appreciate what you've done for me and my sister. But the truth is….I'm not looking for a romantic relationship right now."

Paul raised an eyebrow; confused at what he was hearing. "Then why did you have that party weeks ago in the hopes of finding a suitor!" he asked.

"The council wanted me to do that. I just did it to get them off my back, and it still didn't work."

"So all this time you spent with me and my brother, it was just you being nice."

Elsa nodded. She had her head hung low; she couldn't bear to look Paul in the eye.

"I can't believe you, Elsa," Paul remarked.

Elsa looked up, surprised by the firmness in his voice. "You spend all that time with two guys, find out that you have a real connection with them, and you just book it. What kind of a person does that?"

Elsa grew firm; despite the sadness she felt, she knew had to stand her ground.

"Listen Paul, I care about you a lot just not in a romantic way, Okay?" she said.

"Yes you do," Paul replied.

"Excuse me? Mr. Clayworth don't you dare to tell me what I do and do not feel," Elsa said firmly.

"Look at us, Elsa! Look at the way we get along. I've never met such a person as easy to talk to as you! And it's not just that! You're kind, smart, funny, and beautiful! I love you, OK! And I know deep down you feel the same way."

The water in the fountain froze instantly. Elsa glared at Paul with the utmost amount of fierceness. It had been a good evening, until that love-struck prince opened his stupid mouth. She felt the feelings that she had earlier bubble up inside her. "Conceal, don't feel," she thought to herself. Paul was right; she did feel the same way about him, but she couldn't give into love. Not now. Icy tears emerged from her eyes as she glared straight at Paul. Holding back any affection she had for the man deep within her, she snarled through gritted teeth.

"Listen Paul, I'm going to tell you this one more time, and then we're going home. I don't love you!"

The ice in the fountain shattered at the sound of Elsa's voice, spewing all around them. Paul closed his eyes, and held up his hands to prevent the ice from hitting him. When he thought the danger had passed, he opened his eyes again; this time they were full of tears.

"Fine. Let's go," he said softly.

As the two got up to leave, a woman came running down the street towards them. "Help! There's someone in trouble!

"What's wrong?" Paul asked, wiping the tears from his eyes.

"It's Carl Blaffler. The serial killer who escaped prison a week ago. He's up on the roof of the bakery holding a woman hostage!"

Paul and Elsa looked at each other; both knew that they had to help.

"Take us there!" Elsa said.

The woman led Paul and Elsa down the street that she had come from. At the end there was a crowd of people holding torches, and pointing to the roof of the bakery. As Paul and Elsa got closer to the building, they saw who the woman Carl Blaffler was holding hostage: Anna!

Her hands and feet were both tied, and a gag had been placed in her mouth. Carl had one hand holding onto the back of her head, the other hand contained a long knife, which he held to her throat.

"If anybody tries anything, I'm going to make this bitch bleed!" he called out.

Elsa let out a horrified gasp upon seeing her sister in Carl's clutches. Anna meant the world to her; if anything happened to her she would never forgive herself. She had to something. Elsa marched toward the bakery, but Paul grabbed her arm and pulled her back.

"Let go of me, Paul. My sister is in danger!" Elsa cried.

"I know. But you heard what he said. If anyone tries anything now he'll hurt her," Paul said, trying to reason with the Snow Queen.

"Better listen to him sweetheart," said Carl from above. The killer was looking directly at Paul and Elsa who were not in front of the crowd.

"Yes, I know all about you, Snow Queen. Don't even think about trying any of your ice powers on me. If you take one more step, I'll gut your sister like a pig." Carl held the knife close to Anna's throat; tears streamed from the young woman's eyes as she felt the cold blade against her skin.

Paul turned around to face the citizens. "Go to my father. Tell him to send Urvea's best troops. We've got a hostage situation on our hands."

A few minutes later, ten Urvean troops showed up at the square; all were decked out in uniform and had rifles pointed at Carl. The serial killer took a few steps backward to get out of the line of fire; he wasn't going to take any chances with this one.

"We got to do something!" Elsa cried, icy tears covering her face.

"It's too dangerous to make a move on Blaffler now," explained one of the soldiers. "He's got the upper hand. The moment he sees us coming for him, he'll hurt Princess Anna."

"So you're just going to stand there and do nothing?" Elsa cried in disbelief.

"We're going to try to negotiate with Blaffler, and find out what he wants. Once we give into his demands he should release the princess."

"Give into his demands? He doesn't want anything! He's a psychopathic killer who enjoys killing women like my sister. Every minute we spend here talking about what to do, the more danger Anna is in. If you won't do anything about it, then I sure as hell will," Elsa snarled, an icy tone prevalent in her voice. Before the Snow Queen could take another step forward, Paul grabbed her arm again. "Elsa, wait," he said.

"Paul Clayworth, if you don't unhand me this very second, I'll freeze you from the inside out," she snarled. There was a menacing glare in Elsa's eyes; Paul could tell that filled with rage and fear. An icy wind started to blow through the air causing the trees nearby to sway back and forth. Paul met Elsa's glare with equal amount of determination; he knew what he had to do. He turned toward one of the soldiers beside him.

"Give me your pistol," Paul demanded.

The soldier complied, and handed his weapon to Paul. "What are you doing?" Elsa asked, still very much angry at Paul.

Paul checked the pistol to make sure it was fully loaded, when he saw that it was, he placed it in his coat pocket. "I'm going to go around the building and try to flank him," Paul explained. If I can get the angle on him without him seeing me, I should be able to take him out and rescue Anna."

"Let me go with you I can…

"No, Elsa," Paul said; this time very firm. "He will expect you to try something, and your ice powers might hurt Anna in the process of recusing her. You don't want that to happen, do you?"

Elsa shook her head; seeing Anna hurt would truly be the worst thing in the world, especially if she was the one who hurt her. As much as she wanted to freeze Carl Blaffler to death, she knew that Paul was right.

"Ok. Just take that son of a bitch down," she calmly stated.

Paul nodded, and made his way back through the crowd down the alleyway that led behind the bakery. The building was tall, but Paul was certain that he could climb it. Knowing there was no time to lose, he grabbed ahold of the windowsill and hoisted himself up onto a ledge. There were lots of crevices in the wall where he could dig his fingers in and get a firm grip. Paul swung his body back and forth before jumping to the next ledge. "Don't look down, don't look down," he muttered to himself.

Finally, Paul reached the top of the building and peered over the top. He looked all around on the roof, but couldn't see Carl or Anna anywhere. He hoisted himself up onto the roof, and removed the pistol from his jacket. Paul gripped the gun tightly as he slowly walked along the edge of the roof. Where could they be? He thought to himself. The roof was very big, but there was nowhere to hide on it. Paul aimed the gun forward; anticipating the moment when Carl would jump out and surprise him. He made his way down another side of the roof, and still he saw no sign of Carl or Anna. As he turned around, he was met with a fist to the face. The punch was so powerful it knocked Paul off his feet. In the process, the pistol flew out of his hand and scattered off the roof. When he finally came to, Paul looked up to see Carl Blaffler standing over him with a long knife in his right hand.

"I've been waiting for this," Carl sneered.

Paul looked to his right and saw Princess Anna tied up, but alive on the other side of the roof. She was safe for now as long as Carl had his attention on him. Carl lunged forward with the knife, aiming straight at Paul's throat. Paul threw his hands up and caught hold of the arm which wielded the knife. He was surprisingly stronger than Carl had anticipated, but no matter, he still had the upper hand. Paul was pinned to the ground as he tried to force the knife away from his face. The blade was coming closer and closer, he had to do something. Paul lifted both legs and kicked Carl in the groin. This provided the opportunity Paul needed to get up. While Carl was massaging his groin, Paul sprang up and started punching Carl in the face.

Carl quickly recovered and began swinging his knife at Paul. The young prince was quick, and managed to dodge his attacks. But how long could he last? Carl had a weapon; all he had were his bare hands. Timing it just right, Paul lunged forward and punched Carl several times in the face. He hoped that he could stun him long enough to get the knife, but Carl was just too quick. As Paul lunged forward with another punch, Carl swung the blade outward cutting Paul's arm. Blood trickled from the torn jacket onto the ground, but Paul ignored the pain. He rolled around behind Carl and gave another series of punches. Carl stumbled forward a little bit; he was getting close to the edge. Paul could now see the crowd below him gasping at the fight taking place before them. Carl swung the blade around at Paul again, but the young prince managed to dodge it just in time.

Carl swung the blade faster and more frequently causing Paul to lose his balance. He fell on his back; leaving him vulnerable to Carl's attacks. Carl leaped forward and aimed the knife straight at Paul's chest. The young prince was quick, and rolled over to avoid the attack, but he didn't realize until it was too late that he had rolled of the edge of the roof. Luckily, Paul managed to grab ahold of the edge with one hand. The crowd down below was let out a loud gasp as they saw Paul hanging from the ledge. Paul brought his other hand up to the ledge to steady himself; only to be met with the cold eyes of Carl Blaffler.

"Looks like it's the end of the road for you," he sneered. Carl lifted his foot, ready to stomp on Paul's fingers, and send him to his death. Paul quickly shimmied along the roof avoiding Carl's attacks. He knew he couldn't keep this up forever, sooner or later he would have to fight back. As Paul continued to shimmy along the roof, he came across a gutter which had something shiny in it. As he looked closer, he saw that it was his pistol that he had earlier. Not wasting a second, Paul reached out and grabbed the pistol. He aimed it straight at Carl's chest and fired three rounds. Carl gurgled as the third shot went right through his chest. He looked down and saw large amounts of blood dripping onto the roof. He stumbled back a few feet, clutching the wounds on his chest, before finally collapsing. Paul pulled himself back onto the roof, and quickly went over to check on Princess Anna. Fortunately, she didn't have a scratch on her. After cutting the ropes which bound her hands and feet together, Anna leapt into Paul's arms; tears streaming down her cheeks.

"Thank you. Thank you, thank you so much," Paul" she whimpered. Paul held onto Anna tight; rubbing a hand gently down her back in an effort to calm her.

"It's alright, Anna. He's gone. He's not going to hurt you anymore."

No sooner did Paul say those words, did Carl start to move around again. Anna screamed when she saw him try and lift his head. "Stay here, I'll take care of this," Paul ordered. He picked up his pistol and walked over to where Carl was struggling to sit up. He aimed the pistol at his head. Carl looked up at him. "He said you wouldn't put up a fight," he mumbled.

"What are you talking about? Who said that?" Paul demanded. He pointed the pistol closer at Carl's head, growing angrier by the second. "What do you mean goddammit?" But it was too late Carl fell back onto the roof one last time. His time on this earth had finally come to an end. Paul was perplexed at the serial killer's statement. Who is he? He wondered. And why did he kidnap Princess Anna? He would worry about that later. Right now, he needed to get Anna back to her sister. Paul and Anna made their down from the roof through the store. When they emerged, they were met with a wave of applause; everyone was happy to see that both were still alive. Elsa dashed through the crowd and nearly tackled Anna with a powerful hug; she was still crying heavily. "Thank God, you're alright," she muttered through sobbing tears.

"What about Blaffler?" a man from the crowd asked.

"He's dead," Paul said simply. "I killed him." The crowd gasped at the revelation; Prince Paul of Urvea had actually killed a man, and not just any man, the most infamous serial killer of all time.

"Where's the body?" asked one of the soldiers.

"Still up on the roof," Paul replied. The man signaled two other soldiers to follow him, and together they went up to the roof to retrieve the body. The crowd dispersed soon afterward, but not before congratulating Paul on his heroic deed. Not only had he saved someone's life; he had delivered justice to all of Urvea.

The realization of what he just did began to sink in. Paul stumbled as he walked down the street. Elsa saw his condition, and she and Anna quickly ran to side to help him steady himself.

"We got you, Paul," Elsa reassured. "It's OK."

"No it's not," Paul mumbled. "I just killed a man. I think I'm going to be sick."

"You had too, Paul," Anna said, trying to convince him that what he did was right. "He was trying to kill you, and he would have killed me too."

"She's right, Paul. It was done in self-defense. Besides, that man was a cold-blooded killer. He didn't deserve to live," Elsa said.

Paul began to feel a little better at the two sister's words. It was true that Carl Blaffler was a monster, and the streets of Urvea would certainly be safer with him gone. The three made their way back to the castle where they were met by Paul's family. Paul explained the events of the evening, and what he ultimately had to do in order to save himself and Princess Anna. The family gasped as he told everything that happened. Even Aaron looked impressed as Paul recanted his tale.

"I hated to do it. But I had no other choice," Paul admitted.

"Son, you did the right thing. You stopped a murderer, and for that you should be commended, not criticized," King Alan said. "But enough of that. We'll talk about it more in the morning. Right now what we all need is a good night's rest."

Everyone then departed to their rooms. Even though Paul was tired, he found that he couldn't sleep. The events of the evening played in his head over and over again. He saw Anna tied up, Carl holding a knife to his throat, the look on Carl's face after he shot him three times. It was all so sickeningly real. He laid his head back on the pillow, and closed his eyes. All he wanted to do was erase this evening from his mind forever. As he finally started to slip into a deep slumber, he heard a knock at his door. Who could that be at this hour? He got up and opened the door. There Queen Elsa stood; a small smile on her face. "May I come in?" she asked politely.

Ignoring what had transpired between them earlier that evening, Paul welcomed Elsa inside and gestured her to sit beside him on the bed. For a few minutes, the two were quiet; barely making eye contact with each other. Elsa was the one to break the silence.

"Paul, I can't tell you how thankful I am for what you did this evening," she said softly, tears emerging from her eyes. "I love my sister so very much, and tonight I thought I was going to lose her. I went through that pain before not too long ago, and I hoped that it would never return again, but it did. She stopped speaking for a moment to take the time to wipe her tears away.

"If you hadn't been there this evening, Anna might be dead right now. Thank you, Paul. Thank you, thank you, and thank you."

She leapt forward onto Paul pushing him down onto the bed. Her lips met his, and the two began to kiss. Elsa's reaction struck Paul like a bolt of lightning; he had trouble understanding what exactly was going on at the moment, but he didn't care. He focused on the present, which was Elsa and him kissing. Elsa lifted her head, and placed her hands on Paul's cheeks. The two looked into each other's eyes: seeing each other's reflection in their pupils. Paul smiled, and Elsa smiled in return. Paul then leaned forward and kissed Elsa again on the lips. Her lips were cold, but not in a bad way. It was like kissing an icicle, but one with a hint of strawberry lip gloss. Paul reached out a hand and ran it through Elsa's hair. God she was so beautiful.

"I love you, Elsa!" Paul whispered.

Knowing she couldn't suppress her feelings any long, Elsa unleashed them. "I love you too, Paul. So very, very much." The two scooted under the covers, and held each other close. Elsa laid her head on Paul's chest listening to his heartbeat; its rhythm soothing her. Paul gently ran his fingers through Elsa's long blonde hair; he almost couldn't believe it. He was holding the woman he wanted for so long in his arms. Elsa opened her eyes and looked up at Paul; the latter smiling back. Elsa smiled and gave him a kiss on the cheek. "Goodnight," she whispered. "Goodnight," Paul replied. Elsa rested her head again on Paul's chest, and went to sleep, all the while smiling contently.

There you have it! They're in love with each other! I'd like to give a shout out to Shawn Raven who came up with the name for the ship between Paul and Elsa: Pelsa. That's pretty neat, and it's officially cannon. But questions still remain. What did Carl Blaffler mean by his final statement? Where do Paul and Elsa go from here? Stay tuned.

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