Elsa sat on her bed, pale hands running through her hair as she smoothed out the waves created by her braid. She took a deep, shaking breath and tried to snuggle under the covers. She felt like she couldn't get warm, couldn't dispel a terrible cold that had passed over her ever since her parents had announced they'd be leaving for two weeks.
They were leaving her. The nightmare that had plagued Elsa for years was now coming true; they were abandoning her, running away so she would be left alone to rule a kingdom she'd never even seen, never been a part of. What was she to do? What if some great emergency happened? If something went horribly wrong and she was the only one who could save Arendelle?
And Elsa couldn't save anything.
Heat rose behind her eyelids and choked her throat, making her curl up into a ball underneath her sheets. She jerked when a faint knock came at the door. She didn't say a word, but watched as the door unlocked and an uncertain face peek in. "Elsa?"
Elsa struggled to compose herself. "Yes, Father?"
The King of Arendelle stepped inside. His hair, once a warm orange, had long faded and been speckled with silver. Dark shadows lingered under his eyes, shadows not caused by the dim light. He smiled, but even that looked tired. The man stepped inside, closing the door behind him and approaching until he sat at the end of Elsa's bed.
Elsa tried to ignore the discomfort of having someone else in her room. "I don't mean to interrupt," her father said, "but I just wanted to say goodnight."
Elsa's father hadn't visited her before bed in almost nine years. The girl swallowed and felt her body tighten up under her father's gentle gaze. "And?"
The weary smile on the King's face faded, replaced by a look of terrible sadness. "Can't a man say goodnight to his nearly-grown daughter before he goes on a trip?" He sighed, and his shoulders slumped. A painful second passed, before he looked back up and retrieved his forced smile. "Good night, Elsa."
He pressed his lips to her forehead and made as if to go, when Elsa jerked up and grabbed his hand with her own bare one. "Wait!" she exclaimed, startling both of them. "Please don't go," she begged, her grip tightening on his hand. "Please, Daddy."
The King looked shocked, stunned into silence by his daughter touch and plead. He swallowed, and his eyes flickered from his daughter's palm on his own to Elsa's wide eyes. He swallowed, knelt down by Elsa's bed and pressed the girl's knuckles to his lips.
"My darling," he whispered, "your mother and I have no choice. For ten years we've isolated ourselves from the rest of the world, and this is a trip we cannot afford to avoid. It's just two weeks, my love. We'll be back soon, just in time for your birthday."
Because of me, Elsa thought. Because I have to make you hide from everything.
The girl nodded, slowly, and felt tears start to form in her eyes. She let her hand fall from her father's grip, and she rolled over, her back to him. "Good night, Father."
Silent tears started to roll down her cheeks, but she remained steadfast as her father rose from his knees and went to leave. Just before he closed the door on his way out, he paused. "I love you, Elsa."
A few seconds passed, and he shut and locked the door. His footsteps faded away into the night.
"I love you too, Daddy," Elsa whispered.