Fear

Chapter 14: Taking Sides

Disclaimer: I do not own Frozen

"…evacuate by the Mountain Pass. We will be travelling light. Take only the essentials with you and proceed in a civil manner. I repeat, by the order of the Queen.."

Kristoff eyed the group of Royal Guards warily. He had been worried at their arrival at first, thinking that they were hunting him down. Surely the whole of Arendelle by now would have known of their arrival in the afternoon. But this was different, and an equal cause of worry as well. This was an evacuation. The citizens that were milling around broke into frenzy, running this way and that while shouting nonsensically.

Amidst the roar of the crowd, Kristoff picked up a distinguishable 'crunch'. He immediately snapped his attention to his partner in crime and sure enough his guess was on the mark. Sven gave him a meek smile as he tried but failed to stuff a carrot into his mouth.

"Sven!" Kristoff hissed, "Are you out of your mind?"

Sven just shrugged nonchalantly as he began to munch on his carrot again.

"This is hardly the time Sven!" Kristoff reprimanded as he snatched the offending vegetable from the reindeer's mouth.

Sven snorted angrily at the loss of his snack. He grunted his disapproval even louder when Kristoff decided to toss the carrot far away for good measure.

"Oh stop calling me names. You know you're supposed to be hiding, remember?" Kristoff said ignoring the pout the reindeer was putting on. "You're hard enough to hide already, try at least to make it easier?"

Sven let out a heavy sigh and rolled his eyes. Kristoff did the same at just how ridiculous their situation was. Here he was, an ice harvester along with a stubborn reindeer trying to hide from the Royal Guards. He would not even call this escapade of theirs remotely hiding, the crates they were using for cover could not even cover up Sven's upper body. The reindeer was simply too large. Sven, as expected, was unfazed by the exposure and simply took the whole situation as one big joke. Kristoff could not get along with the reindeer any longer for it seemed that their capture not so long ago had shaken the poor animal quite badly.

He stared daggers at the Guards as they began to spread out. The mass of people were growing steadily and Kristoff took the opportunity to make a move.

"Alright Sven, you stay here ok?" Kristoff instructed, "It'll be impossible for us both to make it through the crowd, its best I go alone."

Sven snorted and grunted his disapproval at him. Kristoff groaned at his friend's stubbornness as Sven began to get up.

"C'mon Sven, think about it," Kristoff pleaded, "You're gonna stand out in the crowd easily."

Sven groaned at him but sat back down. Kristoff patted him reassuringly.

"You'll be much safer here."

There was no particular direction the crowd was moving to, but the mass of people would help a lot to avoid the Royal Guards. He muttered countless apologies as he slowly made his way through the crowd of people, careful not to attract any attention to himself.

Kristoff tensed up when the air was filled with loud thunder. They continued in rapid succession, which confused him since thunder never did that. The people around him stopped as well, curious as to the source of the sound.

A loud scream pierced the air. And then the chaos began.

Kristoff fell to the ground in terror as the earth gave way. Loud booming roars was all to be heard. He looked up to see fireballs streaking through the sky.

People around him had gotten back onto their feet and were fleeing for their lives. A woman ran up to Kristoff and hoisted him up.

"Don't just lay there, run!" she screamed.

"What's happening?" Kristoff shouted back.

The woman resorted to dragging Kristoff with her. She dragged him into a side street that took them to the docks.

"Hey! Would you stop tha-" Kristoff was lost for words at what he saw. Massive ships beyond anything he had ever seen, with masts reaching for the heavens. The lamps on those ships were so numerous they could have been mistaken for a town out on the water. He had finally found the source of that impossible thunder, and it certainly was not anything natural. The ships were firing their cannons in rapid succession at Arendelle. They were under attack.

Kristoff snapped his eyes to the ship's masts, looking for a flag. Squinting hard he could make out what looked like the insignia of the Southern Isles.

Hans

Kristoff turned to find that the woman had fled. He decided to think less about it and focus more on the task at hand. Kristoff ran back into the crowd and towards the direction of the castle. All thoughts about sneaking past guards were thrown out of the window. The frenzy of the crowd and chaos all around them would surely take all the attention.

That and most definitely the artillery barrage on the city's outskirts. Kristoff managed to stop in time as the fruit stall right in front of him exploded, sending off splinters and fruit scraps. Thick smoke settled around the hit zone, clogging his lungs and burning his eyes. But there was no time to recover, at this rate the whole area was going to get worse.

Another volley was fired and Kristoff dropped onto the ground hard. The tavern on his left was struck, dispersing loose bricks and a thick layer of dust around the surrounding area. He realized too late that the tavern housed multiple barrels of flammable liquid otherwise known as alcohol. The inferno that soon followed the initial strike confirmed his fears. Fire burst out of the tavern with such force that it knocked the wind out of the poor man. When he snapped back to his senses, he discovered to his horror that he was not out of the fire's clutches. He was on fire. Kristoff screamed in agony as he rolled about on the ground, desperately trying to rid his sweater of the flames. The fiery beast seared his skin mercilessly even through the layers of fabric and crackled menacingly.

Kristoff clenched his eyes shut as the flames leaped to his face. He prepared for the worst but was not expecting a cold body of liquid slamming right onto him. Shocked from the temperature change and spluttering for air, Kristoff opened his eyes to see Sven with a bucket in his mouth.

"Sven!" Kristoff exclaimed in both relief and anger.

Sven dropped the bucket and bounded towards Kristoff, who received him in a hug.

"Damn it Sven, I told you not to come for me," Kristoff sighed, "You could have been killed."

Sven huffed at him and Kristoff could not help but chuckle lightly.

"Yeah yeah I know, you're tough," Kristoff clutched Sven's fur tightly, "Thanks for saving me buddy,"

Kristoff barely took two steps before the house in front of him was hit. The salvo this time was much more powerful, decimating the house and the surrounding buildings. He was unable to hold his ground as the shockwave threw him backwards.

The world went quiet saved for the sound of a constant ringing. He struggled to his feet as his vision took its time to recover. Kristoff barely registered the sharp pain in his bare arms over the sight of the Royal Castle all the way at the bottom of the hill. It's way too far.

He thought he heard Sven calling but could not be sure. The dull ringing was doing a number on him as the world around him was in chaos.

A nudge to his side got his attention and he turned to see Sven, who was trying to get him to notice a nearby wooden cart. The cart was rolling slowly downhill, its horse must have taken off. It was his best chance of getting to the castle fast.

The cart was gaining speed and very soon it would be out of reach. He had to make a quick decision, either turn back now while he still could or jump on that forsaken cart down the hill to the castle. The cart taunted him with its slow crawl down the hill.

Another nudge from Sven had him in motion. Kristoff ran with all his might with his eyes set on his target and leaped into the cart, which pushed it forward.

The cart shook painfully on the cobblestone as it rolled down the hill at breakneck speed. Kristoff tried his best to hold onto the sides of the cart but the constant shaking made it hard to grip tightly. As a result each jolt and shudder sent him stumbling about even as he flailed his arms in an attempt to balance himself.

Arendelle around him blurred to form a mass of reds, oranges and blacks. Even with the blurred vision he knew of the inferno consuming Arendelle. He covered his nose and mouth with his good sleeve as the acrid smell of smoke assaulted his nostrils. Kristoff did his best not to think of how many people were burning and how the smoke he inhaled was their ashy remains.

The crowd grew thicker as he approached the Royal castle. Thick angry smoke blanketed the kingdom, straining his vision. That's why he saw the barrels approaching too late. Kristoff did what he could, he jumped. The cart beneath him continued onwards to smash right into the barrels. However the speed at which the cart was travelling at was enough to take the barrels forwards as well, catching up to Kristoff as he began to descent. That allowed Kristoff to land in the mangled heap of weak wood, somewhat dampening the impact.

Kristoff lay there for a bit, groaning at his pain. Nothing was broken at least. The dull throb of his head and persistent ringing of his ears made getting up harder than it should have been. Kristoff grabbed what he could to support himself, cursing at his swaying vision. He stumbled along the street that lead him straight to the castle only to find some kind of commotion.

A large group of people congregated on the street. Their attention towards the castle. Kristoff scanned ahead to find a convoy was exiting the Royal Castle, speeding down the street. People quickly moved to both sides. Kristoff inspected the convoy as group by group went pass. All of them seem to be carrying cargo and not people. Anna was definitely not in the convoy, that meant she was still in the castle.

Kristoff was planning to cross the road when a woman rushed up close beside him. He naturally glanced at her and did a double take at the horror written over her face. The thing that he found most gripping was her eyes, those eyes that he recognized. Those were a mother's eyes. Quickly, he followed her focus to a little girl on the road. Without a second thought he was running into the path of the convoy towards the little girl. Her sapphire eyes locked onto him and Kristoff could see the plea for help in them.

Eyes clenched, legs pumping Kristoff swooped the little girl off the cobblestone. He felt the horses brushing against his back, but there was no solid contact. The girl held on tightly to him as he slowed down on the other side of the street. She was shaking uncontrollably, scared and frightened. Gently he set the girl back on the ground, still keeping his arms around her. Her mother ran to their side, shouting words of praise and thanks. Hearing her mother the girl's fear began to subside, and Kristoff let her go back to her mother.

Kristoff began the tedious mission of weaving through the crowd again as he made his way to the castle gates.

The hallways were empty and dead quiet. It made sneaking about easier but it also meant that there was not a soul to help him in finding his objective. Kristoff was certain he was here just a moment ago.

As he was about to head into another hallway, Kristoff suddenly heard footsteps. He immediately recoiled back and pressed himself firmly against the wall. Very slowly, he inched his head out, trying to ascertain who was coming his way.

Kristoff immediately recognized Anna's strawberry blonde hair. He also recognized the two guards by her side. They were the same guards that had jumped both him and Erling not long ago. Kristoff felt his heart race, those guards were dangerous and that meant Anna was in certain danger.

Kristoff felt a surge of anxiety as the footsteps drew closer. Step, step, step, he heard the ominous sound of footsteps coming closer and closer to where he was hiding. Any moment now they would reach him. He could take his chances and attempt to hide in the shadows, hoping that they would be incredibly blind to miss him. Or he could save Anna. Kristoff dug his nails into his palms as he weighed the odds and his chances against two armed men. Closer now, there was not much time left. Kristoff could feel his body quaking with energy even though his mind screamed with reason.

He lunged for the closest guard, his arms enveloping the man as they went down. A scream could be heard but Kristoff was dead focused on his victim. The man reacted instinctively, thrashing about to free himself. It was not something that Kristoff had not dealt with before, he had his fair share of wrestles with a particular reindeer. But that was just a one on one, and Kristoff knew the second guard would be onto him very soon. The ring of a sword being unsheathed confirmed this. He quickly turned to the source and saw the second guard in motion. Kristoff swiftly swung at the man's legs, hooking right underneath the knee and knocking the guard right off his feet. The guard in his arms seized the moment to free himself and roll away to safety.

Kristoff scrambled to his feet as the guard went down. He tried stomping on the man but the guard was swift, rolling himself out of harms way. Kristoff halted in his assault when he noticed movement in his peripheral vision. The sound of an object streaking through the air made it known to him that there was no time to act. Like fireworks, the impact resonated deafeningly in his ears and Kristoff thought he felt the strike. He thought did, but he was still standing and there was no physical pain. Confused, Kristoff turned to see a terrified Anna with a broken vase in her hands. The victim crouched by his feet with his hands cradling a bloody head.

An angry growl had Kristoff turning back around to the other guard who had gotten up. The guard appeared to have lost his helmet from his fall and Kristoff could better see 'Baldy's' death glare.

With difficulty, Baldy transferred his sword to his right hand. This provided Kristoff the much needed time to prepare and react as the guard brought his sword down for the kill. Kristoff blocked that hand with his left while his right swung at the man's head. It was a solid blow, one that sent the guard stumbling backwards.

Thump!

Kristoff slumped onto the floor in a daze. There was pain in his head and right shoulder that throbbed excruciatingly. It took him a moment to realize that he had just been rammed into the wall, his shoulder taking the brunt of the hit. That brought clarity to form another realization, that the man responsible was not finished with him yet.

Kristoff turned his head gingerly to see, as predicted, the guard approaching him. He could see the anger and determination in every part of the man, from the angry crease of the forehead to the white knuckles. His despicable features morphed into a look a thousand times nastier.

"Filthy peasant," 'Ugly' spat before launching his fist.

Kristoff tilted himself with all his might to the left, just dodging Ugly's blow. The need to survive caused Kristoff to swing both his arms at his aggressor. The blow, although sluggish, added on to Ugly's forward momentum to send him straight into the wall. Kristoff heard the guard hit the wall with a sickening crack.

But he was far from done.

"You're dead!" Baldy screamed. Kristoff rushed to his feet to face his opponent.

Kristoff swung first, big mistake.

Baldy drove his right arm down underneath Kristoff's before swinging right up. It effectively locked Kristoff's arm and invalidated the punch. Kristoff cried out in pain as the guard pulled him forward and twisted his trapped arm. Pressure began to build up in his shoulder and he knew that it was a matter of time before his arm would be broken somehow. His cries were cut short when the guard crushed his throat with his left arm. Terrified, Kristoff clawed desperately at the arm around his neck with his free arm. It was a futile attempt, and the pressure on his throat and shoulder kept on increasing.

Kristoff saw Anna on the floor with Ugly towering over her. Anna was struggling to get up, her actions unsteady. Ugly had the remains of the broken vase in his hands. With a blood curling roar Ugly brought it down on Anna's back, slamming her into the ground. Yet Anna still tried to get up. Ugly spat at her defiance and brought the vase down again. Kristoff knew that Anna would not be able to endure this for long. Anna needed him.

Gathering what remained of his strength, he slammed his free elbow into his captor's side.

A jerk, the pressure slightly loosened.

Lungs burning, eyes losing focus.

Again, forwards and swing back.

Another jerk, this time an audible grunt could be heard.

Kristoff seized his only hope, rapidly slamming Baldy's side again and again. Each time the grunts became louder. Each time, the pressure eased up.

But it still was not enough. His body twitched involuntarily at the lack of air, his eyesight failed him. Kristoff was battling to stay conscious. He needed more slack. With a final raise of his arm, Kristoff slammed the guard one last time.

A loud guttural groan, pain subsiding. The pressure had eased enough for Kristoff to tear away. He gasped for air, feeling the life rush back into him. But this was not the moment to indulge in relief.

Blady said something incomprehensible to his ears but got his attention anyway. Kristoff turned and gave a fist to the face. Baldy's head snapped to the side and the big man collapsed to the floor

It was only Ugly left.

Kristoff decided to wait this time, he knew the consequences of taking the first move. Ugly's fist twitched as the two stared each other down. Kristoff teetered on his unsteady feet.

With a mighty roar, the guard swung at him at full force. Kristoff pushed himself back with both feet. The fist sailed through the air harmlessly. Lack of contact sent the guard stumbling forward. Seizing his opportunity, Kristoff let loose his left fist onto the man's exposed neck. Pain shot up his left arm as the fist hit home.

Kristoff immediately regretted hitting the guard in such a bony region. Although Baldy hit the ground for what seemed to be the last time, his fist was paying the price.

Kristoff limped his way over to Anna.

"Are you alright?" Kristoff asked as he helped her to her feet.

"I've definitely seen better days, my body hurts terribly," Anna admitted.

Propping Anna against a wall, Kristoff collected the guard's swords and handed one to her.

"You don't really think there will be more of them, do you?" Anna hesitantly took the offered weapon.

"I certainly do," Kristoff replied, "besides its better to be on our guard."

Anna nodded in agreement.

"We need somewhere to hide for the time being," Kristoff said, "Any ideas?"

"There…should be a small storage room just down the hallway," Anna replied, thinking hard, "If I remember correctly."

The two made their way as quickly as they could down the hall and into the storage room. Although Anna seemed to have not remembered quite correctly, as Kristoff found the room was quite large. With its size, the room held a large assortment of furniture and other large fixtures.

Kristoff slammed the door after them and quickly went to work barricading it. Anna joined in as well, tossing everything in the room at the door. Once the door was sufficiently blocked, they stood back.

"Wait…here…a bit," Kristoff gasped, "Need…to…think…first."

Anna silently agreed and gave Kristoff some space.

"Where is Elsa?" Kristoff asked, breaking the silence.

"She went out with the fleet to negotiate," Anna replied, walking to the other side of the room.

"Negotiate? With the Southern Isles? Is she crazy?"

"Kristoff we don't stand a chance against them," Anna replied frustrated. But those were Elsa's words, not hers. She instead agreed with Kristoff, Hans would take what he wants by any means.

There was an awkward pause between the two which made Anna uncomfortable. Kristoff seemed to be deep in thought.

"How could you?" Kristoff finally said, breaking the silence.

"Excuse me?" Anna exclaimed.

"Why didn't you tell me?" Kristoff continued, anger seeping into his words.

"What? Tell you what?" Anna was confused, not understanding where this conversation was heading.

"No, let me try again. When were you going to tell me?" Kristoff pressed on, "If you were ever going to tell me."

"Kristoff, I don't understand!" Anna cried out.

"Oh you understand very well! Stop lying to me!"

"Kristoff, please! I do not understand what you are talking about!" Anna implored.

"That you and your sister, were…were," Kristoff whispered, barely audible.

Anna gave the man a confused look, not quite understanding. Whatever it was, it caused an uneasy sinking feeling in her chest. She dreaded his next words.

"Incest."

Her heart skipped a beat, panic began to set in. "It's not what you think!" she said quickly. Her mouth was one step ahead of her brain.

Kristoff glared at her, his once soft eyes turned cold. Anna felt like he was completely a different man.

"What I think is wrong now? Tell me what I should think about it" Kristoff fumed.

"Kristoff please! Just listen to me…I-I can explain-"

"It's wrong Anna!"

"I know that Kristoff! Don't you think I would have thought of that!?"

"So why did you do it?" Kristoff shot back.

"I don't know," Anna said, staring at the ground in defeat.

"What do you know? What do you really feel?" Kristoff pressed on.

"All I know is that everything she says and does to me really matters. Elsa really matters. I would do anything to keep her safe. The things I would do just to make her happy!" Anna poured out, "Not a moment goes by where I don't think of her. I waited thirteen years for her because I couldn't face a life without her."

Kristoff was silent, eyes pointed at the ground.

"I-I love her," Anna confessed.

Silence.

Anna took steady breaths as she watched the man across the room. It felt incredibly good to let that out, to have the burden off her shoulders.

"No, you're wrong. You're confused Anna,"

"I am not," Anna protested, before adding quietly "But sometimes I wish I was."

"I don't want a part in this Anna," Kristoff seemed more distressed than angry now. "Do you know what people would do if they hear about this?"

Anna remained silent. She knew, she had read about it. Read it ten times over. She vividly remembered the words 'Certain Death'.

"But I'll help you, I'll help Arendelle. Because I don't want to be the bad guy," Kristoff

With his back to her and their distance apart, Anna felt her stomach twist sickeningly. She had not meant to hurt this man so. Kristoff did not deserve this, what had she been thinking? Anna bit on her tongue forcefully, unsure of what to say.

"Then let's do this for Arendelle. I at least owe them that," Anna spoke up.

Kristoff didn't respond at first, facing the wall. Anna slowly walked up behind him. Finally Kristoff took a deep loud breath before turning to face her.

"What's the fastest way out of the castle," Kristoff inquired, eyes not quite meeting hers.

"Through the east wall, I'll lead the way," Anna replied easily.

"On three," Kristoff instructed, as he began taking down their barricade.

Anna nodded and tightened her grip on her sword.

"One."

Sweat on the brow, sweat trickling down the back.

"Two."

Arms tensed, hands firmly on her weapon. Anna looked to Kristoff, awaiting his last word.

"Three!"

The mighty vessels of war loomed out at sea. Their mighty size and sturdy construct boasted their strength and power. The fleet of the Southern Isles was definitely a powerful one, and it did not help that Arendelle only had four ships at the ready. Four ships that paled in comparison to the size of these vessels of war. Elsa remained firm however, pushing her fear to the side. She was relieved that the message had gotten to their invaders. Elsa was even more relieved that the cannon barrage had ceased. She stood firm at the bow of her ship, she would show that she was not afraid. A strange quiet settled upon Arendelle, not of calm but as if the kingdom had lost its voice to scream in despair.

Elsa tried not to think about the ship they were heading towards. The Norse was a chilling sight. To have been told it had sank in a 'tragic' event of nature and only to find out it had all been a lie was something that made Elsa incredibly uneasy. She had so many questions. Was it truly the Norse? Or was this some sick joke to taunt her? Were her parents still alive? She could barely digest that last thought.

"Your Majesty, are you sure about this?" Admiral Birger asked nervously as he approached.

"I have to be, who knows what twisted plans Prince Hans has in mind," Elsa frowned.

"Twisted indeed, I fear for your safety Your Majesty."

"Then fear no more, my life is now my own responsibility," Elsa stated, "Keep yourself and your men safe."

She turned to face the Admiral and she could see the fear in the man. His pale skin, sweaty forehead, shaking hands and unsteady legs said everything. He could not be blamed however, Arendelle had been for a long while at peace. With good relations with her neighboring kingdoms, Arendelle had no real enemies. The Admiral may have been trained well, but it certainly did not make up for experience. Books can only do so much.

"Admiral Birger, are you afraid?" Elsa asked quietly.

The Admiral visibly tensed and gulped forcibly. Struggling slightly he responded "Y-Your Majesty I-"

Elsa vaguely registered liquid being splattered onto her. Upon contact, her body seized up in response at the unexpected. It was a whole two seconds before Elsa realized that Admiral Birger's throat had been slit open and that the liquid on her was his blood. The Admiral collapsed onto the deck right before her eyes. Her eyes went back up to see the man responsible for this. Previously out of sight due to his position behind the large Admiral.

"General Gunnar?" Elsa exclaimed in surprise.

"He always was a coward, the fool" Gunnar said, examining his blood stained sword.

"What is the meaning of this?" Elsa demanded, backing away from the man.

"Long live the Queen, Lenge Leve revolusjonen," Gunnar said with a hollow voice. His eyes were now trained on the Admiral's body, inspecting it with morbid fascination.

Elsa paled at Gunnar's words, especially at how unnervingly chilling they had sounded. She took a quick step back. Ears throbbed with each beat of her racing heart. Her eyes swept the deck, taking all the men on board and just how vulnerable she was at the moment. Some of the men seemed to be genuinely shocked, but most wore a hard look. Elsa felt surrounded and overwhelmed, fear taking over her senses as she panicked.

Everything ceased when Gunnar's eyes shot up at her, causing her to take another step back. She eyed the weapon in his hands warily but most of her attention was at his face, trying to gauge the man.

"Stay back," Elsa warned.

"Lenge leve revolusjonen"

Elsa's world went black.

Author's notes:

Sincerest apologies for the (nearly) year delay. I sorta hit a rough patch in my life last year, and have been trying to kinda avoid it. The story was bringing up unwanted memories. I was afraid to admit it. But I have decided to get on with life and face my problems.

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