SnowQueenElsaOfArendelle: First off, wow, you are one tall 12 year old xD I'm 5ft 1in and 16 years old... (yeah, there's a reason I'm wearing heels at prom...) But if it helps, you can just pretend Odd's 6ft if you want to fangirl over him! As for not reviewing so much, no worries, although it's nice that you'd like to review more. But seriously, don't get ill over the series... Being too attached can't be healthy, as you say!
Pabulover123: Ahaa, you had a double-installement this week then? No worries about forgetting to read/review for the last chapter - I get double the reviews this week anyway! But I'll hold you to that unbreakable vow... (*Evil laugh*) Anyway, I'm glad you liked the chance to have a look at the southern isles again, it's always good to have a change. Also, as you mentioned in the next review, the fact that the family are still happy does show how strong their relationships are and how no matter what gets thrown at them they'll stay strong. And yes, once they get to Corona things will get easier for them, but it won't be the same because they will still have to sneak around, not to mention it will be hard to actually get into the castle as the more people that see them, the more chance they can be tracked down.
blackkngth: Wow, when you said you'd caught up I didn't expect there to be this many reviews! Yay! So, onto the reviews... (Chapter 20): As you say, though it's nice for Elsa to be able to have another child, although it is horrid to think of what she went through - don't forget there's still the possibility that it's Odd's, I'm not telling yet though! As for the fact that women during the 19th century tended to have lots of children; it did occur to me when I began writing this story, but I figured there's enough pregnancy in this story as it is and I don't really want to overwhelm it completely. Although it is fairly likely Anna and Elsa may have gotten pregnant and then miscarried early on during the five/six year time gap between FPII and FPIII. (Chapter 21): I'm glad you liked Odd's portrayal and how he's there for Elsa; I won't lie, he will find it hard (let's be honest, I imagine most people would) but he's there for her too. As you say, she'll need the support. And well done when you mentioned about Elsa's glove removal "making the game interesting" when Arne catches up - you hit the nail on the head there! (Chapter 22) Well, I guess you could use the word nasty to describe Arne... perhaps with a couple of well selected swear words beforehand, anyway. That would better suit him; nasty makes him sound like a playground bully, at least I think so! As for poor little Freddie's state... well, he's fine for the minute and will be for a couple of days, but then he'll begin to rapidly deteriorate again. The infection is definitely still there, just held at bay for a while. (Chapter 23) Thanks for the birthday wish, I did have a great day so thanks! Next, I'm glad you liked the chance to take a peek into the Southern Isles' world again; as for who attacked them, it would have been a neighbouring country, but it isn't really significant who attacked in the end; the main purpose of the attack was for the King to realise that his country wasn't as strong as he thought. (Chapter 24) It's a relief to know that the lighthearted chapters are okay still, I was a little nervous but figured we needed some sort of happiness in the family's rather depressing lives. You mentioned Freddie's injury again; as for getting his arm treated, such an infection would be devastating for people back in the day and without Pabbie's help, Freddie may have died before they reached Corona. As it is, he'll still be incredibly sick and the wound will be infected still, but I won't say whether he'll make it out alive or not. Medicine back in the day isn't exactly as sophisticated as nowadays, but...
KLime (guest): Ah, I felt really bubbly inside when you said that I was creative, thank you! :D first off, I'm glad you didn't mind the more laid back chapter and, as you say, it is nice to give them a bit of a break! As for having no episodes of seasickness, that didn't even occur to me but - luckily - the sea would have been quite calm anyway so it won't be too bad just yet. Also, you mention that the group has an amazing supply of clean water; this is my fault, but frankly I forgot to mention last chapter that they actually don't. They don't have any wood to start a fire with so can't melt ice, and, at least in my opinion, Elsa can't melt her ice, only thaw it; the exception to this is water that she froze rather than ice she made out of thin air. They have a fair amount of water given to them by the trolls, and luckily it's the middle of winter so they aren't exactly sweating all that much and losing water that way, but they'll have to make a pit-stop on an island somewhere before they do run out of water. (At least that way they'll be able to get some fresh food, too!) As for Freddie avoiding a tantrum, yeah, that is pretty amazing actually! xD Finally, you mention the small size of the ship and how crying would be "inescapable" and would also attract unwanted attention; luckily, there will be about eight or nine months (depending on whose baby it is) before the baby is born, although any whining from any of the children would be just as annoying. Like you say, though, Elsa will be getting less and less mobile over the months, so fingers crossed she won't have to face Ayla while pregnant again!
aggsun (guest): Don't worry, the animals are still there, they've just been inside for the time being. Only Sven's not there, he's back with Arne still. And your comment about Elsa needing to have married the God of Happiness made me laugh - it's quite true though, she needs all the happiness she can get!
Kathy22334 (guest): Ahh, you don't have to give me a proper present (not to mention you can't either, so that makes your decision easier!) but reviews really make me happy, no matter how short, so that's a superb present! And i'm glad you liked the chapter, no worries about being in a rush, the review made me smile all the same! :D
PeruvianInca: Thanks, I hope this chapter is good too!
OmegaMarker: Wow, you basically summed up the opposite of the entire series when you said "a light-hearted, no-hate, no-evil chapter, don't have to be worrying about who's getting hurt next". Haha, it's true though, we haven't had a genuinely happy chapter without some form of danger in a while... And I liked your point about Hans having a love for power, it might be more of an obsession but I guess 'love' works too! And as for where Olaf is, he's on a worldwide tour and he was around during the 5 years between FPII and FPIII but then he disappeared right before this started again. So, in other words, I forget about him :( I planned to have him help with the escape from "Arne's lair" but then I forgot so... yeah. I might try and throw him in later on in the series though, nearer to the end, maybe he could be secretly trying to destroy Ayla himself? Yeah, I don't know.
Spartandestroyr: I'm glad you liked the calmer chapter, Lord knows the family needed the break! And yes, I guess you're right, Hans' relationship with Ayla is mainly respect (but hey, at least he doesn't hate her or that would be an even worse relationship... come to think of it maybe it would be good if he hated her, then he might kill her and save everyone the pain ;) but then I'd have to end the series, so maybe not in hindsight).
Elsa frowned as she looked at herself in the shiny surface of the ice wall, trying to decide whether or not she could see a small bump yet; the reasonable half of her brain was saying no, for at only about one week pregnant - assuming it wasn't Odd's, which she had decided must be the case because fate seemed to hate her - the thing wouldn't even be the size of a poppy seed, but the paranoid other half of her mind was insistent that there was a curve there, no matter how tiny, and the thought made her feel sick. The sensation wasn't helped by the slight lolling of the vessel as it travelled through the sea that afternoon, now the group's fourth day at sea after escaping from Arendelle three days ago, the rainy weather making the waves slightly choppy.
Elsa groaned as she stumbled slightly on the icy floor and struggled for a second to regain her balance; once she managed to stand straight again she adjusted the tightness of her ice-dress to make it slightly more flowing around the waist, trying to hide the traitorous bump which wasn't even there, before slowly making her way back into Anna and Kristoff's room where the rest of her family were all sat still. Wiping away the small tear threatening to spill from her right eye, she plastered on as convincing a smile as she could manage before re-entering her sister's room.
All of the occupants looked up at her as she walked in and Elsa glanced about nervously as she sat down next to Odd on one of the hammocks Mia had made the day before; fashioned from fairly thick, but still slightly pliable, sheets of ice, the crafts remained frozen by decreasing the temperature of the rooms. All of the occupants were happy with the compromise; they didn't mind being slightly colder if it meant that their sleeping arrangements were a little more comfortable because, after two nights of sleeping on the solid floor, they had all begun to ache with every little movement.
"Finally!" Anna cried as she stood up quickly and ran from the room, literally sliding through the door into the adjoining cabin. Elsa frowned in confusion and looked to her husband for an answer.
"Anna's desperate for a pee," Odd said with a chuckle, "and you were taking a long time. She's been waiting for ages."
"Why could she not just relieve herself in her own bathroom?" Elsa asked in puzzlement, for both quarters had their own adjoining restroom; they were nothing fancy - just a seat with a hole above a pipe in the floor which emptied outside of the ship - but it was better than a chamber pot.
"Thomas and Kari locked themselves in there because they were annoyed at the food options and wouldn't come out. And then Mia fell asleep just after you left, so she couldn't thaw it either - she and Freddie were feeling a bit sea sick, so they wanted to just sleep through it." Odd said with a chuckle, "Although I can't really blame those twins for being grumpy at the food we have; it's really quite disgusting."
Elsa smiled slightly, forgetting her sadness for just a moment before it washed over her again soon after. "I guess it isn't the most appetising, is it..." She said with a ghost of a smile remaining, "But no matter; once we find an island we'll find ourselves some nicer food."
"In winter?" Odd said with a chuckle, "You'll be lucky. But I'm sure we can rustle up some more meat and maybe we'll be able to find a little bit of watercress. Come to think of it, cattail shoots don't taste all that bad either; might be able to find some of them. If fate's good enough to give us an island in the first place."
"Well, in that case I think we'll be stuck with the burdock; fate seems to hate us, or me at least right now." She let out a sigh of irritation, and Odd squeezed her hand gently while Kristoff cleared his throat to attract their attention.
"Sorry," he apologised, "but I think you're looking at this the wrong way, Elsa - we got away from Arne, is that not good? Freddie's not gotten sick yet, either. Not to mention we're... well, almost all of us are here still." Kristoff's face fell into a frown, but he finished in an almost-unwavering voice, "I'd say that's okay luck, at any rate."
There was a moment of silence as Elsa considered this and then she noticed how her brother-in-law was looking longingly out of the ice window at the rolling waves again. "Kristoff- I'm sorry about Sven." She said slowly, wanting to reassure him but not sure how to. He nodded at her words, but kept his desperate expression. Anna returned then, looking extremely relieved as she walked in with a blissful expression on her face.
"Much better," she sighed, but then noticed the slightly awkward expression in the room. She looked around and noticed how her husband looked so depressed and, under her breath, she whispered to Elsa, "What happened?"
"Sven," Elsa breathed back, hoping that Kristoff couldn't overhear her; she'd hate to make things worse. Anna's eyes softened and she frowned slightly, nodding in thanks before walking over to her husband slowly, not slipping once, and she sat down next to him quietly. She placed her hand tentatively around Kristoff and snuggled closer to his body, not knowing what she could do to reassure him. A few moments later there came a scratching sound at the icy door of the room and Elsa thawed a hole in it so that Seier could enter too; he stumbled as a particularly large wave rocked the boat making everyone struggle to stay upright, his weakened ankle making things even harder for him, but Anna grabbed him quickly by his collar and heaved him up onto her lap with difficulty. He thanked her with a rather wet and unpleasant lick right across her face making her spit in disgust and he wagged his damp tail happily, before crawling froward and then flopping down onto his mother's lap, snaking his head under Kristoff's hand and making a quiet grunt as if to reassure him. In response, the man gently began to stroke his head but the actions were unenthusiastic and feeble at best.
Elsa sighed a little as she watched the pair, and looked to Odd for reassurance that everything would work out okay. In response, he smiled at her warmly and placed his hand in hers, before she moved slightly to rest them on top of her thigh, touching her stomach very slightly, an unconscious action which she would have never been able to find the courage do on purpose. Still, it made Odd smile; he was dreading the birth in case it turned out to be another man's child - although he couldn't help but wonder whether all of this stress could make her lose it anyway - but he knew as well that, blood or not, it would still be his son or daughter and that was a nice thought. If luck turned that way, he would grow to love it just as much as Freddie once he got over the initial aversion to the baby which, though the thought sickened him, he knew he would undoubtedly feel - the child would not only be another man's, something which would remind him of his inability to protect his wife and would, admittedly, cause him a little disgust (aimed at the rapists rather than Elsa), but would also have been conceived as a result of his own Father's scheme and would forever serve as a reminder of Odd's relation to him.
"Odd?" Elsa's timid voice whispered in his ear and, though she hid it well, a small amount of fear still shone in her eyes, "Do you think we'll all get out of this okay?"
"Huh?"
"Even with this whole threat surrounding Arne and Ayla as well as the Royal Advisor... do you think we'll all make it out unscathed? We've already lost Sven - I can't help but wonder if it's a sign of sorts?"
Odd shrugged slightly. "I won't lie- I have no idea. No doubt what's happened will effect us for the rest of our lives but... well, I reckon we'll pull through. This is one of the toughest families I know, at any rate... although I don't know many families so that's not all that much of a reassurance... I guess I'm not really much of a 'people person' after growing up a loner, am I?"
Elsa giggled very slightly. "Not really," she agreed and smiled knowingly, "although you say that, but I spent thirteen years locked in my bedroom and yet I still manage."
"Eh." Odd grunted dismissively, grinning a little, "You had lessons in people skills, Elsa - I reckon you've got a little bit on me, Posh Girl."
"I'll have you know you're a Posh Boy yourself now that you're a Prince," she retorted with a grin, feeling a little uplifted by the conversation, "so you have no place to go calling me the same!"
"Yeah, but you were a posh 'un born not made, so you've got a leg up there." Odd teased back and Elsa, unable to think of a reply to that, held up her hands in submission; across the room, Anna and Kristoff began whispering in slightly louder voices but this went ignored.
There was a moment's silence as the two just sat there, the rocking of the ship having a soothing affect on both; Odd's hand trailed softly around Elsa as they swayed on the hammock and she shifted slightly into the embrace, sighing at the gentle touch and the reassurance which came with it, but then she let out a yelp and jerked quickly away. Anna looked around momentarily but then returned her attention to her own husband, talking in hushed tones, while Odd stuttered countless apologies. Elsa waved them off, trying to assure him that it was fine, that it was her fault but he only looked at her with shining eyes.
"I'm so sorry!" He muttered again, but then he frowned, "I touched the burn, didn't I?"
"Mm hmm," Elsa agreed softly, turning away at the mention; not only was it a sign of her weakness but it was the worst design for her self-esteem of the two. The one on her right shoulder... well, it was written in runes and could easily be mistaken for something beautiful for those who didn't know the meaning of the symbols - "witch". It was designed to remind her that no matter how beautiful her magic seemed, it was evil, even if everyone denied such a statement. But, no matter how hurtful it was, it didn't even come close to the pain that the newer burn caused her. Branded onto her skin just after the guards had "had their fun", an S and an I whose intent was so very obvious; to show that she had been claimed. She was the Southern Isles' possession now, at least metaphorically if not literally, but it made her feel awful. Her thoughts momentarily wandered down to the small bundle of cells growing inside her, and she instantly felt a flickering rage; at those awful guards and at the developing child itself. In that moment, the urge to take the herb that Pabbie had given her was almost overwhelming.
"Won't you please at least let me put some of the sap we've got left on the burns, Elsa?" Odd begged, his tone desperate, "They'll only scar worse without any treatment!"
Elsa looked like she wanted to refuse, opening her mouth to say no as she always did when he offered to help but, when she saw the pleading look he gave her, she whimpered slightly with her previously happy demeanour lost as she gave a quiet murmur of reluctant assent; Odd grinned in relief as she finally gave in, having refused to allow him to treat the burns since she relented when they were sleeping in the cave just before reaching the trolls' valley. He couldn't help but fear that they would get infected soon if they were left for too long.
"Can you thaw away some of your dress, please?" He asked quietly, a small coconut shell of sap in his lap which he always kept on his person. He was careful to speak with a soft tone to reassure her that it was okay; though the burns obviously held so much more meaning to her, no one would really think badly of her for them. They hadn't been her fault, nor had the pregnancy. They were just another reminder of what the family had all been through; now that he thought of it, though, perhaps they were also a sign of the fact that they had escaped. Even with everything Arne and his men had done they had still gotten away‒ the scars weren't evidence of the group's being claimed by the Southern Isles; they were a symbol that they had beaten their attackers. They had gotten away.
"Must I?" Elsa asked in a quiet voice, a small attempt to try and get out of Odd seeing the scandalous wounds, but he assured that they would only get worse; with a sigh, she thawed a slight hole in the back of her ice dress and also the right shoulder of her dress, actually enjoying the decreased pressure on the sensitive burns. She winced as Odd gently applied the soothing medicine onto her shoulder wound and she clenched her fists as the temperature in the room dropped by a single degree; she stiffened slightly as he guided a finger down her side, following the curves of her body in a tender fashion which she almost managed to settle into before he came to rest on the second brand. He traced the letters of the burn as he carefully painted the sap onto the wound, this one scabbed and seeping slightly, and Elsa groaned slightly as she noticed the way he was following the lines of the burn; clearly he had recognised what the letters were and the irrational side of her expected him to look at her in disgust - a hatred he should already hold for her for carrying a possible-bastard child - but, of course, he didn't even flinch. His only reaction was one of sympathy for her.
"There," he whispered to her as he drew back, wiping the remainder of the sap on his neck wound which, though partially healed, was still deep and far from ignorable. He added a little more as an afterthought, and then put the tiny she'll of sap away in a pocket again. "All done; give it a couple of minutes to harden and then you can remake your dress."
Elsa groaned slightly. "Oh, but I hate to leave my shoulder bare now- the burn is so obvious and-"
"No, Anna! You don't understand at all!" Kristoff's heated words cut through Elsa's and the couple turned quickly to watch what was happening. The door to the bathroom also opened at the raised voice, Thomas and Kari appearing to find out what was going on; to say they were surprised to hear their ever-quiet father shouting was an understatement. Mia and Freddie both jerked awake at the yell too, leaving the whole family watching the redheaded princess and her prince.
"I only meant-" Anna began as she sharply drew her hand back from Kristoff's as he shouted, but he wouldn't allow her to finish the sentence.
"You meant well, but that doesn't change anything! You don't understand, Anna; you've got your whole family here with you, and your pets too!" He shoved Seier off of his lap roughly just as a wave crashed against the side of the ship, making it unbalanced for a second. The wolf landed with a thud on the ice and slipped a little way, only stopping when he dug in his claws, and he trotted timidly over to Mia and sat at her feet whining until she raised him up with a pile of snow. He cuddled into her, not understanding what he'd done wrong to Kristoff.
"Kristoff, we'll get-" Anna tried again, but as before her husband spoke up first. Tears slowly formed in the poor princess' eyes, and she had to look away from her husband as he continued to rage. He'd been holding in his sorrows for so long, he couldn't contain it any more.
"We'll get him back!? When, Anna? When we get to Corona? When we reclaim Arendelle? More like when his ashes get mailed to us in a box with a note warning us that they are coming to kill us!" Kristoff's face was red with rage and he was clenching his fists so tightly he'd drawn a fair amount of blood. "Well, I'll tell you what; I've lost a brother, I've lost my best friend of thirteen years - thirteen years! - and when all you can offer me is a pathetic promise that we'll get him back... There's not even a glimmer of hope in those words- they're the same thing everyone says but does it ever happen?! No, of course not!" Kristoff let out a hell of frustration and stood up quickly, before storming out of the room onto the deck outside.
"Kristoff!" Anna yelled, her voice cracked and she was choked up with tears; she made to run after him but Elsa made a wall of ice in her way. Still feeling slightly vulnerable from having her burns so exposed she gestured for her sister to come over then whispered shakily to Odd to go and speak to Kristoff, hoping he'd have more luck.
Anna stumbled over to Elsa slowly, collapsing into her sister's embrace as she sobbed. "I was just trying to help," she choked out between wails, clinging desperately onto her sister for support. Her delicate fingers gripped the icy material of the dress tightly, her nails coming dangerously close for comfort to the runes on Elsa's shoulder who, with great difficulty, tried to keep the uncertainties at bay for her sibling's sake.
"Hush, hush Anna; he's just stressed," she reassured gently, feeling weak from trying not to panic at her sister's fingers beginning to creep ever closer to the brand mark. She tried to shift away from her a little without Anna noticing, but she only moved as her sister did. With a sigh, Elsa settled for softly tickling her sibling's back, careful to avoid the general area of her own burn, and the princess slowly began to calm down.
"Mama?" Came a quiet little voice from nearby and Mia sat watching with wide eyes as she tried to comprehend what had just happened, "Mama, I'm confused; what's going on?"
"Nothing, Sweetie- Papa just misses Sven is all." Anna explained through her own tears, "We all miss Sven, but Papa the most and he just... Really couldn't deal with it tonight."
Mia looked distressed at this answer but nodded slowly and tentatively opened out her arms, desperate for reassurance but scared at the same time that she would be seen as weak. Anna was more than happy to oblige her wishes and rushed over to her hammock, pulling her into a great embrace as Elsa did the same with Freddie, and even Thomas - accompanied by an even more reluctant Kari - came over to join in, the events of recent taking their toll on everyone.
The ice door burst open just then and Odd stood there looking panicked. He looked directly at Elsa, then at Mia and shouted loudly enough to ensure that none could miss his words, "We've got one hell of a problem out here!"
First, before anyone has a go at me for Odd being such a horrid person for being disgusted at the possibility of Elsa's baby being someone else's, remember that for a start, this is a different time period to our own - a woman having another man's child would have been scandalous and back in the day men actually claimed compensation for the woman's loss of value (but Odd's not that sort of man)! And it would have been a blow on a man's pride, too, if he didn't father the child. On top of that, the child would be a constant reminder to Odd that he hadn't been able to stop Elsa from being raped (remember he and Kristoff were held down and forced to watch?) And then, if all that wasn't enough, the rapists were his father's own men (not Arne himself though because if Freddie's sibling was his grandfather's son... just no) and so it's all even more personal to Odd who already worries about turning into a monster like Arne. So, all things considered, the fact that Odd is willing to try to overlook all of that for Elsa's wellbeing... well, I'd say that makes him a better man than before.
Next, this chapter was going to be longer but I ran out of time in the end, sorry- thought I'd leave you with a cliffhanger though!
I'd best check this thing and then get to bed, I hope you liked it and please review, also I've been reading a lot of fanfiction pet peeves recently and it would be great to know your's so I can try to avoid doing it in future!
Good luck for any fellow exam takers this week!
-Luna