A/N: Sorry for the wait folks, been a busy few days. Hopefully the size of this update makes up for it. Here we go then, the big one!
The first light of dawn crept slowly over the mountains, but Arendelle was far from quiet this morning. The crash of conflict and the cries of battle echoed across the still dawn air.
Vickers couldn't help but feel a hint of pride at his handiwork. A few lofty promises, some small bribes and the odd controversial rumour had turned the city upside down. The chaos might be ended by today, but the time it had bought him was invaluable. The time he had bought his nation would be invaluable.
He took a sip from the glass of wine he was holding. Today would be a good day.
…
Nestor ducked a thrust and slammed the hilt of his sword upward into the jaw of his opponent. He saw one of his own next to him go down to a crossbow bolt. On his other side two officers buried spears in an attacker scaling a ladder against the barricade.
'We can't hold, Nestor!' He heard Brynn shouting.
He wasn't even sure where she was. Half of the people on the barricade at the moment weren't even his men. He slashed horizontally as somebody made to hack at him, sending their body tumbling over the edge. They couldn't hold here anymore.
'Back!' He roared.
He waited to ensure his orders were being followed before leaping down himself. Brynn stumbled into him in the confusion. She was injured, her hair matted with sweat and blood, but otherwise on her feet.
'Bring up fire-bottles. Burn the barricade. It might delay them.'
She relayed the order.
Nestor stood and watched as the bottles exploded on the wooden construction. It caught easily, the fire spread rapidly. The attackers who'd made their way up were only just realising what had happened. Some jumped off, some stopped climbing, retreating back. Others found themselves trapped, their screams filling the street.
Nestor watched, to make sure he wouldn't forget.
…
'Hey!' Kristoff bellowed, up at the haphazard construction of furniture and wood.
A head appeared at the top, cautiously.
'Who are-?'
'Let us in damn it. I've got children with me, and this…' He paused, considering whether he should say it was the Queen he was carrying. 'This…girl is gravely wounded. She needs help, now.'
There was the mutter of voices above. Kristoff fidgeted impatiently. He was sure the mercenaries he'd seen Elsa dealing with were coming this way. The musket-fire had tailed off, which could only mean they'd started moving further ahead of Haagan's troops.
A small gap appeared in the barricade as several objects were pulled out. He hurried the children through, following carefully afterwards with Elsa in his arms.
'Where's Nestor?' He asked, looking up into the wary expressions of the watchmen. Their hands were on their weapons.
'You know the captain?'
Behind him he heard the gap being blocked up again.
'Yes, where is he?'
'We're abandoning the outer barricades, falling back to a smaller area they've been building a wall around between two of the Watch-Houses. Most of the civilians are there now, easier to protect.'
'We need to go, you've got more trouble coming your way, Nestor needs to be-'
They heard the hollow pounding of heavy footsteps in the distance. The watchmen nodded, leading them through gradually less deserted streets. There were groups of watchmen marching the same way, some okay, most wounded. Some carrying the…dead.
They came out onto a small open area in front of one of the Watch-Houses. It was walled off with a hastily assembled collection of heavy objects, manned with armed men and women of the watch. Nestor was marching back and forth, shouting.
Despite the seriousness of the situation, he couldn't suppress a grin, Nestor was always shouting.
The captain stopped mid-command when he saw Kristoff approaching with two children and…
'Is that the bloody Queen?' He managed.
Kristoff nodded.
'She's wounded, she needs help. Now.'
Nestor peered round him at Karden and Nell.
'…children too?'
'It's a long story. Look, Nestor, she needs help.'
He nodded, beckoning them through the wall. They'd just reached the door when a shout went up.
'Enemy approaching!'
Nestor stopped in his tracks, cursing.
'Brynn!' He roared. 'I've got to deal with this, she'll help.' He marched back to his men.
Kristoff bristled. He hadn't seen her yet and it didn't seem right to ask with everything going on, but a small part of him had begun to fear the worst.
She appeared at the door. Her eyes were dark, skin bruised. She looked tired.
'…Kristoff?'
'Brynn, you're-'
She made to wrap him in a hug when she saw the girl in his arms.
'…the Queen?' She blurted.
'She's badly Injured. And these kids need…well, they could do with a meal.'
'Bring them inside.' She beckoned.
'It's…good to see you.'
She turned, smiling.
'You too.'
He followed her inside.
…
'Stand to!' Nestor roared.
Along the low wall of the compound, men and women levelled crossbows and spears. The echo of encroaching footsteps was faster now, they were running and there were a lot of them. Three streets opened onto the courtyard. The noise could have been coming from all three, he couldn't be sure.
Then they appeared on the right, charging at them. He saw Baden smirking coolly as he walked casually out, surrounded by a mass of guards.
Nestor raised his arm.
Then they appeared on the right.
A mass of armed men tore into the courtyard, bearing down on them. They weren't watchmen, he had no idea who the hell they were. They looked like they weren't even from Arendelle. Mercenaries then. He remembered Brynn's speculation that somebody else was fighting the Queen's troops.
He shook the thoughts aside, it wasn't important now. He dropped his arm as they filled the courtyard. The front ranks shook as crossbow bolts hit the men in the front. They came on regardless.
A second volley of bolts dissuaded them no more than the first and they collided with the wall.
Dozens instantly went down on the spears of his men. He thrust his sabre forward, burying it in the chest of one of the foreigners. He stepped to one side, to avoid a downward slice, hacking his own sword left into the attacker. A searing pain in his right leg exploded as he realised somebody else had found an opening, narrowly missing a fatal thrust. He slammed his fist into their face.
He felt somebody catch him as he stumbled, pulling him back from the front. He managed to choke out a thanks, clutching his leg.
All along the wall they were under attack. They were heavily outnumbered. Where the hell was Haagan?
…
Elsa was laid out on a cot that had been set up in the dining hall. There were many such beds set up for the wounded and dying. Kristoff had let the children be placed with the other families. Brynn had changed her out of her bloodied clothes into a plain dress.
'I think she'll be alright.' Brynn muttered, after a tense silence. She'd tended the wound in her side, dressing it in new bandages. 'Just needs rest. That's probably what caused it to get worse, what happened?'
He paused, grim.
'I found her in a small dwelling, alone. The family had been killed, by the mercenaries. She'd killed one of them, wounded a lot more, defending those children that were with us. Must have stretched herself too far.'
'How awful.' She gasped, looking down at the Queen. She looked so fragile.
'She's never killed anybody before. And then to do it with her powers…' He murmured.
'She saved those children though…?'
'That's just…' He had no idea how to explain. He shrugged. 'It's just…not how she thinks.'
Brynn didn't look satisfied with the explanation.
'I'm sorry.' He managed. 'I will gladly take the time to explain, when we have the time.'
She nodded, seemingly placated.
'I'm glad you're okay.'
'So am I.' She replied. 'About…you, I mean.'
Her hand found its way into his, he pulled her into a hug.
A scream caused them to jump apart.
'What the…'
Brynn was already running in its direction. He followed.
It had come from the cells. They descended the stairs, followed by several other watchmen.
The sight that greeted them brought them all crashing to a halt.
The main cell door was torn open. What might have been the parts of several bodies were strewn about the inside. Hunched over in the middle was a great, furry shape.
'…what in the hells is that?' One of the watchmen muttered.
It turned, slowly. It had the features of a massive wolf. It had claws, fangs, a tail, but there was something definitely…human about it. It stood on two legs, though hunched. And its eyes possessed something…intelligent.
'Who was in there?' Kristoff asked, slowly.
'Some of Haust's men, and…DeMolais.'
'In Kolhak…' Kristoff began. 'There'd been sightings of a strange wolf-like creature, guiding the attacks.'
'She's a gods damned werewolf!' Brynn yelled.
The fangs curled up in what might have been a grin. It snarled.
'Back up slowly.' He reached for a broken iron bar, clutching it in his hands.
Brynn drew her sword, so did the other watchmen.
'Do you think she can understand us?' Brynn asked.
'It's her mind in there, I see no reason why she can't.' Kristoff replied.
'There are families upstairs, children, the wounded and-'
There was a snarl of what might have been glee from the beast. It took a step forward.
'Shit.' Kristoff hissed.
It leapt forward, in a bound that seemed impossible for something of its size.
'Stop her!' Brynn ordered.
She and the other watchmen ran to intercept her. DeMolais…or…whatever she was slashed her claws across the chest of the nearest watchman, sending her tumbling to the ground with a scream. The second brought his sword down in a wide arc into the beast's back, to no apparent reaction. DeMolais buried her fangs in the man's neck, eliciting a strangled yelp. The man was dead before he hit the ground.
Kristoff barely had time to react as the creature turned to Brynn. He cannoned into her side, receiving a gash in his shoulder as DeMolais leapt past them.
'She's going for the Queen!' Brynn yelled, struggling to get up.
'You're no good to her dead.' Kristoff growled, clutching his hand to the open wound.
She softened at the sight of the wound on his shoulder.
'Kristoff, you-'
'Never mind.' He hissed, at the pain. 'We need to get up there. We need more help.'
'She tore through us…' She trailed off, glancing quickly at the bodies of her comrades. 'I think…I think she let herself get captured. She wanted to be inside here. Hells.'
'Don't worry about that now.' Kristoff grabbed her shoulders. 'The people in here need you, I need you. Come on, focus.'
She managed a small nod.
'We'll stop off in the armoury, we're going to need something heavier.' She sheathed her sword and ran upstairs.
Kristoff looked over the carnage behind him briefly, then followed her.
…
Nestor parried a thrust aimed at his chest and sidestepped a charge into his side. He slammed his boot into the back of the second attackers' knee, then drove his sabre sideways into the exposed ribcage of the first. The pain exploded in his leg, reminding him of the earlier injury. He gritted his teeth.
They were on the verge of being overrun. The courtyard had turned into a battlefield.
He hadn't felt so useless since... He couldn't remember. There was nowhere to fall back to, no orders he could give, and no plan to act on. Deep in his gut, he knew he that all they could do was fight till the last, he knew he was expecting all of them to die.
He drove his elbow into the face of a mercenary to his left.
He was so tired. The sun was higher in the sky now. He had no idea what time it was. It didn't really matter anymore.
'Nestor, fancy meeting you here.'
He turned, Baden approached, sword raised.
'I didn't think you'd get your hands dirty, you rarely do.' He raised his own.
Baden grinned, seeing Nestor was wounded.
'Why not go inside with the children and the other traitors. I can accept your surrender when we're done out here.'
'Somebody has to fight the injured, it might as well be you.' Nestor frowned. 'Where's Haust?'
Baden scoffed.
'The old coward never showed up. DeMolais was stupid enough to get herself captured by you. I took command.'
'Who the hell are these other men?'
He didn't even blink.
'Don't know. But they're fighting you, not me, so they're not my problem.'
Nestor laughed.
'Run out of qualified leaders did you?'
Baden didn't reply. Nestor saw him tense.
He leapt forward, bringing his sword down in an arc. Nestor held up his own blade, blocking it. The impact sent a jarring shock through his arm. He rammed the hilt of his sword into Baden's jaw as he recoiled from the first attack. Baden stumbled backward, recovering quickly. Nestor shifted backward, bracing himself for whatever attack came. The dull ache in his leg wasn't so dull anymore, it was throwing him off-balance.
Baden glanced to the left briefly. Nestor panicked, glancing the same way, only seeing too late he signalled somebody on his right. The spear tip drove into his arm quickly. The swung his sabre outward, catching his attacker in the side. They crashed to the ground in a heap.
He cursed, his sword arm exploded in white-hot pain. Baden was smirking.
Baden's sword came down in a heavy arc again, and again, and again. Nestor couldn't even think anymore, the pain was crashing over him in waves. He felt his wounded leg buckle beneath him under the weight of the blows, as he fell to one knee.
It was with a sense of relief, liberation almost, he realised he couldn't win.
He barely noticed as his sabre broke under the strain of the blows.
Baden strolled up, confident.
'You can't beat me.'
'…nnggh…no, I can't.' Nestor grunted, clutching the wound on his arm, in a vain attempt to stem the blood flowing from it.
Baden placed a hand on his shoulder, still smirking.
'Goodbye captain.'
He didn't even feel the sword drive through his chest. It was just more pain. He smiled, despite it all.
'You've always been too…cruel, Baden. It makes you stupid.' He spat a mouthful of blood onto the floor.
'…what?' Baden asked.
Nestor drove the shattered blade of his sabre hard into Baden's heart.
The look of surprise on his face made it all worthwhile.
'Well…rrggh…well.' Nestor spat again. 'There was a heart in there somewhere.'
'…bast-' Baden managed, before he collapsed in a heap.
Nestor could feel himself slipping. He fell to his side. He looked around, lazily. He wasn't sorry he was dying. He was sorry for everybody else he'd caused to die, for those dying now, for those who were going to die because he'd failed.
He jumped as a storm of musket-fire rang out in the courtyard, so loud it drowned at the screams that followed.
He couldn't see well from where he was, but through the melee, he could just make out ranks of soldiers blocking off the three streets that opened onto the courtyard. As the haze of smoke began to lift, another volley exploded.
He could see the ripples, the waves of fear run through the crowds.
A third volley of musket-fire and they broke.
Caught between the merciless fire of the soldiers and his own watchmen still fighting, panic began to spread.
Nestor chuckled, spitting another mouthful of blood. Haagan, always in the nick of time. He suspected Princess Anna was somewhere behind this.
Those girls were relentless. He'd learnt, one way or another, of the levels to which they would go for one another, and this kingdom. He'd never seen a bond of love so strong. As the life drained out of him, he doubted he would again.
He smiled, closing his eyes, there were worse things to die thinking about.
…
With considerable effort, Elsa managed to open her eyes. She'd felt a kind of niggling feeling for a little while, pulling her out of depths of unconsciousness. The pain in her side was dulled. She ran a hand over it, carefully. Somebody had bandaged it.
'…where…?' She croaked, throat dry.
'Elsa?' A little voice whispered, tugging on her other hand.
She turned her head to see Nell standing beside her cot, looking scared.
'Nell? What are you…?'
'There were bad noises from downstairs, I didn't want to leave you alone.' She replied, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.
'Bad noises?' Elsa managed a small smile.
The room was very quiet.
'I thought you might not wake up.' Nell nodded, looking scared.
Elsa gave the girls hand a comforting squeeze.
'I'm fine.'
'But the noises…' She looked around past her.
'What noises?'
Elsa was going to laugh, but it died in her throat when she saw the look on Nell's face. She suddenly had a very bad feeling. Fighting the urge not to, she rolled onto her other side.
'Oh.' She managed. There was an enormous, hairy creature that looked like a wolf standing in the doorway to the dining hall.
It regarded the two of them with what she could only describe as a quiet interest. It's expression was so…human.
She struggled upright, cautiously. She was so tired, her mind was so fuzzy, clouded. She remembered something Anna had said, months ago. About Kolhak. Vickers' beast, the one that killed the soldier with her. The one that caused her nightmares for a week, she remembered, bitterly.
It took a step into the room. Elsa forced herself to her feet, ignoring the resounding dull ache in her side. She felt herself swaying, she was so tired.
Nell let out a whimper behind her. The beast looked at her.
Elsa placed herself in front of the girl, shielding her protectively. The wolf's maw curled up in…was it grinning?
'Stay behind me, Nell.' She breathed.
It took another step. It was daring her to do something. It was playing with them.
She slowly paced away from the cot, keeping herself between Nell and the threat.
Another purposeful step.
She could hear the blood pounding in her ears, feel her heart beating in her chest. Any second now, it was going to come at them and it was going to tear through her and-
There was a snarl and it was suddenly in the air, hurling aside empty cots. She heard Nell scream behind her. She shut her eyes, slicing her arm through the air in a vain attempt to shield herself from the inevitable fangs and claws.
There was a sickening thud, followed by a smash. The beast howled in pain. Elsa opened her eyes to see a jagged wall of ice between them and the creature. It appeared as bewildered as she.
'Nell, run!' She cried, hoping to use its confusion. The girl ran for the door. She saw it turn to watch the girl, then glance back at her with a very human smirk.
Elsa's heart was in her throat as it tore after Nell.
'No!' She half-screamed.
She thrust out a hand, desperately. A storm of hard frosty projectiles exploded in a stream, finding their mark in the matted hide of the animal. It was forced to the ground under the weight of the hail of blows.
The anger was back. This…thing had threatened her, threatened a little girl, threatened her sister. It wouldn't be a threat to anybody else.
Behind it, she saw Kristoff and Brynn appear in the doorway, hurrying Nell through behind them. They looked at her in awe.
As it struggled to its feet, she felt herself let go. Elsa took a back seat.
'No more.' She muttered.
It turned toward her.
She raked her hands upward, a series of icy spikes burst through the ground, driving upward into the creatures feet. It emitted a screeching howl, managing to dive to one side. Elsa had none of it. She struck forward with her right arm, hand balled into a fist. The air cooled ahead of her, particles converging into a frozen boulder. It slammed into the beast with a violent thud, sending it careening into the cots behind it.
Kristoff had reached out to hold Brynn back, but she'd long stopped resisting his grasp. Both stood silent, shocked at the battle unfolding before their eyes.
'How long can she keep that up?' Brynn murmured.
'It's a werewolf!' Kristoff called, for all the good it'd do. 'It's DeMolais!'
Her hands were shaking with the effort, she was wanted to collapse, but something inside her was forcing her to go on. The knowledge that there was somebody buried beneath the violent creature only served to fuel her rage.
The creature struggled to its feet again. It was nothing if not resilient, Elsa thought.
It snarled. The grin was gone, the smirk was gone. In its place was simple, bestial fury.
'No more.' Elsa growled.
The temperature of the hall bombed. Ice spread across the floor from beneath Elsa's feet. It continued like a wave up the walls and along the ceiling.
It broke into a run, bearing down on her.
Brynn broke from his grasp, coming out of the daze. Kristoff followed her instinctively. Elsa wasn't doing anything, they couldn't get there in-
'No more!' She demanded.
Elsa raised her foot and brought it down sharply. A crack appeared in the ice, travelling quickly toward the charging beast. She tried to slow, upon noticing it, but it was too late. The ground beneath her erupted with massive force, hurling the large form into the air.
Kristoff skidded to a halt as Elsa let out a guttural roar, bringing her right arm in a sharp arc sideways. A column of solid ice shot out of the wall colliding with the airborne DeMolais, driving the werewolf not only into the opposite wall but through it with a sickening crash.
'Elsa!' Kristoff called. This was getting out of hand.
She ignored him completely, driving both fists forward. The icy ground rippled, a wave travelling forward faster and faster until the force smashed the wall open ahead of her, in a shower of frosted fragments.
'We've got to stop her.' Brynn insisted, dragging Kristoff along.
Elsa stormed out into the courtyard, jagged formations of ice growing at random in her wake.
…
The battle outside was still in full swing, though the tide had turned. Haagan's arrival had the enemy fighting on two fronts. The relentless volley-fire of his troops was shaking their resolve. Anna had been forced to hang back until the battle was dealt with. She couldn't clear her mind of her worries of Elsa's whereabouts.
There was an explosion across the courtyard. A hole appeared high up in the wall of the Watch-House. She couldn't see clearly because of the smoky haze clouding the area because of the musketry. A second explosion ran out, lower in the same wall. Somebody walked out into the courtyard, there was a flash of long blonde hair…
'…Elsa?' She gasped.
She looked around, Haagan was busy commanding his men. Hans was staring dead ahead, ignoring her.
'Bloody she-devil.' He muttered.
Anna turned back, trying to see what he had. She saw a large furry shape, glint of claws…fangs.
Her blood ran cold. She'd seen the beast before.
'We need to save her!' Anna insisted, shoving her way through the soldiers, unslinging the musket from her shoulder.
'Wait…Anna!' Hans called after her, breaking into a run.
…
The beast lunged at her again; she sliced her arm, as if wielding a sword. Slivers of blade-like frost appeared and disappeared as she did so, cutting and stabbing at the near-impervious hide of the animal.
She was breathing heavily now, the strain getting to her. Her brow was sticky with sweat. The effort was getting too much. Her opponent seemed to sense this, redoubling her efforts to drain Elsa's energy.
Her anger was fading with her strength, Elsa realised. She was increasingly on the defensive. She threw up walls of ice to shield herself from the claws of the werewolf, but they were weaker each time.
All around, the fighting had gradually ground to a halt; she could feel the eyes of everybody on her. She backed up, narrowly avoiding a fatal slash, only to stumble on some rubble from the wall she'd demolished.
Too late, she threw up another wall of ice, only for it to be shattered by a second strike. She was helpless to stop the large clawed hand gripping her by the throat, raising her off the ground. Her hands went to her neck, trying in vain to dislodge the vice-like grip.
The wolf-like face bared its fangs, in that distinctly human smirk of triumph again. She saw it raise its other hand, claws extended.
Kristoff felt Brynn holding him back, this time.
'Don't' She urged. 'She'll kill the Queen!'
'DeMolais will kill her anyway, we've got to-'
'It's too dangerous.'
Elsa heard the two arguing behind her. She was too tired to be afraid. She wanted nothing more than to sleep.
The grip tightened around her throat, she felt dizzy.
At least she'd saved Nell. And with Haagan here, order would be restored. All she'd really done was make a mess of things.
Her head was spinning.
Anna, though. Always her thoughts turned to Anna. Always came back to Anna. She wanted to go back to the balcony during the ball. She'd really messed up. Again. She wanted to go back and do it over. She wished she'd had the chance to tell Anna that.
'I'm…sorry Anna.' She choked out.
The beast regarded her curiously.
*K-KRACK!*
The great beast shuddered violently at the musket shot, tumbling to its side. Elsa fell to the ground in a heap.
'…what…?' She managed between coughs, looking up.
She saw a red-haired girl cautiously treading toward her, looking down the barrel of a musket, still belching smoke. She was wearing a large watchman's cap, tall, beaten leather boots…and what looked like the tattered remnants of a ball gown…and that hair, pigtails?
'Elsa!' The girl exclaimed, dropping to her knees beside her.
'Anna!' She laughed, heaving herself with considerable effort to her own knees, wincing only slightly at the pain in her side. It seemed to have returned in force now that her fury had abated.
She ignored the spike in pain as they threw their arms around each other in a tight hug. It was worth the hurt.
Haagan had taken advantage of the lull in combat, sending his men forward into the courtyard, disarming all combatants and lining them up on one side.
Hans made his way across, on seeing Kristoff and Brynn. They were knelt beside a body. Kristoff looked up as he approached. Hans nodded lightly in greeting.
'Hans.' He acknowledged.
Brynn was clutching the hand of the body. It was a young man, he assumed he'd been dead for a while, he looked familiar though.
'I know him…' He muttered. 'He was the soldier…Nestor?'
'He was Captain Nestor of the Watch.' Brynn spoke softly. 'And he deserved better.'
Kristoff wrapped an arm around her shaking shoulders.
'I'll miss him too.' He murmured, sympathetically. He'd already seen Baden's corpse nearby. Nobody would miss him.
'What happens to the Watch now?' Hans asked.
Kristoff couldn't answer. Brynn looked up, eyes black with lack of sleep, face dark and bruised, hair matted with blood and sweat.
'There will be repercussions for all of us.' She muttered, with a voice that sounded half a mile away. 'Half of us revolted, the other just allied with a mercenary incursion and burned down a quarter of the city.'
'…you did the right thing.'
They both stared at Hans.
'Did you…?' Kristoff began, in disbelief.
'I've made some questionable decisions in the past, but I can still tell right from wrong. You have to, when you come to realise you've been in the wrong quite a lot.'
'I wonder if they know that.' Brynn glanced around at the people beginning to filter out of the Watch-House, shielding their eyes from the light of day.
'I've found that few true good acts are ever thanked or appreciated. Officially. Unofficially, though…'
'The Queen will decide.' They looked over at the two sisters. Elsa was all but unconscious in her younger sisters' arms. She looked so frail, Anna was holding her with such care as though she thought she might break. 'When she recovers.'
Hans regarded the still form of the beast.
'So, DeMolais was a werewolf.'
'You knew?' Kristoff blurted. 'Why didn't you-'
'Tell you?' Hans cut in. 'Who'd have believed me?'
Kristoff fell silent.
'I doubt she's dead.' Brynn murmured. 'She was still going strong ever after the pounding the Queen gave her.'
'You're right, of course.' Hans answered bluntly. 'I'll have a word with the Commander about restraining her, with special precautions, obviously.'
'I've never seen Elsa like that before.' Kristoff spoke with a little awe. 'She was…I mean, her powers…'
'I have, once.' Hans continued. 'When we captured her from the Ice Palace, after she fled her coronation, she used her powers against us. It was impressive, at the time, but purely fear-driven, and defensive. Today though, that was raw power, that's a real indication of what she can accomplish if she set her mind to training herself.'
'I remember that tone.' Kristoff stated, suspicious. 'That's the one you used back then. She's not a weapon.'
'I apologise.' Hans replied, quickly. 'It was just…impressive to finally see what she can do.'
They watched as Anna pulled her sisters arm around her shoulder and helped her up. Elsa managed a gesture in their direction. They crossed toward them, with some effort. Haagan peeled off from overseeing the prisoners and joined them.
'Can I-' Kristoff offered, moving to help.
'It's alright, thank you.' Anna smiled. 'I'm glad you're okay Kristoff.'
Her eyes flitted over Nestor's body, casting a shadow over her previously happy expression.
'I'm sorry about Nestor.' She muttered.
'Thank you.' Brynn replied, getting to her feet.
'We…' Elsa groaned. 'Tomorrow. Meeting. All…nnnrrgghh…attend.' She coughed, weakly.
Anna tightened her hold, protectively.
'You need rest.' She insisted.
'So much to-' She clutched her side with her free hand, nearly doubling over.
Haagan signalled for two men to rush over a stretcher.
'Majesty. All the prisoners are secured, I will remain to oversee any other duties with the remaining Captains of the Watch, along with sorting through the…the casualties.'
Elsa didn't look convinced, but acknowledged the Commander's offer. She allowed Anna to help her over to some men who'd set down a stretcher.
The Commander inclined his head to them all respectfully, then walked away.
'Puts things into perspective, doesn't it.' Hans murmured.
Brynn and Kristoff looked at him.
'I mean…' He continued. 'She's half dead, look at her. Did you see the look on her face? She was ready to keep going.'
'I'm rather glad she didn't.' Kristoff piped up. 'I really thought she was going to die earlier.'
He felt Brynn's hand slip into his own. Hans noticed, politely excusing himself as if he hadn't. Kristoff smiled gratefully.
Neither said anything. They simply watched the goings-on.
'Glad you're okay.' He turned to her.
'So am I.' She let out a half-hearted chuckle. Her hands were shaking.
He pulled her into his arms, rubbing her back gently. She buried her head in his shoulder.
'I can still hear the fighting, the shouting, the fire…' She choked out.
Kristoff didn't say anything. He gently led her away from the place.
...
Anna glanced back, full of sympathy for her friend. There was a time when she'd have needed him…like that. She took her sisters hand. Elsa was laid out on the stretcher, asleep. Her face was peaceful, serene. Though her skin was pale, crusted with dirt and her eyes dark with exhaustion, her beauty shone through.
She glanced around, cautiously; nobody was watching her at the moment. The stretcher-men had gone to gather more guards for the journey back to the palace.
She leaned down quickly, placing a gentle kiss on Elsa's lips. She pulled back, nervously, when she let out a quiet sigh, the hint of a smile touching her features.
Anna's heart thumped in her chest, a blush crossing her cheeks guiltily. She almost couldn't bear the glimmer of hope that sparked inside her.
The men came back with more soldiers, lifting the stretcher carefully. She kept hold of Elsa's hand as they began the slow walk home.
