"Let me get this straight," Rapunzel demanded. "Because she advised you to spend some time with your relatives while you had a headache, you mocked your girlfriend- Your impoverished, orphaned, girlfriend who jumped in front of an arrow for you! -about not having a family of her own? Wow, I just...wow. I have no words."
Elsa winced. It had been a half hour since the incident in her bedchambers. She wasn't sure where Anna had gone off to. Desperate both to relieve her migraine and for some advice, the Queen had turned to her cousin. Rapunzel had been happy to provide a tear, which when placed into Elsa's hair had immediately dispelled her headache. But the Princess wasn't as eager to help Elsa with her other problem.
"It was a terrible thing to say...I know," the Queen admitted. "But I don't understand why she's this upset. I'm sure she knows that I didn't mean it. It was a slip of the tongue, said in the heat of the moment, and-
Rapunzel gave a groan of exasperation, raising her hands to her forehead. "Honestly, Elsa...you're impossible. You know, Anna once told me that she was afraid that she didn't deserve you. At the time, I told her that was crazy. But right now, I'm beginning to think she was right. Though my reasoning is the opposite of what hers was."
"It wasn't that bad..." the Queen protested.
"Yes. Oh yes, it was. Imagine this, Elsa. Imagine that you and I were arguing about something stupid, and that in the middle of it, I mocked you for having two dead parents. Even if I apologized immediately...how would you feel?"
The Queen knew exactly how she would feel. Even Rapunzel bringing them up in this context made her clench her fists in anger. If someone actually taunted her about them, Elsa probably would be adding a new ice sculpture to her gardens.
And it's probably even worse for Anna, the Queen realized. I feel the pain of their loss every day, and I at least still have a loving family willing to support me. Anna never even got to have even a single relative in the first place. The only person she has in the world is...me. And I just kicked her in the teeth.
"I'll make it up to her," the monarch promised. "I'll buy her a-"
Rapunzel raised a hand imperiously. "Stop. Just...stop. Elsa, your family's personal vault makes you a billionaire. And that means that anything you get for her costs you essentially nothing. You honestly think that because you have a lot of money that means you can purchase her forgiveness and forget about it? It's not going to be that easy."
The Queen sighed. "Then what do I do?" she asked, unable to keep the desperation out of her voice.
Rapunzel shrugged. "Give her some space for a few days. Then fall to your knees and beg for forgiveness, I suppose. That's really all you can do." The Princess sighed. "Right now, go say your goodbyes to everyone else, then go wait by the carriage. I'm going to find Anna. I'll give you twenty minutes, then give her a chance to say her farewells."
\
Rapunzel continued down the hall. Tracking down Anna had been surprisingly easy, thanks to one of the guards that the Princess had questioned having seen a certain angry redhead stomping down the hall. Apparently, the attendant had confined herself to one of the spare rooms in an effort to avoid seeing her consort for as long as she could.
On her way, she passed by a young maid. As the woman offered her a curtsy, the Princess decided to do one of her friends a favor.
"Always good to see you, Lila," she greeted. "How's your arm?" The previous week, the maid had slipped on a puddle of bathwater early in the morning and broken her wrist catching herself. Rapunzel had seen to it immediately.
Lila smiled. "Better, Your Highness. Thank you so much...your magic is a blessing of the gods."
The Princess grinned modestly. "Happy to help." She paused. "I hate to ask, but since Miss Anna of Arendelle is...indisposed at the moment, I was wondering if you could stop by Queen Elsa's guest chambers and pack the attendant's belongings? There's not much, just some outfits and a few weapons. Elsa's things have already been removed."
The woman nodded. "Of course, Your Highness. Shall I have them brought to Her Majesty's carriage?"
"That would be wonderful, thank you Lila."
Bidding her farewells to the maid, Rapunzel continued down the hall, quickly finding herself in front of the door described to her earlier. Taking a deep breath, she swung the wooden structure aside and walked into the bedroom.
"Go away E- oh, it's you," Anna said. She was sitting on the room's bed, palms resting dejectedly on her knees. The redhead wasn't crying now, but Rapunzel could see the remnants of several drying tears glistening on her freckled cheeks.
Pity flowed through her. Anna had gone through her difficult childhood remarkably intact, but even she couldn't escape such an upbringing without enduring a few cracks in her armor. And now the person she cared about most had abruptly decided to take a swing at the largest of those fissures with a giant pickaxe.
Rapunzel sighed, sitting on the bed next to her. "Elsa told me what happened," she started. "I can't believe she would say something like that, even despite all the stress of the last few days. She's really sorry-" Anna gave off an uncharacteristically sarcastic laugh -"But I don't blame you for being upset."
"And now she's had you come and fetch me. Are we leaving already, I lost track of the time- Shit, I've got to pack-"
"I took care of it, Anna," the Princess interrupted. "And Elsa didn't send me. She told me what happened, I told her what a bitch she was, and I went to find you. I'm not here to ask you to forgive her, frankly, I wouldn't expect you to make up with her for a few days. I came to make sure you're alright."
Anna said nothing, but when Rapunzel wrapped an arm around her comfortingly, the redhead seemed to lean into her embrace.
"I don't pretend to understand what you've going through," Rapunzel said. "I didn't grow up a Princess, but I never had to worry about hunger. Gothel, for all her faults, made sure that I was well taken care of until the end. But I do understand what it's like to be alone."
At that, Anna finally turned her gaze towards the Princess. "Alone?" she questioned. "I don't understand."
Rapunzel sighed. "Gothel said she was my mother. And I believed her. Part of me did love her; she was all I had in the world. But at the same time, another part of me knew that something wasn't right between us. I can't explain it exactly, but deep down I understood that I couldn't rely on her. That I couldn't trust her. During the moments when I came closest to realizing that...it felt like I had no one in the world to turn to but myself."
It was stupid, she knew, to compare her experiences to Anna's. They didn't even compare on a remote level.
"What does that have to do with me?"
The Princess frowned. "I guess what I'm trying to say is...I have the faintest, slightest, idea of how you're feeling. Growing up, there was no one you could lean on. No family or close friends. And as much as you can repress it, I'm sure that that experience still hurts. Then you met Elsa, and you weren't alone anymore. You finally had someone to turn to. Now that person has brought up your painful childhood in the worst way possible. Normally, you'd turn to Elsa when something like this happened, but she's the one to blame."
Anna was silent for a moment. Then she nodded. "I guess," the redhead agreed. "But how does this help me?"
"Look, Elsa's the most important person in your life. Ninety-five percent of the time, she's going to be the one you turn to when you need anything. And I get that," Rapunzel answered. "But I just wanted to remind you that she's not the only person in your life. If you truly needed me to, I would set sail for Arendelle immediately if you sent a letter asking that of me. Elsa's not the only friend you have."
The redhead smiled ever so slightly. "So what do you think I should do?" she asked.
That's the second time I've been asked that question. Though I guess it's only fair that these two are kinda my responsibility, since I'm the one who helped set them up. "I'm sure you can guess how sorry she is. Until you're ready to forgive her, just back off for a few days. I'm sure she'll understand that you want some space; she'll wait a few days before coming to you herself."
"Okay," Anna agreed. "As soon as I stop wanting to throw her into a wall, I'll talk to her. If you could suggest to her that I be removed from my position for a few days...and maybe let me ride with you back to the Ice Queen, I think that'd help."
"Of course."
Anna's hands moved to her neck. "And...can you hold onto this?" she asked, unclasping her snowflake necklace and placing it in her friend's hands. It's beautiful, but right now I can barely stand the sight of it."
\
Leaving the Coronan Palace was uneventful. After a heartfelt goodbye to her relatives, Elsa made her way to the first of the carriages being prepared. Rapunzel, with Anna in tow, showed up a few minutes later.
To her dismay but not her surprise, Anna climbed into the second carriage being made ready for the Princess. Rapunzel had come over briefly to explain that her attendant was asking for a few days off, or at least, a few days she could spend out of Elsa's immediate presence. Since she still had plenty of guards and Anna would still be close enough to help fend off an attack, the Queen had reluctantly agreed.
When they left it was about three hours away from sunset. The two carriages, surrounded by about a dozen horses upon which sat Elsa and Rapunzel's guards, rode across the flat land at a moderate pace. According to Rapunzel, there was a town roughly five hours away from the Palace that contained a large and well-kept inn. It was perfect, especially considering that it was barely out of the way to Torun. Word had already been sent ahead to reserve its rooms exclusively for their party, and a large dinner was probably already being prepared.
\
It was called The Broken Arrow. As had been expected, all of its rooms had been set aside for Elsa, Rapunzel, and their guards. Despite the late hour, a meal had been made ready for their arrival. The innkeeper, a friendly man adorned with black hair and a set of professional clothes, made certain to welcome his royal guests with all of the hospitality he could muster as soon as their horses were deposited in the building's adjacent stables..
The tavern was large, much more so than the inn she had stayed the night in before meeting Anna for the first time. It was staffed by a team of three cooks and five maids, in addition to the innkeeper himself.
"This way," their host guided them to a long wooden table that had been set up in the main room. "My staff will see that your things are taken to your rooms. Now please, sit. Dinner will be brought out momentarily. I apologize if we appear short-staffed- Jacqueline still hasn't reported for her evening shift," he explained with visible annoyance.
Standing beside Anna, Rapunzel raised her hand. "I'm sure everything will be fine, thank you. However, I will be retiring to my room for the night. The storm kept me up late last night and I am in great need of some extra sleep."
Ha! I think Eugene is more responsible for your exhaustion than a bit of rain. I bet he was 'comforting' you until well past midnight.
The innkeeper nodded. "Of course. Hilda, show the Princess to her room upon the top floor. Don't hesitate to tell her if you need anything at all, Your Highness." The maid in question cringed nervously, but Rapunzel sent her a warm smile that seemed to help her relax. Together, they made their way to the stairs at the back of the room and began their ascent to the third floor.
Elsa briefly caught a look of disappointment on Anna's face as the Princess made her decision.
A few minutes later, the remainder of the party was seated at the table. Elsa took the head chair, of course. Anna chose to sit at the other end of the table, in a position that allowed her to avoid the Queen's gaze as much as possible. The monarch had been hoping to shoot her a small, apologetic smile, but her attendant refused to even meet her eyes.
\
Anna seriously considered copying Rapunzel's example and asking to be taken upstairs to her room, but the hunger in her chest forced her to decide against it. It seemed that the only negative side effect of Elsa's magic was increasing her need of food, which she supposed made sense considering all the extra energy she had now.
She had to admit, the meal did look exquisite. Soups, breads, and meats of all kinds were laid out on the table before them. Anna couldn't wait to start diving in (the steak in particular looked delicious.) Unfortunately, the redhead had no choice but to wait as one of Elsa's guards tasted each course of food, one by one. Poison was always a potential danger to a monarch, and in a foreign country during times such as this it was especially prudent to be careful.
After the man in question did not keel over for two minutes after finishing and sat down with nothing more than a yawn, the party was finally able to begin eating.
Anna eagerly devoured at least one sample of everything set before her. But no matter how gratifying it was to finally sate her hunger, the redhead couldn't get her mind off the Queen at the end of the table.
How could she say that? I wonder how she'd like it if I taunted her about having two parents killed by a storm? I don't care if she had a fucking headache! I want to pull her hair out!
Rapunzel had been right. The knowledge that her parents had abandoned her...had never even wanted her, still stung immensely. And even though she wanted to believe that they'd had no choice but to give her up, part of her couldn't help but think that they'd simply never meant to have her in the first place. The world's general scorn towards her since her birth and (especially) her failed adoption hadn't helped to soothe that anxiety.
Elsa had done much to fill the void that her nonexistent relatives left available. But right now, it felt like she'd been betrayed yet again. Deep down, Anna knew that the Queen's words hadn't been genuine, but for the moment she couldn't even look at the monarch without feeling a rise of anger.
Bitch complains that she doesn't have time to see her family. Bullshit! She has no idea of what she has...what I've never had! And she thinks she can lecture me?
All around her, Royal Guards were chatting as animatedly as they could while remaining respectful of their Queen. Except for one, who looked tired enough to pass out, they all seemed enrapture in camaraderie and friendship.
Damn Rapunzel had to just abandon me here! Didn't she know no one would want to talk to me? A lot of these guys still don't like me for being Elsa's attendant. Jealous pricks.
From the kitchen, she could hear the innkeeper and his employees enjoying a meal of their own. A part of her wanted to go and join their table, at least then she might have the smallest chance of finding someone she could relate to, but the redhead knew how ridiculous that would look.
"You alright, John?" a Royal Guard said through a yawn of his own. All around her, the sounds of conversation were dimming. Evidently, the desire for sleep was catching up with all of them. The man she assumed to be John nodded sleepily, but Anna could see his eyelids drooping.
Bored, but not tired herself, Anna's eyes surveyed the rest of the room. Nothing interested her save for the maid Anna recognized as Hilda rising from her seat at the kitchen table and excusing herself, expressing a desire to check up on the Princess. The attendant watched the young brunette leave the room with a heavy heart, wishing she could join her and leave behind the rest of the guests. Now that she was full, nothing could distract her from the resentment she was feeling for all thirteen of her companions.
Clunk!
Anna's head swerved to the left. A guard- John -had just collapsed face first onto the table! The guard sitting next to him shook his shoulder, but the unconscious man made no movement in reply.
"Is he...still breathing?" Elsa asked from the head of the table with an urgent yet somehow sleepy tone. With a bolt of clarity, Anna understood the reason for her worry. John had been the one to test the food. Anything he might have ingested...
Another guard put a hand to John's neck. "Yes...your Majesty," he mumbled tiredly. "Pulse seems normal. Probably just tired from riding out in the rain..."
Elsa rose from her seat weakly. "No. Something's wrong..." she managed. "The food..."
This time from the kitchen, another clang sounded. Then another...and another, this one accompanied by the sound of silverware falling to the floor.
Anna swerved to her right as the Royal Guard beside her collapsed. His feet fell out from under him, allowing his chair to fall backwards and hit the floor hard enough for the wood to crack.
All around her, the men tried to react. One of them even managed to draw his sword and begin to rise before consciousness deserted him. But it was too late. Far too late. Anna watched, paralyzed with horror, as every single guard in the room collapsed. Some were lucky enough to simply slump onto the table. Others fell to the floor in a mangled heap. Judging by what she heard from the other table, those in the kitchen had met a similar fate.
No...
Only one other person in the room remained conscious. Elsa was hunched forward at the head of the table, small spurts of magic flying from her palms and flowing uselessly into the wood. Her eyes were alight with panicked desperation.
"Anna-"
The Queen collapsed to the floor.
"Elsa!" she ran over to her monarch, kicking aside the chairs in her way. Dropping to her knees, she cradled the Queen's head in her arms. A thin line of blood was spreading from where her skull had made contact from the ground.
Please please please gods please...
To her immense relief, Elsa's pulse was as strong as ever. A quick look at her chest confirmed that the monarch was breathing normally. Save for her small head injury, for all intents and purposes the Queen was simply asleep. Hopefully.
"Help...someone! No...AAAAAAH!"
Anna leapt to her feet as a loud scream erupted from the stairway. Rapunzel. The redhead hesitated for only the briefest instant. There was nothing she could do for Elsa at the moment. Both the staff members and the guards were all unconscious. And the only person who might be able to assist them currently sounded like she was seconds away from death.
The attendant dashed up the stairs, bounding up them five at a time. She made her way to the top floor within seconds, whereupon another scream told her exactly which door she needed to open.
Anna rush forward, plowing straight though the wooden door and smacking it off its hinges. Hilda stood in front of her, a long knife that glistened with red liquid clutched in her hand. Kneeling in front of her was...
Oh gods.
Rapunzel was slumped in front of the bed, weakly holding out her small dagger above her head in her right hand. Anna's heart stopped as she took in the location of the Princess's other hand. It was sitting on the floor in front of Rapunzel, along with over half of her left arm. A pool of blood was emanating from the Princess's limb; it had been sliced off just above the elbow.
As Hilda raised her blade, ready to strike again, Anna's instincts kicked in. The redhead leapt forward at superhuman speed, grabbing the maid's wrist mid-swing. Her enemy barely had time to gasp in surprise before Anna slammed her into the adjacent wall. She grabbed Hilda's wrist as hard as she could, eliciting a satisfying cry of pain as the bone cracked. The knife hit the floor with a loud clang.
Rapunzel's agonized cries of pain filled her ears. But, knowing that the Princess could heal herself, Anna focused her attention on the maid. "What the fuck-" she slammed her into the wall again- "Are you doing?! Who are you working for?! What did you do to Elsa?! Tell me or I swear to the gods I'll break your skull!"
The maid met her gaze. Even clouded with anger, Anna could see the panic in the other woman's eyes. "H-how are you-? That was pure Valerian extract!" she sputtered desperately.
"What is that?!"
Hilda winced. "Nothing! It just puts people to sleep! The Queen will be fine, I promise! Just asleep for a few hours!"
Anna's breathing calmed down slightly at her words, but she didn't let her enemy know that. Elsa would live…though this did mean that Rapunzel's tears would be useless. Sleep wasn't an injury.
"I hope so, for your sake!" she growled. "Why did you try to poison us? Talk. Now."
"They paid me to- promised me a fortune. They'd heard you were coming here...please, just let me go! They're the ones responsible for this; they'll probably be here soon!"
The attendant briefly glanced over her shoulder. Rapunzel, thank the gods, had managed to close her wound with a tear. The Princess was now sitting on the bed, still in shock but slowly recovering.
Satisfied, Anna rounded upon Hilda again. The details were becoming rapidly clear to her. Someone had found out where they were headed before they left the Coronan Palace and ridden ahead of them (their destination hadn't exactly been a closely guarded secret, and their carriages hadn't been traveling fast.) Whoever was behind this had sent an agent to pay off one of the maids, correctly assuming there would be one willing to cooperate in exchange for a hefty sum of gold.
The redhead had a feeling that the missing maid- Jacqueline, was her name? -had a very good reason for being late to her shift. Hilda had likely been the second staff member approached; the first had refused to assist in the scheme and been silenced. Hilda had accepted and been provided with the only type of poison slow-acting enough to get past the Queen's tester- which thankfully appeared to have been nothing more than a sleep draught. But when Rapunzel had broken off, the maid had taken it upon herself to silence the only witness. No sense in becoming rich if you were going to turn into a fugitive in the process, after all.
"Let you go?!" she demanded. "I don't think so. Tell me whose coming and I promise I won't kill you!"
This wasn't one of the trained assassins she'd faced before, willing to die for their cause. This was a frightened, greedy maid who was far out of her depth. In response to her words, Hilda nodded profusely. "The man I talked to said that the King would be bringing in his men as soon as their scout...he's watching the building...saw that Queen Elsa was incapacitated. They're going to kill her..."
Anna had heard enough. She pulled the maid back slightly before smacking her head into the wall. It wasn't hard enough to kill, but the maid would be unconscious for at least as long as her victims.
"Rapunzel," the attendant turned around hurriedly. The Royal's breathing was finally calming now, and at last the Princess spoke.
"A-Anna? What the hell is...?"
To her dismay, the redhead was now able to take in the extent of the damage. Rapunzel's left arm was still strewn across the floor; her magic had only been enough to close the wound. Even her abilities couldn't reattach severed limbs; anything removed from the body was dead.
A small stump was all that now protruded from her left shoulder.
It was a terrible event. But far worse would be on the horizon if they didn't get out of here.
"Let's go!" she lunged forward, taking the Princess by her remaining hand and hauling her off the bed. Rapunzel did her best to keep up with her as Anna all but dragged the Royal down the stairs, but she was still clearly dazed.
"Elsa and everyone else were knocked out by some kind of poison- I'm resistant somehow -they'll wake up in a few hours. But they'll be here in minutes...you two have to get out of here!" As they arrived back in the dining room, Rapunzel gasped at the horrifying scene laid out before her. Hardly pausing, Anna dragged the Princess forward and scooped Elsa up with one arm.
She hauled the two Royals out of the back door as fast as her feet could carry her. Moving around the corner of the building, they arrived at the stables in seconds. And as Anna went inside and brought forth a horse next to the Princess, Rapunzel finally seemed to fully recover her wits.
"What are you doing, Anna!" she demanded.
A distant shout made her turn around.
Her stomach dropped. A few hundred meters from where they stood, a large group of men were hurrying down the road. Even at this distance, she could see the glint of the weapons in their hands and the armor on their chests. They weren't riding horses, but Anna was willing to bet they had plenty of mounts available nearby.
There's at least thirty of them, and they've seen us. We leave now and we'll be run down within a mile.
"It's the Queen!" a voice yelled.
Anna grabbed the Princess by the waist and hauled her atop the horse. "Grab the reins with your hand, can you ride?"
Rapunzel nodded, leaning forward and grabbing hold of the rope with her right hand.
To their immense fortune, the Princess of Corona was an expert at riding horses. But in this state she would be easily overtaken, especially with the burden she was going to have to carry.
Rapunzel gasped as Anna lifted Elsa's unconscious form onto the horse, depositing the Queen between her cousin's right arm and the horse's head...and spreading her legs on either side of the animal.
"Ride as fast as you can! I'll hold them off!" Anna shouted.
The Princess's eyes widened in horror. "No, they'll-!" she began to protest. By now, the men were running straight for them. Even slowed by their armor and weapons, they'd be on them within thirty seconds.
Anna's gaze hardened. "Thisis my duty! It's the only way! I'll buy you enough time and then get clear!" she argued, fooling neither of them.
"No! Anna-!" Rapunzel started.
"Tell Elsa I love her!" Before the Princess could argue again, Anna swung around to the back of the horse and whipped the poor animal with a powerful smack of her hand. He shot forward, carrying Rapunzel's next protest into the wind.
To her relief, the Princess managed to keep both herself and the Queen in the saddle; they began riding off into the night. The heavy cloud cover and flat ground would make them very difficult to track...if Anna could delay their pursuers from getting to their own horses for a few precious minutes. And she would. No matter what the cost. She was fully armed with all of her gear. And she was ready to fight.
Taking a deep breath, she turned to face the onslaught.
Responses:
WinterWolfDragon: Yeah, it's kind of hard not to feel pity for Anna at this point.
Mycabbages176: Definitely not Elsa's finest moment!
Jascmaster: It's a trap.
3Gs: About that…
DarthVaderisnotme: Yes, that was definitely an out of character moment for Elsa. Which was kind of the point. We all have points in our lives where we say things that we'd never imagined we ever would in the heat of the moment. Sometimes, we're just not ourselves…or at least not acting like it.
Heyaaasz: You never know!
Snowboardgurl: Of course she didn't mean it…doesn't mean there won't be consequences.
Technicalitiesshizznfallacies: Effie would be horrified!
NarutoUchiha: The ratings mostly in place for the later arcs.
Guest 1: There you have it. Another cliffhanger!
LightningDragon: Got the line right! But you will if you have a soul.
No.18: Hopefully I didn't fail! Yeah, Elsa slipped up big time!
MasterBlackCrow: Definitely some déjà vu here.
Yishan1992: I will!
Sonic2196: Might have to wait a bit for the apology…
Mpsantiago: You may just have a point there.
Knziewrwlf: No sexy massage, unfortunately.
Moonwatcher13: You may have to wait a while for that. That said, there is some action next chapter!
SnowandFlakes: Probably the question she's asking herself at this point…
Silac: Never know!
ElectraRed: Just a headache. And right now it's the least of her worries.
IronTailPikachu: It might take a while.
ClaireCooper: Uh, yeah…
Suroir: She certainly fucked up. Anna obviously is feeling a bit betrayed at the moment, though deep down she probably knows Elsa didn't mean it. Still stings…
ObsessiveImaginings: Interesting theory. Elsa's not evil, but she's far from perfect.
Guest 2: Maybe. Maybe not.
Gadher: This story will definitely reach fifty chapters, that's for sure.
Leelan: Thanks! There's your attack!
Malekydaerb: I don't think 'stupid' begins to describe it.
Darthcadeus58: Thanks! Think it went well…
Kyoko-nyaa: Tell that to the guys she's about to fight!
Raven: Stressful situations? No idea what you're talking about.
Doingsomeliving: Thanks! Keep reading!
Shtoops: Yeah that blizzard was pretty big news.
BreeBear98: Here it is! Excited for the next one?
Superjoshe: Argue with two Kings or Anna…two Kings.
Galbadian: Thanks! Here you go!
JPElles: I think they both have bigger concerns at the moment.
MiuraAssassin: That's not the only thing she has to deal with.