A/N: Short chapter, so early update.
"Get to the horses!" one of the soldiers shouted, gesturing to the fleeing Royals. "And shoot the girl!"
Anna's heart lurched. Now that they were close enough, she could see that there were at least forty well-armed men opposing her. Wisely, it seemed, whoever was behind this was taking no chances with the Ice Queen of Arendelle.
The attendant's abilities were still growing more powerful; every day she woke up faster and stronger. She was significantly more deadly than even when she had been on her ill-fated journey. But never before had she faced such odds.
She drew her sword just in time. Thirty feet away, the crossbowmen at the front of the onrushing mob raised their weapons and fired. Anna shifted to the right; the first bolt flew harmlessly past. The next two were on target, but both were sliced in half by two quick cuts of her icy blade.
By now, the lead swordsmen were almost upon her. Before the first man could close the distance between them, Anna's free hand made its way down to her belt. Two seconds later, her target was crumbling to his knees...a dagger lodged in his neck. Beside him, his allies stumbled in their movements as shock took hold.
Their hesitation gave Anna just enough time to get clear. With a powerful leap, she jumped atop the roof of the stables. She ran across the wooden structure, knowing that the archers were already getting their next shots into position. She dropped to the ground behind the stables, out of their line of sight for a moment.
"Forget the bitch. Saddle up and get after the Queen!"
Damn. She'd hoped they would waste time hunting her down. Now she had no choice but to go on the offensive.
She ran to the right, making her way to the back of the inn. The building was nearly fifty feet high, well out of her jumping range. Spotting an ideal handhold about halfway up, Anna leapt into the air. Her fingers closed on a second story windowsill, latching her to the wall. Another five precious seconds and Anna had climbed up the rest of the way.
The redhead vaulted onto the roof. Calling upon her balance, she ran up the slope and perched herself on the very top of the building. A glance down at the ground confirmed her worst fears. Three men had already led three of the horses out of the stables and were preparing to mount.
I should have killed the horses in there when I had the chance. Anna couldn't help but think. Their own mounts are probably a bit farther away.
She threw her second knife just as the first man climbed onto his chosen horse. Gasps of surprise sounded from the men as another of their fellows was struck from the darkness. Her next two daggers were thrown with equal precision, fatally impaling the next two would-be riders before they could spur the horses to a gallop.
"Up there!"
"Shoot her!"
Anna vaulted forward, sliding down the roof. Arrows whizzed overhead, but the darkness impaired her enemies' aim. Kicking up shingles as she descended, Anna managed to stop herself just as she reached the edge of the roof. She ran along it as best she could, ignoring the cries from below.
Before they could fire again, Anna made her way to the edge of the inn. A narrow alley was all that separated it from the next building. Bracing herself, the attendant dropped to the ground.
"Ah.." she grunted as her feet made contact with the surface. Her knees throbbed with pain, but otherwise she seemed uninjured. Anna shook off the aching and ran down the alley. Taking a right, she ran across the back of the inn. Her biggest advantage was her speed; they didn't know how quickly she could move from one position to another.
She continued past the stables and rounded the corner.
Most of the men were still looking in the other direction, zeroing in on the alley where she'd fallen. Several, however, still stood massed around the three horses they had removed from the stables. One was already preparing to mount. Their eyes widened as they took in her presence.
"It's her-!" one began before her sword sliced across his neck. By the time his allies were running at her, his body had already crumpled to the ground.
Anna gripped her sword, hardening her resolve. What she was about to do was monstrous, but it was the only way to ensure that Elsa and Rapunzel were safe. Anything else, including her own life, was a secondary concern.
She swerved to the right, avoiding the next man's downward sweep, and plunged her blade into another's chest. Anna raised her blade with one hand and blocked another blow before shoving her attacker back. Not allowing herself to hesitate, she ran two steps forward and stabbed one of the horses deep in its flank. The animal's pained cry was enough to shatter her heart, but he wouldn't be riding after the Queen any time soon.
By now, the rest of the men were already charging at her. Time was running out. Her hands were a blur as she threw two more knives at the oncoming horde, impaling two men in the chest and giving the rest a moment's pause.
Anna's sword turned aside another strike. She lashed out with her foot, kicking her latest opponent's leg hard enough that she heard a crack. A second later, her blade spun in a wide arc that separated his head from his body.
She charged forward, her reflexes going into overdrive. Drawing upon all her speed, Anna cut down one...two...three more men before she reached the next horse. Her sword bit into its leg, crippling the mare. The unfortunate mount fell pathetically to the ground.
Five feet away, yet another man was desperately trying to climb atop the third horse. Her seventh knife flew into the mount's neck before he could even settle himself into the saddle.
Anna bolted towards the front of the stables, ducking to avoid a swipe at her head and stabbing yet another soldier through the stomach. She extracted her sword and turned around, positioning herself between the men and the rest of the horses.
What she saw sent a bolt of dread through her spine. Over thirty men had now converged on her position; several of them were armed with bows. They were moving towards her cautiously, obviously now weary of her prowess, but it wouldn't be long before...
"Kill her! Now!"
As the archers fired, Anna dived to the left. As the first salvo of projectiles sailed harmlessly past, the swordsmen gathered their courage and charged straight for her. With little choice, she threw her three remaining knives into the onrushing tide. One was deflected by a lucky man's sword, but two found their mark.
Then she was being attacked by a dozen men at once. Moving faster than she ever had before, Anna met their advance with her icy blade. She dodged and blocked a barrage of blows, cutting down three men in the process. But by now more soldiers were running to flank her; she spun her sword to the left and deflected two swift cuts at her side. They were behind her now, encircling her.
Her senses were overwhelmed as she was attacked from all sides. Any second now...
Anna's leg exploded in pain as an enemy's weapon found its mark. The metal sliced through the back of her right calf, cutting over an inch into her muscle. She fell to her knees, desperately raising her blade above her head.
"Don't kill her!" a familiar voice suddenly cried. "Knock her out!"
The men obliged. Her hands darted out, catching a final soldier with a thrust to the gut. Then they were on her. A meaty fist connected with her face, driving her onto her back. A second blow hit her from behind, and she knew no more.
\
King David scowled. His men were running for the horses in the stables, but he knew it was too late. By now, the Queen and what had looked to have been Princess Rapunzel would be too far gone.
But perhaps that no longer mattered.
It had taken him some time to recognize the woman who had opposed them. But her red hair unmistakably marked her as Queen Elsa's personal attendant. And it hadn't taken him long at the Coronan Royal Palace to hear about the unconventional relationship that the two women shared.
He'd brought many of his men with him to these peace discussions, discreetly having them stay within the city so as to not draw attention to their presence. After the talks would inevitably fail, the plan had been to ambush Xander on his journey home and force him to acquiesce to their demands. But Elsa's shocking ultimatum had made the Queen of Arendelle a far more vital target.
Once the bitch is dead, he'd thought, There's nothing in our way. We'd have the element of surprise, and even without it Jocasta was certain that we would triumph in a war.
She had escaped. But in her place was what he was rapidly realizing to be an even more valuable prize. As fate would have it, there would be no need to fight a war after all. Queen Elsa would make certain of that.
\
A sea of voices surrounded her.
The Queen struggled to hear them...they sounded familiar...but all her ears could make out was gibberish. Elsa tried to open her eyes; it felt like they were being sealed shut with concrete.
"She's waking up!" Elsa finally managed to hear.
Her eyes shot open. She was back in her room within the Coronan Royal Palace, surrounded by her relatives. Marcus, Lenna, Rapunzel, Eugene, and Thomas were all standing over her bed. Far from being relieved at her awakening, each and every one of them wore expressions that could only be regarded as shell-shocked.
"What's going on?!" the Queen sat up suddenly. "How did I get here?" She wracked her brain, trying to remember when she'd gone to sleep. But the last thing she could recall was eating dinner at the inn. An ironclad veil resisted all of her efforts to remember anything further in time.
Rapunzel winced, but the Princess stepped forward and placed a hand on Elsa's shoulder. But as the monarch's vision cleared completely, she realized that it was her cousin's only hand. Rapunzel's left arm, judging by the small bulge in her sleeve, had been replaced by a stump.
"Your arm! What the hell happened?!" Elsa demanded. "Are you okay?" Even to her own ears, the question sounded stupid, but it was the only sentence that her lips had managed to form.
Her cousin gave her what could only be described as a pained nod. And suddenly, the Queen realized who was missing from this little gathering.
"Where's Anna?!"
Panic rising throughout her body, the monarch attempted to rise, but her uncle stepped forward and placed a firm hand on her shoulder. "As soon as you arrived back, I dispatched over a hundred men. They should arrive at where you stayed within two hours," he said.
Elsa stared at him. "I don't give a fuck! Where. Is. Anna?!"
Rapunzel frowned. The Princess appeared to be on the verge of crying. "Elsa...you were all poisoned at dinner by one of the maids...it made you pass out. Anna was immune- she saved my life. She dragged the two of us to the stables and got us on a horse...dozens of men were coming. She stayed behind to buy us..." her voice broke, and she fell into Eugene's arms.
Oh gods...
Her fatigue gone, the Queen shoved her Uncle aside and leapt off the bed. She ran forward, plowing through her family members and ignoring their cries. Elsa burst through the bedroom door and ran through the halls of the Castle.
I'm coming Anna.
\
As soon as she was outside the Palace, ice shot out from under the Queen's feet. Her left arm whipped out behind her, shooting the most powerful and compressed burst of cold air that she could muster. Within seconds she was gliding through the air faster than she ever had before.
The journey to the inn only took her twenty minutes. She moved faster than any horse, any carriage, and ship could ever dream of traveling. But the entire flight was torture.
If anything happened to her...even her thoughts could not form the words.
\
The sight that greeted her was chaos.
A dozen bodies were lying dead in the street, mercilessly illuminated by the rising sun. Men...her men...were milling about around them. At the sign of so many survivors, her eyes hopefully scanned the crowd for Anna...but the redhead was nowhere to be found.
"Queen Elsa!"
"Your Majesty!"
She came to a stop amidst the Royal Guards. Her royal persona was utterly gone; she made no effort to hide her desperation. "Where is Anna?!" she demanded yet again. The men, who had just been expressing their relief at her survival, now appeared downcast.
"We awoke but a few minutes ago, Your Majesty," one explained. "We were poisoned, and it seems as if the staff was as well. We have them under questioning, regardless. There was no sign of Princess Rapunzel or Miss Anna; we were searching for you..."
"Enough! The staff is innocent save for one maid, and Rapunzel is safely back at the Palace. But you mean to tell me there has been no sign, whatsoever, of what happened to my consort?"
Another guard stepped forward, staring at his feet uncomfortably. "We...found this letter, Your Majesty." In his hands was a white sheet of paper decorated with copious amounts of sophisticated handwriting.
The Queen snatched it out of his hands and began to read it.
Elsa,
I trust that your men will see that you receive this letter once they awaken. Today, you learn the price for opposing me. Your consort is safe...in my hands. Yes, I know of her abilities...it could hardly escape my man in the Palace that she was able to rip a door off its hinges with her bare hands. Not to mention the men of mine that I watched her slaughter. Rest assured that I will be taking precautions; I would not count on her bequeathing my hospitality in the near future. My demand is simple. Within two weeks I expect notification from King Xander that he has agreed to fully surrender all mining rights to Lucrania. You seem to be fond of threatening others with your powers; I suggest you make your way to Albion and inform him that he will either agree to renounce all claim to the copper or prepare to see his entire country experience an early winter. Do this, and young Anna will be treated decently. If not, I will see to it that her body is one day returned to you after my reign has come to an end...accompanied by a sign so that you will be able to recognize it. Attempt to retaliate against me, and I will ensure that her death is as painful and prolonged as humanely possible. Even if you refuse, do not think I will be giving up my leverage immediately; she will be tortured but remain alive until the day I perish. I am not a fool, I will not keep her where you could find her. Both she and I will be taking up residence in a remote fortress; its location is known only by my most trusted men. Enjoy your journey to Albion, Your Majesty. I look forward to hearing from King Xander in the coming weeks.
A/N: This is without a doubt the darkest arc so far. I know this story started off light, and still has nice fluffy moments every now and then, this is NOT a children's tale. Much like life, I suppose, different parts of this story have very different tones; there are some very happy moments, and some depressing ones (Sven, anyone.) For the good moments to have meaning, there have to be some downturns. This story was rated M for a reason. You have been warned.
Responses:
Yuiiub: They're certainly going through a lot at the moment.
IronTailPikachu: It was a sharp dagger, and Rapunzel was drifting off to sleep and caught by surprise. She's a healer, not a fighter.
DarthVaderisnotme: Elsa can't fix Rapunzel's arm. Their magic can't bring back the dead, and anything hacked off from the body is considered deceased.
Mpsantiago: It was a risk, but she had to sleep somewhere. They did take precautions, but the enemy found a clever way around them. Lethal poisons are fast acting and noticeable, sleeping draughts are not.
3Gs: I love cliffhangers!
RainbowMaster01: And stronger…
Snowboardgurl: Again, their powers can't fix things that are removed from the body. They can close the wound, but that's it. Anna's immunity and all her powers are a mystery that will not be solved soon. Anna is certainly not suicidal, but she is willing (maybe too willing) to sacrifice herself for Elsa.
No.18: We'll have to wait and see about that.
Kyoko-nyaa: She did her best, but unfortunately she was overwhelmed.
Moonwatcher13: She mowed down several, but her sword couldn't be everywhere at once.
Guest 1: Might not have been a bad idea.
ElectraRed: Uh, maybe not yet…
Leelan: Wow! Right again.
Shtoops: Her powers don't enhance anything about her physical qualities; she can just create ice. Why her magic seems to do that for Anna and not her, you'll find out in maybe…twenty? chapters. But wow, that's a lot of energy…
ObsessiveImaginings: Elsa was a bit stupid about not waiting for the ship. She's so worried about Arendelle that she was way too determined to get back, as Anna pointed out.
No seduction scene, sorry.
Mycabbages176: Indeed, she went rushing back immediately. Rapunzel's arm is gone, unfortunately.
MasterBlackCrow: Uh, no spoilers, but I can promise it will be epic!
SatoshiKyu: You're welcome to your opinion, but try to understand where Anna is coming from. She had a terrible childhood that left some deep scars, and the one person who has always been there for her just mocked her about it. She's definitely not leaving Elsa over it, but I think its understandable if she wants space for a few days, even if the Queen didn't mean it.
Superjoshe: You can say that again.
PascalDragon: Nope. Not the soft way.
BreeBear98: Oh, yeah…
Guest 2: I agree.
Jascmaster: Well…she got some of them.
NarutoUchiha999: Never say never. And thanks!
LightningDragon: Here's your update!
ClaireCooper: Just wait.
Arganos: I kind of agree. I hate to jump to conclusions, but a lot of people seem to prefer Elsa for some reason. Neither of them are perfect.
Guest 3: Even she's not that strong.
Shalifi: She certainly proved her loyalty. Again.
JPElles: Keep reading and you'll find out!
Malekoydaerb: They definitely need each other.
Shadowglyder: The knife was sharp, Rapunzel was caught by surprise, and there's no proof that the maid didn't have any skill. I know it's a stretch, but the end result is the same. The arm is gone.
Cedric: Princesses are people too. They aren't all Disney Princesses 24/7 and never swear at anyone. Rapunzel is an adult, was angry, and was alone with a friend. She didn't even grow up royalty, and either way royals are still human beings. Do you think that royalty in real life never swears in private ever?
Darthcadeus58: Clues may very well be on the horizon.
SpicaCygnus: Thanks! I'll try to keep the quality strong.