It took too long to get to the city, Elsa's heart in her throat the whole time they ran. What kind of monster could be attacking, and where had it come from? She could see smoke, and smoke meant fire and fire meant her country was burning.
"Oh hell…" Jaina came up to a stop and peered down the street. The fires weren't as bad as Elsa had feared at first, though it was hard to tell what was happening through the hazy smoke. Figures shambled, impossible to distinguish. The only thing Elsa could make out for certain was that they had more than four limbs; thin tendrils twisted and writhed from some of the creatures, while what appeared to be octopi floated around.
People were shouting and Elsa heard the unmistakable sound of clashing swords and the crackle of magic.
"Anna, get the people to safety, Jaina, we need those fires put out."
"Elsa—"
She shot Jaina a look. "Fires first, fighting second."
Jaina's jaw tensed, but she nodded. "Be careful."
"Always." Elsa started to run, then created an ice slick and slid down it. The creatures were even more disturbing up close, the kind of thing to give most people nightmares. She'd never seen anything like them; tall and bipedal with broad shoulders and thick limbs, their faces covered in tentacles that reminded her of a squid or octopus. Elsa pushed thoughts of the Nattmara she and Anna had once created out of their own nightmares, and started to craft walls and cages to hold the monsters, or to herd them towards the heroes.
As she did so, she got a very good look at how strong her new friends from Azeroth were, and much to her relief, it didn't seem to matter who was Horde and who was Alliance. They all fought together, defended each other and the people of Arendelle. She watched as a Night Elf spun through the air and dropped onto one of the monsters, sinking her blades in deep. The elf yanked back, exposing the creature's stomach for an Orc to run it through.
"Push them back!" Someone called out.
"Not there, not to the sea!" Jaina's shout came from another street, "We can't let any of them escape!"
Elsa narrowed her eyes, iced the bottom of her feet and skated through town, catching more and more of the monsters as she did so. She reached the dock ahead of the battle, turning to glance towards her kingdom. The defenders were indeed pushing the attackers back and towards the sea. Jaina had sounded like that was a bad idea.
What if one of them escaped, what if it reproduced? What if the oceans became filled with those things and one day returned? She couldn't allow that to happen.
Movement in the water, and Elsa snapped her head around to look. But there was nothing there save the waves. She was so nervous she was seeing things.
"Okay, I think I know what to do." She spread her arms out, and a wall of ice spread along the docks and the shore, forming a barrier between land and sea. Then she drew spikes out of the barrier and prepared to use her magic against any that might try to escape.
"Push them into the ice!" Elsa called out. And only after she'd given the order did she really stop to think about what was happening and what she'd done. A burly Troll warrior kicked one of the monsters onto an ice spike. The sound it made was horrendous, it's arms and face tentacles flailing as black blood splattered the cobblestones.
The Azerothians were so good at this, too. Their weapons were extensions of themselves, their magic, their abilities driving the monsters into the spikes.
And then … and then it kept happening. Elsa stood there numbly as her ice, her creation, an extension of herself killed more and more of the creatures. Her stomach twisted and lurched and she felt ill, consumed by two different kinds of guilt; her people were being hurt by these things, yet they were still living beings and she was killing them.
Unable to look away and unable to not look away, Elsa forced herself to bear witness to the destruction, until the creatures, large and small, had all been killed. She couldn't help but think that she'd helped eradicate an entire species.
She was still standing there when Jaina found her. Elsa didn't even notice her at first, her eyes on the bodies that the Azerothians had started to pile up and burn. That was … probably for the best; they knew better than she what these were, it was clear, and she could hear snippets of the conversations.
Old Gods.
N'Zoth.
Faceless Ones.
And other words she didn't know enough to understand, which was an entirely new feeling that made her feel even sicker. Stumbling past Jaina, she rushed around the nearest building and started to retch. So much death, the smell of burning flesh, wounded calling out and crying…
"Elsa…"
"I'm … I'm fine." Elsa waved Jaina off, wiping her mouth with the back of her hand.
"You're not." A firm but gentle hand caught her by the chin, and Elsa was forced to look into Jaina's sad eyes. "And it's okay that you're not."
"I never wanted to hurt people with my powers," Elsa whispered. "I've always known that some day, to protect Arendelle, I might have to. But knowing and doing aren't the same thing."
"They were monsters, love. The last minions of N'Zoth. They…" And Jaina looked ashamed. "Must have come through with Dalaran. I should have had champions running sweeps. Just in case."
"They were still alive."
Jaina gave her a little half smile. "Yes, well…"
"Monsters, I know." Elsa frowned, but let Jaina's arms enfold her in a comforting warmth. "And if they'd made it to the sea, I suppose that would have been very bad."
"I'll talk to the Warchief and High King tomorrow, about sending people out to make sure there aren't any more pockets of them. They're … dangerous, even without their master to order them around."
"The fires?" Elsa asked, stepping back and fixing her hair and dress before anyone else saw her.
"Put out."
"How many people are hurt?"
"Six. No one died, but a few people will be recovering for awhile."
Elsa spotted a red stain on Jaina's robe. "…including you!"
"What?" Jaina looked down at her side, raising her eyebrows. "Oh. I'm sure it's fine."
"It's not fine." Elsa took Jaina's hand and started to tug her along. "We're getting you looked at."
"It can wait a little bit, others need help more than I do," Jaina protested.
…which was cheating and Elsa sighed. "Fine. I'll look at you myself once we've helped everyone we can."
"Okay," Jaina agreed, a soft expression on her face. She looked like she was going to say something, but changed her mind. "Let's go help."
❄️
Now that the adrenaline wore off, Elsa ached in new and unusual places and was bone-deep exhausted. She'd spent hours helping people who'd been hurt, assessing the damage and making plans for repairs. The bakery had burned almost completely and the blacksmith had also been damaged, along with three or four homes. Those people would be housed at the castle until their houses were rebuilt and she'd already received offers for the use of facilities for the baker and blacksmiths in Dalaran.
She swayed on her feet.
"Are you all right?"
Anna's voice startled her, but she recovered quickly and gave her sister a quick look over. "You're hurt!"
Anna held up her bandaged fist. "I'm fine, I punched a monster!"
"Anna…"
"I'm fine!"
Sure she was. Elsa sighed, and looked towards the castle, then back to the city; she could rest later.
Except Anna was already taking her arm and guiding her home. "I know that look and you really need to rest, Elsa. You can't do anything if you keel over."
"I am … so tired," she admitted.
"Yeah, they probably could have attacked before you and Jaina got all happy fun times with each other."
"Anna!"
"What!?"
With a sigh that rattled her rib cage, Elsa pleaded, "Please, forget you ever saw that!" While, undoubtedly part of the reason she was so sore and exhausted, this was not the time or the place and she would really, really like to forget they got walked in on.
At least it hadn't been Olaf or Iduna…
"Fine, fine." Anna looked smug in a way that told Elsa that they were not done talking about this, but fell mercifully silent as they trudged up to the castle gates.
Kai greeted them and Elsa smiled wearily. "Are our guests settling in?"
"They've been put up in rooms, and the children have been having a good time with Olaf, Iduna and Sven."
"Very good." Elsa caught herself with her hand in her hair messing with her braid. "Is there anything else?"
"Yes, Your Majesty." He winked at her. "I do suggest you get your office in order before you see anyone tomorrow."
One of Elsa's eyes twitched. "I'll keep that in mind."
Despite his words, the only thing Elsa had the energy to do was lock the door to deal with it in the morning. Anna barely gave her the chance before she was being pushed towards her chambers. "I think I can see myself the rest of the way."
"Nope. I'm going to take care of you."
"Your hand is bandaged up, I should be taking care of you!"
"That's Kristoff's job." Anna seemed to realize how that sounded and quickly added, "Tonight! You can take care of me once you've taken care of yourself, okay?"
"Y-yeah." Elsa turned her head away so Anna couldn't see the hurt in her eyes. She knew, she knew Anna hadn't meant anything by it, but it hit a nerve, in a cluster of nerves already raw and bleeding from the night's events.
A few hours ago she'd been basking in the afterglow with Jaina and accidentally admitting things she'd been afraid to admit to, and now she was so tired … she'd … killed living things, her Kingdom was wounded, her sister was wounded, Jaina was wounded…
She was so, so tired.
Elsa had barely managed to get into her antechamber before the tears started falling.
"Elsa?"
Elsa tried to wave her sister off, but when she choked back a sob Anna carefully directed her to the nearest upholstered chair, the absolutely most guilty look on her face.
"I'm so sorry, Elsa, I didn't mean to imply that I don't need you."
"It's not that." Elsa rubbed at her eyes, and hiccuped. "Or I guess that just … I feel so awful, Anna."
She looked up into kind, concerned eyes, then reached up and hugged Anna, pulling her down onto the chair with her. "I killed things. Living things. They were monsters, but I killed them with my powers. And I don't know how to feel about that. And then your hand, and Jaina is hurt, and so many of our people are hurt. And I just stood there and … our new friends helped, yes, but…"
"This is normal for them," Anna guessed.
"Yes." Elsa sagged against her sister, turning her head and burying it in her shoulder. "What have I brought to our world?"
"You didn't do anything." Anna's uninjured hand stroked down Elsa's hair. "There were people in need. Dying and scared and on the end of their rope and you pulled them up and gave them a second chance. And they've helped us all out so much since then. Sure, they might … scuffle sometimes, but they've mostly been good about ending their war and … and tonight, Elsa…"
Anna nudged at Elsa until she looked at her. "Tonight, they fought together. And they didn't just help us, they were like partners. Orc or Elf or Human or Tauren, it doesn't matter. They're more alike than they are different and I think they have you to thank for realizing that."
Smiling, Elsa tried to blink her eyes dry. "Don't let this go to your head, but you're really very wise. I see where Olaf gets it from."
"Yeah well, I'm good like that." Anna got up, booped Elsa on the nose, then disappeared into her bedroom. While she was away, Elsa leaned back in the chair and pressed a hand to her face. Anna was right, and Elsa knew it, her words making her feel a little better about it all.
When her sister returned with one of Elsa's nightgowns and an amused smile on her face, she forced herself to stand. "Thank you. Now go see to your husband and my niece, okay?
"Sure you'll be okay?"
"I will be, thanks to you."
She kissed her cheek, and then started for the door.
"Anna, wait a second."
Her sister nearly collided with the door. She brushed herself off and turned around. "Yeah?"
"When did you realize you were in love with Kristoff? I don't mean, during the whole … you know. But after that. Once you'd really gotten to know him."
"Huh." Anna folded her arms and tapped her chin. "It was a little bit before my birthday. You know the one where you got sick and almost plummeted to your death while drunk on Oaken's cough 'remedy?' Anyway, I found Kristoff smuggling a bunch of baked goods out to the kids at the school. They didn't know I was there, and he played one of his silly songs for them. No wait, there was this other time, when he was patiently explaining something to Olaf, or was it that time that—"
"It wasn't just one moment," Elsa concluded. "It just kind of snuck up on you."
"Yeah!" Anna eyed her knowingly. "And Jaina snuck up on you?"
"I … yes." Elsa felt a momentary terror. "Anna, what if she wants to stay in Dalaran? They're talking about flying it again, and maybe even flying it elsewhere? Or what if she wants to be with her friends? What if something like this happens again and she gets hurt worse? What if—"
"—you talk to her about it?"
Elsa exhaled a nervous laugh. "Okay. Okay."
"Rest. And then you can talk to her tomorrow."
"Yes, Your Highness." Elsa stuck her tongue out, and Anna responded in kind before slipping out of the room.
Elsa leaned against the door. The exhaustion was still there, but the fear and the guilt had ebbed somewhat. She was stronger than this, better than this. And the Arendelle sisters took care of each other, and their own. Just, sometimes, it was okay to cry.
As she changed into her nightgown, Elsa hoped that Jaina got her mental telegram. She would have that talk, but right now she just really wanted … Well, damned if she knew what she wanted.
But no knock at her door was forthcoming, and Elsa debated with herself on whether or not she was going to and check on Jaina instead. No, no, Jaina would be fine until morning and Elsa could hear her bed calling to her.
It was mostly by rote that she made her way into her bedroom, snuffing out a candle as she passed it. Elsa knew she was going to feel everything in the morning, both the good, and the bad and struggled with her comforter. It seemed to be stuck and she gave up, just laying face first on her pillow and groaning.
The comforter shifted, and then she was sucked into its depths. A familiar scent filled her nostrils and familiar arms pulled her close. Elsa grinned and snuggled into Jaina's embrace, sliding her hands around bare skin to rub at her back. Yes, they had a lot of work ahead of them tomorrow, and a lot to talk about, but for now, she was going to soak up Jaina's presence.
As she drifted off, she felt soft lips and warm breath against her ear, as Jaina whispered, "I think I love you too."