Author notes: Thank you so much for your patronage so far. I have been bogged down with RL stuff so haven't have the chance to update until now. Sending this update as an early Christmas present from me to lovely readers out there. Hope you have a good one. Shoutout to @JYN044 for beta'ing this piece. You are God-sent. Truly. Also, I introduced two new characters in this chapter. See if you can spot them.On a separate note, I got a lovely gift from @hana_bingo from Twitter - Comic strip on the rescue of Elsa in Chapter 6. You can check out it here: /LCraze666/status/1337050772324962308?s=20Lastly, I will find time to reply to your comments, I promise. So please keep sharing your thoughts in your comment box below, be it good or bad. I want it all.

Chapter 9

Elsa's throat bobbed. A foreboding chill slithered down her spine, her stomach filling with dread. Shallow and raspy breaths seeped through her teeth, owing to the icy evening breeze. Clammy palms gripped onto the metal railing for support as she descended the stairs. Phantom fear swam in the deep recesses of the Spirit's mind, beckoning her to turn back while she still could. Yet, her stubborn feet stayed on their course, bringing her closer to the burgeoning crowd. Elsa decided to settle for a spot in the middle of the allure, allowing her an unobstructed view of the bailey. The last thing she wanted was to draw unnecessary attention to herself.

Sudden silence from the bustling crowd grabbed her attention. Elsa's vision tunnelled to the three figures standing at the centre of the platform. Her skin crawled at the sight of her assaulter. Until now, she could still feel his cruel hands on her, waking her from her restless slumber.

The man was indeed a sight for sore eyes. His once clean-shaven face was now an utter mess. Mottled bruises marred his cheeks, speckled with spots of congealed blood. Saliva dribbled from the corner of his cracked lips, jaws slackened. His droopy eyelids hooded his swollen eyes. Despite his battered state, the heavy-built man still looked intimidating to Elsa. Ugly memories seeped into her thoughts.

Uneasiness stirred inside her chest when the guards manhandled him and tied him to the pole. In the next hour, Elsa got to witness how a man broke down in a literal and figurative sense. The grotesque sight shook the Spirit to the core and yet she could not find the strength to pry her eyes away. Just when Elsa thought the Conqueror had done her worst, Anna had to go and prove her wrong. The Queen's unfazed demeanour irked Elsa. Her gaze was cold as ice; it held no sympathy for the tormented man's plight.

Elsa's head spun with conflicting thoughts. Gerda's words replayed in her head. How could she believe in them when all she had seen was boundless acts of cruelty? If any, the atrocities she witnessed so far only cemented her belief of Anna.

A heartless dictator.

Elsa pressed a hand over her mouth as she witnessed the tormented man pass out.

"Let this be a reminder to all who dare to challenge the crown!"

Acid sprung to her throat listening to Anna's declaration. She couldn't help but feel the message was directed to her - a clear warning to the Spirit should she choose to disobey her. It was evident that any acts of rebellion would be dealt with indiscriminately. If Anna could inflict that much damage to one of her own, what hope did Elsa have against Anna's violent temperament? It was only a matter of time before she became the subject of a similar gruesome spectacle.

She had had enough. The appalling sight of the last punishment was the straw that broke the camel's back. Elsa broke out in a sprint, no longer wanting to subject herself to this menace. The abyss of despair clawed at her chest rendering her breathless. She resulted in unclasping her cloak; it was adding pressure to the metal collar encasing her neck. Elsa let the material slip as she ran, uncaring if she was spotted. All she wanted right now was to get away from this horrid place.

xxx

"Miss, is everything okay?"

A soft, chiming voice broke her melancholic gaze. Two big caramel eyes came into her line of sight, startling the blonde. It took her a good five seconds for her to register that it was a young boy who regarded her. And the said person was hanging upside down from a tree branch.

Elsa blushed. "I'm sorry. I didn't realise there was anyone here." She wiped away tear stains from her face in an attempt to make herself presentable.

"It's alright." He waved his hand dismissively. With the grace of a house cat, the boy flipped backwards and landed on his feet. Judging by his height, Elsa guessed that the child was probably around ten or eleven years of age. What made him stand out was streaks of birch on his overgrown copper brown locks. The uneven growth of his bangs complemented his oval shaped face, making him look like an adorable puppy.

"Everyone's welcome to Sven's hideout," he said, flashing a toothy grin. He then pulled out a fistful of daisies from his back pocket and presented them to Elsa. The boy's kind gesture caught her off guard, leaving her stammering for a response.

Steady, Elsa. Not everyone is here to harm you.

"I...Thank you. They are lovely." She brought the flowers to her nose. The grassy scent seemed to calm her a little. Reminded her a little of home.

"Toph said flowers are the best cure for sadness."

Elsa shot him a quizzical look.

"Toph?"

"Yes. He's kinda like my big brother."

A sudden realisation dawned on Elsa. She had never seen any children since she stepped into the castle. Sven was the first and only child she met.

"Do you live here?"

"No, but I do stay over sometimes. I will have a sleepover when Toph gets too busy with work. The bed is big and comfy, unlike the smelly wet hays in Toph's cart." he explained animatedly.

"Sven!"

A distant holler made the little boy stilled.

"Speak of the devil." he murmured. Sven tugged one of her trains. "Follow me," he instructed in a hushed voice, hand clasped firmly onto Elsa's. Not knowing what was happening, she allowed the kid to a stack of empty wine barrels. Her confusion was soon cleared by a frustrated voice.

"This is the last time I am letting you mend the stables."

A man with short blonde hair came trudging into the compound. He wore a long sleeve shirt that hugged his bulky frame. This man was a walking bear. She could see muscles rippling underneath the coarse woolen fabric. His hands were massive. They looked like they could easily break her neck with minimum effort if he wanted to. The thin line of beard lining his defined jaws made him look older despite his boyish face. His deep, booming voice made him intimidating.

"Sven! I know you are here."

"Is that…?"

"Yes. That's Toph. Please don't let him find me. I'll be dead meat." Sven's eyes grew as big as saucer plates, pleading the Spirit earnestly. Elsa, being a sucker for kids, relented to his request.

So there they were, both adult and child patiently waiting for the danger to pass. Elsa cracked a smile. This situation brought back a fond memory from her early childhood. Like Sven, she was once an impish child herself. She had her partners-in-crime to thank, Ryder and Honeymaren. Together, they planned all sorts of mischievous schemes that drove the older folks mad, ranging from infiltrating the villagers' dessert stash to misherding reindeers. Alas, their adventures discontinued after her cousins' tribe moved east. She had not seen them since.

"There you are, little rascal!"

Elsa jumped when a hand emerged from behind and picked Sven up by the scruff of his neck.

"Let me go, Toph!" the little boy cried, arms flailing to set himself free.

"Not this time, Sven. You gotta own up to your mistakes for once." the bear retorted, pulling the boy's ear.

Elsa's guilt drove her to speak up.

"Sir, please let him go. It wasn't his fault. Sven was with me all this time."

The Spirit's stomach curdled when the man turned and faced her.

"Really?" he arched an eyebrow, shooting her a doubtful look.

Elsa continued. "Yes. We were talking…" Her eyes strayed to the oak tree behind him. "About Sven's hideout."

"Yes, yes. And I was sharing stories with her. Like how flowers make people happy and how uncomfortable your haystack bed is." the boy rambled on, oblivious to the man's growing irritance. "...So, we are practically best buddies now." Elsa's face paled at the white lie.

"Ok."

He placed the boy down. "Since you guys are friends now, why don't you tell me her name, Sven? You know it's rude not to introduce people."

"Sure! Her name is..."

Shoot, I didn't ask for her name.

Toph smirked at Sven's silent defeat. He let out a sigh, carding his fingers through his overgrown bangs, forcing them to the side.

"Seriously Sven, you are the worst liar ever. And you.." he pointed at the perplexed blonde. Elsa gave him a sheepish smile, embarrassment coloured her face. She felt silly to conspire against the man.

"Elsa." she corrected.

He cleared his throat. "Right. Elsa, don't let those googly eyes fool you. He's not as innocent as he looks."

"That's not true! I was accompanying her," the boy retorted.

"Sure, you are." He pulled Sven's cheeks. "No more excuses. Get back to the stables and sort out the mess you made." Toph reprimanded.

The blonde stopped him in his tracks.

"Sir. Please let me help. It's the least I can do after causing you so much trouble."

To her surprise, the annoyance on Toph's face melted into a gentle one. He shrugged.

"I guess having an extra hand wouldn't hurt. And please, call me Toph."

xxx

Elsa was awed by the size of the horse stables. She had never seen anything like this. The building was massive. It housed around thirty steeds, each stall generously spaced out from each other. Hollow walls with gratings enabled good air circulation while keeping the interior warm and cosy. The framework and furnishings were made out of cherry and ashwood, an evidence of the lavish treatment of the royal's equines. She dared say these beasts lived better lives than their human counterparts.

"Magnificent creatures, aren't they?" Toph asked while replenishing an empty manger with fresh hay.

"Yes, they are beautiful." Elsa replied, hands occupied with a dandy brush. The boys have insisted to take on the heavy chores themselves, leaving her on grooming duty.

"As you probably noticed, these beasts are spoilt rotten. Isn't that right, Marsk?" The black stallion snorted in disagreement and turned its back on its human handler. Toph sighed. "See what I mean?"

"Why the sudden cold shoulder? I thought he's your best bud?" Sven teased, as he stuck his pitchfork into a clump of hay and transferred it into the opposite keep.

Toph gave his brother a dirty look.

"Well, Marsk is just a bit sensitive. I'm sure he will come around if I…Hey!"

A mass of bushy hair whipped across the man's face, rudely interrupting him.

Sven cackled at his brother's struggles as the stallion bullied him. "I don't think Marsk agrees." He made a face and mimicked him. "And he is accusing me of losing control." Elsa laughed at his remark.

The little boy ducked just in time when a brush came flying to him.

"I can hear you, Sven. You won't spare this time." he let a playful growl.

Sven stuck out his tongue in retaliation and scurried away leaving Elsa and Toph behind.

"I see you are silently enjoying my suffering."

"I'm sorry for being rude." The blonde apologised. "It's just nice to see you two enjoying yourselves. You guys seemed very close."

"Sven's kinda like my ward so I have to take good care of him."

Toph's answer stumped her.

"Wait a minute... You two are not related?"

Toph shook his head.

"Nope. As it is, Sven's already stuck to me like honey to a bee. I will lose sleep if I have him as my brother."

Elsa raised a brow. "I'm sure you are exaggerating. I don't think he's that bad."

"Perhaps you'll change your mind if I leave Sven with you for a week."

"You never know until you try."

"My hands are tied unfortunately. The Queen had entrusted him to me when she brought him into the castle. She specifically ordered me to keep an eye on that rascal."

The Spirit went stiff momentarily at the mention of Anna.

"What do you mean?" she asked. She quickly corrected herself, not wanting to seem rude. "Sven told me that he stayed in the castle when you have work to do."

"And by work, he meant my North mountain expeditions." he clarified. "I go there to harvest ice once in a while. He would be under the Queen's care when I am away."

"I see."

Elsa's eyes downcasted, mind wandering in deep thoughts. Never she would have imagined her Master being fond of children . This newfound information knocked Elsa off her feet. It was difficult to visualise the implications of Toph's words after she had tightened her resolve to demonise the Queen.

A light tap on her shoulder brought Elsa out of her musings. At that moment the blonde knew she messed up. Toph's keen senses probably picked up her distress.

"Hey, everything alright? You kinda spaced out for a moment.'

The blonde cursed herself for being weak and tearing up at Toph's concerned voice. Elsa was in conflict with herself. On one hand she wanted to be transparent with her friend and let him know the Queen's true colours. That she was nothing but a wolf in sheep's clothing that feeds on the misery and pain of others. On the other hand, she didn't have the heart to taint his view of the Queen and discredit her good work due to her ignorance.

From a strategic standpoint, it would be unwise to come clean with Toph. He was a citizen of Arrendele before he was her friend. It would be remotely impossible to make Toph sympathise with the enemy of the state. Not to mention the heavy price he would pay if he was caught for being disloyal to the crown. Elsa may have hailed from Northuldra but that didn't mean she didn't care about others. She would never let her friends suffer or use them for her own personal gain.

Her voice trembled as she struggled with her raw emotions.

"I'm sorry. I.."

"It's alright. We don't need to talk about it right now." He rested one hand on her shoulder and gave a gentle squeeze. "If you need something to speak to, I'm all ears. The stables' doors are always open."

A weak smile formed on Elsa's face.

"Thank you."

"Alright, so let's pack up and call it a day, shall we?"

Elsa nodded.

I need you to have faith in her.

Gerda's words came playing in her head. Elsa might not trust the Queen, but for Gerda, Toph and Sven's sake she would try to reevaluate her judgement.

Elsa's temporary respite was taken away when a guard appeared at the entrance.

"The Queen summons for her."

TBC