The Ice Behind Bars
Chapter XXV: Nightmares
Anna dashed out of the infirmary and saw her friends standing ahead, waiting, and she noticed how Elsa now held another flower pot.
With an excited and happy face, Anna called them, "Guys! Elsa! I'm baaaackkk!" She sing-songed.
Everyone turned to her voice and Elsa's smile couldn't get any bigger.
"Did ya miss me?" Anna teased them and Elsa kept her 'Yes' to herself, instead she smiled widely.
"Well, missy! We had a nice moment of peace and quiet before you came back but we were also greeted with another smaller version of you… Little Zoey." Flynn joked.
Anna laughed, "That explains the flower." She said as she pointed at the pot in Elsa's hand. Elsa gave her a goofy smile and nodded, "Blue!" Elsa said happily and showed Anna the flower.
"Oh it's blue alright." Anna said as she took a nice glance at the flower.
"Well how did it go?" Rapunzel asked.
"Oh!... It went great!" Anna shouted happily and the spark in her excited eyes didn't go unnoticed. "And it's all thanks to Elsa!" She leaned towards Elsa and wrapped her arm around the cool shoulders and squeezed her in a half hug. She smiled at Elsa fondly, "Thank you, Elsa… I… I really wouldn't have done it without you. You're the best."
Elsa blushed and felt a tiny spark of pride for the first time of her life.
"And my mother," Anna said as she looked right into Elsa's eyes, "She wanted to tell you that she's really sorry, Elsa. I now know that she really didn't mean to say these things to you. I know her for a long time, Elsa. She is really nice and would never hurt someone."
Elsa thought for a moment, taking in Anna's words before she finally lifted her head, smiled and nodded.
Anna smiled widely back, "I really want you two to meet again and-" Anna quickly stopped when she noticed Elsa's eyes went wide, "I-I mean if you want to!... It doesn't have to be now... Whenever you want really!... But i want you to get to know each other." Anna said and placed a hand on Elsa's shoulder.
Elsa was a bit nervous, but she couldn't ignore the pull she was feeling for Anna's mother. "Okay." Elsa agreed before she could stop herself.
"Way ta go, Elsa!" Flynn cheered for Elsa's courage.
"And you really did know how to convince this headstrong, Feisty pants. You're the first person that Anna ever listened to." Aiden joined the encouragement.
"And now you made both Anna and her mother happy!" Rapunzel informed ecstatically.
"Don't forget, Little Zoey! She was really happy too. So that makes it three people, Elsa." Kristoff said.
Elsa stared at them all in happiness and disbelief as each one of them encouraged her.
"And also…" Anna started with a smirk, "By making us happy, you made these four brainless dodos happy too!" She said as she pointed at the three thieves and Kristoff. "Am I right, guys?"
"Yeah! Of course! We're all happy!" They said in unison. "Wait, what?!" And that made Anna laugh hard. Yup… definitely dodos.
Elsa felt as if she would have hopped and jumped in joy for the rest of her life. They are all happy because of me!... They said I'm good!…They… They don't hate me… Right?
Monsters are hated! I'm locking you because if anyone discovers what you really are, they will hunt you down like a piece of a filthy beast you truly are!
Her tormented mind recited her father's words. Elsa had no thoughts or words to defend herself against this memory… Against those words. She tried with all her might to fake the smile and hide the tears. Luckily to her, it worked and none noticed her internal conflict.
"Well, then! It's getting dark. I think Louis have already prepared dinner. Come, on everyone." Anna said and motioned for Elsa to move along.
Elsa stayed a moment still, trying to cast away the voice in her head before she shook it off and followed. …Filthy beast you truly are! The last words sounded in her head again.
And they went inside the sanctuary where the men went to the dining room to join the guild members and the three girls went to have dinner in Elsa's room, since Elsa still wasn't used to that amount of people.
After having their peaceful dinner-Elsa with her sandwich as usual and the others had chicken soup- Elsa refused to try anything at all and just stayed with her sandwich and avoided any spitting contest.
They then went to bed since Elsa was pretty tired. Rapunzel gladly decided to move her bed to Elsa and Anna's bedroom so that the three of them now slept in the same room. Fortunately, they replaced Anna's broken bed with another well one and hoped that she wouldn't do anything crazy and break it.
That night… That horrible night, Anna and Rapunzel couldn't sleep at all since Elsa unfortunately had another nightmare and her screams and cries didn't go unheard by everyone in the fort. The room was extremely cold that the two other women had to wrap themselves in thick winter blankets and Rapunzel witnessed how Elsa woke up, and how the poor woman didn't recognize any of them and was freaked out just like the first time she had woken up here. Both Anna and Rapunzel took a whole hour to sooth her down and another whole two hours to help her sleep. The two thieves didn't dare sleep and were utterly worried and were preparing themselves for another nightmare. Fortunately, Elsa finally slept peacefully.
Three days have passed and the women' nights would always be the same. Elsa would always scream and cry from a nightmare and would wake up trembling, sweating and wouldn't recognize any of the two.
Anna and Rapunzel were starting to get really worried since these nightmares weren't going away. Those nightmares would attack Elsa every night and each night was worse than the other.
On the third night, it was the worst case. Elsa screamed and screamed and thrashed in her bed as if she was really feeling pain. Anna and Rapunzel couldn't hold back their tears. Mostly Anna who showered herself with them… besides Elsa of course since Elsa's cries weren't just out of sorrow.
Mad held a bucket full of pieces of bread in one hand and the other hand held a bucket with a piece of barely grilled meat for The Monster. He passed every cellar, throwing each piece of bread to every prisoner.
"Shit-head." Razor called him when Mad gave him the piece of old bread.
"This will be you're share for 3 days you bastards." Mad laughed, "Enjoy it!"
After giving everyone their share, Mad headed to a nineteen year old Elsa's cellar with the bucket of meat.
He opened the door, entered and closed it behind him. The first thing he was met with was Elsa's chained and sleeping figure on the ground. He threw the meat from the bucket to the ground without even caring about the blood and dirt that stained the floor. When Elsa didn't wake up, he came closer to her. "Wake up, bitch!" He whispered angrily to himself. When he approached, he took a clear sight of Elsa's half-nude figure, and his dirty mind went somewhere else. He smirked, "Well, well, well..." He said to himself as he gazed at her womanly body, up and down. You really did grow that body of yours a great deal. He thought and licked his lips in anticipation as he stared at the poor woman lustfully. He took a peek to the door to check that the king wasn't present before he turned to Elsa, his heart beating faster. He knelt next to her sleeping form as his disgusting eyes trailed around her frame and bare thighs excitedly. He brushed his warm hand on her leg and felt her coldness. Your father won't know anything now, would he?
At his touch, Elsa's eyes shot open and when she turned her head to see Mad so close to her and was staring at her lustfully, she gasped aloud and crawled away from him with a whimper, sending rattles of chains behind her. "S-Stay away from me!"
"Now, now, Elsa… I'm not here to hurt you." He said as he started to approach her. "I'm just here to have some fun. An old man with so much work all these years deserves a prize now, wouldn't he?"
He's going to hurt me! He's going to hurt me! She thought dreadfully. "P-Please, Mad… P-Please…" Her voice came out throaty.
But he kept approaching with that wicked smile, and the more he approached the more Elsa backed away. Her breath started to quicken and her heart started to race. She just wasn't understanding what was Mad talking about. She supposed her father sent him to torture her like always. "D-Did Papa… S-Sent you?" She managed to ask as she brought her legs to her chest when she was cornered between the two walls and Mad kept approaching.
Mad shook his head with a chuckle, "Oh, no, no, no… Your father is not coming here today… That's why I'm here. I'm here to give you a favor, Elsa." He started as he finally knelt next to her.
Elsa gasped and hid her face with her hands, and tried her best to stop trembling but failed. No… Please no!
His eyes hovered over her body with lust, "When I told you that you would grow that body of yours up… Well," He chuckled a bit, "I didn't know you would grow it so well!" He said with a seductive tone.
Elsa shook her head and kept her hands on her face and her legs tighter to her chest, away from Mad as much as she could, "I-I-I don't understand…" She muffled.
"Look at me." He commanded with an intimidating tone.
Elsa winced behind her hands and removed them off her face shakily, but kept her eyes away from Mad's.
Mad frowned, "I said… Look at me."
Elsa's cyan, terrified eyes slowly made it to look at Mad.
"You see… I'm a poor old man who can barely have a grip on his instincts if you stay like that in front of him." He said as he brought his hand to brush Elsa's cheek.
Elsa flinched away with another whimper. She just still couldn't understand what he was talking about as he made her confused more and more.
"You don't hate me, Elsa, right?" He asked as he wiped her tears.
Elsa quickly shook her head.
Mad smirked, "I know you love me. You love the old man who feeds you, am I right?... Say it!... Say that you love me." He said as his hand trailed down her leg.
Elsa's breath was incredibly fast now. She felt her heart would burst out at any minute. She quickly averted her eyes. "M-Mad… Please… S-Stay back."
"Look at me and say it, bitch!" Mad said as he dug his nails in her leg.
Elsa winced hardly and let out a yelp. She forced herself to look at him as she turned her neck using all her willpower.
"There you go." Mad said wickedly, "Now say that you love me."
Elsa lips trembled terribly as she tried to pronounce those dreadful words, "I-I. . . I. . . I l-love. . . Y-You."
As Mad's body temperature rose, he spoke again, "I can promise you Freedom from all this hell if you can do what I ask of you… Everything will be fine. I'll will get you out of here if you accept my offer." He said as his hand stroked her neck while he leaned closer and made Elsa extremely uncomfortable and she squeezed herself to the wall even more, trying to back away. "No , p-please… S-Stay away from me!" She tried to struggle and look away when he was too close but he gripped the back of her neck harshly and forced her to look at him, while the other hand pulled her leg, "If you don't do what I say, I will kill you!"
"L-L-Leave me alone! Please!" She was utterly terrified now. Her breath came out shaky as she stared at his disgusting eyes. She didn't know what he was trying to do, but as a first instincts, she knew it wasn't going to be good.
When she tried to struggle more when he leaned closer, Mad groaned in anger. He released his grip and instead, ee grabbed her chains and started pulling her to the center of the cellar. "You will do as I say, bitch! If you like it or not!" He said while he dragged her.
Elsa's tears started to stream down her cheeks. "Leave me!" She screamed as her nails dug into the ground and she tried to get away.
When she was finally in the middle, Mad smirked and laughed wickedly. He then pinned her weak and already fatigued body to the ground with his. He grabbed her wrists and pinned them above her to the floor with one hand.
"Please! Leave me alone!" Elsa screamed again as her body trembled terribly from horror.
"Don't struggle, Monster!... You're not even important to care about such a thing… You can scream as much as you want, Monster… No one can hear you here. You're all mine, now!" He said as he licked his lips. He brought his other hand to Elsa's lower tunic and started to rip it apart and wanted to humiliate the poor princess in the worse ways.
"NO!... PLEASE! STOP!" As Elsa's fear grew and her weak, miserable, unsuccessful struggles increased, the room temperature became utterly cold, and Mad didn't notice that the glove on her right hand slipped off. A huge ice spike shot out from the ground and nearly pierced his throat. Mad gasped and let go of her so he could back away and avoid being impaled, leaving Elsa some space to back away fearfully too. When he felt threatened and realized how he was this close to lose his life, he screamed in rage, "Why you fucking BITCH!" He said and pinned her aggressively to the ground again and backhanded her.
Elsa cried out in pain and tried to struggle, "S-S-Stop! PLEASE!... G-GET AWAY FROM ME!"
"If you do that again, I swear I will make it hurt more!" He said with a disgusting and wicked smile. As he pinned her body with his own to the floor and slipped the glove back on her hand.
Elsa's struggles couldn't hold on much longer as she tried to flail and thrash her hands and legs to keep him away, but her chains and shackles made things even much harder and her unfortunate weak strength suddenly gave away and Mad finally was able to keep her still.
Elsa's tears rushed down uncontrollably as she felt his hot body above her cold one. Please… Please… Please! Stay away from me, please!
"LEAVE ME ALONE! LEAVE ME ALONE!" Elsa cried and started sobbing when she felt the situation inevitable.
"LEAVE HER ALONE YOU PIECE OF SHIT!" Kai called out from the outside.
"YOU SON OF A BITCH! I WILL KILL WITH MY OWN HANDS IF YOU TOUCH HER!" Razor said and the other prisoners started to yell and scream curses at Mad and prayers for Elsa.
"Don't worry…" Mad said as he grabbed her thigh with his rough hand, "You will feel a bit of pain but I promise that it will be enjoyable later." He said with a laugh and continued to rip her lower tunic.
Elsa body shook in sorrows as she cried, screamed, sobbed and prayed for help. What was Mad trying to do to her? She didn't understand what was happening but she somehow knew that it was a terrible thing.
"YOU FUCKING ASSHOLE!" Saja suddenly screamed.
"Don't fight it, Elsa… You will only make it worse, remember? Your father wouldn't allow us to have fun. I'm taking what I deserve for all those years of service." He said and finally threw her shredded tunic away, leaving her exposed and vulnerable to him.
Elsa's tears couldn't go down any faster. She felt a bit dizzy from all the screaming and thrashing.
Mad leaned forward at her and whispered in her ears, sending shivers down her spine, "Now… Just close your eyes and let it pass." He mocked, using Kai's words, "Let us have fun now, shall we?"
As if God had listened to her prayers, right before he could disgrace her, the king suddenly dashed inside her cellar. "What in the hell is happening here!?" The king yelled in rage.
Mad's eyes widened and he quickly stopped before he was able to harass and take advantage of the frightened and chained princess in the most disgusting and horrific way. He quickly backed away frightened, "I-I-I… Sh-She came at me, You Majesty!" He accused as he pointed at Elsa with a trembling hand.
Elsa was curled up in a ball, crying and trembling, and didn't acknowledge any of them. Even though she didn't understand what was about to happen, the experience got her fully traumatized and she was trying her best to hide her half-nude, battered body.
Mad knelt down to his king and begged, "She came all over me! I-I was just trying to give her the meat a-and she said that if I got her out of here she would give herself to me! I swear to you, Your Majesty! On my honor!" He fearfully said as he stared up at the king's raging eyes.
Elsa was utterly relieved to have her father present for the first time in her entire life. She was thanking God for sending help and that Mad have stopped before he could have tortured her in his special, terrible way, in which she still didn't understand what it was. As she shook in terror and cried on the floor, she did not dare to look at her father and didn't realize that Mad just lied and accused her. She was too occupied with her sobs and thoughts.
He wanted to hurt me! He was about to hurt me! What did he want from me?! She thought, confused and troubled.
"That Monster came at me, You Majesty! I'm nothing but an old man! I can barely move my feet, I have no strength at all. I-I was just trying to feed her!" Mad said and started to smile wickedly when he noticed that the king started to turn his attention to his daughter.
Without a word, the king stared angrily at his daughter's half-naked body, then at the big ice spike that grew in the middle of the cellar and at Mad. And his mind decided what he should believe. With a wrathful glare, the king looked at his daughter in disgust before he ran his way to the table and grabbed a whip.
And Elsa still didn't notice anything that was happening.
"You fucking whore!" The king suddenly shrieked in rage as he turned red.
Elsa's eyes shot wide in shock and she quickly lifted her head to look at her father in shock and confusion, "P-Papa?...W-What…?"
"How dare you, bitch!?" He yelled as he came at his shocked daughter and pointed the whip at her in which she flinched like a terrified animal when she saw it.
"I will show you what happen to whores in Arendelle!" He screamed.
Elsa realized that he was about to whip her and she gasped and quickly tried to crawl away. She tried to back away but the chains pulled her back. She shook her head at herself as she pulled even harder on her chains and ignored the aggravating pain in her wrists. He's going to hurt meeee!... What did I do?! What did I do?! She didn't understand why her father was so raged. She didn't do anything! Mad was just there pinning her to the ground for a reason she did not know and now it was her who was taking a punishment!? A punishment for what?! He accused her of a whore… What was a whore anyway?! She didn't understand what was happening around her. For the first time in her life, she didn't know why she was about to be punished. And she never felt so scared and bewildered at the same time. Elsa kept whimpering and pulling on the chains.
"You just love to have so many titles, right Elsa?" The king said sarcastically as he approached her. "You want to be a…" He brought the whip at her with full force, not caring about a specific target but as long as it was somewhere in her body. "Whore!"
"AH!" Elsa screamed in pain and pulled even more on her chains while tears rushed to meet her cheeks and now her neck. Why is he hitting me?! Why is he hitting me!? WHAT DID I DO WRONG?!
"A Monster!" The king yelled and whipped her again.
Elsa shrieked again in agony and couldn't take it anymore. She stopped pulling and collapsed to the ground and focused on cowering and curling up in a ball. "P-Papa, I'm sorry!... I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" She screamed yet didn't know why she was apologizing. Why is he punishing me?! She just didn't know. Her father came in and practically saved her from Mad, then why was he doing this?!
"A freak!" He brought it down again, "Abomination!... Murderer!... Beast!... Filth!" He brought it down again and again, forming red lines around Elsa's body.
Mad watched in amusement as he tried to stifle a laugh.
"PLEAAAAASE!" She screamed in pain again when she felt the whip bite her leg, "PAPA!" He whipped her again and she yelped loudly, "W-WAIT!... WHYYYY?!... WHAT DID I DO?! WHAT DID I DO!?" She tried desperately to understand as she trembled and felt the agonizing lashes of pain that continuously came. She just at least wanted to know why she was being punished so she could avoid it later on, but her father only turned even angrier.
"A WHORE! A WHORE! YOU ARE A WHOOORE!" He screamed and whipped her the more and more and he faster and faster, and poor Elsa didn't even know what a whore meant.
The whip suddenly reached her cheek, sending a line crimson blood down her face and she couldn't help but to shout at the aggravating pain, "STOOOOOPP!... P-PLEASE PAPAAA!" Elsa felt her entire body burn and sting. Why was he doing this to her?! Her vision started to blur because of the tears of anguish and woe and she started to feel dizzy.
"You will never be normal! You are a big disgrace! Do you hear me?! A Fucking bitch! A scandal! A dishonored whore!" The king screamed one last time held the whip high and-
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!" Elsa screamed in her bed with her eyes closed as she failed her hands violently and tried to avoid the invisible whip.
Anna and Rapunzel were already frightened and utterly concerned.
"Anna, what is happening to her!?" Rapunzel screamed as they started to panic, not knowing what to do.
"I don't know! I don't know!" Anna shouted back through Elsa's screams.
They watched in horror as they saw the worst case of nightmare ever. Elsa was screaming as if she was really feeling pain.
"Elsa!... Elsa! Can you hear me!? Oh God, please!" Anna started to rock herself back and forth while tears rushed down her cheeks. She tried to reach for Elsa's arm or shoulder or anything to try to wake her, but the moment she touched her, things turned worse.
"LEAVE ME ALOOOONNEEE!" Elsa screamed in her sleep, "PAPAAAAAA! STOP IT! STOP IT! STOP IT PLEASE!" Her hands and legs were now thrashing dangerously. Ice passed through her gloves and coated the whole bed and the wall behind.
No, no, no, no! Anna thought as she stared at the ice and covered her mouth in shock with her hand.
Rapunzel and Anna couldn't take the cold anymore. They got off the bed and backed away, unable to do anything anymore. Anna wasn't about to give up though, she ran towards the screaming Elsa again but Rapunzel held her by her arm and pulled her back away from the forming ice. "Anna we have to get out of here! This room won't stand after a few minutes!"
Anna's eyes didn't leave Elsa's trembling and sweating form, "We can't leave her alone like this!" She shook her head, "No way!... I-I can't! There has to be a way to wake her up!"
When Elsa's legs got tangled in the bed sheets, things turned to chaos as Elsa screamed louder and Anna noticed how the gloves were now covered in frost, and the walls in thick ice. "Get away from me!" Elsa screamed in her sleep.
"Anna we don't have time! The room is freezing!" Rapunzel said fearfully. She didn't wait for Anna's protest she quickly dragged the girl towards the door but when they approached the door, they realized that it was completely frozen. "No! It's stuck!" Rapunzel screamed.
Anna's eyes were still on Elsa and she didn't want to leave her what so ever. Her heart drummed so fast she felt it would have burst out.
"PAPAAAAAAAAAAA!" As Elsa's screams grew louder, the room started to vibrate and Anna finally realized how dangerous the situation was becoming. Rapunzel looked around the room with a fearful speed and her eyes landed on the window. "Over there! The window, come on!"
Rapunzel dragged Anna towards the window and shoved it open. She went through and leaned her hand for Anna so she could help her. Anna took one last look at Elsa and was having second thoughts but her eyes widened in terror when she noticed the snow blizzard that was now forming inside the room. Then, she was suddenly pulled quickly through the window, "NO! We can't leave her! She's scared! We have to help her!... Elsaaa! Wake up! NOOO!"
Anna was now out of the building, she quickly turned to kill whoever pulled her to see Kristoff, Flynn, Rapunzel and Aiden staring at her in concern. "WHY DID YOU PULL ME OUT!? Elsa is still in there!" Anna shrieked in rage.
"Anna you can't go back! It's too dangerous!" Flynn argued.
"But Elsa is in there and she is in danger too you fucking bozo!"
Aiden was staring at the building in an utter concerned and with a terrified face. No! No, no, no, no! Please!
"Anna, please!" Kristoff suddenly begged with a concerned tone. He didn't want her to go in there… to her probably own death. He cared about her too much and he would be crushed if anything happened to her.
Anna's voice softened a bit when seeing her crush so concerned, "Kristoff, I have to please! I can't leave her." She said while pointing at the building, "I care so much about her, Kristoff… I…" She suddenly paused and felt her tears trickle down her cheeks, "I love her." She confessed before she quickly turned to the window and gasped to see the window shut by thick ice and Elsa's screams were now heard as muffles. Anna collapsed to the ground as she felt helpless and stared at the iced window. "Elsa…" She whispered as if she was saying her goodbyes. No…
"NO!" Aiden suddenly screamed and brought Anna back from her thoughts. "We have to break it down! Come on, Anna! W-We can't leave Elsa there!"
The others were shocked at his tone of voice that came out so worried.
Anna didn't even have time to think about it. She quickly nodded and followed Aiden.
Aiden started to hit the ice with his axe and another scream from Elsa would have made him crumble to the ground but he was determined to stay strong and to save her. He hit the ice again and again, trying desperately to even result in a scratch but the ice was firm and strong, "No, no, no! Why, Why!?... Op-…-en… up!" He said as he attacked the ice with all his strength but to no use.
Anna couldn't take it anymore. She knew it was all in vain. She was going to lose Elsa. She suddenly felt a huge hand on her shoulder and she knew who it was. She quickly turned and hid her face in Kristoff's chest as she cried and cried, hoping that a miracle would happen and Elsa would be saved. Kristoff's face turned solemn as he held Anna tightly.
Rapunzel was already grieving in Flynn's hug. And everything was silent except the muffled screams of Elsa, the raging blizzard inside and Aiden's desperate cries for help.
Flynn quickly moved and grabbed the desperate Aiden and pulled him away, "Enough, Aiden! It's no use!" He said as Aiden struggled in his grip.
"NO! There has to be a way! Flynn help me with this! Kristoff! Please! Anyone!" Aiden desperately screamed in concern as he readied himself to witness Elsa's doom. This was it. He was never going to hear that angelic laugh of hers, that gorgeous, innocent smile or those big, brilliant and beautiful eyes. No… Please, no! And for the first time in forever, Aiden felt his long lost tears stream down his cheeks.