The Ice Behind Bars
Chapter LIII: Hollow

"Papa?"

The king smirked for a brief moment but quickly gave her a serious look. For some reason, he was unmoved by such gore. "Look what you have done, Monster." He said while pointing at Mad's corpse.

Elsa darted her head around and yelped when she saw the puddle of blood she was in. She quickly crawled away but blood was everywhere and she just couldn't escape the truth.

"You killed him, Elsa… You killed, Mad."

No! Elsa stared at her trembling bloody hands; her guilty hands.

"Can't you see?" He started walking around her. "You're a monster. You are dangerous." He put his hand on his chest apologetically, "I am sorry… But I cannot allow you to ever be free."

Elsa just couldn't believe it. He had promised her that if she would ever be a good girl, he would someday set her free and allow her to live in the castle. But right now, all her dreams of ever being free were gone.

"But… B-But… I-I didn't do this!" She desperately defended, not being able to remember when she killed Mad. "It wasn't me!"

"It WAS you!" He yelled, making her cower. "Look at all this hell you've created! You think your mother would have loved a monster like you?!"

Elsa's eyes widened. "Papa wait! I d-didn't kill Mama and Anna! I swear! They're alive, Papa! I-I saw them!"

"Oh I know…"

Elsa was surprised.

"They told me everything." He smirked, having an idea in his head.

"T-Then we can be a family again, Papa! You can be happy, right!?" She was smiling, feeling optimistic. They would finally be able to live as a happy family.

"Family?!" He exclaimed in fake surprise. "Do you even know why your mother and sister were hiding all these years?!"

"W-What?" Elsa felt confused.

"Do you know why your mother didn't want to show herself to you?!"

Tyler sure had to tell him everything, but the king was adding details of his own.

Elsa's lip started to tremble, knowing where this was going.

"They feared you! They knew of what a monster you were! Your mother just told me that she hated you and regretted the moment she even gave birth to you! She was so scared of you and didn't trust you, that she took Anna and fled away so that you wouldn't be the beast you are and hurt them again!"

Elsa's eyes were wide with shock. She lowered her head and stared at the ground, completely speechless. Her heart shattered with each confession he made. Each time he spoke was like a sharp cold knife to the stomach.

"They have always hated you, Elsa." He approached her and knelt next to her, brushing her hair. "I was the only one who ever truly cared about you. I tried my best to make a human out of you. But…" He sighed, "It seems that it isn't possible."

Mama… Anna… They hate me!

"Your mother and sister are quite mean. They were so selfish and just left you just because you were a freak?!" He was acting as if he was sympathizing with her.

Freak…?! Silent tears streamed down her face like waterfalls and she felt a big lump in her throat.

Why did you lie to me!?

"They were both scared of you and that's why they told me to keep you in the dungeons and never let you out. They even told me to punish you for all the sins you've made." He leaned closer to her ear and whispered…

"You are hated. You will never have friends. You will never have a family. No one will ever love you. You are a monster, Elsa. A monster. Monsters are evil and cruel. Nobody can ever love them. They are murderers. Demons that walk the earth. Do you hear me?"

Elsa's mind couldn't handle it anymore. The pain. The betrayal. She was hated. Even by her own mother and sister; the ones she loved so much. Yet they never exchanged the same feelings back. They just dreaded and loathed her. After everything they've told her about how much they loved her?

All a lie.

Elsa suddenly felt numb. Something was wrong. She couldn't feel a thing. No pain. No sorrow. No anger. Simply… Nothing.

Hollow.

She had no hope for anything anymore.

Utter despair.

Even the last tiny bit of hope she had for having a family was vanished. She finally accepted who and what she was. She wasn't going to cry anymore— No… Maybe she wasn't able to cry anymore. Monsters don't feel sadness or pain, right?

No friends… no family… hated… feared…

Her expression suddenly went blank and she didn't dare remove her eyes off the ground. For monsters should always keep their shameful head down. She was a criminal and she should be punished for her crimes.

The king smiled in pride by seeing how he finally tamed the beast. He couldn't help but feel satisfied by seeing her completely broken expression. "It's time for you to be condemned in front of everyone in the kingdom. You shall be judged for your crimes, Monster."

Elsa didn't flinch. Didn't cower. She simply nodded. "Yes, Sir."

Even the king was taken aback by this reaction. She had always called him 'Papa'. He smirked widely in triumph. Even though the chains around her ankle and wrists were broken, he knew he didn't need them anymore, for he had his invisible cruel chains on her mind.

"Now…" The king started then suddenly his foot came smashing with her face, sending her to the cold hard ground. "This is for running away."

Elsa didn't react. She grunted as her body hit the floor, then simply sat back up, and wiped the blood from the corner of her mouth.

The king waited for her to do something. Anything. A sign of anger. A sign of sadness. Even some frost or ice. But…

Nothing.

"I'm… sorry, Sir." She said, her tone of voice betraying any sign of emotion.

The king stood proud and tall in front of her, puffing his chest and smirking in victory. Maybe her escape was beneficial. Now he was certain that she hated her mother's guts and loathed her sister more than anything. "Justice will be served tomorrow at dawn in front of the entire kingdom, for it's time for you to face the consequences of your wrongdoings."

Elsa nodded calmly, having no expression on her face.

The king opened the door and turned his back on her, "Elsa…" He called and she simply gave him a cold emotionless look in response.

"Who are you?" He asked.

Elsa's eyes moved down back to the ground. "Monster."

"What do you do?" He asked again.

"I'm a murderer." She replied.

"Where do you belong?"

"A cage."

"Who do you love?"

The room went silent for a moment then…

"No one."

He then closed the door and locked it, leaving his daughter with a devastated state of mind and a shattered heart.

If he had turned to look at her one last time, he would have seen her venomous and wicked smirk.

He walked in the middle of the halls with his hands folded behind his back and stood right in front of Aphrodite's cellar. He looked down on her as she sneered at him.

"What did you do now?" She asked.

He gave her a smirk. "You'll see… I'll make you watch." He vaguely said then walked away, leaving a bewildered Aphrodite.

"You'll all see…" He grimly said before he closed the dungeon doors behind him.

Anna collapsed on her knees the moment her eyes laid on the ruins of what used to be her home.

"W—… W-What happened?" She whispered to the cold air.

In front of her was nothing but chaos. The entire fort lied dead in a grey and foggy ambience. Small pieces of ashes were still hovering around like tiny wisps.

"Well…" Catherine started as she scratched her head. "And I thought my home was a mess."

Kristoff gave her a look that totally meant 'Please, shut up.'

Anna then got up and ran through the streets. "Mum!?... Elsa?!... Anybody?!" Her eyes shot wider as she passed the dead bodies on the ground.

Some were bloody and clearly showed that there was a fight. Others were buried under the collapsed buildings. Some were even completely burnt, that Anna wasn't even able to recognize for whom the bodies belonged to.

Kristoff and Catherine followed.

"Let's split up. Look for any survivors." Kristoff suggested.

Catherine nodded.

Anna ran and ran until she reached the only building that was intact.

The infirmary.

"Mum!" She called and ran inside.

She gasped, seeing the dead healers scattered all over the place as her breath trembled by witnessing the massacre.

How did this happen?! Who did all this?!

She ran to her mother's room but found no one inside. For some reason she felt a bit relieved.

Where are they?! Where are they!? God, please tell me they're unharmed!

Then she remembered.

"Elsa!"

She ran out of the infirmary and headed straight to the chamber's building.

She stopped dead in her tracks, seeing it was nothing but a pile of rocks.

"Elsa!" She screamed and rushed to the pile where their room was. She started digging between the rubble like crazy, shoving and throwing every rock she could lift. "I'm coming, Elsa! Just hold on." She was clearly becoming delusional after seeing all those horrors. For some reason, she could feel as if her sister was under that rubble that somehow gave her a sense that there was a sign of life underneath it.

She removed one last stone before she stood there frozen in astonishment. "Elsa's rose…?"

The rose stood their unscathed between all that rubble, glowing beautifully and emitting an aura sound; the light growing then dimming continuously. However, the rose was half red, half blue.

"What…?" Anna whispered to herself, gazing at the magnificence in front of her.

She slowly lifted her arms and leaned her hands forward to touch it.

The moment the tip of her finger touch one of the rose's shining petals, the aura exploded, sending a light so bright it blinded Anna's eyes completely.

Everything suddenly went silent. Anna found herself staring into utter darkness.

"Where… where am I?"Her thoughts echoed in the black. "What… happened?" Her lips were not even moving. Yet she was able to hear her own thoughts all loud and clear.

Save her.

She suddenly heard a woman say. "What?... Who is this? What do you want?!"

You have to save her!

Anna was confused. "Where are you?! Who are you!?"

There's no time . . . Listen . . .

All of a sudden a rose grew in the middle of the darkness. It was the same rose. Half red… Half blue.

She has two different fates.

Anna! That was another voice… Familiar one.

She'll either become the kingdom's greatest threat, and create fear and destruction in the world—

Anna! Wake up!

"Kristoff…?" Anna muttered, but the woman continued.

—Or become the one who shall save the kingdom and grow to become a worthy queen to triumph in her rule.

"Elsa?..." Anna asked.

The more red the rose becomes, the more her lust for blood grows. . . .

Anna stared at the rose as the red color started spreading wider and wider around the rose.

Save her… or she'll become the demon you'll all dread.

"ANNA!"

Anna's eyes shot open and she found herself staring at the raining sky.

"Are you okay?!" Kristoff worriedly said before he helped her sit up.

"I…" Anna muttered, bewildered.

"What happened?! I just found you here lying unconscious next to this!" He pointed at the rose.

Anna quickly turned and stared at the rose in shock. "What…? But… But it was glowing!" She carefully picked it up and feared the worst. The rose was mostly red and the blur color was barely visible.

"Anna there's no time for this. You have to come with me! Quickly!" His face showed full concern and horror.

Anna looked back at him.

"It's Flynn…" He gulped. "I found him."

In the way he forced himself to say the words, Anna knew something was horribly wrong.

Catherine walked in the foggy village, trying to search for any sign of life.

What the hell happened here?

A cold drop of water fell on her cheek, and she looked up to see the cloudy sky. "Rain?"

Drops fell one after the other before the rest started falling simultaneously.

Catherine put the hood on and continued walking through the village.

She suddenly heard a soft cough.

She turned around and saw a little girl lying on her stomach in the middle of the mud; her little dress all dirty and messy, and blood pooling from her head.

Catherine silently gasped before she sprinted towards her. "Hey!" She kneeled next to her and started examining her. "Can you hear me, Sweetheart? Stay with me!" She turned the girl on her back and prompted her little head on her lap.

The girl coughed again.

Catherine gritted her teeth angrily. Some bastard must have hit her on her head.

Catherine quickly started pulling her medical kit out of her satchel. "You have to stay with me, sweetheart, okay?! What's your name?"

The little girl's eyelids blinked repeatedly before she slowly opened her tired eyes. "Zo—… Zoey."

"Okay, Zoey! You're gonna be okay, now, alright sweetheart?" Catherine said before she started bandaging the little girl's head. "Zoey… Do you know where your parents are?" She asked trying to keep her awake.

"Dead." Zoey blurted, her face growing woeful.

Catherine was taken aback. Just as I thought.

Zoey squeezed her eyes tight, letting tears stream down her face. "He killed them… He killed them!" She started freaking out. "He said he's gonna kill us all! He's gonna kill us all!"

"Calm down, sweetheart!" Catherine knew the girl was completely traumatized from the events that had happened here. Not to mention witnessing her parents' death.

"It's okay! It's okay! Zoey! Stop! You're safe! I'm a friend!" She tried to stop her from thrashing but Zoey was completely losing it.

"God dammit…" Catherine cursed herself then quickly pulled a small vial with a transparent liquid in it from her pocket. "Drink this sweetheart, It'll help you calm down." Catherine had to use a bit of force to keep her still so that she could help her drink the vial. "That's it… All of it, now." Catherine said with a gentle smile. "Nice and easy."

After a moment, Zoey calmed down and became sleepy.

"Alright, let's get you out of here." Catherine then removed her poncho and put it around Zoey. She then helped her up gently and carried her on her back. "Hold on tight now." Catherine gently said.

Zoey tiredly nodded and put her hands around Catherine's neck.

Catherine then continued walking, looking around for any other survivors.

"What's… your name?" Zoey suddenly asked.

Catherine looked from behind her shoulder and smiled. "Catherine… My name's Catherine. But you can call me Caty."

Zoey squeezed her hands more around Catherine's neck and rested her head on this stranger's shoulder. "Thank you, Caty."

Catherine was taken aback. She chuckled a bit then spoke.

"Don't mention it. Rest now, little one… The nightmare is finally over."

If only she knew better.

"Flynn!" Anna screamed in horror as she rushed to his side.

His lower body was under the big boulders of the ruins of the fort.

He coughed blood then smiled. "H-Hey…"

"Don't 'Hey' me, dammit!" She scolded but he chuckled. "Kristoff, help me lift this off of him."

Kristoff rushed to help her. "On three."

They both prepared themselves to lift the big boulder.

"One… Two…" Kristoff started. "Three!"

They started using their entire strength to try and lift this big heavy thing off of him.

"A-Anna…" Flynn called, knowing it was all in vain.

Anna tried even more, her face scrunched in a grimace.

"Anna…!" Flynn called again.

Tears streamed down Anna's face as realization hit her. She knew there was no way to remove this boulder but she just had to try. "Just… shut up and let us help you!" She yelled in despair.

"H-Hey, hey…" Flynn grabbed her ankle, finally stopping her.

Anna panted and gritted her teeth, not daring to look at him.

"There's no hope for me, Anna…" He smiled, trying to reassure her that everything was fine despite the obvious opposite. "My lower body… I can't even feel it, anymore."

Kristoff looked away, gritting his teeth angrily at himself for failing to save his friend.

Flynn coughed blood. "L-Listen . . . to me."

Anna hesitantly turned her head to look at him, tears flowing down her face while the rain soaked her hair and clothes.

"You have to . . . save them." Flynn tried to explain.

Anna knelt to hear him better.

"The king of . . . Arendelle . . . He . . . attacked us . . . and took Rapunzel . . . E-Elsa . . . and the others."

Anna's eyes slowly widened in shock. This time, it wasn't just 'the king of Arendelle'. No— It was her own father.

"Anna . . ." Flynn winced in pain. "You . . . Have to know this." He coughed again, his vision fading. "E-Elsa . . . She's your—"

"I know." Anna cut him off, trying her best to smile, but failing.

Flynn smiled in relief and sighed. "That's . . . great to hear."

He shakily turned his head to Kristoff. "Hey, man . . . Don't tell me . . . you're gonna cry . . . too." He joked.

Kristoff chuckled, trying to hide his sadness.

"I leave my family's . . . safety in your hands, you hear?" Flynn said and winked, "They are your family . . . too, anyway. Protect them . . . with your life . . . Like I did."

Kristoff smiled and grabbed his hand. "I promise."

Flynn realized that he could no longer feel his body and he had little time left. "Anna . . . one last thing . . . come closer."

Anna leaned down, her ear right next to his mouth.

He whispered something in her ear but Kristoff wasn't able to hear a thing in all this rain and thunder, but he was surprised when Anna's eyes slowly widened in shock.

"That's my last wish." Flynn said with a smile.

Anna, still shocked, slowly leaned back and stared at him in disbelief.

Flynn winked at her then shakily used his last strength to barely lift his hand.

Anna quickly held his hand tight in her own.

"We fight . . . for the weak." Flynn started chanting their guild's motto.

Anna couldn't help but cry now. "W-We steal from the wealthy…" She sobbed.

"We give the needy." They both said in unison.

"In people's eyes," Flynn continued.

"We're thieves," Anna sobbed again, putting a hand on her mouth.

"but in God's…"

Flynn's hand went limp, his lifeless eyes staring at the sky.

"W-We're heroes." She finished, her voice cracking. She then leaned forward and hugged his limp body tightly, tears rushing down her face.

"I promise!"

She vowed.

Flashback

"Remember, your majesty… the bigger the mark, the stronger you are." Mad informed.

The king stared at the mark on his hand.

"Despite how big the mark on your palm is, I don't consider this ritual as a successful one. Trust me, I've seen way better results." Mad smirked.

"What do you mean by that, you old fool?" The king asked, feeling skeptical.

"I'm just glad you survived the ritual, your majesty. Many couldn't. Throughout my entire life, only three were able to overcome the ritual's pain. You are one of them."

"And who were the others?" The king lifted an eyebrow at him.

"You don't have to concern yourself with these things. Now remember… there's a cost for having such power. Don't use it too often." Mad shook his finger in a 'No'. "Or else you'll lose your precious hand."

Mad walked towards the door. "One last thing your majesty…" He turned at him. "If you ever end up seeing a person with more of these..." He pointed at the king's palm. "Don't try to fight them back. Just run for your life."

"Your Majesty." A man called, bringing him back from his thoughts.

"She's still out there." The king said.

"Would you like us to take care of her in our way, your majesty?" One brute man with a long and thick beard and a scar across his face said.

The king shook his head in amusement. "You mercenaries… always as barbaric as ever. We don't need to resort to violence just yet."

"You promised me money. I promised you blood." The leader of the mercenaries said.

"True…" The king stared at the window. "But we don't have to go out and find her."

"Why not?" The mercenary was losing his patience.

The king smirked. "Cause she'll find us."

The mercenary smirked along and laughed eagerly. "Then we can kill?"

"tsk, tsk, tsk, tsk…" The king tsked. "Your job is to stay put until I tell you to do otherwise."

The mercenary groaned in irritation.

"As for little Anna… Someone is very eager to see her."

"And who's that?" Asked confused.

The king turned at him, "Someone who only seeks blood… Someone who doesn't care about anything anymore… Someone who has no hope. No love. No friends…"

"Pity." The mercenary rolled his eyes.

"I suggest you wear something that will keep you… Warmer." The king sarcastically said.

"I think my outfit is good enough."

"Oh trust me… Things are about to turn really cold." He turned away from the mercenary and walked towards the door. "A big storm is coming… And It will unleash hell upon my enemies and those who disobey me."

Humming.

She crouched in the middle of the cellar, humming the song of the lullaby she loved; a smirk across her lips.

Her head was tilted a bit to the side with one hand on her cheek and the elbow on her knee. Her other hand was busy drawing circles in the puddle of blood on the ground, amusing her in this boring empty cold cell.

She finished humming and closed her eyes for a bit. "You look pale." She teased.

She opened her eyes and calmly turned to look left. "You should see the look on your face… Priceless." She chuckled.

"You… have something there." She tapped her own cheek to clarify where the blood stain was.

She didn't get any answer.

She stood and walked towards the person she was talking to. She kneeled, "Let me wipe that off for you." She licked her thumb and started rubbing the stain of blood off his cheek. "There."

She frowned getting no answer again. "I'm surprised you haven't said anything yet. That mouth of yours used to taunt me a lot."

No answer.

She sighed then stood, turning away and walking towards the puddle of blood she was having fun with. She crouched again and continued drawing circles. "You don't really talk much, do you?" She smirked. "Right, Mad?"

Across the room, there lied Mad's decapitated head with an expression of horror across his face.

Elsa brought her blood stained finger up. "You know… I can't wait to meet my sister." She licked the blood off her finger.

Mad's head started to freeze over; the ice cracking around the room.

"I'm sure she'll be happy to play with me."

Mad's head shattered into small sharp pieces of ice.

"Cause I can't wait to play with her."

She started humming her lullaby happily again, the stench of blood giving her a sense of delight.

idk why i imagine the song 'Vengeance - Zack Hemsey' going on in this chapter. XD