The Ice Behind Bars
Chapter LVII: Elsa of Arendelle
Anna sat there on the cold ice agape. "Elsa…?" She couldn't recognize her sister anymore with that vicious appearance.
Grey clouds gathered as it slowly started to rain.
Everyone was utterly speechless. They couldn't help but stare in horror at what Elsa had become.
Elsa looked over at Anna and the latter couldn't help but feel anxious. Elsa then calmly walked towards her, ignoring everyone's horrified eyes.
The king gasped and quickly crawled backwards away from her, allowing her to pass.
Each step she made emitted cold and dark smoke, turning the ice underneath her darker.
Anna's heart beat faster the more her sister approached. But was it in fear?
Elsa then stood right above her, staring down at her with those inhuman eyes. She then knelt to Anna's eye level. She grabbed the iced dagger that she had wanted to use to kill her sister and held it up for Anna.
Anna stared at the dagger in confusion then at Elsa. She felt utterly relieved when she saw Elsa smiling at her. It wasn't a sadistic smile. No it was sweet… gentle… sincere.
"I want you to keep this with you." Elsa said.
Anna slowly took the dagger in her hands.
"It will keep you safe from all harm." Elsa continued and looked away for a moment before she looked back at Anna. "Just remember…" She put her forehead on Anna's, "No matter what happens… You'll always be my little sister."
One of the mercenaries gritted his teeth and pointed his crossbow at the two sisters then sent the arrow flying.
"NO!" Aphrodite shouted; her up in the air.
Elsa suddenly turned and stopped it by simply grabbing it with her hand; the tip of the arrow inches away from her dead-serious face.
The mercenary gulped and utterly regretted his move.
The arrow in Elsa's hand started to freeze.
Elsa then slowly stood, turned the arrow around with her slender fingers… and the mercenary knew what was coming.
"No… No!" He shouted fearfully, backing away.
Elsa threw the frozen arrow with her bare hands and it went flying with what looked like almost the speed of light.
The arrow pierced the man's heart before he could blink, forcing his body to come smashing with the courtyard walls. Ice spikes exploded from inside his body, revealing his blood to everyone in witness.
"This… T-This can't be!" The king exclaimed fearfully. "You didn't have the mark anywhere on your body! I had always checked!"
Elsa glared at him and opened her mouth to speak. "The mark was never on my skin." She put her hand on her chest. "It was on my heart."
"How… How is it that you have such power!?" The king snarled.
Elsa lifted her arm, showing the black smoke coming out of her skin. "This power is created by sealing souls inside it." She looked at his shaking palm where the mark shone.
"Like hell you know anything!" The king gritted his teeth.
"The same goes for Mad, but I made sure to set those souls free."
The king remembered the day Mad showed him his chopped off frozen hand. The king's eyes widened slowly in realization. "Mad… had the mark? Then why would he even use these souls on me?!"
"To Mad… humans are nothing but puppets. You were nothing but a rat to him."
"Shut up!"
"Every other soul that you have tortured to death resides inside me. I lived the same life they did. I feel their pain… regret… despair… shame… I know their hopes… their dreams… their wishes." Ice formed in her hand spreading from each side until it created a two-sided spear. With a swift move, Elsa held the spear and readied herself. "And all of them wish you dead."
"Kill her! KILL HER!" The King pointed at her with a shaking finger. "KILL THEM ALL!"
The mercenary charged, each one of them smirking sadistically.
Elsa calmly kept walking towards her father and simply lifted her hand to the side, summoning a what-seemed-like a monstrous wave of ice spikes that came crashing with four of the mercenaries, killing each one of them and sending blood everywhere. The echoes of their screams surrounded the mountains.
Another mercenary rushed at her.
She easily dodged and slashed with her ice spear, cutting the man's throat.
"Kill her!" One of the mercenaries yelled.
Elsa all of a sudden disappeared and reappeared behind two of the mercenaries, cutting them with her spear with one swing.
"She's fast!" One of the mercenary warned as he looked around quickly.
Elsa continued walking calmly towards the king before she hit the ground with her spear. An ice spike came from under one of the mercenaries, impaling him as if the spear just went underground then back up.
Another man charged at her and she quickly dodged it and swung her spear, only for the mercenary to smirk and jump back. But before he could even land on the ground, the spear grew taller.
Elsa swung and decapitated him.
Her face was dead serious yet calm as she killed every mercenary without any hesitation.
The king started backing away as he shook. "Kill her! Kill her! Kill her!" He desperately ordered before he looked at the glowing mark on his hand. He gritted his teeth in anger then looked at Anna and the others.
He smirked.
While Elsa was busy eliminating the merciless and sadistic mercenaries, the king lifted his palm and the mark started glowing stronger.
All of a sudden one of the majestic pillars that Elsa had summoned before, was cut from the bottom, sending it swaying towards Anna, Aphrodite and the citizens of Arendelle.
"Move away!" Anna shouted.
The citizens screamed in fear and started sprinting away from the falling pillar, pushing each other in panic.
Anna turned as she heard a mother's plea.
"My baby!"
Elsa looked over at the little girl.
A little girl stumbled and fell to the ground and screamed in fear when she saw the huge pillar falling towards her.
Anna rushed to help, but she grimaced in pain and fell to the ground because of her injured leg.
So she was too late.
The pillar hit the ground, sending a powerful gust of wind and fog everywhere.
Anna slowly opened her eyes and couldn't feel any happier as she witnessed Elsa standing on top of the fallen pillar while holding the little girl in her arms, unscathed.
"It's alright… You can open your eyes now." The little girl heard a firm yet somehow soothing voice.
The little girl slowly opened her eyes and stared at her hero in awe.
"Abigail!" The little girl heard her mother's call.
A woman rushed towards Elsa.
Elsa then handed the little girl to her mother.
"Thank you!... T-Thank you!" The woman sincerely said as she cried and hugged her daughter.
Anna smiled in relief, the rain now soaking her hair and clothes.
Elsa kept glaring at her father as he glared back. "That's enough." She lifted her hand up towards the sky and all of a sudden ice spikes shot up towards the clouds, roaring before they bent like spider legs and rushed towards every mercenary, piercing them and leaving none alive.
From Anna's and the citizens' view, it looked like an ice spider just stomped on every mercenary.
Elsa then descended the fallen pillar and started walking towards her father.
The king gasped and started crawling away, realizing that he was alone and with no one to save him. "Stay away!" He lifted his marked palm but before he could react, Elsa suddenly appeared next to him, swinging her spear and chopping his hand off.
The king screamed in agony as he fell to the pool of blood, staring at his stray twitching hand.
Elsa grabbed him by the collar and forced him to look into her eyes.
The king's lip trembled as he stared at those demonic eyes before suddenly flashes and images of himself torturing… Himself?— No. He was seeing through the eyes of those he had tortured and killed; witnessing their painful memories.
He started screaming in pain as if he was living their torture in the dungeons again.
Elsa let him go and he fell to the floor squirming and scratching at his eyes, realizing that he was blind.
"This is for Flynn." Elsa said before she swung her spear, chopping her father's leg off.
The king's screams echoed as he withered on the ground. "P-Please!... H-H-Have mercy!"
"This is for the people of Arendelle." Elsa coldly chopped his other leg, forcing him to shriek in agony.
Anna winced and looked away along many others.
The king started to sob in pain, his entire frame shaking. "P-Please!... Please! I'm begging you!" He desperately tried to reason. "Don't kill me! P-Please don't… kill me! I don't wanna die!" He scratched at her arm as she grabbed him from his collar, glaring aggressively at him.
"This is for my mother!" She yelled before an ice spike came from underneath him, impaling his stomach, and splashing blood on Elsa's face and body.
"P-… P-Plea… sto—" He muttered.
"This is for Anna!" She brought her sword down and stabbed his chest.
He coughed huge amount of blood and stopped squirming.
"This is for torturing me!" She pulled the sword out then stabbed him again.
"This is for lying to me!" And again.
"For whipping me!" And again.
"For hurting me!" She kept stabbing him again and again and again, even though he was already dead.
She no longer cared who was watching her. She kept stabbing him and stabbing him as she screamed, letting all her anger out on him.
Everyone watched her in shock as she vented.
"Elsa…" Aphrodite lowered her head, not being able to see her daughter this way.
After a moment, Elsa finally stopped. Everyone stayed silent, listening to her heavy breathing.
Elsa shakily stood and took a few unbalanced steps back, before she fell to her knees staring at her bloody trembling hands.
She could feel her vision blurring. Somehow she smiled. It's… She thought before she winced from a headache.
Anna slowly approached her. "Elsa…?"
Elsa slowly turned to her sister, tears going down her face as she smiled at her in relief. "It's over…"
Anna smiled back, seeing that it was just her sister, despite the appearance.
Elsa stood then opened her arms wide, inviting Anna to finally hug her.
Anna gasped happily then sprinted towards her.
She was a few steps away from her sister when suddenly to her utter shock, Elsa grabbed her hand… the hand that held the dagger that Elsa had given her… and forced Anna's hand towards her pale chest, piercing her heart, and hugging Anna along the way.
For full effect of feels put on this song and read ;)
/watch?v=AeVyvwThCd8
Everyone's eyes were wide in horror as they witnessed Elsa force her sister to stab her.
Anna's eyes stared into nowhere as her jaw stayed slightly open in shock. Her lip trembled and all she was able to say...
"H-Huh?" In utter confusion.
Elsa held Anna tightly in a hug, trying to ignore the sharp pain in her chest. She lifted her hand shakily and started caressing Anna's head. "It's alright… You'll… be safe now…" She soothed.
Anna felt tears run down her cheeks but she just wasn't able to sob. She was too shocked. Too confused.
Elsa smiled. "Please… Forgive me… but I had no choice."
Anna was frozen like a statue; her hand still holding the dagger impaling her sister's chest.
"There's always a cost…" Elsa continued. "For such power…" She winced. "Soon… i-it will take… my memories away. I will… forget who I am… w-why I'm here… and who you and all the people I love are."
Anna slowly started shaking her head in denial. Elsa just didn't do this… Elsa just didn't do this! She didn't just make her stab her! She didn't!
"It will… make me… a monster. I will… forget all my dreams… all my hopes… and s-soon this darkness will consume me… and I will try to kill everyone…" Elsa coughed big amount of blood and her legs wobbled, making her fall, but Anna held her tightly in the hug before she could hit the ground.
"W-… W-What are you saying?" Anna whispered, unable to control her tears and that big lump in her throat.
Tears started coming down Elsa's cheeks but she kept smiling. "I wanted… everyone… s-safe… And Arendelle… safe… I promised… to protect you…"
The citizens listened to her every word; every one of them completely stunned and speechless.
"Stop it!" Anna sobbed loudly, shaking as she held her dying sister. "D-Don't leave me…!"
Elsa kept smiling. "Rebuild the home that I've destroyed, Anna. L-Live… on… Don't stop… dreaming… like I once did."
Anna could feel Elsa's body slowly going limp, but she held tighter and tighter.
"Know that… I've always loved you… and mama… and not once… have I stopped." The blood from her mouth leaked down all the way towards her neck. She could no longer feel her legs as the marks slowly faded from her skin, her left eye going back to its normal state.
Elsa knew she didn't have much time as she started losing her eyesight. "Anna… Just know… that I haven't survived all this time… j-just because my body endured it all… I survived… because you've always been… on my mind."
Anna gritted her teeth, trying hard not to scream. She knew she couldn't do anything anymore. She knew her sister was at the verge of death. So she wanted to make sure Elsa heard those words no matter how painful it would be to say them. "Elsa, listen to me! I love you! I love you! You're not a monster! You're my sister!" Anna sobbed, knowing they were the words of goodbye.
"You've always made my life happier! You've always made me smile and laugh!" If only she had more time, she would have said so much more. "Do you hear me!? Remember that!" Anna was sobbing uncontrollably. She just wanted to at least let Elsa die with a smile on her face. "You are loved! You are amazing! You are beautiful! Everyone forgives you! I messed up so many times but you were always there for me!" Her heart stopped when she felt Elsa's body go completely limp.
And she knew… at that moment… that Elsa was gone.
But no… She just couldn't help but continue as she screamed…
"You'll always be my big sister! You've always tried to do what's best for me!" She kept talking to her, trying to deny that she was dead. "You were never a freak or a demon! You're my best friend! I'm sorry I couldn't save you before! I'm sorry I was too stupid!" She kept going on even though she knew that Elsa could no longer hear.
The sky cried sorrowfully as it rained.
"He was wrong! You were never a bad person! You are the princess! The brave princess of Arendelle! She even said you'll be queen one day! A hero!" Anna fell to her knees, shaking terribly while holding Elsa's body in her arms.
"My hero…" Anna whispered before she buried her face in Elsa's shoulder, sobbing, wailing and grieving hysterically.
Aphrodite buried her face in her hands as she cried. Brandon quickly held her in his arms watching the sisters silently and sadly. He gritted his teeth trying not to tear up.
Rapunzel fell to her knees, a hand on her mouth, trying not to sob.
Everyone watched in utter silence as they all lowered their heads, mourning the princess.
Anna slowly leaned back then put her forehead on her dead sister's.
"I-I'll always love you… Elsa of Arendelle."