Chapter 6

Paranoid

Kai walked the halls of the castle one morning. He and Gerda had rarely seen Elsa since the ordeal. During her thirteen years of isolation, he and Gerda were among the few people to have regular contact with her, but they had even less interaction with her now. Words could not describe the pain that he and Gerda felt for Elsa. Her entire life she had known nothing but misery, and so soon after she finally opened herself up to the world, this terrible thing occurred. Kai went to visit Gerda, who told him that they should pay Elsa a visit. Needless to say, Kai was hesitant about this. He didn't want to upset Elsa even more, but Gerda insisted. When they entered Elsa's room, they found her sitting near the window. Her hair wasn't braided, she was wearing a blanket over her, with her head hanging low. Kai and Gerda gently approached her.

"Queen Elsa, we thought we'd come to see you. It's been a while since we talked."

Elsa heard Kai, but the words went in one ear and out the other. People kept thinking that company is what she needed to heal, but in all honesty, that was the last thing that she wanted.

"Queen Elsa, we can't imagine the pain that you're going through, but we want you to know that we're here for you," Gerda chimed in. "We've known you since you were little. Taking care of you has always been second nature to us.

Elsa just wanted them to leave. This was the same as everything else that she'd heard. She appreciated the sympathy, but it wasn't going to help.

"Please leave," Elsa said, softly.

Kai and Gerda looked at each other, knowing that they didn't need to be told a second time.

"Very well, Queen Elsa," Kai said. "Just remember, we're here if you need anything."

Shortly after they left, Kristoff also decided to visit Elsa. Unlike Anna, he hadn't had any contact with her since her ordeal. In the past few years, he and Elsa had become close, due to his relationship with Anna. Kristoff marveled at Elsa's abilities to create ice and snow. His years as an ice harvester made him appreciate ice, so having someone who could create it at will, was something special to him. When he entered the room, Elsa didn't even acknowledge his presence.

Kristoff called out to her, hoping she'd respond. "Elsa," he said. "It's me, Kristoff. I know we haven't' talked in a while, but I thought I'd come by and say hello."

Same thing, different day, Elsa thought to herself. However, unlike Anna, Kai, and Gerda, Kristoff's presence made her feel uncomfortable. She knew who he was, of course, but because he was a man, it reminded her too much of Stefan.

"Elsa, Anna and I have really been worried about you. The whole kingdom has, to be honest. We know that you're suffering, and we're here to help you in any way we can, but it's not good to keep things bottled up inside like this."

Kristoff walked closer to Elsa, gently putting a hand on her shoulder. Instantly, he regretted it, as Elsa screamed, turning around to blast him across the room with a chunk of ice. The impact pushed Kristoff backwards, throwing him against the wall. He was OK, but the blow was enough to knock the wind out of him. He looked up at Elsa, who was now standing with her hand outstretched towards him. The look of fear on her face was evident. It was clear that Elsa didn't want him there. Not because she held anything against him, but his male presence reminded her too much of the man who defiled her.

Standing up, Kristoff apologized, quickly leaving the room. When he told Anna about what had happened, she immediately grew concerned.

"This is awful," she said. "Now Elsa is attacking the people who love her."

"Anna, it was my fault," Kristoff said. "I should have known better than to touch her. I'm a man, so naturally, I'm going to remind her of Stefan."

Anna scoffed at this. "Kristoff, you are a kind, brave, wonderful man. You are nothing like Stefan. That man is a waste of a human being. Don't ever put yourself on the same level as him."

Kristoff smiled, giving Anna a kiss on the lips. "Thank you, Anna, but I still think that we should give Elsa space, even if it's been almost a month. She needs a lot of time to heal from this."

Anna nodded, though she didn't really mean it. For thirteen years, Elsa had been alone. Anna vowed never to let that happen again. She was going to help get Elsa through this, no matter how painful it would be.

Later that day, Elsa took another long bath. As usual, she scrubbed her body as hard as she could, until it was red and raw. She examined her body, running her fingers down to her vagina. It was then that she noticed that she hadn't gotten her period yet, and it was a new month tomorrow. This revelation caused her heart to beat like a drum. Could it be? No. It couldn't be. She was just being paranoid. The thought of such a catastrophic result from her rape, was too much to bear. She was fine. Putting on her nightclothes, Elsa decided to go to bed early that evening. Though she was tired, she couldn't fall asleep. Her stomach was hurting her; it felt like she was going to be sick, but why?