Ch. 04
"Now...straighten your back."
Nanna and Elsa were training with Alena. The woman was a bit strict, but maybe she could learn them more.
Nanna was walking inside the empty ballroom with a plate on her head. Elsa had one on her head as well as they tried to learn from her.
"Hold a straight back!" Alena yelled. "Walk like you are walking on glass!"
Nanna walked to the other side of the room. The small girl was wobbling on her legs. Elsa walked beside her.
"No, no, no, you're doing it all wrong!" Alena grabbed Nanna's arms and pulled them down. "Keep you hands down or only try to pull your dress up a little when you walk. But never wave your hands around. That's not very lady-like."
"Sorry!" Nanna yelled. "I'll try!"
"You need to try harder if you want to fit in. And queen Elsa, you are one of the worst I have ever seen!"
"Excuse me?!" Elsa put her hands on her hips. "You..."
She lost her balance and the plate fell from her head and broke on the floor.
"Mommy!" Nanna ran towards her to see if she was alright, but in her action her plate fell and broke too. She stopped and tried to pick the broken plate from the ground. Elsa kneeled down next to her daughter.
"Nanna, don't pick that up, you might cut yourself!"
"But mom, I made a mess!" Nanna said. Elsa looked at her with a smile.
"Nanna..."
"Queen Elsa!"
Elsa cringed at Alena. She scrunched her nose and stood up. She slowly started to dislike Alena more and more...
"Yes?" She asked Alena with a sweet voice.
Alena groaned. "You are one of the worst students I have ever had! How are you even a queen with that kind of posture?! Aren't you supposed to be setting an example for the citizens, for your daughter?!"
Elsa bit on her lip. "Well...I do want to set an example, but I also want to be myself...I don't want to lose myself."
"Then..." Alena walked up to her. "Think of it as acting."
"Acting?" Elsa asked.
"Yes. You can try to be more disciplined in the company of others, but in the presence of your husband you can be more yourself. Do you understand?"
Elsa nodded. "I think so..."
"I got it!" Nanna yelled with a cute face while sticking her hand up as if she was in school.
Elsa and Alena both stared at her before laughing.
Elsa wiped a stray of her hair back and smiled at Alena.
"Alena, I'm ready to try again!"
"Me too!" Nanna yelled.
Alena giggled. "Good. Then let us try! And this time let us try to reach our goal!"
"Got it!" Nanna and Elsa yelled at the same time. Alena giggled again because of the two.
Meanwhile Hendrik was looking at the knights who were training. He saw David Harrison, one of the commanders, giving lessons to the men.
The young prince snuck behind a bush and looked at the fight from behind it. He wasn't allowed yet, but he really wanted to learn how to fight with a sword. Having powers could be fun, yet he couldn't always rely on them.
He saw that a few of the men were sitting on the sidelines. In a basket were a few swords, just laying around. They were probably from the men who were taking a break. If he could just somehow get those swords...
"Okay, Jan, you're next!"
A man who was sitting next to the basket stood up when David yelled at him. Hendrik now saw his chance!
He made sure that no one paid any attention to him and snuck towards the basket. He carefully pulled a sword from it. It was a bit big for him, but he was able to carry it somehow. He tiptoed back to the bush, hoping to sneak off without being noticed, but...
"And where do you think you're going?"
Hendrik cursed under his breath. He turned around and saw David standing behind him with a concerned look.
"U-uhm..." Hendrik swallowed nervously. "I...uh...I was...just...trying to...uhm..."
David pulled the sword from his hands. "Don't try to lie when you can't do it." He gave the sword to one of the men and then turned to face Hendrik again, this time annoyed. "Prince, what where you thinking?! Why where you even trying to steal a sword?!"
Hendrik looked down at the ground with guilt. "I...uh...uh..."
"Yes..?!"
"Uhm..." He looked up at David again. "I just wanted to learn how to fight with a sword...I swear, I wasn't trying to do anything dangerous!"
"Right...prince Hendrik..." David kneeled down beside him to meet his eye level. "You might be growing up fast, but using a sword at your age...you just turned seven a few months ago...a sword is too dangerous."
"But I want to be able to protect everyone!" Hendrik looked down at the ground and kicked a rock away with his feet. "What if dad is gone one day and I'm in charge? I need to be able to fight!"
David put his hand on Hendrik's shoulder gave him a small pat. "Your father won't just leave you. He isn't like that. And it won't be long before you can use a sword. In a few years you might already start training. So, don't frown about it. It will all turn out alright, understood?"
"Yes..." Hendrik looked at him. "Thank you..."
"Great. Now go along, I can't leave my men untutored." David stood up and walked back to the others.
Hendrik ran back into the castle. He felt a little bit relieved at David's words. Yet he still wanted to learn. And if David wasn't going to teach him and no one would help him, then he should teach himself.
He ran into the library and grabbed a book about sword fighting. He then ran outside with the book, into the garden, and grabbed a thick branch from the muddy ground. He laid the book down and started to study on self defense.
The next day everything was as normal as ever. Elsa and Nanna were practicing with Alena, Hendrik had his class, Anna and Kristoff were out and about and Jack was alone in his office, going through some files.
"Geez.." Jack scratched his head. He was just done reading a few letters from Corona. Rapunzel and Eugene, the king and queen of Corona, they were going to hold a ball in a few months and everyone was invited.
He wasn't sure if they were going to go. Not that he could stop Elsa. If she wanted then she could, but he wasn't sure about it.
Who said Elsa could decide for herself?
He jumped out of his seat and drew his sword. He looked around, but there was no one there.
"W-what..." Jack put his sword back and let out a sigh. "I must be imagining things."
You're not.
Jack felt his heart skip a beat.
I know that you can hear me in your head. Don't ignore me.
Jack now knew that he wasn't imaging things. He took a deep breath. He had to remain calm. Something was in his head. He was probably having a small breakdown.
He walked over to his desk and put his hands on the edge. He looked down at the files with a frown.
"I'm just having a small breakdown. It's going to be alright..." He whispered to himself.
Yeah, right.
The voice in his head continued on. Jack closed his eyes and tried to think of something else. But the voice stayed there and didn't vanish.
Jack, don't worry. I'm here to help you. And you're not having a breakdown.
"Then..." Jack opened his eyes again. "What are you?"
Your friend.
Jack clenched his fist. Was he possessed or something? Whatever it was, he shouldn't trust this voice in his head.
I'm on your side.
"Don't try to fool me..." Jack whispered. "I don't know what this is, but I'll..."
"Jack?!"
Jack turned around to see Anna standing there. She looked a bit worried at him. He didn't hear her coming in.
"Anna!" Jack quickly turned around and smiled nervously at her. "What are you doing here?"
"Why were you talking to yourself?" Anna asked immediately. "There is no one here."
"Well...I was just thinking to myself and muttering something stupid. Nothing more."
"Hm."
Anna eyed him suspiciously. She walked up to him and put her hand against his forehead.
"Maybe you should take a rest." Anna said calmly. "You seem a bit stressed."
Jack scoffed. "I'm always stressed."
"I know." Anna pulled her hand back with a smile. She walked around the desk and looked down at the letter from Corona. "Ah, the ball...are we going?"
Jack turned around and grabbed the letter from the desk. He quickly put it in his pocket. "I don't know. Maybe."
Anna shivered when she looked in his eyes. She saw a dark red glint for a second before it faded away.
"Jack?" She walked back around the desk again. Jack looked away from her when she stood in front of him. He didn't want her to find out about the voice in his head. That was his own problem.
"I'm fine." Jack said. He forced a smile on his lips and looked at Anna with kindness. "I just need some time alone."
"Ah...alright...then at least rest. We don't need a weak king."
Jack cringed a bit at her words, but Anna didn't notice it. Instead she turned around and walked up to the door. But she stopped before exiting the room and looked over her shoulder at him.
"Jack...just...don't forget; you're not alone. Your family is always at your side."
Jack nodded. "I know."
"Okay."
Anna left and closed the door behind her. Jack sighed and slid down onto the ground. He pulled the letter from his pocket and read it again.
He wished that there was a day where he and his family weren't in danger. But...this time the problem was in his head. If he could get the voice out then he might be able to protect everyone this time...
He sighed and closed his eyes.
"Finally...we're done."
Elsa and Nanna walked down the hallway. They were both tired from the long lesson.
"Mommy..." Nanna yawned.
"Do you want to take a nap?" Elsa stopped in her tracks and kneeled down at her daughter's side. "We've been doing this for a long time, so you must be tired."
Nanna yawned again, but shook her head. "No...I wanna go see daddy."
Elsa smiled a little. "Honey, your father must be busy..."
"But I wanna go see daddy!"
Elsa sighed. She picked her daughter up into her arms and petted her head. "Then...we can visit him shortly. But your father is a very busy man. We must not trouble him, understand?"
Nanna nodded silently.
"Good...because he must be busy..."
Right...he was busy...
Elsa and Nanna arrived in Jack's office to see him sitting on the floor, leaning against his desk while being asleep.
"Daddy!"
Elsa put her daughter down and Nanna ran towards Jack. She pricked with her finger against his arm, but Jack kept on sleeping. Nanna frowned and turned to her mother again.
"Mom...dad is sick."
"Hm?" Elsa raised her eyebrows. She walked up to them and kneeled down by Jack. She put her hand on his head, but his temperature seemed normal. She pulled her hand back again. "Nanna, he's just tired. Nothing to be worried about."
"She is right, you know."
Elsa turned her head and saw Anna walking into the room. The red head kneeled down at their side with a soft smile.
"He has been working so hard lately...he hasn't had any time for himself...but anyway!" Anna smiled at Nanna. "I heard that someone has had a busy day today! Aren't you supposed to be sleeping?"
Nanna yawned. "I wanted to see papa first...but I'm tired too..."
"Then let's get you to bed." Anna pulled Nanna up into her arms and stood up. "Your mother will keep an eye on your father, right?"
Anna and Nanna both gave Elsa a questioning look and the queen giggled.
"Of course." Elsa said calmly.
"Great! Then I'm off!"
Anna sprinted out of the room with Nanna in her arms. Elsa could hear one of the servants from the hallway yell at her to slow down. She giggled and shook her head before looking at Jack again.
Elsa stopped smiling. Anna was right...Jack probably didn't have much time for himself...
She studied his face. He seemed so calm...it was nice to see him like this once in a while. Lately he had been working a lot more. She knew that he was someone who loved to take care of everything, but maybe she should do more work or take some of his tasks from his hands.
She sat down next to him and lay her head against his shoulder.
"Jack.." Elsa whispered. "I'm sorry...I'm always just messing around...but now everything is just falling on your shoulders."
She felt herself relax. His scent and warmth made her always feel really safe. She closed her eyes, sighed and whispered; "But don't worry..I'll become stronger and be more responsible...I'll promise..."
Her breathing became slower and she soon fell into sleep.
Jack opened his eyes.
He saw that he was still in his office. He looked to his right and saw Elsa sleeping beside him.
This little bitch!
Jack moved his left hand towards Elsa's throat. He put his hand around her neck without any hesitation. He readied himself to squeeze her neck, to make sure that she would wake up gasping for air when he stopped.
"What am I doing?"
Jack quickly retracted his hand with widened eyes. Elsa was still calmly sleeping. Jack looked at her. Was he just trying to...but he loved her. He shouldn't hurt her.
Why were you stopping?
"Because..." Jack whispered, trying not to wake Elsa up. "...it doesn't make any sense for me to hurt her...it's Elsa...I love her. And I'm not going to hurt her just because you want me to."
You'll eventually kill her.
Jack shook his head. "I won't. Why do you even want to hurt her? Elsa didn't do anything wrong..."
Did she? Think about it. She barely helps you, she always brings everyone in danger...is she really worth it?
Jack didn't answer. He stood up and picked Elsa up in bridal style. He walked to the bedroom and laid her down on the bed. He gently pushed a few strays of hair out of her face with a soft smile.
Elsa frowned and mumbled in her sleep.
"Stupid...Jack...you're working...too hard..."
Jack chuckled. He put his hand against Elsa's cheek. He couldn't believe that he tried to kill her. He promised himself to never hurt like this...and to try and protect her from the monster that was forming in his head.
A day later Hendrik was walking around in the town. He walked to the blacksmith. He wanted to get a sword for himself and he couldn't ask someone in the castle. So, he sneaked out and went to the smith.
He walked into the shop. There were a few men inside of the shop. They were all very big and seemed a bit scary.
They all stopped talking and turned towards Hendrik.
"Look what we have here..." A man with a big black beard grinned at the young boy. "..prince Hendrik...I didn't know they let our future-king out of his cell..."
Hendrik looked up at the big man. Of course he was bigger than him. All of them were and there were three of them; the man with the beard, another man with red hair and stubble and a man who had brown hair with no beard. They all looked down at him with a cold stare.
Hendrik clenched his hand. He wasn't going to be scared of them...
He leaned against a wall and stroke a 'cool guy pose'.
"Good day, gentlemen." Hendrik said. He tried his best to sound like a normal and cool guy. "I'm just here to buy a sword from the smith. I actually wanted to make it quick, but since you three are here, I'll let you go first..."
The men all went silent before they suddenly bursted out in laughter.
"Ha, the little prince sure knows how to talk!" The man with the red hair walked forward. He kicked with his feet into the wall next to Hendrik's head and Hendrik shrieked.
"Now you scared him." One of the men laughed.
"I scared him, really?!" The man with the beard grabbed Hendrik's arm and pulled him a bit up. He held his face closer to the prince. "If he's anything like his father, then he shouldn't be afraid of a little confrontation."
Hendrik gritted his teeth. In his clenched hand he made a bit of ice.
The man saw it and raised his eyebrows. Hendrik glared at him with a menacing stare. The man chuckled nervously and released Hendrik quickly.
"Ice powers..." The man took a step back. "I almost forget..."
Hendrik put his clenched hand forward. The ice was crackling in his closed fist. "If you don't leave me alone, then I'll kill you."
The man with the brown hair narrowed his eyes and got ready to draw his sword. "You little...!"
"That's enough."
They all turned their heads to see a man with black hair, brownish eyes, an overall on and with gloves on his hands.
"Everett!" The man with the black beard seemed a lot more nervous. "We were just..."
The man, names Everett, moved towards the prince. He pushed the other men away without much of a glance and smiled at Hendrik when he stood in front of the young prince.
"Prince Hendrik, are you alright?"
Hendrik pulled his hand back and the ice disappeared. He rubbed his arm up and down and nodded.
"Yes..."
"Good. Now, I heard that you wanted a sword?"
"Yes...I wanted one like this one." Hendrik pulled the sword he had out of his holster. "But one that isn't just a simple sword like this..."
"Got it. Come with me to the back, I'll make a good sword for you." The smith turned around and glared at the men. "And you three, you better behave yourselves. Or I'm banning you from the shop!"
He stormed off and Hendrik followed him close behind.
The blacksmith showed him different type of sword. Hendrik didn't like any of them. He tried to find something that was fitting of his character, but all of these swords were not really what he was looking for.
Now he finally understood why his mother was always getting annoyed when she was shopping...
"How about this one?" Everett asked while grabbing a sword that was a bit shorter than a normal one. He showed it to Hendrik who studied it. "I can modify it a little bit..."
"How do you mean?" Hendrik asked.
"You have ice powers, right? What if you can use them with your sword?"
"Hm? I do not understand..."
Everett sighed. "That's what I expected...look, this sword is short. But what if when you use your ice powers, it can somehow extend? For example; if you're fighting, but need it to be longer, than you can use that ice of yours to lengthen it."
"Aha, I understand!" Hendrik clapped in his hands and smiled. "Then that one please! I can pay!" He pulled a little sack out of his pocket with some money in it, but the smith stopped him.
"You don't need to pay me, young prince."
Hendrik pouted. "Oh...why not?"
"Because it's a gift from me. The only thing I ask of you is not to sneak out of the castle again. It can be dangerous here, especially at night."
"I just wanted a sword...I'm sorry, sir."
"Don't ya worry about it! I'm just grateful to be of any use to someone from the royal family!"
Hendrik later snuck back into the castle. No one even noticed that he had been gone. They all thought that he was all morning in the library, which he hadn't been.
"Hendrik!"
When he just snuck back into the hallway and was about to walk up the stairs he saw his father walking up to him.
"I heard you've been in the library the entire day." Jack said.
"Y-yeah..." Hendrik smiled nervously. Thank goodness that his sword wasn't long or his father would see it sticking from his bag.
"Good boy. You know, when I was your age, I studied hard as well. Speaking of which, did you finish your homework for tomorrow?"
"Yes, dad, stop bothering me, please..." Hendrik rolled with his eyes and Jack smiled.
"Right, sorry. I was just curious. Speaking of curious, have you seen your mother?"
"No. Why?" Hendrik eyed him suspiciously. His father seemed more insecure than usual and it worried him a little. "Did you two fight again?"
"N-no, no!" Jack waved with his hands with a nervous smile. "I just need to talk to her about something..."
"About what?"
"Something personal."
Hendrik raised his eyebrows. "Can't you tell me?"
"No. Just get to your room."
Hendrik didn't speak against him and ran up the stairs. Normally he would argue, but he actually wanted to read more about swords. And if he talked longer to his dad then he might found out that he snuck out...
And that is something that would surely get him grounded.
While Jack was looking for her, Elsa was in the garden. She was testing her powers out.
She put her hands forward. Snow circled around her hands and an ice form grew out of the ground. Slowly a flower bloomed out of the ground. But it changed form as Elsa moved around with her hands. The flower changed into the form of a horse.
Elsa smirked as she kept moving her hands around. Now the horse changed into a smal little tree.
She finally stopped and looked at the tree. It almost looked like a real one. Maybe she should work on her tree building skills and make one before it was christmas.
"Elsa, there you are!"
Elsa turned around and saw Jack running towards her.
"Jack?" Elsa smiled when she saw him. "Hey, what's wrong?"
He walked up to her and grabbed her hands. "Nothing...I just had to talk with you...about something important..."
"Hm?" Elsa cocked her head.
Jack blushed and looked away from her. "I...yesterday you were sleeping next to me, right?"
"Yes?"
"I...look...I..." Jack bit on his lip. He knew that he couldn't tell her what he did. Or about the voice in his head...what if she thought that he was crazy?
"Jack, you can tell me if something is wrong." Elsa whispered with a smile. "I mean, you don't need to suffer on your own."
"Thanks..." Jack looked down at their hands. "I...just don't want you to think that I'm crazy."
"Hey. I'm the crazy one, remember?"
Jack chuckled. "You're right...I'm sorry."
Elsa sighed. "Just...tell me what is wrong, Jack."
"Well, lately I think that I've been hearing a voice in my head...I know that it sounds crazy...but maybe I'm possessed or something?"
Elsa frowned. She remembered that Regina, her biological mother, told her something about 'the evil in his eyes'...could her mother sense something back then?
"Elsa?" Jack coughed nervously. He was afraid that Elsa would think that he was insane or something...
"Look..." Elsa looked back up at him. "...my biological mother told me that she saw something dark in your eyes...maybe you..."
She swallowed nervously and avoided his gaze again. If Jack was really possessed then they would have to ask Hans or Damien...and she was sure that he wouldn't like that. But it was her only plan.
"Even if you are possessed." Elsa stared back into Jack's eyes. She looked at him with a determent stare. "If you are, then we should ask prince Hans and king Damien for help."
Jack sighed and frowned. "Elsa..."
Elsa squeezed his hands. "Please! I know that you are not on good terms with that family, but it's been more than five years since then...and they are demon hunters! Well, at least Hans is."
Jack released her hands. He rubbed his temples a bit annoyed. He wanted help, but not from the Southern Isles. Hans was not a good man. He learned that years ago. And Damien was a nice guy, but als ver manipulative. One moment he could be a gentleman and the next moment he could be your biggest enemy. The only reason why they were still doing trades with each other was to compensate for Hans's mistakes...and he didn't want any help from them. He never trusted them.
"Jack?" Elsa moved a bit closer to him and looked at him with pleading eyes. "Please...we need to ask them for help if we want to..."
"Who asked for your opinion?!"
Jack suddenly grabbed her wrist violently and looked aggressively at her.
Elsa shrieked. She saw something in his eyes she didn't recognize. It was like a small, dark fire that quickly dissolved into water. She tried to pull her wrist back but Jack was a bit too strong.
"J-Jack..." Elsa whimpered. "W-what are you saying?"
"I..." Jack blinked with his eyes. He slowly released Elsa's wrist. "I'm sorry...I don't know what came over me..."
"You...might really be possessed. We're going to need to get Damien and Hans. Whether you like it or not!"
"No way. I'm not bringing them here. What if Hans tries something again?"
Elsa smirked and made a little snow in her hand. "Then I'll freeze him to death."
Jack smiled a little at her. "Of course...alright then...I'll send a letter to the Southern Isles."
The rest of the week went by calmly. Jack send a letter to the Southern Isles, which hadn't been answered yet, Elsa and Nanna kept their lessons going and Hendrik was still secretly trying to teach himself how to sword fight.
One day Hendrik was practicing with his sword again in the garden. No one was there, so he could practice all he want.
"Hendrik!"
Or so he thought.
He quickly threw the sword into a bush and turned around with a nervous look on his face.
It was Jenny who walked up to him. She smiled at little Hendrik who nervously smiled back.
"What were you doing?" Jenny asked him.
"Uhm...not much..." Hendrik took a step back. "I was just...uhm...enjoying nature."
"Enjoying nature?" Jenny raised her eyebrows and Hendrik nodded.
"Yeah! It's really beautiful here..."
"Prince, you are even a worser liar than your mother. Really, what were you doing just now?"
"Uhm..." Hendrik swallowed nervously and avoided her gaze.
"Tell me or I'm telling Elsa."
"Fine!" Hendrik yelled with a flushed face. He walked to the bush and pulled his sword out of it. Jennifer gasped at the sight of the weapon.
"Young man, what do you need a weapon for?! Explain yourself at once!" Jennifer yelled in an stern and angry voice.
"I, needed it to defend my family and myself." Hendrik looked down at the sword. He gently touched the cold metal with his fingers. "I can't just rely on my powers, so I'm training myself."
"You are too young to handle such a weapon. Give that to me, I'm going to put it into the weapons room."
"Please don't!" Hendrik pulled the sword close to his chest. "It's my only way to protect everyone!"
Jenny's gaze softened and she kneeled down in front of Hendrik. She gently patted him on his head. "Hendrik, you don't need to protect everyone. You're not alone, remember?"
"Yeah, but..."
"Hendrik, you are a strong prince. But you also have people who'll protect you at all times...so don't worry. You don't need to protect people who can protect themselves."
"What about Nanna?"
"Well..." Jenny scratched her head. "Well...you do need to protect her. But she is not in danger, is she?"
"Not now."
"Then you don't need to protect her now. You only need to protect her when she's really in danger...understand?"
Hendrik nodded. "Okay."
"Good, now..."
Jenny stopped talking and her eyes went wide. She gasped in horror.
A few feet behind Hendrik was a white beast. It looked like some kind of wolf and consisted of ice and snow. Hendrik turned around and saw the beast. He shrieked and took a step back.
"What is that?" Jennifer whispered.
"I don't know..." Hendrik shivered as the beast growled at them. It wasn't something that he had made...or his mother. Maybe a witch in the village made it? Whoever made it surely had ice powers.
Hendrik pushed his sword forward.
"Hendrik, don't!" Jenny yelled, but it was too late. The young prince dashed towards the big beast. He used his ice powers to extend the length of his sword a little.
The big beast jumped towards him. Hendrik hit him against his neck, but was hit by its paw. He fell a few feet from the beast away, who landed on the ground as well.
"Hendrik!" Jennifer ran towards him. She helped him up and gasped when she saw blood trickling from his head. "Oh, no you're hurt..."
She could hear the beast behind them growling and readying himself for another charge.
Jenny didn't hesitate. She grabbed Hendrik's arm and ran with him back into the castle. With each step the beast seemed to be further away. She wanted to turn around to check, but was too afraid.
She ran into the castle and quickly closed the door behind her. A few maids looked at her with surprise as she and Hendrik both panted from running.
"Ah..." Jennifer looked down at Hendrik. He quickly hid the sword behind his back. She sighed and released his arm. "We need to get you to a pharmacy..."
"What about the monster?" Hendrik asked.
Jennifer looked out of the window. She saw that the garden was completely empty.
"He's gone..." Jennifer left out a trembling breath and she slid down the floor.
"Jennifer, prince Hendrik!" Kai ran towards them with worry. He kneeled down at their side. "Prince Hendrik, you're hurt...we need to get you to the nurse's room!"
"But...what about Jenny?" Hendrik wiped some blood from his head and looked at Jenny. "She's hurt too!"
Jennifer shook her head. "No, I'm fine. You go and follow Kai to the medical room...I'm just a little bit shaken up, nothing more."
Kai took Hendrik's hand and took him to the nurse's room while Jenny stayed behind. She got a warm cup of tea from one of the maids and was taken care off.
"What the hell happened?!"
Hendrik was being tended to by the nurse while Kai, Jack and Elsa stood in the room, watching him.
"Queen Elsa...please don't curse so much." Kai said. "At least not in front of your son."
"Sorry." Elsa nodded a little. "Still...what happened?"
"A big beast attacked us!" Hendrik yelled. "But I managed to hit it with my sword, but then I got hit by the beast and there was a wound on my head! But Jenny grabbed my hand and took me inside before the beast could grab us!"
"The wound is small, he's lucky." The nurse said.
Elsa, Jack and Kai sighed in relief.
"Thank goodness..." Elsa whispered.
The nurse finished up on the prince and left the room. Elsa stepped towards her son and kneeled down next to him.
"Hendrik..." She sighed. "You do realize that it was very dangerous of you to do such a thing? And where did you get a sword?!"
"I asked the blacksmith." Hendrik said.
"Hendrik..." Elsa scratched her neck. "What were you thinking?"
"I..." Hendrik swallowed nervously. "I just wanted to protect everyone..."
Elsa frowned. "Against who?"
"Against monsters..." Hendrik looked away from her and Elsa sighed.
"Honey, you don't need to protect me. I can defend myself. Just focus on your studies and childhood-thing."
"Childhood-thing?" Kai raised his eyebrows.
Elsa shook her head and waved her hand. "Nothing...just...enjoy the things you can do now. Right, Jack?"
She turned around and noticed that Jack wasn't in the room anymore.
"Huh?" Elsa looked around the room, but he really was gone.
"King Jack has just left." Kai said. "He didn't say a word, but perhaps he had some business to take care of?"
"More important than his own son?" Elsa frowned. She got an uneasy feeling. No one in the kingdom knew about Jack's problem yet, except for her. She couldn't tell them either. If Hans or king Damien would answer soon, then it would be solves anyway. There was no reason to involve anyone.
"Mom?" Hendrik asked confused.
Elsa silently grabbed her wrist and rubbed it a little. Even if Jack was possessed...that meant that she wouldn't know if it was Jack who made those strange decisions or the demon inside of him...what if it was both? What if the thing that possessed him somehow brainwashed him? Then he could surely bring everyone in danger. Then she would have to take measures...but she couldn't just lock him up. The others might ask questions if she did that.
"Mom!"
Elsa snapped out of her thoughts and turned towards Hendrik again. He looked very worried.
"Mom..." Hendrik walked up to her and pulled her hand away from her wrist. He intertwined his fingers with hers and squeezed her hand. "You have that look again..."
Elsa was confused. "What look?"
"That look when you know something dangerous, but try not to tell me, because you want to protect me...you had the same look when I was little."
"Your still little." Kai muttered under his breath.
"Well..." Elsa smiled a little bit at him. "I was just thinking about the beast you mentioned...I mean, I was attacked too, remember?"
Hendrik nodded. "Yes, you told me."
"I was just wondering if my biological parents send that monster to take you. But that it wouldn't make any sense..."
"Maybe it's another ice-witch?" Hendrik asked.
Elsa shrugged. She knew that she was lying, but it was best for now to keep the truth from her son. He would only make matters worse. She put her other hand on Hendrik's head and petted him.
"Maybe. Hey, how about we go to the kitchen and try to convince the chefs to cook our favorite dish?"
Hendrik smiled widely and nodded again.
"Yes, please!"
"Great!" Elsa looked at Kai and pointed his way. "Mister Kai, lead the way!"
Kai shook his head. "You know the way. And that is not the way a queen should behave..."
"I'm still learning!" Elsa said.
Kai chuckled. He knew that Elsa was learning and he knew that she was doing her best just like any normal person would.
In the meantime Jack was in his office.
He had the door closed and leaned against his desk. His breathing was difficult and his head was hurting.
That little shit deserved that
Jack put his hand against his head. His vision shifted between blurriness and a crystal clear vision.
"Please..." He panted. "Stop..."
Why you leave? You should have grabbed your sword and finished them off.
Jack shivered. He understood what the voice was talking about. Just now, back in the nurse's office, he felt the strong urge to draw his sword and attack them all. But somehow he couldn't. Those people were his family...why would he hurt them?
You're weak
Jack grinned a little and whispered; "But at least I'm not a murderer."
Not yet. Anyway, it doesn't matter. We should be taking care of the little one.
Jack's eyes widened. "Nanna?! You bastard...I'm not hurting my daughter!"
Who said that we would be hurting her? By the way, she is not even your daughter...
"She is..." Jack let out a trembling breath. "And I love her."
Great, then I get to use those feelings. Oh, speaking of; can you take a look in the mirror?
Jack turned around. He had a small mirror in his bathroom. But his bathroom was connected to his bedroom. So, he had to gather all his strength and walk to the room as if nothing was wrong.
On his way there he encountered Olaf, a snowman Elsa once made and the thing that lived, and a few maids. He managed to trick them into thinking that he was fine. Olaf even left him alone when he told him that he was busy with work. That was the only lie that worked against the snowman.
He walked into the bedroom and headed straight for the bathroom. He went to the mirror and looked at his reflection.
He gasped a little.
A few black hairs were peaking between his white hair. He carefully touched them with his fingers to realize that they were in fact attached to his head.
"W-what i-i-i-is this?" Jack stuttered nervously.
Just a little make over. I got sick from all that white hair.
"You're taking over, aren't you?"
Not yet...the time isn't right yet.
Jack frowned. He pushed through his hair and tried to cover the white hair with some black hairs.
Shouldn't you thank me?
"For what?" Jack whispered. He managed to cover the few black hairs and smiled a little at himself in the mirror. Now they wouldn't see a thing strange about his hair.
I stopped the headache.
"So?" Jack turned around and left the bathroom. "You didn't do it to help me. I rather think that you've grown tired and are resting a bit. Maybe later on you will give me an even worse headache."
Smart boy. Perhaps I will...
The voice went quiet. Jack let out a sigh and sat down on the bed. He buried his head between his hands. He started to tremble a bit. It was terrifying to be with that voice all the time. Hopefully those demon-hunters would come quickly...
For now he just had to stay strong.
TO BE CONTINUED