"I don't know what you're talking about." Anna curled her toes up and scratched the back of her neck in a way that probably made it obvious to Elsa that she was lying. "Isn't she in the hole anyway? Isn't that where you always keep her?"

"Trust me, Anna, my life would be a lot easier if I could do that." Elsa reached into her drawer and pulled out a dark blue stress ball. "Regrettably, even I have limits around here."

"That must be very difficult for you." Anna put the coffee to her lips but found there was plenty of steam coming from it, so she didn't sip. "I dare say that 'limits' are something you don't hesitate to impose on most of us."

Elsa gave the ball a robust squeeze. It was covered in various markings left behind by fingernails pressing on it, which indicated it had gotten a lot of usage.

"Anna, I'm not sure what you're trying to get at, but please listen to me when I say this is not the time for it."

"I think you know damn well what I'm getting at, Elsa." Anna placed the cup down on the desk, not caring that there wasn't a coaster for it. "Every morning I wake up in a cell with no hopes, no dreams. Nothing. You decide where I sleep, what I eat, hell, you even decide where I poop. And in the case of every choice you make, your goal seems to be ensuring that I'm as unhappy as possible. So don't go trying to make me feel sorry for you having so-called 'limits' over your control right now. Because I have no control anymore. Thanks to you."

Elsa looked like a brick had fallen on top of her head. She gave the ball another squeeze, causing it to make a rather flatulant-sounding squeak.

"I thought you were better than this, Anna. There are bigger things happening right now than me and you."

"Oh, so I'm supposed to be your supportive little sister when you need me now? When you find yourself being the one feeling trapped for a change?" Anna's knees were violently shaking as she spoke. "Maybe I wouldn't be so soured to that idea if you hadn't locked me up in a room by myself for several days buck naked!"

"You left me with no choice that day. You had contraband in your cell." Elsa was clearly trying to keep her voice subdued, but the cracks were showing. Anna's words were getting to her...which meant that her plan was working.

"You can tell yourself that all you like, but you wanted a reason to put me there. I wouldn't be surprised if you allowed Merida to give me that shank. That provided you with just the excuse you needed."

Elsa exhaled.

"Is that what you think this has been for me? Some kind of game?"

"What else am I supposed to believe when you treat your own sister this way?"

The warden rubbed her fingers together. Her eyes were closed and she appeared to be mouthing a mantra to herself.

"It wasn't easy for me, you know. When you got arrested. Although, if I'm being honest, I will say I wasn't surprised. You had been resorting to...morally gray ways of making money which I tried to look the other way on."

She clutched back onto the ball. Despite her gloves being on, the slightest hint of frost began climbing onto it.

"Now, you going down for murder instead of something like petty theft? That did shock me. Greatly. I thought of visiting you while you were in jail, but given my occupation, me showing up there as your sister might've produced complications for both of us."

"You mean complications for you." Anna knew in her gut that this conversation would probably come back to bite her in the ass later, but she had to do what she could to keep Elsa talking about anything other than Merida. "You never even told me you were a prison warden! And then you think it's best to drop that little truth bomb into my lap when I arrive here? For your own amusement of seeing the disgust on my face?"

"Anna, stop!" There were now a few snowflakes on the ball. "Do you have any idea what I went through to keep you protected here? To keep the bitches from beating you senseless once they found out who you were? Yes, my dear sister, you are right. I was looking for a reason to put you in isolation. I had to keep you somewhere safe when I had to leave Frozen Heart for a while, as me being gone for even a single evening was enough time for someone to make their move on you."

"Well, wasn't that thoughtful of you! It might interest you to know that it didn't work! Merida still found her way to me in there!"

Anna clapped her hand over her mouth. Shit! She had said more than she meant to!

Elsa's eyebrows were raised.

"What...what are you talking about?"

"Nothing. I just...I had a nightmare when I was there. That's all."

"Anna, you're a terrible liar. Now if someone made it into your cell when you were in isolation, I need to be made aware."

"You know, I think I'll just drink my coffee and then let you do whatever you're going to with me." She picked the cup up and allowed herself to drink this time, desperate for an excuse not to say anything. When she looked up at her sister, her face was buried in her hands.

"This is much worse than I feared. Much worse."

"It was just a bad dream. Or a hallucination. Alone time can do things to a girl's head."

Alas, Anna's fib wasn't sticking. Elsa was already pulling back out the handcuffs.

"I'm afraid we'll have to cut this little chat short, Anna. If you refuse to tell me what's actually going on, then I must take drastic action. Until further notice, I'm having you placed into protective custody."