*Disclaimer: I do not own Disney's Frozen, or Frozen 2; I do not own any of their art, songs or characters. What I do own, is all of my OC's, any couplings, situations, or plot points I create in My story, Cool? Cool! Let's do this.*
(Ps. Thank you for reading!)
(PPs. Hey! I'm back, wow, crazy last two years huh?! I wrote and published my book, "Older Then Eternity," and now I'm back to updating this thing. It's been ages since I last wrote a chapter for this. But oh well. . . You talked me into it, here yah go, enjoy!)
"Now, yer Highness, if'n yeh listen ver'ry carefully, you'll notice there isn't a single note of bird song wafting in on this northern breeze, meanin' were well underway now."
Anna took a deep breath and allowed it to flow out again in a harsh sigh.
The salt from the sea stinging her nose, her mind surprisingly vacant bar the words of the elderly Quartermaster. They currently stood aboard the Royal Ship, named Upprätelse, a Frigate carrying approximately forty cannons. Six forward cannons set further towards the bow along the port and starboard side, these were chaser cannons, and there were twelve lining the armament deck along the port and starboard sides, facing seaward. Then finally ten more cannons atop deck, strapped to the rails, the ship had been a large project in the recent year since the surprise blizzard had frozen the Fjords, and most of Arendelle's flotilla.
An impressive Royal Navy vessel, built for speed, and also firing power, the cannons organized on the two topmost decks, helping to create room for more storage and expanded living quarters, for longer journeys with a larger crew of men. Unfortunately due to the number of cannons weighing down the smaller ship, it was very top heavy, so the ship builders fitted the anchors lower, as well as building a ballast in the form of a large ram extending from the bow of the ship. Then to compensate for the drag, the ship's bow was elongated to create enough room for a fourth mast.
They then fitted all of the masts with Royal sails, and the two center masts with Moon-rakers, located above the Royal sails. This gave the ship an edge in speed, and also helped balance the enormous sea faring vessel, "Of course, tha' there sail n' the center mast further a'stern is a tall pointed sail, so I would be supposin' it could be called a "Sky scraper." It's a ver'ry perty ship, fas'n'deadly, we couldn' be safer when traveling south o' the Southern Isles, towards unfriendly waters." Slowly Anna had begun to edge away from the long winded Navy man, her excitement concerning ship facts had waned considerably over the last few hours.
While Elsa was staying in the Royal quarters located at the stern, above deck, Anna as Princess was given second best, the Captain's quarters, located at the bow, one level below the Armament deck. She honestly absolutely adored the room, understanding the Captain's taste when designing the cabin. With the large bay windows affording a gorgeous view of the ocean, she might be the first person to spot land, bar any seaman in the crows nest. Sneakily the Crown Princess eyed the entrance to the lower deck, and quickly became lost in her sun dazed day dreams centered around hiding below deck, laying in her cool comfortable bed.
So absorbed in her thoughts, Anna didn't notice when the kindly Quartermaster, Peter, bid his farewell after noticing her glazed eyes, and none too subtle glances. Bowing once slightly at the waist, the older gentleman took his leave of the young woman, chuckling lowly as he made his way towards the Captain, intent on taking the wheel. The Captain immediately abandoned his post at the Helm once seeing Peter's nod his way, and descended the stairs to the deck, crossing to the port side railing where Anna stood facing West, the sun finally setting on their second day at sea.
"Your Highness, may I have a word?" He intentionally kept his voice low in the hopes of not startling the young woman, but it was in vain, the effect of his words instant.
The Crown Princess tensed immediately, before jolting roughly in place, and turning her head in bewilderment to face the newly arrived Captain.
"Oh, uh, Captain Karlsson,um, yes of course, you may have as many words as you want, the Crown doesn't any tax on words."Princess Anna then laughed abruptly, the sound hollow and awkward, obviously surprised by the change in company. Valiantly Anna rebounded, clenching her fist, and smoothing her demeanor in a matter of seconds. "Pull it together Anna! You are the Crown Princess, sister to the Queen of Arendelle! You can do better than this." Sensing her unease the Captain smiled, and forced one or two chuckles past his dry salt crusted lips.
Anna felt a weight drop from her shoulders due to the kindness of the gesture, and ended up letting out a few genuine giggles, placing her hand over her mouth to be courteous. "I'm sorry, thank you Captain, so how can I help you today?"
"It's less to do with myself your Highness, my cabin boy just informed me that her Majesty the Queen, your sister, has requested your presence in her cabin for dinner." Immediately Anna's disposition changed, gone was the sunny, clumsy, and kind Princess, her face became blank and drawn, and her posture straightened into rigid perfection as she stood to her fullest height, nodding once in Captain Karlsson's direction.
"I see, of course. Captain Karlsson, have the cabin boy tell Queen Elsa I will be there as soon as possible, I am simply going to my room to change first, the day is ending and I'd like to be wearing something more warm and comfortable before night is upon us. Thank you for this message, goodnight Captain, be safe." With those parting words, Princess Anna turned on her heel, and marched below deck, the sound of her heeled shoes echoing up the wood stairwell as she descended into the shadowy interior of the vessel.
For a moment Karlsson stood there, befuddled, the dramatic change from their beloved Princess and ship mate the last two days, to the collected and regal Princess was very jarring to the young Captain.
Though, there had been whispers among the Navy men on board, as well as the servants, and the ships crew, that the Queen and Princess had not seen or spoken to one another since two days prior when the voyage began. Some of the serving girls were passing around a rumor to nosy sailors concerning the Queen, that no one had entered her cabin in the last two days, and no one had seen the Queen exit once in that time, not even to eat.
Captain Karlsson scoffed lowly, rolling his eyes derisively at the ridiculous rumors. They were lies, obviously they were lies, because he himself had seen the Queen ascending from the lowest hold in the ship. The previous night, himself and the Royal Navigator, an idiot by the name of Vittêr, were in the hold taking inventory of their water, when suddenly, in their search for excess barrels they came upon Queen Elsa. A radiant image, only wearing a shear white night gown, with a blue silk robe hastily draped over her shoulders, her pale skin glowing in the limited moonlight entering the hold from above, like fresh untouched snow.
Vittêr had stood there gaping, speechless, like a fish pulled from the sea, luckily Karlsson was able to retain some manners, and bowed deeply, prompting the old fool to do so as well. Their greetings were brief, as were their farewells, and when only a minute had gone by, the Queen had already exited the hold and climbed back on deck, leaving the two bewildered men to sweat alone in the dark storage room. In the lowest aft hold is where the prison cell had hastily been added last moment before their subsequent snd rushed sea voyage. The only reason for a platoon of Navy men, and four castle guards to be stationed aboard this Royal Navy ship.
A Navy ship that has been hastily remodeled and rushed to completion, now on its maiden trip, out into the unknown, surfing the Dark sea. All because of one prisoner, a dangerous murderer and con artist, Hans Vestergaard. "Still. . ." Captain Karlsson murmured to himself as he made his way below deck, looking around wildly, attempting to catch a glimpse of his apparently illusive cabin boy, "Why would the Queen need to speak to the prisoner, and if she did need to commit such a loathsome act as speaking to the former island Prince, why enter the hold her self in the middle of the night?"
Climbing down a ladder, the Captain found himself in the modified galley, lighting the lantern hanging on the wall, as he looked at the seemingly empty room. "Felix." The young pre-teen boy immediately sprung into action, jumping up from his position kneeling and standing at attention.
"Yes sir Skipper, what am I about tonight Skipper?" Karlsson waved off the boys stiff posture, Felix slumped, obviously exhausted after helping to maintain the ship all day, he was still a young boy learning about being a sailor, Karlsson never enjoyed working the boy to exhaustion and felt a small pang of pity. That quickly passed as the Captain remembered his task was an order from the Crown Princess herself.
"At ease boy, I need you to go check on the Queen, you will be giving her a message from Princess Anna. "The Princess would like us to inform her Majesty, she is first retiring to her room to change. After which she will be meeting with the Queen in the Royal cabin for dinner." After you deliver that message, finish cleaning up this mess in the kitchen, and head off to bed, your up with me at the crack of dawn tomorrow Felix." Saluting once more the young boy threw Captain Karlsson a tired smile, then bolted from the galley, eager to complete his work, and get to sleep.
Exiting the room, Karlsson made his way toward the Quartermaster's cabin, Peter and himself were sharing bunk due to the presence of her Majesty the Queen and her Highness Princess Anna. Try as he might, Karlsson still couldn't remove the memory of that encounter with Queen Elsa from his mind, all of it was too odd. He muttered to himself as he attempted to make sense of the matter in his head, "She could have easily had her guards bring the prisoner to her during the day. I may not believe the rumors going around, but that doesn't mean I'm blind, there's something untoward happening on this ship, and I know that murderous scumbag has his hands in it."
((*scene change* — Now half an hour later))
Anna walked slowly up the stairs, and exited onto the top deck from below, only a few sparse lanterns lit the darkness of night that covered the ship like a cloak. She could feel the corner of her mouth twitching, attempting to twist upwards into a smile, still her rampant nerves and the queasy feeling in her stomach stopped Anna from committing completely to any one true emotion. It had been weeks, the first week after Han's declaration had passed in a blur of council meetings and prisoner interrogations.
Then came the second week, the build of the Royal Navy Frigate "Upprätelse," had been remodeled, and the ship builders were ordered to rush to make the vessel sea worthy in a fortnight. Luck was on their side, progress was ahead of schedule, and the builders had little to no issues refitting the ship for what was needed, by the end of that week "Upprätelse" was declared a worthy vessel, and the Queen ordered preparations begin for the journey.
It was also during that second week that the distance between the two sisters began to grow, missed dinners, worried, secretive glances.
For Anna it almost felt as though Elsa would go to nearly any lengths to avoid seeing her, or if she was occupying the same room, to escape as fast as possible. Then there were the late night visits to the dungeons during the third week, Anna was positively assured, that at some point when the two sisters passed one another in the hall, one of the two sisters were coming from the dungeons, while for the other the dungeons were their destination.
Finally, nearly half way through the fourth week, preparations were complete, Elsa had given the Council temporary powers by popular vote while the two monarchs, and the prisoner, were away. There was no convincing either Anna or Elsa to stay while the other went, the mystery of their parents was too important, and now it had been two days since they left port, departing from the sea town of Asväl. Tonight they would finally see one another, talk to one another, eat with one another, after nearly a month of separation.
One month of separation following two amazing years, years where the two sisters had become closer than they ever had been as children. "I wonder if maybe that's why this time it hurts so damn much, more than the thirteen years before this, because now I really know what I'm missing out on. Before I could barely imagine Elsa, what she looked like, or sounded like, and now I can barely imagine my life without her. I can't lose Elsa again, I fucking can't! I'm going to make things right again, even if I need to beg, or apologize a thousand fucking times. I'll do it all, just so that we can be together again."
It was a very expensive looking set of double doors, the carving immaculate, beautiful wood work, swooping curves that outlined the doors themselves before cutting inward and elegantly transforming into the Arendellian coat of arms. A golden tulip, surrounded by a wreath of thorns, and underneath that is a sword, a two handed bastard sword with a swept hilt and a gem placed in the pommel. The flower signifies the beauty of their home, while the wreath of thorns symbolizes the dangers they faced when subjugating the northern wastes they now call home, and the sword is a reminder of the Oldenburg family, the longest ruling family in Arendelle.
Gathering her new found determination, and wavering courage, Anna took a final deep breath, and knocked twice loudly on the door, before announcing herself. Clearing her throat once Anna spoke loudly enough to be heard through the door, and then some,
"Excuse me Your Majesty, it's Anna coming for dinner at your behest, may I please come inside?" Nothing, there was no sound of surprise, or of shuffling feet coming nearer to the door, or even a dulled shout of "Enter!"
Anna allowed a moment of silence, standing patiently for nearly a minute before knocking twice more, and speaking once again, a tad louder and less informal this time around.
"Elsa, this is Anna, I'm here for dinner, can I come inside, it's seriously cold out here!"
Another bout of silence was the only response Anna gleaned from her second attempt at gaining the Queen's attention. The Princess allowed another minute or two to pass before she felt her patience wear extremely thin, and decided brashly to barge in without permission. After all, act first and ask for forgiveness later was always her go to response in the past whenever she unintentionally committed another egregious faux pas.
"Okay blondie, that was your last warning, I'm coming in now, so I hope your ready!" Rudely grabbing the delicate brass handle, of the gorgeous wooden doors, Anna wrenched the double doors open and stormed inside the warm dimly lit cabin, before turning around and swiftly shutting and locking said doors. With probably a little too much force, if Anna was being honest, she did flinch from the noise it made when she kicked the doors closed instead of using her hands. A fire glowed in the fireplace, dim flickers of flame dying among husks of once sturdy logs, obvious signs of a lit fire that had been left untended for too long.
Elsa stood facing her desk, it was a replica of the desk in their Father's study, what was Elsa's study now, set in front of the window facing in towards the room. Filling the room were hundreds and hundreds of icicles, diamonds formed from pure ice, floating in the air. Tiny and opaque, they reflected the dim fiery light, creating an eerie effect similar to the aurora borealis. In the middle of it all was Elsa, pale as freshly fallen snow, platinum blonde hair spilling down her bare back, she was wearing only a thin shift which tied around her neck, and cinched at her waist. The night was black, the sky covered in clouds, no stars or moonlight, only the ever fading light of the flames in the steadily chilling cabin.
Anna was afloat before, untethered, alone and confused about her purpose, her anchor, her direction, suddenly those confusing thoughts vanished in the face of her beautiful sister standing before her.
A smile easily twisted her mouth, and the emotion swelling inside her brought moisture to the corners of her eyes, she found it was hard to swallow, but did so anyway. Then, Anna took a step, and another, her bare feet silent on the carpet laid across the stained wooden boards, her robe falling from her shoulders, as it caught in the opening of the door when she closed it so abruptly earlier.
Crystals hung, spinning slowly on their axis, oriented perfectly upright, as if hanging from innumerous invisible threads, or as if captured in a spider's web, held aloft by strands as shiny as gossamer thread. Anna's body moved each one, lightly brushing it aside, shifting the crystal's positions to the right or left, as she carved a path through the room towards Elsa, her sister being the only thing she could see. Arms rose up and wrapped around the dazzling phantom, Anna allowed a worried sigh to escape her lips, for a moment believing her hands would slip through the girl in front of her, like a mirage.
Pressing herself close, Anna could feel the moment Elsa tensed before instantly relaxing, leaning her weight onto Anna, as if she could barely stand any longer. Chill had aroused certain parts of Anna, and she bit her lip as she felt the twin peaks on her breasts brushing through the cotton of her gown against Elsa's bare back, praying silently she couldn't feel the embarrassing predicament. Still the younger sibling couldn't pull away, nor could she remove the loving smile gracing her fair features.
Unabashed she nestled her face into the curve of Elsa's neck, the blonde gasping before turning her head to the side and extending the appendage, giving Anna more access to the smooth creamy flesh adorning the muscles in her neck, and the column of her throat. Anna watched as Elsa's Adam's apple bobbed as she swallowed, the usually indiscriminate notch on her neck noticeably more visible due to the angle of her head.
Breathing warm air onto Elsa's neck, Anna reveled in the feeling of Elsa shivering, as she watched the goose flesh rise along her neck and on her arms, which now laid atop Anna's own wrapped around her stomach.
Lips pressed against cool skin, a brush of a tongue tasting for only a moment before diving back inside Anna's mouth, her lips now moist, she began again, making sure to kiss every inch of skin between Elsa's clavicle, shoulder blade, and neck. Right up until she reached the platinum blonde's cute small ears, which were tinged an adorable red, matching the flush dusting her cheeks and arching over the bridge of her dainty freckled nose. "Mmm Elsa," Anna could feel the older girl shiver in her arms, leaning even more heavily against her, which she was surprised was a possibility. "You taste good."
Elsa became tense, incredibly stiff, like a block of ice, carefully her cold hands caught Anna's and unclamped them, removing Anna's arms from her body as she took a step away. That was when it began to dawn on Anna, and panic fell, like a crashing wave slamming into the shore, the breath left her body, and her arms hung limp by her side. "What did I just do. . . What came over me. . . What the fuck have I done?!" A small gasp broke the oppressive silence, echoing in the room, Anna had never felt more cold.
"Speak Anna, say something, go ahead, you made yourself a promise. You've gotten yourself into this situation, now get yourself out! Fix this, you gotta fix it right now!"
"Elsa. . . I'm so. . . I don't know what came over me, it was instantaneous, like being struck by lightning, I saw you and I acted."
No response, not a turn of the head, an acknowledging nod, not even a shuffle or a flinch, Anna hung her head lower. "I thought I knew what I needed to do, that I knew what you wanted from me, what I wanted. Guess I was wrong, huh. . . God I'm so stupid, I'm an idiot Elsa and I'm sorry, I never say the right things, I never think before I do something, I'm rambunctious and impulsive and sometimes that hurts people I love, so I'm sorry." Still no reaction, not even a sound.
"Maybe we can forget this, and move past it? Huh? It's a possibility right, we've made it past more difficult obstacles, haven't we? We can survive this. . . Elsa. . . Okay but even if we can't. . . Even if we're not able to be the same as we were before. . . Even if we can't move past this. . . Just don't leave me alone. . ." A flinch, Elsa turned, her face still flushed, tears dripping from the corner of her eyes, mouth open in object terror. Anna didn't notice, her eyes clenched shut, fists gripping her nightgown, pulling violently at the material, her head hung low, her body bowing forward in pain, she never saw Elsa react, or turn towards her. "You promised, so please, please Elsa just don't leave me alone. . . I know I messed up. . . But please at least do this one thing for me. . . I love you so much Elsa, I can't bear it if your gone, not again, it's too much!"
Now Anna was shouting, unaware as her skin took on a blue sheen, as the room began to frost, as the one white strand on her head became a hundred, a hundred thousand, a hundred million white strands of hair. Elsa was shivering, shaking violently as she watched this horror show unfold, because she was scared, she couldn't allow herself to give in to what Anna wanted.
"To what I wanted. . ." She pulled away, and now the curse was back, and it was killing Anna, after taking the killing blow during the incident with Hans the curse had receded, magically pacified by the act of true love Anna performed. "What do I do?!" Anna was still speaking, her words fast and garbled by tears, tears that were freezing on impact with the carpet, the dull thumps in time with Elsa's racing heart. She knew what to do.
Two hands fiercely took hold of Anna's face, shocking the weeping girl, causing her to gasp, as her watery eyes were brought level with Elsa's. So beautiful, a crisp piercing blue that seemed to glow with power in the fading light. Anna's heart stopped, shame caused her face to crumple and eyes slam shut, "I don't deserve to look at Elsa after what I've done. I can't, I shouldn't —"Elsa slammed her mouth against Anna's in a wet and furious kiss, attempting to put everything she was feeling into the action. Frustration with the state of their mission, confusion concerning Hans and their parents, anger for Anna putting her in this position, the boiling self hatred she hid just below the surface.
The immense love she had for Anna, how much she wanted Anna always, how she absolutely adored her, how much she wanted to keep kissing her. "Anna, I want Anna, I want her right now, I need her, all of her! I'm gonna devour her!" Shock, love, and lust, that was all that was going through Anna's mind. After the initial implosion that occurred once Elsa had initiated the kiss, it hadn't taken Anna long to get onboard, and to chide herself for believing a woman who had only recently begun to face challenges head on, and reach out to form connections with her loved ones, would be able to adapt to this new set of emotions and desires without a hitch.
"Mm, yes Elsa, more Elsa, my Elsa!" The kissing somehow became more violent, the sisters' actions rough and needy as they held on to one another tightly, biting at each others lips, licking their teeth, delving into the others mouths in a absolute war for dominance, and neither would give in. Soon enough they moved to the bed, clothes being shredded, fire completely abandoned as the flame guttered, casting the room into utter darkness. A moment later a servant would come with food, only to find the doors locked, and no one responding when she called. After listening intently at the door, only to catch the occasional word, or the knocking of the bed against the wall, the servant moved on, exhausted and ready to turn in for the night as the hour was late.
((*Final Scene change of the chapter* —))
"Hello? Sir, are you there? Mr. Prisoner Sir, I'm here like you asked me to be!"
"Okay!" The voice was low, strained and rough from long stretches of disuse followed by screams from the beatings he'd received while a prisoner of Arendelle. Slow footsteps approached the bars affixed to separate the cargo hold in half, a make shift prison, designed at the last moment. A thin layer of water covered the floor, the ballasts having a hard time holding air, causing water to leak through the wood separating the air pocket from the hold. "Go ahead boy, what news do you have for me, hmm?"
"I did what you asked, I told Skipper that Queen Elsa wanted an audience with Princess Anna, and she met with the Queen for dinner. I just left them alone about ten minutes ago, I finished cleaning the galley before coming to see you. Don't wanna let appearances slide, Skipper is strict, and wary, he'd notice."
"Good boy," the Prisoner was nearly visible, his smarmy smile easy enough to see with the candle light reflecting off his pearly whites. His hair was very long, below his shoulders, though he was showing signs of a recent bath, and was wearing nicer clothes then the rags he'd worn for years in his cell far below the castle keep. The hair was a fiery red, streaked with strands of black, more noticeable because of his hairs length. Rough stubble coated his face in a fine dusting of black hairs, and a shining silver coin glinted in his dirty hands.
Flashing as he rolled it between his fingers, allowing it to bounce and dart between his hands before flinging it into the air, and catching it easily once more. The boy was memorized by the trick, and by the quality of the money, shadows stretched from the maw of the cage, connecting to the dark stair case, the shadows of the bars stretching like strings attaching themselves to the boy's feet and hands. Almost as if he had puppet strings, and Hans was the puppeteer. "And then? What happened once Anna and Elsa were alone, what did you hear, what did you spy?"
Felix narrowed his eyes, the usual bright aquamarine looking dull and glazed in the dim lighting of the dingy dungeon.
"Hey now Mister, show some respect, that's Her Majesty and the Crown Princess!"
Hans rolled his eyes, "Right, apologies Felix, what did you hear, what did you see, once Her Majesty, and the Crown Princess, were all alone in the cabin?"
"Well, I didn't see very much, they had let the fireplace fizzle out, and there aren't a moon or any stars tonight. I did hear something though, Princess Anna was crying, crying and apologizing for something."
"For what?"
"I'm not sure, saying she thought she knew what Queen Elsa wanted, and she bought they wanted the same thing, but she must have crossed a line, because whatever it was, Queen Elsa must've been angry, Princess Anna was bawling."
Hans frowned, playing off his emotion as sympathy, but a glint in his eyes showed the truth, "Hmm, trouble in Paradise, perfect."
"What else, there has to be more, right?"
"A little, suddenly Princess Anna stopped talking, everything became quiet, except there were these weird, wet noises, and then some tearing noises, like if you ripped your coat, or tore a button. After that it was basically quiet, they must have been on the bed, cause I could barely hear the few words they said, mostly it was those noises and some groans. Maybe Princess Anna is sick?"
"I see. . . Very good. . . Here you go Felix, you earned it." The coin flashed, and flew through the bars, through the air, and into the cabin boys outstretched hand.
"Now go, wouldn't want you to be caught, come see me after your morning chores, I'll have another job for you, and more coins, I promise. Now get!" Felix nodded, not asking any questions, or bothering to demand more coins for betraying his Queen. The boy turned around stiffly, and scurried away up the ladder, disappearing from sight.
"Mmhmm. . . Strange noises. . . Trouble in paradise. . . Someone went too far, I suppose that makes sense. I knew you had a special sort of bond between the two of you." Hans was smiling, a wide Cheshire like grin, it was so wide and so smug, it twisted his face, like a sneer, an ugly desperate expression.
"I've got you right where I want you. Oh my dear sisters, playing directly into my hand, things are going exactly the way I thought."
Then the candle flame guttered, and a chilling laugh echoed in the dark, "All's fair."