Chapter 20

The roar of the flames was deafening. It was an endless, maddening cacophony of noise that not only overwhelmed Kresta's ears but seemed to grind into her very bones. That wasn't the worst part, though, nor was the fiendish light that lit up the night and assaulted her eyes.

No, the worst part was the heat.

It was beyond anything she'd ever experienced before, a smothering tide that suffocated her in wave after wave until it was all she could do to even stand. The air around her was so hot she couldn't be sure that it'd be worse if she was standing on the surface of the sun itself.

And yet Kresta stood there. She was vaguely aware of how terrified she was. How her breathing was labored and even her heart was struggling to beat before that unbearable inferno as it climbed high into the sky, both ends of it stretching off to the horizon itself. But none of that mattered.

All that mattered was the figure standing in front of her. With his back to the blaze, his face was completely hidden in darkness. No matter how brightly the fire flowed it couldn't drive away the shadows as he silently lifted his arm to offer her his hand.

Her muddled mind considered the offering for a while. For whatever reason Kresta felt the strongest urge to take that hand, to let him pull her forward, yet the back of her mind screamed no. To turn and run as fast as she could before the flames could consume her. Only she didn't listen. She couldn't. All she could do was take his hand.

With that he turned, his face still hidden as he led her into the inferno. The heat only grew as she approached, as did her dread, yet there was nothing she could do as she was pulled closer and closer until the fire was all around her, threatening to devour her as it closed in…

Lurching upright, Kresta felt a strong urge to vomit as she fought to control herself. In spite of the fact that she'd just been asleep she was instantly wide awake as she looked around.

The day's light was streaming through the window beside her bed, shining directly on her and yet somehow she'd managed to sleep through it as she looked out at the sea beyond. Judging from the position of the sun it was probably approaching noon but she hardly even noticed as she looked around her room. Everything was exactly how she'd left it the night before with not a thing out of place.

Well, almost. There was one slight change as she noticed her brother looking up amusedly from the book he was reading.

Sitting off in a corner, Zach must have let himself in to wake her only to wait so he could mock her for sleeping in so late. Sure enough, he quickly crowed, "Well well. Look who's finally awake." When she hardly reacted his grin faded slightly as he asked, "Are you alright?"

"What?" Kresta responded, gradually realizing he was trying to talk to her. "Oh. Yes, I'm… fine."

Instantly his amusement returned as he teased, "Uh oh. You weren't dreaming about him again, were you?"

Doing her best to ignore the question even though it was absolutely true, she shook her head. "What are you even doing in here anyway?"

Although Zach's grin remained firmly stuck in place, it was clear he didn't want to talk about that as he said, "I'm just making sure you don't sleep the entire day away."

Pretending to wipe sleep away from her eyes even though she couldn't be more awake, Kresta took a stab at the most obvious reason for him hiding there. "Elsa's still dodging your attempts, huh?"

To her knowledge the two of them had only conversed once or twice over the last week but that wasn't really her concern, considering she had more pressing matters to deal with. He, on the other hand, was floundering in Arendelle as he shrugged. "I wouldn't go that far. I'd just say that she's really busy and-"

"Yeah, yeah. I see what you're getting at and I'll talk to her, okay?" Kresta interrupted, fighting not to grimace. She really couldn't care less about that sort of thing at the moment.

…"That's not what I was trying to-"

"Just not right this moment. Now will you please get out so I can get dressed?"

Taken aback by the sharpness of her response, Zach's smile finally faded as he watched her before eventually asking, "Is everything alright?"

Her initial response was to snap at him in order to make him leave but she bit down on that, instead glancing irritably out the window. "I just didn't sleep very well, okay."

Her brother's voice was cautious yet also worried as he replied, "Sorry to hear that. But if you need to talk to someone I'm always right here for you."

His consolation might have driven away some of her irritation only to have it be replaced by depression when she knew she couldn't. Even so, Kresta glanced at him to say, "I know. But thank you."

A mutual quiet settled between them before Zach stood to leave. He knew better than to push her on something if she wasn't willing to share and that if she did want to talk then she'd come to him. Before he left, though, he took one last look at the pile of books sitting on the table in the corner of the room. Picking up the one he'd been reading again, he regarded the script carved into the aged leather on the front while inquiring, "Why are you even reading these, anyway?"

"Huh?" Kresta had already gone back to looking out the window but had to hide her flinch when she saw him looking at the tome. "Oh. Just… trying to learn more about the local lore."

Everything from his tone to his eyes made it clear that he didn't believe that for a second as he set it back down before heading for the door. "Right. Just don't spend all day in bed. Can you imagine what mother would have done if she found you sleeping in this late?"

Zach made that final chide while closing the door behind him on his way out, although she still waited a moment or two longer to make sure she was alone before letting out a weary sigh. Kresta already spent enough time wondering what her late mother would have thought of her but she couldn't dwell on that right now, considering she had more pressing matters concerning her as she finally looked down at her still trembling hands.

They were shaking uncontrollably, so much so that she'd had to hide them from her brother as she tried so desperately to hold them still. Her breath was ragged as she eventually gave up, just clasping them together as she squeezed her eyes shut.

This has to stop, she thought as she fought to calm down. Please just make it stop. She wasn't sure who she was asking, but anything not to have to go through that again. Every night she was dragged into that inferno again and again. To feel the heat all around her, caught by those suffocating flames until she was blessedly released by waking. Then she'd struggle to forget them until it came time to sleep once more. As such she'd come here for answers but she wasn't sure how much longer she could take this.

Finally opening her eyes again, Kresta flashed an irritated glance at the mound of books while swinging her legs out of bed. She'd spent the last week ripping through every book she could find, searching in a vain hope for any scrap of useful information they might have. Unfortunately, however, much like in her brother's library she'd come up empty handed. There were scribblings about trolls and other useless muck but nothing that pertained to what she was looking for.

That is, not quite nothing. There were a number of passages on folklore from long ago about dreams and the significance they held. That some were windows into other worlds while others could be interpreted as a prophecy of things to come.

Yet even if Kresta believed such things, and she was fairly certain she didn't, that still wasn't particularly helpful. Even if her dreams were about the future or some other world that didn't help her understand what they meant. Nor did it provide a clue about how to make them stop. Because they would. Not. Stop.

She sat there for a while longer before eventually forcing herself upright and wandering over towards the full length mirror sitting beside her wardrobe. The meek woman she saw looking back at her made her frown as she closed her eyes again, forcing her breathing to slow as she clawed to get ahold of herself. Enough of this. You are a princess of Maneva. You can do whatever you set your mind to, so stop sitting in here mewling like a child and go out there.

When Kresta eventually reopened her eyes the trembling had stopped as she regarded herself coolly. Burying things was just second nature to her by that point as she returned her expression to its confident mask, although it took another deep breath before she could paint her usual smile on and just like that she looked like she always did. The self assured royalty who already knew all the answers rather than the tired woman trying so hard to hold together.

Even so, she wasn't sure how much longer she could keep the facade up as she got dressed and stepped into the hall. Something would have to change soon. Otherwise it felt like she was going to go mad.

As she exited her room, though, she was greeted by something unpleasant as she found that a cold draft was sneaking down the hall. The chilling waft had her rubbing her arms but when she looked around there was no one else to be seen. Where are those guards when you need them? she thought irritably while glancing in the direction the draft was coming from. Undoubtedly someone had accidentally left a door open or something but the more she thought about it the more Kresta could do with some fresh air as she began to follow it.

Wandering down the hallway and rounding a few bends, it wasn't long until she discovered the source. There, tucked in a corner out of sight, a small door was open to a tight spiral staircase. Rising out of sight, she could just make out the sound of wind somewhere up above.

Quickly climbing the stairs, Kresta found herself emerging into a small, peculiar chamber. Barely wider than her outstretched arms, the walls closed tightly around the mouth of the stairs and were made completely from all manner of stained glass. They were a beautiful array of colors, favoring azure and violet as the sun's light streamed through. And across from her, a pair of glass doors opened wide on to a narrow walkway that wrapped around the tower.

She didn't care if the wind had forced them open or if someone had simply forgotten to close them by that point. Kresta was just grateful as she stepped out into the cool air, drawing in a deep breath as she closed her eyes and savored the sun's rays. There was just something so soothing about being alone outside, with no one with her but the sun and the sky.

As nice as it might have been, however, it still wasn't enough to totally calm her fraying nerves as she opened her eyes and looked around. She wasn't entirely sure why but she'd thought that finding the star of her dreams would somehow help. And yet she'd found Aaron and nothing has stopped. Her nightly harassment had continued unabated.

Slowly walking along the platform with her hand trailing along its railing, Kresta pondered at her frustration as she looked out over the fjord. From here she could see everything, from the quiet city to the vast sea beyond, and she was too busy taking it all in to notice right away that she wasn't alone.

As she rounded the tower Kresta found herself behind none other than Elsa. The other woman was so motionless that Kresta hadn't spotted her as she stood with her back to Kresta. She was looking out towards the mountains, her hands gripping the railing and her hair caught in the wind.

The initial realization startled her into blurting, "Oh, Elsa," before composing herself. "Sorry, I wasn't expecting anyone else to be out here."

Unlike her surprise, Elsa hardly reacted to her intrusion. She didn't even look back, instead just slowly lowering her head as her hands tightened on the railing before quietly replying, "Hello, Kresta. That's alright, I was just leaving."

"You don't have to leave just on my account. I can-" Kresta tried to say before she was cut off.

"It's fine. Enjoy the view."

And with that Elsa made to leave, not bothering to so much as glance at her once. Were Kresta not so distracted by her own problems she might have noticed how quickly the other woman tried to leave or how tight her voice was, but she couldn't. The moment she found her here she felt the urge to just start spouting everything even as part of her screamed not to. To tell her the truth and just be done with it. All her attempts to carefully glean whatever knowledge she could get had been nothing but frustrating thus far, after all. Perhaps this was a chance to just be honest? It didn't help that her exhaustion was straining to get the better of her the moment she laid eyes on the other woman.

Even so, it didn't come easy as she found herself uttering, "Elsa, wait."

She'd only escaped a few steps yet still looked beyond reluctant as she hesitated, quietly replying, "Yes, Kresta?"

However, Kresta failed to notice any of that as the last of her wariness began to crumble. "Can I… can I talk to you about something?"

After a long pause, Elsa shook her head. "Perhaps some other time. But not now."

Once again she tried to leave, only Kresta's desperation couldn't let her go so easily. "Please. I really need to talk to someone."

"What about your brother?" she replied acridly, her tone beginning to slip towards impatience.

Under normal circumstances that might have been an acceptable alternative, but not this time. Not with this. "Someone who will understand."

"Understand what?"

Kresta's mouth fell open to respond, except that she had no idea what to say. She was dealing with dreams and possible premonitions, after all… among other things. How could she even begin to explain any of that? "Honestly, I'm not even sure where to start. You're probably going to think I sound like a crazy person. I mean, if someone told me any of this-"

Once she started talking the words just came rushing out, only for Elsa to interject. "Kresta."

"Right. Sorry."

Accepting that Elsa had neither the time nor the patience for a drawn out conversation, she tried to get to the point. Only, she wasn't sure how to. All she could manage after some thought was, "Do you believe in destiny?"

It sounded so absurd to her to say something like that but to her relief Elsa didn't mock or dismiss her. All she did was parrot, "Destiny?"

"Like you were meant to do something or meet someone?"

"I suppose it's possible."

"Because I've been tormented for so long I don't know what else to call it. But ever since Aaron started appearing in my dreams I haven't known what to think."

"Ever since what?"

By then all of Kresta's anxiety was threatening to overwhelm her as it all came pouring out. "I can't sleep. Every time I close my eyes he's there to pull me into that fire. And I thought meeting him might help but nothing's changed. Is that not what I'm meant to do? What am I missing?"

"Then maybe you should discuss your destiny with him."

…"What?" That was when she noticed how vexed Elsa's voice was becoming and what she'd just been saying. "No, I didn't mean it like that. I just-"

"Bescuse whatever's going on between you two, it's not my concern, nor do I have time for other peoples' affairs," Elsa snapped back, finally turning to face her while cutting her off again.

Still looking to shove the conversation back on course, Kresta tried to say, "I wasn't trying to…" only to trail off when she saw the other woman's face. "Woah. Elsa, are you alright?"

Everything about Elsa was always so precise, from her stance to her tone. To the average onlooker it probably looked like she was trying to maintain her royal demeanor, although to Kresta it was obvious she was just trying to hide things about herself. And she was normally quite good at it, only now there was none of that. All of her stress and aggravation was plain to see in the way her lips twisted into a frown as her brows furrowed together. If Kresta didn't know better she even might have guessed that she'd been crying at some point, given the redness hiding in the corner of her eyes.

As soon as she acknowledged any of that pain, though, the old Elsa tried to come rushing back out and shove everything back behind her own mask. "I'm fine," she mumbled, struggling to hide her grimace but it was too late.

Kresta, meanwhile, felt some of her own worries being overshadowed by concern as she asked, "Really? Because you don't look fine."

"I said I'm fine, Kresta. Now if you excuse me-"

She obviously didn't want to talk about it but Kresta couldn't just let her leave without trying to help. "Did something happen?"

"No. Now would you please let it go?" Elsa grumbled as her hands balled back into fists.

"I just want to help you."

"Well you can't."

"Why?" Nothing was leaping out to Kresta as she tried to think of whatever was causing this consternation. That is, until she remembered who had already infuriated her twice recently and his obvious purpose for being here. "Did Cyrus do something?"

Another denial died in Elsa's throat as she fought to say something, only she couldn't. Her silence was all the confirmation Kresta needed but even more significant was the look she gave her. It was only a quick glance yet it was overflowing with pity and regret before she turned away again to murmur, "It's nothing."

Kresta wasn't about to let it go, though. Not if he hurt her. "Elsa. What did he do?"

"I said it's nothing!"

The response was so sharp and sudden it startled Kresta again, though only for a moment. Accepting that she'd just stepped on a very raw nerve, she retreated while trying to smother her own urge to snap back. Perhaps there were things she couldn't talk to Elsa about after all. "Alright. Sorry. I was just trying to look out for you."

"It's fine." There was obvious regret in Elsa's voice at her outburst but she still refused to relent. "I'm just better at dealing with these things on my own."

Swallowing her agitation, she said, "Fine. I'm just trying to look out for you."

"Then perhaps you should ask him," Elsa replied roughly, offering the same denial Kresta had given her before adding, "Or Lady Helena, if you're that concerned."

"Lady Helena?" The name cut through the rest of Kresta's annoyance as it stuck in her mind. Helena. Helena, Helena. There was something so familiar about it, as though she'd heard it recently, until it finally came to her. But knowing who it was didn't help answer why Elsa had suddenly brought her up. "Aaron's sister?"

Her confusion only brought back Elsa's own vexation as she sighed. "Oh, right. Apparently she works for Cyrus. Didn't you know that?"

As she spoke she turned to give Kresta a sharp look, only Kresta didn't notice that or anything else she said. She'd stopped listening the moment Elsa had drawn a connection between Helena and Cyrus and suddenly a memory had snapped into place. "That's where I know her from," she exclaimed quietly.

"Excuse me?"

She'd been so sure she'd met Helena before, she just couldn't remember where, but now it was all coming back. That night. The gala. The festivities. The horror. "She was there in Maneva. The night my…"

"Is something wrong?"

But if she was there, then she might know something about what happened. Anything. The sudden prospect of gleaning more even though she'd given up on that search years ago had driven all thoughts about dreams far from Kresta's mind as she began to back away. "What? No, sorry. I just… need to do something. I-I'll leave you to what you were doing."

"Alright." In spite of her earlier annoyance, if anything Elsa just sounded lonely as she watched her go.

Kresta couldn't think about that right now, though. All she could do was leave as her mind began to race. As she turned away, however, a thought occurred to her and she quietly said, "And don't worry. I won't mention Lord Aaron to you again."

When all she got was silence in response she found she just couldn't wait any longer before rushing for the stairs. Kresta might have known not to talk about him with her but right then all she needed was to find Aaron and quickly. More importantly, she needed to find his sister.