GTG: Hello! School was/is draining me. So this story was not a priority. However, things change and I'm glad to be writing this story again! We're back baby!
Thank you all for the comments and support
One comment asked if there will be a pairing between Elsa and Hans based on the last chapter and my other works. I did not plan a romance between them. That chapter was just showing his excitement. The only confirmed pairing is a one-sided Elsanna. It's something new that I wanted to try and it fits with the story.
So do not worry about any pairings besides that. Though it made it seem like there are other pairings there are not until we progress more into the story.
In fact, pretty much everything is one-sided (considering whatever Hans/Anna had) and I will keep up with that theme. I'm just playing around with sexual tensions between characters. This is a vampire story after all and this fic is supposed to be dark, with some tough decisions to make that some readers may not like.
This chapter is a bit slow but the next chapter is the climax. We're getting dirtier… or well bloodier.
The door silently opens and someone slips inside of her room. Gerda. She always smells like tea and spice. From the sounds, Gerda places a plate down on the dresser. She makes a swooning noise. "Quite stuffy in here. Let's just.. Open the window… there." Gerda leaves.
The scent of fresh blood should have the princess sitting up and smiling— but she makes no move from the cocoon of blankets she shifted asleep. She isn't hungry. Nor thirsty. It isn't there. What is there is the heaviness in the princess' heart. It prevents her from moving away from her bed. And that's okay! Here in bed— away from trouble. Trouble like. Like other bad vampires. Mean vampires hunters who toy with her feelings. Trouble like having forbidden feelings for Elsa.
Anna allows the bulge in her throat to grow. This uncomfortable pain is much more tolerable. She can deal with this, the way it invades and begs for attention. And she can deal with not drinking a few cups of the very essences to keep her alive. She'll just... stay in bed today.
Who'd guessed her existence— being the only of her kind (half-vampire, half-human princess)— would be this bad?
Your son will face punishment on the grounds for what crimes he committed.
Elsa rereads that line again. It's the last line of the well-written letter.
Does that sentence seem too harsh? Or void of… respect? He is a prince after all. But he tried to kill a princess (regardless of the reason) in a different kingdom (—queendom?). There must be consequences (regardless of title status).
There will be consequences for his premeditated actions. The very thought of last night brings fury to Elsa's veins (it is already snowing in her office, meaning she will have to rewrite this letter on another dry parchment). She daren't to think of what could've happened if she was a tad bit too late or never followed her sister. For once, her overprotectiveness has come in handy. And now she must deal with the aftermath. Elsa never thought this predicament would be the first task of her newly queen status— contemplating the consequences of a prince. Consequences like this result in immediate death, whether that be public or private. Yet Elsa hasn't even gotten to the death part yet.
She doesn't regret her split decision to spare his life. Seeing his fire— his abilities stumped her. It's what drove her to keep him alive, and locked away in the dungeons, a floor-level above the unfortunate 'blood donors'.
Hans is like her.
She always thought she was alone, harboring the abilities of winters.
And here is this man... harboring the abilities of fire.
Hans is like her but the complete opposite.
She intends to find out about his powers. Perhaps in a way she can learn more hers. Her mother and father told her that magic was a gift from the gods above. There was no other explanation or information besides that. Elsa always wonders if there were others like her, or if she was truly alone.
She also needs to know his motive. How did he find out about Anna? Why was he set on murdering her? Are there others like him? Who knows about Anna? The questions can pile up. Elsa needs to know.
The queen sighs when a large snowflake lands on the word sister, blurring the ink. She should check on her. It's nearing noon. She had Gerda give Anna a meal to wake up to. Assuming if she woke up early to the meal, she should be out and about in the village with Nathaniel and Allen. Elsa thinks she should go on a walk through the village on her horse or carriage. Hopefully, she'll cross paths with Anna and they could have lunch together. Elsa stands and prepares her hands to cast away all of the snow.
There's a small knock on the double doors before one of them opens. Gerda's head pops in view. "My apologies, your highness, for interrupting."
"Oh, no worries, Gerda. I was just going to take a break and go see what Anna is up to."
"Oh, well, Anna is the reason why I came to you. She hadn't touched her cups. She's still in bed."
"Oh, that's fine." Elsa waves her hand and all the snow disappears (save for the wetness on the paper). "You know Anna. She can sleep through the day if she wants to." Despite that Anna is a half-vampire, it's not often Anna has her nocturnal nights. But when she does, she is completely exhausted and out like the sun during the day.
"If I may," Gerda starts. "I think it's something else, your majesty. Something changed. I've never… seen Anna in this state before."
Thoughtlessly, Elsa says, "Our parents…" That type of sadness can never be compared to any event, let alone a man. Anna being broken and Elsa feeling stuck. It should not be a time to remember.
Gerda's eyes widen when she realizes her mistakes. "Oh! My deepest apologies, Queen Elsa. I— I did not mean to— bring up—"
Elsa shakes her head and waves her hand. "No, no. It's okay. I will go check Anna now."
Gerda bows. "Of course, Your Majesty,"
Elsa didn't even knock on the door. She quietly slips into the dark room. The first thing she notices is the untouched six goblets on her dresser. The second thing Elsa notices is that the window is slightly opened.
Heat erupts across her neck— did she escape? In a few strides, Elsa hurries to the window.
Elsa opens the window more. she peers down. Anna is not in sight (and the wind is a nice sensation on her neck; eroding the heat away). Of course, she's not! She's probably in the village, without her guards, considering that they are still here outside her door!
Elsa realizes that her breathing is picking up pace. Oh, where could. she. be? She steps back— the worst images of her sister fills her head. The fire prince could have gotten her again. Or someone else found out about her vampire side and kidnapped her. I'm already too late. Anna—
"Elsa,"
The white-haired woman jumps, spinning around. There Anna is, wrapped in her blankets. Only her head peeks out. She doesn't… look good. "Anna! Are you okay?"
"I can hear your heartbeat. You're not calm."
Elsa swallows, willing her heart to slow down. "Are you okay? You haven't touched your meals, and—" Elsa nears her sister's bed. "You're usually more thirsty when you're sick."
"I'm not sick."
Elsa blushes in slight embarrassment. Naturally, she assumed being injured is close to being sick. "Oh…" She doesn't like how Anna sounds. Like the light and warmth was snuffed from her. She should be happy, smiling, and exploring the outdoors, like she always wanted. Not be here and avoid her meals because of a— a man…
It begins to snow.
Control. Control. Have control of your emotions, Elsa, the queen thinks.
Emotions. Elsa is neglecting how Anna might feel after this predicament. She has every right to feel this way, and she may need a little more time. Or… maybe Elsa needs to be a caring sister. She needs to be assuring.
So, Elsa makes her decision. She slowly gets into Anna's bed, so that she won't startle the young vampire. She moves around to get more comfortable. All the shifting causes Anna to peak from her cocoon. The princess raises her eyebrow at her sister.
"What're you doing?" Anna murmurs.
"Oh, me? Just lying here," hums the queen.
If that didn't sound completely suspicious, then call Anna a duck. Last night, you said you have a lot of queen duties today."
"I do. But, I'll lay here. with you."
At this, Anna fully uncovers her head from the blankets. Queen duties are far more important than lying here. "Oh…"
"Is that okay?"
Anna nods.
They lay in silence for a while. Despite the suspicion, it's comfortable. Having her sister in bed, doing absolutely nothing. And yet, Anna can feel the energy radiating off Elsa. they can't lay in bed. No matter how much Anna wishes this can last all day. That is a selfish feeling, to have the most important person in Arendelle lie here in bed with her. So the princess counts—slowly— to sixty before speaking—
right when Elsa does.
"Anna—"
"Elsa—"
Elsa giggles.
"You go first," Anna insists.
"Okay. Um, okay." Elsa turns on her side to get a full view of Anna's face. "I'm sorry. I was so angry and worried about you and very relieved that you are okay. I don't regret my words last night—"
Anna's heart sinks a bit.
"—but it never occurred to me how you may have felt, or feeling right now. After all, you're the one who got hurt. Not me. I have no right to, um, neglect your feelings. So, I'm sorry, Anna. If you want, we can just sit here and not worry about the day. Or we can talk about how you're feeling. Or talk about, I dunno," Elsa waves her hand, and a snow butterfly forms and flutters away. "butterflies?" Making that butterfly was an accident so the queen cast it away.
It's like— reassurance is all that Anna needs. Maybe it'll do her some good to talk about her feelings. Anna needs to hear some solace. She suddenly sits up, hastily wiping away her eyes before the tears come. "I don't— like staying in my room, Elsa. Or the castle. Stepping out in the open gates was… everything I can wish for. And I made a mistake." yes. Anna can finally accept that she made a mistake with trusting Prince Hans. "I know vampires are bad. I… tell me that I'm not bad." If her sister doesn't see her as the very entity that kills and sucks blood, then Anna will be fine. More than fine actually. She is a good vampire so long as Elsa sees her as one.
"You are not." Elsa firmly says, sitting up and boring her eyes into Anna's.
"Then why do I feel like this?" So bad. So… evil.
"It's okay to feel this way. You made a mistake. it's okay to make mistakes. This is how we learn. But you are not a bad vampire. You are good. And innocence. And beautiful. Men like the prince are horrible and vile to try to take away something as beautiful as you are. "
Anna takes a deep breath, looking up at the ceiling to blink away the tears. The tremendous weight on her shoulders is gone. "Okay." Just one more thing. Anna places a fist over her heart and looks at Elsa. "I'm afraid… that I may do something wrong again— and you'll be upset, or— or— there's more like him."
Elsa reaches out to pull her in an embrace. "I will always protect you, Anna." She pats her back. "You don't have to worry."
Anna hugs her tighter. The irony is sweet. Anna is, like, 10,000 percent stronger and faster than Elsa. And seeing Elsa so determined to keep a half-vampire safe is very sweet. Too bad she was too injured to see her sister in action. Anna leans back. "Aww! I didn't even get to see you fight. I bet you were awesome!"
Elsa chuckles. "Well, you didn't miss much. And let's hope I don't have to use my skills because you're in danger again."
From what Prince Hans had said, I am danger. A danger to humanity. "You can show me some other time— with one of the guards. Or three! I bet you beat them all!"
Elsa laughs. "Of course. But— you should drink." Elsa goes to grab a goblet off the dresser and returns to bed. Anna takes the cup, the thirst becomes clear now. Elsa patiently waits, as Anna lifts the cups to her lips. Elsa usually doesn't watch Anna drink blood. Because of privacy or something. Or it might be— uncanny seeing someone enjoy drinking blood— the very thing that she has. Maybe this time, Elsa is making sure that Anna will drink her meals.
"What does it taste like?" Elsa asks, innocently. When Anna hums in confusion, Elsa clarifies, "Blood. What does it taste like?"
"Oh! um, it's sweet but not like candy treats, it's kinda hard to explain— would… would you like to taste it?" That was a stupid question Anna, she mentally scolds herself. Of course, Elsa wouldn't want to taste this! It's blood! Blood from a prisoner at that! There is no way— no absolutely not a snowflake's chance on a hot summer day— that Elsa would—
"Sure—"
Wh-hat?!
"Only! if you promise to enjoy this day." Elsa says, smiling. "You don't have to go outside, but I do want to see you tonight at the ball."
Anna could do that. It's a fair trade. "O-okay," and she passes the goblet to Elsa.
The queen peeks into the goblet and lets go of a small titter. Elsa glances at Anna quickly— and oh god, oh god…
Anna can feel her heart quicken. She chews her bottom lip, mentally commanding her body not to jump due to the anticipation. Would she like it? Would it be sweet? Probably not since the blood has been sitting out for hours— what about bittersweet like salted chocolates? Sometimes not-so-fresh blood can taste like that. Or just bitter— though come to think about it, sometimes fresh blood can sometimes taste bitter. Anna shouldn't be complaining. She's about to witness a rare phenomenon!
Elsa dips the tip of her finger into the cup. It's amazing that Anna has this much resistance. She could vividly picture herself pouncing on her sister. The tingles run up and down her most intimate parts of her body.
Anna could die peacefully watching her sister's finger pop into her mouth. The princess entertains her imagination that it's actually her finger in Elsa's mouth, moaning delightedly at the sucking sensation. Along with the muscles and the wetness. God, how she wishes it was her finger.
Anna relishes this split moment of Elsa's finger in her mouth and laughs loudly when Elsa's face contorts into pure aversion. Elsa removes her finger with a "blah! I'm going to need strong tea to get rid of the taste. Are you sure it's sweet?"
"Very sweet," Anna says. Her voice sounds odd. Very slow and relaxed. There's a smudge of blood on her bottom lip. Anna reaches out and smears it away with her thumb. She hears two things: Elsa hitching her breath and her heart skipping a beat. "Almost better than chocolate." Anna licks away the residue, smiling.
Elsa swallows. "W-well a promise is a promise." She passes the cup. Anna graciously takes it, feeling much better than this morning. "Drink up and I'll see you tonight." She stands. Anna feels a quick rush of panic.
"Wait, where are you going?"
"I have lots to do. Letters to write and speeches to drafts, parties to approve. The day is yours. Go see the festivals. Your guards are already outside. And I'll certainly see you tonight at the ball."
"Well… can I stay with you? While you do your queen-work? I'll be extra quiet!"
"Honestly, Anna, the things I do are quite boring. You won't last forty-five minutes." She smirks at that part. The feeling to prove her wrong flares in Anna.
"I can! I can read a book. Or do some painting—" the last time she did painting was of her mother sitting in the garden. It was a poor painting that she had it thrown away. Oh, how she regrets her decision now. "I can paint you!"
Elsa giggles. "Go outside Anna, enjoy the open doors. See you at the ball tonight. And you can sleep in my room."
Anna's eyes light up. "Really?"
"Of course," Elsa mutters, planting a kiss on Anna's cheek, then leaves.
Anna happily finishes her cups.
The place is disgusting—
And just to point out— Hans is certainly not expecting clean walls, majestic beddings, and the finest furniture in a dungeon, but Norse, the place is disgusting. It wouldn't make a difference if they had thrown him in the stables with the swine. In fact, his white jacket had already succumbed to this filth when he woke up on the hard cold floor. Hans wants to burn all the dirt and grimness of his cell. Though— that would give his abilities away to the guards. They're keeping watchful eyes on the prince. That instantly cancels all creative ideas for an escape. The Ignis needs a low deceptive profile.
Hans ruminates on his approaching punishment. Surely, death awaits him, grinning like a toddler seeing milk. What Hans doesn't know is when. And he will take the waiting trial as his advantage. Perhaps to convince the Queen—
Oh. that. Queen Elsa knows. She knows that Anna is the vampire— protected Anna as if she was her mother—
but does Queen Elsa know that Anna is harboring a certain doom? Coming nearer in time? It doesn't seem so. Would he be able to convince her that? He is a man of charms, thanks to his looks. Yet Queen Elsa is cold as ice under the warm queen-ly manner she showed to the kingdom hours ago. It would take more than looks and charms to get her to understand. Besides— she's more than likely distrusting since he did try to behead her sister. Which begs to question— why did she spare him?
She could have easily dismembered him with her ice sword—and! who would have guessed that she could handle a sword like the best knights a kingdom could have? Do know that he's not being discriminating— his Ignis sisters could use a sword— hell, they have sparring matches for the fun of it! He's seen his sisters in battles against the deadliest demons to walk on the earth. It's just… it's very refreshing to see something quite like Queen Elsa and her abilities.
Hans shakes his head. His purpose. His purpose is the priority. His purpose is more important than an ice Queen and her doom-bringer sister. The fate of humanity rests in his fiery hands and he will not allow a queen with such beauty with similar powers to hinder it!
—it's probably the reason why she spared his life. Seeing that he could conjure and manipulate fire— the polar opposite element of hers. He can admit that he lost control. Almost. He almost lost control. Oh, how his siblings would be disappointed in him. Especially Fredrick.
He needs to send a message to Curtis and his siblings.
When the guards aren't looking— which takes a few painful hours— Hans sheds off his gloves and tucks them into his coat pocket. He flexes his fingers to prepare his magic. It's standard procedure for a situation like this. To send a phoenix made of fire, you must have a calm state and have a clear image of the receiver in mind.
When getting to the Ignis members, the phoenix will do either two things for its' message:
If the phoenix flaps its wings and flies away from it, diminishing to nothing as doing the message is this; I'm captured/stuck. I will figure a way out. Don't come. It's just to bring awareness to the Ignis siblings— just in case they begin to wonder. It is reassuring.
If the phoenix flies and explodes in front of the receiver, the message is quite simple. HELP.
Hans makes small fluid motions with his fingers in certain practiced movements. His message is reassuring. A small fiery phoenix bows before flitting away from the small window of the dungeon.
Now for the hard part.
Waiting.
GTG: The next chapter will be the climax. You really don't want to miss it.