MANY YEARS LATER
Anna swore that the carriage driver was hitting every single rock and dip in the road. If she came away from this with no bruises, it would be a miracle. She pushed that thought from her mind. So much had changed recently, and not for the better. If anything, she wished the last couple of years never happened. Maybe Elsa was lucky that she wasn't around to experience it.
Then again, Elsa had been locked up in an asylum for the criminal, and the insane. Elsa didn't deserve it. For the first time, these two sisters were going to be reunited. It broke Anna's heart that it wasn't under better circumstances. Would Elsa even recognize her? Would she recognize Elsa? Anna gently turns the envelope in her hands over and over. A simple piece of paper that only carries the weight of the world…and the fate of the entire kingdom of Arendelle, as well as the entire population. When the carriage pulls up, Anna gets out, and is awestruck. This place is built like a forbidding stone fortress. No windows. A high wall, with guard posts.
The kind of place where people go in…and don't come out.
And somewhere inside is her sister.
Even with winter's chill in the air, Anna still feels a shiver going down her spine.
Under the escort of the asylum's guard, Anna fortuitously walks in the building, and comes to a simple desk. The man sitting at it looks like he'd rather be anywhere else and thinking that the pay wasn't worth the endless boredom. "State your name and business." He rattles off listlessly, probably for the dozenth time that day. "Princess Anna of Arendelle." She pulls down her hood, her ponytail coming free. "I'm here to see Princess Elsa."
This petty functionary is unimpressed and doesn't even stand up. He barely makes eye contact with her. Anna hands over the letter. The man takes it roughly, skimming over it. "Alright." He grunts. "Follow him and stay close. And whatever you do, don't stare."
"At what?" She asks, already on edge.
"Any of it."
Anna brushes this aside. Twisted mutterings of someone whose spent too long at one job. Another guard leads her though the facility. The sounds of cries and screams echo all over the place. At every new one, Anna glances over her shoulder. She does her best to steel her nerves, mentally preparing for the task at hand. In this wing, the prisoner, or patients, Anna couldn't tell which, were stuffed into cells so tightly they might not even be able to sit down.
As Anna passed, they populace reached for her, all of them wanting a piece of her. All of them hooting and hollering. She pulls her coat around her a little tighter. Anna certainly hadn't been prepared for this. Didn't they know who she was? Did they even care? There was no doubt in the mind that all of them wanted her for their nefarious purposes. She breathed a sigh of relief when they finally got out of there. A long hallway leading to a spiral staircase. Down and down they go, the guard leading the way with a torch.
Finally getting to the bottom, it opened into a large room. The only thing present is a single cell, surrounded by guards armed with muskets and bladed weapons. This is where they were keeping Elsa? Anna thought. Don't they realize this is completely unnecessary? Elsa would never hurt anyone! Right?
"Go about your business." The guard barks. "Make it quick."
Anna steps up to the small barred window in the door and peers in. Her heart breaks once again and the tears come. She chokes down a sob. There, in the darkness, chained up like an animal is her sister. "Elsa?" She chokes. No response. Nothing. Was she dead? No. Elsa couldn't be dead. There was a slight flurry of snowflakes in her cell. "Elsa, it's me." Anna tries again. Elsa doesn't even stir. "Open this door!" She orders to the guard. He doesn't move. "I can't do that. Standing orders."
"Let me remind you that I am Princess Anna of Arendelle. My father is the king!" She insists, finding her voice. "I order you to open this door at once so I can speak to my sister!" Not wanting to invite the wrath of the crown, the guard takes a keyring off his waist. It jingles with the sound of a near infinite number of keys. He picks a large one and sticks it in the keyhole. With a thud, the lock disengages, and the door swings open on rusty hinges. Satisfied, Anna steps in, surprised that snow accumulated on the floor. It's not lost on her that the other guards ringing the room have closed in, muskets at the ready. Would they shoot her? Anna didn't put it past them.
Kneeling, Anna comes face to face with her sister. "Elsa?" She whispers. "Elsa, it's me, Anna." She reaches to brush a few strands of Elsa's blonde hair out of her face. "Don't touch the prisoner!" A guard shouts. Anna barely nods in frustration. What she would give to be able to hug Elsa again… "Elsa, if you can hear me, we need to talk. Please look at me."
Anna almost gives up when Elsa finally stirs. She lifts her heavy head, her piercing blue eyes blazing in the near total darkness. Anna gasps softly when she clearly sees the state her sister is in. Dried blood on her clothes. Cuts. Bruises. Scars. It looked like Elsa had been through hell and back. Anna had heard stories about this place. None of it good. She chalked it up the gossip of the citizenry who had nothing else better to do than sit around telling each other tall tales.
Still, it was clear that the guards took turns beating Elsa over and over. To lay a hand on a defenseless prisoner was bad enough. On top of that, a princess of Arendelle? Unforgivable. Already Anna was thinking about how to extract justice for Elsa. Another problem for another day. Just one more for the pile.
"Anna…" Elsa painfully whispers. "I've missed you."
"I'm glad I finally found you." Anna didn't know what else to say. What does one say in the situation like this?
"You shouldn't be here."
"I've come to bring you home."
Elsa cracks a small smile. "Is that so?" She coughs.
"Yes. I'll be right back." Anna gets up, and furiously confronts the guard. She flashes the letter again. "By order of the king, you are ordered to release Princess Elsa into my care."
The guard turns the letter over and over. It sure looked legitimate. There was no mistaking the waxen royal seal. "Alright." Another key on the keyring. With it he unlocks Elsa's gauntlets. Weakened, she collapses to the floor. Anna runs to assist her back to her feet. Elsa rubs her wrists, feeling the circulation return to her hands. Her first taste of freedom in years. Now, Elsa had been chained in a perpetual kneeling position; standing completely upright almost felt foreign to her. her blood was rushing back into muscles that she forgot she had. Moving around wasn't going to be much fun.
Getting a full look at her sister, Anna could tell Elsa had lost weight. Almost too much. "I'll make them pay." Elsa croaks. Her anger boiling to the surface.
"Elsa, don't. Not now. Not like this." Anna could tell that the guards were tensing up. She knew that the slightest provocation would invite a hail of bullets. "Let's just get you home." Elsa was still trying to get her legs under her as she mounted the stairs. Through the gauntlet of rowdy prisoners, which were now strangely quiet. As Elsa walked the halls, they instinctively backed against the wall, giving her a wide berth. whether it was out of respect, or fear, Anna couldn't tell. Elsa just kept her eyes straight ahead, as if not even registering what was going on.
Then, finally, to the carriage. Elsa stepped into the cold, winter sun and sucked in a deep breath. "Winter is here." She observes. Even deep in the asylum, Elsa could feel in her bones when winter was coming. The one time of the year she looked forward to.
"Would you like a coat?" Anna tried offering hers.
"I'm OK. Let's just go home."
Anna helped Elsa into the carriage. "Just take it slow." She says to the driver.
He bows his head. "Of course, your highness."
The carriage rolls slowly back to the capitol city. Anna could only begin to guess how many hours this would take. She felt bad for the driver who was completely exposed to the elements up there. She hoped that he was warm enough under all those layers. Elsa stares out the window at the passing scenery. Towering, majestic spruces and pines. Mighty snow-capped mountains. Even the ocean. "It's just as I remember it." Elsa mumbles to herself.
Anna had been looking for an opening. For what she had to discuss with Elsa was of the utmost importance and would rock her world to the core. Anna nervously rubbed her hands together, trying to make it look like she was keeping them warm. Except Elsa knew it was one of her nervous twitches. It bothered her that Anna just couldn't bring up whatever it was that was clearly bothering her.
So, Elsa provided her one. "What did you want to talk to me about?"
"Oh, it can wait until we get home. I just want to make sure that-"
"Out with it, Anna!" Elsa snaps.
Anna was taken aback. She had never known Elsa to raise her voice like that. Well, except towards the end, but circumstances and all that. "Um…there's no easy way to say this so I'm just going to say it." She purses her lips. The words on the tip of her tongue, fighting to get out.
"Well? What is it?" Elsa was quickly growing impatient.
"Elsa, our parents…they…they passed away."
Anna was right. Elsa recoiled at the news. She said nothing for the rest of the trip; just staring listlessly out the window. Anna swore she saw a couple of tears. "What happened?" Elsa finally asks.
"They were on their way to visit grandfather. They never made it. The search party found debris drifting on the water and…there was an iceberg." It wasn't hard to figure out. Even Elsa hadn't turned from the window as she seemed to be processing this. Something occurs to her. "Wait…who's ruling over the kingdom now?"
"For now, General Hans is steward until I bring you home."
A smile slowly spreads across Elsa's face. "Queen." She says. "All hail Queen Elsa."
Anna was glad to see Elsa smiling again. She suspected that her mind was playing tricks on her. She thought there was something sinister about Elsa's little proclamation.
