Pieces of the Past
A few hours later, the trio had managed to return to their hotel in their unscathed second getaway car without arousing any suspicion or any unwanted attention. Currently, they were sitting in Kristoff's hotel room, staring at the reliquary box they had managed to steal.
"Okay. Let's see what's inside this thing," Elsa said, reaching over the table for the reliquary box when Anna suddenly shot forward and slapped her hand away.
"Wait, wait. Wait! Just… just hang on minute, Elsa!" Anna said carefully, eyeing the relic container suspiciously. "Let's not rush anything now."
"Ouch," Elsa muttered, rubbing her hand and shooting Anna an irritated glance. "What's the matter, Anna? You're the one who dragged us all the way out here for this."
"I know! I just think we need to be careful, that's all," Anna replied without taking her eye off the container, fretting over it as if it were cursed.
"Careful? Anna, a few hours ago, you were leaping through the air and swinging on chandeliers like a monkey, and now you want to be careful?" Kristoff remarked, chuckling to himself.
"Well, what if this is one of those ark of the covenant face-melty type things?" Anna fretted. "What if… what if we open and release some kind of evil spirit or something?"
"Anna, this is not an ark of the covenant face-melty type thing," Kristoff scoffed. "You watch too many movies."
"Is that… a reference to something? I don't understand," Elsa cut in, however her comment went ignored.
"Okay, then you open it!" Anna shot back in a challenging tone, jabbing her finger in his direction. "Mister I'm so brave and I don't care about ancient curses."
Kristoff shrugged and reached over for the reliquary box. Meanwhile, Anna shuffled her chair next to Elsa and grabbed hold of her arm fearfully.
"Alright… here goes nothing," Kristoff muttered.
Using a knife, he carefully pried off the wax seal covering the clasp of the reliquary box. It resisted at first, before peeling away and crumbling into crusty particles. Elsa and Anna stared intensely, and the younger sister pressed herself tightly against Elsa's side as Kristoff lifted the clasp and opened the container.
"It's… there's something…" Kristoff whispered.
Elsa and Anna leaned further in.
"What is it?" Elsa asked, nervousness creeping into her voice.
"I… can't look away…" Kristoff winced as if in pain and tried to pull away. "It- it hurts! Aagh! Aaaahhhh!"
Anna shrieked in terror and couldn't decide whether to jump in fright or clutch Elsa more tightly, so she did both. She jumped, banging her knee loudly against the bottom of the table as she leapt into Elsa's arms. They heard laughter then, and Anna looked upwards to see Kristoff clutching his sides and laughing in delight.
"I'm just joking!" Kristoff cackled and wiped a tear from his eye. "Here, have a look," he slid the reliquary box over the table, still laughing as he did.
"Fuck off," Anna punched him on the arm and took hold of the reliquary box.
She heard a snort of laughter next to her and glared at Elsa, who smiled ruefully in response. Sighing deeply, Anna leaned over the open reliquary box in front of her to examine its contents. Kristoff continued to giggle to himself, while Elsa drew further in alongside Anna.
Inside was a small leather-bound journal that had been evidently very timeworn. It's edges were wrinkled, the covering was softened by moisture, and the pages were deeply yellowed. Anna gasped softly as she gently removed the journal from its container.
"Holy shit," Anna muttered.
She carefully lifted the cover, and began leafing through its pages delicately. Despite its age and being smudged in some places, the text remained clear and legible.
Kristoff finally composed himself and leaned in, his curiosity piqued by Anna's slack-jawed look. "What is it?" he asked.
"Well, I- I can't read it, it's in German. But… this has to be Rahn's journal!" Anna exclaimed, turning to look at Elsa in excitement. "This has gotta be it!"
"Here, let me see," Elsa said. "I haven't practiced my German in a while, but maybe I can read it."
Anna shifted the journal over to Elsa, and paused as she examined the page it was open on. The first entry was dated August 23rd, 1938. Elsa whispered to herself, sounding out vowels and consonants as she read the German handwriting.
"Ich kann nicht anfangen, die Schrecken zu beschreiben…" Elsa spoke aloud, when Anna interrupted her.
"Elsa… you're uh… reading in German." Anna said embarrassedly.
"Oh! Right, sorry," Elsa apologized, then began again, this time reading much slower so she can translate the German words into English for her companions.
23rd of August, 1938
I cannot begin to describe the horrors that I have witnessed at Dachau. I feel that any attempt of mine to define or quantify the magnitude of human suffering that I have seen, or the brutal capacity for evil that I have been a part of, will fail to adequately describe them.
The Jews, the gypsies, the homosexuals, they are all treated worse than animals or vermin. Those who can work, toil in the cold and mud ceaselessly without rest. Those who cannot work are shot and taken to the crematoriums. Still, this is a far better fate than that which awaits those who are taken away for Doctor Rascher's experiments.
What they do there, I will not speak of here. The mere thought shocks and repulses me to my core, and I fear even the recollection of my experiences so much so that the physical act of writing them causes me tremendous pain. Still, it is nothing in comparison to what the prisoners suffer.
It is a cruel fate that I must abide by these sufferings, that my fellow countrymen and peers must endure these horrors while I attend to them. Himmler is aware of my own interests, and he must have sent me here to witness the fate that awaits those like me.
Elsa swallowed a lump in her throat, then turned to the next entry.
2nd of November, 1938
Himmler and the party grow more and more displeased with me by the day. With each day that passes, he grows more impatient, more frustrated, and demands more results. They are distracted by other more pressing matters and can afford no more mistakes. I do not know what, but they seem to be preparing for something. There is talk of war on the horizon.
I can no longer guarantee my own safety. Himmler has tolerated me this long thanks to my expertise on the grail, but I fear his patience has reached its end. He has threatened to send me back to Dachau, not as a guard but as a prisoner.
I must find a way out.
Anna gasped softly, her suspicions having just been confirmed. Open in front of Elsa was indeed the journal of Otto Rahn, and Anna urged her to continue reading. Elsa flipped through a few more pages, until she reached the final and latest entry.
12th of February, 1939
The Gestapo are coming for me. They have already raided my home and seized all of my research. I need to get away, but I cannot let them defile my work and appropriate it for their perverse goals.
How much history have the Nazis already stolen? How much more of the world will rot because of their corruption? War is all but certain, and I fear that Germany will soon unleash its terrible power across Europe.
Himmler has been removing those no longer essential to his plans, and he has emptied Wewelsburg. The artifacts he has stolen are being relocated to a more secure bunker in Austria. It is likely that my research has been moved there as well. I believe that Himmler intends to dispose of me and continue his search for the grail, hidden in safety in the mountains of Tyrol.
I must go there and destroy it if I can. I will not let my life's work fall into the wrong hands.
Elsa finished reading the last entry and as she flipped over to the next page, a small torn scrap of paper that had been folded up and tucked away fell out. She picked it up, turning it over to inspect it, then laid it flat on the table. Slowly, Elsa unfolded the scrap of paper, revealing a crude drawing of a map, detailing the route to the hidden Nazi bunker that Rahn spoke of in his last journal entry. In the top right corner was scrawled a series of coordinates, revealing its exact location.
Anna sat with her mouth agape, Elsa chewed her lip in thought, and Kristoff clapped his hands behind his head and exhaled. For a long minute, they all regarded the new information in silence.
"You were right, Anna," Elsa murmured softly.
A grin slowly spread across Anna's face. "I... fucking... knew it!" she yelled triumphantly, leaping off her chair and pumping her fists. "Yes! I knew it! Haha!"
Her grin widened across her cheeks and her eyes lit up in excitement. She was positively bouncing, laughing in delight and jubilation as she made no effort to contain the energy in her body.
Kristoff broke into laughter as well, while Elsa allowed herself a small celebratory smile as she gazed at Anna. She was a picture of pure joy, giddy and bursting with enough happiness and light that just for a moment, Elsa saw a flash of Anna's younger self in her place. It was as if Elsa caught the briefest glance into a window of their shared past, before the troubles came and before Anna had fallen into the ice.
The smile on Elsa's face faltered when she realized she hadn't heard Anna laugh or seen her smile like that since they were children. As quickly as the moment appeared, it was gone again, and its final gift to Elsa was its painful remembrance.
In her celebration, Anna failed to notice the shadow that had settled over Elsa's features. When she turned back to her older sister, she saw that strange faraway and pained look on her face if only for a second before Elsa caught her eye and plastered on a fake smile.
"Do you know what this means?!" Anna exclaimed. "It's true, all of it! The stories and the legends! It's real, the grail is really out there just waiting to be found!"
"Well, this Rahn guy never stated that they found it, only that the next clue is waiting for us in Austria," Kristoff said thoughtfully, scratching his jaw.
"Way to rain on my parade," Anna slapped Kristoff on the arm. "This is still the most solid lead we've come across."
"Well, lucky for us, this place ain't that far," Kristoff said. "Austria is just over the border. Not even worth flying there when it's a really short drive."
Elsa had remained in thoughtful silence. Up until this point, she was staring at the map on the table with a great degree of concentration, while her mind anticipated the next difficulties sure to come over the next leg of their journey. A small part of her had been hoping that Rahn's reliquary would be empty, or that they would find no other clue to the grail. Yet, sitting in front of her was more conclusive evidence that was undeniable. Anna would certainly pursue this, and the thought of it troubled Elsa deeply. She glanced at Anna, and again saw that worrisome spark in her eyes that settled there when she made up her mind on something.
Suddenly feeling very tired, Elsa rose to excuse herself. "If it's all the same to you, we've had a rather eventful day and I'd like to get some rest," she said. "You can fill me in on the rest tomorrow."
And with that, she turned away from the round table they had been seated at and was nearly out the door of Kristoff's hotel room when she was forced to stop by a single voice.
"Oh… okay. Goodnight, Elsa," Anna said quietly, her earlier excitement having vanished completely.
Elsa didn't answer, but turned halfway and nodded her goodbye. Then, she headed off in the direction of her own room, clicking the door shut softly behind her.
Anna sighed deeply when Elsa was gone, all of a sudden feeling very tired herself. Kristoff fixed her with an odd look, before shifting his gaze downwards at the table as he twiddled his thumbs.
"Something on your mind?" Anna said tiredly, rubbing her eyes with her palm.
"Are you sure it's a good idea to bring her along?" Kristoff asked bluntly. "I mean, if I recall correctly, it was Elsa who wanted out of the game. And she's been out of it for a while. Didn't you say she has a whole different life now?"
"Yes… but this is different," Anna sighed. "She's the only one I trust on this, other than you of course. Besides, she can leave anytime she wants, but she's still here isn't she? Do you see a gun to her head? She was meant for this life."
"I'm just looking out for you. Remember the last time she left us?
Anna flinched at the unsavory memory that Kristoff had dredged up. Three years later and she still regretted what she had said to Elsa that day.
"I know you are, but things are different this time," Anna said as she rose and started towards the door. "Just trust me on this one, alright?"
"Sure, if you say so. But if we find out she bailed on us again tomorrow, don't say I didn't warn you," Kristoff yawned as he leaned back in his chair and stretched.
"She won't," Anna shook her head adamantly. "Not this time."
God, I hope she doesn't leave me again, Anna thought.
