Charon's Toll
Elsa's world was tumbling. At first her vision appeared upside down, then it righted itself, then it was upside down again, and on and on it went like this for several seconds. She realized dumbly that she was falling, shortly before she felt the cold impact against the water as the breath was ripped from her lungs.
Immediately, she clawed for the surface, but the turbulent rapids were tossing her body every which way and she couldn't tell up, down, or sideways. Her lungs were burning, and the impact had disoriented her as she desperately struggled against the current until finally breaking the surface and sucking in a deep gasp of air.
"Elsa!"
Elsa whirled her head around, trying to locate the sound of her sister's voice while fighting to remain afloat over the rushing river. Ahead of her, several meters away, she spotted Anna's fiery red hair dip below the surface, the sight of which filled Elsa with the peculiar sensation of cold dread and adrenaline all at once. She surged forward now, utilizing the speedy current and her own momentum to try and catch up to Anna who was still moving downriver.
Not again, Elsa thought. Please, not again.
Anna managed to surface once more and Elsa saw that her face was twisted in panic and terror, gasping while kicking and slapping at the water in an attempt to remain above the surface. Anna couldn't swim and she knew it. Elsa knew it too, and was using every last ounce of her waning strength to make it to her before she lost consciousness.
"Elsa, help m-!" Anna's voice was cut off once again as she sank beneath the surface.
Redoubling her efforts, Elsa paddled with her legs and alternated her arms in and out of the water in a front crawl as she began to close the distance between her and Anna. She did not feel the pain from the bullet wound in her shoulder, numbed as it was from the shock and cold.
"I'm coming, Anna!" Elsa shouted, more to herself since she was certain Anna could not hear her, but she called out all the same. "Just hold on!"
Fear was constricting her heart, tightening its grip with every passing second. Elsa knew that Anna wouldn't last much longer if she didn't catch up to her soon.
Not again. Let me save her. Please let me save her.
Elsa struggled and fought against the water, steadily making progress forward as she swam towards Anna, who continually bobbed above and below the surface as she struggled to remain afloat. As she reached Anna, Elsa curled her right arm around Anna's torso and pulled her in close to her chest to help her remain afloat while she tried to steer away from the current.
"I've got you!" Elsa shouted, though her voice was drowned out by the roaring river. "Hang on, Anna!"
Anna didn't respond, but instead coughed violently a few times. They were headed straight towards a waterfall that plummeted sharply downwards as the river carried them relentlessly towards it.
"Take a deep breath!" Elsa shouted, clutching Anna as tightly as she could as she wrapped both arms around her torso.
The current carried them over the edge and as they fell through the air, Elsa gulped down as much air as she could and held it in their lungs. She righted herself midair so she was falling towards the surface on her back to shield Anna from the impact. A second later, they slammed into water below, the force of which nearly ripped the air out from Elsa. As they sank deep below the surface, Elsa kicked with her legs as hard as she could, directing herself and Anna upwards. Desperation drove her, and soon she broke through the surface, greedily sucking down air as she righted herself and held Anna aloft above the surface of the water.
The underground river had spat them out of the waterfall that fed the oasis they encountered earlier. Looking around, Elsa was dimly aware that the night sky was visible and they were no longer underground. Thankful to be alive, she began swimming her way to the closest shoreline when she noticed that Anna had fallen eerily limp in her arms.
"Anna?" Elsa shook her slightly. "Anna?!"
Alarm filled her body and with her last dregs of strength, she turned around in the water so that her back was to the shore and corrected her grip around Anna so that she held her more securely. Elsa then adjusted Anna's head so that it leaned up and back against her shoulder while staying out of the water. Kicking with her legs and paddling with her free arm, she swam to shore in a backstroke as quickly as she could.
A few moments later, her feet reached solid ground and she stood, lifting Anna's unconscious body so that she cradled her in her arms while she limped the rest of the way onto dry land. Elsa fell to her knees, gently setting Anna down on her back and then she cradled her face in her hands.
Anna's skin was pale, leached of much of its color and was icy cold to the touch. Her eyes were shut and she drew no breath.
"No no no. Anna!" Elsa exclaimed in panic as she recognized the terrifyingly familiar sight.
She straightened immediately and placed one hand flat in the center of Anna's chest with her other hand directly on top. Then, she interlocked her fingers and began the chest compressions immediately, counting each one and keeping track of the seconds as they passed to the rhythm of a hundred beats per minute.
"No, no! Don't do this to me, Anna!" Elsa shouted. "Come on, Anna!"
She paused after another minute to lift Anna's chin and tilt her head slightly as she opened her mouth to clear her airway. Pinching Anna's nose shut, Elsa inhaled and pressed her open mouth against Anna's to blow air into her lungs. She continued this process, angling her head so that she could observe Anna's chest rise as her lungs expanded with air.
The very thought of pressing her lips against Anna's had been a fantasy of hers that she could not yet understand why she had it. Under the circumstances, she cursed her luck for the opportunity and yet found herself oddly gratified at the taboo contact. After a few more breaths, she paused and watched Anna's chest fall, an encouraging sign. She placed her hands over Anna's chest again as she began another round of compressions.
"Please, Anna, wake up," Elsa begged, searching her face for any signs of life. "I'm sorry, Anna, please, wake up. Anna, wake up!"
Tears were falling freely from her face as she attempted to revive Anna. Her movements were becoming more frantic, and she was practically beating on Anna's chest with her fists. Anna remained eerily still, and desperation fueled Elsa as she repositioned to blow more air into her lungs.
"I'm sorry, Anna. I'm so sorry!" Elsa sobbed. "Please, don't leave me. Don't go, Anna. I need you, please!"
She continued blowing air into Anna's lungs, refusing to give up her attempts to revive her as Elsa's grief, anger, pain, and fear fueled her panic. She couldn't think, save for the voice that echoed cruelly in her mind as it shouted unrelentingly.
This is all your fault! This is all your fault! This is all your fault!
Elsa pounded the sand with her fist, causing the pain to flare up in her shoulder as she wailed into the night. "Anna, please!" she screamed. "Wake up!."
She pounded on her chest a few more times, then positioned her face over Anna's. Her tears fell like perfect raindrops on Anna's cheeks as Elsa continued to violently sob, waves of fresh guilt washing through her. Still, Anna remained motionless and betrayed no other signs of life. Steeling her resolve, Elsa pressed her lips over Anna's open mouth to blow more rescue breaths into her lungs.
The kiss of life it was called, and Elsa kissed Anna with as much fervor and life as she could muster. If it meant her own, she would gladly pay it so that Anna could live.
Suddenly, Anna's eyes snapped open and she shot up, coughing and spewing up water as life returned to her body and breath returned to her lungs. She leaned to her side, hacking up the remaining fluid then turned over to look at Elsa.
"Anna!" Elsa cried out in jubilation, fresh tears falling from her eyes as she pulled Anna into a tight embrace.
"Elsa?" Anna croaked, coughing a few more times as she looked around in a daze. "How did we… what happened?"
Elsa hugged Anna as tight as she could, thankful beyond measure that Anna had come back, that she was alive. The intense fear she had felt moments ago faded instantly as her heart swelled with elation. She released Anna from her embrace and held her by her shoulders, looking deep into her teal eyes.
Anna looked down at her wet clothing then back up to Elsa. "Were you dancing on my chest?" she wheezed. "Feel like I've got a busted rib."
Elsa laughed through her tears as they made hot tracks down her face. Anna was here, she was alive. Elsa had done it, she had Anna pulled from death's icy claws, dragged her back from the edge of oblivion, and saved her. She looked deep into Anna's eyes and saw many things. They were slightly cloudy as Anna worked through the fog of her confusion while her senses returned to her. When they cleared, there was gratitude and faith as Anna breathed fresh air into her oxygen deprived lungs. Finally, there was a spark of devotion and love in her eyes so fierce that it ignited a fire of passion deep in Elsa's heart.
It was then, she seized the moment to kiss Anna.
Elsa's kiss was needy, hungry, and longing all at once. She poured every ounce of the love she carried for Anna into it as she squeezed her eyes shut. Every second of it was divine and pure bliss, and Elsa wished she could stay in the moment forever. Compared to the time that Anna spent unconscious, which had only been a matter of minutes, it felt like an eternity for Elsa as her mind straddled the line between accepting that Anna was gone and refusing to give up on her. She pulled her in as tight as humanly possible, lengthening the embrace and prolonging the rapturous kiss. Her hands wandered, guided by the urges she had suppressed, until her fingers entangled themselves in Anna's mass of silky strawberry locks on her head. Humming in contentment, Elsa breathed in Anna's essence greedily through her nose since her mouth was currently occupied. For a few moments, Elsa forgot the pain in her heart and the doubts in her mind as she surrendered fully to her urges.
Anna was surprised to say the least, and caught off guard as she was by Elsa's kiss, she held her hands in the air for a moment, unsure of what was happening. However, as Elsa practically purred in their embrace, Anna's own eyes fluttered shut and her hands settled upon Elsa's waist. Never before in her life had she ever been kissed with as much passion and intensity as Elsa was kissing her now. Anna felt Elsa working her soft, pillowy lips against hers, as if she were uttering a prayer and Anna was the answer. She responded in kind by matching the delicate dance of Elsa's lips with the movement of her own. It was with most utmost clarity that Anna tapped into her desires that had been running through her mind as she deepened the kiss. She ran her hands over Elsa's waist and up her back, settling behind her neck as she pulled her in further.
After a few more glorious seconds, Elsa pulled away and looked nearly delirious. Anna couldn't help but laugh at her sister's expression.
"Elsa?" Anna giggled softly and looked down, which was when she noticed the blood. "Elsa… Elsa! You're bleeding!"
Elsa's vision swam as darkness crept in and blurred the edges. Anna's face remained in focus as her teal eyes stared back at Elsa's with shock and concern. The pain throbbed relentlessly in her shoulder, demanding to be felt now that her adrenaline surge had passed. Distantly, she saw that Anna had cupped her face with her hands and was yelling her name even though she could no longer hear her. It didn't matter to Elsa, she had done it. Anna lived, and for a brief moment, Elsa got to feel her in a way she didn't think she ever could. It was enough, and if she died here, she could die happy.
Beautiful, Elsa thought. She's beautiful.
It was the last coherent thing that passed through her mind before the world fell away and she was swallowed whole by the encroaching blackness.
