The Storm

The Celtic Sea


Anna finished lacing up her boots then walked over to their crate of armaments. She had dressed in warm clothing to anticipate the cooler temperatures and wet weather on the island, opting for a warm jumper beneath an olive green military jacket she had buttoned up. Additionally, she opted for a pair of navy blue jeans and her usual boots. However, as a change she decided to style her red hair into a half-up-half-down ponytail.

When she reached the crate, she picked up a Sig P320 pistol she acquired from Kristoff as a replacement for the one she lost in Sarras. As she inspected it, she turned it over in her hand and tested its grip and sights before removing the magazine to ensure it was loaded. Slotting it back in with a click, she racked the slide to chamber a round then flicked the safety on before putting it into her thigh holster.

Finished with her preparations, Anna strode towards the cockpit and peeked her head through the privacy screen separating it from the passenger compartment. "All done. How's the shoulder?" she asked Elsa who was seated next to Kristoff.

"A little better," Elsa replied as she flexed and tested her left arm. "It doesn't hurt too bad if I don't move move it much."

"Good, good," Anna nodded. "Well, we should change the bandages and take a look at it. Wouldn't want you to get an infection now."

"Probably a good idea," Elsa agreed. "I can change out of these hobo clothes as well," she said, referring to the sweatpants and long sleeve shirt she had changed into after their departure from Sarras.

She unbuckled her seat belt and rose, passing through the privacy screen that Anna held open as she walked towards their belongings.

"No peeking," Anna warned, jabbing a finger at Kristoff.

Kristoff chuckled. "You must have me mistaken for some kind of scoundrel, Anna. I would never."

With that, Anna turned around and let the screen fall back into place. She procured a medical bag from the back while Elsa sat down.

With her free hand, Elsa removed the sling from her left arm and set it aside. Next, she bunched up the material of her shirt near the bottom then held it to her collarbones so that she could take it off. She first wiggled her right arm free followed by her head, then she straightened out her left arm so that she could the pull her shirt down and extract her limb at the same time. Going slow so as not to aggravate her wound, the ordinarily quick and simple task took much longer than usual, so much so that Anna eventually stepped in to help.

"Here. Let me," Anna said as she took hold of the shirt and assisted Elsa.

"I can do it Anna. I'm fine," Elsa huffed.

One part of her felt resolved to deal with it on her own so as not to burden Anna, and another part also felt embarrassed due to the fact that she wore nothing else underneath but a navy blue sports bra.

"Shut up and stop being silly," Anna chided.

Elsa sighed and acquiesced, allowing Anna to shed the article of clothing and put it aside. Next, she knelt in front of Elsa as she laid out the contents of the medical bag and began busying herself with unwrapping the bandages from Elsa's shoulder. Meanwhile, Elsa became uncomfortably aware of how exposed she was and how near Anna was to her own body. She shielded her uncovered abdomen with her arms and looked everywhere else but at Anna.

"Here we go," Anna muttered as she unwrapped the last of the bandages and exposed the wound in Elsa's shoulder.

The entry wound was small, no larger than a dime thanks to the small caliber of pistol ammunition that was fired. The bullet had penetrated only flesh and anything larger likely would have pierced through the shoulder, which would have been a much more serious injury to deal with. After Kristoff had removed the bullet and stemmed the bleeding, he had stitched the wound shut while Elsa remained unconscious.

Anna inspected Kristoff's handiwork and nodded in affirmation when she saw that the stitches remained in place. For as big and burly as he was, Anna was surprised to note that Kristoff had a delicate touch. She sterilized her hands with rubbing alcohol before wetting a cloth and dabbing around the area as delicately but thoroughly as she could.

Meanwhile, Elsa winced sharply and made tentative eye contact with Anna.

"Sorry," Anna apologized. She smiled encouragingly, then turned back to focus on her work.

Elsa shook her head and gritted her teeth. "It's fine," she said in a strained voice.

"At least you'll have a cool scar when this heals. Like me!" Anna said as she tried to cheer Elsa up. "What doesn't kill you makes you stronger, and all that," she finished wiping the area clean, then acquired a fresh set of bandages and began wrapping them over Elsa's shoulder.

"Hooray," Elsa sighed miserably.

Anna took note of her sarcasm, but pressed on anyways. "Thank you, again. For, you know… taking a bullet for me and rescuing me from that river and, um, saving my life," she muttered as she worked.

"It's okay, Anna," Elsa said in a small voice. "You don't have to thank me."

"Maybe not, but I will anyway," Anna replied firmly. She finished wrapping the bandage and ensured it was snug, then snipped away the excess material. "There, all done. Oh, and take these. Painkillers," she dropped two pills into Elsa's hand and then handed her a water bottle.

Elsa downed the pills with a swig of water.

Meanwhile, Anna put everything away into the medical bag, and when she was done she smiled at Elsa. "You're my hero," she said sweetly and kissed Elsa on the cheek.

She turned away to start putting everything back into the medical bag and as she did, the smile never left her face.

Elsa nervously smiled as she flushed red and her heart fluttered. She rose and went over to her bag where she rummaged around until she found a clean gray pullover and her dark blue denim jacket with a fur collar. Elsa bunched up the pullover beneath the neck hole to make the task of putting it on easier when Anna stepped into help again.

"Anna, I can do it on my own," Elsa protested. "I don't need help."

"You don't think I know that? I know you're a badass, Elsa, but even badasses need help once in a while," Anna countered as she took hold of the pullover and held it out for Elsa to slide her arms through. "I'm helping you because I want to and because it's the least I can do."

Elsa conceded the point as she turned towards Anna and looped her arms through the pullover. Finished, she looked up and came face to face with Anna who stood in front of her. She still wore that gentl comforting smile and her teal eyes seemed to twinkle slightly. This close, Elsa could nearly count every freckle on Anna's cheeks, and that was when she noticed how near they were to each other. Her eyes drifted down Anna's cheeks, tracing along her jawline until they settled on her lips.

I could kiss her right now, it would be so easy. An intrusive thought spoke out as it entered Elsa's mind. I could just say it was the pills making me act funny.

"Um, Elsa? Yoo hoo, anybody home?" Anna said, snapping Elsa out of her thoughts.

Elsa looked down and saw that Anna was holding her leather holster out for her. "Oh, thank you," she muttered.

She accepted it and looped it around each of her shoulders before slotting her pistol that Kristoff had managed to recover from Sarras back into place. Next, she fished out a pair of black jeans, socks, and her boots. Tucking them under her arm, she turned and realized Anna was still watching her.

"Um, Anna," Elsa awkwardly gestured to the items she was holding.

"Mmhmm?" Anna nodded eagerly, then realized what Elsa's intentions were. "Oh, right! I'll just leave you to it then. Unless you... need help? What am I saying, of course you don't need help with that! Such a silly thing to ask. You probably want your privacy and here I am offering to… uh… I'm just gonna … head back up to the front now… " she chuckled sheepishly as she backed away towards the cockpit.

Elsa waited until Anna had left and closed the privacy screen behind her before she started changing. She slipped out of her sweatpants then wiggled her feet into her socks. After, she slid into her jeans and laced on her boots. Satisfied with her attire, she donned her denim jacket but left it unbuttoned so as to facilitate access to her weapon if she needed it. Then, she paused for a moment as she considered putting on the arm sling again, then thought against it. Elsa decided that she may have need of both arms and the pain was mostly bearable, though she would avoid using her left if she could. Before she returned to the cockpit, she ran a hand through her hair and tugged on the end of her signature braid to ensure it was all in order.

"Uh, Elsa? You better come take a look at this!" Anna called from the cockpit.

Elsa strode went the aisle and brushed the screen aside. "What's going on?" she asked.

"Nothing good," Kristoff muttered and pointed towards the horizon.

Ahead of them, the Isle of Avalon lay below. The archipelago consisted of a single large island surrounded by several smaller ones. Beyond the island, dark storm clouds were rapidly advancing towards them. Strong headwinds hamstrung their airspeed and it was certain that the storm would reach them first before they could get to the island.

"Can we get to the island in time?" Anna asked as she fidgeted in her seat nervously.

Kristoff sucked air through his teeth. "It'll be dicey... but Sven'll hold," he said.

"Well, can we turn around?" Elsa asked.

"Doubt it," Kristoff shook his head. "That storm will catch up to us before we can even make it back."

Anna looked back and locked eyes with Elsa. They didn't have to say so, but both of them could tell that they were each thinking about the same thing; their parents. It was a cruel twist of fate, or perhaps bitter irony, that the Kaldborg sisters were now staring down the very same thing that had the untimely demise of their parents. Elsa could read the anxiety on Anna's face, and she was certain Anna could read it on hers as well.

"Whoa, whoa… look! Down there," Kristoff said, snapping Elsa and Anna back to attention. "Who would be crazy enough to sail in this weather?"

Elsa stepped forward and peered over the dashboard down below. Three small ships were beating against the choppy waves, sailing directly towards the largest island.

"Who the hell else?" Anna scowled, already certain of who they were. "It's dickface Hans and his pet weasel."

"So much for the element of surprise then," Kristoff said.

"We have to keep going," Anna pressed. "They aren't gonna wait for the weather to clear up."

"Wait, Anna, this is crazy!" Elsa held up a hand to try and reason with her headstrong sister. "We're flying into a storm, are you out your mind?"

"Yep! Probably!" Anna replied as she unfastened her seat belt and brushed past Elsa. "Now, where did I put those things?" she walked towards the rear of the plane and began to rummage through various boxes and bags until she found what she was looking for.

Elsa followed behind and dodged a sock that flew through the air as Anna tossed it carelessly behind her. "Anna, just wait. There must be something else we can-"

"Aha!" Anna exclaimed as she withdrew a bright orange flotation vest. "One for you," she ignored Elsa's protests and handed her one, then she withdrew another vest and began putting it on. "And one for me."

A flash of lightning outside filled the interior of the plane with white light, followed by the deep rumble of a thunder clap. Elsa fretted in place until Anna placed a hand on her shoulder reassuringly.

"Look at me, Elsa."

"I am looking at you."

"I know, but everything is going to be fine. I promise."

"Shouldn't I be the one telling you that?"

Another thunderclap boomed outside and rain began to beat against the metal of the plane.

Kristoff flinched and gripped the steering yoke tighter. "Better buckle up, guys!" he turned and shouted into the passenger compartment. "This is gonna get hairy!"

Strong gusts of wind battered the plane, tossing it about violently while thick sheets of rain pelted against the metal like gunfire. They were jostled about relentlessly as Kristoff struggled to maintain control of Sven.

Elsa and Anna found their seats in the passenger compartment, each wearing a flotation vest and gripping the edges of their armrests as if their lives depended on it. Lightning flashed and thunder cracked outside at the same moment the plane was rocked by a heavy crosswind. Anna squeezed her eyes shut and reached around blindly until they found Elsa's right hand. Together, they interlocked their fingers and tightened their grip on each other's hands.

"I can see a beach ahead! I'm gonna try and put Sven down there!" Kristoff shouted over the cacophony of wind and rain. "Here we go," he began to lower their altitude and dialed back their airspeed as he fought against the heavy winds that buffeted against the plane. "Come on, boy! Don't let me down now!"

As they descended, more of the island came into view as it suddenly materialized out of the rain and fog. They were approaching a long flat strip of sand that bordered the edge of a dense tree line. It ran right along a sharp ridgeline that rose up to meet them. A second later, a blinding flash of light and a deafening boom shook the entire plane as a lightning bolt struck Sven's left engine.

"Shit!" Kristoff screamed.

The left engine was spewing thick smoke and belching flame. The propeller struggled for a moment, then sputtered and died. Sven started to lean heavily towards the left as the right engine limped on.

Straining against the steering yoke with all of his strength, Kristoff desperately attempted to correct their approach. "Keep it together, boy! Come on now!"

With only one engine, their altitude began to plummet at a dangerous rate. They were nearing the top of the ridgeline and at their current trajectory, they would surely crash into the side.

"Come on, come on, come on!" Kristoff yelled as he tried to pull Sven up with all his might. "Hang on!" his eyes widened when he realized they wouldn't make it.

Sven's left wing crashed through the tree line and tore off as it collided with the earth. The belly of the plane smashed through the top of the ridge as the plane came crashing down. The wind howled as the earth shook from the harsh contact.

They tumbled downwards, sliding down the incline of the ridge as they crashed through rocks and vegetation alike. All around them, metal screeched and shredded apart from the impact, tearing the plane down the midsection right between Elsa and Anna.

"Elsa!" Anna cried out, reaching with her hand as the front of the plane tore away.

The last thing she saw was Elsa's outstretched hand grasping thin air as the plane split into two pieces and broke away from each other.