Kai smoothed the sheets down for the fiftieth time. This was the worst night... ever, actually. Even the death of the beloved king and queen, may they rest in peace, had not been this bad. Fires still raged. The princess was still missing, and the hospital was filled with the wounded.
Worst of all, the council was outside the door. They demanded to see the queen. Gerta had informed them she was in no condition to receive visitors and they gave her no end of grievances. It made sense they would feel that way. Before the ascension of the queen, they had ruled Arrendelle. Her coronation had stripped them of a great deal of power.
He wondered if it even mattered to them how many people were suffering out there; friends, brothers, fathers... and daughters...
However, Elsa was alive, and that mattered very, very much.
The steady rise and fall of her chest meant that she was still in charge. Hopefully she would straighten them all out.
Kai was drawing his cloth across her forehead, dropping some water into her mouth. Her eyes fluttered open. He bowed immediately.
"Cuuh... cuh..."
"Sh... it's alright, your majesty," He assured her. She shook her head.
"Hans...?"
"Gone."
She clenched her eyes shut. Frustration started to well up inside her, "...how many?"
"Your high-"
"How. Many?"
"...we're not sure yet. Almost a hundred dead or wounded."
She let out a breath, "That's..."
"Horrible?"
"Surprisingly low."
He bowed his head. She sat up. For a moment, confusion set in as she orientated herself. First, her hands went to the wound on her head. Noticing it was patched up, the fingers kept going, illuminating the previous night's events. The queen let out a gasp as she touched her scalp.
"Ah!" She bit her lip. Her fingers drew away as if electrocuted.
"Your majesty... it seems as though you were assaulted." He swallowed hard.
She clenched her eyes, "Was I...?"
"We're not sure about all that happened," He hastily added, "But we do know who dragged you out of that cell."
She lit her gaze upon him in surprise, "Hans?"
He nodded, shocked she had guessed.
"Mirror," She commanded. Kai swallowed hard.
Few know how hard it is to have no hair. Indeed, across the world, hair is viewed as a sign of honor. Only in extreme cases, those engaging themselves in cases of virtue, is hair removed. When a woman looses her hair, due to age or illness, the psychological trauma can be somewhat extreme.
Wide, hurt eyes searched the glass for a familiar face, as if the platinum locks had taken Elsa away and left a hurt young woman.
The door thudded as council members demanded entrance. Elsa curled up, sobbing.
"I'll tell them to leave," Kai excused himself.
Her small, pale fingers searched her scalp, finding only trace pieces. She had heard that sometimes it didn't grow back when cut. She remembered her mother's beautiful locks. How rich and silky they were. So extravagant, ladies from across the known world would compliment her on them, leading to friendships, then trade agreements.
"Hair worth its weight in gold," Elsa let out, the pain in her voice.
She hated this whole thing. But no amount of hate could make it grow back. She curled up, sticking herself firmly into a ball. The young queen wanted to block out the whole world, and never, ever let anyone see her again. Who would do this to her. Her hair was... she just loved it. It was so much more obedient than Anna's- falling to just the right length.
She let out another sob.
The activity outside the door escalated.
"NO!" Elsa let out a burst of cold, freezing the entire room. That did it. The noise stopped and Elsa knew what she had to do.
Creating a new outfit for herself; fluffy snow imitating furs, Elsa puffed herself a nice hat to cover her head.
Ripping the doors open, she used her queenly commanding tone to inform the council that she required rest, and that they would best serve her by finding out what damage had been done.
They were not welcome into the castle until everyone had been accounted for. Period.
She then slammed the door in their faces, huffing.
Her hand went to the hat before she stopped herself.
Taking a breath, Elsa clenched her hands together. It would regrow. It would be beautiful. She was queen, Anna was princess, Kristoff was a weirdo, and Hans...
Hans was still a mystery.