"Elsa, you can't marry him!" I protested.
We were in the library of the Arendelle Castle. It hadn't change much, but it only just started with some of my favourite books already being taken out and being stored ready for Hans's fires in the winter. I remember his soldiers watching us told us that their emperor was going to turn this lovely and peaceful library into a torture room where he could beat and torture whomever he wanted, however he wanted and whenever he wanted.
The only other ladies with me to help Elsa with her wedding dress were Greda and Honeymaren. We were collected from our dungeon cells and escorted to the future torture room. While we were escorted, I was shocked to see what changes Hans was making to our home. All the portraits of Elsa and the past monarchs of Arendelle before us were removed and all of them were replaced with grand paintings of Hans. I guess it was his idea of making himself look heroic to the world and manipulating everyone in his kingdoms and every kingdom he intended to further conquer to worship him like he was a god. I saw some of mine and Elsa's favourite books, chairs, sofas, clothes, beds and picnic baskets taking to the blacksmith's and being burned to help make the weapons for Hans's powerful army.
When we were in the library, Hans's soldiers uncuffed me, Elsa and our friends so we could get her ready for her wedding and they told us to be quick because their emperor wanted to be married in less than an hour. The wedding dress wasn't a new one; it was our mother's when she married our father years ago, but it was old and dusty and it needed to be clean before Elsa could dress into it. Honeymaren and I dusted it and cleaned it quickly as we could.
We couldn't escape the room because more soldiers joined us into the room and they had their weapons ready in case we tried to escape. Elsa never forgot what Hans and his soldiers would do if she tried any of her magic to help herself or anybody from Arendelle, the Northuldra or the trolls escape. It was lucky that she managed to help Olaf escape before she had to surrender, but that was nearly two weeks ago and I was worried if my favorite snowman friend was getting into more trouble than finding help.
"You can't!" I repeated to my sister.
Elsa sighed. "What choice do I have, Anna? If I refuse or fight Hans, he might kill someone. I don't want that to happen. I know you're not officially my maid of honour for this wedding, but thank you for acting like one, Anna."
I didn't really feel I was much of a maid of honour myself not because I didn't have a dress for this wedding but because this was a very unhappy one for my sister. Then I turned to Hans's men. "We're ready."
The men cuffed us up again and escorted us to the Arendelle Cathedral.
First, my ship got attacked and my children got lost, then Arendelle got attacked and everyone including our troll and Northuldra friends were forced to surrender and now my sister were being forced to marry the very person who tried to kill her. Despite things looking very grim for everyone, I was trying my hardest be optimist and to look for any shred of hope anywhere I could.
Then I thought I found some. While we were being escorted out of the castle, I spotted a room with an open door. It appeared to be full of maps and drawings. I quickly sneaked into the room and hid behind the door to check that none of Hans's soldiers noticed me and they kept walking. I jumped into it because I thought I might find some clues to this mystery and hopefully showed it to Elsa before she had to marry Hans.
Despite still being cuffed up, I managed to search the room and saw plenty of maps, drawings and papers of information. The papers were written in a language I've never seen before so I couldn't read it. The maps showed locations I've never seen before and I couldn't even work out where they would be in the world and all the drawings showed some terrifying monsters, some strange magic and some objects as if they were all some part of a forgotten or undiscovered religion.
Then I saw a golden key on the desk. I thought it was the very one that could free Elsa's special handcuffs. That meant this room was being occupied by Hans's hooded priest and all this stuff belonged to him. I hadn't seen him since last morning so I couldn't work out what he could be up to and his difficult stuff wasn't helping me. The most I could make out of it was that he could be some sort of priest for this religion if this was what it was.
I couldn't see the connection between this stuff and Hans invading Arendelle and all the other kingdoms. Then I remembered what Grand Pebbie told me about how this very one person from anywhere in the world could either save us all or could only do worst damage than we were in right now. I couldn't imagine how this could get any worst, but I was wondering if all of the business of invading Arendelle was just a trap of the hooded priest to lure this person to here and Hans and this invasion could all be just parts of the priest's bigger plan.
I didn't dare take anything from this room in case the hooded priest might suspect anything. Then I saw the key to free Elsa. I started to think that if I could free her and our friends, we could come back to this room, show someone who might be an expert of this stuff like Grand Pebbie to make more sense of this and free Arendelle, Northuldra and the trolls from Hans and his empire. Through the window, I saw Elsa, Kristoff, Sven and the people from Arendelle and Northuldra were just approaching the cathedral. I quickly decided to grab the key before I ran out.
I managed to join everyone in queue in front of the cathedral and not be spotted by one of Hans's soldiers, so no one suspected anything. I quietly managed to sneak to Elsa and started to use the key to free her from her special handcuffs.
"Anna, what are you doing?" Elsa asked me.
"Giving us, Arendelle and everyone a chance to be free from Hans," I told her. I quietly continued to wriggle the key into the cuffs and they unlocked, but they didn't fall down.
"STOP!" Elsa screamed.
Everyone did.
"Keeping moving!" one of Hans's soldiers ordered.
Elsa's handcuffs fell down to the ground and marched to the soldier. "You and your men had better surrender," she retorted.
"You are not the ruler of here anymore," the soldier said. "So keep moving or one of your people will get hurt." He started to grab a little girl only about five years old, but he got trapped in ice. Only his face and neck were free from the ice.
"Are you all right?" Elsa said to the girl.
"Yes, Your Majesty," she said. "Thanks for freeing me."
"Get them!" one of Hans's soldiers yelled.
The men charged for us, but Elsa used her powers to fight them. Everyone else, including me, Kristoff and Sven, fought them as well. When all of them were knocked down or frozen, we all cheered.
"What do we do now, Elsa?" I asked.
All the people of Arendelle and Northuldra looked at her as she made her decision.
"One option I can think of is that we fight Hans and his army and take back Arendelle," Elsa said. "If we do, we might risk our lives. The only other option I can think is we take the ships, sail away for safety and build a brand new Arendelle. The Northuldra and the trolls would be welcome to join if we choose that option."
"There is a third option."
We all turned to see who it was that said that. Then I was caught by my left arm and a knife was held at my throat. Only when I was turned around, I could see who was holding me. "Hans? I thought you were in the cathedral."
"I was, but it's hard to ignore the commotion you caused, Anna," he said. "Yes, I know it was you, but your failed attempt to free Arendelle from me and spy in my priest's study did take some guts. I like how you're not just a pretty face. Too bad you won't be even that for long."
"What do you mean?" I asked.
"No, you can't!" Elsa shouted. She looked as if she was about to fire her powers at Hans. "Let her go or I'll –"
"Go ahead, Elsa," Hans said. "Kill your sister again right now and get her life over."
She hesitated and surrendered again.
Hans clicked his fingers and two soldiers came. One carried a scroll and the other carried a cushion holding two golden objects on it.
"Where is my priest?" Hans demanded.
"We don't know, Your Majesty," one soldier said. "No one has seen him since last morning, but he told us when he saw us this scroll will explain everything, including these golden things."
The more Hans read of the scroll, the more he smiled evilly. "My priest says he's had some business to take care off, but he left these golden handcuffs as a present for you Elsa." He clicked his fingers and the goldens things went over her hands. They were like her old ones, but these ones were solid gold and they were heavier.
"My priest says these golden cuffs are special because they have no keys. The only way for you to get out of them is for the person who loves you the most to come and rescue you. And they look beautiful on you."
"Look, I'm sorry for trying to attack you," Elsa said. "Please let my sister go and don't hurt anyone. I'll still marry you. I'll do anything!"
"I won't kill Anna…"
Hans released me.
"…today."
Two of his soldiers held me, each by an arm.
"I sentence Anna of Arendelle to die tomorrow at sunrise. How she will die, I shall spend the rest of today planning it." Then Hans turned to the soldiers holding me. "Take her to her own cell tonight."
"No! No!" I pleaded, but that didn't stop the soldiers dragging me away from my family and my friends. Kristoff and Sven tried to come after me, but more of Hans's soldiers stopped them. Elsa looked very sad and worried that she couldn't help me and everyone in Arendelle and the Northuldra looked very sad and worried as I disappeared from their sights.
Soon I was in my own cell and chained up. I tried everything I could and now that I had failed, I started to feel there was absolutely no more hope. Even though tomorrow didn't arrive yet, I felt that my life was over already.