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When Elsa woke to a pounding headache she was bound hand and foot inside of an iron cage. Carefully squinting against the firelight, she looked around.

"Thank Thor you're awake," Hiksti whispered, and Elsa turned her head to see that her husband was in a similar cage next to hers, also bound hand and foot. There were deep inside a large cavern, and it was filled with crates and barrels and half a dozen small fire pits blazed merrily. Around them were dozens of sleeping rolls and blankets - clearly this was a semi-permanent encampment. She could smell food cooking and it twisted her stomach - she hadn't eaten anything since breakfast and something about the darkness of the cave entrance told her it was already dinner-time. She was also incredibly thirsty.

"What happened?" she whispered back, her tongue feeling too thick and sluggish in her mouth.

"The leader snuck up behind you and hit your head. You fell down, and he threatened to kill you if I didn't give up. So I gave up. For now."

Elsa blinked a couple of times. "Hiksti… where are we?"

"I don't know," he admitted. "They put a sack over my head. They discovered the ruby and our gold coins. They've gone to fetch their leader who's going to decide what to do with us."

Just then, their leader strode into the cavern, a tall man muscled like a maiden's dream with a face to match. He had dark brown hair and flashing grey eyes. The small scar just across one eyebrow only leaned a roguish air to his good looks, and when he walked up to their cages and smiled at them, his teeth were straight and white. "Hello, there," he said cheerfully.

Elsa and Hiksti just stared sullenly back.

"I'm glad you've recovered," he told Elsa. "Are you thirsty? Hungry?"

Elsa couldn't stop the convulsive swallow at the mention of thirst, and the handsome man noticed and beckoned one of his bandits, who came forward and extended a long-handled cup through the bars of the cage toward Elsa. She stared at it but did not move.

"Drink," the man said. "Surely you must realize that it's not poisoned. If I wanted you dead, you'd be dead already."

Hiksti gave her a minuscule nod, so she got up on her knees and leaned forward to sip from the cup. The water was cold and sweet, and not nearly enough to totally slake her thirst.

"Bring them food," the handsome man said. Then he reached out a long arm and snagged a crate, which he dragged into place and sat upon. For a minute or two he simply sat and looked at them, his expression looking for all the world as if he'd just heard a very good joke.

"So, I have before me quite the gift from my little brother; a beautiful young woman with magical powers over snow and ice, and her husband, a one-legged swordsman. I suppose I should bow."

Elsa glanced at Hiksti, who was staring at the man with narrowed eyes.

Still looking mightily amused, the man stood up and sketched a bow. "Your Highness," he said to Elsa. "Your Highness," he said to Hiksti. "What brings Princess Elsa of Arendelle and her husband, Prince Consort Hiksti, to our little neck of the woods?"

"If you know who we are," Elsa said, "Then you know you should let us go."

"Oh, I'm sure I will," said the man with a grin that showed off his dimples. "But not until after I've been paid a royal ransom. How much would your aunt pay for you? Or your little sister?"

Elsa had no answer for that, but Hiksti scooted carefully over to the bars of his cage closest to the handsome man. "What's your name?" he asked.

"Helmut," said the handsome man.

"Well, Helmut," Hiksti said, his voice even as if he were discussing what to make for breakfast. "You've picked the wrong people to ambush. I'm going to kill you, and all of your men, and set fire to anything that gets in my way."

Helmut's amused little grin didn't drop from his face, but he stepped up to Elsa's cage and looked down at her. He snapped his fingers and six men stepped closer to Hiksti's cage with crossbows aimed at him. Helmut used a key to open the door and stepped in, grinning as Elsa scooted away from him. "Stay away," she warned.

"If I feel even the slightest cool breeze your husband dies," he promised her. Then he reached down and hauled her up, spun her around so that her back was pressed against him, and he looked at Hiksti over the top of her head. One of his arms was braced across her stomach and pinned her arms before her. The other hand rested on her hip, and he slowly lowered his nose until it almost touched her alabaster shoulder. He didn't break eye contact with Hiksti for even a second.

"I have the power, here," Helmut said softly. Elsa cringed away from him but he held her fast. "I hear," he said conversationally, "That you two have been married for somewhat more than a year. No baby, yet?" His hand wandered from her hip to her flat stomach and he spread his fingers there, keeping Hiksti's eyes the entire time. "Should I help you out with that?"

"You'll die screaming," Hiksti vowed. The intensity of the hatred in his eyes frightened Elsa. She had felt that before… but not like this.

Helmut laughed and pushed Elsa away from him. She had no way to catch herself and fell to the ground with a grunt, and immediately rolled into the far corner. Then he exited the cage and locked the door behind him. "No, crippled prince, I'll die an old man in my bed, surrounded by beautiful women and the children I've gotten on all of them," he countered. "Rich as Midas, thanks to you two."

Their food arrived and was shoved through the bars of the cage, along with tall cups of water. "Stay and guard them," Helmut said to the half-dozen crossbowmen. "If she so much as twitches her hands to use her powers, fill them both with arrows." He strode jauntily away.

"Eat," Hiksti said encouragingly to her.

"I can't even think of food," Elsa told him. She was visibly shaking.

"Eat anyway," he said. He reached for the sandwich they'd shoved through his bars and took a ferocious bite. "You need your strength."

Elsa saw the sense in this and managed to drink the water and choke down her sandwich while trying to ignore the guards staring at her so intently. While she ate Hiksti wriggled his way to the side of his cage which was closest to her cage and leaned against it. She did the same. Only a few inches separated them. They reached their fingers through the bars and touched.

"Don't worry," Hiksti whispered. "We'll get out of this."

"How?" Elsa breathed.

He squeezed her fingers. "You already know how." Bright green eyes met hers, and she was shocked by the sorrow she saw there. "You have it in you to do what you need to, my warrior queen. I'm so sorry."

She stared at him, the realization of what he was suggesting dawning on her and bringing dread with it. "But…"

"It's the only way," he murmured.

She gulped, and then reluctantly nodded.

"Wait until most of them are sleeping," he suggested. "Until then, we plan."

Four hours passed, during which time Elsa contemplated how, exactly, she was going to get them out of this. "I don't think I can," she whispered miserably to Hiksti as the time drew near.

"You have to," he murmured back. "The next time Helmut visits won't be so pleasant."

She gave him a pleading look and they fell silent as new guards took the place of the old ones and settled in. Her stomach was tied in hot, agonizing knots within her and threatened to send back the sandwich.

"Karl," said one of the fresh guards to his neighbor.

"Yes, Lothar?"

"Have you ever seen a princess before tonight?"

"I have not."

Lothar contemplated Elsa closely. "She's beautiful. Do you think they're all beautiful?"

Karl tilted his head and squinted at her. "They always are, in the stories," he said. "But probably not in real life."

"This one's magic," Lothar stated.

"That's what Helmut said," Karl agreed.

"We aren't supposed to have any hands-on fun with her."

"Definitely not. Saving that for himself, most like."

"Pity," Lothar sighed. "But the night doesn't have to be a total waste." Then he leered at Elsa. "Is all of you that pale?" he asked her.

Karl looked askance at his partner in crime, but Lothar didn't get the hint.

"Hey, cripple," Lothar said, turning his gaze to Hiksti. "Is your Ice Princess cold in bed?" A couple of the other men snickered.

One of the other men stepped closer to Hiksti's cage and aimed his bow at him. "Go on," he said to Elsa. "Show us something worth looking at."

"What?" Elsa said, anxiety written on her face as she saw the gleaming, deadly arrow pointed at her love.

Lothar guffawed. "Markus, what are you gonna do, shoot him?"

"Why not? I can make it hurt quite a lot without making it fatal," Markus said, a maniacal gleam in his eye. "Come on, Princess, show us something."

"I can't use my powers," Elsa whimpered. "Helmut -"

"That's… not what I meant," Markus said, sneering. He fired his bow and Hiksti cried out, curling in agony around the arrow that was now lodged in his arm. "Show us something," he leered, reloading his weapon. "Something pretty and pale."

White hot indignation rose up within her at the implication, and combined with her fear and anger, making something new and fierce that she couldn't name and didn't want to.

"Now, Elsa," Hiksti groaned.

Almost before the words left his mouth, Elsa acted.

Reviews time! I love, love, LOVE the reviews I get! Thank you so freaking much for taking the time to leave a comment, it REALLY brightens my day and motivates me! Every time I get a notice about a review being left I get the nicest warm fuzzy feeling! So thank you!

Mark of Arendelle: Haha, I feel your pain, man. I have been trying to get people I know interested in my stories, and so far the only interest is my best friend and my Gramma - and they kind of have to read them since they love me, lol! Just wait - this story is PACKED with a lot of action! I'm not the greatest at fight scenes, but I'm trying really hard, and I hope they're entertaining!