~Chapter 16~

Elsa

This trip over the water heading back to Arendelle was a bit rougher than when I traveled with Hans. Though that was a ship and this was more of a large sailboat. The wind was with us carrying the boat swiftly, but Breken helped move us along by rowing. Knots hit my stomach and felt nausea hit me suddenly and I prepared to lean over the side of the ship, but luckily nothing came. It then dawned on me why I was so nauseous, probably nerves from being with these two thugs of strangers. The twins tried asking me probing questions and were surprisingly polite about it.

"So do you have powers of all the elements?" Barek asked.

I shook my head.

"If I could choose, I'd want fire." Breken added, "We could burn the evidence of the places we raid."

Hearing these imagined plans, I grew angry, figurative or not.

"These powers aren't a game!" I shouted as my hands began to glow.

"You must have it rough as queen with all that responsibility."

"I get by. I have a family."

"How does your family think about you venturing around the seas with our younger brother, Hans?"

"My sister only knew that I left home, but not who with, I'm sure." I reasoned

I was certain of that considering Hans and I were alone when he first greeted me.

"Seems like our families are similar. Our family dealt with us causing discord causing father to banish us, but then Hans tried to murder you and your sister."

"He what?"

"Our little brother never liked being the runt, so he took matters into his own hands. We actually applaud what he did. Probably the best move that Hans tried to make."

"How do people feel about you as their queen? Aren't they afraid?"

I couldn't feign ignorance with these two. Would they sense my lapse in memory?

"Sometimes." I shrugged.

My palms started emitting some snow as I hid my hands behind my back.

"If you're cold, we have some gloves in the toolbox behind you." Breken suggested.

I felt no hesitation because I wanted to conceal my power. As I opened up the lid and rifled through its contents, I found some dark leather gloves that were rather large, but I quickly slipped them over my hands. As I reached to close the lid, I vision flashed in my head of the man in a coma back home. Marcus reached out for my hand at a party, but I jerked it away nervously. The twins watched me curiously.

"You okay?" Barek asked.

"Fine." I lied.

"So does your sister have powers like you?" Breken asked, keeping up with the questions.

"No, she's normal." I answered.

"I can't imagine the burden you carry." He continued.

"Life isn't easy." I shrugged.

"You know if any of our brothers had power like yours, I have no doubt father would lock them up and use them for a weapon." Breken added.

"That sounds like him alright." Barek commented.

"How does your sister handle your power?"

"Better than most. When I push her away, she draws near...that's just who she is."

"That has to be stifling." Breken replied, "Why else did you leave with Hans after all?"

They sort of had a point, but clearly they were just trying to push my buttons.

"You're not wrong, but I had my own reasons for leaving with your brother."

"Your reasons are your own…" Barek shrugged, "But I bet your sister kept you close by way of controlling you."

"Enough!" I said, throwing down my hands freezing the gloves, "You don't know her."

I removed the gloves and angrily threw them overboard.

"Let's just get back to Arendelle." I said, trying to sound calm.

"You're not taking us to our father?" Breken asked in surprise.

"I've decided to let you repay your crimes to society in Arendelle. A fresh start, but under strict guard."

"Great, I've always been curious about Arendelle." Barek commented.

Barek switched with Breken to give him a break from rowing and we continued on. Silence fell between us all as I glanced out at the waters where I had thrown the gloves that were floating blocks of ice on top of the water.

All was silent between the three of us until we brought the boat to the Arendelle port.

"This is it?" Breken mused upon seeing the remains of old Arendelle, "And I thought Corona was a waste of space for a kingdom."

"There was a flood." I said calmly, "Our new location of the kingdom is much more inland. We head north."

"Right, well let's get on with it." Barek urged.

I was intent to bring up the rear behind these two. They may have been civil on the ride over, but I had no reason to trust them and they clearly had a reputation in Corona. I stopped as we passed by the old ruins of Arendelle. Such a sight of destruction should hit me hard, but I was numb to any emotional connection to this place. Anna shared with me countless stories, but they fell of deaf ears. The sister she grew up with wasn't here anymore and I doubt she could come back. I paused walking through what looked to be a flooded courtyard and I looked up and saw a hazy image of Marcus waving at me as he walked around the grounds with his adopted father Pieter. Moving further in, I saw Marcus chasing after me as a wall of ice was erected in front of him stopping him in his tracks. Was I imagining things? Again moments later, Marcus appeared again and collapsed in front of me as his body began freezing over. The image of him looked up at me and my heart began racing. His green eyes intensely locked on mine.

"Elsa, don't let fear control you...I love you. Don't forget that."

With those words his head dipped back as I heard my own voice scream his name.

Suddenly, revelations hit me all at once bringing me to my knees. I remembered everything. What happened to my parents, Anna, and Marcus all of it. What I did after I made that deal with James. I closed my eyes for a few seconds and reopened them to face the brothers. They watched me curiously, but then took out a pair of hidden daggers.

"Do you know how much someone will pay for the ice queen?"

"Well, you should know I'm not the queen anymore, my sister is."

The twins exchanged looks trying to figure out if I was being truthful, but they still maintained their aggression toward me. As they advanced, I shot ice at their feet, which they dodged with high agility considering their brawny size. They slid to my right and my left and I shot barely missing them as they kept moving. I grew winded. I wasn't sure if it was from expending my power, but even taming Bruni wasn't this tiresome. It could have been from my memories returning. I wasn't used to feeling so sluggish. In my confusion, Barek had disappeared and I only saw Breken in my immediate view. Suddenly I felt two strong arms latch onto me from behind. Ice shot from my palms trying to wrestle myself free, but Breken snapped something around my neck securing it with a lock of a key. Suddenly, my ice vanished and Barek dropped me.

"W-What did you do?"

"A caravan of travelers passed through Corona years ago peddling their wares. Among them was a magical choker that could dispel use of magic while it's worn."

I never knew such things existed and the idea about not knowing about such things was a bit alarming. I tried to send out ice from my palms to entrap my captors, but nothing. I never thought I would miss my powers more than I did in this moment. Now remembering how much those powers are part of me and my identity. Though without the powers, I was most importantly a wife and sister. Breken stood right behind me as I shot my elbow into his nose as he dropped his dagger. I swiped it quickly as Barek stood his ground to defend himself.

"You're just as feisty without your powers, aren't ya?" He growled

I backed away from the two defensively, but they still weren't giving up as they slowly approached me. Suddenly a large rock was flown at Breken's head getting his attention. A second one came flying hitting him dead center in the forehead. It knocked him out cold as I saw Hans running toward us from the shore. Barek lunged to grab me in desperation, but I slid between his legs rolling out of the way. Hans finally caught up aiming his sword at his brother as Barek grabbed me bringing his blade to my neck.

"Let her go, Barek!" Hans growled, "Trust me, you she's not one to mess with."

"Seemed easy enough to me. Hans, you would help this woman instead of your own family? Where are your loyalties? Do you know how much money we could make from using her power?"

"You have never once treated me like family, I don't owe you anything." Hans spat.

I felt Barek's grip tense up and made a quick move that Marcus taught me long ago. In seconds I stomped on his foot forcing him to release his grip as I spun around punching him square in the nose. Blood began to trickle from his nostrils as he called me a name under his breath. Hans approached his brother in his distraction and slugged him over the head with the hilt of his sword. The twins now both were unconscious on the ground.

"You okay?" Hans asked.

"I will be once I get this thing off my neck," I said struggling against the metal.

Hans watched me hesitating. Then he searched through his brother's pockets finding the key to the choker unlocking it for me. He walked over to me unlocking it and as the choker fell from my neck I breathed a sigh of relief as I shot ice from my hands.

"For a second there, I wondered if you were going to leave it on."

"Eh, you wouldn't be you with your powers." Hans smirked, "So what now?" He asked.

My fist hit his jaw before he could blink. He stared at me in surprise, taking a knee.

"What was that for?" He complained.

"That's for everything before…" I answered, but quickly offered him my hand, "And this is for not taking advantage of my amnesia. I remember everything, Hans."

"E-Everything?" He gulped, his eyes growing wide.

"Trying to murder my sister and take over Arendelle. Oh yes…" I replied crossing my arms, "But I remember everything recently too. You have changed."

Hans and I took a few minutes trying to figure out next steps and the first thing was to get his brothers back to Arendelle to keep them from getting into more trouble. It wasn't long before Breken and Barek came to and I made irons for each of them from my ice. Though getting back to Arendelle on foot would take some time, though as we were leaving, my ears perked up to a familiar voice.

"Elsa!" My sister cried out from behind us as she sped right to me.

Tears welled up in my eyes as I saw my sister and remembered her and how much I loved her.

"Anna!" I whispered as she ran right into my arms.

"Are you okay? You left?"

"Everything is alright now and I'm sorry if I hurt you before back in Ahtohallan."

"Wait, back in…" She paused as her eyes grew wide, "You remember?"

I nodded as my sister squeezed me tight, but she grew immediately angry at the sight of Hans. She took off her boot preparing to throw it at him.

"You kidnapped my sister and you dare to show your face around here?" Anna spat.

Hans put up his hands defensively.

"Hold on, Anna. She came willingly...she didn't remember."

"That's no excuse!" Anna snapped.

"Anna," I said, grabbing her boot before she did anything drastic, "He has proved himself to me. He's with us, not against us."

My sister looked at me completely taken aback by my opinion.

"I trust you, Elsa. I don't trust him."

"Let's get back to Arendelle." I nodded, "I need to see Marcus."

I looked behind Anna as Kristoff, Olaf, and Sven wandering up over the hill and Kristoff matched Anna's disdain for Hans immediately. Though I watched in shock as I saw a surprising person with them. It was James, Marcus's uncle who corrupted me before when we made that deal.

"Oh Elsa, this is Rolf. He was our captain." Anna introduced.

"No." I muttered.

"Actually, my name is James Rolf Terryn." He said with a sly smile, "I must thank you Elsa for finding your memories because otherwise I might have been lost forever."

"What?" Anna questioned.

"Now I can return to the door that my nephew so kindly opened for me and Kuva will usher in a new era of tyranny and destruction."

"Kuva?" Kristoff muttered.

James disappeared in a cloud of grey smoke leaving us alone.

"We have to get to Arendelle!" Anna urged, "First there's a Southern Isles armada coming and now James? What else could go wrong?"

"I didn't see an armada when I came," Hans commented, "Are you sure?"

"We all saw it," Kristoff added.

"So many ships," Olaf said.

"They might have anchored at another cove out of sight for a sneak attack." Kristoff shrugged.

"We should go." Anna urged, "Come on, Elsa."

"No," I said abruptly.

"What?" Anna muttered.

"You get to Arendelle as fast as you can, I need to head to the enchanted forest and rally up the other elemental spirits. If we have a war with the southern isles and a fight from James, we need all the help we can get."

"But I thought you wanted to see Marcus?" Olaf asked.

"I do, more than anything, but right now, lives are at stake. I think he'll understand."

"Elsa, I'm the queen now, I should go." Anna pressed.

"But I'm the fifth spirit, this is my duty." I said grabbing my sister's hands in mine.

Anna hesitated, but then dropped my hands.

"Okay go, but be careful." Anna urged, "Don't be losing your memory anymore, got it?"

"Right." I held back a laugh.

I ran toward the shore and called the Nokk to me. Soon it appeared splashing up out of the water and I quickly hopped on its back. As the animal took me through the forest at intense speeds, my thoughts drifted to my husband. I didn't know what state he was in, but I wished I could see him and hear his voice.

"I'll see you soon." I whispered.