"Ah!" Freya screamed as yet another bucket of water was thrown onto her through the bars of the cast iron door of her dingy stone cell.
"Pipe down in there!" her guard commanded. "I've told you before. Keep quiet, don't try any of that fire magic business, and I won't throw water on you!"
"You'll have to let me out sooner or later!" Freya called.
"That's not my problem," the guard called back. "You just sit tight and wait to see what they do with you."
Just then, General Mattias walked in.
"Good work," he told the guard. "I can see that you're keeping her under control!"
"Thank you General Mattias!" the guard replied, still holding onto his bucket.
Freya lurched forwards and grabbed the bars of the cell door. Still dripping wet, she hauled her head as far forwards as it would go.
"General Mattias? Is that your name?" Freya asked.
Mattias tried to ignore Freya by rolling his eyes, sighing and turning to the guard. He was about to speak when Freya continued talking.
"You couldn't stop me burning Arendelle and ruining your queen's wedding though, could you?" Freya said through gritted teeth. "What's your first name, General? Incompetence?" she said as she raised her eyebrows.
Freya started to laugh at her own joke while the guard responded by grabbing another bucket of water and throwing it over her, causing her to scream again. She wiped the water from her eyes and went back to laughing.
"How dare you talk to the general like that!" the guard shouted.
Mattias placed a calm hand on the bucket and lowered it.
"I can fight my own battles, thank you," he said cooly as he gave a sideways glance to the guard. He took a step towards Freya.
"As it happens, I have some news for you," Mattias said to Freya.
Freya stopped laughing and looked up at Mattias. She was all ears.
Mattias cleared his throat. "The queen has decided that you will be dealt with tomorrow morning. Until then, you will remain here," he declared to her, keeping his rigid upright posture.
Freya lifted one hand and opened her palm. "That's it? That's all you've got to tell me?" she said to him through a sneer.
Mattias turned his back to her and gestured to the guard to follow him away from Freya's cell.
"Hey! Where are you going? Come back!" Freya yelled. She hit one of the bars with her palm in exasperation.
"Good job so far," Mattias whispered to the guard. "Don't spare the water. We don't have to hold her for much longer." With that, Mattias saluted to the guard and made his way out.
"Sir," the guard said as he saluted back. He marched back to the cell.
"Right, you heard what the general said," the guard barked at her. "You're not going anywhere tonight. Count yourself lucky. If it were up to me I'd throw away this key!" he said while holding the key up in front of her. Freya reached for it, but the guard snatched it away. "Now sit down!" he commanded as he pointed to the floor.
Freya sat down on the cold floor, folded her arms and huffed. The guard had been on duty for several hours now and she wasn't getting anywhere with him. She decided to just sit quietly.
A couple of hours later, her dinner arrived. "What's this?" she said, looking up in disgust at the guard who brought it. "Bread and cheese? You're giving a queen bread and cheese?" she snarled.
"You set fire to the castle kitchen, you're lucky there's anything to eat at all," the guard replied. He got up and scurried away, not wanting to be near Freya and her fiery magic.
Freya sighed to herself, then put some cheese on a piece of bread. She held her palm over it and used her powers to make herself cheese on toast. She nibbled away at it until it was all gone.
At midnight, the guard was relieved of his duties by a young soldier. "There she is," said the older guard, pointing at her through the door. "There's the woman who burned down our kingdom."
Freya looked up and gave the guards a menacing smile.
"She's been quiet for awhile, but if she acts up, don't hesitate to throw a bucket of water on her. Don't stand directly in front of the door for too long, and do not talk to her. You got that?" the older guard commanded, pointing his finger at the younger soldier.
"Yes sir," the young soldier said clearly.
"Good lad," replied the older guard. "Now, here's the keys, there's the chair. Any problems, call for help from the guard on the prison door. Oh, one last thing, don't fall asleep! I'll see you later."
The older guard gave the young soldier a pat on the back as he left. The young soldier put the keys on his belt and sat down on the chair, facing away from Freya's cell. He tensed up his shoulders and stared forwards, away from Freya.
After the older guard had left, Freya wondered if she could make an impression on this young, new soldier. "Hi!" she said almost sarcastically, not expecting a response. "So you got the late shift, huh? Drew the short straw did you?"
Freya laughed a little as the guard stayed quiet, he just sat there twiddling his thumbs and muttering to himself. After a couple of minutes, Freya tried again."Oh come on!" she insisted. "I'm so bored in here, talk to me!"
"Look, I've been told not to," the guard shouted in frustration. "Just...keep quiet, okay? Try and go to sleep."
"But I'm so bored!" Freya cried out, rolling around on the floor. "Talk to me, please!"
The young guard was getting more and more anxious. After a short while, his anxiety got the better of him. "Okay, you want to talk?" he barked. "Tell me this then. Why did you do it?"
Freya got off the floor and stood up. She was surprised she got his attention so easily. "Why did I do what?" she asked as she walked towards the door.
"Why did you set our town on fire? My mother lost everything. All her furniture, all her possessions, all gone up in smoke. Why?" he fumed.
Freya paused then sighed. "Your mother doesn't know how lucky she is," she replied, shaking her head and looking at the floor.
"What's that supposed to mean?" the guard snapped back, still anxious.
Freya continued to look at the floor. "Do you have any brothers or sisters?" she asked him.
"Well, yes, I've got two younger brothers," the guard blurted out.
"And did they survive the fire?" she quietly asked.
"Yes…" the guard replied through an exasperated sigh.
"Then your mother didn't lose everything, did she?" Freya hissed.
The guard paused to think about what Freya had just said.
Freya looked back down at the ground and sighed. "I can tell you care about your mother. It must be wonderful to have a mother who loves you. My parents locked me up in a tower. They don't love me. I grew up alone. I never knew what it was like to be happy as a child," she said before looking around at the bare stone walls. "This cell feels like home."
The guard was taken by surprise by Freya's words. He blinked rapidly and untensed his body. "Oh," he said, beginning to feel sorry for her. "Well, I'm sorry to hear that."
"It's alright," Freya said as she looked down at her shoes. "Tell me, were you happy when you were a child? What's your happiest memory?"
The guard looked up and thought for a second. He knew he wasn't supposed to talk to Freya, but he pitied her and he couldn't help himself. "I think it would have to be my eighth birthday party. I got a toy that I really wanted, all my friends came over, and we had a huge cake. Yes, that was a great day!"
"What's a birthday party?" Freya asked.
"You mean you don't know?" the guard replied, shocked. "My word, you did have a tough upbringing! Your birthday is the day you were born on. And on that day, all your friends and family come over and you have a fun time. That's a party!"
"Oh. Sounds wonderful," Freya said, sounding upset.
The guard was feeling genuinely sorry for her now. "Hey, don't cry," he said as he tried to reassure her.
"It's just that there's so many things I've never done," Freya said as she slumped back down on the floor and held her head in her hands. "I've never had a birthday party, I've never even had friends," she said before tucking her head into her knees.
The guard thought that he could hear her sobbing, and he wanted to make her feel better.
"What else have I missed?" Freya asked forlornly.
Freya and the guard talked for about an hour. He told her all about the things she had missed from her childhood, from winter holiday seasons to summer solstices and all of the fun things that the children of Arendelle got up to. Freya listened attentively. Slowly, she gained his trust.
"What's your name?" she asked him.
"You know I'm not supposed to tell you that!" he replied, laughing.
"Oh come on," Freya replied. "I'll tell you mine if you tell me yours! My name is Freya," she said playfully.
The guard laughed again, not thinking he had much choice. "My name's Henrik," he said through a smile.
"Well Henrik, would you like to talk to me properly?" Freya asked. "It's silly to keep talking through the wall!"
"Well, okay," said Henrik, getting up off his chair. "But on one condition."
"What's that?" Freya asked.
"I get to throw a bucket of water on you first. I don't want you using your magic on me!" Henrik replied.
Freya silently cursed to herself. This young guard was cleverer than she thought!
"Well, alright. Just let me stand in front of the door," Freya said.
Henrik went to get a bucket of water. "Ready?" he called.
"I'm ready!" Freya replied, as she braced herself.
Henrik emerged in front of the door and threw the water into Freya's cell, soaking her from head to toe. She screamed at first, then looked up at Henrik and smiled.
"Are you okay?" Henrik asked. "That sounded like it hurt…"
"It's alright," Freya said as she wiped the water from her eyes. "It hurts a little at first, but it soon passes. It's worth it to talk to you! Well, here I am, what do you think of me now?" she asked, holding her arms out.
Henrik didn't know what to say. Even though she was drenched, he found her very attractive. "You're...you're very pretty," he stuttered.
"Aw, no one has ever called me pretty before!" Freya said while clasping her hands together and resting her cheek on them. "You're so kind, Henrik!" she cooed while looking at him with puppy dog eyes. "And you're very handsome!"
Henrik looked down and smiled, embarrassed. "You think so?" he gently replied.
"Yes!" Freya enthused. "And I bet you've got beautiful eyes. I've never looked into a boy's eyes before. Can I see them?" Freya asked while running her fingers through her hair.
"Well, okay," Henrik said as he walked right up to the door of the cell. Freya did the same, and soon they were face to face. Freya looked deep into Henrik's eyes and smiled.
"They are so beautiful," she said softly. "What about mine? I bet you've never seen greener eyes!" she enthused as she opened her eyes wide and smiled.
Henrik was mesmerised. "They're like emeralds," he said nervously. "You really are beautiful."
"Do you know what else I've never done?" she asked him. "I've never been kissed."
Freya closed her eyes. Henrik closed his, and moved closer to her.
She opened her eyes and gently shook her head at him. "Too easy," she whispered to herself as she raised her hand and made a fist. While Henrik still had his eyes closed, Freya punched him in the face as hard as she could, knocking him out. She bent down, took the keys from him, and opened the cell door. She walked out, and stood over Henrik's unconscious body.
"Pathetic," she whispered, looking down on him. Freya made her way out of her cell. As she tiptoed towards the entrance to the prison, she could hear snoring. At the door, she found a guard napping, and she gently shuffled past him.
Once out of the castle prison, Freya could hear footsteps. She quickly hid behind a fountain and crouched down. Two guards were on patrol, armed with lances. She listened in to their conversation as they walked past.
"What's the latest on our prisoner?" one guard asked the other in a gruff, deep voice.
"I heard that the queen is going to 'deal with her'. I know what I'd like that to mean!" the other guard replied. His pal started to chuckle.
"Yeah!" he exclaimed. "Have we still got those gallows?" he asked.
"Gallows are no good," the other guard replied, shaking his head. "She'll burn her way out. They should put her in front of me, I'll stick her myself!" he said as he thrust his lance forward. Freya winced.
"And I'll finish her off!" the other guard declared as he stabbed the air and twisted his lance. The two men laughed heartily, slapped each other on the back and continued with their patrol.
Freya narrowed her eyes and scowled towards the soldiers as they went past. Now she knew what the people of Arendelle really thought about her! When the time was right, she snuck out of the castle, unseen by the guards. As gingerly as she could, she walked through the charred town, and made her way back up north.
When Freya reached the outskirts of Arendelle, the sun started to rise. She turned round to get a good look at the town she had devastated just hours ago. Seeing the charred buildings gave her a sense of smug satisfaction. She turned back and continued to walk north.
Freya knew that she couldn't compete with Elsa's powers, but she was determined to find the source of them. She thought she might find the answers with the Northuldra. After all, without Elsa there to protect them, she knew that she could do as she pleased.
As soon as she thought she had walked far away enough from the town, Freya turned herself into a fireball and made her way north, hugging the coast as she did. She stopped a few times to catch her breath, but on her last break, something caught her eye.
Freya looked up, and she could see a tattered Arendellian flag fluttering in the breeze, poking up over a sand dune. Curious, she went to investigate. She walked around the dune, and saw that the flag was flying from a wrecked ship. She thought that was unusual, and she went on board.
On the ship, Freya held out her palm and created a fire in it. Using the fire as a torch, she looked around and quickly found a map sitting on a desk. She looked at it, and could see that it was a map of where she was. She recognised Arendelle and the forests of Northuldra, but she was intrigued by a river to the north that had been drawn on the map by hand.
"Ah-to-hallan…" she said to herself while pointing at it. "I wonder, could that be the source of Elsa's power?"
Freya spent some time searching the ship to see if she could find out anything else about Ahtohallan, but she found nothing. She wanted to know more, and she thought the Northuldra could tell her. She made her way out and began to walk away.
"Oh, I almost forgot!" she said to herself as she turned back.
She raised her hands and launched a jet of fire, setting the ship ablaze. She looked up at the Arendellian flag fluttering in the breeze as the fire burned beneath it. She pointed her finger at the flag like a sharpshooter, and shot a small fireball at it.
She laughed at the burning wreck as the fire in her eyes shone brightly. She stood and watched the ship burn, then turned and made her way to search for the Northuldra.