A/N: Hey! This is a really short chapter because I honestly couldn't think of more to add. Don't worry, chapter 11 is being worked on, i'm not completely out of ideas just yet!
Laryssa1234: I'm sorry Dx. It pained me to do it, but it had to happen. How many deaths will she carry, this is a good question. I'm so sorry about Aladdin, i can tell you thought he was going to be a major character. Forgive me!
Guest: Yeah, poor Anna is thrust into a new world that she doesn't understand. Thanks for your kind words by the way, it really warms my heart to get nice reviews =).
Nara375: hey! I believe some of your questions on Elsa's condition will be explained in this chapter. But just to explain a bit better, Anna fell into Elsa's arms because of the pain from transforming and her ribs being broken. Remember that her transformation is extremely painful. Also yeah, i'm learning that the blocks in writing can get pretty bad sometimes .. Anyway, thanks for the review, i'm always happy to see your reviews.
DreamWalker: I'm sorry! I murdered Aladdin. I'm an evil writer. And yeah, Anna's going to be a lot more confused in the future. I wonder what Elsa will do about it.
Guest (2): thx, i'm glad you're enjoying =D.
L: Is a kiss on the cheek not enough? lol I'm kidding, I wanna get to that too. thx for the review and I really wish I could upload daily, but i'm a slow writer =(.
Elsa stood outside the medical tent that had been hastily thrown up. Around her was the sound of weeping families and soldiers shouting at one another to get things done. The battle was over, however Arendelle troops stayed while men and women were treated by doctors. The plan was to leave the moment every Arendelle soldier and citizen had been checked out. A soldier had already been sent ahead on horseback, told to ride as fast as he could to deliver the news of victory to the queen.
Was this really victory?
Elsa looked at a weeping family, the same family whose son she did not save. With the heat of the battle over and with time to cool off, Elsa realized that there was nothing she could have done for the son. Even if she had ran full sprint the moment she left the Inn, he would have been dead before she got there. She did what she could for the family. Even though Anna avenged them, their tears and mourning did not stop. It hurt to see, hurt to know what they had loss. Elsa too had younger siblings that she only wished to protect. To see one go, at any age, was heartbreaking, but for one so young as he was… Well Elsa didn't want to imagine, seeing as she had brothers that were around the dead boy's age.
She hissed as she went to move her shoulder the slightest, the pain from her earlier wound making itself known.
A growl sounded next to her.
"I'm alright, Anna." Elsa let her know, clutching at her bleeding shoulder.
Anna was beside her, standing next to her and looking as intimidating as ever. Elsa knew Anna was hurt, seeing as she prodded at her wounded ribs some time earlier. Anna tried to act like it didn't hurt, but one prod in the wrong place and the girl roared something fierce, nearly giving Elsa a heart attack. Anna could stand there, acting imposing as ever, but Elsa knew she could be hurt.
Someone exited the tent.
Elsa turned to see a wounded soldier leaving the tent, a very noticeable limp in his walk. The doctor poked his head out, Elsa noticing that he had a bald head and dark skin.
"Now you watch that leg, ya hear? Keep applying that medicine or else I will be forced to cut it off, and neither of us want that… well, maybe I would like to test out my latest saw." The doctor called to him.
The soldier sped up noticeably.
The doctor turned his head to find Elsa standing there.
"You my next patient? Well don't just sit there. Get yo butt in here." He told her, seeming enthusiastic at taking a look at whatever wound she had acquired.
Elsa worried for a second if she should find another tent.
Deciding against it, she walked inside, beckoning Anna to follow.
"Now, tell ol Dr. Sweet where it hurts. I promise not to-" He stopped mid sentence as the redhead walked in. "Whoa now, girl, I don't think I have any medicine that'll fix that." He told her.
Elsa looked to Anna and then the doctor. "She always looks that way." Elsa said, not really knowing what else to tell him.
The doctor, wielding a saw for some reason, tapped it against his shoulder as he thought. Suddenly his face brightened. "Oh! So you're the famous 'Beast-Tamer' I take it. Well, gotta tell ya, I was expecting a monster, not a girl with a few extra features." He told her, smiling all the while.
Elsa just stared for a moment, not expecting that. Was he not scared of Anna? Everyone else seemed to be. Not that Elsa blamed them, it seemed normal to be cautious of Anna.
"You gonna stand there all day or are you going to tell me where you're injured?" The doctor asked.
"Oh." Elsa pointed to her shoulder where a cut was made in her armor. "I got stabbed." She said.
The doctor chuckled. "Gotta tell ya, you're the first person to ever come and admit to that with a straight face. Most people are always going on and on about how it hurts and for me to make the pain stop. You're real refreshing." He told her before guiding her to sit on the small cot that he had set up. "Now since I've got the both of ya, you take off your armor and you," he turned to Anna. "Tell me what's hurting ya."
Elsa began taking off her armor. "She doesn't talk… or understand you for that matter." Elsa said.
"Is it the way I talk? You know, I've been told I talk too fast. Far as I'm concerned, people talk too slow. Nobody has all day to hear about your problems, so why not speed it up. Some of us are busy, ya know?" He said.
Elsa blinked at him, pausing for a moment. "I meant she doesn't speak English."
The doctor nodded. "See now that makes sense. Well, you tell me what's wrong with her then."
"Her ribs… I think they are bruised."
The doctor turned to Anna. "Well, I can't do much about bruising. Toss you a bit of cream, but that's about it." He reached over to examine Anna and she growled at him. "Whoa! Now I see why they call you 'The Beast'. Now you're gonna let ol Dr. Sweet take a look at them ribs. If one of em's busted, you're gonna wanna know." He said.
Elsa watched him reach into a small satchel before removing what looked like an instrument of torture.
"Shiny isn't it?" He asked Anna. Anna narrowed her eyes in response. "Look, see, shiny, huh?" He wiggled the instrument as far away from himself as he could.
Elsa watched as Anna stared at the object, though not for the reason that the doctor and she seemed to think. Anna was looking to see what he'd do with it, wondering if he was out to harm her with it.
"Which side did you say she was hurt?" He asked.
"I didn't… but it was on her left side." Elsa answered.
While she wasn't looking, Dr. Sweet was quick to reach out with his other hand and touch at Anna's ribs. Anna roared after he touched a particular spot and snapped at him, quite literally. He managed to get his hand away before Anna could snap his hand off with her teeth.
"Stop, Anna!" Elsa commanded, already assuming Anna might lunge for him.
She was wrong, but Anna still obeyed.
"Whoa! You know, she reminds me of my ex-wife. She was all teeth and no people skills. She was damn pretty though… you sure you two aren't related?" He asked Anna, teeth showing with his smile.
Anna growled at him.
"Probably a second cousin removed, huh?" He shrugged. "Anyway, her ribs are definitely broken, but they'll heal on their own. It would go faster and more comfortably if I wrapped them, but I doubt ol sharp tooth is gonna let me." He said to Elsa, looking quite amused by the situation.
"She won't." Elsa said.
"Figures." He told her. "Now Let's have a look see." He said as Elsa finished taking off her armor. "So, where you from?"
"Arendelle." Elsa said.
"Really, I have family up that way. Beautiful country up there." He said as he casually tore a hole in Elsa's shirt to see the wound better. Elsa didn't know whether to tell him that they were currently still in the country of Arendelle or just be glad he didn't rip far enough to notice that she had breasts. "do you do any fishing?" He asked for some reason.
"Not really… I-."
"Me? I hate fishing. I hate fish. Hate the taste. Hate the smell, and hate all them little bones." He suddenly turned away and reached into his bag where he pulled out a needle. "Now, lets get down to business." He told her.
Elsa shrunk away at the sight.
Despite how strange the doctor seemed, his work was flawless. He took the needle and stitched up Elsa's wound, telling her that she was lucky. He told her that had she not had her armor, that the sword could have struck all the way through and potentially taken off her arm. The thought made her sick as she nearly vomited at the news. Once the doctor was done, he cleaned her up and sent her along the way. Turns out, despite Elsa being grabbed by that monstrosity from before, her ribs were not broken, only bruised. It would hurt to breath for awhile, but nothing serious, he assured her.
Elsa left the tent with Anna, letting the next soldier go in. She wondered how she managed to survive all of that with only a stitched up shoulder and bruised ribs to show for it. The answer came in the form of a body being scrapped up off of the ground to be placed on a mobile cot to be buried later by the soldiers.
Aladdin.
Aladdin had saved her. Had he not come, she would have been dead and crushed in his place. Thanks to him, all she had was a bruise around her ribs. He had traded his life to save hers. She wilted at that, realizing that she had been worthless in that fight. If only she had known how to fight, then perhaps that would have never happened in the first place. If she had not been caught, then Aladdin would still be alive, asking her how to train his pet monkey. And it wasn't only him. Anna as well had saved her from being killed. She would have been dead long before she even acquired the wound to her shoulder if not for Anna saving her. Why did she have to be so weak? Why couldn't she be strong? Wasn't there something, anything that could help her?
She thought about the wall of ice that had come up to save Anna.
The ice wall was gone, having melted within seconds after Elsa went to catch Anna after her transformation. It was something Elsa did. It wasn't like before with the Half-Beast girl. Before she had simply swung out in fear and anger, fearful for her life and angry that the girl had hurt Anna so badly. The spike that was created was caused by her, but not intentionally. This time however, she had imagined it, had thought of protecting Anna, wishing there was something to block the monster from getting to her. That was when the wall appeared, when the tingling in her fingers rushed out and became something physical.
If only she could control it.
"Elsa?" A question from her side.
Elsa turned to see Anna looking at her, wondering what was troubling her.
Elsa stared at her for a moment, wishing she had the strength that Anna did. Despite her broken ribs, Anna still walked tall in the face of the pain. Even before, that brief moment where Anna collapsed in Elsa's arms, that was only due to her transformation along with the broken ribs. The girl was quick to stand on her own once the pain of her transformation was over. She wanted to be strong like Anna, to not be afraid like Anna, to never hesitate like Anna.
Instead she was just a coward.
"Beast-Tamer." Someone called.
Elsa turned to find Captain Shang walking up, his helmet being held at his side, the other hand resting on his sword.
"Yes, Captain?" Elsa quickly tried to stand straight, the suddenly movement of her shoulder causing pain.
Shang held up a hand. "No need for that soldier, not right now. I only came to congratulate you on your success in slaying the monstrosity that the southern isles created. Sir Kristoff has already informed me of what happened." Shang gave her a smile, something Elsa thought must have been rare.
"Oh… um… thank you sir." Elsa said, feeling somewhat sick at the way he praised her. She had done nothing.
"What you've done is something no normal soldier could do on their own. Stand proud, soldier." He told her. Elsa went to correct him, but he had more to say. "I thought you may like to know that Sir Kristoff is doing fine. He's a bit battered and bruised, but nothing that will keep a knight down."
Elsa's brow furrowed at the news. There was something she was wondering, something she wanted to ask.
"Sir? What was Sir Kristoff doing here anyway?" Elsa asked.
Now it was Shang's turn to be confused. "What do you mean? He was here like it was planned."
"Planned?" She questioned.
"Were you never told?" He looked shocked, but quickly got over it and went back to his normal, stern expression. "My unit was to move ahead into the village. Sir Kristoff's unit, which had arrived hours before us, were to hide in the woods around the village until the southern isles showed themselves." He explained.
Elsa look stunned to say the least.
"He was here all along? The entire time he was nearby?" Shang nodded at her questions. "Then… then what were we? Why have him hide, why-" She stopped as she realized what just happened. "We were… I was bait?" She questioned.
"Bait is one way to call it. Our unit was to pretend as though we didn't know the southern isle's may attack, all the while we were ready to create a front line defense the moment they did. Kristoff's unit would join as quickly as possible to help in putting them down." Shang explained once more.
Elsa just looked down as she contemplated this information. She was bait? The queen had knowingly sent her here with no knowledge of this prior? Elsa had assumed they would establish a defense immediately upon arriving and drive off the southern troops. Instead she was bait? Instead lives were lost because the soldiers were too busy selling goods and pretending they didn't know what was coming? People died, both soldiers and civilians. A little boy was dead, his family left to weep, because Kristoff's unit was scheduled to attack after and not to join in establishing an initial defense.
Aladdin was dead because the queen used their unit as bait.
"Anna." Elsa called.
A rough noise beside her.
"We're leaving." She told her as she began to march away, Anna quick to follow.
Elsa was going to help the others in packing up, selling off goods, whatever was needed to be done to leave this place. She wanted to get back to the castle, back to the queen. She had questions, questions that deserved answers. Her first mission for the queen had been one that could have easily gotten her killed, one where she was not informed that she would be bait. She deserved to know why.
Anna watched on, never had she seen Elsa so angry. She wondered just who exactly she was going to have to kill next for the blonde.