Chapter 18
A/N: Generic author note, but I'd just like to take the time to thank the readers who've been reviewing my story since the beginning. Much thanks again, and please, remain super-awesome! That is all.
Elsa panted heavily as she continued her trek down another gigantic snow hill. After stumbling some distance, she eventually came to the conclusion that at least one of her ribs was fractured, and that she was simply a magnet for bad luck. Just a little bit farther, she would comfortingly lie to herself, but after wandering aimlessly for another half an hour, Elsa still had no idea where she was. Face it, you have absolutely no clue where you're going, Elsa concluded, and she sighed despairingly as the dull ache on her side intensified to a painful burning.
Despite the debilitating pain wracking her body, Elsa pressed determinedly forward through the vast expanse of snow. The landscape – beautiful in all its natural glory – was something Elsa was unable to admire at the moment due to the ungodly exhaustion of carrying her unconscious sister through knee-high snow while being chased by raving lunatics. But despite all the negative goings-on, the forest was quite beautiful in a Henry David Thoreau-solitude, kind of way.
Occasionally, the silence would be broken and Elsa would detect the odd sound of a roaring snowman – a sound she may never get used to. (Who could?) She perked up her ears to estimate the distance of the source. It seemed Lady Alexandra was still using Sergei, to some degree, as a tool to search for her. Although, judging by the muted volume of Sergei's roar, they were safely far away enough from Elsa's current location. Elsa shivered at the thought of Sergei and was still unsure of whether he was with or against her. Was he simply using Lady Alexandra? Could a snowman even know what manipulation is? "I guess anything's possible at this point," Elsa sighed.
Elsa exhaled and stopped to gather her bearings. Looking around, she had no choice but to admit she was utterly lost. It was no surprise to Elsa that she had no sense of direction. After all, she was cooped up in her room for 13 freakin' years. She was surprised she wasn't foaming at the mouth from insanity, but in a sense, she must be somewhat crazy to have created Sergei the Snowman. But that was all beside the point.
The sun was starting to set, and it was getting darker with each passing minute. How long had she been wandering in this damned forest? Elsa was sure enough that there was a safe amount of distance between her and the band of crazies, but scanned her surroundings again to make extra certain she wasn't being followed.
Despite Anna being a slim girl, Elsa's arms couldn't help but become fatigued after carrying her for so long. Elsa's knees trembled and she had to allow herself some rest before she too, passed out. With the little energy she had left, Elsa pumped her legs towards a large tree and clumsily sat down at its base. She then carefully maneuvered Anna's head in order to lay it securely on her lap. Anna was breathing steadily, but her face held a pained expression. Elsa brushed Anna's bangs away from her eyes with the back of her hand. When her hand made contact with Anna's skin, she tried not to gasp at how cold it felt.
"We can't stay here all night," Elsa whispered, and wracked her brain for a solution. The need for shelter grew even more urgent when she noticed how blue Anna's lips were. "Hang in there, Anna," Elsa urged. "I'll get you someplace safe and warm very soon." How many more lies are you going to tell?
Ignoring her dark thoughts, Elsa pulled Anna's cheek up against her chest to share the little warmth her body radiated. When she accidentally pressed Anna's lips onto the top of her chest, the softness of Anna's mouth made her flinch and shiver. Elsa found herself reflecting back to the moment she shared with Anna before the conveniently-timed attack on their palace. As she reminisced of the "quality time" she spent with Anna, a slight drool trickled down the side of her mouth. After a long moment, she stopped herself from being a perverted fool and quickly snapped out of her daze, wiping her spittle with the back of her hand. Elsa gently pushed Anna's face away from her exposed skin and tried not to let lewd thoughts overshadow her sensibility. Some heroine you are, her thoughts invaded her mind. Getting hot and bothered while saving the Princess – what would her fairy godmother think of you if she had one?
"She'd probably bibbidi-bobbidi-boo me all the way to hell," Elsa mumbled, ashamed, and tried not to depress herself by thinking about the many ways she was failing at being Anna's Prince Charming. "Prince charming," Elsa scoffed, and dropped her gaze to Anna's face. "I'm just as charming as Sergei is," Elsa mumbled, and placed a palm over her face.
The sun descended behind the trees as the temperature immediately shifted from cold to freezing. Fierce winds blew past them, and all Elsa could manage to do was shield Anna with her body – pulling the girl in as close to her proximity as she was able. Night fell around them and Elsa could barely see more than two feet in front of her. The forest looked different at night – more menacing. Anna remained still, but her slow, rhythmic breathing gave Elsa the little reassurance she needed in such a grim situation.
"I'm so sorry, Anna," Elsa said, and looked down at her sister's sleeping face. "If only I was stronger, smarter, and not so useless," Elsa finished, and gazed down at the only person in the world she could not afford to lose.
Anna's mouth hung slightly open as she continued to doze off – lost in a far-off world beyond the ugly reality. Elsa's eyes flickered to Anna's lips when she noticed them moving. Was Anna sleep-talking? Elsa continued to stare curiously as Anna's mouth silently formed a word. Leaning her face forward, Elsa caught the faint sound of her name.
"E-Elsa," Anna haltingly whispered, and then a small whimper escaped her lips.
Elsa's eyes widened at the sound of her name.
"Anna!" Elsa cried, and continued, "I'm here, Anna." Elsa took Anna's cold hands and clasped them between her palms. She then released long, drawn-out sighs onto Anna's hands in an attempt to warm her – eliciting subtle quivers from the younger girl's body. Elsa hoped Anna was seeing her in her dreams – as a way to let her know that she was right by Anna's side.
"Anna," Elsa whispered, desperately. "Anna, please, wake up."
Anna whimpered again – a sound similar to a helpless child - and instinctively wriggled her body closer towards Elsa, curling herself into a fetal position as she drew her legs forward. Anna was slowly, but surely, coming out of her unconscious state.
Elsa held back a strangled sob from the endearing sight. An immense amount of relief washed over her from knowing Anna was coming back to her. She was going to be okay. Although, a lingering sadness prevailed over the moment – the reality was that Elsa was still lost. Anna was still again, and Elsa pulled the girl even closer to her - afraid the darkness would somehow separate them.
"Anna, please," Elsa pleaded. "Please, I don't know what to do. I need you…" Elsa said, but then felt ashamed for even admitting the fact out loud. You're her big sister, Elsa's thoughts pointed out. Well, then act like you are.
It seemed it had always been the opposite ever since she could remember. Anna, always being the one who worried about her, being there for her even when she never asked for her help, and Anna, always being the strong one.
Time to be the big sister you know you can be. But there lies a conundrum – if she needed to start acting more like Anna's older sister, then wouldn't her feelings be the opposite of what a big sister should feel towards their little sister?
Just be her everything, her thoughts corrected, and interrupted her moment of self-reflection – preventing her from dipping in the pool of angst. There is no time for self-pitying. Besides, wanting to protect someone you love is natural, Elsa rationalized. Simply put, you just need to transform into a badass if you want any chance of saving, Anna, her thoughts concluded.
As soon as she processed her strange, internal conversation, a surge of energy poured through her body – awakening a new level of power she never fathomed she could harbor. Her vision sharpened, her thoughts were clear with a newfound alertness, and she felt she had just drank a hundred cups of coffee – such energy! She could already picture it in her mind – the details for the montage of her transformation. Elsa decided when she would transform, it would resemble a cross between Sailor Moon and Dragon Ball Z – her outfit would change into a sexier version, but she would retain her feministic self-respect by being a total badass. Yes, that sounds accurate enough. But right before she attempted to turn into a magical, ice-warrior, she was interrupted by a rattling noise quickly approaching her.
A sled pulled up seemingly out of nowhere with a burly, blonde guy sitting at its front – a reindeer pulling the contraption. It wasn't nearly the strangest thing Elsa had seen that day, but it ranked up there pretty high.
"Stop, Sven," the big, reindeer-guy, commanded, and pulled the reins back. The sled immediately stopped in front of Elsa. There was a lone lamp in front of the sled which illuminated the blonde, reindeer-guy's face. He looked at Elsa and then at Anna curled up beside her.
"Come on," he said, and attempted to peel Anna away from Elsa's arms, but Elsa steadfastly held on. He looked surprised at Elsa's reaction at first, but then smiled gently. "I can help," was all he said, and put out his arms.
Elsa looked at him warily with her arms still wrapped protectively over Anna. She knew she had little choice in the matter, and it frightened her to think that both Anna's life and her own were in the hands of a strange man whose sled was pulled by a reindeer. Worrisome indeed.
The blonde strange still had his arms out in front of him, indicating he could help carry Anna. Elsa looked at his big arms and suddenly felt insecure at her own twiggy ones. I bet he could easily carry Anna for a thousand miles if he wanted to with those massive arms of his, her condescending thoughts commented.
"Shut up," Elsa said out loud.
"I'm sorry?" The blonde stranger replied.
"Err, it's nothing…" Elsa said, looking away. He must now think I'm some crazy person who kidnapped a girl, Elsa thought, and mentally face-palmed.
"Look, my name's Kristoff. I only want to help. I can bring you to a trading post nearby," reindeer-guy—oh wait, Kristoff, sincerely said.
Elsa sighed, and slowly got to her feet. With the last remaining strength she still had, she lifted Anna up and began walking towards the sled.
"Hey, wait! I can help you carry her," Kristoff offered, but Elsa ignored him, and did her best to keep her legs from collapsing beneath her. She would carry Anna to the sled herself even if it killed her.
"Prideful, huh?" Kristoff smiled, and went to sit at the front of the sled. "This is Sven," Kristoff pointed to the reindeer, and Sven made a happy grunting noise.
Elsa gingerly placed Anna on the back of the sled and let out a big breath she was holding in. Her arms felt like deadweight by that point. "I'm Elsa and this is Anna," Elsa said, out of breath, and got on.
"She doesn't look too well," Kristoff said, worriedly, and ushered Sven to start moving.
No shit, Elsa thought and stared warily at the back of Kristoff's head. No, I shouldn't be too cynical. He seems like an okay guy, Elsa told herself. She looked down at Anna and securely wrapped an arm around her torso to make sure she wouldn't fall.
"We'll be there soon so—" Kristoff was cut off when a gigantic snowball was suddenly lobbed in the sled's path – nearly hitting Sven in the process.
Fffffff— Elsa thought, and turned to see Lady Alexandra riding atop of Sergei's shoulder along with the rest of her crew.
"Found you, pretty girl," Lady Alexandra, giggled, staring directly into Elsa's eyes as if the very sight of Elsa sparked life into her. "Now, come quietly. There really is no use in fighting us. After all, we have a giant snowman on our side," Lady Alexandra said.
Oh yeah? Well, we have… We have… a reindeer, an unconscious girl, and a blonde dude on our side, Elsa glumly thought. We're screwed.
Hans stood on the right side of Sergei's shoulder, he focused solely on Kristoff while a gleam sparkled in his eyes.
I knew he wasn't straight, Elsa thought, and then refocused on the situation at hand. They were not going to lay another hand on Anna. No, this time she'd make sure she'd end this ridiculous ongoing battle once and for all.
Badass transformation time, Elsa decided.