Eighteen

When Elsa had promised a week, she must've forgotten she couldn't just tell her people that she wanted a ship and it would be there, packed and shining the next day. Her assembly crew consisted of herself, Anna, Kristoff, and Sven. Elsa had to tell Hans the deadline was to be extended to another week. He seemed slightly distressed, likely by the thought that every day, there was the chance of his brothers getting closer.

On the sixth day of their schedule, another body turned up. Prince Alecksander, the first person to contact the queen, was no more. Elsa had the gruesome task of telling a gravedigger to dig more spaces. Though Ingvalda had wanted to pack up the bodies and send them, Elsa insisted that they had them buried, just as Hans requested. She'd chosen a spot just left of the waterfall to lay them to rest. She wondered if they'd have to give the bodies back when the brothers came for what was theirs.

By then, the escape team had successfully found a boat, nearly a mile away from the castle. They sneaked out nearly every night to go and load it with more things; rations, supplies, maps, etc, or to fix it up. It had a potentially bad hole in the front, but Kristoff and Anna were sure they could patch it up.

It didn't surprise Elsa that Anna was willing to help do manual labor that most ladies- namely Ingvalda- would deem unsatisfactory. She was a bundle of energy, and it was no use keeping her bound to Elsa, who made her list of supplies and counted everything while recording it all. But what did surprise the queen was Anna's absolute ease at the task. Kristoff stayed put with his hammer and nails and patch up stuff, working on the hole, and Anna would bring him pieces of wood three at a time, each long and no doubt heavy. The queen wondered where Anna had worked up such strong arms.

Another wonder was that Anna even touched the boat. Elsa had noticed this past year that Anna hated being on ships. She would be the last person to suggest a vacation anywhere that required travel by sea. And Elsa had the sinking suspicion the fear might have stemmed from the fateful ship their parents had taken.

Elsa looked from above on her sister and her someday-fiancé, playfully arguing over something involving sleds.

"Oh, and putting my feet on a sled makes me raised in a barn, but nose-picking is fine?"

"To be fair, I had just paid my sled off."

"Okay, well your latest one was one hundred percent paid by me. Therefore I think my dainty little feet deserve a home up top."

The iceman's laugh could be clearly heard from the deck where Elsa was at. "Dainty? No offense, but have you smelled your feet lately?"

Elsa felt a smile grow across her face as she listened to Anna gasp and say, "You take that back!" and then laugh along with him. Nothing warmed Elsa's heart more than seeing her sister happy. She was so glad that even with everything that had happened when she fled to the mountain, Anna had found Kristoff along the way. He was an absolute keeper, and she hoped that he'd eventually feel as eager to get married as Anna did.

The queen went back to tying sacks of food tight and bringing them to the storage area below, warmed by the fact that Anna and Kristoff were willingly helping her, even if it meant also helping Hans. Making repairs with her sister had been something she'd waited far too long to do. If she'd only just dedicated herself earlier and not partially plunge in and then quickly withdraw...

No, she thought, grunting as she hauled a bag of grain down the steps. I can't think like that anymore. No more self-destructive behavior.

Once she reached the bottom, she dropped the bag with a thump. The same way her arms were alleviated of the weight, she felt just as free from herself. She'd never felt so free since the north mountain. She had her sister's love, Hans'... want (no matter how brief it would last), and she wouldn't let her inner demons get the better of her ever again.

The only thing that broke her mood was another body on the tenth day. Number five, Louis, was found inside the castle's gates. Even though the gates were scarcely closed nowadays, it was still unnerving to have a body so close. How had no one seen the deliverer?

Ingvalda seemed to think the same, and she took it upon herself to lecture Elsa, like it was her fault the killer hadn't been caught.

"Thank heavens a letter has come ahead of the Southern Isles," the woman said. "They said they're coming as quickly as they can to take that wretch away. Maybe once he's gone, we shant be plagued any longer."

Elsa did her best to keep her lip buttoned and her glare away from Ingvalda. Now that she didn't blame herself for everything that went wrong, she found the ex-custodian grated upon her nerves easily.

"Of course, had you simply told me about the letters earlier, we might have gotten somewhere quicker," she grumbled from her seat, sitting as regally as if it was a throne.

"In my own defense," Elsa spoke up. "I didn't know bodies would arrive."

"And if you'd told me, then maybe I could have anticipated it," Ingvalda said bitterly, as though she were so smart, she could have stopped it all before it began. "The killer is closer to the castle than ever before. They're becoming bolder. It's obvious Prince Hans has someone working outside to deliver the bodies. Now how much longer until they're ordered to kill the queen and the princesses?"

It didn't for one second slip Elsa's attention that Ingvalda had used 'princess' in the plural. All of this business had made Ingvalda's head inflate, unless she'd forgotten that she wasn't the queen.

Granted, Elsa hadn't been doing anything a queen should have, but the misuse of her title set every nerve on edge. She would be keeping a good eye on the ex-custodian. At least she couldn't marry her way onto the throne.

Eventually, the thirteenth night arrived. Elsa's mood had sunk considerably over the week. Tomorrow night, the ship would sail and Hans would be free to roam the seas. Everything was suddenly so... final. But they'd done good work; the hole was patched and tested, supplies were accounted for and all fit, a secret crew had been assembled by Anna, and all that was left to do was check up on the ship before it was loaded with people the next day.

Anna agreed to go with Elsa that night and make sure everything was ready. So at midnight, they wrapped themselves up in the black cloaks they'd used for the past two weeks and grabbed lanterns to lead the way in the dark night.

They left the castle quietly and smoothly, despite all the guards that were posted. They'd had to take extra caution lately, due to Ingvalda ordering heavy guarding. She'd been incredibly freaked out about the body inside castle gates, and had taken safety to heart.

"I feel like a criminal," Anna whispered as they narrowly avoided one of the guards, but she sounded exhilarated by it, like it was some kind of game. "I mean, I kind of am, but-"

"Let's hope we're not thrown in jail before we can free the other jailbird," Elsa muttered back, finding the coast clear and dashing out into the city with Anna trailing close behind.

It was a bit of a risk, traveling through town, but she'd learned from Hans that the best place to hide was in plain sight. The sisters were linked by their arms in black cloaks, likely looking like a pair of witches. Her heart nearly stopped when a guard came into sight, but he didn't find them a threat and passed on.

They nearly reached the edge of town when Elsa noticed another hooded figure. It seemed they weren't the only ones out at midnight. And the queen wouldn't have thought twice about the person if it wasn't that they were bent over, like they were picking something up. But when they stood up, there was another figure that was on the ground; still and limp.

Elsa stopped, causing Anna to be yanked back. She made a surprised chirp, which caused the strange figure to look at them. They stood still, and then suddenly bolted.

A horrible feeling sunk in Elsa's stomach, and she found herself running towards where the figure had stood. She heard her sister call out in confusion from behind, but Elsa didn't stop. She had a very, very bad feeling about the figure that lay in the road.

Her heart was pounding with adrenaline, but nearly stopped when she reached the spot. Just as she'd suspected, it was the sixth prince, whose name, Charles, was printed on the card just like all the others. On it was also scrawled, 'Aruna shall not be conquered'. This was the brother who could never succeed at taking the throne. Besides Hans, of course.

Unlike his brothers, Charles looked the part of being dead, or at least badly hurt. He had a black eye and a bloodied lip that still looked fresh. His arm was bent at an awkward angle. And when Elsa reached down for a pulse, she found him still warm. No pulse, but warm. Like he'd only just died.

Anna arrived on the scene, breathing heavily but gasping at the body. "That's... is that another prince?"

Elsa's head whipped to where the person had a run, a faint cloak billowing. She stood up and pointed towards it.

"That's the killer," she said, then broke out into a full run.

She heard Anna drop her lantern and say, "What?!", but Elsa didn't pay any attention. She was fixed on the cloak that just blended into the dark night. The figure turned a corner suddenly, and Elsa began to panic. She couldn't lose them. Not when she was this close.

She skid to a stop at the corner and turned direction immediately. Her heart was pumping and her lungs were already pleading for help. Elsa wanted to yell at the person to stop, but that would've alerted the townsfolk. Besides, the chance that the killer would listen to her was minimal. She just had to keep running.

They left town, headed into the pure dark. But the figure wasn't going out into the open land, they were turned in the direction of the tall cliff that served as background for the castle. The killer was headed toward the waterfall.

Elsa remembered that although her legs were tired, she had a way of gaining on the person. She raised her hand and shot a blast of snow at them, but to no avail. They dodged easily and continued running. She bit her lip, thinking frantically, then got another idea. If she couldn't catch up, she'd make her own path.

The queen stopped in place, her legs and lungs thanking her. She saw the waterfall in the glinting moonlight, silver water sliding down its path. The noise had often soothed her to sleep. She raised her hands and built a bridge of ice. It gleamed from her feet out into the distance. She easily mounted it and planted her feet, thankful that she wasn't wearing heels.

There was a crazy idea that churned in her mind. If she wanted to get there fast, it was going to take more than just running. Without another thought, she turned around and began propelling herself across the bridge with the aid of an icy wind.

The air blowing across her face made it harder to breathe, but she smiled despite the situation. Maybe this is what it was like to go out riding, she thought. This is the kind of freedom running through your hair that Hans spoke of.

She had glided almost all of the way to the waterfall when she noticed her bridge had come to an end. But instead of building more, she dug her feet into the ice and skid to a halt. The toes dangled at the edge of the bridge, just three feet above the ground.

Elsa should have continued the bridge, blowing her way towards the falls and intercepting the path of the killer. But she noticed another figure at the base of the cliff, standing still. Curiosity overcame her, and she quietly climbed down from the bridge, hurrying towards the figure.

As she got closer, she knew this wasn't the same person. They wore a lighter colored cloak, and a large dress spilled out from the confines of it. It looked like their gaze was fixed on the ground.

A shiver overcame Elsa as she realized they weren't just at the base of the waterfall, they were at the makeshift graveyard. The figure was looking down on the grave, and beside it was a pile of dirt. She was already frozen in place, but Elsa couldn't move if she wanted to. Were they digging up the graves?

The killer- or, at least the person who had placed the body- came running towards the gravedigger, breathing heavily. Elsa seemed to be concealed well enough that they took no notice.

"We have to get out of here," said the killer. She was female, Elsa noted. "Someone saw me, I think it was the queen. I lost her but she's likely sent guards-"

"Can't you let me speak to him for just a moment?" said the other woman, still standing still over the grave.

The first shook their hood, still catching their breath. "No time, have to go. And you said you never wanted to speak to him again."

"Oh, well I was angry at the time, you can imagine," said the second, voice dripping with the sickly sweetness Elsa equated Ingvalda's to when she wanted something. But it wasn't the ex-custodian; Ingvalda's voice was much deeper. "I don't regret his death, of course, though I would be ever so grateful for one last chat."

"Another time?" suggested the first, peering over their shoulder. They were still in quite a panic. "We don't have time to rebury him. Let's just go."

"Oh, well," sighed the older woman, finally turning towards the first person. She reached a draped arm out to the younger, placing it on her shoulder. And then, in a blinding white flash, the two disappeared.

The night returned to its peaceful self, late-blooming crickets harmonizing with the sounds of an autumn wind. The waterfall that had so often lulled her to sleep still ran, but all of Elsa's mind was abuzz. Her nerves were so jumpy that she might have screamed at the sound of Anna approaching if she wasn't so grateful for it.

The princess arrived at her side, heaving for breath. "What... what was that light? Did you do that?"

Elsa shook her head, eyes still trained on the spot where they'd disappeared. Her heart pumped as she slowly stood from her crouch, no need to hide any longer. "No."

"What was it then?" Anna asked, bent over with her hands on her sides.

Instead of answering, Elsa walked to the grave that the older woman had been staring down into; the king's. Part of her was scared to look in. She hadn't seen a rotting corpse before, and she didn't want to see it now, but she thought the man who Hans had admired so much deserved to at least be reburied.

The man had been dug up; that much was evident by the pile of dirt and the body in the hole. But there was no smell, like Elsa had expected. What was even more eerie was how pristine he looked. Though his eyes had been shut and his body laid to rest, he looked like he'd just been taking a long nap. There was no rot and decay. This made her more upset than if there had been.

"Why is the grave dug up?" Anna asked, peering down into it. She made a slight hissing sound, then said, "And why is the king not all gross?"

Elsa had wide eyes and low brows, her mind failing her to piece everything together. All she could do was shake her head. "There's two of them."

"Pardon?"

"Two killers, both women," Elsa said. "One was the person we chased. The other was standing over the grave... I think she dug it up."

"Wait, so you saw them?" Anna asked, moonlight listening in her excited eyes.

"Not exactly," she said. "They had hoods on. But I heard their voices. And the older woman..." Elsa looked up, fear dancing in her eyes. "We're not just dealing with a murderer. Our killer is a magician."

And we meet the killer! Kind of. At least there's new evidence on the scene. I'd love to hear all of your theories!

Continued thanks to everyone who's been reading. I try my best to get back to everyone in a timely fashion. Until next week!