Twenty-One

Elsa felt numb. The pain of her right wrist made the world fuzzier, and as she was dragged into her own castle, she was almost glad to have people leading her as the world spun unnaturally. All voices blended together, and she couldn't discern any words. The throbbing in her hand caused her to fade in and out of consciousness. From the little information she gathered, a doctor was being called. She hoped they'd help the ache disappear.

She slipped out of reality again, and the next time she woke, there was a buzzing in her head and she felt like she'd fallen from a hundred feet in the air. She blinked and the world didn't spin quite so fast. This wasn't her room or her bed, but it was very familiar. With a strange jolt to her heart, she realized this was the room she'd given Hans before the bodies began appearing in Arendelle.

As she slowly sat up, she saw the sun hanging in the sky to the east; it was morning. Had she slept through the rest of the day? The dull ache in her wrist confirmed she must have slept due to the pain.

Her wrist was at least three times its usual size, covered with wraps and hard wood that condemned her from moving her hand.

She looked out the window, the harbor bustling as always. But it seemed so... different. Something felt wrong about all of this. With Anna, Kristoff, and Hans sailing far away from her, the world was all wrong. And Ingvalda...

Elsa turned towards the door when she heard it open. She feared it would be the woman that had supposedly taken her throne, but it was only Kai.

The man who usually had a smile on his face especially for the queen had a look that sunk his entire body. His shoulders slumped like he couldn't find the will to raise them any higher. Elsa felt a twinge of guilt; his look could only mean disappointment. He was the closest thing Elsa had to a parent for years, and she'd disappointed him.

"Kai," she tried to say, but her throat was dry and her voice scratched.

"Miss Elsa," he greeted, closing the door softly. That 'Miss' cut her like a knife. She wasn't 'Queen Elsa'. In his hand was a tray of food like the ones Hans had been given in prison. She wasn't...?

Kai confirmed the unspoken question. "You're a prisoner of the Custodian. When Prince Hans escaped and you were nowhere to be seen, Ingvalda immediately placed the blame on you."

"She couldn't have known it was me," Elsa argued after clearing her throat. "She claimed I'd committed treason, but she didn't have evidence?"

"But was she wrong?" he asked, though it wasn't a question.

She withered under his look. She'd pushed and pushed and pushed the limits of the law, and it was only a matter of time until she'd been caught. Elsa was only happy that the people who mattered were out of harm's way.

"What... what happened to the ship?"

"The ship was followed, but somehow our people couldn't reach them. There was some sort of malfunction, and something spontaneously combusted."

Another ship on fire curtosey of Hans. Elsa had mixed feelings about their getaway.

"We lost the prisoner and his captives."

"His captives?"

"Your sister," Kai clarified, almost surprised she didn't know. "And Sir Kristoff."

"They're his captives?" she asked, nearly denying it, but realizing how the picture had been painted. When Anna and Kristoff weren't caught, Ingvalda must have thought Hans had planned to capture them as a failsafe. What a tale; the queen helped her lover (or... at least wanter, Elsa thought bitterly) by sacrificing her own sister. There was no angle where she wasn't the villain.

The disappointment on Kai's face had deeper meaning, then. He thought she'd allowed Hans to take Anna. She wanted so badly to reassure him she hadn't and that Anna was perfectly safe. But she wouldn't give up Anna's false alibi.

"What's going to happen to me?" Elsa whispered.

The man placed the tray on the bed and sighed deeply. "We can only hope for the best, your majesty."

He left with no more than a parting glance. Elsa looked towards the tray of food, and though she hadn't eaten in a day, she couldn't stomach the food. She hadn't felt so alone in a long, long time.

Hours passed. Her stomach eventually convinced her to eat, but afterwards there was nothing to do. She tried the door, but it was locked. She had no desire to try using her magic; that wouldn't do her any good and her wrist still throbbed whenever she moved her arm too fast. There was nothing she could do but stare at the wall or out the window and let her imagination race about where the ship was going and what fate Ingvalda had decided for the queen who was no longer fit to run her own kingdom.

Finally, her door opened to reveal a pair of guards who were to escort her to the throne room. Elsa's stomach flopped. She didn't say a word, and followed the guards cooperatively, leaving the lonely room. Each step felt like a death sentence.

The throne room had never been Elsa's favorite; it was always so crisp and clean, and the shining example of royalty. But it was also cold and calculating, and exactly the kind of room that Ingvalda was born to be in.

Ingvalda sat atop the throne that Elsa was no longer entitled to. Her glare caused Elsa to turn her head, where her gaze settled upon four men. They had various shades of brown hair and the same cold glare. Their noses were all exactly like Hans'. Her heart stopped as she realized these were Hans' brothers. At least, four of them. It had to be seven, eight, eleven, and twelve, since nine and ten were in Corona serving time in prison.

She was stopped before the throne and turned back towards the Custodian. Ingvalda didn't look happy, but there was some kind of smugness about her that Elsa knew shouldn't have been there. Ingvalda was probably delighted to have a reason for booting the queen.

"Queen Elsa," Ingvalda began, her tone cool. "You have been accused-"

"Is this a trial?" Elsa interrupted, earning a sharp glare from the woman on the throne.

"The trial has already been carried out. You have been found guilty of aiding the prisoner, Prince Hans Westergard, who is a known criminal and attempted murderer, in fleeing Arendelle and kidnapping the princess Anna."

It wasn't fair. They couldn't have held the trial without their queen, even if she was the one who was charged against. Ingvalda, who was such a stickler for rules, was breaking the law.

"You can't do this," Elsa said, but knew she wasn't being paid mind to.

"As far as your sentence, you should be thrown into prison and stripped of your crown."

She'd been expecting it, but hearing it out loud and really thinking about having her title taken away made the pleas and arguments on her tongue grow silent.

"In your place, I shall continue ruling until the princess Anna is found and is able to claim her title, or until she is proclaimed dead, in which I shall assume the crown."

Ingvalda was enjoying this. There was nothing the woman had wanted more than to hold power. She'd had that taste of power when Elsa was younger and not ready to be crowned, and for over a year Ingvalda had continued doing her duties. She had really never stopped being ruler, but she couldn't hold the spotlight with Elsa anymore. Elsa knew she deserved her punishments, but she only wished Ingvalda wouldn't look so smug about it.

"Your highness, if I may offer an alternative," said a voice behind Elsa. It was like a stone sinking to the bottom of the sea, deep and smooth. She turned to see that it was one of the brothers. He had a bare face, and wasn't the tallest or shortest among them. But his mouth was curled up in a clever sort of way that she was sure she'd seen on Hans before. She wondered which brother this was.

"Prince Jørgen," Ingvalda said, answering Elsa's unspoken question. "Speak."

"Instead of allowing this woman to waste away in your dungeons, we would be happy to take her for you."

Elsa's breath caught in her throat. Suddenly the clever curl in his lip seemed menacing, some sort of warning that if she thought her life was difficult now, she'd be in for a surprise. She knew what the brothers did to people with magic. She couldn't live like that.

Ingvalda looked interested, though. "Why should I grant you that?"

"Arendelle had been secretly holding onto the brother we thought died at sea. That could easily be an act of war. Not to mention that we've heard in passing that our father and elder brothers are all laying in your earth, dead. Hans may have hired a mercenary to kill us, and now you've let him sail away. Really, your majesty, the question is how can you not grant what we want?"

Ingvalda wasn't smiling anymore. She was two shades paler than usual. "What will you do with Elsa?"

"That is our business, isn't it?" said the tallest brother in a way that made Elsa shiver. She prayed they wouldn't take her away, that this wasn't happening.

Ingvalda thought about it, she really did. She looked as though she was weighing the pros and cons, and finally she was won over.

"You may have custody of Elsa," she agreed as the woman in question lost all hope. "She is banished from the kingdom Arendelle."

"You can't banish me," Elsa choked. "You can't."

"I can," she said with a gleam in her eye. "I just have. When you don't respect the law, don't expect the law to respect you. You are dismissed."

Elsa tried to argue, but words wouldn't form. She sputtered as if she could say nothing but spit out sawdust. The guards behind her grabbed her shoulders, and a twinge of pain lit her wrist again. But it was nothing compared to the pain that crushed her, knowing she'd just been banished from the only place she'd ever called home.

Elsa shook off the men holding her shoulders, giving them a withering glare. "I'm not trying anything, I've got a broken wrist." The men looked like they didn't want to hurt their queen in the first place and easily agreed.

She was walked out of the room while the brothers still discussed terms of leaving. Elsa wanted so badly to close her eyes and have everything disappear. How had it gotten to be like this? Just a few months ago, she was having tea with Anna and thought that Hans in their dungeon was the worst possible thing that could happen. If only she could see herself now.

She was locked back in her room and told to wait. Elsa didn't know what to do. She stood, numb, for a moment, then turned to the window. She stood by it and stared out on her- no, it wasn't hers anymore. She'd pushed too far, and now she had her kingdom taken away.

And suddenly, she knew Hans' pain. She saw through his eyes the kingdom that had briefly been his. She'd owned it longer, but the pain was just as real. They'd both gone too far. Now they were criminals without a crown.

She remembered the story again, the one of the Snowbird. The one who conquered their fear and became the king of the birds. She had thought at one point that maybe she'd be the snowbird. But as she looked upon the domain that used to be hers, she saw that conquering her fears had done nothing but given her more troubles.

Her fate was as unsure as ever. She closed her eyes, wondering if Anna was safe. She had Kristoff and she was strong, she would survive. Did Hans miss her? Did he have any remorse at leaving her behind to die? Or was she already a ghost of the past?

Elsa leaned against the glass, silently watching the ships bob up and down in the fjord and dreading every second that passed. She wasn't sure how long she'd been standing there when there was a knock at her door. Not the familiar, small knuckles on wood that Anna had, but three solid knocks.

She turned to see the door open for the plain looking Prince that had claimed her. Prince Jørgen stood in her doorway, not taking a step further.

"Won't you invite me in?"

She didn't have enough strength to question why he was allowing her that much when she was his prisoner. She merely nodded, granting him permission.

He smiled gratefully and entered, closing the door gently behind him.

Elsa remembered him from Hans' stories. Jørgen was lucky number seven. He was the one that was always favored by his mother, that had begged for the bigger boat. She wanted to hate him.

He stood respectfully with his hands behind his back, waiting for her to speak first, as if she had summoned him to her chambers.

"I'm not the queen anymore, haven't you heard? You don't have to do that."

"It's a habit, I suppose. I am Prince Jørgen. I hope that you weren't too put off by my forwardness in claiming you. Rather, I should think you might be happier free instead of trapped in a cell."

"Am I supposed to thank you?"

"It might be in order. But don't think we claimed you from the kindness of our hearts."

That was reassuring.

She stood straighter, attempting to look halfway intimidating. "Then why are you taking me?"

The man had taken his hands from behind his back and now was holding them in front of himself. He looked incredibly self-assured.

"My brothers and I have it on good authority you were cohorts with our brother."

She tried to keep her face blank, but his lip curled again, and she knew she'd answered him without saying a word.

"And?"

"And we think you might be able to lead us to him."

They... they wanted her to help catch him? After she was the one to let him go?

The confusion must have been clear across her face. Jørgen stepped forward and explained, "Our brother tried to kill you once, and you may as well count this as a second attempt. I don't know exactly how he convinced you to set him free, but I know that he is a very persuasive fellow. He could talk his way out being a murderer a thousand times and still go free."

Doubt was creeping into her heart again. Doubt that he'd ever truly loved, or even wanted her. She couldn't believe that, especially when those memories were some of the only things she had left.

"My point is that we have our reasons, and you have yours. Revenge is sweet, especially when you've had so much taken from you."

"I don't know where he is," she muttered. It was the truth, but he didn't seem to believe it.

"You'll help us eventually," he assured. "We leave tomorrow morning. Is there anything special you'd like to be packed?"

She wanted to say no just to get him to leave, but she took the chance to close her mouth before she regretted it. The brothers had been notorious bullies, she remembered. If they had done all that to their younger brother, who knew what sort of horrible tricks they'd impose on their own prisoner? There was something she wanted.

"Can... can you get me my gloves?"

Jørgen nodded. "I'll personally see they're put on board."

He bid her adieu, and Elsa was again left with nothing but her thoughts and a view of the only world she'd known.

How could she help the brothers find and punish the man who she'd loved enough to set free at the cost of the life she knew? She couldn't. She couldn't even if she wanted to. But there was one thing she could do...

Her spirits slowly began to rise. In fact, there was another option. Suddenly, being banished was turning itself into an opportunity. She was going to be with the next brothers in line of the killer. She might catch the killer herself and end it all.

Maybe Hans had claimed her as a ghost of the past, but she wasn't finished with him. And if she couldn't be queen and couldn't be free, then she would clear his name, if it was the last thing she'd do.

I regret to inform that TPatS will have to move to an every other week schedule. I know, I'm trash. But man, is life just exploding with busyness. I'm the absolute worst, I know. But maybe soon I'll be able to pump out a chapter a week again; keep your fingers crossed! Updates will still be on Mondays.

And to the anon who compared Ingvalda to Yzma, you totally made my day