Chapter Thirty
Before setting back for Arendelle, the ship had to make one quick stop at the Southern Isles' capital. Having anticipated less than a week for the whole trip, the present company found themselves greatly underwhelmed with supplies. Plus, three of the brothers and some of the crew Bhumi had killed were waiting to be revived back in the Isles. They'd have to dip back towards the castle briefly before they began the two week journey to Arendelle. Elsa wondered how anyone had ever thought the Westergards' killer could have done it all without magic involved.
Bhumi never spoke to anyone. Nobody saw her willingly leave her cabin, and nobody was dumb enough to investigate why. Elsa again found herself questioning the deal she'd made with this woman. Had she really granted immunity to a murderer? She tried to justify that many of the people Bhumi had killed were soon going to be given life again, but she still felt like she'd shaken hands with the devil when she bet lives.
Anna was oddly... quiet. Elsa hadn't been paying much attention to her sister lately, but Arendelle's missing princess seemed to have a lot on her mind. Elsa might have dove in and asked if she could help with anything, but after all that had happened, she knew that Anna could handle whatever it was herself.
Hans, on the other hand, couldn't stop talking. He kept marveling in the fact that Bhumi had agreed to bring his family back. It seemed like all bygones were bygones with the brothers. Elsa couldn't help but smile as he wondered aloud what he would say to them, how they would react to Carol's pawning of them. But most of all, he couldn't stop grinning about his father.
"I mean, I felt awful when I stole the ship to go to Arendelle the first time, but only because I knew my father would disapprove," Hans rambled. It was the night before the ship would dock at the castle's harbor. "I thought maybe he'd forgive me eventually, after I had my own kingdom and mother would see me as worthy. But... I never got to see him again."
Elsa sat on the bed, unbraiding her hair and combing through to smooth the waves. She watched Hans pace the floorboards, rubbing his fingers together to create little harmless sparks. The fire popped and flared in his hands, and Elsa didn't know if he was wholly aware of it.
"The chance to talk to him again... wow," he said, stopping and extinguishing the little flames by closing his hand. "It was so hard losing the one person that I felt like I could really trust."
Elsa looked down at the bedspread, still combing slowly through her hair. It must have been nice to expect another conversation with a parent who you thought was gone forever.
Hans laughed quietly. "He was my only-" he paused when he spun on his heel and saw the woman who obviously didn't share in his joy. It hit him like a rock to the head.
"Oh. I'm... sorry. I didn't realize-"
Elsa shook her head, pardoning him. She raised her gaze up to his guilty-looking face and smiled just slightly. "It's fine. I'm happy for you."
Hans didn't say anything, but rubbed his fingers together again, still full of nerves. "Even if Bhumi wasn't bringing my father back, I'd still have a confidant, you know. You've been someone I can speak to honestly about anything."
The reverse was also true. When Elsa had lost her parents, she had no one to open up to- besides Anna, who she deemed was too pure and innocent to deal with such a burden. Even after the adventure the summer of her coronation, her confiding in Anna had been a work in progress. She was a sister, but she didn't understand how Elsa worked a lot of the time. Hans knew most of Elsa's inner workings. Though their experiences weren't identical, the way they dealt with problems and understood the world was just a little closer than anyone else.
Elsa's hair was completely undone and unruly strands found themselves trying to hide her face. Hans stepped closer and brushed them away with warm hands, smiling down at her. He kept his hand in her hair, gently running his fingertips along her scalp. She closed her eyes in bliss.
"You saved my family," he said. "I don't know how you did it, but you talked a murderer out of a grudge and saved the Westergards."
Elsa didn't mention that her judgment had been especially cloudy when she'd done the dealing. She would have given anything to have Hans brought back to life.
He brushed his lips against her forehead. "I must be the luckiest man in the world."
Elsa broke her silence and laughed, opening her eyes. Hans looked just slightly confused, his hand stopping in her hair. He had absolutely no idea how theatrical he was.
"Your speeches are by the book," Elsa laughed, reaching her hand to his chin and gently guiding him down to meet her smiling lips.
He touched briefly, but pulled away with furrowed brows. "Do I sound rehearsed?"
Elsa laughed again, pulling him down onto the bed with her. "Absolutely rehearsed. But it's perfect."
She hoped that the rest of the night would fade into no more words, just the two of them attached to each other, but Hans pulled away again, mild concern in his eyes. "What will my father think of us?"
"You really know how to ruin a mood," Elsa said, but she smiled and shut him up with another kiss; this time, for good.
The next day was colder than it had been all year. Hans wondered if it would snow, and Elsa promised she would keep the ship safe from any harm in the cold weather. She didn't mind the weather, but noticed the others bundled up considerably more than usual.
Before they docked that afternoon, Princess Bhumi made a very unusual appearance on deck. Everyone surrounding grew silent and edged away until the princess stood alone in the middle. She had her arms crossed and lips pursed. "Don't stare at me like I'm a ghost," Bhumi ordered to everyone. "I'm just out for some air."
Everyone looked on edge and nervous, but begrudgingly got about their work again. Elsa, who had been standing off to the side with Hans, exchanged a look with the prince before going to meet the other magician.
Bhumi didn't looked surprised to have Elsa's presence, but she didn't necessarily look happy about it. Standing up straight, she was easily taller than Elsa by two heads. The former queen tried not to let that and the ability to take life deter her.
"We'll be there soon?" Bhumi asked in a grumbling voice.
"Another hour, at least."
The woman released an irritated sigh, breath turning to puffs in the frigid air. "Travel by ship is so painfully slow. At least when I was with Carol, we could get anywhere instantly. Business didn't take centuries to get done."
Elsa shrugged as a chilly wind blew past them. Bhumi shivered, drawing her arms closer together and hunching over a little.
"Are you cold?" Elsa asked.
"No," she snapped. "I've got my jilbāb and hijab on; they'll keep out the cold."
But she wasn't convincing. Bhumi tried to hide her shivering to no avail.
"Come on," Elsa said, stepping away. "Let's find you something warm to wrap up in."
"I said I'm fine," Bhumi muttered, but clearly meant the opposite. She let her pride go for a moment to turn to follow Elsa.
Elsa quickly faced Hans, nodding at him that everything was fine. He looked like he'd rather accompany the two of them, but nodded back in understanding. Elsa led Bhumi away from the crowded center of the ship and back to her room, where among the borrowed dresses she was sure there were borrowed cloaks.
They reached Elsa's cabin and she unlocked the door, leading the way into the slightly warmer room. Bhumi stepped in and seemed to immediately feel better in the minuscule temperature difference.
Elsa opened the large chest of Queen Carol's clothes. "I'm certain there's a cloak or a shawl in here," she said, digging through.
She passed over a thin emerald dress and a cranberry one that was badly wrinkled, trying to find something remotely warm.
"How long have you and the prince been together?"
Bhumi's unexpected question startled and excited Elsa. If they were close enough that Bhumi was talking to her, she'd be satisfied. Or at least not completely in fear for her life.
"Um, well, really only two or so months. He came into Arendelle just over four months ago. It seems like it's been so much longer."
Bhumi had an unreadable expression. "How did you two start talking?"
Elsa bit her lip, still fishing for something. "He, uh, I think we started off yelling at each other. He told me he needed a boat. I think we really started talking when we realized our similarities." She tossed aside some hideous yellow cloth and pondered over a lovely raspberry dress before getting back to her task. "We'd both had the same experiences with magic, keeping it tied back like some evil thing through the years. We were both raised to live in fear or hatred of our magic. And we were still teaching ourselves that it was okay to be free of gloves."
"Gloves?"
Elsa's fingers brushed something fuzzy- finally! She pulled out a dark brown wrap lined with fur and kept together with dull brass buttons. "Our parents tried to contain our powers with gloves. And they worked, but they left some scars."
Elsa stood and shook dust out the cloak, then turned and passed it to the princess. "Here you are."
Bhumi wrapped it around herself like a blanket, but hadn't lost interest in Elsa's story. "They tried to force your powers into submission?"
The ice magician sat down on her bed, nodding. She was only slightly embarrassed that she was sitting on the same bed that she'd shared with Hans last night.
"The root of my troubles happened early in life. I was seven. My sister Anna loved to play with me and my powers," Elsa began, and found herself telling Bhumi her own story. The princess didn't look bored, though. She was showing the beginnings of an actual, caring human.
They'd been talking a while before a sailor knocked on her door and said to excuse the intrusion, but they'd taken sight of the castle and would be prepared to dock in half an hour.
Bhumi, who'd been an intent listener, looked like her mind was occupied with a million thoughts. Elsa stood up and went to close the trunk of dresses.
"I know it was only part of the deal, but thank you for doing this," Elsa said quietly.
"Doing what?"
"Bringing the brothers back," she said with a slight shrug. "It's very... noble. I like to believe in second chances."
"This family seems to need all of the second chances they can get," Bhumi muttered. A laugh escaped Elsa, and she tried to hide it until she saw Bhumi's slight smile. The woman had a sense of humor after all. Maybe Bhumi had gone through some tough times, but Elsa knew she didn't have the heart of stone she claimed to possess.
The two women left the cabin, not quite friends, but with minimal ill feelings. Bhumi wrapped the warm clothing around herself and followed the former queen onto the deck, where the castle at the Southern Isles sat atop the glistening fjord.
The grand plan was to wait a few hours past sundown to get off the ship and reanimate the princes and sailors who'd perished earlier in the week. Some of the crew kindly informed Elsa that the ship need be docked before sunset and inspected by guards, for safety reasons, of course. So Hans, Bhumi, Anna, Kristoff, and Elsa all hid below deck beside the crew's sleeping cots and rank footwear. The four Europeans talked softly around a lit candle, waiting for the clearance to go back up and have magic worked. Bhumi kept wrapped up in the shawl, quietly listening to the whispers of the others by candlelight.
Finally, a sailor came down the wooden steps and gave them the clearance. A few had discovered that the princes' and sailors' bodies were laid in coffins in the empty throne room, advisers and nobility waiting until they found someone to take the crown to decide what to do with their dead.
The five filed up the stairs quickly, stomachs all aflutter with curiosity and excitement. Elsa looked to Bhumi, who had her brows furrowed. She must have been the most nervous of them all.
Bhumi had made it very clear that she didn't want a crowd around when she performed. So Hans instructed that only the five of them would be present. The sailors were no doubt upset at being denied a show, but obeyed.
They silently hurried to the castle by the early moonlight. The waterfront was cold and silent. The entire island seemed to be in mourning. At first Elsa thought maybe everyone was gone from the castle, and they'd have no problem getting to the bodies.
She was quickly disproved when Hans grabbed her and pulled her into the shadows, waving frantically for the others to follow. Anna had barely left the light when patrols came into sight, circling the castle's perimeter. They scarcely breathed as the guards passed, finally turning the corner.
"We'll have to enter through the servant's door," Hans muttered to them, finally letting Elsa out of his grip. "This way."
They walked in the shadows to a sun-bleached wooden door. Hans tried it, but it was locked. He kept his hand on the knob, and after a moment it became molten red and he was able to shove the lock out of place. The door swung open into a dimly lit hallway. Hans motioned them in, stepping inside.
Kristoff whistled when he passed the still molten doorknob, quickly cooling but horribly misshapen. "Glad I'm on his side this time."
Hans held his hand up as a torch, leading the way through the hallway, past the kitchen, and into the warmer main castle. Hans cautiously peeked into the main, and deemed it safe to enter. They all came out of the hallway, grateful for a little more warmth and light.
"Where's the throne room?" Bhumi asked.
Hans nodded to the left and set out in almost a jog. It must have hit him that he was actually going to see his brothers again.
They had gone quite a way when Elsa's heart stopped as a guard walked right in their path. He seemed to be as surprised as them, but quickly burst into action, saying, "Halt!"
Before Bhumi could make any rash killings, Elsa stomped on the floor, a trail of ice spreading to freeze his feet to the floor. The guard was shocked and tried to break away, but it was useless. He began to yell, so Elsa raised her hand and cast a thick sheet of ice over his mouth. The panic in his eyes made the ex-queen feel guilty, but Anna clapped her on the back and said, "Nice!" which drained almost all guilt away.
The five ran away from the muffled guard, now hurrying in case an alarm would be raised. "Bhumi, leave guards to me," Elsa said as they hurried. "We don't want any more-"
"Save your breath," Bhumi huffed and continued running.
Soon, they reached the throne room. Two guards were on post, but were soon stuck to the wall and wrapped within their own ice bubble that muffled sound nicely. Hans melted their way past the locked doors, and soon they were within the dark, death-filled chamber.
Elsa sealed the door frozen shut as Hans went around lighting lanterns for their work to be done. Bhumi was wringing her hands, staring at each coffin as they came into better light.
"Okay," Hans said, extinguishing the flame in his hand. "You're truly going to do this, Princess?"
She didn't look ready. But she held her head high. "Of course. If you don't hold up your end of the bargain, I'll have the joy of killing them all again."
Peter's coffin lay ornately in the middle of the room, painted a dark green and a hastily carved 'Prince Peter' atop it. Hans reached down to remove the covering, but hesitated. He looked up to Elsa for help. She quickly went to the other side and nodded, helping him lift up the cover.
Inside was the immaculate body, not a day's rot having touched it thanks to his magical demise. Bhumi nervously approached the body, hands still held together.
"I... I have your guarantee he won't hurt me," Bhumi clarified.
"Absolutely," Elsa assured. So the princess reached over and gently tapped his cheek with her finger.
The prince's eyes flew open as he came to life. He choked and gasped and tried to speak all at once. "Killer! She's got me! She got S-Silje."
"Peter," Hans said, and as Elsa watched, a smile grew across his face. He may not have always felt it, but the look of sibling admiration was all there in his expression, with relieved eyes and a grateful smile. "Peter, you're alive."
Peter did not think so highly of the situation. He made an unintelligible noise as he struggled to get up and out of his coffin. "Hans! Why, you- are you dead? We've all been assassinated!"
"In... a manner of speaking," Hans said, smile never leaving his lips. "But we're alive. We've been brought back."
"What the devil do you-" he began, then froze when he saw Bhumi, who had retreated at least five feet. "That-that's her! That's the murderer! She-she killed me!"
He tried marching towards the princess, but Elsa and Hans quickly became a human barricade.
"Peter," Elsa appealed. "It's been five days since you were killed. There's so much to explain, but Princess Bhumi is helping us. Please believe me. She's going to bring everyone else back to life tonight."
Suddenly Peter stopped resisting. "Everyone? She's bringing us all back to life? Is... is Silje-?"
Elsa cracked a smile. "She'll bring Silje back."
Peter turned to Bhumi, who still had wide eyes and would be quick to her own defense. But he said, "Thank you."
Bhumi, obviously shocked, just swallowed and nodded. "Let's... get to the next one."
So coffin after coffin they awoke sailors, all panicked and needing to be calmed down by Anna and Kristoff. Prince Peter found Silje's plain, wooden coffin and called, "Princess Bhumi, please help."
Elsa held Hans back on this one, unable to help her smile. Hans, though confused, hung back and watched Bhumi approach the coffin.
"Who's this Silje?" he asked Elsa. "I've never heard her mentioned."
"She's his first mate," she answered, watching Peter wait in anticipation. "I always thought they were just good co-workers, but the way he's saying her name now..."
She heard a gasp from across the room and watched Peter fall down on his knees to Silje's coffin, his face lit like he was staring into the sun.
"C-captain?"
"First mate," he greeted back, grabbing her hand and capturing it in his.
Elsa rested her head against Hans' arm. "I guess dying really exposes one's priorities."
Silje laughed while she caught her breath, and Elsa watched her sit up in the coffin. Almost immediately the first mate had pulled her captain down to meet his lips. Elsa bit her tongue to keep from smiling any wider.
"Fancy that," Hans chuckled. "Who knew death was a matchmaker?"
Bhumi, having realized she was no longer needed, awkwardly hurried away from the couple. Elsa left Hans to direct her to Prince Christian's coffin.
The mood of the room was far too happy to have been filled with coffins. Even if everyone was confused and at least a little furious at Bhumi and Hans and probably Elsa, everybody seemed to be relieved to have air in their lungs once more.
Once Anderson was awoken, he took his time greeting his brothers before noticing Elsa. He had been the brother who came down to Elsa when they were on the ship and asked about his son, who had begun to show signs of magic. She had regretted never being able to speak to him, but now the chance had again arisen.
"Miss Elsa," he greeted. "I heard that you were able to convince the princess to bring us back? I... don't know what to say other than I'm sorry, and eternally in gratitude."
"Sorry for what?" Elsa said with a flushed smile.
"For ever thinking magic was evil," he answered, shaking his head. "What kind of father even considers condemning his son for having a gift? I wish time could be turned back so magicians could have been treated better. Especially my brother."
"Well..." Elsa trailed. "Not quite all magicians, I'm afraid."
She had to break the news about their mother. Bhumi was reviving the last sailor. She told Anderson to please excuse her, but she had to make an announcement.
She pulled Hans with her up to the raised steps of the thrones. The confused and excited chatter of everyone came to a close as Elsa called for attention.
"Citizens and Princes of the Southern Isles," she began. "Welcome back to life. I'm sure you're all very confused."
"Princess Bhumi is helping us now, but she was not the only killer," Hans cut straight to the point. "She worked with our mother, Queen Carol."
And uproarious murmur retaliated his statement. "Listen to me!" Hans demanded, though he was barely met with compliance. "Our mother is a magician. She can appear and disappear on a whim. She helped Bhumi because she thought she'd have the upper hand, and was willing to leave you for dead."
Everyone seemed on the brink of revolting, and Elsa grew worried. Anna and Kristoff in the crowd were trying to calm people down, but to no avail.
"Quiet!" a crisp voice silenced the crowd. Elsa saw that Princess Bhumi had taken her place on standing by Hans. "Your prince is right. Carol Westergard betrayed you all and is planning on domination. She may have raised you wrong, but now it's time to set yourselves right."
She was met by no opposition, but no support either. Finally, from the crowd, someone called, "I believe them."
Elsa saw that Silje, attached to Prince Peter, had called out. The tall woman met Elsa's eyes and nodded. Peter, looking from his lady to the magicians at the steps, said, "I believe them."
Sailors murmured among themselves, until another strong voice rang, "I believe them!" Anderson nodded at them as he showed his support. And soon Christian followed, then the other sailors if only because their royalty believed in the castaway queen, the condemned prince, and the murderous princess.
And Elsa had never felt more like a queen than when she stood beside her prince, hearing the newly reanimated people chant, "I believe them!"
Three chapters left! I hope all your holidays were fantastic. Up next, back to Arendelle. But will things go exactly according to plan?