I cannot say enough words to apologize for my long absence! I will try to give a brief explanation:
College. AP classes and tests. Finals.
Still, I am so sorry. You might want to read over some of the previous chapters to update yourself on what's going on. I know I had to before I wrote this.
I hope this is satisfactory! there will be angst, especially in the Kristoff/Anna scene.
Please review? I know I don't deserve it but if you could I would love it.
thanks to my beautiful wonderful reviewers who have been so faithful despite my long absences!
Disclaimer: I Do not own Frozen. There is also a swear word in this chapter.
"Anna!" Kristoff gasped, at her side in an instant. The lithe young woman was still in her thin pink nightgown, the fabric torn and stained in several places...
Blood... There was blood on his Anna's face.
He could only stare in horrified rage at the long gash down the side of Anna's freckled face, the bruise on her cheek, the dried blood in her hair... Her form was slightly emaciated; had they even been giving her food?
He was going to kill somebody very soon.
"Kristoff?" Anna's bright eyes blinked sleepily open. "Hey."
"Oh my god, Anna, you're going to be okay, hold on." Kristoff went to pick her up and realized that there were thick chains on her wrists.
"What..." suddenly Anna's eyes widened. "KRISTOFF!" she gasped, fully awake. "You're here!" She tried to throw her arms around him and managed to whack him in the face with a metal chain.
"Unh," Kristoff grunted.
"Oh my gosh I am so sorry!" Anna looked slightly horrified. "Ugh these things are so annoying. How did you get here? Elsa isn't here, is she?" Anna looked around.
"Just me, and hold on we'll get you out of those chains." Kristoff starting rifling through the items on the table. "Don't worry."
A sudden fear that Kristoff couldn't remember ever seeing on Anna before filled her countenance.
"Kristoff. You have to leave!"
"Wait, what?" Kristoff gave her a look like she was insane.
"The gloves, Kristoff, destroy the gloves!" Anna was almost shouting, desperation dripping from her words.
"What? Anna what are you talking about?" Kristoff came back to her, sharp metal tool in hand, worried. Her delicate face was flushed, dirty, and bloody. "Hey, you're okay. I've got you now."
"No, Kristoff, the gloves, the mirror shards…" Anna pushed him away as he tried to lift one of her wrists to work on the manacles there.
"Anna, please, calm down." Kristoff was utterly confused.
"No! Raven is a witch! And something that rhymes with a witch too! But the point is, she's going to take away Elsa's powers and…"
"I thought I told you I preferred being referred to as a sorceress."
Kristoff whirled around, protectively placing himself in front of Anna.
Before him was the slender form of a woman clothed in a silky black dress. Her hair, long and black shimmered slightly in the light, full lips slightly pursed, a bemused expression resting on her flawless face.
Those eyes… They were black as coal. Kristoff felt like they were physically boring holes into him. He fought not to take a step back, instead clenching his fists.
He would protect Anna at any cost.
"Besides, sweetie, the gloves are in a different place now. Do you really think I would let your boyfriend into here if I thought he might be able to damage them?'
Kristoff stared at her. Raven switched her attention to him, a slight smile playing across her face. "Did you really think I didn't know you were here, little ice master?"
"Uh…" Kristoff had indeed thought that. Well that would explain why he had such an easy time sneaking in. Then why did she let him this far?
To toy with him, he answered his own question.
"Please. Leave him alone. I'll do whatever you want."
Kristoff spun around to see Anna staring steadily at Raven. The way she seemed to have given up was frightening him. She had never seemed this… this not feisty-pants-ish before.
"What?! No!" Kristoff yelped. He turned to Raven. "Let me take Anna's place here. She's weak and hurt…"
"Hey! I am not weak!" Anna protested.
"Anna, let me do this."
"Um, no."
"I can't see you hurt!" Kristoff's voice was full of anguish. Anna's blue eyes softened and she opened her mouth to speak.
"Not to break up this romantic monologue, but you're both staying." Raven informed them. "And I'd advise both of you to be on your best behavior unless you would like to see the other harmed." Raven snapped her fingers. A thug stepped forward, leering at Anna before reaching out to grab Kristoff.
But Kristoff was not about to give up without a fight. He tackled the man, slamming his head against the ground.
"Don't ever look at my girlfriend like that!" Kristoff growled. The man was already unconscious.
"Kristoff! Behind you!" Anna screamed. Kristoff turned just in time to see Raven descending on him. He raised his arm to fend her off but suddenly a fierce pain stabbed through his chest. Groaning, he doubled over, vision blurring with the pain despite the fact nothing was touching him.
He didn't know how long he was on the ground, maybe seconds, maybe hours…
Finally the pain faded and he could hear Anna crying and calling his name.
"Didn't I say to be on your best behavior or the other will be hurt?" Raven knelt in front of him, her black eyes boring into his brown ones.
He hated he did not have the strength to prevent what happened next.
Raven signaled to another thug- several had entered the room- who advanced on Anna, shoving her against the wall, slapping her hard across the face, and kicking her hard a couple times.
"No!" Kristoff groaned, trying to pull himself off the ground. "Please!" he begged, looking at the curled up figure of the woman he loved.
"Let's try to be a little nicer now, okay?" Raven purred in Kristoff's ear.
Kristoff's brown eyes did not leave Anna as they pulled him out of the room. Right before they took him out the door, Anna uncurled and met his gaze, blue eyes full of sorrow.
I love you, she mouthed and he didn't have time to say it back before they shoved him out of the room.
Elsa paced back and forth in her room, ice trailing behind her, snow softly swirling around her form.
She reread the note which was so crumpled the ink was starting to run and blur.
Not that it really mattered. She had it memorized anyways.
On it was an order for her presence at a street corner, from there the note informed her she would be escorted to her sister's location. Alone of course. The note was quite explicit in telling the Snow Queen that if she showed up with an escort, Anna would be immediately killed.
The options weren't great.
Elsa could go and possibly get herself and Anna killed, she had no guarantee the captors would let her little sister go once they had what they wanted. Or she could not go and she would live and Anna would not.
Although the situation had no real solution, Elsa quickly chose the second option. She would go and do everything she could to try to save her sister. That was all she could do.
Elsa walked to the window, gazing at the rooftops that spread out in front of her.
If she made this choice, she was abandoning her country.
Well she didn't care.
Elsa closed her eyes and imagined Anna's shining face, the bright eyes and soft red hair. She imagined Anna's bright smile that lit up her face whenever she saw Elsa, her adoration for her older sister who was so unworthy. She imagined Anna's laugh as she hugged Kristoff, their obvious happiness as they played like children in the snow.
Anna was worth it. Elsa's duty as a sister became before all else and it was a promise she had made herself the day that she learned to thaw her powers and maybe a little bit of herself.
She sighed and turned away from the window. The country would go on somehow. It would have to.
Tonight she would be gone.
There was a knock at the door.
"Who is it?" Elsa called out.
"It's me."
"Kirk." Elsa thrust the note into a pocket hidden in the icy folds of her dress and walked to the door to open it. "Hello."
Kirk met her gaze.
"Hello."
Elsa's gaze drifted to her side where she knew the dagger wound was.
"Why are you here?" Elsa looked back at his face, her voice slightly colder than she had intended.
Kirk shrugged then winced.
"I just wanted to see if you were doing okay. With not finding your sister and all that." His handsome face was unreadable.
"Why do you keep doing this?" Elsa was suddenly filled with anger; it filled her words and struck out at Kirk.
"What?" Kirk stared at her, confused.
"You keep checking on me. I don't need to be checked on!" Elsa demanded.
Kirk's face flushed and he took a step back, his eyes sparking.
"Well, I'm sorry I care about how you're doing!" he retorted.
"I don't need you to care! I am fine!" Elsa turned away, snow swirling around her.
"Damn it, Elsa, why do you keep shutting me out? I'm just trying to help!" Kirk stepped into her storm, snowflakes sliding past his form.
"Well stop, I don't need your help, okay!"
"All you can say is you don't need anything from anyone! Well that's a lie! Everyone needs something from each other. That's why we have each other. You're only human, just like the rest of us! Are you refusing to let people in…"
"I let people in!"
"…other than Anna, because you don't want to be indebted to anyone? Or are you afraid of your own feelings and emotions?!"
Conceal, don't feel.
The words ran through Elsa's mind automatically.
She turned to face Kirk, her blue eyes burning. He looked back at her, completely unaffected by the cold and wind and snow, waiting.
"Leave," Elsa ordered.
Kirk turned and left.
Please review?
please? Please? I want to know if you all hate me or this story or if you're enjoying it!