Chapter 12
Both Anna and Elsa started to breathe heavily as they backed up. There was no way, this couldn't be!
"Oh Elsa, you look like you've seen a ghost." Mikkel said standing up.
"You're lying!" Elsa screamed pointing an accusing finger. "Mikkel was killed by the pirates!"
"We first met when we were six, you gave me a toy ball. For your seventh birthday we had a picnic in the secret hideout spot by the castle gardens. We both got grounded the next day for breaking the suit of armor on the third floor and putting hot peppers in Kai's soup. Anna's first word was chocolate, speaking of your favorite chocolate is a strawberry truffle. When you turned eight you tried riding on a horse but it flipped you off and you sprained your ankle for three months during which we would paint pictures of dragons and unicorns. When I was twelve my mother and I were asked to leave the castle, I said goodbye to Anna but you would not come out of your room. Seven years later I broke into your room to see you again and you know what happens from there." Mikkel said taking a deep breath.
"It really is him!" Anna cried out in joy.
"By the way, I know you had a crush on me for six years." Mikkel said smirking causing Anna to shrink away in embarrassment. That didn't stop her from sprinting full speed and nearly tackling Mikkel to the ground as she wrapped him in a long hug.
"I MISSED YOU I MISSED YOU I MISSED YOU!" Anna screamed as tears of joy rolled down her face. Mikkel felt a small smile crawl on his face as he returned the hug. Despite Anna's happiness, Elsa still stood there dumbfounded. King Ross was fuming as he stepped down from the podium and walked up to Mikkel.
"So this is him? The son of the great Soren Erikson? Now a damn pirate?" Ross said laughing. "Oh what SHAME he would have felt!
"And just who the hell are you?" Mikkel asked irritated at this pompous king.
"I am King Ross of the Southern Isles and now Arendelle as well." Ross said before leaning in closer. "And the husband of your little friend."
"Back off you pig, your breath is melting my face." Mikkel said trying to anger the man.
"You won't have to worry about your face for long." Ross said. "Take him to the gallows!"
"What no!" Anna screamed. "You can't kill him!"
"He is guilty of piracy and we do not play favorites here." Ross said. "Besides, I am king, my authority is final!"
"Fuck you!" Mikkel said. Ross turned and delivered a solid hit to Mikkel's face. Mikkel ran at him in blind fury to hit back but he was restrained by two guards.
"Elsa!" Anna cried. "Do something!" Elsa still stood there paralyzed. Her brain not allowing her to accept this reality. How could he be alive? Why didn't he come back? Why did he join the pirates?
"Your father would be disgusted with you you damned pirate." Ross yelled as the guards carried Mikkel away. Anna ran to help him but was held back by Ross.
"GET YOUR FILTHY FUCKING HANDS OFF ME! ILL KILL YOU!" Mikkel yelled as he thrashed and screamed. Anna ran up to Elsa and began to violently shake her.
"Elsa why are you just standing there? They are going to kill him!" Anna cried out. Elsa finally snapped out of her trance and realized what was going on.
"STOP!" Elsa cried out. The guards heard their queen's order and obeyed and stopped moving. Mikkel stopped thrashing and looked up to see Elsa staring down Ross.
"You know the rules of piracy here my queen." Ross said. "It was even you who said you hated all pirates!"
"At least hear him out!" Elsa cried.
"Nonsense!" Ross replied. "Off with his head!"
"I SAID NO!" Elsa roared as veins of ice crawled from her feet across the floor. This got Ross's attention as he backed down. He looked at the two guards. Mikkel raised an eyebrow, so now they all knew.
"Release him." Ross said.
"What's the matter tough guy? Scared of a girl?" Mikkel mocked as Ross stared him down and grabbed him by the hair.
"You only live by her mercy, I will have crows feast on your dead body mark my words." Ross said before shoving Mikkel's face away. Mikkel turned from him to face Elsa who looked at him with great pity.
"Mr. Erikson, explain yourself." Elsa ordered.
"As you wish my queen." Mikkel said sarcastically. "As you all know three years ago my ship was attacked by Black Sun pirates, my ship was destroyed and I was left for dead. I was rescued by a group of exiles named the Sea Rangers." Anna had heard of the rag tag pirates but believe they were a myth till now. "In exchange for saving my life I gave them three years of service. We are not your normal pirates, we only take what we need to survive and we are at war with the Black Suns. I have been hunting them down for the last three years."
"Likely story." Ross muttered.
"So in essence you are good pirates?" Anna asked.
"Yeah you could put it that way." Mikkel said.
"Mikkel Erikson you are too stay confined till your fate is decided." Elsa said. She did not want to send Mikkel to his death but piracy could not go unpunished.
"What of my crew?" Mikkel asked.
"They will share the fate of their captain." Elsa said. "Court dismissed!"
"Wait!" Mikkel said lunging forward before being stopped by two guards. Elsa ran out the door and towards her room. She opened the door, slammed it shut and locked it. She then ran to her bed and let out a long cry. She wanted nothing more to run to him and wrap her arms around him tightly and never ever let him go but she could not do such an act in front of the court. She was so happy and relieved her friend was alive but he had changed so much. He had become the thing he was training to kill. What was she going to do? She was already married now! Mikkel grunted as he was brought back to his cell, the guards much more respectful upon learning who he was.
"Sorry about this." One of them said.
"You weren't sorry when you fuckin punched me." Mikkel growled. The guards said nothing as they walked away. Mikkel tried to process what had happened. Elsa was married? Who the hell was this damn Ross guy? His thoughts were interrupted when he saw a woman stride over to his cell carrying a basket of warm bread.
"Here." The woman said giving him a loaf of warm bread. Mikkel realized it was Anna.
"I don't eat till my crew eats." Mikkel said pushing the bread away.
"I will make sure I give them some." Anna said. "Please take it."
"As long as you make sure my crew eats." Mikkel said taking a large bite out of the warm loaf. He savored the wonderful taste as he swallowed it and took another bite.
"You've grown very beautiful you know." Mikkel said. Anna felt her face burn red. Too bad she was already taken.
"Thank you." She said.
"So fill me in." Mikkel said.
"What?" Anna asked.
"Elsa showing her powers, gates open, no Agdar or Idun, King Ross, you know." Mikkel asked.
"Well our parents died in a shipwreck the day after you disappeared." Anna said sadly. Mikkel felt a small twinge of guilt but ignored it. Anna went on to fill him in on the events of the coronation. Elsa freezing the fjord, Hans' treachery, Elsa controlling her powers.
"Hmmm seems a lots happened." Mikkel said. "Who is this King Ross?"
"Why you jealous?" Anna teased. Mikkel suddenly felt his chest burn from the coldness of where Elsa struck him three years ago. He began to shiver and closed his eyes. "Hey are you okay?" Anna asked.
"I'm fine." Mikkel said with bit of venom.
"Okaaaay." Anna said picking up the hostility in Mikkel's voice. "King Ross is the older brother of Prince Hans, after the incident the Southern Isles wanted to preserve a good relationship with us so Elsa married King Ross to preserve relations."
"He's a such a pompous ass." Mikkel said.
"He's a nice guy." Anna said. "I missed you so much Mikkel."
"I missed you too." Mikkel replied. The two looked at each other for a while before speaking again.
"She loved you." Anna said abruptly.
"Come again?" Mikkel asked.
"Elsa, she loved you." Anna said,
"And you're telling me this why?" Mikkel asked. "In case you didn't notice she's married."
"Oh come on Mikkel!" Anna cried. "The two of you were inseparable! You were always there for her, my parents honestly thought you would marry her."
"She was my friend, not my lover." Mikkel said.
"So you're saying you never once thought about being with her like that?" Anna asked putting her hand on her hips with a frown.
"Nope." Mikkel said lying.
"Not even once?" Anna asked.
"Can we change the damned subject? I've been quote on quote dead for three years and one of the first things you ask me is if I had a thing for your sister?" Mikkel said.
"You don;t know anything about love do you?" Anna asked sighing.
"Says the girl who agreed to marry someone she just met." Mikkel said coldly. "Listen, I only wanted to return to Arendelle to see my mother and that was it!"
"Are you serious?" Anna asked hurt from his statement. "You don't care about me or Elsa?"
"Elsa hit me with her fucking ice!" Mikkel yelled causing Anna to shrink back.
"What happened to you?" Anna asked. "You've changed and not for the better! You used to be so sweet and sensitive! Why are you so cold now?"
"Because I watched fifty men get butchered and burned by those fucking Black Suns!" Mikkel growled. "And you know what? I slaughtered them like the fucking animals they were! Life isn't all fucking happily ever after! I spent three years in the most unfriendly of environments, everyday could have easily been my last!" Anna rolled back in horror, what had happened to the sweet innocent boy she grew up with? Anna just looked at him and burst out crying before running out of the dungeon.
"Anna wait!" Mikkel said realizing what he did. "DAMMIT!" He screamed smashing his head against the wall too angered with himself to feel anything. The worst part was he knew Anna was right, he had changed. So much that he'd be surprised if his own mother recognized him. The door swung open again and a person stepped in. Mikkel expected it to be Elsa or Anna coming to yell at him but instead was a familiar face he had not seen in a long time.
"Lord bless me eyes." The man said. "It's true."
"You miss me Aksel?" Mikkel asked. Aksel was absolutely astounded. How could Mikkel still be alive?
"I don't understand, if you were alive this whole time why didn't you come back?" Aksel asked. Mikkel explained to Aksel his situation on what was going on.
"Piracy? I thought you were raised better than that!" Aksel scolded infuriated that Mikkel would turn to such a thing.
"These aren't like the others. They don't kill and only take what they need to survive. They are exiles, men who were wronged by their kingdom. Men who have lost everything." Mikkel said. "They saved my life Aksel, I will return the favor."
"Your father-" Aksel began to say.
"I know, I know!" Mikkel said rolling his eyes. "My father would be so disappointed in me and ashamed of me! Please, I've heard that from at least twenty people since I got here."
"I was going to say he would be proud." Aksel said.
"Yeah yeah wait what?" Mikkel asked not sure if he heard correctly.
"You are loyal to those you are in command of, that is a sign of true leadership lad." Aksel said. "You put the needs of your crew before yourself."
"Umm thanks? I think." Mikkel said confused.
"You know your mother will be absolutely enthralled your alive." Aksel said.
"How is she?" Mikkel asked.
"It was rough for her for a while but time has healed all wounds." Aksel said. "There is one other thing I need to tell you about her though."
"And that would be?" Mikkel asked.
"We are...together." Aksel said nervously.
"WHHHHHAAAAAAAAAT?" Mikkel screamed.
"Elsa you can't seriously let these scum go unpunished!" Ross said.
"Ross please, I just need time to think right now!" Elsa said walking away.
"What is there to think about? These men are criminals!" Ross called out.
"Because my closest friend I thought was dead for three years is still alive!" Elsa called out. "This has to be a dream or something!"
"Calm down Elsa." Ross said putting his hand on her shoulders. Truth be told, the two did not love each other. They only married to preserve the fragile relation between Arendelle and the Southern Isles thanks to Hans. Although he did not love her like that, he was still concerned. "You think my brother went unpunished after the that little stunt he pulled? He has been exiled, whipped, branded, disowned, stripped of all titles! The only reason he lives is because of my mothers mercy!"
"Don't you dare compare Mikkel to Hans!" Elsa snarled. "Hans tried to murder me and my sister!"
"You think Seawasp hasn't killed anyone?" Ross cried out. "We have several documented reports of him open firing on merchant vessels!"
"Vessels that attacked him first!" Elsa said. "Why can't you understand how difficult and confusing this is for me? He was, still is my best friend!"
"He chose this lifestyle." Ross said. "You heard him say he agreed to serve for three years, he could have returned here immediately. If you won't sentence him, I will." Ross said as he began to walk away but was stopped by a blast of ice.
"Don't even think about it." Elsa growled with an evil look in her eye. Ross turned to face her and sighed.
"You are acting like a child Elsa." Ross said. "This is what being a ruler is about, making the hard decisions for the better of the people."
"They will be punished make no mistake." Elsa said. "But I will NOT kill them!"
"Fine!" Ross said knowing he wasn't going to win this. "Ninety days community service with fifty lashes to the back each."
"Are the lashes necessary?" Elsa asked.
"Yes, they are lucky that's all they are receiving. Now if you'll excuse me I have politicians to shut up." Ross said leaving the room. As soon as Ross left Anna came in crying.
"Anna!" Elsa cried seeing her sister in tears. "Are you okay?"
"H-he's gone." Anna said choking up.
"What do you mean?" Elsa asked.
"Elsa, that isn't the Mikkel we knew." Anna said wiping her eyes. "He is so cold and angry!" This struck Elsa hard, she hoped Mikkel hadn't changed too much.
"He's been through a lot Anna." Elsa said. "His father died at a young age, he was kicked out of the castle without being given a reason, he was attacked by the Black Suns and watched many people die."
"Our parents died too and we turned out fine!" Anna said.
"True, but our parents died after we were fully grown." Elsa. "Mikkel's father died when he was only six."
"I guess." Anna said sniffling. "But what if he isn't who he used to be anymore? He even said he didn't care about us!"
"Just give him time Anna." Elsa said as she began to head towards the door. "He thinks he is on death row and is not in the best state of mind."
"Where are you going?" Anna asked.
"To talk to him." Elsa said shutting the door behind her.
In case you are all wondering why I threw Ross in there, its mostly to add more drama to the story. Plus he will play an important role in future chapters. As always, thanks for your views and leave juicy reviews so you get juicy chapters!