Elsa could not say that she had ever felt the particular sensation of sea sickness. It had once been described to her by her father as a weak stomach, lowered balance, and wobbly muscles. He had gone on to add that even those with strong constitutions were susceptible to the ailment under certain circumstances.
For the few days following the journey to the island with Captain Anna, Elsa was very sure that she had come down with the dreaded sickness. The reason for its appearance could very well be the short time she spent on land - the return to the Revenge could have been so jarring on her mind and body that both were now rebelling. A second explanation could be the mere stress of being back on the ship and having, once again, to prove her worth as part of the ragged crew. Although the trip to the island was successful, there were still whispers of doubts about Elsa's position on the Revenge. The pirates proved as talented at gossip as the ladies back home she once took tea with. How long ago that life seemed now.
In the end, however, Elsa decided that it was neither of these justifications that had her clutching the sideboard, doubled over, hoping that the gruel churning in her stomach was not about to make an unwelcome appearance. No, the sickness was most definitely a result of the shame she felt thinking about the night on the island - the night during which she had foolishly given into her desires and kissed Anna. The Captain had not mentioned this fact nor had she spoken to Elsa, or even stooped to look at the incompetent woman with whom she had shared a night of debauchery.
Not only was the dinghy ride back to the ship an extremely uncomfortable affair, what with Anna's attention not straying anywhere but her gem and Kristoff whistling a tuneless little song as he rowed, but nothing had been the same since they got back. Elsa did not know what it was but the Revenge suddenly felt smaller and more sinister than before. She had never felt trapped on the ship, only free, but now that it was very likely she had made a horrible mistake by giving in and kissing the Captain, everyone on board seemed to her to be an enemy willing to turn her in for the smallest blunder and get her banished from the ship. Given her lack of knowledge of pirate dealings she assumed banishment would entail either abandonment on an island or an overboard jettison. She hoped she would never discover which.
The sickness overtook Elsa almost as soon as they returned. A glance at the Captain told her that absolutely nothing had changed, that the redhead truly only cared for her pirate spoils, and Elsa promptly excused herself below deck. She could not be pulled from her cot for the rest of the day and it wasn't until the next morning that she actually felt well enough to eat.
Olaf, the wonderful boy that he was, didn't leave Elsa's side for a moment. He tagged along beside her as she stumbled through the hull, dragging with him a bucket almost the size of his own body in case her stomach betrayed her. He would tell her stories and jokes he had heard from others in the crew at mealtimes. The night after she returned, he invited her to play the card and dice game she had often seen them at on deck. It took a while, but she eventually understood the object and rhythm and was soon winning every round. It was a game based on strategy and that was what she excelled at.
After a few days of Olaf's constant attention, Elsa found herself curled up beside him in their shared cot an hour or so after dinner. She pulled him close, running her fingers gently through his dark hair. She sighed, expecting him to pull away at any moment. It was part of her nature to question and doubt any attention she received and she was beginning to get suspicious of even the consideration of the young boy in her arms.
"Olaf?" He grunted sleepily in acknowledgement. "Why have you been spending so much time around me? I don't mind in the slightest, of course, but it is a bit different than usual."
He squirmed in her arms, trying to find a comfortable position, or perhaps as a chance to think of an answer for her.
"You're my friend."
Elsa giggled and poked his side. "I understand that, Olaf. By why now, right after my mission with Captain Anna, why have you been spending your waking hours by my side?"
He took another brief moment to think, scrunching up his face in concentration.
"Well… I suppose I didn't know how bored I was going to be when you and Captain Anna left for the island. I didn't realize that you and her were the fun ones, even though I was playing games and being taught by the other crew members."
"Why do you say that, Olaf?"
"I don't know." He fidgeted again, kicking out aggressively. Elsa withdrew her legs as she waited for the boy's discontent to abate. "The crew became less exciting to be around without Captain Anna there to whip them up."
Elsa could imagine that. She had never knew anyone with as much contagious zeal as Captain Anna.
"Everything was just more… boring. Chores weren't fun anymore. They didn't talk as much during dinner, there were less jokes, and nobody would play cards with me."
Elsa chuckled and ruffled the locks between her fingers playfully.
"Also, the cot was very cold and lonely without you in it," he finished quickly, embarrassed, and snuggled further into Elsa. The rest was muffled, his face pressed into her collarbone. "I like spending time with you because I love you!"
"Oh, Olaf," she said, gripping him tighter. Her eyes prickled, threatening to tear up.
He released her soon after and turned away, wiping at his eyes discreetly. Her fingers went immediately back to his hair. The pale, slender digits contrasted incredibly with the dark strands.
Olaf piped up again after a minute of silence. "But you love Captain Anna, too, right Elsa? You don't have to spend all of your time with me."
Elsa was surprised at this sudden outburst but decided to hide any reaction. She continued to thread her fingers through his hair as though her heart had not picked up its pace without warning. "Olaf, what-"
But he interrupted her almost at once. "If I'm not your friend all the time you'll be alone and that's not fun at all. Captain Anna has lots of friends so she will be fine if I don't talk to her for a little bit."
It was true. The few times she had come into the presence of the Captain, she had had either Kristoff or the boatswain at her shoulder. Likewise, every run-in with the Captain saw Elsa's existence ignored by everyone present, save Olaf, of course.
It was as if a floodgate inside the young boy had opened. The more he spoke, the more excited he became. Elsa wondered if he could feel her rapid heartbeats. "I know you want to be her friend too. She wants to be yours! But she's scared."
Elsa stiffened, breath caught in her throat. Her words emerged in a strangled mess. "Scared? How do you know that? How do you know that she's not just gotten sick of me?"
"Because I heard her talking to Kristoff that night you got sick and went to bed early."
She sat up quickly, almost cracking her skull on a beam above their cot. "You did? What did she say?"
Olaf mirrored her and rose to his hands and knees. "She seemed really happy."
"Well, of course. She had finally found the gem she had sought since before she became captain."
"But she never mentioned it!" Olaf said, scooting toward Elsa with keen enthusiasm. "She was talking about you. She was saying how you made her feel. I can't remember what it was, exactly…"
Elsa took hold of Olaf's shoulders and shook him urgently, as though a sword hovered over her head and these withheld words were all that could save her. "You have to remember, Olaf!"
"Um… something about life? Energy? Which I was confused about because Captain Anna has more life and energy than both me and you combined!"
"Did Anna say anything about the island?" asked Elsa, releasing Olaf's shoulders with a slight twinge of guilt for having caught hold of them at all.
"Nope! But they had been talking for a while before I started listening. I had to keep my distance so that they didn't realize I was eavesdropping." He said the last word as though it were a difficult skill he had finally mastered after years of intense training.
Elsa stared at him, thinking hard. It looked as if Anna had opened up to Kristoff about the night on the island. They were close as siblings and that was not a secret that could be kept for long.
"How did Kristoff react?"
"Oh… well, he was not as happy. I mean, he wasn't unhappy but he wasn't smiling at all. I actually didn't hear his reply because he leaned in close and whispered something to her for a bit. When he did that, Captain Anna's face fell and she nodded like she was accepting instructions from him."
No, Kristoff would not take that news lightly. Elsa could imagine him leaning in and reprimanding her for being weak and fickle, reminding her of her position and its precarious nature. She knew first-hand how intimidating the first mate could be.
"He left after that. Then Captain Anna pulled something from her vest and was looking at it when I came over to greet her. She pocketed it mighty quick!"
Elsa nodded, mind still swimming with thoughts. "It was probably the gem. She could not take her eyes from it that whole first day."
"She shooed me away and that's when I decided I liked being with you more, you never make me leave!" He grinned goofily and leaned forward once more so that he was soon tangled around Elsa like a bear cub.
"She is still your friend. She has a lot on her mind," Elsa said, and as she did she wondered if she was speaking to the boy in her arms or herself.
Olaf was asleep within five minutes and so Elsa was left to worry over their conversation alone. But it proved that too much time stewing over unpleasant things was unhealthy and once more her sickness reared up in her stomach. She promptly deserted the warm cot in favor of a port hole.
"Good morning, it's morning!"
When Elsa cracked open an eye all she saw at first was bedraggled black hair. Then she saw a mouth - it was shouting at her.
"Up, up, up! This is no time to be lazy!"
Perhaps Elsa was dreaming, but she was unaware that she had joined the Royal Navy.
"Come on Elsa, get up!" It was no dream; Olaf was tugging at her arm and peeling back her eyelids with his thumb. She waved him off and sat up groggily, running a hand through greasy blonde hair. Her sickness had kept her up a few dreadful hours. She spent almost half the night dry-heaving over the sideboard up on deck. There hadn't even been any stars out to comfort her and by the time she crawled back into the cot beside her young friend she had been exhausted.
"What are you talking about, Olaf? Is there an attack?"
"I had an epiphany!" He mispronounced the word but the effort was endearing nonetheless.
"Is that so?" Elsa said, relaxing now that she knew the ship was not under siege. It would not be the first time she had woken to an attack. She reached up in an attempt to rid her eyes of the fatigue that plagued them.
"Yes! I decided that you need a new pursuit! Something that will remind Captain Anna that you are trying very much to fit into the crew!"
"That is an admirable idea but I am certain that nothing could help me now."
"This can! If I teach you to use a blade, I'm sure Captain Anna will come around and send you on more adventures!"
Elsa could not prevent the laughter that escaped her. "Teach me to fence? No one would allow it. No one would want to teach me! They'd be frightened to lose a finger to my sloppy hand."
"I'll teach you!" When Elsa started again into laughter, Olaf took her pale face in his equally pale hands and glared right into her eyes. "I'm serious, Elsa. This is going to help you. I'm your friend, would I lie to you?"
A silent communication occurred between their connected eyes until finally Elsa shook him away in defeat.
"No, you would not lie…" she conceded, sighing. "But I still don't-"
"No more talking!" he barked in that familiar Naval Officer tone. "Grab a sword and meet me on deck!"
It would seem she wasn't even allowed a morning meal. But she nevertheless resigned herself to his foolish plan and gathered up the blade she had been given before the island quest. She blushed remembering how Captain Anna had to secure the weapon around her waist, as well as the fact that she had not made use of it the entire duration of their adventure.
It was with great apprehension that Elsa took a place opposite Olaf near the bow of the ship. Crew members had even gathered to watch and their presence sent shivers down the skin on her back. Her grip on the hilt of the sword was unstable because of her clammy palms. She could barely listen when Olaf began instructing her in stance and form.
He attacked with fervor and Elsa blocked timidly, flinching away from each blow. Sweat prickled her forehead and she breathed heavily.
"Come on, Elsa, attack!" Olaf shouted at her, banging his sword against hers; it bounced off of the blade with a ringing sound. He backed away and she took the opportunity to recover, shaking her shoulders and rolling her neck. The handle of the sword was slick in her palms; she patted the dampness into her trousers.
"Ready?" asked Olaf, crouched and hopping lightly from foot to foot, ready at strike at any moment.
She glanced up over the heads of the spectating crew members to the quarterdeck. Captain Anna was at the helm, watching the duel from the corner of an eye. It would be impossible to hold a bird's eye view of the action and not become a bit interested in viewing it.
"Ready," said Elsa, gripping the sword tightly, her fear draining away. Olaf lunged at her with a yell - her mind went blank and before she knew it she had sidestepped Olaf's blade and countered with her own. She instinctually brought the hilt down onto his wrist and he relinquished his sword - it dropped with a clatter to the wooden planks of the deck.
Olaf's face had been wide with surprise, but it broke almost immediately into a grin. The crewmembers watching muttered amongst themselves, and Elsa bent to pick up Olaf's sword, trying to hide her own smile.
"Again," she said, offering the sword back to her opponent.
"I was going easy on you," said Olaf, rubbing the bruise that was rising on his wrist.
She nodded, eyes narrowed in concentration. This time, she did not wait for Olaf to attack. A strange possession had come over her, it gave her the compulsion to want to win. She found herself wanting to show the crew - and herself - that she could master something more than incompetence.
Olaf blocked each of her strikes systematically, but she did not reduce the ferocity of her attack until Olaf faltered, tripping over a coil of rope. She stopped immediately, panting. She lowered her sword and held out a hand to help Olaf back to his feet.
"Where was that when you were on that merchant ship?" said a voice behind Elsa.
A shift of her head told her that it was Kristoff who had spoken. He continued before she could answer. "That wasn't bad… but your problem is that you either only attack or completely defend. You have to mix them together. Allow me."
He unsheathed his own sword and slid down into a sparring position. Elsa mirrored him and they began circling one another. Almost at once, Elsa saw a flash of silver and brought up her sword in time to catch Kristoff's first blow at her face. They stayed connected as Kristoff said, "now, it's your turn."
He pushed away and continued to circle, blade raised. His eyes were trained solely on hers, even when he attacked. She wondered…
Elsa's eyes darted to Kristoff's left shoulder and then she subsequently jabbed at the spot - he blocked easily. He wasted no time in counterattacking and she barely prevented him from stabbing her stomach.
Once more, she let her eyes dart to her target - this time she chose his left ear. Kristoff blocked easily, flinging her sword away with a flick of his wrist.
"It seems we are evenly matched," he said, lunging at Elsa's knees. She leapt just in time to dodge the swipe.
When she landed she wobbled a bit before her balance returned, long enough for her eyes to dart down to Kristoff's knees, then back to his face. She stepped, faking a parry, and he bent over to protect his legs. Taking the opportunity of his misdirection, she reached forward, took a hold of his hair with her free hand and brought her blade to his throat.
He froze, soundly beaten. The surrounding crewmembers grew silent at the sudden end to the duel.
"Look at you," said Kristoff, flicking the blade away carelessly with his fingers. Elsa backed away and leaned against the sideboard to catch her breath. Kristoff chuckled, sheathed his sword, and strode off down the length of the ship. The audience that had assembled began to amble away and Olaf came over to pat her back in congratulations. Elsa looked back up at the quarterdeck. Captain Anna was still watching - she had seen everything. And she was grinning.
"I'm not ready to be done, yet," Elsa said to Olaf, climbing back to her feet. "Let's go again."
She refused to be banished from the Revenge. She refused to be useless any longer.
Elsa raised her sword, crouching into a fighting stance. "Again!"
A/N: So I was gonna have this done last week but a new story idea overtook me like the plague and I spent the whole weekend writing my modern AU Elsanna on-shot, "And Kiss, And Kiss" (and I would love it if ya'll took a peek at it). I hope the action in this chapter made up for the wait. And don't worry, there is more action coming up... lots more...