The Head That Wears the Crown

Chapter Seventeen

Duality

Asgard groggily pulled himself to his feet, shaking his head.

"Asgard," Isarn said. "Chain the queen to the throne. Be absolutely certain she cannot escape."

"With pleasure." Asgard approached Elsa and slapped her across the face. The impact was enough to send Elsa to the ground. "That was not nice, what you did earlier!"

Isarn turned, grabbing Asgard by the throat, lifting him from the ground, enraged. "You may NOT touch her!" he roared. "Strike her again, and I swear, brother, I will kill you where you stand? Do I make myself clear?!"

Asgard let out a choked gasp. Isarn dropped Asgard to the ground and stormed away. Asgard knelt momentarily, forcing air back into his lungs. He then took Elsa and dragged her to the throne, wrapping her torso and arms in thick chains.

"Why?" Elsa whispered. "Why aren't you willing to live in peace? None of this needs to happen! Why?!"

Asgard stared at the queen, marveling at how truly devastated Isarn's actions had left her. "Because we can, Majesty. Because we can."

He tightened the chains, assuring himself that they were secure. "Don't go anywhere."

Asgard left the throne room, whistling happily. Elsa hung her head, her spirit totally broken. What have I done? she thought. What have I done?!

"Come on, Kristoff! Help me out here!"

Deep within the palace dungeon, Anna pulled on the bars of their cell door, desperately searching for something—anything—that would indicate weakness.

"Anna, these bars are made of solid iron. There is no way we can loosen them."

"Well, at least I'm trying something instead of just sitting here!" Anna snapped. She pulled on the bars with all her might. Nothing happened.

Energy spent, Anna slumped back in the cell, rubbing her eyes in exhaustion. "It won't budge."

"Save your strength, Your Highness," Andersen said. "Who knows when they will be feeding us, or what they'll give us to eat." He paused. "If they give us anything to eat at all."

"That's a lovely thought," Anna muttered. She shook her head in disbelief. "I can't believe I fell for it. How was I so stupid?"

Kristoff placed his arm around Anna's shoulder. "He fooled all of us, Anna. Not just you."

Anna shook her head. "I should have seen it! It's my job to protect her and I let him hurt her anyway!"

"Elsa can take care of herself," Kristoff said. "You're not responsible for her."

"Aren't I?" Anna asked. "We take care of each other, Kristoff. Maybe it's not the healthiest relationship, but we need each other. She's like . . . She's like the moon, and I'm the sun. Two sides of the same coin." She laughed bitterly. "We've been apart for so many years. You'd think I'd be used to it by now. But what we've had the last couple of weeks has been . . . it's been so good! And now we're going to die, apart from each other. I . . . I can't . . ."

A tear slid down her cheek. Kristoff held her tightly.

"It's okay," he whispered. "We'll figure something out. We always do."

Anna shook her head. "I think our luck has finally run out."

"Hey, you're supposed to be the optimist, remember? You think of the positive. It's what you do best!"

Anna slumped to the floor. "I don't have anything positive to think about. It's over."

Their conversation was interrupted by a shadowy figure approaching their cell. "Now what?" Kristoff groaned.

"They've come to execute us, most likely," Andersen said softly.

The figure, still cloaked in shadow, placed the key in the lock and turned it. The door creaked as it swung open.

"Is it time for us to die already?" Anna asked. The figure did not respond. "Say something!" The shadow remained silent. "Hey! I'm talking to you! Say something!"

Slowly, the figure stepped into their cell, light from the window streaming into its face.

Anna stared in shock. She could only manage to form one word from her lips: "You!"

The fire burned long into the night, its flame slowly turning wood to orange coals. Elsa sat, her eyes closed, face passive, her mind concentrating, desperately trying to make contact with the cold inside herself.

"No," Isarn said. "Not like that! You're trying too hard, Elsa. You can't release the cold if you are this intense."

Elsa opened her eyes. "I'm trying to do it the right way! I don't know what I'm doing! Shouldn't I . . . Shouldn't I be feeling something by now?!"

Isarn knelt beside her, gently taking her hand, slowly stroking it. "You'll never reach your potential if you don't learn how to let yourself relax. I can see it in your eyes. You're constantly in fear, terrified of what might happen if you let yourself give in."

"Can you blame me?!" Elsa cried. "I have done so much damage when I've allowed myself to feel! How do I know it won't happen again?"

Isarn looked into Elsa's eyes. "Because I am here now. I will guide you. I will protect you from the darkness you fear."

Elsa pulled her hand from Isarn's grasp. "How?" she whispered. "I . . . I can never get away from it! It's been there ever since . . . ever since the day I hurt Anna! The voices have gone, but the darkness is still inside of me!" She looked at Isarn, pleading silently. "Please tell me you can drive it out."

Isarn shook his head. "That I cannot do. The darkness is as much a part of you as the light."

Elsa threw her hands up in despair. "Then let's stop this right now! Please! Don't teach me how to use these powers if I can't be certain I can control myself!"

"What is darkness without light?" Isarn asked. "What is light without darkness? Both need each other in order to exist. Like I told you before, Elsa, you must find equilibrium—balance—inside yourself in order to unlock your true potential."

He placed his palm on Elsa's forehead, quietly whispering something—a prayer, an incantation, Elsa couldn't be certain. "Now, close your eyes and relax! See the coldness in your mind. Allow it to flow out from you, slowly, purging yourself of its effects."

Elsa closed her eyes once more. Her mind became a blank canvas. Flow, she told herself. Flow out of me.

Nothing happened. Elsa's heart sank, certain she had failed once more. Then, without warning, something stirred deep within her soul. She could feel the coldness rising up. Her instincts screamed at her to control it, to shut down, to stop herself before she hurt someone, but something in her mind said, No!

The coldness filled her entire being, coursing over her body, surrounding her in a wintry blanket. A sense of deep serenity, of calm washed over her and for the first time in her memory she breathed with a deep sense of purpose.

The coldness slowly receded back into her, returning to the very center of her being. Elsa slowly opened her eyes and turned to Isarn. "I . . . I . . ."

Isarn smiled. "You did it," he whispered. "You did it!"

"I . . . I did?" Elsa asked, not daring to believe.

"That was . . . very good for a first time," Isarn said. "The best I've ever seen on a first attempt, in fact. You truly do possess the winter. You are its mistress."

"Thank you," Elsa said, her face flushing with embarrassment. "I mean, I appreciate your help. Greatly."

Isarn looked at her. "You are most welcome, my daughter. Let us continue. If you practice, if you continue to refine your abilities, none will stand in your way. You will be free!"

Isarn stood in the cell entryway, staring at Anna's, Kristoff's, and Andersen's shocked faces. "We don't have much time," he said. "We must move. Quickly!"

Anna finally found her voice. "Hang on a minute! What in the world is going on? What are you doing?"

"I think he's planning on executing us himself!" Kristoff snarled. He gazed upon Isarn with utter contempt. "I'm surprised you're going to take the time to do it personally! Surely, you must have many other pressing duties to attend to, Majesty!"

"We don't have time for this!" Isarn snapped. "We have a very brief window in which to act. I suggest you follow me and don't ask questions!"

"No!" Anna replied. "We want answers! NOW! One minute, you're throwing us in the dungeon, and now you're telling us you want to help us? What is going on?!"

A pained look shot across Isarn's face. "What you saw in the throne room . . . wasn't real."

"Say again?" Anna asked. "It sure looked pretty real to me. Was that really your plan all along? To pretend to lose to Elsa? To gain our trust? To betray us?!"

"YES!" Isarn cried. "I admit it! That was my plan! But things have become . . . complicated!"

"What are you talking about? You don't mean . . ." Anna suddenly understood. "You . . . You actually care for Elsa, don't you? I mean, really care for her!"

"Of course I do! I've tried to deny it, but when she was attacked in the forest, something inside me snapped! I knew I couldn't let anything happen to her! And then, when we were alone that night, when I helped her begin to control her power, I felt . . . I felt things I've never felt before." Isarn's voice was now a low whisper. "The love any father must feel for his daughter."

"Then why did you behave like that in the throne room?" Kristoff asked, his eyes still staring daggers at Isarn. "Do you know what you said? Did you see how Elsa reacted? You completely devastated her! You might as well have ripped her soul from her body and crushed it in your hands!"

"I had no choice!" Isarn protested. "You don't know Asgard! He is . . . He is truly malicious! Had he suspected even for a moment that I had betrayed his confidence, he would have killed all of you without hesitation! He wasn't even supposed to be here! I had ordered him to remain behind, to guard our encampment. But as soon as I saw him in the throne room, I knew I would have to put on an act! I made sure I gave him precisely what he expected! As long as I maintain that façade before him, he won't dare challenge me! But the moment he senses weakness of any kind, he will strike with the deadliest force he can muster!"

Silence filled the dungeon cell. "How do we know we can trust you now?" Anna asked. "How do we know that this isn't an act as well? That you're trying to lure us into another trap?"

Isarn looked Anna directly in her eyes. "Elsa is imprisoned in the throne room as we speak. I have done what I can to intimidate Asgard, to convince him to leave her alone, but the man will soon begin to press his advantage, to try to take what is not rightfully his! I will not allow him to harm her! That is why we must act now."

"So . . . I assume you have a plan?" Kristoff asked. "Any chance of you sharing it with us?"

Isarn nodded. "I need Elsa's help to repulse Asgard. Alone, neither of us are any match for him. As long as he lives, my brothers will not listen to a word I say regarding peace. But if Elsa and I combine our power, we can stop him. With Asgard out of the way, my brothers will be willing to listen as Elsa negotiates a peace treaty."

"Great!" Anna said. "What are we waiting for? Let's go free Elsa and end this nightmare once and for all."

Isarn shook his head. "We will need help first. Asgard will not leave the throne room unguarded. And I cannot face both him and his subordinates and expect to have any hope of success."

"What are you suggesting?" Andersen asked.

Isarn pulled a ring of keys from his pocket. "Arendelle's surviving soldiers are locked in the east wing of the dungeon. We need to free them immediately. Once they have been released, they can distract the sentries outside the throne room. We can then confront Asgard. I will hold him off while Anna and Kristoff release Elsa. With her help, I can then restrain Asgard long enough to convince my people to stand down."

Anna bit her lip in concern. "This seems . . . very dangerous. You're putting a lot of trust in Elsa's ability to help you. Once Kristoff and I free her, she's going to have to get to work immediately fighting Asgard. She's not going to trust you after what you said upstairs."

Isarn sighed. "That's why I need you, Anna. You need to do whatever it takes to convince Elsa to help me. She still trusts you! Please help her see that this is the correct course of action. That I only did what I did to . . . protect her."

Where have I heard that before? Anna thought. She breathed deeply and as she exhaled she released all the tension and stress she could. "All right, Isarn. We will help you. You had better be right, though, about you and Elsa being able to stop Asgard. If we fail . . . If we fail . . ."

Isarn nodded grimly. "We will not fail. We cannot afford to."

Anna turned to Kristoff. "Well, you heard the man. Let's go!"

AN: It turns out Isarn is NOT a traitor after all. Hopefully, his plan will work. Hopefully. More to come!