CHAPTER 11:

FOR THE GREATER GOOD

If any of you find any mistakes, grammar or spelling, please point them out to me so I can try to avoid making the same mistakes in the future. Also, reviews from my last chapter have shown me that people actually like the 'Frelsa' ship. Believe me when I say, I did not see that coming. I wonder if this chapter will change how you think of that ship. Happy reading! :D

{Frederick's POV}

The tragedy in knowing the future wasn't the fact that you couldn't change it or that you knew it, it's knowing the reason it has to happen. Tragedies are apart of life and if karma has taught us anything, it's that those who suffer will be rewarded in the long run. Tragedies beget change and the outcome of that change is in our hands but the control of that tragedy is in mine.

Despite my cold demeanor and emotionless exterior, I did care for Elsa, not in the way she would've liked but I still cared and it was because of that reason I had difficulty in performing the deeds I was about to. Two years ago, I had shown Elsa how damaged I was and I did so in the hopes that her irrational love for me would subside or vanish entirely. Unfortunately, that was not the case. Elsa had begun to dig deeper into my psyche, trying to understand me and make sense of my past but to no avail. These walls were up for a reason and no one could break them.

Her parents had been requested to journey to the kingdom of one of their most prestigious trade partners and the idea of them not being around depressed Elsa, to the point where she couldn't even train properly, not that it stopped me from lecturing and scolding her.

I was inside the ship that they were going to sail in. It was, in a word, sturdy. Made of fine quality wood and inspected thoroughly for any sort of damage; the King and Queen were going to journey on this ship, their safety was of the highest priority. I was standing in the hull as another inspection was taking place but I didn't really give it much attention. No, my awareness was focused on the conditions of the hull and as I examined the ship from top to bottom, I knew that this ship was built to withstand harsh conditions. With a robust ship and a capable crew, it was going to take a lot to sink this vessel. I now stood on the deck as I ambled around the side. I stood next to the railing and I placed my hand on it as I recited a spell. I finished and lifted my hand and the outline of my hand was imprinted on the railing. I coughed a few times. It was a spell I had mastered a while back which allowed a part of me to remain in a place of my choosing; I would always be attached to it and would feel its presence at all times and with my ability of teleportation, this would be very useful in travelling long distances. The crew men continued to carry barrels and trunks of different items onto the ship and I casually walked away from the doomed vessel.

And, in a blink of an eye, the day was here, the departure of the King and Queen. I was in the castle, unbeknownst to Elsa, as I watched all the servants scurry around frantically. I stood at the bottom of the staircase, my arms folded, when Elsa walked up to me. "What are you doing here?", she whispered not wanting to draw any attention to herself. "Making sure that you don't remain distracted through our classes. Straighten yourself.", I said as the King and Queen descended the staircase and stood in front of Elsa who had quickly composed herself. She gave her parents a curtsy and asked them in a sad tone,"Do you have to go?". Her parents smiled at her and reassured her by simply saying,"You'll be fine, Elsa." The King and Queen gave her one last look and went out the door. It was pitiful seeing her like that, she seemed so weak and feeble. This isn't going to be easy for her.

We returned to her room where we resumed our lessons.

Two days had passed and Elsa was still stuck in her rut of loneliness and despair. It was around 8 and I sat on a chair with my hands clasped as I watched Elsa struggle to form the threads of ice. She had gotten better at it but the threads would come out uneven thus making her unable to create seamless piece of fabric. The clock struck 8 and I knew it was time. I quickly got up from my chair which made Elsa look up. "What's wrong?" I gave her a sympathetic look but she was unlikely to tell that it was really that. "I have to go, I have some business to attend to." She raised an eyebrow in suspicion. "What business do you have?", she asked sardonically. I glare at her and in a monotone voice I said,"Continue to practice and I'll come back tomorrow." and with that, I was gone.

I had spent most of my days sitting on the cliff near the town but today, today I had a different destination. I had teleported myself onto the deck of the ship that the King and Queen were travelling on. Their trip was to take a little over a week and at the current moment, they were far away from any land. It was my time to act. I got up, coughing a few times, as I made my way to the deck below. As I walked by, my eyes caught the sight of the King and Queen who were standing next to, who I assumed, was the captain. They were discussing the weather conditions and the King's voice held a tone of worry but the 'captain' confidently assured them that no weather could bring down his ship. Cockiness won't get you anywhere.

I reached the hull and looked around, no one was in sight. I extended my arm and with my index and middle fingers clenched together, I swept my hand across the air which sent a fierce wind attack that caused damage to the inner walls of the ship. It wasn't any type of damage that could bring about the demise of the ship but it didn't have to be.

I thought back to the only rule applied on specters: Specters are forbidden to harm any living being either through direct or indirect contact. It meant I couldn't use my powers to kill or use an inanimate object to kill despite the fact that I could grab such objects.

I walked back up to the deck where the crew men were hard at work, insuring that the ship functioned properly. I look up and see the dark clouds swirling about. We were in for some rough weather. My gaze fell back down to the deck and I marched to the mast. Using the same technique as before, I damaged the mast but only slightly. No one had seemed to notice.

I continued to mar the ship; slightly damaging the interior walls of the ship, damaging the rudder, creating small slits in the sails and so forth and it was time for me to wait. I made my way over to the same railing as before and stood there with my arms crossed and I watched. The crewmen scurried around, thinking all was well even with the impending weather of disaster. All was well.

I stayed there for a long while when the King and Queen made their way over to the railing a few feet from myself. The Queen was tucked under the King's left arm and both were staring out into the ocean. They looked agonized, no doubt still fretting over their magical daughter. "I hope she's okay.", the Queen said in a whisper. "She'll be fine, she can keep it under control.", the King said but with little confidence. They stood there for a few more seconds until the wind began to pick up. Right on cue.

The wind was getting stronger with each passing minute and the water became unruly; the ship was starting to rock. The crewmen got to their posts and had readied themselves for any sudden movements. They were quite zealous. The captain had approached the King and Queen and had instructed them to retreat back to their rooms for their own safety. They complied and were no longer on the deck. The ship was able to handle the few jerks and strong winds but all that changed quickly when the real storm hit.

It was a storm of devastating proportions. Thunderclouds above and the wrath of Poseidon beneath. My 'modifications' to the ship were now in play. I was able to hear loud cracks coming from beneath and I assumed that the hull had been breached and was beginning to fill with water. My assumptions were proven correct when the men began to run to the hull with buckets. The rest of the men began to pull up the sail but at the most disadvantageous time, the ropes broke and the sail remained unfurled. The wind, along with some help from the now torn sails, carried the ship around, jerking it back and forth. The captain tried steering but the rudder seemed to have been stuck and therefore, he was unable to maneuver the ship in the correct manner.

The King and Queen rushed out of their rooms and stood, or trying to, on the deck. They made their way over to the captain. "Captain, can you get out of this?!", the King screamed at him. The captain turned to him, dread covering his face. "Your Majesty, I... I can't. The ship is falling apart, I don't know why. I'm sorry" was all he could stammer out and the King and Queen turned and looked out into the ocean. A giant wave was heading towards the ship and, undoubtedly, that was gonna finish them off. Before I finally decided to leave, I heard both parents whisper their children names. At least their last thoughts are of their loved ones. And with that, I was back at the cliff.

I had seen the future and had known that her parents could have died in a ship wreck but I wasn't sure so I had to ensure that they would. 'For the greater good'. After so long, my mantra was still there. The true cruelty of seeing the future is knowing that it's got to happen. I hung my head down, offering the late King and Queen a moment of silence.

A few days passed and the training had gone back to its normal routine. The message of her parents death was to arrive today at exactly 8:37 and I was to leave before then. At the moment it was 8:35 and Elsa was practicing making threads once more. 8:36. I got up from my chair and headed towards the window. "Elsa, I have to go today and you probably won't see me again for a little while.", I said as I coughed a few times. Elsa was shocked and worried. "What, why?", was all she could muster out. "Some things I have to take care of but don't worry, I'll be back.", I said and I was gone but not really. I had teleported myself outside of her room and stood there. I saw one of the servants run towards Elsa's room. She was on the brink of crying. She knocks on the door.

"Your Majesty?"

"Yes", Elsa replied in a faint whisper. The maid swallows the lump in her throat.

"Your Majesty, I'm so sorry to have to tell you this but your parents passed away in a shipwreck."

Silence for what felt like an eternity. The maid spoke up once again,"I just received this letter." The maid slid the letter underneath the door and awaited for a response. "You can leave now.", was Elsa's response and the maid, reluctantly, did as told. As soon as the maid left, I could hear soft cries from the room and I spotted frost underneath the doorway. Good, she needs to get rid of all this negative emotion. And now, for real, I was gone.

The day had arrived for her parents funeral but, as expected, Elsa did not attend it but I did. Most of the residents of the kingdom were present to pay respects for their late king and queen. Anna stood next to the two large stones that represented her parents graves. A few words was spoken by the priest as all the people held their head down in grief. Many whispers could be heard. 'Where's the princess?' 'She couldn't even come to her own parents funerals. 'What's wrong with her?' So much is wrong with her but I can fix it.

After the funeral, Anna made her way to Elsa's bedroom with me close behind. She knocked on her door as she always did and asked her sister to come out. To help her in her time of need. Telling her that they only had one another. She slid down and her back was now on the door. Tears began to run down her cheek and for some reason, I got the feeling that Elsa was in the exact same position. I breathed out. She'll never understand why I did it but it was for the better and what I'm about to do is also for the best.

The good thing about knowing the future was that you know that despite all the hurdles the protagonist will face, they'll get their happy ending.

Frederick, how could you? D:
You better have something planned you bastard. Also, if you're wondering how Frederick broke the 'specter rule', let me explain. Using his powers of foresight, he was able to see that the ship would end up in the middle of the storm and to ensure that it would sink, he, without intention, damaged it in a way that could not in anyway harm the people on board but in the presence of the storm would give out. This act preceded the actual destruction so he was able to do it. A simple loop hole. If you still don't understand, PM me and I'll try to better explain it. As always, leave reviews.