Author's Note: Hi, guys, and Happy Easter! Thank you for your patience this week and I know I'm a day late. I did announce it on my profile, but I didn't think to mention it in last week's chapter. My job was crazy this past week because of Easter (the problem of working in retail). I was so exhausted I could barely eat, much less write. So, I apologize. But this chapter is twice the length of most of my chapters, so that's makes up for my lateness a bit. Right? (Please don't hate me!) Anyway, there's just a few chapters left (four if my calculations are correct), so we are almost to the end (I feel like I say that a lot). As always, let me know what you guys think and I will see you all next week!

21.

"You don't have to live in fear. 'Cause for the first time in forever, I will be right here."

—Frozen, Anna

From across the room, Elsa heard the door creak open. She expected Jain to reenter, but instead a small snowman appeared.

"Olaf!"

Elsa jumped to her feet and hurried to the edge of the orb. Hadyn didn't move.

Olaf must have seen her, as he hurried over and tapped against the orb.

"Elsa!" He exclaimed. "What are you doing playing around in there? And, a better question is, can I join you?" Clearly he did not understand the gravity of the situation.

Elsa rolled her eyes, trying not to panic or hit herself over the head for underestimating Jain. Shaking her head, she nearly shouted, "No, Olaf, you have to get help. Go find Anna and Kristoff."

Olaf merely tilted his head. He reached up with his stick finger and shoved it into the side of his head which might have been where his ears might be. "It may just be me," he stated slowly, "But your mouth is moving and no words are coming out."

"What?" Elsa raised her voice. "Olaf, go find Anna. You have to—"

"He can't hear you." Hadyn's soft voice interrupted her yelling.

She turned to him and he continued.

"The shield keeps our powers and voices inside. Nothing can be heard from outside."

From behind her, Olaf was still talking, "You could try to speak really slowly and I can read your lips. You know, in my time sailing the seven seas, I have grown quite proficient in the talent of lip reading."

Elsa turned back to her little snowman and mouthed the words Go get Anna slowly.

Olaf stared intently as she spoke and, when she stopped, he nodded excitedly. "I got it!"

Elsa let out a sigh. Good, everything would be fine.

"You said, 'Oh, my banana.' Did you lose a banana? Or are you craving bananas? Either way, I can go find some."

Elsa face palmed. Seriously. And he said he was proficient in lip reading. She grasped at thought straws in her head to figure out a solution. The absence of paper and pen presented her with an apparent incomparable problem with no clear answer. How was she to communicate with Olaf?

"Give up," Hadyn commented dryly. "It's too late."

Elsa rounded on him, sparks of ice escaping her fingertips. "What bogus nonsense are you spouting, Hadyn? Who was the one who never admitted he was wrong? Who argued with me about everything? Who flirted and laughed like he had nothing to worry about?"

Hadyn narrowed his eyes. "Elsa, my own cousin just betrayed me. Give me a moment to wallow in my own self-pity for not realizing what a despicable bastard a man I considered to be my brother was. Alright?" Though his voice was light, Elsa could sense he was angry. She didn't know how close he might be to Jain, but she could only imagine how it would feel like to have someone betray him who was close to him as much as Anna was to her.

She wanted to comfort him, but she didn't know why. Elsa smiled gently. "You are so dramatic, Hadyn."

"Who's the ice queen who throws ice out of her fingertips if she gets too emotional? Neither of us can be pointing fingers." She couldn't be sure, but there seemed to be a shadow of a smile flicker across Hadyn's lips.

She was about to protest when an idea came to her. Ice out of her fingertips. It might work. Looking back at Olaf, she raised her fingers. Slowly, she drew the words Go get Anna to help in the air with ice. Surprisingly, the letters remained suspended in the air for several minutes, frozen.

"Oh!" Olaf exclaimed. "You want me to go get help. Well, then why were you going on about bananas? That is urgency, Elsa, urgency!"

With that, he waddled quickly out of the room.

Elsa collapsed on the bottom of the orb, sighing deeply. She glanced over at her fellow cellmate. Hadyn still didn't look good, but what could she expect if he was in here for two days without food or water?

On one hand, she didn't want to bother him with questions when he was so sick. But then again, she wanted answers more. "Hadyn, would you please explain to me what is going on? Why is Jain doing this?"

Hadyn shrugged. "Power, it seems. You are a threat, I am a threat. Everyone is apparently a threat to me cousin."

"Yes, I got that. But…" she paused, not sure if he would be offended or not if she continued with her thought. "But do you think your father was involved."

Hadyn bit his lip. Instead of answering her question, he changed the subject, glancing out of the orb at the fireplace. "You know, I thought things would end up so differently if I came here."

Elsa didn't say anything.

"How much do you know?" He asked after a moment of silence.

"About what? Your bet with Jain to get me to marry you? Your decision to go back home? Or simply the fact that Jain is about to kill us for power?"

"Everything, I suppose. Especially my father's plan to send me here as a distraction while my cousin plotted to kill you."

His voice sounded dangerously calm, not the passionate, transparent fire prince she had grown to…like, yes, just like.

"I'm not angry at you, if that is what you are worried about," Elsa said plainly.

Hadyn raised an eyebrow. "Really? I would have thought you would be furious."

Elsa shrugged. He was probably right; she should be more upset than she was. "I knew this was all a game for you from the beginning. So it wasn't exactly a surprise to discover your bet with Lord Jain. And you were just another pawn in his scheme."

"A game?" Hadyn's calm façade seemed to shatter in a moment, as literal sparks of flame emanated from his hands. And he said she had issues controlling her power. "You really still think that's all it is. Maybe, at first it was a game, but now…" he paused, scooting forward to sit in front of her. His intense red eyes looked into hers. "It's so different now."

"Indeed? Do you suppose we can discuss this later? Jain might be back any moment and—"

"No," Hadyn interrupted before she could finish her thought. "I don't know how much time we have left, and I don't want to die without you knowing the truth. When I arrived here, it was for the soul purpose of appeasing my father. I made the bet with Jain merely to pass the time, and maybe get his influence with my father to aid me in getting rid of raiders in my country. But when I met you, it was as if the bet faded from my mind. I went from hating the fact that my father sent me here to anticipating each time I could talk with you. I liked you from the first moment you opened your mouth. You were repressed and intelligent and beautiful and so much more incredible than you realized."

"Hadyn, you don't have to—"

"I love you."

Elsa didn't bother to finish her sentence. She felt completely taken aback as a thousand thoughts went through her head. First and foremost, was he being serious?

"Hadyn, I—"

He reached across the space, wrapping his hand around the nap of her neck and pulling her close. Energy exploded between them as he kissed her.

Elsa was so shocked she didn't even move. That intense feeling exploded, even more extreme than when their hands touched. For all his intensity, though, Hadyn touched her so gently.

"Well, well, the tragic lover's final kiss."

Hadyn and Elsa broke apart and both turned in unison to see Jain standing before them. He must have entered the room without them even noticing.

Climbing to his feet painfully, Hadyn stood facing his cousin. Elsa rose behind him, her heart beating so widely she could hardly decipher what was up or down. Her lips tingled.

"Jain," Hadyn snarled.

Lord Jain let out a soft laugh. "You seem to be feeling much better, my little cousin. I am glad. Now, forgive me for my abrupt departure, but I had to get something."

He reached into his coat pocket and withdrew a small device. It looked similar to the one he had used to place Elsa inside the orb, but it was thinner, almost like a wand.

"Don't worry, I can hear you perfectly right now," Jain continued, fiddling with the device. "Any last words?"

Hadyn answered immediately. "Jain, let Elsa go. You want power, then just kill me. If I'm dead, Father will make you his heir. Think about it, what can you gain from killing a queen so far north? Even if she dies, her sister becomes ruler. There is nothing for you here."

"I thought about that," Jain responded, slowly pacing in front of the orb. "But then again I can hardly have someone witness my brother's death. I don't want to kill her anymore, you will be surprised to hear, but what other choice do I have?"

Elsa narrowed her eyes in anger. This man was truly despicable, wasn't he? And a liar. She didn't trust a word he said.

Hadyn responded to his cousin, "She won't say anything." He glanced back at Elsa, giving her a meaningful look. "She will forget about us."

"I most certainly will no—" Elsa started.

Hadyn reached back and clapped a hand over her mouth as the electric current flew between them again. He seemed to ignore it and pulled her closer, whispering fiercely into her ear, "I'm trying to save you."

"I won't watch you die when I could save you," Elsa whispered just as fiercely, pushing his hand away from her mouth.

Hadyn gave her a dark look. "Look, if it goes the way I plan, we'll both make it out alive. Don't worry, I have a plan. Do you trust me?"

Elsa stared up a moment into his eyes, looking for a glimpse of hope. He seemed so sure that she wanted to believe him. What had changed? Just a moment before he was so hopeless and now he seemed like a tower of strength. Usually, there was a voice screaming in her head not to trust him. But that voice was silent now. Slowly, she nodded.

A smile passed Hadyn's lips, though it vanished as he released her and turned to his cousin.

"She agrees," Hadyn stated.

Jain smirked. "Indeed? And what makes you think I'd believe you?"

Elsa took her cue and jumped into the conversation. "Because I simply want peace. I want you both out of my kingdom. Yes, I admit that I was attracted to your cousin, but anything else you believe I feel for him is in your vivid imagination. I am disgusted looking at your face and if his death means I never have to see you again, then I'm willing to stand by and let you kill him."

She said it with such certainty, and yet her head was screaming that it was all a lie. She didn't want to see him hurt, and yet if he had a plan…

Luckily, Jain seemed convinced. Perhaps he was not as intelligent as she first thought he was. He laughed. "My, my, Hadyn, there is your beloved, breaking your heart. It can't be helped, you know." He shrugged and reached forward, cutting a thin cut into the orb.

Hadyn and Elsa stepped back in unison.

A small doorway appeared in the orb, just enough for a person to get through.

"Now, Hadyn," Jain continued, "If you will be so kind as to come out for your execution, I will make it quick so the queen may be on her way."

Hadyn didn't even glance back at Elsa, but she felt his hand squeeze hers gently before he let it go and exited the orb slowly. The moment he was out, Jain waved the device again and the opening in the orb vanished, leaving Elsa trapped inside.

Now, the two cousins stood before each other, no magic wall between them.

Jain put the wand back inside his jacket and stated, "Hold still, Hadyn, this will not hurt for long. And remember, you move and your beloved dies."

To Elsa's surprise, Jain lifted his hand. He held no weapon, no possible way to kill Hadyn and yet he stood with no fear. It was only when Elsa observed strands of fire seeping out of his fingers that she realized what was happening.

Jain had to power of fire just as much as his cousin and his grandfather did. Elsa stared in shock, glancing momentarily towards Hadyn to see his reaction.

For his part, Hadyn looked just as shocked as her and immediately Elsa realized that Hadyn was as unaware of his cousin's power as she was. Whatever Hadyn's plan had been, it was obliterated by Jain's single move. What was she to do to help now, trapped inside that magical prison?

"Now, cousin." Jain's voice was soft and dangerous. "It's the end."

Elsa clutched at the side of the orb, her eyes shutting in hopes of not seeing what would happen next.