Time seemed to speed up and slow down at the same absurd time as the royal party made their way to the residency wing of the castle. Elsa had taken up living in her parents old room at the end of the hall, and that's where Kristoff headed at a dead run, his feet feeling as though they barely touched the ground. Anna was behind him every step of the way, her hand gripping the sleeve of his tunic as a way to both keep up and anchor herself to the here and now. The door to the royal bedchambers was already open. Kristoff shouldered through, and didn't stop until he reached the large four poster bed set against the wall in the center of the room. When he finally released the queen, laying her gently atop her feather mattress, his heart sank at the sight of so much blood staining her front. The rag he'd pressed to Elsa's wound was completely soaked through, allowing the crimson stain to creep down her bodice and seep into the fabric of her skirt. What was worse, she hadn't stirred, her face waxy white and her breathing barely noticeable.
"Elsa," Kristoff whispered gently, leaning in so that only he and the queen could hear him using her untitled name. "Elsa, wake up."
The queen's eyes fluttered open, hazy with pain. She focused on him after a moment, vision sliding in and out of focus. "W-where's….Anna?"
"I'm right here, Elsa. I'm right here," Anna said scooting in close to Kristoff and grabbing her sister's cold left hand. Was it her imagination or did Elsa seem colder than normal? Anna pushed the thought from her head as forcefully as possible, trying to focus on the present despite the hundreds of questions swirling around in her mind. Who was behind the assassination attempt? Who had Elsa had dealings with that could have ended with the queen bleeding from a four inch hole in her stomach? It was just too much to process, and Anna felt tears of frustration and fear trailing down her face.
"Please…d-don't cry," Elsa whispered softly and attempted to smile.
"Who would do this?" Anna hiccupped, struggling to keep her voice level.
"I don't—" Elsa's eyes suddenly rolled shut and she went limp, head lolling to one side.
"No, no, no, Elsa stay awake! You have to stay awake!" Anna gently shook her sister but the queen didn't respond. She was about to jump on top of her when she heard a commotion coming from the hall. There was vehement shouting and a rattle of blades being pulled from their sheaths, and Anna's heart shot into her throat. Her first thought was that assassin had somehow survived and had returned to finish the job. It was absurd, the man was clearly dead, but the princess couldn't keep the cloying fear from stealing her reason. The door suddenly burst open and both Kristoff and Anna were on their feet with dark anticipation, but rather than an assassin stumbling into the room, the royal Physician stormed in. Face a vibrant cherry red, the squatty little man glowered back at the squadron of guards and the dark haired man standing at the forefront.
"Physician Malkof, the queen—"
"I know what's happened, fool!" Malkof snapped at the guard captain. "Disband this instant or be charged with treason!"
Anna felt herself slowly moving around the bed as the tension in the room between the guards and Physician began to amplify. Malkof was a small man, the top of his head barely making it to Anna's collar bone, but what he lacked in size he made up for in knowledge and an unrelenting ego. As physician to two sets of royals, Anna and Elsa's late parents and now the sisters themselves, the little man had developed quite a large head.
"Princess Anna, if it pleases you, my men and I would prefer to remain in here while the Physician conducts his work," the scowling Captain said after prying his searing gaze from the back of Malkof's head and turning his unnaturally green eyes onto Anna.
"Absolutely not!" Malkof shouted spinning on the Captain. "I will not have any of you here jeopardizing—"
"Apologies, Physician Malkof, but I was not speaking to you, nor asking for your permission," Captain Revel cut in, face a stony mask but eyes alive with rage.
"You insolent piece of—"
"Thank you, Captain Revel," Anna jumped in before Malkof picked a fight he couldn't possibly win, "but that won't be necessary. I will remain here while the Physician—"
"All of you are to leave. I need time to assess how gravely wounded her Majesty is, and I cannot do that while everyone crowding around as if this is a spectator sport!" Anna opened her mouth to protest, but Malkof speared her with a dark look and motioned for the door. "Your sister will be fine, Princess. I'll come and get you once I'm—"
"I'm not going anywhere," Anna snapped with such vehemence it startled her, fists clenched at her sides.
"Yes, Highness, you are," Malkof retorted, moving to pull the princess from the room. The instant his hand closed around her wrist, Captain Revel, the guards, and Kristoff all surged forward as if propelled by magnets. Kristoff was the closest and grabbed the little man by his shirt collar, pulling him away from his fiancé with a single, powerful jerk.
"My fiancé said she wasn't leaving," the mountain man growled, nearly lifting the little man off his feet as he stood to his full height. "So she isn't leaving."
"Why you…unhand…guards take this man! Take the princess away from here as well, neither of them can—"
"Touch the princess again," Captain Revel menaced, sword drawn, "and I swear you'll find yourself—"
"If you so much as tough me—"
"Enough, Malkof!"
All eyes in the room snapped to the new figure framed in the doorway by the dim light streaming in from the hall, arguments temporarily forgotten. Slowly, bishop Arren entered the royal chambers, his kindly blue eyes hardened with distaste and anger directed towards the Physician. Reaching the end of Elsa's bed, he proceeded to stare down at the little man with barely contained rage.
"You would do well to remember your place, Physician Malkof," the bishop said in a quiet voice that did nothing to hide his contempt.
"My place is at the queen's side, and I cannot do my job while all of you are in this room! As royal Physician I must—"
"That is correct, you are the royal physician, but that does not make you royalty. You do not have the right or the station to order Princess Anna or the royal guards to do anything."
"I do if it could impact the queen's life!"
"Arren," a weak voice said from the bed, and once again all eyes turned to the queen. She was barely conscious, her body fighting to keep her heart beating as she continued to bleed, but it appeared she had enough cognitive ability to speak. The bishop hurried to her side and knelt, head lowered so Elsa wouldn't have to project.
"Yes, Majesty?"
"Anna…make her…Acting Majesty."
The bishop felt his heart sink but hid his emotions under a mask of calm neutrality. "Majesty, I do not think—"
"We must…think of the kingdom, Arren. Too many…wolves."
The bishop knew of what his queen spoke of and nodded gravely. Straightening his robes in order to buy himself time to compile his thoughts, bishop Arren turned towards the princess with his stony mask in place.
"Her Majesty, Queen Elsa, has decreed that Princess Anna will take the title of Acting Majesty for an undetermined period of time."
"Acting what?" Anna gaped looking between her sister and the bishop with slowly mounting dread. What were they talking about? She'd never heard of the title before, and the sad look in the bishop's eyes wasn't helping matters either.
"Princess Anna of Arendelle," the slim, elderly man said, hands folded in front of his robes and head bowed slightly, "you are the last remaining heir to the throne. Upon royal request, I charge you as Acting Majesty until the time of the queen's recovery or…" he fought the lump in his throat and swallowed hard, "Or until Queen Elsa no longer resides on this earth."
But she's not going to die! Anna wanted to scream at the man, but her words never formed on her numb tongue. She felt the world tilt again for the second time that day and would have slumped to the floor had Kristoff's strong arms not held her up.
"Acting Majesty," Malkof said irritably, grinding each word out between bared teeth, "what do you decree?"
What an absolutely asinine thing to ask, Anna thought.
"Heal my sister," Anna snapped, her very words a command.
"Then I must ask you to leave."
"I won't leave Elsa's side!" Anna bellowed. "I will not leave until I know she is whole and healthy."
"Acting Majesty," bishop Arren said in a soft voice, drawing Anna away from her building contempt towards Malkof, "perhaps it would be best to wait in the hall while the Physician works on the queen. The less people cluttering the room the faster he can guarantee your sister's safe recovery."
There was obvious logic in the old bishop's words, yet still Anna balked. It wasn't until Kristoff put his arm around her shoulders and gently began leading his fiancé towards the door that reason finally overrode fear.
"She'll be fine, Anna. She's in good hands," Kristoff soothed as they exited the bedchamber. Anna could only nod, not trusting her voice.
"Acting Majesty?"
Anna turned towards the Captain but found she was having trouble focusing on him. He bowed slightly and inclined his head towards Malkof and the queen.
"If it pleases you, Majesty, allow me to remain in the room while the Physician works. For…added security."
"I…umm…y-yes, alright. Thank you, Captain," Anna managed to mumble. The guard nodded and gave her a thin smile before positioning himself beside the door.
The second everyone was gone save for the Captain, much to Malkof's irritation, the Physician called for his assistants to enter. Eight white clad men and women filed into the room, hands and faces covered in white silk. They had even covered their heads with scarves of the same material, leaving only their eyes to peer out at the princess and her fiancé as they passed. Anna caught sight of Malkof pulling a white robe from the large medicine bag that never left his side. Two apprentices helped him secure the robe with a wide white sash while he slipped on a pair of white silk gloves and a silk mask before the royal bedchamber door clicked shut.