Word of the attack spreads rapidly through the city and into the countryside. While Kristoff stops in a small town to buy more carrots for Sven, he hears the news and immediately leaves the town and turns Sven towards the castle. His only stop on the way is with another ice hauler. Once Kristoff arranges for his clients to receive deliveries from the other driver (for a princely sum, bordering on extortion), he parks his sled in a safe place. Climbing up on Sven's back, he is able to make better time now that Sven is unencumbered.
Upon reaching the castle, Kristoff immediately notices the castle gates have been closed again. The castle guards immediately admit the hauler and his reindeer, thanks to the public knowledge about his and Anna's courtship. As Kristoff gets Sven to a stable hand, the guards send a runner to find Kai to advise him of Kristoff's arrival. Kai meets him as Kristoff comes through the main castle doors.
"Master Kristoff! Good of you to return so quickly."
"Once I heard about Queen Elsa, I couldn't do anything else. How is she?"
"Still unconscious. She was shot with a crossbow at close range, passing through her shoulder completely. She has lost a lot of blood, but is not getting any worse. Master Kristoff, I'm worried about Miss Anna. She won't leave her sister's side. She's been there since the attack yesterday, and has barely eaten. Currently, she is asleep in a chair, her head lying on the queen's bed. We can't convince her to leave. Fortunately, she's on the side of the bed opposite the injury, or the physician would be having trouble getting to the queen."
"Don't worry, I'll take care of her. Thank you for letting me know."
"Be gentle. This came as a complete shock to her. She's not taking it well."
"I promise I will. Thank you again."
Kristoff hurries to the royal family's suites in the castle, startling several staff with his haste. Even through his concern for Anna, he notices a definite increase in the number of guards in the hallways. As he is a trusted regular visitor to the castle, the guards immediately let him pass once they recognize his face.
Peaking into Elsa's room, Kristoff notes the physician sitting at a side table. Giving him a brief nod, he turns his attention to Anna. Her clothes are wrinkled, her hair is badly tangled, and her eyes are puffy red despite the girl being fast asleep. Even asleep as she was, she still kept a near death grip on her sister's hand.
Kristoff carefully approaches and carefully separates the girls' hands. Without a word, he gently picks up Anna, cradling her in his massive arms. A single sob causes him to pause in the middle of picking her up, but the princess remained asleep. Standing up straight, he peers down at the queen. After taking note of the heavy bandaging on her shoulder and her pale face, he turns to leave the room.
Leaving Anna in her current clothes, he carefully removes her soft boots and tucks her into bed. Wanting to be present when she woke up, he pulls a chair up beside her bed to wait. It wasn't long before he remembered she hadn't eaten much. After he was sure she was settled into bed, he chances getting up long enough to get some food for Anna and a snack for himself.
Sometime later, Anna startles awake and looks around for her sister. She could have sworn she heard Elsa calling her. She still hadn't realized where she was when she heard her sister call again.
"Anna! Wake up! Please wake up!" called Elsa in a hollow sounding voice. Surprise clearly showed on Anna's face as she saw an ice statue of Elsa shaking her foot to wake her up. "Please Anna! Help me, I can't get up! Please come!" begged the icy statue.
As Anna bolted out of bed, the statue looked relieved she was getting up before she disappeared in a small flurry of snowflakes. Anna didn't hesitate before running out of her own room, down the hall, and skidding into Elsa's room.
Upon bursting into the room, Anna paled. Elsa was on the floor next to her bed. Her face showed extreme pain, and the effort was causing sweat to pour off the queen's body. As Anna raced to her side, Elsa tried to rise to her knees. Her eyes were glazed over and the attempt to rise failed miserably.
"Elsa! I'm here Elsa! I'm here!" cried Anna, tears streaming down her face. "Somebody! Anybody! Help! Get the physician, NOW! RIGHT NOW!" Anna didn't take her eyes off her sister, thankfully hearing somebody running off in response to her call.
Elsa's eyes cleared after Anna scream for help, and a brief smile crossed her lips. "Anna, you came!" whispered Elsa weakly. "Thank the gods you came. Thank the gods…" Elsa couldn't even finish showing her relief at seeing her sister before she collapsed back into unconsciousness. Her whisper came out as more of a croak than normal speech.
It didn't take long for the physician to arrive. Quickly, Anna and the physician returned Elsa to her bed. A brief examination quickly revealed the queen's throat was trying to swell shut. As the physician pulled out a short curved metal tube from his supplies, Anna gasped.
"What do you need that for?" she asked as her face became paler than that of a ghost.
"Her throat is swelling shut, preventing her from breathing or talking properly. This will keep her throat open, but will completely prevent her from talking until it is removed. She is getting a fever, and the swelling is almost like an allergic reaction to something. There is more going on here than just a wounded shoulder. It is possible she may have been poisoned by the bolt, or the wound has become infected."
"No…" gasps Anna, concern robbing her of her strength. With the physician's assistance, she collapses into her chair by Elsa's bed.
"I need a more thorough look at the wound when I next change the bandage. If we still have the crossbow bolt she was shot with, I may be able to discern more."
"I-I threw it in the fireplace after she was shot. I was angry. I'm sorry."
"Then only the wound and time will tell us if she was poisoned." By stepping between Anna's chair and the queen's head, he deliberately prevents Anna from watching as he inserts the tube. Careful, insistent pushing eventually gets the tube past the swelling. Elsa can clearly be heard breathing due to a slight whistle as the air passes through the tube. It is not difficult to see that Elsa is breathing easier.
Anna pulls her chair back to Elsa's bedside after the doctor is done, hoping her sister will wake up again. After about another hour with no change, a guard knocks on the door."
"Ummm, Your Highness? I… um… did-did you know that it is snowing in the kitchen?"
"It's what?"
"It's snowing in the main kitchen. There's more. There are about twenty small snowmen in the kitchen having a battle. Kitchen knives are being used as swords. As one snowman is 'killed', a new one forms someplace else in the kitchen to take its place. The cooks are refusing to enter the kitchen. Your Highness, we are at a loss. What should we do?"
Anna just nods, deep in thought. "As strange as it sounds, send in the guards to chop them up. Proceed to the stoves and add as much firewood as it is safe to be added. We want to make the kitchen warm enough to prevent the snowmen from reforming. Watch each other's backs as we really don't know how the snowmen will react to us or to increased heat."
"I… Yes, my lady. Right away." The guard turns to go with an uncertain look on his face.
As he leaves, Anna beckons to another guard. "Find the guard captain. We need roving patrols to all rooms of the castle. We need to know if this is an isolated incident, and if any more occurrences start. Nobody is to be left alone, and stationed guards should at least have one other guard in site at all times. Ensure this is communicated to all staff, in addition to the guards. I need to be informed immediately of any more occurrences anywhere else, no matter how big or small it is. Go now."
As the guard leaves, Anna turns to watch the queen. Elsa could be seen mumbling unintelligibly, her head moving from side to side. "I wish I knew what you were thinking," whispers Anna in a worried voice, a tear still in her eye.
Within an hour, the physician looks at Elsa's wound. With a slightly startled look on his face, he goes to work recleaning the wound before applying a new bandage. Once complete, he walks over to the princess with a troubled look on his face.
"Your Highness, may I have a word with you?"
"Is there anything I should be worried about? Is she all right?" asks Anna. The Physician hesitates before replying.
"Perhaps. Based on the wound the queen received, we either have a raging infection, or worse, to worry about. Her wound had an unpleasant odor when the bandages were removed, and has an unhealthy dark color in the skin around the wound itself. There is reason for concern."
"What do you mean by 'or worse'? Is she going to be all right?" Please don't say she is going to die.
"Best case is an infection which will go away with proper care. Based on the skin color, it is more likely she is experiencing blood poisoning or… or the bolt that hit her was poisoned to begin with. Not knowing what type of poison, if any, prevents proper treatment. Wrong treatment would only worsen her condition or kill her."
"W-will she live?" asks Anna fearfully, tears once again coming to her eyes.
"It is too early to say, Your Highness. She was in perfect health before she was shot, except for working herself to exhaustion. She has a better than average chance of survival. That said, the average chance of survival is… poor to begin with. All we can do is keep her wound clean, and change to new bandages with every cleaning. Fortunately, the bleeding has become minimal, considering the severity of the wound. I would almost hazard to guess that her magic is affecting the wound, but that could also be wishful thinking."
"Thank you," whispers Anna before returning to Elsa's side. Even in her unconscious state, Elsa's face grimaces with pain periodically, and she is highly restless as she lies in bed.
After what must have been several more hours, Anna is woken up from her place beside Elsa's bed. "My lady? Princess Anna?"
"Hmm? Yes, what is it?" asks a groggy Anna.
"We've found another ice, um, event in the castle gardens. You asked to be informed if we found anything new."
With this news, Anna immediately devotes all her attention to the guard in front of her. "What did you find this time?"
"It appears to be a village scene that keeps repeating. The ice people in the scene do not appear to be reacting to us," replies the guard. Looking at the guard, Anna notes his face is very pale.
Glancing to Elsa, she can see her eyes are open, but unfocused. Elsa's body is rigid, her muscles locked everywhere but her injured shoulder. With a groan, Anna turns to follow the guard out to the gardens.
The middle of the usually immaculate garden had become a village scene made completely from ice. Central to the scene was a fire. It flickered like a real fire but was shades of blue and made completely from ice. Near the fire were several icy villagers surrounding an icy Elsa. Shackles kept the Elsa clone in place, fear clearly showing on her face.
Off to the side of the scene was an icy Anna being held by ropes, also made from ice. The villagers were dragging Anna across the square towards Elsa. Angry shouts could be heard, although they couldn't be directly understood.
"This is freaky," mumbled a stunned Anna as she watches the scene unfold.
"Elsa could be heard pleading to the villagers. "Please, she has nothing to do with my powers, and has none of her own. Please, you have to let her go!"
"As if that is going to happen," replies a villager sarcastically. "I think you can shut your mouth, witch." Several other villagers chuckled in agreement.
"Please! It's me you want! Send her away, but let her live! I beg you – oh!" Elsa is cut off by the villager as he backhands her across the face.
"I said shut your mouth. BRING THE RED HEAD!" calls the villager as he hefts an axe. The icy Anna sobs loudly as she is brought over to an icy block of wood. She becomes hysterical as she is forced to bend over with her neck against the block.
Elsa blubbers and cries in the background. "Anna, I'm so sorry! I never wanted this to happen!"
As the villager raises his axe, Elsa begins screaming "NO!" over and over. The fear on Elsa's face makes the axe wielder smile. The real Anna turns her head as the axe descends. Elsa lets out an anguished wail as the axe connects. The icy Anna is cleanly beheaded.
"ANNA! NO, NO, No, No, no." shrieks Elsa, her volume decreasing to despairing with every word. Despair is obvious in her face and shoulders as she starts crying hard.
Two villagers drag the lifeless Anna and her head to the ice fire and unceremoniously throw them on.
"What's the matter, sweetie? Do you miss your sister already? Well, answer me!"
"Monster," is Elsa's disheartened reply.
"Awe! I think she's lonely boys! What do you think?"
"Yah!", "I wonder why?", and "Without a doubt!" are some of the replies that can be made out.
"What can we do about it boys?"
Several cruel and crude replies can be heard, but the loudest is "Let her give her sister a hug! Throw the witch on the fire!"
"You know what? Your right! A hug from her sister would warm the ice witch's heart, wouldn't it?"
As a single group, the mob walks right up to Elsa. Her only move is to look up at her captors, tears glistening in her eyes. The occasional sob breaks past her lips. An icy bruise is forming on her left cheek. She doesn't resist as several villagers grab her hands and feet. Elsa is hoisted up high on the raised hands of the mob. Moving again as one, they carry the broken queen to the same fire now consuming Anna's body and toss her in.
Loud painful screams fill the air as Elsa is burned alive. Anna cannot look as her icy sister is consumed by the fire. While the screams only lasted seconds, if felt like hours to Anna. Tears freely fall down her face.
Leaving the scene to allow Elsa's body to burn up on its own, the villagers walk off. They can be heard laughing and patting each other on back about how well they cleaned up the countryside. One can be heard saying "Anna had it easy, she didn't suffer as she died," which generates a few laughs. Soon, all that remains is the bonfire.
Within a minute of the villager's voices dying out, angry shouts can be heard. Villagers approach, dragging a struggling captive over near the fire. As shackles are placed on the captive, Anna realizes who they brought. A captive Elsa is being held in the same place they held her before.
"Bring the other one out!" shouts one of the villagers. Shortly after, an icy Anna is pulled in, hands bound as before. It doesn't take the real Anna long to realize the scene has reached the same point she walked in at before. The scene really did repeat, but she couldn't stand to watch it any further. Turning, Anna walks back near the door to return to the castle. With a churning stomach, she leans against the wall.
"My lady, what should we do?" asks one very shaken looking guard.
After a moment of silence, Anna replies without looking at the guard. "Bring enough troops out to at least match the strength of the ice villagers. When they are in place and the ice villagers leave, destroy the fire. That should break the loop. Be ready in case the villagers try to defend the fire. Don't take any unnecessary chances. And one more thing..."
"Yes, my lady?"
"If the chance comes up, smash the villager who spoke like this to my sister. Pass the word. This is obviously coming from Elsa. I'm going back to her room to see if I can figure out how to prevent more scenes from occurring. Continue to notify me of any more scenes found, here or around the city. Hopefully this will be localized to inside the castle only."
"At once, my lady," replies the guard. After he leaves, Anna turns to throw up behind a bush. With a pale face, Anna wipes her mouth on her sleeve as she walks back into the castle silently.
Walking back to Elsa's room, Anna quietly reflects on all that has happened so far. 'It wasn't bad enough that a once peaceful church group tried to assassinate her sister. Oh, no! Now I have Elsa's nightmares to contend with. This could rapidly become dangerous. I need to get people out of the castle, possible the surrounding area too. Hopefully she keeps the scenes confined to the castle.'
'Why now? Aren't we allowed to be happy, even for a little while? How am I supposed to keep up with this? Elsa could, but I'm not Elsa! Usually, Elsa had to help fix the problems I create, not the other way around! Is this what she goes through each time with me? Help me Elsa! Please get better soon!'
Pausing on her way to Elsa's room, Anna addresses a guard at his post. "I need to speak to Kai immediately. Find him and tell him I'm on my way back to the queen's room. He is to catch up with me as soon as possible. I think we need to evacuate everybody we can spare from the castle."
"At once, Your Majesty… I mean Your Highness," stutters the guard before running off.
"I'm not the queen, and I hope to avoid taking that position if I can help it," mumbles Anna sadly after the guard has left. "I'll stay Your Highness a while longer, thank you."
It doesn't take Kai long to catch up with Anna. She only managed to go around a couple corners before she heard him call her.
"Kai, thank the gods! I hope the guard told you what I want to do. We need to evacuate the castle of anybody not absolutely essential to have here. If possible, I want to get down to just the guards, Elsa's physician, maybe his assistant if he has one, and me."
"Yes my lady, a wise choice."
"Elsa would have done this immediately, not waiting like I have. I can't keep up with what I NEED to do. I don't know how Elsa did it," admits Anna quietly.
"The queen had time to become accustomed to her role as a leader. You had it thrust upon you with no notice, because the queen was seriously injured. Just having your sister injured is distraction enough, without trying to run a country, or even just a castle, as well. It will become easier."
"Thank you, Kai. I hope everyone can be as understanding as you are. For now we need to – oh, what now?"
Anna is interrupted by what sounds like a heated argument just around the next corner. After reaching the next hall, Anna wishes there was another way back to Elsa's room. Letting out a groan, Anna complains under her breath "Elsa, what are you doing now?" Two icy versions of Elsa are arguing with each other. The only visible difference between the two is the location of Elsa's single braid. One has it over the left shoulder; the other wears it over the right.
"We have to defend ourselves or our "people" will kill us! Likely Anna too! You don't want that, do you?" shouts Elsa, her braid over the right shoulder.
"Of course not. Violence is not the answer to this problem. They are just afraid. We both know what that is like! By being fair and showing kindness, our people will come around. Just you wait and see!"
"We won't last long enough for their opinions to change. We'll be dead long before that can happen. Look what they've done so far! They tried to kill us! They shot us with a poisoned crossbow bolt. Even our sister abandoned our bedside when we needed her most."
"No," mumbles Anna, too quiet for them to hear.
"I don't believe that, and if you think about it, neither do you! She wouldn't leave without a very good reason. With us unable to run the country right now, the burden falls to her. There are many other reasons she might have had to leave, other than the one you suggest."
"I had to go get her myself! She was sound asleep in her bed while we suffered trying to crawl across the floor. How do you explain that? If it wasn't for me taking action, we'd already be dead!"
"I – I didn't…" mumbles Anna uncertainly. 'How did I get back to my room?'
"I still say there is more to it than that. Without knowing the full story, I won't become the monster you suggest. Remember our ice palace on the north mountain? They tried to kill us there too, BECAUSE THEY THOUGHT WE WERE A MONSTER! We need to show them otherwise. After the winter we caused, the people need us to fix this or they will starve."
"If you won't defend us, then what about our sister? What will you do if they turn on her? Right now, they fear our power for NO REASON. They may also consider her a monster 'like us', or fear retaliation for any actions taken against us. If we don't put the 'Fear of Elsa' into them, Anna will be next after they kill us."
"NO! I won't be part of this! The defense you suggest will take their fear to intolerable levels. The actions you suggest will only bring the people's wrath faster and harder. Have you considered Anna's opinion in all of this? What will she think about us if we cause fear, destruction, and mayhem in our own kingdom? What will she think when we start killing the people we are supposed to protect? How many people must die before you feel safe? Would you kill Anna if she turned against us? I won't allow us to take this route!"
"You really want to trust her opinion on something this important? You think she is ready to make a life or death decision? She can't even keep her bedroom organized. All our fates could hang on the choice she makes!"
"Absolutely."
"Well, since we can't agree, why DON'T we let her decide this for us?" With this, each Elsa turns to address Anna directly. "Well Anna, what do you think? Are you willing to gamble your life? Are you willing to wait until somebody you DO care about DIES?"
"Don't fall for this Anna! The village's outrage and our dark actions will not soon be forgotten. You can't change your mind later, after the killing starts. The people would only come sooner. Don't let fear take control like I did for most of our lives! Neither of us could live with the results if we allow this… this slaughter to happen."
"Elsa, I don't have time for this! Please let me past!" pleads Anna.
"We need to know, Anna," says one Elsa gently.
"This can't wait. More people are going to be hurt later if you aren't strong now!" the other Elsa almost snarls.
Both Elsas stand side by side across the hallway, blocking it. Anna looks back and forth between them before a defeated look shows on her face.
"Fine. I think you're being petty, pushing this issue right now and like this. You both also have some very compelling arguments to consider. However, if you both know me like I think you do, then you'll already know how I'm going to answer. I am confident in the people of Arendelle to see through their fears and see the good we can do as princess and queen, together. I already have been dealing with the people daily on my trips to town, so I have some general insight into their actions and what they believe. You know I could never deliberately cause harm to our people. I would rather become a fugitive on the run, than become a murderer before the people give us a good reason to take action. This is also the opinion I've seen in you, and I believe your human self would side with me if she was up and walking in on this discussion. The people deserve the benefit of the doubt, not have our trust ruined by the doubts of a few fanatical people. You, me, AND the people of Arendelle are much better than that."
"That's the talk of a weakling, a fool who wants to die. I don't. We'll see about this!" screams Elsa. With that, she turns and stomps away. Looking back to the other Elsa, she barely has time to see her smiling face as she bows to Anna. A small flurry forms around her and when it clears, she is gone. That simple genuine smile made Anna feel more comfortable with her decision.
Kai walks up behind Anna, a puzzled look on his face. "Miss Anna, I don't understand. Why is this happening?"
"Elsa's powers are tied to her emotions. What we see represent Elsa's feelings, her inner battles, conflicted emotions, and even her fears. The injury and the poisoning must have weakened her control over her powers, allowing us to see them; like what we just saw here. We need to address those feelings and fears to control the results. We've been lucky far. This is why we need to evacuate the castle at least, possibly several blocks of city as well. We'll start with just the castle for now."
"Elsa has always preferred peaceful solutions, even if it is at her own expense. That's why she ran away at her coronation, to protect us from her powers. We need to react based on her preferences to control this. Fear is showing through the Elsa that walked away angry. We can't give in to that and survive. It took Elsa thirteen years to learn that, but some part of her still falls back on those fearful reactions," concludes Anna as she stares sadly at the floor.
Kai pauses to look more closely at Anna. "You've put some thought into this. Normally, you just race in hoping for the best."
"I'm trying to think like Elsa does. It's not easy for me, but it is necessary if I want to keep people from getting hurt. I think she would rather die than hurt someone. I hope it doesn't come to that. That I won't…" Anna pauses to take a deep breath, "won't have to act on that thought."
"We hope it doesn't come to that either. If I may be so bold, it's nice to see you thinking ahead like this."
"Thank you Kai. You don't know how much your support means to me. We'll see more of these events, occurrences, scenes. Whatever you want to call it, it will keep happening when Elsa is restless while she is unconscious. Whatever comes, we will have to deal with it until she can stay awake."
"Before anything happens, we have to get everybody out. That means everybody, but the guards and the physician. I would like to have it done within the next hour. That includes you and Gerda."
"Very good, but I think I'll be staying with you."
"No Kai, you're not safe here."
"You haven't had the chance to get to know Elsa… her Majesty… over the last thirteen years. I've had more contact with her on any given month than you had the whole time the gates were closed. While I can't be sure, I think you will need me."
"Elsa would never forgive me if you got hurt. You have to go too, or-"
"Then it's a good thing she's not awake for me to ask her then, is it?" interrupted Kai. "I'm sorry Miss Anna, but you need me here more. I must insist."
"I… thank you. Get everyone else out though. Ensure fires for heating laundry water and ovens are put out. Put out any fireplaces, oven should have nothing cooking on them. Move horses, pets, and any other livestock I may have missed off the grounds too."
"As you wish," says Kai as he turns away. "I'll pass the word and meet you in the queen's suite if that works for you." Kai wastes no time evacuating people after leaving Anna; she could hear him calling other castle staff as he walked down the hallway.