Frozen Together Chapter 16
The trees were whipping past them at an unbelievable rate. Kristoff glanced down at Anna; she looked noticeably paler than she had at the start of the ride. He pulled his hat off and set it on her head instead.
"What if the Prince isn't in Arendelle?" he suddenly asked. "The last time we saw him, he was at your ice castle."
"He'll have to go back there eventually," Elsa said without looking back. "Even if he isn't there, she can stay warm in the palace. That will buy her some time." She didn't dare take her eyes off the path before them, which she was transforming into a high-speed ice channel on the fly. She was guiding them around rocks, between trees, and through dips and rises that could send them flying in a moment if her attention wavered.
"Yee-hah!" shouted Olaf from just behind them. "Am I riding the luge or the skeleton? It must be the luge, because I don't have a skeleton." Further back in the ice channel, Sven had given up running to keep up with them, and was sliding on his belly with his four legs splayed in all directions. It looked like he was starting to enjoy it.
They burst out of the trees, and Arendelle came into view. Elsa was stunned at the sight. When she had left, just a few days ago, it was early June. Now it looked like January. "What have I done?" she whispered.
"You can fix it," Anna murmured. "I know you can." Elsa shook her head.
They zoomed past several people who were trying to dig snow away from their houses, or knock icicles off their eaves. At least one of them muttered, "The Bringer of Winter is back." They slid across the frozen fjord, Elsa made a small ramp to guide them back onto land, and they skidded to a halt just in front of the palace gates.
"Open, in the name of the Queen!" Elsa shouted. Kristoff helped Anna to her feet as the doors opened.
At the head of the guards at the door stood Prince Hans, who had apparently just returned from the mountain. He was speechless for a moment. Finally, he blurted out, "Your Majesty," then rushed past her. "Anna! What's happened to you?"
Elsa caught him by the shoulder. "Please, you've got to get her warm and keep her warm! Her life depends on it!" In his ear, she whispered, "You've got to show true love to her!" The prince guided Anna out of Kristoff's arms and led her inside, where two of the servants took her toward the nearest room with a fireplace. Then he stopped.
"Are you coming, too, Your Majesty?"
"No," she said sadly. "This isn't my place. I'm not sure it ever was." She motioned for Kristoff to leave. Sven had just caught up with him, so he took one last look as Anna disappeared around a corner; then they turned and left together. He looked a lot sadder than she had expected. Maybe "devastated" would be a better word.
"Queen Elsa... don't go back to your ice palace." Hans was filled with conflicting emotions and interests. He knew he did not want to see Elsa dead, and if she went back to her home of ice, she would probably meet the Duke on the way, and the Duke would kill her without a moment's thought. He also didn't want her to get away into the wilderness again, because he could never take the throne of Arendelle if she wasn't dealt with in some way. Anna was obviously very attached to her sister, so if anything bad happened to Elsa, and he was somehow connected to it, his hopes of courting and marrying the princess would be over. He wanted this strange winter to end, because he was beginning to grow fond of this kingdom and its people, and Elsa was the only one who could stop it, but she had to do it willingly. If he'd held the runaway Queen in the palm of his hand and then let her get away again, the Duke would be furious; he might end their deal and leave him with nothing, or even treat him like just another obstacle. Finally, Elsa would probably have to stand before the royal conclave because she'd assaulted her sister; if he let her go, he might be considered her accomplice.
"Why not?" she asked.
"When I left the Duke to return to Arendelle, he was ordering the guards to cut down trees, drag them into your palace, and set them on fire. 'Melt this bewitched place' – those were his words. You probably don't even have an ice palace anymore."
Elsa shook her head sadly. Was she destined to lose everyone and everything that had ever brought her a shred of happiness?
"Your Majesty... can you do something about this strange winter?" he asked urgently.
"I really don't know how," she sighed, and looked at her hands. "I never meant to do this... I don't know how it happened, and I don't know how to undo it." Again she moved as if to leave.
"There is one more thing, Your Majesty. I'm sorry... but you attacked your sister and harmed her, in front of witnesses. You'll have to stand before the assembled nobility to answer for that." Her eyes went wide with fear. "I'm sure you can convince them it was an accident. As long as no permanent harm befalls her, the trial will be a mere formality, and you'll be free to go."
For most of her life, she'd chosen to live as a prisoner in her room, hating every moment of it. The idea of being imprisoned against her will... that was unimaginable. "No," she gasped. "I can't let that happen." She turned away firmly.
"I'm so sorry, Your Highness," he said. He quietly drew his dagger and struck her in the back of the head with the pommel. She fell senseless to the ground in a blonde-and-blue heap. He fought the urge to throw up; he felt like he'd just crushed a beautiful flower under his boot. "You'll be safer under confinement," he whispered. "The Duke will kill you on sight if he finds you free." He was mostly trying to convince himself, and it wasn't working.
He turned to the shocked guards. "Confine the Queen to her room, with guards at the door," he ordered. "She must stand trial for attacking Princess Anna. Be certain that she cannot use her hands for anything."
They nodded and carried her away. As they left, Kai, the butler, came running up to him. "Prince Hans," he exclaimed, "the Princess is calling for you!"
What had Elsa said to him? "You've got to show true love to her!"
He watched the guards disappear around the corner with Elsa, and decided that he had reached the point where he would have to break with the Duke and face the consequences, whatever they might be. The price of this game had just gone higher than he was willing to pay.
The butler led him to the room where Anna lay on a couch by the fire, covered in blankets, shivering. Her hair had many white streaks, and her skin was turning white as well. He knelt beside her as Kai left and closed the door.
"Anna? What's happening to you?"
"I'm kind of freezing from the inside out," she said slowly.
He held her hand; it felt like ice. "Is there anything I can do? Is there anything anyone can do?"
"You're the only one who can do anything," she whispered. "The chief of the trolls said only an act of true love can thaw a frozen heart."
"True love's kiss?" he wondered. She closed her eyes expectantly. He slowly bent over towards her...
...and then shook his head in frustration. "Oh, Anna! If only there was someone out there who truly loved you!"
Her eyes snapped open. "What? What do you mean?"
He looked into her eyes intently. "You're wonderful, Anna! You're pretty, you're smart, you're brave, you're loyal... you're everything I long for in a girl! The time we spent together before the coronation might have been the happiest day of my life. I'm drawn to you like I've never been drawn to anyone before. But love? True love? I'm just not there yet. If true love is what you need... I can't save you."
"No," she gasped. "But I thought you... we..."
"Anna," he said sadly, "it's time I told you the truth. When I came to Arendelle, my plan was to woo and marry either you or your sister so I could take the throne. That was all I wanted."
Her eyes went wide, but he went on. "I knew I could be a good king if I could just get the chance! But as the youngest of thirteen brothers, the Southern Isles would never be mine. When the Duke offered me his help in getting this throne in exchange for a trade deal, I leaped at the chance. That turned out to be the worst decision I've ever made. I didn't plan on you being so nice, and I didn't realize what a dirty game the Duke was playing. I'm caught in his web of intrigue now, and breaking out of it may kill me.
"Now you're in the biggest trouble of your life, and it's partly my fault. I can't offer you true love, but I can tell you this: beware of the Duke! He means you no good, and... I really fear for your sister."
"Elsa!" Anna burst out. She tried to leap out of the couch, but fell to the floor instead. "Where is she?"
"She's under house arrest for attacking you," he said apologetically as he helped her back onto the couch.
"But that was an accident!" she exclaimed.
"If you tell that to the conclave, I'm sure that's all they'll need to hear," he answered. "But she had to be confined. There was no other way."
They heard a crackling sound from above them. The ceiling was becoming encrusted with ice. "That's Elsa. She's really under stress," Anna realized. "We have to get her out of there!" She struggled to her feet.
He gently restrained her. "Anna, if you don't stay close to this fire, you could die."
She looked him in the eye. "If I can't find true love soon, that's going to happen anyway. Hans, you don't understand how much she needs me!" Then she looked away. "You don't understand how much I need her! You never had a close relationship with any of your brothers; you don't know what it's like. I know she's in trouble, and I have to go to her!" She tried to push his hands away, but there was no strength left in her.
He thought for a moment about what she'd said, and he made his decision. "Anna, if you promise me you'll stay by this fire, I'll go set her free. But she can't come to you; she has to leave Arendelle, or the Duke will kill her. You can go after her once you've warmed up a little. Deal?"
She nodded feebly and fell back onto the couch. He left the room in haste. The Duke would never forgive him for what he was about to do. He might be signing his own death warrant. But he would die with clean hands. Somehow, that was important.