Chapter XI
I didn't want to wake up. If this moment was a dream, I sure as hell didn't want to wake up. But this is real, I thought to myself. An arm wrapped around my naked waist felt real. A warm breath against my neck felt real. A soft body pressed against my side felt very real.
I opened my eyes slowly, afraid that when I did so Anna would be gone and I would be alone again but she remained there, breathing slowly. I let out a content sigh and raised my hand to rest it on the top of her head. I stroked her beautiful messy hair and cocked my head slightly to place a kiss on her forehead. That simple contact of my lips and her skin brought back the memories from the night before. I blushed at the thought and a warm feeling spread from the inside and out in my chest. I was hers and she was mine. And I wanted it to stay like that. Hopefully forever.
A content sigh left Anna's throat and she tightened her grip around my waist. The feeling triggered the flood of emotions and they consumed my mind, bringing back more memories of our night.
I pressed my naked torso against her body and kissed her; her lips and mine seemed to melt and fuse together. And then she said those words against my mouth: "Love me, Elsa." In that moment I knew there was only one word that would be strong enough to express how exceptionally strong feelings I had for her. "Always." I replied.
Stars were exploding before my eyes as my hands travelled down Anna's body; trailing her beautiful curves and sliding them under her shirt to take it off. She didn't hesitate when I tugged at it and helped me take it off with one swift movement. Her bra followed and she was back on my lips, pressing her tongue between them and a moan escaped my throat when she licked the roof of my mouth.
I didn't remember when we managed to get rid of the rest of the clothes. All I could remember was Anna's skin and touch that made me go crazy and made me want her more with each and every kiss she planted on my skin. Even though the heat in my lower abdomen threatened to become unbearable I found strength to take it slow with this wonderful girl. She deserved it and I wanted to take her to the stars. I slowed our kiss which was passionate nevertheless and moved my lips from hers to her cheeks and slowly descended to her jaw. Her neck followed and I gently grazed my teeth against the skin behind her ear. She arched her back at this and I let out a gasp when her body pressed against mine. "Gods, Anna, you feel so good," I whispered as I nuzzled my nose into the crook of her neck. Her breathing was getting faster and she dug her fingers into my skin, leaving tiny nail marks all over my back.
I descended lower and lower until I reached her breasts and kissed them hungrily. "Don't stop," gasped Anna, clutching my hair and pulling me deeper into her chest. I continued my assault on her breast while my hands travelled down along her toned stomach. "Please, Elsa," she whined when my hands stopped on her hip bones and started drawing circles on the delicious part of her pelvis. I lifted my head at the sound of her desperate voice and a wicked smile stretched across my lips when I saw two eyes looking back at me, dark and filled with lust. I did want to take it slow but she had other plans; I was taken by surprise at how quickly she wrapped her arms around my neck and crashed our lips together, to then slide one arm down to press it to the small of my back and push me down into a collision of our hips. I let out a loud moan when she slid one of her thighs between my legs and pressed it against my centre. I returned the favour and pushed her deeper into the mattress and thrust my hips into hers. Soon, we found our rhythm. I was close, hell, I was close from the very beginning and the sound of my name leaving her lips told me she was close too. And then she reached her peak. I opened my eyes to see her face which was in pure bliss; I had never seen anything more beautiful. And that image brought me to my climax. The feeling of complete ecstasy made my body go numb and I collapsed on the top of Anna. She didn't seem to mind it since she wrapped her arms around my waist and planted a kiss on my temple. We laid like that for a few minutes, catching our breaths and enjoying the moments of just being there. "I love you, Elsa." It was the first time Anna had said those words since the incident in that godforsaken cabin. It warmed my heart, knowing that the words weren't just a product of fear and insecurity. "I love you too, Anna. So much," I breathed out and kissed her neck tenderly …
"I can hear you thinking." Anna's voice brought me back to present. She chuckled when she noticed a blush spreading across my neck, and lifted herself to see my face that was even redder. She kissed the tip of my nose. "Good morning, love." A loving smile rested on her lips and I couldn't help but marvel at how beautiful and gorgeous she looked.
"Good morning," I greeted back and brushed a strand of her hair behind her ear. "You look beautiful." I said, and Anna giggled shyly and blushed.
"Thank you, Elsa. So do you." Her words sank in deeply; I really did feel beautiful. I had always considered myself an average girl with blonde hair and pale skin, nothing special. And I did feel confident about myself with Kristoff around, but he never made me feel like Anna did. "Are you okay?" Anna asked with a worried voice, when she probably noticed the frown on my face.
"Yes, I am. In fact, I have never been better. You make me feel so … Alive." I replied. "I've never felt like this before, Anna. Not even with–with Kristoff."
Anna's face softened at the sound of Kristoff's name. "What happened to him?" Anna quickly covered her mouth as if trying to cover the words she apparently didn't mean to say. "I'm sorry, I know you don't want to talk about him and you've already told me that it was the virus, but still, I mean, you talk about your parents openly with me but when it comes to him you just … Shut yourself in. And I think there's a bit more to it and I can see it's eating you from the inside." She rubbed my arm and leaned closer to me. "I just want to help you …"
A heavy sigh left my throat. She was right. I did that every time she tried to talk about my relationship with Kristoff. It still hurts too much to think about him. But maybe it was the time where I had, no, where I wanted to talk about it, with her. I knew she would listen and maybe even understand.
"I know. You're right, and please, don't apologize. I do need to talk about it because it will kill me if I don't …" There were a few moments of silence, neither of us knowing where to start.
"So, what happened?" asked Anna, breaking the silence. I didn't answer right away; I was still gathering courage to start and Anna patiently waiting helped me a lot.
"Do you remember that gun I used to have?"
She nodded.
"Well, Kristoff, he–he wasn't killed by the virus."
She was looking at me, unblinking as the realization settled before her eyes. "Oh my gods, Elsa, I'm so sorry."
Suddenly my eyes filled with tears and Anna pulled me into a tight hug. I started sobbing uncontrollably. The ticking bomb that was threatening to blow up was being defused by the person that cared most about me. Anna was the one who saved me and helped me open up and finally talk openly about my thoughts considering Kristoff's suicide.
We didn't say anything for a while. We just laid there in our bed, me sobbing into Anna's chest and her holding me in her arms, and gently stroking my hair. I wanted to go on with the story, though, she deserved to know the whole of it. So I told her how how it devastated me and that I was about to do the same thing. I told her that the promise I made to my parents (and the thought about their burial) stopped me from doing so. I let everything that had been boiling up in me get off my chest and gods, it felt so good.
"Thank you, for telling me," she whispered into my hair. I just nodded and held her even tighter.
"Thank you for listening," I said after a few moments.
"I'll be always here for you, okay?" She turned my head so I could look her in her eyes. I smiled and nodded once again. "Good. Now, what do you want for breakfast?"
I laughed sincerely at her words which lifted the heavy mood that was fogging the moment. I thought about her question and when an answer formed in my brain I felt my cheeks burning and smirked shyly, "You." She stared at me for a few seconds and then attached her lips to mine with a speed of light. "I hope you enjoy your meal then," she laughed. She growled hungrily against my lips and pushed me into the bed.
x
"So, girls, how did you like your new home?" asked Rapunzel. We were walking along the road to find Flynn who wanted to talk to us.
"Gods, we absolutely love it!" Anna exclaimed happily. "I have no idea how we are ever going to repay you for your kindness."
"Oh, don't worry about that. I am completely okay with you just being safe. Though I believe we could use your help on something."
"Name it and we'll do it!" Anna looked at me and I nodded in agreement.
"One of our hunters got hurt and he's incapable of doing anything at the moment. From what I've heard from Elsa, I'm convinced you, Anna, are quite a great hunter yourself. So, I was wondering if you cared to join the hunting expedition with Flynn and the others."
"Yes, I would love to! But I only know how to hunt with a bow and mine is back at my home …"
I squeezed Anna's hand when I heard her voice was coloured with a hint of sadness. I knew how much that bow meant to her.
"I'm sure we can find something suitable. We have a vast armoury full of different kinds of weapons."
We reached a building that used to be the town hall. Flynn was standing next to the entrance, waving at us.
"Ah, there you are!" his voice reached us.
"Hi," we greeted as Rapunzel pulled him into a hug."
"They said they love their new home," reported the brunette.
"I'm glad to hear that." Flynn rejoiced "So, did Rapunzel tell you about the hunting?"
"Yes, she did, and we're in as long as I can get my hands on a bow," answered Anna.
"And as long as I can join the hunting party. I'm not letting Anna out from my sight."
"That shouldn't be a problem," he said. "It's settled then. Now, let's go to more serious matters now. Follow me."
Anna and I exchanged confused glances but followed him anyway. We entered a building where Peter and Oaken were sitting on two benches facing each other. "Hey, Elsa, Anna!" greeted Peter and we waved at him.
We went into the main office, Peter and Oaken following us. Flynn closed the door and walked over to the desk and sat on it with arms crossed on his chest.
"So, what's up?" I asked Flynn.
"We have a problem." He spoke those words in a serious manner and I felt a tingle of worry starting to spread through my body.
"What's wrong?"
"It's Hans."
Fuck. The moment the sound of his name left Flynn's mouth a cold shiver ran down my spine and I felt Anna tightened her grip on my hand.
"His men were seen patrolling near this area, which wouldn't be worrying because we do that too and it's sort of a … Mutual agreement. We own our land and he owns his land. It's like we were two countries. We know our boundaries. But now they've started crossing them which is not cool."
No, no, no. He's here for us, he still wants his revenge. Probably even more now since I've managed to escape him twice.
"What I wanted to ask you is, how you two ended up in that cottage and what was he discussing with his men while you were captured."
At first I just stared blankly at nothing in particular but then Anna nudged my elbow and looked at me when she got my attention. "It's okay, they can know." She flashed an encouraging smile.
I slowly nodded and started telling them about the event in the barn, our escape and how we got caught. Rapunzel cried silently in horror a few times and Flynn soothed her by rubbing her back while listening intently to my storytelling. Even though the physical wounds were practically healed, the mental ones were very much still fresh, so I struggled really hard to keep my voice stern and emotionless.
"It's really terrible what they did to you two. I'm so glad we found you before anything else happened," said Rapunzel.
"Yeah, so are we," I agreed and wrapped my arm around Anna's shoulders and she pressed a kiss on my cheek.
"Do you remember anything in particular that Hans said or implied or anything at all, that could help us understand the behaviour of his patrol?" asked Flynn, his tone still serious.
"Well, he sounded determined to catch me and Anna, so maybe they're looking for us," I suggested lamely.
"No, if it was because of you he wouldn't risk that much. He would just wait patiently for a chance. He claims his victims as his prizes, cherries on the top of a bloody cake," Flynn answered.
"Maybe there was something else …" My voice trailed off while trying to fully recall the events from that night. "Before you guys came to the cabin, Hans got a visitor. I think his name was Duke."
Flynn nodded, interest displaying on his face. "Duke's one of Hans' men. A pretty important one if I'm not mistaken." He looked at Oaken who gave him a short nod to confirm his words.
"Well, this Duke guy came and told Hans something about a security breach and lost hostages."
"Wait, security breach? In his town?" asked Flynn, his voice filled with disbelief.
"Yes, that's what he said and with that they were off."
"So, that's why he wasn't there when we arrived," said Peter to himself and we all turned our heads to face him.
"That's impossible," continued Flynn, ignoring Peter's comment. "His place is even better secured than our own and I don't think our security is bad at all. But that doesn't really matter now, what worries me the most is the fact that apparently he thinks it was us who broke into his town and released the hostages."
"Flynn, does that mean we're in danger?" asked Rapunzel with a voice full of concern.
"I don't know. I mean, we're always in danger when that Mad-dog or his men are around. That's why we came after him the other day," he started explaining, and turned to me. "He wasn't surrounded by his army and he was out of his town. He was vulnerable in that moment but we failed to use the chance. See, we have an unfinished business and he has to pay for what he's done. He's hurt some of our people and killed one of my best friends. The Mad-dog owes us and his reign of terror must come to an end, but we just can't get a hold of him. It's hard, people are scared and the fact that he thinks it's us who dared poking his nest doesn't make things any better."
"What do we do then?" It was Anna who spoke this time.
"You? Nothing."
"What do you mean nothing?! I want to make Hans and his bitch suffer for what they did to Elsa!" I had never seen Anna talking about something so fiercely before.
"And to you, Anna," I added.
"Look, it's too dangerous and I haven't even come up with a plan yet. Maybe we should let the matter rest for a few days and get ready for hunting. We have to feed our people. They deserve some fresh meat. I will get you a bow, Anna." And with that it was obvious the discussion was over.
We all left the town hall with a miserable atmosphere surrounding us. "How do you feel about all that?" Anna asked me.
I intertwined our arms and pulled her closer into my side, sighing deeply. "I'm scared. It seems like we can't really escape that guy."
"I am scared too. But having you beside me makes things easier, you know?" she replied, and rested her head on my shoulder. "I feel like I can do anything when I'm with you."
"You can do anything, even without me, love. You're the most capable and amazing woman I have ever met."
"You think so?" she asked.
"I know so," I said reassuringly.
She lifted her head and kissed me softly. "I love you."
"I love you, too," I whispered into her lips and lingered there for a few moments. Then we broke the kiss and smiled lovingly at each other.
"Look, there's someone cutting wood!" said Anna. "Maybe we could ask him if he needs some help?"
"Yeah, sure, a good distraction would be nice." I flashed a grin at my adorable girl and we approached an old man with an axe.
"Good day, sir!" greeted Anna. "Would you care for two extra pairs of hands?"
"Why, sweet girl, not at all! I could use some help," the old man answered and offered his hand to her. "I'm Thomas Davis."
"Nice to meet you, Mr. Davis. I'm Anna and this is my, um …" She trailed off seeking the right word so I helped her a bit.
"Girlfriend," I winked at Anna and the biggest smile formed on her lips. "My name is Elsa." I offered him my hand and he accepted it, shaking my hand firmly.
"So, shall we begin?" he asked, and swung his axe at the tree stump.
Yikes, this took me longer than one week. I'm sorry. My life's been ... a mess.
I don't know how to start thanking you for the support you're showing me. It's just amazing. Thank you.
And special thanks to my Beta who's been doing her job superbly.