Chapter 1 - Following The Rules

Her head was throbbing with pain. She didn't know where she was.

Anna slowly came to consciousness, overwhelmed by the stimuli that filled her senses. The air was humid and salty, tainted with a hint of rot; she could hear waves crashing against wooden walls and the sound of agitated footsteps around her. She seemed to be lying on her side, her cheek resting against moldy wooden boards, her whole body shivering in the cold air.

"Wake up, princess," the title was spat like an insult. The voice was that of a man and had come from rather close. It was followed by footsteps approaching and stopping just by her face.

Anna attempted to open her eyes, her lids heavy with the pain that crushed her skull. She hissed when she drew a deep breath as pain shot through her ribcage immediately. Her reflex would have been to clutch her sides, had her hands not been bound together in front of her.

"Come on, hurry! The General don't have all day, y'know." Another male voice came from farther in front of her.

Her eyes started to adapt to the semi-darkness, yet she could not discern much of her environment: wooden floors and walls, a lantern sitting a few feet away from her, and bars; a wall of prison bars.

"Ya heard him. Up!" The closest voice spoke again, although this time she could see who it belonged to - a muscular guard hovering over her, his face deformed by a grin.

Anna's breathing caught in her throat as she started hyperventilating - she coughed. Where was she?! The guard took hold of her arm and dragged her to her feet. As she was led through the darkness by the guard, she searched her memories, trying to understand how she had ended up here - wherever here was.

Anna remembered being in her cabin, on the ship to Corona, reading the letters she had received from Elsa to pass the time. They had been at sea for almost a week and the Queen had slipped private letters for her sister in the two letters the Captain had received from Arendelle's council. Elsa was mostly missing her sister and had taken advantage of the bi-weekly reports to let the redhead know just how hard life was when they were apart.

As she set the letters on her desk and downed her glass of water, she heard a hurried knock on her door and raised her head to find a guard opening it in haste.

"Your Highness, we are under attack."

The events that followed were a blur, a series of running around, hiding and witnessing her men die before her eyes. The attack had been a trap, ships disguised under Corona's flag had approached them and had turned hostile when it was too late for Arendelle's ship to escape their grasp. Anna's mind had blocked out most of it, for the amount of blood and screams had overwhelmed her entirely. What she did remember was the two men slicing through the last remaining guard protecting her, grabbing her arms and roughly pushing her to the ground. Then nothing.

"You can leave."

Anna had been brought before a tall man - a general, she had deduced from his uniform as she had blinked out of her memories. On his order, the two guards who had brought her here left the room, leaving her with two-three guards in the corners of the room.

"So, Princess Anna of Arendelle, is it?" the general sneered as he drank from a glass of wine, leaning against his desk.

"What is the meaning of this?" Anna demanded, her posture confident and regal despite her tied hands; she would not show weakness. Furthermore, there were rules, etiquette which had to be respected in regard to the treatment of prisoners - she really shouldn't have anything to fear from this man. "What nation are you serving?" That had been the first thing she had tried to determine but none of the guards seemed to be wearing any emblem.

The general put his glass on his desk and his hand glided over the piles of papers. He finally grabbed a parchment and took a few steps towards Anna.

"The information we have is not the most recent, so we need you to fill in the blanks," the general declared, his eyes never leaving the piece of paper in his hand. "We know there is a secret tunnel leading into Arendelle's castle, however, we were unable to acquire the location of its entrance nor its exit-"

"What nation are you serving?" Anna repeated, louder and firmer this time. "I demand to be released this inst- Ah!"

The general had closed the distance between them in two quick strides and had backhanded the Princess across the face, leaving a deep red mark on her right cheek.

"I will make myself very clear," the general's eyes darkened and his tone lost the politeness it transpired before, "I don't care about you or your title. On this ship, you are my prisoner and you will answer my questions."

"You cannot override the rules and treaties," Anna spat, glaring at the man, her face red with shame and anger. "Or are you as uncivilised as you appear to be?"

She was backhanded a second time and staggered on her feet, trying not to fall on her knees with the strength of the blow.

"Rules and treaties do not apply aboard this ship. Now, I suggest you cooperate."

The next time she had been brought up to the general, they had played pretty much the same scene. Although the fact that they were not pirates but, indeed, royal guards, reassured her she would not be killed, their lack of moral code or law had started to scare Anna. She would probably live but what would they be ready to do to her if she didn't give them what they wanted?

So far, she had been slapped and pushed down on her knees, still refusing to give them any information. A few tears had rolled down her cheeks when the blows had become too hard for her to stay upright. "This can all be avoided, princess," the general had grunted, still sneering when calling her by her title, "just tell me what I want to know and you won't be harmed." Adding up to the certainty that this was most likely a lie, there was this voice in her head that reminded her to keep her mouth shut no matter what. They can promise me the world, I will never sell them Elsa, she almost chanted in her head every time a blow was landed.

When the general had been tired of her silence, he had had her sent away to her cell. Two guards had pulled her up, but before they could drag her out, her eyes had drifted to the windows of the cabin. She could see land, on both sides of the ship - high mountains to the right and hills to the left. As she was dragged to her cell, she realised the landscape looked far too similar to the road her own ship had taken on their way to Corona for it to be a coincidence. They were headed back to Arendelle. If her assumption was true it meant Arendelle was in immediate danger; however, it also meant her nightmare would not last much longer, for it had been about two days already, and it would only take them about three more days to reach Arendelle.

"Open the door."

Anna was curled up in a corner of her cell, shivering. The temperature was far too low for the simple dress she was wearing and she'd rather die before asking a favour from her captors. For the first time in her life, she was glad she had been wearing her corset -the tight garment helped to keep her upper body heat from lowering too much. Anna had spent a good amount of time trying to settle herself down in a comfortable position and adjusting the layers of clothing to keep herself relatively warm: she had tucked her shift and skirt over and under her legs to protect her feet, had tightened her corset a bit - not without difficulty, that had taken some strength - and held her small jacket closed, hiding her hands inside the long sleeves.

She shifted slightly when she heard the order and looked up to find the general and two guards standing in front of the cell. It was her third day as a prisoner. She didn't know what to expect of them anymore. The door was opened and the general walked in, glaring down at the princess. As the guards followed, he looked at them and nodded towards Anna who had decided to keep staring at the corner and ignore them.

"Hey!" The two strong men had linked an arm under each of her elbows and were pulling her upright, "Let go of me!"

Anna resisted their grip and pulled back to retreat to her corner but the men were too strong for her frame, which had been fed nothing but bread and water in the last three days.

"Bring her here." the general ordered calmly as he pulled out a piece of paper and graphite lead out of his pockets. "So, I guess we'll just start over again, shall we?" he raised a brow in a mix of annoyance and tiredness.

Anna kept resisting the guards. As soon as she had been pulled up she had lost all the warmth she had managed to produce, and she now stood shivering in the cold cell - her shivers emphasised by the sight of the general wearing a heavy coat lined with fur. The man seemed to catch her gaze, for he grinned and eyed his own coat.

"Ah yes, it is freezing down here," he waited for a reaction from the princess, then carried on when he got none, "would her highness like a blanket, perhaps?"

The mocking tone would have had Anna spit at his feet in an instant, had her eyes not caught sight of a woolen blanket right outside the cell, sitting there, more beautiful than anything in the lantern's glow. The mere sight of it had a moan of despair form in her throat, threatening to come out if she didn't compose herself. Had she not been carried by the guards - she'd have fallen on her knees.

"Well, that can be arranged," the general picked up the blanket and faced Anna. "You just need to answer my questions."

Anna shivered and pointedly looked at the wall beside her, her jaw clenched in anger.

"I will not sell my sister for a blanket," she spat as she pulled against the guards' hands once more.

The general did not seem surprised by her response - however, a small chuckle escaped his lips.

"And what would you do for a blanket?"

Anna's eyes lingered on the wall for a few seconds before jumping towards the general's in utter confusion.

"What?" She unconsciously took a step back as his eyes glared into hers with a newfound desire.

All of a sudden, she was unceremoniously pushed to her knees by the guards and a frightened yelp escaped her lips.

"Let go of me!" The redhead struggled to stand back up but the guards pressed on her shoulders to maintain her to the ground.

"Why resist, princess?" the general mocked, "you don't have to make things so difficult."

The general nodded to the guards who let go of Anna's arms and stepped out of the cell, guarding the door. As soon as her arms were released, the redhead scrambled back towards the corner, attempting to get up on her feet in the process. Before she could do more than struggle to lift herself however, the general had closed the distance between them and stood over her, forcing her back down and against the wall. When Anna tried to force her way out of the corner, he pinned her shoulder with his boot, thereby trapping her between his body and the wall. She hissed in pain and looked up, her eyes filled with rage. A rage which concealed her fear rather well.

"Let go of me!" Anna hissed, attempting to push his boot away. Even if she'd had the strength to do so, she wouldn't have had enough room to actually escape his frame.

"There's only one way out of this, you know it," the general growled. He pushed his boot further down into the princess' collarbone, eliciting another gasp of pain, "where is the tunnel entrance?"

Anna swallowed down hard, her eyelids pressed shut in pain. She had really hoped things would not get to that. Of course, she knew what pirates and criminals might do to a woman if they captured her, she had heard the stories, but these men were guards, they should not be getting down to - to this. Rape was torture only uncivilized men inflicted, Anna had believed - now she was not so sure anymore.

And yet, if this was to be her fate - then so be it. She could not bring herself to say anything, no matter what they had planned for her.

"Let me go." Anna gazed up at him with cold eyes.

The general huffed and his jaw clenched as he removed his boot from the princess' shoulder. "Get up." Anna did not.

"I said: get up!"

The general grabbed the lapels of her jacket and pulled her up in one swift move, pinning her against the wall.

"Ah!" Anna yelped, pushing against his chest, "get off me!"

She was slapped once, twice, thrice - until her hands fell off the general's chest and planted themselves by her side on the wall to maintain her weight as her knees felt weak. The general grabbed her by the shoulders and turned her around and against the wall, pressing her face on the wet wood planks.

"My patience is seriously starting to wear off, princess."

Her head hurt so bad. Anna closed her eyes and swallowed, trying her best to remain conscious. A hand crept up her neck to grab her chin, forcing her to look at him, while another slid down her waist to rest on the curve of her hip. She held back a yelp when she felt his erection pressed against the small of her back. Her whole body was trembling, there was no hiding it. She was terrified.

"Where does the tunnel lead?" the general hissed, digging his nails into her cheeks.

Anna's heartbeat kept rising up as she could feel him ground his hips against her bottom. Focus on your breathing, focus on your breathing, focus on-

"Answer me!" he growled.

He let go of her face and, instead, seized her throat and squeezed hard enough for Anna to open her eyes and gasp for air. His eyes not leaving hers, his other hand left her hip; yet she didn't have time to feel relief for he took hold of her hand and swiftly brought it behind her back to rest on his hardened member. Anna could not hold back a yelp, this time.

"Answer. Me," the general ground his hips against her open palm and applied greater pressure on her airways.

She would not falter.

After what felt like hours, the general released Anna with a roar and she slipped onto her knees, barely conscious, panting and crying unwillingly and uncontrollably.

"The bitch is tough," one of the guards sneered as they approached her.

Anna spotted them out of the corner of her eyes and immediately attempted to crawl away, but her strengths were gone, and she could barely stand on all fours without feeling nauseous. The guards pulled her up, supporting her weight as her legs could not, and removed her jacket before tying her hands together in front of her.

"So stubborn," the general mocked.

Anna's vision was foggy and her throat was on fire - she coughed and almost vomited from the pain it caused. From her state of semi-consciousness, she could not react nor register what was happening until it was too late: the guards had looped the rope tying her hands to a ring high up on the wall, leaving her with her hands bound far above her head, her legs bent at the knees and her whole body weight pulling on her wrist. Anna groaned and attempted to properly stand on her feet to relieve the pain in her arms.

"Since the soft way doesn't seem to work on you, I guess we'll have to do this the hard way." The general removed his gloves as he took a few steps towards her.

He stopped before her and retrieved a small blade from his pocket. The metal shone in the dim light and Anna couldn't help but shiver at its sight. Yet, before she could protest, the guards had turned her around to face the wall and the general had gripped her corset in his fist. The blade cut through the lacings easily and the garment was removed in a matter of seconds. Goosebumps ran along Anna's already naked arms and down between her shift and the skin of her back - now cold from the lack of the constrictive corset.

"What are you-?" Anna cried out in a high-pitched voice, unable to control her fear.

No one answered - instead, the general grabbed the back of her shift and ripped it down the middle, ignoring the redhead's cries of protest. As Anna was left shivering and hyperventilating, the guards regained their post by the door and the general walked back to where the blanket lay on the ground. She could see him in her peripheral vision, removing his own jacket. Her shift was resting on her upper arms, the front hanging loosely and barely covering her chest. You can stop this, you know - just tell them what they want to know- NO! I would never!

"Since you personally annoy me, I will be the one to punish you," the general was a few feet behind her, rolling up his sleeves. "you should be honoured, your highness."

Anna sneered and raged at his calm demeanour. She'd had enough of this bastard. "Fuck off."

A few seconds passed in silence, and she almost thought she had succeeded in shutting him up. She knew she was wrong when the first blow landed.

The whip lashed at her skin like fire, crossing her back from top to bottom and leaving there a deep, bloody cut. Anna screamed as she had never screamed before, the pain piercing through her like a knife through her heart.

"NO!" Anna cried and clenched her teeth before her mouth could betray her and beg.

The redhead rested her forehead on the damp, cool wall, taking deep breaths in and out. At least this is better than being raped - isn't it? I mean, I still have my dignity so it can't be that bad- how can I even think that? Her thoughts were flying through her mind as she attempted to calm herself, to find a way to handle the pain.

"AH!" The whip came down a second time, licking her skin just as painfully as it did the first time. "PLEASE STOP!" She couldn't help herself begging.

"Oh, I'm all for stopping," the general said nonchalantly, "you just need to tell me: where is the tunnel entrance?"

Anna's knees were threatening to falter as she rested her head against the wall and tears ran down her cheeks uncontrollably. She simply could not sell her kingdom to whatever nation these men served; she had to be strong. A minute passed where only her heavy breathing and sobbing could be heard.

"Well, your choice, then."

The next lash hit so hard that her knees gave up under her.