CHAPTER 5 - Let's End This

Anna was pulled out of her sleep by two soldiers binding her wrists in front of her and pulling her up by the arms. She let them do so, her only working eye trying to adjust to the semi-darkness; the general's fist had left a rather ugly bruise below her now-swollen left eye and the ring he had worn had even cut her cheekbone open.

"Bring her up with the men."

The general stood at the entrance of her cell and his eyes followed her as she was dragged out. She reciprocated, clenching her jaw to resist the temptation of spitting at him again. The soldiers walked her up the stairs leading to the deck and she found herself staring at a wonderful starry sky. Everything was dark except a lantern or two, allowing for a perfect contemplation of the milky way above her head. It had been so many days since Anna had seen the outside world, and even more since she had last stopped to look at the night sky. She used to do that with Elsa. The thought sent a shiver down her spine.

"Get her down."

Anna was brought to the edge of the ship where men were standing, waiting. The ship was still, anchored by a coast of trees and what seemed to be an immense forest. As her eyes searched her surroundings, she noticed something in the distance. Among the stars above the trees, there was a pitch-black spot of sky which seemed to move. It resembled an ordinary cloud, but what was strange was the fact that there were no others in the sky around. Elsa! Of course, it's her, she must be worried sick…

They had reached the edge of the ship and Anna could now see a boat attached below loaded with about fifteen men as well as weapons of all sorts.

"Where are you taking me? What is going on?" Anna whipped her head left and right, trying to get an answer from one of the soldiers; but all ignored her.

The redhead was brought down into the boat and sat by one of the soldiers. As soon as she was released she inched to her left, where there was no one, putting as much distance as she could between her and the potential threat these men could represent.

"Everything ready?" Anna froze at the sound of Hans' voice beside her- he had followed her down onto the boat. "Let's go," he ordered the men.

Hans sat down by Anna's left, forcing her to move back to her original position- now stuck between both men. As she thought the situation couldn't get worse, Hans placed a blanket over her shoulders to protect her from the night's biting cold. This, in itself, wasn't bad at all- but the wool fibres soon caught in Anna's back wounds and the slightest movement caused friction and pain. She hissed and, when he glanced at her with a mocking grin, she turned her head away and deliberately kept her eyes on the approaching shore.

As the boat hit the shore and the soldiers started to hop down on land, Anna was fairly certain of their location. She recognized the forest as where she would play with Elsa as kids, building snowmen and playing hide and seek between the white tree trunks.

"Up." Hans grabbed her arm and pulled her up, making her walk in front of him and follow his men on land.

The group walked for a few minutes until they reached a clearing where they stopped and set camp: some men went to find firewood while Hans and a few others looked over parchments and discussed with great enthusiasm. Meanwhile, Anna was pushed by a tree at the edge of the clearing. A soldier rearranged the rope tying her wrists so that there was now about six feet of rope dangling, allowing him to attach the redhead to a tree. There was still enough room for her to sit comfortably - a relative notion, really - at the base of the tree and lean against it.

"Let's go!" Hans ordered around and four men took his lead as he walked to the edge of the clearing.

"Hans, don't!" Anna pleaded from the opposite side.

"Keep her silent. Gag her if you must," Hans shouted.

"HANS!"

Anna was about to call him out once more when a cloud of dirt hit her face. She coughed, tears already rolling down her cheeks as her eyes tried to expel the tiny fragments.

"Shut it. You don't want me to hurt you, do you?" One of the soldiers - the next in command, Anna deduced - knelt by her side and roughly grabbed her chin, forcing her to look at him. "Then shut up."

The soldier walked back to the others sitting around the campfire. Only two soldiers remained closer to her, about four feet away, glancing at her every now and then while they chatted. She knew they were to watch her close but really she was tied to a tree, where did they think she could go?

Anna couldn't tell how much time had passed since Hans and his men had departed for she had spent the whole time thinking over and over about one thing only: a plan to escape. She knew if she was still there when Hans returned then he'd probably kill her on the spot.

The redhead was, indeed, amongst many things, a clever woman. Yes, the whole 'Hans situation' at the Coronation was… well, it had been a disaster. However, Anna had grown since then; she had grown stronger, nobler and smarter. So when Elsa's life, her sister's life, had been between her hands on that ship, where the tiniest slip of her tongue would cost the Queen's life- she'd had to think quickly to make up a plan. When the redhead had realised how far these men were willing to go to hurt her, she knew she couldn't rely on her conscious mind alone, for she had never been exposed to great physical pain before but was aware of how easily it could make you lose control over yourself.

So when the whipping had started, Anna had thought about the ways she could protect the information she had at all costs. In this instant, she had thought back to her childhood, when Elsa had hurt her with her powers and her memories had been replaced. She knew for a fact - she had talked about it quite a lot with Elsa - that what happened and what she recalled of that incident were very different memories, yet similar in certain aspects: she had been sliding down on a snow pile and not on a sleigh, the ice she'd been skating onto was not a lake but the frozen floor of the great hall; yet the events remained similar. She had realised that she had believed a false memory all her life.

Therefore, in that instant of clarity as she was shivering on the damp wooden floor of her cell, Anna had wondered: if her brain had been tricked once, could it be tricked again? It was how her plan had developed, as she wondered what false memory she could make herself believe. After turning the situation around multiple times, the redhead had finally settled on an idea which she had immediately started repeating to herself: the tunnel entrance is on the North wall and leads to the kitchens, the tunnel entrance is on the North wall and leads to the kitchens, the tunnel-

It was with incessant repetition of that idea that Anna had been able to say it so easily to Hans when the moment had come where she truly couldn't stand the pain anymore. For if the tunnel entrance was indeed on the North wall, the tunnel itself led directly to the guards' quarters.

"They're back!"

Anna was pulled out of her thoughts immediately, looking around for Hans. She still didn't have a plan to escape. He was going to kill her. The redhead looked to the soldiers sitting beside her who were looking in the same direction as everyone else, therefore turning their back to her. Just as Hans appeared at the edge of the clearing, his pace quick and loud ostentatiously directed towards her, his eyes shining with anger- Anna jumped to her feet and lunged on one of the soldiers, aiming for the sword at his belt. Her hands closed around the hilt and went to pull it out of the holster.

"GRAB HER!"

Hans' voice had the soldiers turn back to her as she was pulling on the heavy weapon, and the sword's owner attempted to grab her hands before she could pull it free. Anna panicked and pulled harder, sending the blade to fly in the air between the man and herself. However, the sword was too heavy for the weakened princess and she couldn't control it as its pace crossed that of another soldier's chest: the blade sliced down his chest and abdomen from one side to the other, ending its diagonal path with the sound of spilt blood.

Anna didn't have time to be upset and ashamed of her actions, she had to cut her rope and run. As she was about to turn around and raise the sword again, Hans came bursting from behind his men, fury burning in his eyes. Should she kill him now that she had the chance? Could she kill him?

The tip of the sword was resting on the ground between the two enemies, flat side of the blade facing up. In a swift motion, Hans brought his boots down halfway up the blade, forcing an exhausted Anna to give up her hold on the hilt if she didn't want to fall face first in the dirt.

"You lied to me!"

Hans jumped in front of her and grabbed the back of her head, slowly pushing her down.

"Ah! Stop, you're hurting me!"

Anna grabbed the lapels of his jacket to lessen the tension on her scalp, but Hans reacted immediately and pushed her down on her arse. As she tried to scramble back on her hands, the prince picked up the fallen sword.

"NO!" Anna panicked but Hans was fast: he brought his boot down on her thigh and pushed, refraining her from moving. "Please, don't!" Hans raised the blade until the tip rested just under her chin.

"Your grace, they'll be here any minute!" someone called from behind him.

"You're smart, Anna, I'll give you that," Hans hissed, "leading us to the guards- tsk-tsk- clever bitch."

Anna swallowed hard. Was that it? Was he going to kill her right then and there?

"I'll be the one to kill you, Anna, don't worry," he smirked as he lowered the blade and threw the sword on the ground, "but first, I need you to do one last thing for me. Cut that rope," he ordered one of the soldiers. "You," he pointed to three of his men, "you know what to do."

The three soldiers nodded and headed out to the trees, each of them walking in a different direction. As they all carried crossbows, it didn't take much time for Anna to put two and two together; they were setting a trap for her people. She got to her feet, ready to run, but Hans had a grip on her arm before she could take a step. As the redhead shot back a deathly glare, a soldier placed himself in front of her and lifted a rag to her face.

"No!" She needed to warn them of the trap, she couldn't be gagged!

The soldier ignored her and pushed the rag over her mouth then tied it around her head. Hans was gloating.

"They're here!"

In a flash, Hans led Anna to the centre of the clearing. There, he pushed her down and stood behind her, keeping his eyes on the trees in front of him. The man on his right was holding the rope which had been tying her to the tree, maintaining her hands low enough that she couldn't reach her face and rip the gag off.

Shapes finally emerged from the shadow of the trees, and Anna had never been so happy and relieved to see Arendellian guards.

"Halt!" Their general ordered as they entered the clearing in their green and purple uniforms.

There was movement behind Anna and suddenly her head was pulled back and up to the sky as she saw the shine of a blade pass before her eyes, then felt its cold, sharp end against her throat. It was dawn.

When the Arendellian guards had all entered the clearing - about twelve of them - Hans had brandished his dagger and pressed it to the princess' throat, thus assuring him a large upper hand in the conversation they were all about to have.

"Release the Princess," the general demanded firmly, yet his eyes kept alternating between Hans' and Anna's in a troubled way.

"Mmmphf! Mmpf!" Anna pulled on her rope as she attempted to warn the guards of the trap; it was useless, of course.

Hans bent forward and whispered into Anna's ear: "Stop moving, Anna or I'll kill you here and now." He looked up at the general: "I will. But first, I want to see the Queen."

"You cannot see the Queen."

"Oh really?" Hans grinned as he pressed the dagger further against the redhead's throat, making her whimper, "It's a shame because I'm not dealing with any of you."

The Arendellian general furrowed his brows and turned to another soldier, seemingly consulting him.

"Take your time." A dark expression fell on the prince's face as she pushed the dagger even harder, Anna whimpering louder and catching the general's attention.

"Fine, we'll ask the Queen to come."

"Well, that wasn't so hard, was it?" Hans grinned.

"Your Majesty! Your Majesty!"

Elsa looked up from her saddle, ready to send off whoever was trying to stop her. Hans had penetrated the castle, she couldn't let him flee! Of course, the general had commanded her to remain at the castle, but it was simply not an option for the young Queen. She had saddled up a horse and was ready to follow the men's trail.

However, when her eyes found the source of the cry, it was not what she thought: guards on their horses were galloping towards her, coming from outside the castle.

"What is it?" Elsa asked urgently.

"It's Hans, your Majesty," one of the guards explained between ragged breaths, "we found him. He has the Princess."

A group of three Arendellian guards had left the clearing to bring Elsa, but Anna was certain she had already been on her way here; she wouldn't resist facing Hans herself.

As soon as they'd departed, Hans had started tugging gently on one of Anna's braids as a bored child would do. No one else had moved, the Arendellian guards still aiming their crossbows at Hans' men, which were more than likely doing the same to them.

"You know, it's a shame your first time had to happen the way it did," Hans pouted, keeping his voice low.

Anna's breath caught in her throat and she hiccuped, fresh tears threatening to fall. He had her right where he wanted: at his mercy, powerless and unable to defend herself against his words.

"Maybe after I killed Elsa- maybe I won't kill you right away," his free hand brushed her bare shoulder - she had lost the blanket sometime during her fight with Hans but she had not really paid attention to it - then slowly descended towards her cleavage, "Maybe we can have some more fun."

"Mmpf…" Anna jerked her shoulder to push him away, a tear betraying her.

"Your Grace."

When she reached the clearing, Elsa ran through her guards to the front of the group, stopping a few feet ahead of them. She had been worried about what she would find when she arrived, in what state Anna would be- but she had not been imagining this.

As soon as he had seen her, Hans had pulled Anna to her feet in front of him, a dagger pressed to her throat. Her sister had whimpered, her cries muffled against the gag on her mouth, and Elsa's face had gone blank as she took in her sister's appearance.

Anna's right eye was bruised and swollen and cuts marred her face - superficial cuts but they were many -, her skirt was torn and dirty, her corset was gone and her shift was hanging loosely on her shoulders, the skin visible on her sides clearly indicating it was torn in the back. Her sister looked bad, really bad- and she could only imagine what she'd gone through. Elsa's face turned to a mask of sadness and rage when she realised just how much pain Anna must have been in.

"Let her go," she hissed, her eyes locked to Hans'.

"MMF!" Anna thrashed in Hans' grasp as she cried her sister's name.

As soon as Elsa had appeared, sprinting through her guards, Anna had let her tears flow freely down her face. Relief had overcome her, for she was certain this was the end of her nightmare. Her Elsa, safe and sound, so rushed she had not taken the time to change out of her nightgown- she looked like an angel to Anna's eyes. And yet, she could be dead any minute if she didn't warn her about Hans' trap.

"Mmmphf! Mmpf!" Anna tried again, not accepting her powerlessness.

"Let her go!" Elsa's firm voice was accompanied by a glow in the palm of her hands which didn't go unnoticed by Hans.

"Ha-ha-ha," Hans tutted, pressing the dagger tightly against Anna's throat, "I wouldn't try any magic trick if I were you. I don't need much more than that to kill your dear sister."

If Elsa seemed to hear his words and didn't make any aggressive move, her body, however, was acting on its own and the blue-ish glow only grew between her fingers. Hans pressed the blade closer still, letting it glide down along Anna's jugular. As she swallowed and inhaled deeply, the sharp steel nicked her skin ever so slightly, allowing a few crimson droplets to run free. No matter how far Elsa was from there, her eyes were fixated so intensely on the dagger that she noticed the blood immediately and groaned.

"I said no magic!"

Reluctantly, Elsa closed her fists and brought them close to her sides, the white knuckles pulsating with the force of her powers.

"What do you want?" the Queen's voice was loud and demanding, perfectly hiding the trembling of her whole frame, Anna thought.

"Well, your throne, of course."

"So what?" Elsa's brows jumped on her forehead, taken aback, "I should simply give you my crown?"

"That's pretty much it," Hans nodded, completely serious.

As they continued their exchange, Anna's eyes searched the woods around, trying to catch a glimpse of the three soldiers hiding somewhere. Hans was simply trying to buy time for them to prepare to attack, it was certain. She had to warn Elsa- but how? She couldn't speak and if she tried to move Hans would certainly drive that blade across her throat without blinking. The redhead turned her head back to her sister with pleading eyes, trying to catch her attention.

"Don't you have any respect for your prisoners?" Elsa enraged, oblivious to Anna's distressed eyes, "There are treaties, you know?"

"Funny, Anna said just the same," Hans smirked and placed his free hand on the redhead's waist, "but I was under the impression that she rather enjoyed her time with us." His hand ran down her thigh and clutched her skirt, balling the fabric in his fist.

"Mmph!" Anna tried to move but he held her tight.

"Take your hands off her!"

"Interesting, that's not what she asked at the time," Hans pressed the blade further against her throat while his hand in her skirt pressed roughly against her leg.

Anna sobbed and jerked her hips to the side, feeling sick at the touch of his hand on her. When she opened her teary eyes and saw the desperate look on Elsa's face she knew what she was about to do: she would give up her throne to save her, and Anna could not let that happen. As Elsa remained silent, Hans seemed to grow impatient. He placed the blade down on Anna's collarbone, just above her cleavage, and cut a thin, superficial line across her skin, drawing blood.

"MMPH!"

"Choose quickly, Elsa!" Hans taunted, placing the blade back to the princess' throat.

"Anna!" Elsa took a step forward in panic, making Hans' soldiers aim their crossbows to her rather than to her guards. "Wait, I-I'll do it. You let her go and the throne is yours."

"NO!" It was the only word that was understandable through Anna's gag, even though muffled.

"Drop your weapon," Elsa ignored her sister and ordered her guards who looked at each other, unsure if they should obey or not, "I said drop them!"

The guards obeyed and the crossbows and swords were all lowered. Taking another step forward, Elsa raised her hands to her head to remove her crown. She rarely wore it, but because she had hoped to catch Hans and punish him for breaking into the castle, she'd have to represent royal authority and not just herself.

"Bring it to me," Hans ordered, his eyes illuminating with greed at the sight of the gold crown.

"No, you let Anna go first."

Hans sighed and closed his eyes in annoyance.

"Give me the crown and I will release Anna unharmed."

"No," Elsa stood her ground.

The air tensed as Elsa's confidence faltered and her eyes locked to her sister's. Anna was shaking her head, pleading with tear-filled eyes not to do this. But what choice did she have? She had spent the last few days worried sick about her whereabouts, not knowing where she was, what happened to her and if she was even still alive. She had no choice but to trick Hans into taking her crown and releasing Anna, then praying she would be fast enough to stop his men before they fired their crossbows.

"I said: give me the crown!" Hans roared.

Before Anna could react, Hans had moved the dagger away from her throat and brought it down by her side, instantly stabbing her in the stomach. Both sisters cried out as the blade plunged through Anna's skin, a patch of blood staining her shift, growing by the second.

"ANNA!"

"Don't you fucking move!" Hans glared at her and twisted the dagger, eliciting another cry of pain from the redhead.

The moment the blade tore her skin, Anna realised how painless everything had been before. The whipping, the raping- she'd go through that a thousand times if she could, for the pain in her stomach was simply unbearable. She felt her muscles convulsing as she attempted to remain on her feet, bent in two by pain. She could hear Hans speaking but the words all blended together. Her eyes were unfocused, her vision blurred by tears and sweat dripping from her forehead. She was going to die, that was the end, she thought.

Until a rush of adrenaline pumped through her system and her eyes briefly focused, seeing her hands bound just in front of her, a few inches away from her face. Rip the gag off! Speak! Bent as she was, she only needed to bring her hands up, just a few inches, and her mouth would be free. And so she did.

"It's a trap!"

Everything happened at once. Arrows flew from the trees as Hans' soldiers prepared to shoot, awaiting the prince's order. Elsa's guards set themselves in attack positions, aiming their crossbows at the soldiers. Hans pulled his dagger away and released his grip on Anna's waist as Elsa faced him, her open palms glowing with that familiar blue-ish tint. Anna collapsed on her knees, clutching her bleeding side. It only took a couple of seconds for the princess to prop herself up on her free hand and raise her head, however, it was already too late. When her eyes fell on Elsa, she could see a red line on her cheek, probably caused by a crossbow bolt, but she couldn't see much more, for the Queen was bent in two. Only when she fell to her knees, in turn, did Anna see the blood seeping through her dress. No, she couldn't die- she couldn't!

'ELSA!'

Gathering the weak strength she had left, the redhead started to crawl towards her sister, only to be stopped by a guard grabbing her hair and pulling her back.

'No! ELSA!'

Suddenly, Hans was standing before her sister, his sword aimed at a spot below the crossbow bolt that had pierced her chest. The blade hovered over her body for a few seconds before plunging into her flesh in a disgustingly wet noise.

'NO!'

It was over, her sister was dead. And she would follow soon. Anna's head fell to the ground as uncontrollable sobs racked her body. All of this for nothing.

'Let's end this.'

Hans stopped before her and she looked up to see her sister's crown in his hand, covered in blood. Unable to resist the pain from her wound, Anna let herself fall back down limply, letting the darkness overwhelm her.