"Well?" Elsa said. Time had stopped for Freya, she went over everything in her head as to how she ended up under the direct scrutiny of the uncaring demi-god. She was unsure what to say and was too scared to speak as it was. Elsa was still leaning in the doorway, her gaze similar to that of Anna's before she had the fight Anton, analytical and contemplative. Freya felt even more isolated as she was sat on this pedestal of ice that Elsa had caught her with.
"Who are you?" Elsa asked. Freya remained silent, her brain told her to speak, to spin a story but her mouth failed to respond.
"The prospect of killing you is rapidly getting more interesting than talking at you," Elsa said.
"Freya," she blurted out, "my name is Freya." As she said this she knew she had to calm down and to treat Elsa like any other person. A simple prospect in theory but the reality was much more daunting.
"So Freya, what brings you to my abode?" she said. There was a sinister aspect to everything she did, even the way she was leaning made Freya nervous let alone how she spoke. Freya took a deep breath, she thought of advice Hans had given her. You can create any persona you like if someone has never met you before, this principal still applied even to the most powerful of beings.
"I… I wanted to see you," Freya said, at least the fear in her voice was real. She was working with what she had by playing the timid girl in reverence of the Empress.
"Is that right?" Elsa said. Freya stayed silent.
"Most people don't run and hide when they want to see me," Elsa said. She adjusted slightly then stepped forward. Freya looked down, unable to look straight at her.
"It's also usually grovelling rather than throwing themselves off a bridge," Elsa said.
"I didn't think I was worthy of your presence, I just wanted to see you for real even if it was from afar," Freya said, it was the best excuse she could come up with. Elsa let out a single loud sound of amusement.
"Well you managed to get here, you're wearing a rather fetching white cloak and acrobatic enough to choose that ledge as a hiding place. You're more worthy than most of the dullards that devote themselves to me," Elsa said. Freya raised her head back up and held her nerve to look straight at Elsa, disguising her fear as awe as well as she could.
"Most devotees only get far as the palace gates; either that or they get thrown to the worshippers so they can't bother me until they've proven themselves. Yet here you are," Elsa was expecting a response to this but Freya's mind was still lingering on the implication that if Elsa lost interest she would get even less pleasant. The Empress was hardly cordial but at this point she at least did not appear to be violent of angry.
"I'm small and quiet, I just wanted to try and see you, I never thought I'd really get this far," Freya said, trying to sound as sheepish as possible.
"So you snuck all the way through the main palace and to my throne-room unnoticed just to see me," Elsa said, she had gone back to leaning in the doorway. "You aren't the first to want to do that, first to actually manage it though," Elsa said. She moved forward again, closing in on Freya's pedestal. The gap between the bridge and where she was sat filled itself with ice as Elsa offered a hand. Freya stared at this hand.
"Let it never be said I'm not merciful to the loyal," Elsa said. Freya looked up at her, despite everything she could not help but notice Elsa's beauty and her serene face. She had always pictured her differently; more similar to how Anna is now, a warrior's build with a fierce demeanour. She looked back at the hand, every fibre of her being screamed at her not to touch Elsa. Her life depended on every slight action she took and snubbing her certainly seemed like the wrong move. She took the hand. It was freezing to touch, so much so that it caused her to jolt. She struggled to breathe as she was terrified it would offend Elsa, when Elsa did not react to this Freya exhaled heavily in relief. As she was helped up a cold breeze picked up her cloak and it flapped in the wind, she was relieved that in her initial hurry to leave she had forgotten to pick up any weapons. If she had Elsa probably would have seen them after that, she probably caused that breeze herself to check if there was anything hidden underneath. The pedestal shrank away and disappeared as she stepped off it back to the bridge. Elsa than sat down on the edge of the bridge, facing the city below.
"Sit," she said. Freya looked at Elsa's back. She could try and end it here, one push and it could all be over. Freya ignored this instinct and forced herself to think it through. She saw first-hand that Elsa would be able save herself from a fall. She also doubted Elsa would have lasted this long if she was not conscious of who she turned her back to. Elsa was still testing her.
"Sit," Elsa said again with that commanding tone of hers, Freya did not want to test her patience any further. She nervously sat cross-legged next to her. She could feel her heart pounding away in her chest, the devil herself was next to her and all she could do was play along. She relied only on hope that Elsa would refrain from suddenly turning on her or that this was not some bizarre mind-game Elsa was playing to amuse herself.
"The people out there don't understand," Elsa said. Freya looked out to a stunning view, the gleaming city and the white plains stretching out from the walls looked impressive. It was accompanied by a very faint hum of the city's activity below them. In a different situation it would have been calming for her; it was beckoning Elsa to be very reflective.
"The people of Arendelle?" Freya asked.
"Not just them, the whole Empire," Elsa said. Freya knew not to pry any further than she needed too, she wanted to know what Elsa meant but she would probably elaborate. She needed to keep reminding herself to be more patient with her approach.
"Where are you from Freya?" Elsa asked.
"Not far from the city," Freya said, it was better to stay vague and not mention the southern isles.
"I'm told it's hard out there, but they don't understand. I've done what I have to too make this place safer," Elsa said.
"It can be hard out there," Freya said.
"The strong survive, the wily like you survive. Weakness is rooted out so Arendelle can remain strong," Elsa said.
"They blame you for the struggles they face," Freya said, the moment she finished the sentence she realised how big of a risk she had taken. Elsa looked at her, Freya held eye contact. She was as tense as she had ever been but flinching here could mean the end.
"I don't get how they can hate you," Freya said in an attempt to cover herself slightly when she broke and looked away. Elsa looked back out at the view.
"They think of me as a tyrant, their weakness and selfishness drives them to it. I've faced loss, sacrificed so much to make something of this world," she said. Freya found it hard to stomach what she was hearing. Elsa fully believed she had created a better place to live.
"I'm always told I have to pander to the people of Arendelle, officers and the noble houses so the infrastructure of the empire doesn't collapse in on itself. Their easy living is a weakness I have to compensate for if Arendelle is to remain strong," Elsa's fists clenched slightly as she said this.
"You watch over us and keep us safe," Freya said to fill the silence, she hated herself for saying it but it curbed Elsa's anger.
"You're very unique Freya," Elsa said as she shot some icy blasts into the air to create a small amount of snowfall. Shortly after some of Elsa's cultists appeared at either end of the bridge.
"Take her, she's yours now," Elsa said.
"All souls are yours divine, we shall send hers to you in the halls of the frozen," the cultist said, she wore a blue robe, had a claw-like hand and had icy contusions smattered across her body. Elsa saw the shock in Freya's face as she was being taken away.
"You're either very devoted to me or lying through your teeth Freya, I don't really care which as I can't encourage this sort of trespass either way," Elsa said.
"You said I was worthy, you said I was strong," Freya said, shrugging off the hands off the cultist.
"I can't chance that you aren't who you say you are," Elsa said walking back toward the throne room. She turned back one last time.
"Take solace that your death will strengthen the Empire, your sacrifice will improve their loyalty and in-turn my security. So many die pathetic or meaningless deaths, yours will be a noble one now. Goodbye Freya."
Freya's heart sank as she was led away by the robed fanatics. Elsa had decided Freya's fate the moment she saw her, a fate that would be sealed if she was lead back into the tunnels by these cultists. They would show no mercy. A couple of the blue-robed cultists were escorting her through the spires, one in front of her and another following up behind. Elsa had gone back to her lair, now was the only time she could make a move. Simply running was out of the question as she would just end up recaptured. She needed a way to get out that would avoid further cult members and the tunnels, it would also have to be fast enough so she could get out of the city before word from the palace spread to the imperial guards below. As she was lead over another bridge to she saw it, it was goading her to take the chance for her freedom. This was a terrible idea for sure but there was no time to think of anything better.
Freya slowed right down, it was mostly an act but she was tired enough to appreciate the need to do so. The cultist behind her pushed her to get her moving again, Freya purposely fell to the ground from the shove.
"Get up," the cultist said. Freya stayed down, the cultist in front of her turned around and picked her up.
"This is a holy endeavour, you must not hesitate," he said. Freya stood still looking defeated. The cultist who had pulled her up went to grab her with one of those horrendous claws of his. This was when Freya made her move, ducking under the swinging arm and setting off at a full sprint.
"You can't escape the will of the divine," Freya heard as she dashed to one of the spire's walls. Amongst the spoils on display was a tapestry, undoubtedly priceless, that Freya ripped down in a slapdash manner. She made sure she had hold of a couple of its corners in each hand whilst she ran on. The first bridge she came to had the doorway blocked off by another cultist, when she tried to turn back the same cultist that had tried to grab her was stood there with an angry look on his face.
"There is nowhere for you to run," he said. This was not the bridge she had in mind, she had hoped to get a further up the spires but this would have to do. Freya dived off the bridge, tapestry in hands. She was falling fast and there was a brief moment of panic as she failed to get the tapestry in position, but she lifted her arms above her and elation followed as the tapestry caught the air and slowed her descent. She turned her head back as she began to glide and saw the spires were already getting far behind her, she regretted being unable to see clearly the faces of those cultists as they watched her fly away. She pictured a fun mix of embarrassment and disbelief.
She was covering quite a distance; the air whooshed past her ears as her plaited hair and cloak flapped behind her. At this pace she would clear the artwork square and land directly on the frozen lake. She knew to aim for a central section as the islands and paths were crowded. The tapestry was difficult to keep a hold of and she could feel it starting to rip under the pressure. It certainly was not designed with this stunt in mind.
The ground was approaching fast, faster than Freya liked. The tapestry gave and fully ripped where she had been holding it. Luckily it held out to a point where the fall was only a slightly daunting distance, however the hard ice below would make a poor cushion so Freya dropped her shoulder to make sure she rolled when she landed. She just about got into position in time. She hit the ground hard when she rolled, springing up to a baffled crowd of people on the paths around her. Some looked up to see if anything else was liable to fall out of the sky.
The pain in her shoulder was excruciating but Freya knew she had to move on. Taking off her conspicuous cloak was a struggle as her shoulder refused to move. Managing to shake off the cloak she joined and moved along with the crowds. She folded it carelessly, holding onto it with her good arm. Running would draw attention so it was a tense, brisk walk back over the paths of the lake and through the bustling crowds of the outer rings. To her distress she was knocked in the shoulder a few times in the busy streets. The fatigue and pain was intense but adrenaline kept her going. The sounds of the crowds and vendors around her dissipated to white noise as she had to concentrate only on the task at hand, to get to an exit whilst she still could. Her peripheral vision was blurred but the exit gate shone in her sightline angelically. She was holding her bad shoulder and gritting her teeth as she approached. A concerned imperial guard looked at her.
"Are you alright ma'am?" he said
"Fine," Freya snapped back.
"Okay ma'am, thank you for visiting the jewel of the Empire," he said. He would have clocked her as suspicious at the very least and it would not be long before word reached the gates. They would set out to find her soon and there was no way she could put much distance between her and Arendelle fast enough. Once through the gate she stepped to the side, hugging the wall in case of any lookouts above. She was too tired to run so once she was satisfied she was a decent distance away from any gates. Fighting through the growing headache as she dug and pushed away the deep snow beneath her feet, when finished she threw out her white cloak to its full length.
She lay down into the crevice she had created and placed the cloak over herself. The only way to blend into the snow convincingly was to contort her body into the ground as to not create an obvious bump where the cloak covered her. Her shoulder was being pushed into the ground by this position; she had to bite down on her thumb hard to deal with the pain silently. She had no idea how long she would have to stay like this but it was the only option she had. The apprehensive and painful wait for safety had begun.