Chapter Seventeen
Feilan's meek display outside the ice wall didn't last long within its shelter.
"I am not takin' off m'clothes fer ye, ye… ye… unspeakable! Ye c'n jes well keep yer filthy hands t'yerself!" Her voice rang off the rock walls and caused a sympathetic vibration in Elsa's ice.
Captain Beorne's mustache bristled so much it appeared to be a miniature and highly enraged hedgehog. "I cannot dress your wounds if I cannot reach them! And how dare you imply-"
All the mounts huddled at the far end of the enclosure, eyes rolling enough to show their whites. Even battle-trained Krokus appeared ready to bolt, given the least chance of escape. Kristoff stood with them, his eyes darting from one irate human to another.
"I c'n take care o'm'self!" yelled Feilan, her voice ringing within the confines of their shelter. She tried to back up, but Elsa stood between her and the exit. The smaller woman jerked her head in an aborted snarl, apparently not ready to turn her ire on Elsa.
"Then why haven't you?" Captain Beorne demanded, waving a hand at her bloodied leathers.
"'Cause I've been a bit busy!" bellowed Feilan.
The Captain hunched his shoulders in a threatening loom. "Doing what, pray tell?"
"I dinna hafta te-," Feilan snarled.
"Enough!" Queen Elsa yelled, her own voice causing a harp-like hum to emanate from the ice walls. With all eyes on her, she carefully placed her hands on her hips and ignored the pained twinge in her wounded arm. Her irritation swirled about her in the form of tiny chiming snowflakes. "Captain Beorne, I do believe I instructed there to be no questions until we've all rested?"
"Yes, Your Highness, but," the Captain began, gesturing impatiently at Feilan.
Queen Elsa ignored his protest but switched her chilled gaze to the defensive Feilan. "And you, Feilan. Did I not say your wounds needed to be dressed?"
"Well, aye, but," the smaller woman tried to protest, gesturing at the Captain.
"You have undergarments, tunic and leggings, under your leathers, correct?" demanded the Queen. "And you said the cold doesn't bother you overmuch, correct?"
"Well, aye, b-" Feilan choked off the 'but' she was about to say, flinching from the Queen's glare.
"Then you can very well take off your leathers, roll up your sleeves and leggings, and thus preserve your modesty, or Arendelle help me, I will strip you myself so that Captain Beorne can tend to your wounds." The snowflakes around Queen Elsa sped up and grew a bit larger, their chimes more insistent.
Kristoff's snicker quickly changed to a splutter as he got a small, soft snowball to the face.
Captain Beorne's smug smirk at Kristoff quickly sobered when ice crystals formed on his mustache.
"Yer serious," Feilan gaped, her brown eyes meeting the Queen's glacial blue stare. After a moment, the smaller mountaineer turned her head aside and muttered, "It weren't ab't modesty… at least, not as much." She tucked one arm closer to herself.
"Then off with your leathers," Queen Elsa stated, her tone unforgiving. Her arm throbbed beneath its bandage, a strange percussion to the chime of her snowflakes. Feilan's comment had made her realize a subconscious thought: Elsa wanted to see the nature of those wounds. "Now. I for one am too tired for this foolishness." She spared Captain Beorne a warning frown as a reminder that the comment included him as well.
She ignored the sullen glare Feilan cast her way, but at least the smaller woman began removing her jacket. After a moment's hesitation, she removed her boots and leather pants as well. The removal of outer leather-wear revealed far more extensive blood stains on the under-tunic and leggings. Feilan gave each of them a glare as she stood, feet braced apart in a vain attempt to hide her trembling knees, before she began rolling up the sleeve on the bloodied arm.
"That..." Captain Beorne began, then paused, his gaze darting between Feilan and Elsa.
Keeping herself between Feilan and the exit, Queen Elsa shifted so she could better see the wound.
It appeared some animal had bitten and worried Feilan's forearm.
"It's the same," the Captain muttered. He glanced up as Kristoff edged closer to view the damage as well.
"Yep, definitely the same kind of bite," the taller mountaineer confirmed with a nod.
"When yer all done gawkin', think we could ge'on w'it?" snarled Feilan.
"Let me see your other wounds," commanded the Captain.
"Oh fer..." Feilan complained, but after a sideways glance at Elsa, she complied. Rolling up her tunic to just under her chest revealed bite and claw marks along her ribs and back. The bite marks were extremely similar to the one on Elsa's arm. With a grunt the mountaineer leaned over and rolled up the legging on her wounded leg. Again, like her forearm, it appeared some animal had bitten and tried to worry her calf muscle.
Kristoff whistled, the sound startling within the close confines of their shelter. "What did you do?" he exclaimed. "Did you decide that being a chew toy would be a good distraction?"
"Pretty much," Feilan mumbled.
Captain Beorne stared hard at the woman mountaineer's face, gave Elsa a frowning glance, then began pulling out his medical supplies again. His shoulders and back were extremely stiff as he moved, and his slightly iced mustache had yet to lay flat.
While Beorne was getting things ready, Kristoff continued, "Man, it's amazing you're not dead! That's crazy! Why would you do something like that? I mean, seriously, how are you not dead? And… wait a minute… those bite marks are kinda small, aren't they? That thing's mouth was almost as big as your head!"
Captain Beorne jerked up his head, eyes narrowed as he glanced from Kristoff to Feilan, then to Elsa.
Feilan ducked her head, glaring at the ground.
Elsa shook herself from staring at Feilan's wounds. "That's enough, Kristoff. What I said to Beorne applies to you as well. No more questions, not until we're more rested."
"Yeh, bu-" he began to protest, then uttered a strangled choking sound as a small snowball materialized. Clearing his throat, he grumbled, "All right, all right." He didn't relax until the snowball vanished with a puff of glittering blue lights.
The cave was filled with a tense lack of conversation as Captain Beorne ministered Feilan's various wounds. No pair of eyes met. The only sounds were the occasional grunt of pain from Feilan, as well as snorts and the clatter of hooves on stone as the mounts fidgeted uneasily. Queen Elsa remained between Feilan and the exit, although after a while she allowed herself to sit on the ground. Kristoff settled down near the mounts, occasionally reaching out to stroke a tense foreleg or pat a quivering muzzle. There were none of the reassurances Captain Beorne had given Elsa, only an efficient and thorough cleansing and bandaging of wounds.
Finally the Captain sat back, snorting through his thawed mustache. "There. We will check on both yours and the Queen's wounds tonight. For now, try to not pick at the bandages, even if they itch." He lifted his gaze to Queen Elsa's face. "I recommend we rest for the morning, but leave after lunch. If any feel like dozing, we should let the others know so at least one of us is awake. I prefer two." Turning his gaze to Feilan left no doubt as to why he wanted the extra watch.
Feilan hunched her shoulders until she seemed ready to turn into a small boulder. "Don't even know why I came back," she muttered.
"I'll take watch this time," Kristoff said, jerking a thumb over to the mounts. "They're so skittish right now, the least noise will have them raising a ruckus that'll wake all of us. I'd like to keep an eye on'em for now. Heck, we'll probably have to go slow today so we don't exhaust'em."
Sven lifted his head enough to stare hard at Feilan. Elsa was surprised to see the smaller mountaineer twist her head aside in much the same way she tended to do with Elsa. From Sven's expression, it was startling to the reindeer as well. His ears swiveled forward and he snorted quietly, almost thoughtfully.
"A short nap," Queen Elsa declared, causing most sets of eyes to turn to her. "Then a quick meal, and a few questions… but not long. I would like to be well away from here come nightfall."
Not looking up, Feilan practically whined, "C'n we jes ask'em now? Feel like I may throw up, otherwise."
"Then you will just have to be sick. We are tired, our tempers are short, and we just escaped being eaten yesterday." With that, Queen Elsa settled herself directly within the inner entrance. When Captain Beorne coughed a protest, she just glared at him until he subsided. She braced her booted feet against one side of the entrance and her back against the other. Tilting her chin to her chest, she closed her eyes. She doubted she would sleep, but she would make a show of it. Anything to hide the whirling storm of confused hope that continued to assault her heart.
Silence but for the occasional stomped hoof or rustled fabric filled the enclosure once more. A few grunts came from the men as they settled into their respective spots. Before too long, Beorne's soft snores could be heard. They seemed too neat and regular to be genuine, though the Captain lay very still. Feilan's position could only be marked by shallow breaths and cloth caught in restless fidgeting. If Kristoff made any sound, it was covered by the mounts he sat beside.
At some point Elsa dozed. She only knew this because Kristoff's soft voice eased into her mostly-asleep awareness.
"You're not sleeping, either," he said, his voice a soft murmur that took form in her half-dreaming mind as a reindeer's antler, a firm support yet covered in early spring velvet.
I am trying to but you're talking, she thought at him, but her voice couldn't push aside the heavy layers of sleep that covered her.
Another voice, even softer, answered simply, "Aye." Such a gentle voice, yet it came from a great white-furred head that opened its jaws wide until a thick red tongue slapped against massive curving teeth.
Just a dream, Elsa tried to tell herself within her own dream.
"Why can't you sleep?" Kristoff asked, his antler-voice sweeping through her sleep-groggy mind with a strength that belied the gentle velvet tone.
"Why can't you?" that other voice countered, a quiet snarl that caused the beast's muzzle to ripple like water.
"Fair enough," chuckled Kristoff, the antler shaking snow from tree limbs for amusement's sake.
Silence reached up to Elsa's struggling awareness, wrapping her in thick-furred arms and pulling her back down into the depths of unconscious sleep.
"I," that soft voice interrupted, a great claw-filled paw slashing those arms to shreds, causing Elsa's awareness to bob upward with a stomach-wrenching lurch, reaching more shallow levels.
"You?" prompted Kristoff.
"I… await her… your… Queen's… judgement." Something massive and white as snow lay itself at Elsa's dream-feet.
"Judgement?" echoed Kristoff, puzzlement scraping some of that velvet from his antler-voice. "What did you do?"
"Be myself," uttered the mound of fur-not-snow.
"Uhm… okay?" More of the velvet shredded from Kristoff's antler-voice.
"That's all." In Elsa's half-awake mind, the fur-not-snow rolled away from her, presenting its spine.
The not-quite dream sank into dark unawareness again, taking Elsa with it. She knew no more until the crackle of the renewed fire awoke her. Sitting up and rubbing her eyes, she peered groggily about their enclosure. The animals, at least, seemed to have calmed, letting their muzzles hang low as they dozed. Kristoff sat near them, back to the stone and eyes half closed in apparently a similar state. Feilan was crouched on the floor, head resting on her knees. Moving her gaze to the campfire, Elsa found Beorne gazing steadily at her. Meeting her eyes, the Captain nodded once.
"Hail to you, my Queen," he said in a quiet yet deep voice. Feilan stirred without lifting her head, but Kristoff snorted and sat upright. Beorne barely glanced at either of them before continuing, "It's mid-day, perhaps an hour or less 'til noon. I thought perhaps we might start rousing ourselves, if we're to eat and… talk… before we set out." He seemed far calmer than before, though there was still tension in his shoulders.
Queen Elsa nodded. She silently accepted the field ration bar he handed her and began chewing while Kristoff accepted his. When Beorne attempted to give one to Feilan, the smaller mountaineer shook her head in one sharp gesture. He looked to Elsa, a frown creasing his mustache.
"Eat," the Queen commanded.
Feilan snapped her head in that one decisive shake again, eyes on the ground. "Can't. Couldn't sleep. Can't eat. Just… do whatever yer gonna do."
Captain Beorne's eyes narrowed sharply. "I readily admit I do not trust you, but you are acting as though you expect dire punishment. What did you do?" he demanded, his voice still low.
Kristoff merely lounged with his back to the stone wall, idly chewing on his ration bar and occasionally sharing a bite with Sven. Both of them watched Feilan with steady curiosity.
The smaller woman looked up finally, glancing from one man to the other, then turning her gaze to Elsa. "They didn't see?" she asked. Hoped warmed her gruff voice, turning it almost child-like.
Hope, Elsa was beginning to decide, was a cruel thing. "They didn't see," she confirmed, but before Feilan's shoulders could droop too much with relief, she added, "but they will still hear your answers." She pointed to the Captain. "He almost shot you."
Both men sat up at that. Captain Beorne protested, "I did not! I was aiming at the monsters!"
Queen Elsa watched that hope die in Feilan's eyes even as she said, "You were aiming at Feilan, Captain. She was one of the snowbeasts."
Sven and Kristoff snorted at the same time, though the male mountaineer added, "Did NOT see that one coming!"
The Captain shook his head much like a dog shaking off water. "Elsa, that doesn't-"
"It's true, isn't it?" the Queen interrupted, gaze still on the miserable huddle of mountaineer. "You are a snowbeast, aren't you, Feilan?"
"I don't rightly know what I am," she muttered, eyes back on the ground.
"But you can change into one of them, can't you?" Queen Elsa pressed, hating herself for doing this, yet needing the answers too much to do otherwise.
"Ye saw fer yerself," Feilan muttered, curling more tightly against herself.
"What," Captain Beorne interjected, his eyes bouncing between Feilan and Elsa. "What is she talking about? What are you talking about, my Queen? What did you see?"
"I saw Feilan… then I saw a snowbeast in her place," the Queen said, only slowly lifting her gaze from Feilan to look first at Beorne, then Kristoff. "When I tried to grab her. She bit me, so I dropped-"
"Bit you!" Captain Beorne burst out, his hand going to his sword. He glanced at Elsa's arm, then glared at Feilan. "That was you?" he nearly roared, all his careful calm gone, causing the mounts to snort and prance uneasily. "You hurt the Queen? You bit her? How dare-!"
"I had t'make her let me go!" Feilan came to life with a roar of her own, shifting to face Beorne while still in a crouch. "I had to distract'em! So you could get away, ye big oaf!"
"You dared to harm the Queen! That alone is punishable by death!" The Captain moved to lunge to his feet, but was brought up short by the ice encasing his lower legs and his sword. He looked down at the ice, then looked to Elsa with a betrayed expression. It was ameliorated only when he realized Feilan had likewise been frozen in place, her growl dying off into an irritated hiss.
"When the two of you are done posturing," Queen Elsa said in one of her coolest tones.
"Not to mention terrifying the animals," Kristoff muttered, one hand each on a very skittish Snofonn and Krokus. Both horses were snorting and rolling their eyes. Sven seemed to be trying to help Kristoff keep them calm, although he looked a bit rattled himself.
Only when Captain Beorne and Feilan relaxed enough to sit back did Elsa release them from her ice. She watched them both a moment to ensure they remained quiet, then continued, "As I was saying… she bit me, so I dropped her. I saw her running towards the snowmonster… beast… then it was another snowbeast running at it. I can only assume Feilan here either shapechanged into a snowbeast, or is in fact one and pretending to be human. Or… was it perhaps an illusion?"
Feilan shook her head miserably. When everyone continued to stare, she grudgingly clarified, "Not an illusion."
Kristoff gave a low whistle. "Wait, so Feilan here is a were-snowbeast? Hey, Elsa, she bit you! Does that mean you're gonna become a were-snowbeast too?"
"A where… what is a where… what kind of a name is that?" the Captain sputtered, his hand still clenched about the hilt of his sword.
A cold edge of fear dulled the hope in her heart. Without thinking, Elsa moved a hand to cover her bandaged bicep. She was unique enough with her ice powers… would she have to worry about turning into a massive monster as well?
Kristoff was busy answering Beorne's question. "A were-beast. My family told me some of the old stories, where humans were cursed to turn into animals or even monsters. In some of the stories, the curse is transferred by a bite. In others, it can't be transferred."
"A curse," Feilan spoke softly, flinching when all eyes swiveled to focus on her. With a deep breath she continued, "Could be? Dunno. But no danger o'yer Queen turnin' huge'n'hairy. I've bitten others afore… they've not changed."
Fingering the hilt of his sword, Captain Beorne repeated too calmly, "You've bitten others before?"
Feilan hunched her shoulders. "Aye. Self-defense. Accident."
Eyeing her suspiciously, the Captain added, "So you bit our Queen… only to make her drop you? So… you could give us a chance to get away?" He eased his hand away from his sword, though his shoulders were still tense. "Do you expect us to praise you for that?"
"No," Feilan muttered, "Jes' wanted ye'all t'live. Same as others I've guided."
"So that's how you defended the merchants you guided?" Kristoff asked.
"Sometimes," Feilan shrugged. "Tried t'avoid it. Did used fire that one time, like I told ye."
"Can we use fire on you?" the Captain asked bluntly.
That earned him a brief glare and a rather snarky, "Fire in th'face will fend off most any creature, 'less it's a fool."
Captain Beorne leaned forward, firelight catching his features but casting his eyes in shadow. "I want to see this change."
"'m not a freak show," Feilan growled, then pointed at Beorne's crossbow that lay within his reach. "Or a bigger target."
Queen Elsa rubbed her brow, beginning to wonder if she would have to fashion muzzles, collars, and leashes out of her ice to keep the Captain and the female mountaineer in line.
"Reminds me," Kristoff interrupted, his own finger pointing at Feilan. "Those bite marks. You said they were caused by the other snowbeasts, but they're so small. About the same size as the bite mark… uh… your bite mark… on Elsa?" He tilted his head, turning the statement into an inquiry.
"I didna bite meself, if that's what yer askin'," snarled the smaller guide. Hunching up again, she grumbled, "Wounds shrink or grow, based on m'shape." She gestured to the visible bandages on one arm. "So wounds gotten while big shrink w'th'rest o'me."
"And does a wound dealt to you while human grow when you turn beast?" Captain Beorne asked, his tone almost as chilling as Elsa's own ice.
Feilan glared at him a long moment before letting her breath out in a slow, controlled exhale. "Aye," was all she said.
Kristoff gave another low whistle. "Wow. They really must've used you as a chew toy, then. You heal quickly?"
A reluctant nod answered him, with a very quiet, "Aye. Somewhat."
"Are you immortal?" Captain Beorne asked in that same chilled tone.
"Dunno," Feilan quipped with sudden snark, "Na been tha'keen on tryin' dyin' t'find out."
Before the two could start snarling at each other again, Queen Elsa asked, "Feilan, are you human?"
Silence fell as all eyes turned to the Queen this time. Feilan dared to meet Elsa's eyes, and the expression in them caused Elsa's chest to cramp. "Dunno," the smaller mountaineer murmured in a voice gone oddly thick. A little more clearly, yet without the edge one might expect, she asked, "Are you human?"
"Of course I'm…," Elsa began automatically, then paused. She stared at Feilan, realization dawning bright and painful and terrible with hope. Shared hope, for she could see that same terrible brightness in the mountaineer's gaze. To not be the only one with magic…. To know someone else who also had magic...
"Of course our Queen is human!" snapped Captain Beorne. The way his Queen was staring at the woman… beast?… frightened him to the point his gut felt as cold as the ice that surrounded them.
"Then maybe I'm human, too," Feilan said softly, lowering her head to stare at the ground again.
A rock clattered along the stone floor. This time it was Kristoff's turn to be the center of attention as he hefted another small rock. He shrugged with a deliberate show of ease and addressed all of them as he spoke. "Human, not human. It's getting too philosophical for me. Way I see it? If it's true, then Feilan's got a skill like Elsa's. It's her choice how to use it. And so far? She's just protected people."
Sven snorted in reserved agreement.
"As far as we know," Captain Beorne growled. Elsa blinked, realizing just how animalistic the sound was… and how often Feilan made a similar sound.
"True," Kristoff nodded, "but then, do any of us really know each other's deep dark secrets?"
Elsa winced, remembering an ice spear pointed at a human throat and an ice wall pushing another human to the brink of a great fall. She blinked, then looked from Kristoff to Captain Beorne. Both men looked thoughtful, which made her wonder… was she not alone in that, either? Had each been pushed to some viciously primal reaction at some point in their lives? How well did she really know either man?
Kristoff kept bouncing the rock in his palm. "Here's the thing. Feilan came back. She's sitting right there, and even if she can change… and did change… what could she do in here? A snowbeast could barely turn around in here with all of us taking up space. She was guiding us right before… she's guided others… I say we give the benefit of doubt and let her take us on to the castle. 'Cause that's really the question right now, isn't it?"
Captain Beorne blinked several times, opening and closing his mouth much like a fish. Realizing what he was doing, he snapped his jaws together. "I still have other questions," he said through gritted teeth.
"So let's ask'em on the road. Personally, I'm gettin' kind of twitchy, me and the animals both. It's way too cramped, and everyone keeps getting way too excited. We need open space." Kristoff gestured to the ice wall, or more specifically the woods that lay beyond it.
"S'what I been sayin' from th'start," Feilan grumbled.
"One other question," Queen Elsa said, holding up her hand so that all focused on her. Eyeing Feilan, she asked, "The other snowmonsters… beasts… are they like you? Can they also change into humans?"
"I… dunno," the smaller woman grunted, eyes to the ground once more. "Never seen'em do it. An'they never respond t'…. t'human-like things. Like words."
Queen Elsa sighed, rubbing her temple. "Very well. I agree with Kristoff. We need to be on our way. And… I choose to trust Feilan. For now." She turned her attention to Captain Beorne.
The Captain blew out his mustache, then shrugged. "It is my duty to guard you, Your Highness." Turning his gaze to Feilan, he warned, "As long as you act to protect our Queen, I shall guard you as well. Act to harm her, and I will not hesitated to turn my weapons on you."
The smaller mountaineer, to everyone's surprise, simply nodded without the least trace of ire. "Fair enough," she grunted.
Captain Beorne stared at her a few moments, then shook himself and stood. "Then let's get packed and on our way."