Rifiuto: Non Mirena
The bullet that had fired, had struck the queen, embedding itself in the queen's shoulder. In the chaos that followed, the young man was wrested to the ground, the pistol forced from his hand before he was dragged away. In fact, it took several minutes before anyone realized what had happened.
"Lise? Lise, you're bleeding!... the doctor, fetch the doctor!"
"Anna... what..." The princess turned back to her sister, finally climbing off of her; unable to watch her beloved sister be assassinated, she rushed towards them, throwing her arms around her sister and pushing them both to the ground as the pistol fired. "God, it hurts..."
"It's okay, Lise, it... it'll be okay... I promise, we... we're going to get you help... stay with me... Lise? Elsa? Elsa!"
She awoke to the feel of something digging into her right shoulder; a cry escaped her, and she tried to sit up, however her someone held her down. "You must hold still, Your Majesty, otherwise I won't be able to remove the bullet."
Bullet... what... The pain jolted her back to that moment, and she looked up, reaching for Helena's hand, who sat beside her on the bed. She lay on her side, back facing the doctor as he worked to get the bullet lodged in her shoulder out; the fabric of her gown, bloodstained as it was, had been torn away, to expose the pale skin of her back.
"Bite down on this, Majesty." Helena slipped a soaked cloth between her teeth, but it did nothing to lessen the pain. She let out a squeal, squirming at the feel of the doctor's instrument working through her skin.
Where was her sister? The last image she had of her was... Gods alive, the pain...
"You must hold still, Majesty, otherwise I won't be able to remove the bullet! And if I don't remove the bullet, the wound shall become infected! You must hold still!"
"You know I would do nothing to harm Eliza, Annalise! I love the woman with all my heart and soul, and how dare you accuse me of sending a... a... a would-be assassin to murder my wife-"
"He said he was from the Isles, Hans! He claimed she's bewitched you-"
"You know that's not true-"
"Enough, both of you!" Elsa slowly raised her eyes to see her husband and sister in the doorway. "Shut the doors, quickly!" The doctor ordered; once they were shut, he turned back to the king and princess. "I will not have you two squabbling like hens over feed while I attempt to remove the bullet from Her Majesty's shoulder!" He turned his attention back to the matter at hand. "It's embedded, deep. If I can remove it fully, it won't result in too much damage or scarring, but I cannot do so unless you two help keep her calm and still."
Their argument forgotten, Hans and Anna hurried to help the two young handmaids hold the queen. Hans met her gaze, gently brushing a hand against her cheek. "I'm right here, Eliza, I promise. I'm not going anywhere. You'll be okay." Her huge blue eyes met his green ones; rimmed in fear, hurt and betrayal, she watched him, the niggling thought that he had sent someone to assassinate her ringing loud in her head. "Squeeze my hand, darling, hard as you can. I'm right here." He glanced at Anna, who helped Marta hold the queen's legs still.
Minutes passed by, minutes that turned into hours, as the doctor worked to get not only a good grip on the bullet, but remove it. The queen soon began to shake violently, the crackle of ice echoing in the chamber, as fractals dashed across the floors and up the walls; it pulsed red to match the blood dripping down her back, and soon her skin became coated in frost.
"You have to stop the ice, Eliza, love, please!" Hans begged her softly, as the cloth fell from her mouth.
"You... you... tried to... kill..." He shook his head.
"No. No, Eliza. I didn't. I wouldn't. I could never even consider harming the mother of my children... you are my heart, my very soul... I could never harm you, Eliza, for I love you so."
She shook her head, trying to pull her hand from his, but she only succeeded in tightening her hold on his hand as the doctor continued to work. "No... you... tried... tried..." But the words soon morphed into heart wrenching screams as she buried her face in the king's chest; the ice covering the windows cracked, just as the doctor pulled the bullet from her shoulder.
"I have always loved you, Eliza. How could you dare to think that I could ever harm you, let alone send someone else to do so?" He swallowed thickly, meeting her gaze as she turned her head towards his. Eventually, the doctor had managed to remove the bullet, cleaned and dressed the wound, and then sewn it up before wrapping her shoulder in cotton to protect it. She was to stay down for the next couple weeks, to protect her shoulder and let it heal.
"He was from the Isles, Hans."
"He was not sent by me, Eliza. He came of his own accord." She sighed, studying him in darkness of her chamber. He was exhausted, the weariness was evident, though he was no longer the young prince he'd been when they'd met all those years ago, he was still as handsome as he'd been that long ago night. At thirty-six, Hans had sat on the throne of the Isles the same number of years he'd been when they'd met. And she could see, though he never admitted it, that it was wearing on him. He worried for his people as he worried for her people, as he worried for their children and for her-
"How am I supposed to trust you?" Her words were cold, her gaze strong as she watched him from the bed. "You're King of the Isles, you will say anything you must to get me to allow you into my chambers, into my bed, into my body-"
"Eliza! How... how dare... I love you! I've always loved you!" He took a seat beside her on the bed, reaching up to caress her face. "I've loved you from the moment I first laid eyes on you at the Tercentenary! I knew from that very moment, that I wanted to marry you! You are my heart and my soul and my very life! I would never dream of harming you!"
"My council will not believe that, you know." Her voice was soft, and he could see the tears in her eyes. Gently, he rested his forehead to hers, taking a moment to catch his breath and gather his thoughts. "They will say that you should not be trusted, that our alliance should be broken-"
"I wish them luck; our alliance is stronger than any ever written upon paper, for our children are our alliance."
She swallowed thickly. "They will say that you put him up to it, in attempt to take my throne and my crown-" But he kissed her then, deeply, hungrily, silencing her worries with his kiss. When finally he slowly pulled away, he met her gaze.
"With all due respect, Eliza, my love, damn the council to Hell."
And then he stood, going to the door. "Hans?" He turned back as she struggled to sit up, wincing at the pain in her shoulder, that forced her back into the pillows. "Where are you going? Please... don't leave me-"
A moment passed, before he spoke, choosing his words carefully. "I think it best... if I... stay in the guest chambers tonight." She choked on a sob, shaking her head. "The last thing you need is the council coming in to find Her Majesty sleeping with the enemy."
"No... Hans..."
"I will see you tomorrow. For now, get some rest, Your Majesty. Good night." As much as the echo of her sobs tore at his heart, he forced himself to go to the guest quarters, knowing it was the best thing he could do for her at the moment.