Merida hacked out a foul laugh, apparently taking Elsa's words as a personal insult.

"Yer asking me what I want? Is that yer idea of a joke? Ya think I played that game of duck hunt just now fer shits and giggles? Obviously I want out of this sewage system that ya call a corrections facility! "

"I can't help you there." Elsa was keeping her hands down and speaking very slowly, her distorted image reflected in the massive bush of ice spikes standing in front of her. "I can forget everything you did tonight. Come up with an explanation for their deaths that will please the public. Violate my duty as warden by not punishing you. But I couldn't let you out of here even if I wanted to!"

"Ya can, and ya will!" Merida returned the pistol to Anna's direction. "I ain't interested in yer excuses! Not sure if ya got the memo, but me father is sending a chopper to fly me out of here forever!"

"And why hasn't it arrived by now? Think about it, Merida. Your father has abandoned you. Do you really believe he would risk his reputation as an upstanding citizen by letting his crazed daughter run free in the world to commit homicide for her own amusement? Do you think he trusts you not to do to him as you did to your mother? No, Merida. You ruined your chance of your freedom as soon as you pulled the trigger on that guard's skull."

"LIES! ME FATHER IS LOYAL TO ME!" Merida's hand was trembling now, involuntarily pressing the gun into Anna's nose. "THAT GUARD WAS MINE!"

"None of the guards here ever served you! They only served your father! And when he called them off, it was game over! Seems daddy doesn't like it when you break one of his toys."

"Alright, now yer trying to provoke me. How ironic fer the queen of ice to play with fire." She smacked Anna in the back of the head with her free hand, and in her haze, the poor prisoner easily lost her balance and fell on her back. She let out a sharp moan, facing upwards towards the sky, but at least Merida gun was currently not pressing against her flesh.

In all of the chaos, Anna hadn't even noticed that the moon had made its presence known amidst a sky flooded with gray clouds, allowing it to shine down on the prison's courtyard. For the first time that night she was able to get a good look at Elsa, and though her voice remained steadfast as she continued to plead with Merida, no other part of her body was. Her face was contorted as though desperately trying to keep from exploding, her knees were shaking, and she was engulfing her hands into fists in what Anna knew was a ploy to keep her powers contained.

A terrible ringing in her ears from the fall prevented her from being able to actually hear their conversation, but from what she could gather with her blurred vision, Merida was allowing for Elsa to approach the two of them, forcing her to raise her hands in the air as though that would somehow keep her from being able to use her magic against them. In any case, Elsa was clearly cooperating, and soon Merida had thrusted Anna back up to her feet so as not to risk losing her leverage over her sister.

"Now I'll repeat the question: what exactly is it that you want?"

"Fine. I want fer ya to help me get up there. To the top of the prison walls. I had hoped to be able to get up there through the guard tower, but things got...messy tonight." Anna might've imagined it, but she was pretty sure Merida winked. "I figure ya should be able to make an elevator of some capacity out of snow, can't ya?"

"I...I wouldn't know." Elsa was obviously uncomfortable with the prospect of doing such a thing, but it wasn't like she was being given much of a choice. "I've never really tried anything like that."

"Oh, don't try to feign modesty. If ya can create a useless talking snowman without even trying, ya can muster an elevator. I ain't asking for any major mechanics. Just a platform that will lift me up." To Anna's misfortunate, she placed the pistol back on her head. "I'd get to work if I was you."

Elsa closed her eyes, seeming to recite some sort of mantra to herself under her breath similar to the one she had done before she removed Rapunzel's leg. She took several deep breaths, exhaling in such a way that would've sounded like an asthma attack coming from anyone else. With a swift thrust, she waved her arms next to the wall, waving them around. Sure enough, a gust of cold wind seemed to emerge from her very fingernails, followed by the creation of what essentially looked like a cloud.

"There." Elsa sounded exhausted, but vaguely satisfied by her accomplishment. "You got your damn elevator. Now give me my sister and I'll move you up there."

"Do you really take me for a daft pig? I ain't born yesterday. I know dat as soon as you have your sister, you'll lift me just high enough to ensure a fatal fall so you can destroy the platform while I'm still on it. No. Yer sister is coming with me!"

"That wasn't part of our agreement!"

"Damn fool. We had no agreement." She pinched Anna's arm and pulled at the skin, but Anna was feeling too tired to scream. Still, it got the point across to Elsa.

"Fine. You can take Anna. But if you harm her..."

"I'll be needing yer boots, too."

"My what? Why?"

"Ya think I'm gonna freeze me flippers standing on that thing with no footwear. C'mon. Don't be proud and kick them over to me!"

"But..."

"NOW, WARDEN!" She scrunched her fingernails deep enough into Anna to draw blood, and this time she did find the strength to cry out in pain.

"Fine, fine!" Straining to hide her humiliation, she removed her boots and tossed them at Merida's feet. "I'd better not hear any bitching if they don't fit you."

"Oh, me mum always hated boots. Felt a lady like me should never wear them. Too masculine, she said." She hopped into the boots, notably not bothering to tie the laces, which flopped around as she walked around like a child trying on new shoes at a department store. She giggled in a way that sounded genuine for a change, and it might have been charming to Anna under different circumstances. But the shame on Elsa's face kept anything about the sight from being endearing.

"Hey. Um, may I speak?" Anna realized it was the first time she had actually talked since her sister's arrival. "Don't you think we should be going? You wouldn't want to miss your helicopter ride, right?" In reality, she was eager to get out of Elsa's sight, as watching her suffer was starting to make her feel physically uncomfortable (or maybe that was just the bullet wound).

Merida stopped waddling around and glared at her, as though Anna had just told her some very difficult brain teaser. She looked at her, and then at Elsa, before a terrible grin spread across her face.

"I think we have just a little time to spare." She stomped over to Elsa, taking glee in being able to wear shoes for what was probably the first time since her arrest. "Ya have done good, Elsa. You have done good. But ya know, when I think about it, I can't really forgive all of dat time ya made me go around her barefoot, now can I?"

"I'm sorry, I'm confused."

"No, you ain't." Merida leaned forward and tapped her shoulder with mock affection. "But no worries, no worries. I know how to make this all even. I order ya to get down to yer pathetic knees and kiss me boots."

"You...you want me to what?"

"Don't play dumb!" She turned back towards Anna, with a crazed glint in her eyes. "Yer sister isn't dumb, is she? No, I don't think she is!" She returned her focus to Elsa. "Kiss me boots like the worthless dog you are!"

"Merida, no! You got what you wanted! Let's go before anyone else shows up!"

"Don't ya tell me what to do, luv! We'll leave as soon as the warden does as I say."

"Please! You don't need this!" Anna couldn't bear even the thought of such a sight, much less having to actually witness it.

"I just realized that I do need it! And if Elsa knows what's good for yer safety, she will comply without another second of hesitation!"

"NO!"

"Anna, it's fine! It's okay!" Elsa was attempting to behave as though it didn't bother her, but Anna knew all too well that was just for show. And it wasn't like she was doing a good job of hiding it, as tears were streaming down her face which Anna was sure she would try to brush off as sweat if she were asked.

But alas, to Anna's horror, Elsa did exactly as Merida had commanded, lowering herself to the ground ever so slowly and kissing each of the boots she had just given her. Without even being told to, she kissed them each again. And again. Each time felt like a knife going into Anna's heart. Her once proud sister, who was in charge of a maximum security prison, was being reduced to the most obscene gesture of forced servitude imaginable.

"Okay, she did it! LET'S GO! YOU WANT TO LEAVE HERE, RIGHT?"

"Fine. I suppose the fun must end sometime." Anna's heart fluttered as Merida finally appeared to be leaving, but her relief didn't last long, as she immediately turned around, violently pressing her foot down on Elsa's head.

"Ya never had any real power here, ya know dat? Just magic ye were born with. Dat ain't power, dat's nature's way of spoiling ya!" Anna wanted to scream, shout, anything, but she found she was unable to move, unable to speak, as the brutality of the sight of her sister's teeth being pushed against cold pavement froze her in place. "Ya think I'm afraid of ya? Ya think I ever thought ya were serious when you threatened to freeze me is I tried to escape like ya accidentally did to dat poor lass Blondie? No, luv. I read ya like a book the moment I met ya. And I hate reading."

"MERIDA, STOP!" Anna's voice finally escaped from her temporary state of paralysis. "SHE NEEDS TO BE ALIVE TO GET US OUT OF HERE, REMEMBER?"

"Fine, fine." At long last, Merida lifted the boot. Elsa gasped and slowly pushed herself back up, spitting out a bit of blood. "Take us out of here on my signal, bitch."

She grabbed Anna by the shoulder and drug her to the "elevator" Elsa had created for them. The sensation of cold snow on Anna's feet made them feel like their toes might freeze off, but Anna's attention was on Elsa, who strained a small smile at her before collapsing back to the ground. She did manage to wave her hand just enough to send the platform up slowly on its way, but she didn't seem to have the strength to stand. Or maybe she was just trying to collect her composure. Maybe she was too fatigued to move. Anna couldn't ask her herself. But as she watched her grow smaller and smaller as she was elevated to the towering prison walls above, she felt more sorrow for her sister than she had in her entire life.