"Did you know your sister hit you with her powers? You almost died."
Anna was dumbfounded. Her sister? Hit her? And she almost died? How come she never remembered any of this? That can't be true.
"Most likely you do not remember it, princess. Your memories were altered."
Altered? How? Why? When? Countless thoughts came rushing to little Anna.
"Your magic fought with your sister's allowing you to live but your memories erased. Perhaps I should from the very beginning. From before you were born."
Elsa's powers manifested the moment she was born. When their mother gave birth to her the entire room was covered in snow. Luckily enough, the temperature did not drop. It was warm snow.
The King was baffled but decided to push it aside for now. He was elated to finally see his firstborn.
After 2 months, Elsa always always played with her powers. Floating ice crystals would always be seen in her room. When she got sick she would sneeze snow. The King was able to tolerate it thinking it was just a baby.
At the age of 2, she was playing with her powers like toys. Holding one snow sculpture and shaking it up and down. At this point, the King was starting to get annoyed. On one occasion he hit his daughter. Elsa of course just cried not knowing what exactly happened. Their mother questioned him and the King got furious "Powers should never run in our family."
Gerda and some of the staff saw this side of King and made sure to keep Elsa's powers hidden from him. Well as much as they could.
At age 3, Elsa's powers became more and more prominent and it was becoming harder for the staff to keep it hidden, especially when Elsa kept on showing her powers to her baby sister. "This makes her happy. I like her happy." She would tell them. The girls were inseparable at this point. It was clear Elsa loved her baby sister dearly.
One day while the royal family was eating lunch, Elsa sneezed and covered the entire dining area with snow. The King got so furious, he locked her up in the dungeon for 30 hours with no food or water. "Learn to control that blasted powers of yours. Or next time it will be longer."
Their mother tried to stop him but instead got strangled to the point where she almost passed out. "If her powers got out of hand, she could injure her sister. I'm only looking out for this family." No, he wasn't he was just scared. Scared for himself.
At age 4, Elsa learned true fear. While playing with her sister with some snow figurines. The King angrily entered their room and dragged the princess to the "punishment room". He chained her hands on some sort of pedestal and took out his belt. "I told you no powers." Then the unthinkable happened. He stroke his daughter's back with the belt.
Each strike is stronger than the last. "No powers." He kept on chanting. "Remember this pain. Every mistake, every mishap, every time you fail to control your powers. This will be your punishment."
Elsa was crying, confused. Her powers are lovely, it makes her sister smile and laugh. What is wrong with using it? Then another strike. The pain. The pain it will cause. When the King finished angry red spots covered Elsa's entire back. He called Gerda who tend to the little princess' bruised back.
"Why does Papa hate my powers? It hurts." Even Gerda does not know how to respond to that.
At age 5, Elsa stopped using her powers on purpose. Well, except when her sister is involved. She knew the punishments she would face if she used her powers, but the pure joy on her sister's face, whenever they played with her powers, was well worth the ensuing punishment. Well for her at least. The staff tried to convince her over and over not to use her powers, for her safety. "But Anna loves playing with it." She would say or "Anna is sad I need to make her happy."
The staff tried their hardest to cover the princess but it was becoming increasingly difficult. Though she can control it just fine when playing with her sister, there are times when she just slips up. Her powers grow stronger as she gets older. Holding it in only makes it worse.
Her father's punishments started with just belt whippings, then electrocution, until eventually actual flagellation. How could her father torture a five-year-old? Does the man not have a conscience? It was his daughter. On certain occasions even he would lock the princess up in the dungeon for days without food or water. The worst time was when he locked her up right after torturing the five-year-old. Gerda was practically screaming from the inside. Princess Elsa might die. She was bleeding profusely and he just threw in the dungeon without even tending to her wounds. She would bleed to death.
The entire staff worked together to get the keys to the dungeon and get to the princess. Gerda was bursting into tears as she saw how gruesome Elsa looked. Their father really punish… no tortured her into this bloody mess. "I'm so sorry princess. We- we couldn't stop this from happening."
Elsa weakly opened her eyes and smiled at her which caused more tears to fall from Gerda's face. "It's not… your fault… I'm happy… Anna… was happy. Punishment… worth it."
With those words, Gerda and the rest of the staff cried like a baby. Their Princess will become a great queen someday, but a miserable individual.
"I'm sorry. Your powers are a gift. Your father is wrong to think otherwise."
"I know. I don't resent them. Make Anna happy… powers good."
At age 6, things got out of hand and Elsa experienced true fear. When the sisters were playing in the ballroom, the King came bursting through the door. The staff tried their hardest to stop him but he was the King his words were law. He saw his daughters playing with snow figurines and knew exactly what was going on.
Without asking, the King grabbed his rod, the rod that produces electricity, and snapped it at the elder princess. The pain was excruciating but nothing new. The King did not stop, he just watched his daughter writhing in pain. "Anna…. Get her out…" Elsa begged through pained gasps. Her sister must not see their father like this. She's so innocent, knowing what their father really is would break that girl's heart. "Please"
Before any of the staff can react, their mother bursts through the door and carried Anna out of the room. "Keep her out here." Their mother went back in and pushed her husband. "This has gone on for long enough. She's six, six. How can you torture your daughter like this?"
The electrocution stopped, and Elsa could finally breathe. "I told you, this is for own good." He was talking to his daughter ignoring the angry look of the Queen.
"It does not concern you how resigned she was? How resigned a six-year-old was to her fate of your tortures? When you came in here she did not beg for you to stop. She begged for her sister to be removed so her sister would not see your cruelty. She's just six and she's already this amazing."
"She needs to stop using her curse."
"She needs to master her gift."
"ENOUGH! I am the King and what I say goes." The King was beyond furious now. He wants to strangle his wife for disobedience.
"If you don't stop I'm taking the girls away and you will never see us again." Her words were hollow but pure of intent.
This further angered the King. How can dare this insolent woman tell him what to do? He's just trying to protect his family and his people. "Do that and I will make sure Anna rot in the dungeon. I can find you no matter where you hide."
At the mention of her sister's name, Elsa stood back up ignoring the throbbing sensation on her body. Her father knows exactly what to say to get her to obey. "We'll stay. Mama, please stay out of papa's way. He's only trying to…"
"No sweetie. He has done enough. We will leave I'll protect the both of you. He won't harm you ever again."
"Just like how you've protected me?" Six words, six words was enough to shatter whatever spirit their mother had. Yes, she failed miserably, and even her eldest noticed. What kind of a mother is she?
"I understand. But let me protect my sister. We will stay mama. Papa will just have to teach me." Elsa understands the implications of her words. Teach is just another word for torture, but it is the only thing she can do for now. She'll just have to endure. "As long as Anna stays safe." She smiled at both her parents.
"Then that settles that." The King confirmed.
"NO! I'm taking them away. I don't care if you hate me Elsa but I'm taking you and sister away from here."
With her words, the King tackled her to the ground and started strangling her. "You will run and tell my people lies? I will not let you spread lies."
Panic erupted from the six-year-old. Her father is strangling her mother. She has to do something. "Guards. Help."
The guards came rushing in and stopped both royals. But the panic was still building up inside Elsa. She can feel her powers about to explode. No, not right now. She looked around for a place to shoot her powers, to get that release. The doors! The guards must have accidentally closed it when they entered. Who cares. With everything she had, she released her powers on the doors hoping they would hold.
But, as a cruel twist of fate. Anna decided at that moment to open the door and see what the commotion was about. Elsa saw her sister enter, but it was too late she had released her powers. She tried to stop it, pull it back. She can feel her arms throbbing as her powers are pulled back. The powers wanting out and the powers being pulled in clashed in her arms. But the pain didn't matter, if she didn't stop it would hurt her sister.
She succeeded in pulling back most of her powers, but not all. A small portion hit her sister's head and Anna crashed down to the floor unconscious. No.
The next events were blurry. Their parents stopped fighting and rushed to Anna's side. The King looked at his eldest. "What have you done? This is getting out of hand."