Disclaimer! I do not own Frozen/Disney.
Hi!
I'm glad many of you enjoyed the last chapter! Now I bring you a new one! There are a lot more character explorations I will write in the future. THANK YOU SOOOOO MUCH FOR YOUR UNDYING SUPPORT, and because of that I was inspired to draw how Anna looks like in her investiture. It was not a good one but I hope you all will like how I envisioned Anna from chapter 32. I'll be posting other drawings too from this fic whenever I make one so you guys will know how I see them in my mind. It's quite challenging since I haven't done anything like it before. For those who are interested to see it I'll leave these links for you guys. ;)
/post/689311302463750144/finally-a-decent-drawing-of-anna-i-was
if the link doesnt work, here's my tumblr
( glacearendelle)
Fanfic doesn't allow the hypertext thing. It kept on disappearing.
Anyway, I hope you all enjoy this chapter!
TRIGGER WARNING FOR VIOLENCE, TORTURE AND LANGUAGE.
They were all standing on either side of a sick man's bed, he had fallen ill recently and had called in seven people whom he trusted the most. On either side there were three people and each side represented two different houses. The right side of the bed was composed of two men and a woman, while on the other side were all men, and opposite the bed was a man sitting by a writing desk.
The sick man dictated the words that needed to be written down by the scribe. Once they were finished, a red melted wax seal was placed under the written words of the parchment, with a shaky hand, the sick man pressed his seal on it after signing the document.
The scribe then picked up the tray where the document was and had asked the six people to sign on the blank space of the parchment, across the sick man's signature, each of them had their own seals pressed next to their signatures.
The parchment was rolled into a scroll and tied with a string secured by another wax seal and was placed in a rectangular box to lock it up before leaving it by the sick man's bedside.
All but one was left in the sick man's room and it was the woman. The sick man had given her a sealed letter and smiled kindly to her.
"Use this in your hour of need. I had made the necessary arrangements."
"Thank you, Y-."
". . . has collapsed! Hurry and fetch a physician!" a loud booming voice and hurried footsteps could be heard just outside the room.
The sick man wanted to get out of bed but he was halted by the woman.
"I'll go see who it was." The woman coaxed the man to lay back down. She then hurried out of the room.
Little did they know that the sealed letter was used sooner than any of them could think ever of.
Elsa was woken up by a pair of arms wrapped around her waist. It was still dark outside but she couldn't fall back to sleep since she slept for longer hours than she usually does. She found herself burying her nose on her lover's strawberry blonde tresses. The scent of summer became her favorite for a certain reason and now she had another thing to associate her favorite season with.
Memories of what happened merely hours ago flashed in her mind. Heat rushed on her cheeks and she was sure her ears were red as a tomato as well. She didn't know what came over her, at first they were teasing one another then the next thing she knew she had hoisted Anna on her thigh to do . . .that. Sure she was aggressive and always initiated those kinds of things before with Anna but she never to that extent even if her certain needs urged her to do just that.
Anna's moonlit features had sparked Elsa's desire to take her and kiss her senselessly but she didn't want to scare her beautiful lover. Elsa knew if they kissed it would be hard for her to control her ever growing desire for her wife, but Anna had asked her to kiss her and who was Elsa to deny the most beautiful woman in the entire world?
After those passionate kisses, Elsa had let herself to satiate the hunger she was feeling and lost some of her control, also it didn't help that Anna was more than willing to advance their romantic relationship further. However she was still hesitant to let her passion take over her reason and logic. She didn't want to be an insatiable monster, she didn't want to make Anna feel like she was only in it for intimacy. Elsa desired love first and foremost, the very thing she never thought she would have in this marriage but she did have it.
Elsa's thumb gently caressed Anna's lower lip.
"I love you with all my heart." she mumbled. "I fear that I can no longer see myself alone." it was the truth. Elsa could no longer see herself as an independent woman who could survive on her own, not when she had a taste of warmth and love from the person whom she was married to and in love with. What Elsa feared was what if Anna would leave her? The mere thought of it shook her very core.
"You won't leave me, right?" she whispered. ". . . because I am very damn sure what I might do if that happened. . . and it won't be pretty."
Elsa pulled her lover into her arms even more. "I'll protect you no matter what."
Anna stirred in her sleep and snuggled more on Elsa's chest.
"Sleep." Anna grumbled, earning a warm smile from Elsa.
"I can't even if I want to." Elsa whispered. "You sleep."
Anna hummed in response.
The sun rose from the east, illuminating the finished large wooden scaffold directly on view of the balcony above. Men and women bustled about and many more entered the castle gates, all anticipating the inevitable.
Above them in one of the rooms was the Queen gazing out of the window, she was already dressed in her dark blue military uniform complete with her crown. Next to her was her Duchess, dressed in high collared dark green dress with black bodice paired with a high collared jacket with gold buttons. She was sitting on her rectangular plush seat in front of the vanity while Wendy had her hair done in half up do, just like when she had her investiture.
"Should I wear the ducal crown?" Anna asked as she eyed the Eldr circlet.
"You should, because we're going to show your authority to them." Elsa said.
"Okay." Anna answered, Wendy then proceeded to place the ducal circlet upon her head.
"You look absolutely regal, Your Grace." Wendy said with a smile.
"Thank you." she smiled. "You may go."
Wendy got out of the room, leaving the couple inside.
Elsa stood behind her and wrapped her arms around her and nuzzled her strawberry blonde tresses. "You are so beautiful." She wanted to give her beloved a kiss on her neck but the high collared dress prevented her, so she kissed the back of Anna's ear instead. She sighed. "I'm starting to dislike high collared dresses."
Soft giggles escaped from Anna's lips.
"Why is that?"
"Because I can't kiss your delectable neck." the Queen nipped the shell of her ear.
"Ah. Stop it." Anna blushed. "And may I remind you that it is your fault why I can't wear off shoulder dresses, it is because you left quite a lot of love bites."
"Now you're blaming me for your wonderful body?" the Queen turned Anna's face and gave her a searing kiss. "Mhmm."
The Duchess couldn't help but to turn her body as well and respond with the same passion.
"Ah we should hmmph stop." Anna said but the Queen had no intention to do so and so was she, if her tight grip on the Queen's lapels and pulling her in was any indication.
"Elsahmmph." Anna tried to speak but Elsa kept going so she had no choice but to succumbed to her Queen's passionate kiss even further.
After some time, both pulled away and this gave Anna time to re-composed herself. Meanwhile Elsa grinned at her handiwork, a flustered and panting Anna.
Anna saw Elsa's grin and she playfully glared at her. "I do hope you didn't ruin Wendy's hard work- Elsa! What have you done?!" she exclaimed as she saw her smudged lip paint through the mirror.
"Nothing, aside from kissing you that is." Elsa's grin couldn't get any wider.
Anna smacked her arm. "Now I have to fix it myself!"
"Why not call Wendy back?" Elsa suggested, and this gained another glare.
"And let her know that you ravished me?" Anna was baffled.
"What? It's the truth anyway, also it's not like she hadn't seen those love bites on your skin when she dressed you up." Elsa chuckled.
"And that's another thing! Do you even know how mortified I was when I saw myself in the mirror?! Gods. I have never been so embarrassed in all my life when I saw Wendy's knowing smile!" Anna said as she wiped her lips with damp linen. Memories of the night rushed back into her mind, she couldn't help but blush on her actions. She was so needy and clung to Elsa up to the edge, she never thought she could make noises like that.
"We're married so it's fine."
Anna raised her right hand. "I don't see no ring." Anna retorted, she picked up the slender brush Wendy used.
Elsa chuckled. "Here. Let me." she took the brush from her hand. She sat next to her and dipped the brush in the small container. "Look at me."
Anna did what Elsa asked and turned her head to face her. "Do you even know what you're doing?" she asked with a teasing tone.
"I'm not sure if you're aware that I use lip paint too." Elsa said dryly as she held Anna's chin.
Anna blushed the moment Elsa stared at her eyes then flickering her gaze down to her lips. Before Anna could realize it, Elsa once again pressed their lips together but this one was slow and gentle.
"I love you." Elsa said softly after she pulled away.
Anna smiled. "I love you too." she pressed their forehead together with a soft clinking sound because of Elsa's tiara and her circlet bumping together.
"I should fix your lip paint." Elsa said.
"Yours too." Anna chuckled.
"Yeah, I think so too."
They pulled away from each other, Elsa started to dabbed lip paint on her lips, Elsa's eyes were focused on her lips. Anna couldn't help to feel warm inside at the thought of this person in front of her. They had come a long way to reach this kind comfortable atmosphere between them.
"You're smiling." Elsa remarked.
"Am I? Probably because I am thinking of you." In a split second Anna saw how Elsa's pale white skin turned into a shade of red up close.
"Do you, now? Press your lips together. There, done." Elsa smiled.
"I do." Anna smiled brightly. "Thank you."
"Most welcome." Elsa used the damp linen to remove the smudged lip paint from her lips.
"May I pose a question?"
"Sure." Elsa said as she turned towards the mirror.
"I noticed you don't have a maid, or ladies in waiting for that matter, to help you dress up." Anna noticed how Elsa faltered for a moment.
"I find it restricting to have someone follow me around, I am capable of doing things on my own since I was eleven I think?" Elsa pressed her lips together and put down the brush. "Besides, dressing up didn't become an issue since I stopped wearing dresses."
"Why did you? Stop wearing dresses I mean." Anna had always wanted to ask that particular question.
"You're a curious one, aren't you?" Elsa turned to her and chuckled.
"I suppose so."
"I think I told you how Coronans looked down on women until my cousin was born." Anna nodded. "Since they were just getting used to recognizing women other than pawns for marriage alliances and a breeding stock, I had to adapt to my environment since I'd be part of the military. Skirts were too impractical to wear and also given what I have, I thought it would be more proper to wear men's clothing. This idea of ditching dresses was enforced by my Uncle saying and I quote 'You must look dignified and wearing a dress with your current status will only earn mockery from every single man out there and you will not be respected by your future subordinates. Dress accordingly as your birth dictated.'"
"I see. Now I understand." Anna caressed Elsa's face.
"It confused me for a while since I was raised by my parents dressing up like my sister when I was supposed to dress like my brother." Elsa took her hand and gave her palm a kiss.
"Your parents never told you why?"
"I wish they did. Surely they wouldn't have known I'd have feminine features, right?"
Elsa had a point. Anna thought.
"Right."
Both of them didn't make a move, as if both were waiting for something.
"Anna – "
"Elsa – "
Both of them called each other's name at the same time, making them laugh a bit.
"You first." Elsa smiled.
Anna held Elsa's hand tight. "About our . . . prisoners."
"What about them?"
"Would it be alright if we can have someone else issue the order of executing them?"
Elsa gave her a confused look. "What? What do you mean?" She pulled her hand away from Anna but her Duchess held it again.
"Elsa– hear me out please. It's just if you executed them, wouldn't there be any consequences?"
"I am perfectly aware of it. There will always be consequences at every action, especially in my position as Queen." Elsa said.
"Then would it be better for someone else to do it?" Anna asked pleadingly.
Elsa sighed. "Anna. You don't understand. I am the Queen, I should be the one to do it. They will see me as a weak ruler and I can't have that, you know perfectly well that I can't be seen that way." she explained.
Anna looked down in shame. "I know, it's just I don't want anyone to try to rebel against you, especially when they are Runeard's people."
"Look at me darling, please." Elsa lifted her chin. "I appreciate what you're trying to do and I understand, but since I was seen as a conqueror who had no rights just because I was raised in a far away kingdom, I was bound to face resistance everywhere. This execution will be a great display of strength for me, and I honestly doesn't care what they think of me –"
"But I do! I do care what they think of you. Elsa you're doing your best for this kingdom to revive it and make it flourish just like before, I don't want your efforts be in vain because of these low lives who did nothing but ruin things just because they deigned themselves deserving of what you have." Anna said with so much passion. "You are a good Queen, you were willing to sacrifice your own happiness just to keep the peace. And I am sure you would be willing to stay married with me in a loveless marriage if that what it took to keep the kingdom from burning itself down because of political reasons."
Elsa once again sighed then gave Anna a weak smile. "You're so eloquent. Your words make every bit of sense, however I could not let them see me as a spineless Queen. I truly understand your intention and I am grateful."
Anna could feel that Elsa would reject her idea and she couldn't let her damage her already tarnished reputation even further, without any much thought she uttered words that drained the blood from Elsa's face.
"Let me do it."
"What?!" Elsa stood up abruptly. "What in the gods' name are you saying?!"
Anna stood up as well.
"They are Runeard's spawns! They are my responsibility! They acted in the name of Eldr, my house! And as its current head I am responsible for their actions. I can punish them without staining your hands with their blood."
"No." Elsa sternly answered.
"Elsa please."
"I said no." Elsa turned to leave. "I'll summon the nobles to further discuss this, and you shall remain here."
Anger bubbled inside Anna.
"No." Annd strode forward and held Elsa's arm. "I won't be ordered by you. I won't listen."
"Anna." Elsa's tone was warning her but Anna refused to back down.
"I won't be treated like a helpless child! I am a Duchess! Your wife! I refused to be treated like this! You wanted me to show my strength and now you are making me look like a weak woman who has no right to decide for herself!" Anna gritted her teeth.
"Anna, you have to understand that you aren't raised in this kind of environment where killing people is like snuffing out candles! You were so shaken at the thought of those whom you killed and I don't want to see you like that again! I don't want you to feel remorseful and be miserable because of those who wanted to harm you, because I know how that feels!"
Anna was right, Elsa had experienced it before.
"I don't want you to become a killer like me." Elsa turned to her and caressed her face. "I don't want your hands to be soaked with blood, I am more than capable to do that job for you. I don't want you to be tainted with darkness, my darling." she uttered with so much softness in her tone.
"I know." Anna responded softly and wrapped her arms around Elsa's waist before pressing the side of head on the platinum blonde's chest. "I understand what you are trying to say, but wouldn't it be much better if I wouldn't be seen as a pampered princess that could be easily killed? I am aware that this won't be the last assassination attempt on my life because of that image they knew of me."
Elsa could only sigh.
"Please my darling." Anna looked up at Elsa's conflicted face. "Grant me this request."
"You're certainly not making it easy for me, aren't you?." Elsa looked straight in Anna's eyes. "Alright, I'll consider it."
It was not a yes, also not a no. Anna was quite unsatisfied with Elsa's answer, regardless it was better than a straight up no.
"Thank you." Anna smiled.
Elsa had escorted her Duchess to the council room, her lover's arm wrapped around her own, gaining smiles from the servants they met in the hallways they walked through. Elsa then couldn't help but to feel conflicted on Anna's request, though her argument was completely solid and Elsa couldn't think of proper words to make Anna back down on her objective without sounding like a misogynistic.
She looked at her lover and smiled. This wasn't what Elsa had envisioned in her marriage. A brave, supportive and loving wife, on the contrary Elsa expected a scheming wife who would do anything to take everything from her. The gods and goddess had blessed her with such an incredible wife, and soon the whole world would know that Anna was hers and hers alone.
Anna's comment about her lack of a ring made Elsa ponder a bit. Her glacial blue eyes looked at Anna's right hand, the hand clutching her left arm, she smiled. However the smile was short lived when a servant came and informed her about something that only she and her cousins knew about rather loudly.
"A man in the dungeon insisted to convey this message to you, Your Majesty, he was asking if you already found it." the servant said.
Elsa could feel Anna's curious stare, so she turned to her. "You can proceed to the council room, I'll just attend to this matter."
"No. I want to come with you." Anna insisted.
Elsa's jaw clenched. "Anna, trust me you really don't want to go there." She thought of the traitors, the whipped corrupt officials, a half dead spy and a crippled man. It wasn't exactly a pretty sight.
"I have – no – I need to see their faces and let them see me as I am, a true heiress."
She didn't dare to argue because it would lead them nowhere also she knew she would cave at Anna's another request.
"If you insist, but I'm taking you out of there the moment you feel uncomfortable, alright?"
"Agreed." Anna answered.
The servant had led them in the dungeon, They climbed down on stone stairs and reached the lower levels of the castles with only lamps illuminating the way. The air was thick with a rancid scent that could make anyone who wasn't used to this kind of environment nauseous. Elsa watched Anna's face contorted in disgust.
"Are you still going to insist on coming in? I warn you, it won't be a pretty sight." Elsa was barely affected by the foul scent, while Anna was already turning green.
"Y-Yes." Anna answered but covered her mouth as her stomach turned because of the smell.
"You should go." Elsa insisted.
"No!"
"Stubborn woman." Elsa mumbled, earning a glare from Anna as she retrieved a neatly folded black handkerchief under the cuff of her coat. "Here, it is scented with citrus, this will help."
Anna's glare disappeared the moment the piece of cloth was pressed against her nose.
"How about this. . ." Elsa paused. "You there." she pointed at the man and beckoned him to come closer. Elsa said words in Kaldrian to him. "Let's go. I wouldn't want to subject you to this uren sight." She led Anna up the stone stairs towards the double door leading to the throne room. On the way there she told one servant the same thing, only it was addressed to the nobles of the castle, and gave a few more instructions.
Anna gave her a confused look. "Why are we here?"
Elsa pried open the throne room doors. Her steps echoed in the empty room. "What a better way to assert your power than this?" she smirked and held out her hand towards Anna. "Your Grace."
Anna took her hand and she led her Duchess towards the dais. "Have a seat." Anna obeyed and sat on the Duchess' throne.
Elsa sat on the Ducal throne. "As uncomfortable as this seat is, I have to endure it."
Anna held her hand.
"Never let them get under your skin. Don't give them the satisfaction of making you look irrational in front of many people because of your anger."
Anna nodded in understanding.
"And don't worry too much, alright? I am here with you." Elsa interlaced their fingers together and she kissed the back of her hand before smiling.
Anna smiled back, however their smiles vanished and they let go of each other the moment the entitled men came in.
"Your Majesty, Your Grace?"
"My Lords." Elsa addressed them all.
"I thought we're going to discuss the-WHAT ARE THEY DOING HERE?!" the Count of Isles exclaimed after he heard the other side doors opening revealing the Eldr bastards and their mothers, flanked by Olaf and Eric and their men.
The traitors were bound in thick and heavy chains and metal collars were worn around their necks. Each and every one of them were forced to kneel before them.
"You!" Lord Ector growled at Anna.
Anna's eyes were diverted from the Count towards the bearded man in front of her. His hair had the same shade of her grandf- Runeard's. His glaring eyes were on her and his snarling mouth was like a feral dog's.
"You have no right to wear my father's crown! Even more so now you are not only consorting with the enemy but also fucking her!"
Loud gasps erupted in the room at his words. The vulgarity of his words disgusted many nobles and even common people? It seemed they were allowed to come into the throne room to witness everything.
All eyes were on her, her heart started to beat so loudly in her chest. She was appalled and angry at him for insulting her like this when he didn't even know her nor had the right to do so.
The Duke and the Count gave the Queen an expectant look, as if waiting for her to save Anna's honor in front of these people. Anna felt a sting in her pride that these men relied so much on Elsa to the point they thought she wouldn't be able to protect herself.
Despite the expectant looks, the Queen remained silent.
"What I do in private is none of your concern." Anna said in a steady voice, she dismissed his words as if they were nothing.
"Ha! You are a whore! She said so herself to me at the ball! This filthy whore is fucking that thing to gain power! I bet you are thoroughly fucked to have the this Duchy." Anastasia added.
Anna imitated Elsa's demeanor of smirking and looking down on the people she deemed beneath her.
"Your confidence is surprising. I told you that?" Anna asked as if knew nothing of it. "Do you think I would impart such intimate information about myself to someone like you, whether or not I did what you are implying?" She then turned to the people in the room. "Anyone here who attended the ball heard me say that?" The room was silent.
"And did you know insulting a noble from the legitimate line of the royal house of Aren is punishable by hanging? What more insulting of Her Majesty herself?"
"I don't care which house you hail from! You are nothing but a little orphan who seduced the Usurper in giving you what's rightfully mine!"
"How astounding." Anna said. "You're not just a liar but ambitious too."
"I am not a liar! You told me!" Anastasia made a move as if to attack Anna but Eric held her shoulder hard to keep her in place. "Let go of me you filthy animal!" she addressed Eric, which was thoroughly ignored.
Anna gave her a cold smile. "I asked for a witness but no one turned up."
"Giselle was there!" Anastasia shouted. "You must all believe me!"
"And she's not here, is she?"
Murmurs erupted in the room, making Anna nervous at their reaction.
"Relax." she heard Elsa whisper.
Anna breathed in. "Funny you called out her name when your ally sitting next to your mother had the House Andalasia burned into the ground with all its occupants."
Baroness Gothel looked up to her and a manic smile was fully on display. "Do you have any proof that I was the one who ordered it?"
The Queen signaled one of the guards to show all the thick stack of letters that bore Baroness Gothel's seal.
"I think these were enough proof of your treachery." Anna said calmly.
"You whore!" Baroness Gothel shouted in anger.
"Again that word. You like using it against me and yet you yourself are one. Having an affair with a married man and produced children just to have what you want. You gained the title of a Baroness just because you produced illegitimate sons, and everyone knows that." Anna retorted. "Same goes for your mother." She directed this to Anastasia.
"How dare you insult my mother like that?!" Anastasia screamed as she trashed in her place. "You are a sly vixen who used your body to gain the same thing!"
Anna gave her a bored look. "Does it bother you? Are you concerned about my reputation? I'm touched." her words were dripping with sarcasm, earning a foul word from Anastasia. "I find it odd that you like to identify me as a woman of ill repute and find it so deplorable. And yet your father himself was a manwhore, buying countless women to fornicate with and you are one of the results, an illegitimate spawn. He must've regretted your existence since you look nothing like him." Anna chuckled.
"How dare you insult me!" Lady Tremaine exclaimed.
"I'm sure I didn't." Anna raised her brow. "Though I confess, she looks nothing like you either."
Laughter erupted in the room, mocking Anastasia.
The Queen's lips curved upward ever so lightly that it was so easy to miss.
"You have no right to insult our father like that!" Lord Ector once again growled at Anna. "And don't forget he was your Grandfather."
"Unfortunately for me, he was, but I don't acknowledge him as my family anymore, not since I found out how he ordered Her Majesty's entire family murdered, the noble House of Vinter."
There was another murmuring from the crowd, because for the people of Eldr Duchy they thought the ascension of Runeard was a legitimate one and identified the murder of the Vinters as a mere rumor circulated by the late Duke's enemies.
"And you have no right to insult me like how you did. How dare you, a rotten fruit, insult the true heiress of my illustrious family." Anna gave him a withering glare. "You said I have no right to wear Prince Einrik's crown, do you really want me to tell you the technicality why I wear this? Are you that dull-witted for not knowing? To explain plainly, my father was the legitimate heir but he died young, and a law was passed making me eligible to hold this title as his only daughter. Did you understand that? Or do you want me to dumb it down for you much further?" Anna gave him a mocking smile.
The people in the throne room laughed and agreed on what Anna had said. The nobles were watching in amusement, clearly enjoying every single thing.
"You bitch!" Lord Ector growled. "I will kill you!"
"Not if I kill you first ." Anna challenged.
"I should've killed you, when I had a chance." all eyes went to Baroness Gothel, who was glaring at her and beside her was his half dead son because of his unattended injuries. "I should've killed you like how I killed your bitch of a grandmother!"
The room went silent.
Anna's words caught in her throat.
The Queen was sporting a blank look but she wanted to reach out to Anna, however she wouldn't dare to make Anna look weak.
The silence was broken by multiple feet scrambling towards the Baroness.
"You demon! How dare you – LET GO OF ME!" the Count of Isles was fighting off Lord Solskinn and Lord Jorgen, who were holding him back and preventing him from pulling out his sword. "YOU KILLED MY SISTER YOU DEMON!" the Count screamed.
Baroness Gothel laughed. She got what she wanted, chaos. And she intended to wreck them all emotionally as a sick vengeance. She relished on their reaction, especially from Anna who was stunned at the revelation.
"Well I can't say I killed her on my own without King Runeard's help and permission of course." Baroness Gother chuckled.
"YOU FUCKING BITCH!" the Count of Isles trashed against his captors.
"It's not truly a surprise that you both did that." the Queen interjected. "You just had the entire House Andalasia burned into the ground and Runeard was no better than dirt."
Anna couldn't utter a single word and unfortunately the Baroness said words that totally broke Anna's dwindling confidence.
"Yes, yes! That is why he asked me to give him the same poison that killed his useless wife and fed it to his son. Wasn't he a good father? He was paving a way for my sons to be rulers but you, ice bitch, killed my son!" Baroness Gothel's composed demeanor changed into manic behavior. "You killed my son! You and your bitch of a Duchess doesn't deserve to live!"
Anna's heart dropped at the words she heard. The noise around her became muffled and the only thing she could hear was the loud thumping of her heart.
Thump
Thump
Thump
Anna's complexion was pale and her tears were threatening to roll down her cheeks, her gripped on the arms of the throne turned her knuckles white. She was seething. She wanted to kill this woman in front of her herself. Anna wanted to rip her to pieces. She wanted not even a speck of her remains.
The Queen placed her hand above Anna's, not caring if anyone was watching.
This gesture had snapped Anna from her trance and swallowed that lumped in her throat.
"I, the Duchess of Eldr, sentence you former Lord Ector , former Lady Anastasia and Madonna, former Baroness Gothel and Runeard, to death by beheading for the crimes of high treason by means of attempted usurpation of my rights, attempted assassination of my person, for insulting Her Majesty, Queen Elsa, and for murdering my father and grandmother, later at noon." Anna uttered in a loud and clear commanding voice. Everyone's eyes were filled with surprise and had looked at the Queen, who just sat there listening, and then to her.
Anna stood up abruptly with every ounce of grace she had in her because all she wanted to do was run and cry her heart out. She was flanked by the Queen.
The traitors screamed and trashed against the Queen's elite guards. Once the double door closed behind them Anna's knees gave in and knelt on the carpeted floor and burst out crying. She covered her mouth to keep herself from screaming in anger and in pain. Elsa knelt beside her and wrapped pulled her into a consoling hug.
"I'm here." Elsa whispered.
Anna turned her head and wailed on Elsa's chest. Her father dying was bad enough but knowing her own grandfather had a hand in it made it much much worse. She couldn't believe her so-called grandfather could do such a thing, murdering his own wife and son to what end? Of all the people in all creation why did she have to be born from that man's lineage? From that disgusting, utterly terrible and homicidal maniac. She could feel disgust towards herself because her own blood that flows inside her was the same blood she shared with that awful man.
"I should've killed him before you killed him." Anna said. Her soft heart was turning cold and hard. "I should've killed him myself!" Anna screamed as she cried rivers of tears. "He deprived me of my father and grandmother. He deprived me of the father's love I should've received! To think I loved that awful man like a father when he killed my father. How could he- his own son!"
Elsa's heart was with her even more so now it was revealed that the same man had snuffed the life out of the lives of their loved ones.
A woman went to them, Elsa looked up to see who it was.
"Your Majesty? Your Grace?"
"Lady Giselle." Elsa said as she covered Anna using her body, she didn't want anyone to see Anna like this. Without any thoughts, she carried Anna in her arms. "This is not the best time. If you'll excuse us." Elsa's jaw clenched in anger because Anna's sobs didn't subside.
"Of course, Your Majesty." Lady Giselle curtsied.
Elsa moved past Lady Giselle and went straight to their shared bedroom, on the way there she instructed a servant to fetch Olaf from the dungeons. Once they were inside, Anna was still inconsolable. She deposited her on their bed but Anna refused to let go.
"Don't leave me please." Anna begged in that heart wrenching voice.
"I won't, I'm just going to. . .alright." Elsa sat on the bed with Anna sitting on her lap, who had her arms around Elsa's neck. She removed her crown as well as Anna's and dropped them on the carpeted floor. She doesn't give a fig about those golden crowns, all she cared about at the moment was her wife who kept on crying. "Kjæreste." she kissed the side of Anna's head.
"I'm here. You can cry all you want. I won't leave. I love you." Elsa waited for Anna's sobs to subside into soft whimpers and thankfully they did. "I'm so sorry that you had to hear such hurtful things. I'm so sorry about your father and your grandmother. I know how it feels like to lose someone dear, my heart goes out for you. If only I'd known I should've done things swiftly so you didn't have to deal with this heartbreak. I'm so sorry for letting them hurt you like this." Elsa was angry at herself that she wasn't able to protect Anna from this. "I won't let anything like this happen again."
She was caressing Anna's back gently to let her know that she cared and she was there for her. Soon Anna's breathing evened out, she fell asleep.
Elsa gently tucked her under the covers and removed her jacket and unfastened the high collared dress to make Anna comfortable, as she did so soft knocks reached her ears.
"Come in." Elsa said as she folded the jacket.
"Your Majesty, you sent for me?" Olaf asked.
"Yes. I want you to prepare the silver." Elsa nonchalantly stated, but Olaf's reaction was of a surprise.
"The silver?" Olaf asked to make sure.
"Yes. And I want that old woman and that uren redhead woman suspended in the air by their wrists. I will personally attend to them." Elsa said without turning her attention to Olaf, instead she was wiping Anna's tears. "Have Eric and Wendy guard here. No one, under any circumstances, should disturb her. Understood?"
"Yes, of course." Olaf said as he looked at the scene in front of him, he smiled a bit. "I must get on." he bowed and left.
Elsa carefully stood up from Anna's side and shed her coat, revealing her white shirt and dark blue waistcoat. She kissed Anna's forehead gently, she smiled but soon her smile vanished as she watched Anna cry in her sleep.
"They don't deserve to live." Elsa muttered in pure anger. She once again wiped Anna's tears, that's when Eric and Wendy arrived.
"You've done an excellent job, now let me do mine." Elsa pressed a soft kiss on Anna's lips. "Guard her well, I don't have the tolerance for mistakes at the moment." She neatly tied her dark blue cravat around her neck.
"Of course, Your Majesty." Wendy and Eric responded in unison.
Elsa marched out of the room towards the part of the dungeon where they could easily punish whoever they wanted. She opened the heavy door and saw two women dressed only in their shifts and were hanging in mid air by their wrists with heavy balls and chains around their two feet. Her hands were itching to reach the nearest sharpest object and gut them alive but no she shouldn't do that. They had to suffer first.
Olaf was carrying a wooden box and opened it revealing a silver woven whip with small spikes protruding along its length.
"I had this made for Runeard but sadly I wasn't able to use it because the Count's hounds made a feast out of his corpse." Elsa rolled up her sleeves then took out the silver whip from its container.
"You villain!" Anastasia said. "You killed my father!"
"Yes I did, for good reasons of course." Elsa readied the whip. "Now I am going to do much worse than death."
The sound of the whip cracking, screaming and rattling of chains filled the air and they echoed in the room.
Crack
Crack
Crack
"Stop! AAH! I SAID STOP!" Anastasia screamed.
The former Baroness kept her screams from leaking out of her lips, at every strike of the spiky whip that ruined her flesh.
Elsa was alternating between the former Baroness and Anastasia. She was so angry that she could go on forever just to punish these awful women.
The silver whip dug itself on their flesh and ripped it out at every tug Elsa made. The former Baroness screamed in unison with Anastasia as she couldn't take the pain anymore.
"NO MORE! PLEASE! AAH! AH!" the former Baroness begged.
The sound of her voice only fueled Elsa's anger, as she was reminded how this woman made her Duchess cry. Elsa didn't stop whipping them to the point her face and her clothes were sullied with their blood. She didn't care! She wanted these women to die right then and then, with their flesh ripped out of them.
A pool of blood formed under the two women and they were losing consciousness.
"Salted water." Elsa ordered.
Olaf signaled two men to splash the women's bleeding back with buckets of salted water.
"AAAAAAAAH!"
Both screamed in unison.
"Take them back to their cells, pour more salt on their backs and make sure they are alive for Anna to kill. And hang the eldest of the bastards, I have yet to punish him for insulting her."
Elsa watched as the limp bodies of the women were dragged away.
"Let me go! You fiends!" former Lord Ector trashed against Olaf and their men.
Elsa looked down on him.
Once the man was in place, Elsa readied her whip. . . but a frantic servant came bursting in.
"Your Majesty. The Count of Isles is insisting to see Her Grace and now causing ruckus in the hall because he wasn't allowed entry."
Elsa gritted her teeth in anger as she passed the whip to Olaf. "Do it and make sure he'll beg for death."
Olaf's lips turned into a manic smile. "With pleasure. I've always wanted to try this thing, but before that, use this." he handed a black handkerchief to her.
"Thank you." Elsa didn't bother using it and rushed to the estate rooms.
"What's going on here?"
The Count was about to start his tirade but Elsa's bloodied face and clothes had stopped him.
"Whose blood was that?!" he asked.
"Do you honestly think I would let those low lives insult me and Anna just like that without any repercussions?"
"I was gonna ask Anna to give me permission to punish that old hag." The Count's tone was filled with anger and hate.
"Do as you please, just make sure she's still alive before noon for her final shame." The Count then immediately made his way to the dungeon. Elsa turned to put her hand on the handle of the door when a voice stopped her.
"Y-Your Majesty?"
Elsa turned to see a scared Lady Giselle upon seeing the blood.
"What is it?"
"May I have a word?" Lady Giselle steeled herself.
"Make it quick." Elsa ordered.
I hope you all like this chapter!
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