Rifiuto: Non Mirena

May, 1857

Linnea Castle

Arendelle

"I wish to speak with Her Majesty."

Elsa sat up as the young man quickly made his way towards the dais, and the throne she sat upon. He was young, perhaps in his teens or early twenties, dressed simply, and after a moment, she nodded for him to approach. He glanced nervously around at the court as he did so, hand moving into the folds of his jacket. But before she could speak, the click of a pistol cocking shattered the noise of the Arendellian court, as every head turned to find the young man holding a pistol before her.

"Do not move!" Those who would have rushed to stop him stilled, as he trained his gaze on Elsa. Even as the rest of her court stilled at his words, she herself rose slowly from her throne, the ice of her gown shimmering in the sunlight that shone through the windows. The simple diamond tiara that rested upon her head sparkled in the light, and she slowly moved down the steps of the dais. Anna moved to reach for her, but her sister held out a hand to stop her, gaze locked on the young man.

"You wish to speak with me?" Her voice was calm, controlled. He nodded. "You have my attention. What do you wish to speak to me about?" He stayed silent, shifting from foot to foot, watching her as she moved from the last step of the dais, now on the same level as him. For a split second, it flashed in his eyes just how tiny this queen was.

He himself was close to five foot seven or eight, and she just barely reached five feet. Her long, snow white locks were gathered atop her head in a beautifully thick braid, wispy strands clinging to her neck and cheeks, revealing even more her youthful beauty. The simple, slight bell of her skirt helped to accent her tiny waist, and the simple square neck of her dress exposed the milky skin of her chest, just hinting at cleavage. "Please, tell me. I will try my best to help ease whatever strain you're under. You're one of my subjects-"-

"I'm not one of your subjects." The light shaking stopped as he steadied his gaze on his target. "I don't bow to the tyrant of Arendelle."

Soft gasps filled the throne room, but Elsa merely raised an eyebrow. "Tyrant? Is that how you see me?" She stepped closer, slowly closing the gap between them. "I have done nothing but help and protect my people. I am Arendelle's faithful servant; everything I do is for the good of my country and her people, surely-"

"You are a tyrant!" He cried, cutting her off. "You bring death and destruction wherever you go, to so many, with a mere wave of your hand! You have bewitched our king, so much that he kneels before you like a servant waiting to do your bidding, as though you are the ruler and not he!"

What is he- A moment passed, before it clicked, and her gaze widened. "You are from the Isles."

The realization was quiet, calm, tinged with heartbreak, and she heard Anna struggle to stifle a gasp at her sister's soft declaration. Elsa felt tears begin to prick the backs of her eyes, as she now understood that this young man had come from the Isles to assassinate her, most likely of his own accord, and not on the orders of anyone else. Certainly not on Hans' orders. And yet- No. No! Hans... is your beloved, he would not do this to you. He has never wanted your throne, only your heart, and it is that which he has.

"Break the spell." She waited for him to continue. "Break the spell you have cast upon my king, and I will spare your life, you... witch." She winced at the word, but didn't speak. "Break the spell you have over the King of the Isles! Or I swear to Gods above, I will kill you now, before your court!"

Elsa could feel her sister itching to get between them, but she couldn't allow it. She could not lose her beloved sister; she would rather lose her own life to this young, impressionable man than suffer the loss of her last surviving family member. Briefly, she closed her eyes, slowly opening her hands, palms up, as she lifted her chin. Hans, my love, my darling, I'm sorry. I love you so. "I have cast no spell upon the king, of that I can assure you. He is my strongest ally," and my deepest, truest love, "I would no sooner cast a spell upon the king than I would pull down the heavens above."

He once more shifted from foot to foot, and Elsa watched, realizing how young he actually was. Something in the back of her brain was screaming that this young man was put up to this, much like the man who had attempted to kill her husband had been back at the start of the year. She had feared so for him, and when she'd been informed that he'd been wounded by an assassin's bullet, she'd dropped to her knees, her screams shattering the quiet of her private chambers. Anna had rushed to her side, but she'd only pushed her sister away, screaming, begging, pleading, with the Gods above to return him to her, for she did not know if he were dead or alive.

How the tables had turned in a few short months.

"I am no witch, I am merely a woman. A woman who unfortunately possesses powers over snow and ice. I have bewitched no one, least of all the King of the Isles. I'm sorry you believe I have. I have sought merely an alliance with the king," an alliance of marriage, an alliance of parenthood, that which was brought forth when his seeds released within me, "and nothing further."

The young man shook his head, not believing her. "No, you are a witch, sent to bewitch the king to hand over his throne. You shall kill him and take over the Isles, and you must be stopped before that can happen! I will not let you destroy the Isles with your cursed magic; you shall burn in the fires of Hell first!"

She stepped closer, closer, until only the gun separated them. Now close enough, she realized just how young he was, for he was barely out of his teens. She recognized familiar features that Hans shared with this young countryman of his, that her children shared with their father- after a moment, she reached up, taking the barrel of the gun. Gaze never leaving his, she rested the barrel gently between her cleavage; were he to pull the trigger, this would be the quickest way to her heart. The entire court waited with bated, frozen breath as she released her hold on the gun, meeting his gaze. No one but the queen had moved, for fear of causing him to fire. They all watched, as she nodded to the young man, seeming to put her entire trust in him.

Go on, if you truly believe in your cause, if you truly believe you will be doing good, then pull the trigger. I implore you, if you believe you are doing good, then fire your pistol, and break the curse you believe I've cast over the king.

"Elsa, no!"

She was jolted as the pistol fired, and soon everything went black.