Elsa felt her head throb as she slowly opened her eyes to see the ceiling of her room. Propping herself up on her elbows, she rose into a sitting position as the room spun slightly. Giving it a moment to pass she swung her legs over the side and pushing the covers off her body. For a minute her mind was blank as she looked around the room and noticed the sun was high in the sky and her clock on the wall noted it was two in the afternoon. As she pushed off her bed with her hands she felt a slight pain in her wrists, bringing them up she saw they were delicately wrapped with bandages.
She frowned for a moment trying to remember what had happened to her wrists when all at once it came back to her. Her kidnapping, Zavis, Greed, her rescue, and Edward sending her to Arendelle while he faced the captor. Elsa panicked for a moment and pushed open her door surprising the two guards stationed there.
"Your Majesty?"
The platinum blonde, remembering the last two guards that were outside her room, waved her hands and froze the two of them from shoulder to foot. The two men had shock on their faces that they had been restrained by their monarch who quickly decided to run down the hall.
Elsa was running on instinct at the moment, she was back in the castle where there were imposter guards roaming around and could be near her sister. A trail of ice formed behind her as she ran startling servants she blew by as she made a beeline toward her sister's room. When she made it there, she didn't even bother knocking as she pushed the door open with her shoulder and looked around for her sister. When she found the room empty, her panic began to increase as she turned on her heel and ran toward the courtyard oblivious to the ice beginning to spread around her. Any guard that crossed her path had their feet frozen to the ground as she ran past all of them calling out for her to calm down.
It was when she turned around a corner that led to the stairs going to ballroom did she run into Kai who was more than a little surprised at the usually poised Queen running like a bat out of hell. The two of them fell onto their butts as they hit each other, the butler was startled when ice blossomed from where the blonde fell and froze his breeches to the ground. Nethertheless he was happy to see she was back on her feet but noticed the look of fear on her face.
"Queen Elsa, are you alright?"
Elsa noticing it was Kai scrambled to her feet and unfroze him as she wrapped her arms around his neck in a tight squeeze. For a moment the butler was surprised but hugged her back somewhat awkwardly until she pulled back. Grabbing his hand, the blonde fueled by adrenaline pulled the man to his feet and tugged him down the stairway.
"Kai I'm so glad to see you, listen, there are imposter guards roaming around we need to find Anna before they can get to her."
The butler was having a hard time keeping his balance as he was being pulled by the Queen but he managed to hook an arm around a rung on the stairs and made her stop. Confused and still panicked, Elsa turned around and was about to reiterate their dilemma when Kai put his hands in front of him in a calming gesture and spoke first.
"We are aware that your Majesty, we spent the night verifying the guards and we're sure there are no more imposters. Your sister is in the infirmary, she's unharmed but Master Edward and Prince Ahimoth seemed to have sustained some injuries."
Elsa slowly absorbed the information and struggled to beat down her panic as she just now noticed the ice going up the walls and the trial behind her. With some effort she dispersed the ice in the castle before turning around and running toward the infirmary. She could hear Kai attempting to keep up with her but she was already bursting through the doors to the infirmary by the time he turned the corner to the hallway leading to it.
When the blonde burst into the room, Anna, Lilian, Kristoff, and Doctor Steward all turned in her direction in surprise. Elsa didn't care as she immediately launched herself toward Anna who did the same and they embraced each other tightly. They held each other for a moment before pulling back and spoke at the same time.
"Anna I'm so happy that you're safe…"
"Elsa, you're finally awake I was worried about you…"
They stopped talking when they realized they were interrupting themselves and shared a laugh. Elsa turned and sent Kristoff a happy smile when she saw he was ok to which the mountain man waved with his own smile. It was when Elsa looked to the bed he was sitting next to that her smile disappeared.
Edward was draped on it with bandages covering his entire torso. His skin looked paler then when she last saw him and the muscles in his arms taut with sweat running down them. Immediately she began to worry as the Doctor walked up to her.
"How is he doing?"
The older man grimaced as he scratched his head and looked away. When Kristoff carried the man in, there was a trail of blood following them that caused the Princess to scream. There were deep lacerations as well as multiple stab wounds that were quite large. What made it worse was the young man's heart kept beating alarmingly fast even with him unconscious. With the amount of blood he lost, the Doctor was quite sure he should've gone into shock. The older man stitched up and tightly wrapped the areas to stem the bleeding but it required multiple layers of bandages to stop the bleeding completely. After he finished he checked for a heartbeat again and was surprised to find that it was still beating strong as ever. He couldn't believe it, from what the ice harvester said, they young man had been bleeding for quite a while and even when he and Prince tried to stem the bleeding they met little success. The young man should've by all means require serious medical attention but his body kept creating blood as it was losing it. He would definitely require rest however, his life wasn't in any immediate danger as far as the man could tell.
"The wounds on his body were quite serious, particularly the one on his right abdomen. It was completely open from back to forward and some internal organs were damaged. He also received numerous other cuts and puncture wounds all over his body. Normally this is where I'd tell you he doesn't have much time since the amount of blood he lost was massive, however his body seems to have stabilized after we stopped the bleeding. He'll require rest but he should be alright your Majesty."
Elsa nodded as she gazed at her rescuer. She was happy to hear he was ok but also quite upset that he would knock her out and send her off while he put himself in danger. Part of her wanted to throttle him when awoke while another part wanted to hug him knowing he was safe now.
Her thoughts turned to the Prince who was said to be injured and searched the room for him but noticed he was nowhere to be found. She turned to Lilian who was next to an unconscious Edward and held one of his hands with both of hers. Elsa was about to ask the woman where her fiance was when she finally noticed the woman's expression. It was as if the brunette was gazing at someone who meant something to her, the way she rubbed his hand with both of hers made a feeling blossom in the blonde's gut. She knew that Lilian was to be married to the Prince but to see her with such a longing and intense expression aimed at the young man made the Snow Queen lose her words.
Anna who was standing next to her didn't miss the brief flash of emotion in her sister's eyes as she stepped forward. "Hey Lilian, where did Ahimoth get to, wasn't he also injured?"
The brunette turned without releasing the young man's hand to face the two women. "He said that he wanted to watch the Queen's kidnapper and question him when he awakened." Elsa's eyes widened as she learned that bit, they managed to capture that monster of a man? She couldn't help but speak the first thought that came to mind.
"How did the guard's capture him?"
Lilian dipped her head in Kristoff's direction. "Your guards didn't, Ahimoth, Rahim, and Kristoff managed to do so."
Elsa raised an eyebrow at the name and noticed the mountain rubbed the back of his neck uncomfortably. Anna chose that time to explain.
"It seems that Edward is actually a fake name, Lilian explained that his real name is Rahim. She apparently met him six years ago in a place called Elysion when he and some soldiers took both her and her dad with them to Blackdust when her father was accused of attacking their soldiers. According to her, Rahim was reported to have been killed in action during the civil war."
Elsa couldn't help but look at the man laying down on the hospital bed, with a hurt expression. If what Lilian said was true, then he lied to them, lied to her. She wanted him to wake up this instant so she could ask him to explain but her thoughts stopped there. She remembered when she yelled at him in the cave after he rescued her. She said she didn't care what he did in the past, he was there when she needed him and went above and beyond what anyone would ask of someone she met barely two months ago.
Elsa knew he was already a tortured man and that he viewed himself as a monster. It was like looking at her younger self every time she heard her sister knock on her door. She didn't know what he had done to make him think so harshly of himself but she decided right and now that whatever he did, she wouldn't hold it against him. Her sister forgave her for thirteen years of forced isolation and her people forgave her for cursing the kingdom with an eternal winter.
Surely she could forgive a man who terribly regrets his actions and went out of his way to help her.
Elsa turned to Anna who now sat next to Kristoff who was still staring at the man on the bed with a thoughtful expression. "Please stay with Edward and find me if he awakens, I'll be in dungeons discussing the prisoner with the Prince." The platinum blonde turned on her heel and walked out the room not without noticing the quick look Lilian gave her when she said Edward and not Rahim.
Kai was waiting outside and fell in step with the young woman as she walked past him. "Your Majesty, I thought it would be prudent to cancel everything on today's agenda seeing as a day to decompress from your trying time would be most beneficial." Elsa flashed the plump man a grateful smile as he bowed and left to complete his duties. The blonde traversed the castle until she made it to the dungeons where a guard instantly saluted her and opened the door for her.
Walking down the stone stairs she saw that both the Captain and the Prince were arguing over the fate of the prisoner.
"This man has kidnapped our Queen as well as killed scores of our men he will be kept confined here and given a trial."
"No offense but your men can't hope to contain this guy, he can make weapons out of thin air plus he can come back from the dead. We have people trained specifically to handle threats like this, he'd be more secure if we transported him to Blackdust."
"Hmm it's odd that you would want him so bad after he failed in kidnapping the Queen."
"Are we really back to this shit, for the last time, I didn't do anything. I don't have some half assed plan like that idiot for the Southern Isles did, I only came here because I heard the Queen was an Elemental and Lilian should meet her. Let's not forget that if I was part of a plot to take Arendelle, I wouldn't have gotten skewered by that asshole you got locked down there."
"Let's get this straight, I don't trust you, at all. You know way too much for all this to be coincidental, you just happen to be at the right time and right place to save the Princess where as most of my men were either dead or reassigned to different posts. You just happen to be engaged to an Elemental who had the power to melt bullets in midair. Finally you just happen to be one of three survivors of the same man who killed so many of my guards. Now you're saying we give you our only link to finding out more information on the people who took my Queen because according to you we can't contain him? Since the moment you got here, something was off about you, I don't know what it is and frankly I don't care. That prisoner is staying right here and you can go to the Queen and explain to her why you want to take her kidnapper."
Ahimoth looked ready to say something else when he noticed the older man stood at attention for someone behind him. Turning around he was a few feet away from Queen Elsa who had a poised and regal face that gave away none of her thoughts. His initial childlike disposition was completely erased from his body as he made a correct bow before straightening himself out.
"Your Majesty."
Elsa gazed up at the large man's face and inwardly hid her surprise as she noticed the playful twinkle in his eyes had vanished and cold emeralds stared back at her. He was wearing a white collared shirt that had the top two buttons unbuttoned revealing some of the bandages that were on his chest. It seemed that Kristoff was really the only one to escape the battle unscathed, however the Prince seemed to moving around with no trouble.
She had heard them argue and let it play out for a moment as she listened. Part of her was surprised to know that Lilian was an Elemental like her but in her mind she couldn't help but wonder if the Prince really did have a hand in her kidnapping. She had no intention of turning over Zavis, the man had committed crimes in her kingdom thus he will be put on trial in her kingdom. She did however feel that there should be more security around him if he was as dangerous at the large man said. The Captain may have expressed his opinion in the wrong way but she agreed with what he meant.
"Prince Ahimoth, I see you are doing well. When I was told you were injured, I expected to find you in the infirmary and not arguing with my Captain of my guard about prisoner that commited treason." Her tone was neutral but her eyes weren't, they were cold that made diplomats she dealt with shake under their gaze. To his credit the Prince didn't waver in the shrink in the slightest.
"I apologize you had to hear that your Majesty, however I stand by my earlier opinion that your men are not equipped to deal with a man like Zavis. He has already proved capable of killing scores of your men as well displayed fearsome abilities that could only be classified as demonic."
"Demonic, you say? What constitutes as being demonic, being able to create things out of thin air or changing one's form? As you're aware I can create objects out of thin air as Lilian can I assume, are we 'demonic' as well?"
The large man frowned and remained silent, he knew what she was doing. She was diverting the subject as well as trying to gain insight on what went through his head. The tales regarding her only alluded to her beauty and kindness, not her razor sharp intelligence. It did surprise him, however like almost everyone who met him, his intelligence was often underestimated.
"Of course not your Majesty, your abilities are apart of you that could be used benevolently or malevolently. Zavis's abilities were used in the latter where he abused them to cause pain and death. Also you're abilities don't trespass on the territory of life and death. Before your powers you are human, Zavis on the other hand proclaimed himself to be a demon, one who was based off one of humanity's worst sins; Envy. In Blackdust we have a specific brigade of soldiers made for mystic threats and they should be more adequate to deal with your prisoner than your guards."
Elsa kept her regal expression but couldn't help but be impressed by the large man's intellect. He had seen through her attempt and gave away nothing about how he might personally feel about her abilities in particular as well as drive the conversation back to why he should take her prisoner. Unfortunately for him, the platinum blonde was quite good at politics, thirteen years practicing did wonders for the intellect.
"Perhaps these soldiers you speak of are more equipped to deal with this dangerous man, if I were to grant your request then how would you plan on transporting the prisoner to Blackdust without these soldiers? Unless they are already here and you brought men experienced in fighting magical threats that could easily very well translate to my ice magic?"
"I planned on having a two squads come here to secure him for transport back to Blackdust."
Checkmate.
"Then if they are here, there's no reason for you to take the prisoner back to Blackdust when he'll be secured here with your soldiers and my guards. After all, the entire point of you coming here was to convince me to allow you to stay and attend the Winter Solstice Gathering. You saving my sister is more than enough reason to allow you to do so, unless there's a reason you wish to leave Arendelle?"
The somewhat uncomfortable look on the man's face signaled the blonde's victory as she kept up her regal face so she could learn the real reason why he was so adamant on taking her prisoner and leaving Arendelle. The Prince opened his mouth a few times before closing it seemingly trying to form his words but failing. Finally the man took a breath before he whispered.
"I can't stand the sight of him…"
It took little imagination to guess who he meant. The look Edward had in his eyes when he admitted the coup tore them apart suggested volumes of pain. Remembering that expression made her want to know more, what had happened to cause such a rift to form between them? If he really was pronounced as killed in action then, shouldn't he wish to see his best friend again? There was no way for her to know unless one of them decided to vocalize it.
"Edward you mean?"
The large man harshly scoffed as if someone had told him a really bad joke. Normally Elsa would've taken offense to it but she kept her expression as she waited for him to speak.
"Edward? His name is Rahim…" The way Ahimoth said the name was like spitting out poison, his emerald eyes flashed in absolute anger as he spoke.
"...just because he changed his name doesn't change what he did. What did he think, that just changing his name would hide him? Or maybe he did it out of guilt, regardless of why, the fact is that man is a coward who can't face life head on and would prefer to sneak around like a snake in the grass.
The temperature in the room dropped a few degrees as the blonde was more than a little peeved at the way the Prince dragged her friend's name through the dirt. Captain Stonewell felt the chill and couldn't hide his small smile at the sight of the Queen exercising who held the power in that room.
"Prince Ahimoth, I would suggest you refrain from insulting the man who had braved perilous odds to rescue me and who also happens to be a friend to the royal family."
A very brief flash of fear passed the Prince's eyes as he watched his breath become visible for a moment before the room returned to its normal temperature. He could tell the Queen saw it and realized he was at a disadvantage. He had succeeded in his mission of obtaining an invitation to the Winter Solstice Gathering tasked by the King. It would be very wise of him to back down so that he could retain that privilege but the past flashing in his mind made him speak once more before retreating.
"You may have known him as a hero and friend as I have but you haven't known him as a traitor and killer like his victims had."
Bodies littered the castle halls as Rahim tore through his enemies with no hesitation or remorse. Mystic Guard uniforms lay at his feet with the blood of his comrades dripping from his blade. The remaining men could not comprehend this betrayal, while the young teen-now-man had been distant he always remained loyal to his brothers. To kill so many of them unprovoked was mindboogling but above all, infuriating.
That made it all to easy for Rahim to slaughter the rest of them, their wrath made them predictable. All of their moves were easy to see and required little effort to evade and exploit their weaknesses. Even with their fear increasing their anger burned stronger. Rahim had taken something from all of them and there would be no forgiveness for as long as they lived.
The last couple of minutes of their lives were filled with utter anger and despair that they couldn't bring down one man.
Rahim had made it to the throne room where the King was facing his challenge, no was to get past him as Father commanded. The steady drip of blood on the tip of his katana filled the room for a moment until he heard footsteps behind him.
"Rahim! You're alive! I thought we lost you to that monster but you're really ok!"
The voice sounded happy, so happy that it didn't fit to see it come from such a fierce warrior. Nethertheless Rahim knew exactly who was behind him and a small part of him regretted his best friend who was like a brother had ran into that room. With the faintest amount of hesitation he gathered his strength and moved faster than his friend's eyes could track. To Ahimoth it was over in a blink, to Rahim it was eternity when he stabbed his friend and watched the range of emotions wash over the man's face.
First was confusion, next was disbelief, then utter sadness as he tried to whisper the name of his brother before Rahim swiftly removed the blade and watching the man fall. Time slowed down as he watched his friend fall, it almost seemed like his brother was reaching for him to help but Rahim didn't offer any assistance. When Ahimoth's body hit the ground and the last of his strength diminished as he closed his eyes, Rahim spoke out loud to remember why this had to happen.
"Father ordered no one to interfere with the King and his challenge."
The small part of him that regretted seeing best friend writhed in agony as he stared through the blood red eyes that gazed with cold indifference at the body.
Whipping his sword to the side, Rahim sheathed his blade before turning toward the throne room, the two sources of wrath warred against one another. He could tell what was happening from here and knew the outcome, the King would lose to Alrick. It was only a matter of time, Father gave specific instructions if Rakat would be defeated. Ever the dutiful soldier, Rahim walked over the corpses of his fallen comrades, not once stopping to lament his actions.
The small part of him on the inside could only sink into despair as tried to say a prayer that God rest their souls even at the cost of his, or what was left of it.
Edward's eyes slowly opened to find that he was staring up at the familiar ceiling of the infirmary where he woke up his first time in Arendelle. The first time he was here his body was already healed when awoke, this time he could still feel the sting of his wounds. He was dead tired, the battle with Zavis left him in a weakened state, one that would take more time to heal. Fortunately if the after effects of the battle was hitting him this hard then his opponent must be feeling it worst. Too occupied with his thoughts, the young man didn't notice that one of his hands were covered with two very soft hands until they spoke.
"Rahim? You're awake!."
Rahim.
How he hated that name but nethertheless turned to see someone he hadn't seen in years. Lilian was sitting next to him in a chair with a soft smile on her face. Adulthood at been kind to the woman, his previous mindset dedicated to completing his goal had blunted his hormones in favor of focusing on his task. Now that that was gone, he could clearly see she had grown into a beautiful woman. In the back of his head though he couldn't help the next thought that flashed in his head before he could stop it.
Not as beautiful as a blonde with crystal blue eyes.
He must've been really worn when he couldn't squash the thoughts that began to come forward as he thought about the woman he went up a mountain for. The first feeling that came to him was worry, he hoped that she was alright after sending her ahead of him. He knew that she was only knocked out but her being out of his sight with Zavis being around bothered him. If something had happened to her in that one mile stretch to Arendelle…
Edward found that he had jumped out of the bed and onto his feet startling Lilian. The sudden action invited a wave of pain and nausea that he quickly ignored He turned to the brunette and had felt his mouth moving before he could think about what to say.
"Where's the Queen?"
Lilian raised an eyebrow at the man's intense expression as he expressed worry for the platinum blonde. Her mind began to turn it's gears at why he would make such an expression.
"She woke up before you and announced she was off to speak with Ahimoth."
Instantly the worried expression on his face turned to one of fear for a moment at the mention of his old best friend. When they saw one another earlier, they had to put aside the feelings they had to combat their opponent but deep down Edward knew the interruption wouldn't last. As he passed out he couldn't help but worry that the next time he opened his eyes the Prince would be right there demanding they talk. However now that he wasn't, the young man entertained the thought of leaving before the man could corner him. The thought actually appealed to him at this very moment, check on Elsa, say goodbye to Kristoff and Anna, go back to the forge, pack his things and leave.
There were however two obstacles in his path. First, his body was exhausted that brief show of strength was only possible because for a moment he thought Elsa could be in trouble. Now that he knew she was up and walking around, his strength vanished and he couldn't help but use the bed to support himself as the effects of blood loss washed over him.
The second being Lilian was sitting not three feet from him.
He knew that her loyalty lies with Ahimoth, not the King or anyone else. She would know that the man that loved her would want to face his best friend turned traitor. Right now in this moment she could forcibly restrain him with a flick of her fingers but she stayed where she was watching him. She had adopted a pensive expression as she observed him, what was going through her mind he wouldn't know.
"You need to rest, the doctor said that you're body should heal but that your injuries were quite serious."
He could feel they were, his body screamed in pain as he tried to remain standing. He wanted to argue and walk out the room to carry out his plan but he dropped to his knees after taking one step. Lilian's face gave away nothing as she rose out of her chair to help him up and back into the bed as he weakly protested. Edward attempted to sit up again only for her to lightly push him back down until his energy ran out and he fell back against the pillow. His face easily showed his fatigue as she could tell he ran through scenarios on how to avoid Ahimoth.
"You don't have to worry, Ahimoth couldn't face you either. I had to treat him myself because he wouldn't enter this room, if you want to avoid seeing him, it shouldn't be too hard. He's angry and knows that a confrontation between you two in front of the Queen wouldn't be smart so he's giving you the chance to leave. He'll likely be sleeping on the ship tonight before leaving tomorrow, I stayed back because I wanted to thank you for helping my father all those years ago. If you hadn't grabbed those pills and given them to me, my father would have died a painful death."
Edward couldn't stop the next set of words that came out of his mouth.
"He still died though."
A flash of pain crossed the woman's face as she replied readily. "He died with hope for the future. I won't ask where you've been or what you've been doing. To me, you'll always be the soldier who had a heart to help an old man." With that Lilian rose out of her chair before leaning over and placing a kiss on Edward's forehead then leaving the room.
The young man was left alone after the brunette left just leaving his thoughts as company. Edward was relieved to know that Ahimoth wouldn't be coming after him. Even if he returned to the King and revealed that Rahim was alive, Edward would be long gone from Arendelle by the time they got back. He could travel on another ship maybe to the Southern Isles and remain close until he could sneak into Blackdust. He only needed to see the King privately. Alrick may attempt to have him executed but Edward was confident in his ability to escape plus he just needed to deliver a message.
Before he arrived in Arendelle he was with the remnants of Rakat Veera's army. During the coup, a few of them managed to escape out of the kingdom to plot their revenge and overthrow Alrick. He was one of them. He may be a traitor but deep down he was loyal to his commander so he would reveal the remnants location and numbers to the King. It couldn't possibly make up for all the things he's done but it was a start. After doing so he would live out the rest of his days in his self imposed exile. He would preferred to face his likely execution but he knew his body wouldn't let him, the monster would come out if he attempted another suicide attempt.
His thoughts were interrupted when the door to the infirmary opened and Anna poked her head in. Upon seeing he was awake the redhead immediately ran to his side and launched herself in a hug that was absolutely excruciating for the young man. However for the redhead, he let it slide and wrapped his arms around her.
"I'm so glad you're ok! When they brought you in there was so much blood I thought you wouldn't pull through but here you are ok and I'm just so happy." Seemingly not realizing how much her hug hurt, Anna managed to squeeze even harder that made Edward gnash his teeth together so hard he felt the bones in his jaw groan as he fought to keep quiet. Thankfully Kristoff chose that moment to walk in and noticed his discomfort.
"Alright Anna, I don't think bear hugging him is going to make him get better faster, in fact judging by his facial expression it seems to have had an opposite effect." The redhead instantly let go to look up at the young man's face who tried to show that the hug didn't hurt but the breath of relief was out of his mouth before he could stop it. The Princess instantly blushed and put her hands down the length of her skirt to avoid any more urges to touch him.
"Oh..I'm sorry."
Edward couldn't help but smile at the endearing sight of the woman in front of him. He actually really liked Anna, he actually got to see her more than Elsa since she saw Kristoff off every morning. He could tell she was somewhat socially awkward, the odd things she'd say when they were alone made him genuinely chuckle. Whenever Kristoff had to do something and left them alone they'd talk about a wide variety of things. He told her of all the pranks he used to pull on his brother when they were kids. Her favorite was the time he and his brother were learning how to react to arrows being shot at them and were left to practice on their own.
Their father had insisted they use real arrows but when he left they'd use blunt tipped ones. So one day they were practicing and Edward bet his brother he couldn't catch a real arrow that he shot. His brother felt this was stupid since they both had learned a week ago how to do just that. When he refused, saying it was too easy, Edward chose to poke at his pride saying he was too scared to do it and he'd even go first to show the 'scaredy-cat' how it was done. His brother took offense to that and agreed, so they were in position with Edward lining his shot up. When they both said they were ready, Edward released the arrow and wasn't surprised to see his brother catch it.
'Told you it was too easy.' Was what his brother said before a pile of rotten eggs fell on him from the sack that was above his head.
Earlier that day, Edward had set up the sack and planned on paying his brother back for the skunk he put in his bed last week. When they got in position and Edward shot the arrow, his brother was so focused on the arrow he didn't notice his brother pulling on a rope behind him causing the sack to open. Father was furious of course and they were harshly punished but his brother smelled like rotten eggs for a week.
That was one of the last pranks they pulled on one another…
Anna reminded him of the funnier aspects of life and he would always be grateful for that. Seeing her slightly embarrassed now and not when she made out with his boss right in front of him made him chuckle.
"Its fine, I'm super tough remember. Just wait until I'm back on my feet, I'll be sure to pay you back."
The small smile on her face he hoped to see returned as she and Kristoff took a seat next to him. The ice harvester looked happy to see he was awake but the young man could tell there were questions burning in his brown eyes. He was there when Edward basically admitted that he was like that monster Zavis or Envy as the demon said it was. He had also seen the wounds that the young man had before they brought him back to Arendelle. His blood was everywhere, and his wounds were really deep, it didn't take a genius to know when someone lost too much blood. Yet here he was joking with the mountain man's girlfriend that same day.
Edward wouldn't blame him if he asked questions right here right now in front of the Princess. For all he knew maybe Ahimoth had already spoken to him when they brought him back to Arendelle. The Prince would most likely tell the ice harvester all the bad things he had done and he couldn't blame the man if he wouldn't let Anna anywhere near him. But his eyes were just curious, there was no hate or fear in them, just curiosity. Apparently the injured man was so focused on the ice harvester he didn't hear the redhead's question the first time so she tapped him on the shoulder and asked again.
"Is your real name Rahim?"
Edward's eyes widened at the name coming from her lips that seemed to answer her question without him having to say a word. A frown grew on her face as she crossed her arms and leaned back with a pointed expression.
"So it is true. My next question is why did you feel the need to lie to us about your name?"
The young man wanted to look away from her gaze but before he could Kristoff coughed in a non subtle way telling him that he needed to answer. Sighing Edward gathered his thoughts before facing the Princess.
"When I was born my mother named me Rahim, when she died, my father took me in and sent me off to join the military. When the civil war erupted, most soldiers returned to the kingdom to pick a side. Alrick and his the survivors of the Mystic Guard who fought to change our kingdom to one that could find peace. While King Rakat Veera and his second, Asger the Crusher fought to maintain their conquering ways. During the conflict many lives were lost, the King had many powerful weapons as well as unnatural creatures to do his bidding. I had the opportunity to engage one in a single combat. The result was that I traded my life for a fatal blow that left the creature alive but very much dying. As the light began to fade from my eyes, I could hear my father's voice echoing in my head, saying that Rahim was dead…" Anna looked confused and ready to ask a question but Kristoff put a hand on her shoulder, to him the story was beginning to paint a much clearer picture than the one he had in his head.
Envy had said that him and Edward were the same and based off the fact that the demon could come back to life after getting its head cut off then it wasn't such a far stretch that the injured man could do the same.
"...When I awoke, I was on a table. My skin had become tan, my eyes were red, and my hair changed from black to brown. My father was there next to me saying that Rahim was dead and from now on I would be called Wrath and I would follow all of Father's instructions. At first I assumed he meant himself because he was my biological father but he spoke as if this Father person was someone else entirely. My body was stronger than before, my bones were as hard as steel, I could perceive things that others couldn't, I could heal from any injury. It wasn't until later that I realized that all power came at a price…" Edward's hands started to grow sweaty as he thought about what he was about to say. He never spoke of what he did to another person before. He knew that they deserved to hear but he didn't want them to see him as a monster.
His hands must've been shaking because a soft hand covered them and stilled them. Looking up the young man could see that the frown she had on her face was gone and now there was a soft expression on her face, encouraging him to keep going. Taking another deep breath Edward continued.
"...As Wrath I was tied to Father's will and his will was that the Mystic Guard that were Alrick's main supporters were to be wiped out. I wanted to refuse, to say that our kingdom had done more than enough to the world and should strive for peace. But my body wouldn't listen, I slaughtered all my comrades in a single night, leaving only two survivors. King Alrick and his son Ahimoth. Alrick managed to defeat the King so Father ordered me to facilitate the evacuation of Rakat's men. Once we left the kingdom we traveled far far away as Alrick had his hands full stabilizing the kingdom and ending the war. We left soldiers in different places to avoid detection and build a network to one day take back the throne. The men I helped escape were beasts that looked human, they pillaged, raped, and killed many villages across the world. My job was to protect them and ensure they gather strength. I couldn't take it, when I finally wrestled a semblance of control of my body, I ran. I ran far far away, hoping to never see them again. Too bad they knew where I was going, the guilt of what I did led me in the direction of Blackdust, hoping I could beg for Alrick's forgiveness. I spent weeks traveling with little rest or food, the only reason I didn't fall was because my body needed little to function. After escaping them, I finally passed out on the North Mountain, if Kristoff hadn't found me I likely would have frozen to death. However I would probably be back on my feet when the sun rised and my body had some rest."
Anna and Kristoff looked at one another for a moment as they heard his tale. From what he was telling them he was admitting to being a traitor to his kingdom. The Princess didn't know the law very well but she could imagine that betraying his comrades and running with the enemy would constitute a death sentence. The rumors around the Blackdust military were more or less confirmed by the young man who clearly regretted his actions.
To the redhead, Edward made more sense. At first she wanted to know why his eyes were as haunted and as pained as her sister's were during those long thirteen years. She wanted to help and genuinely enjoyed his company, hearing him admit the things he has done, threw her for a loop. She could see why he'd give a fake name. However, she couldn't fathom the nice, polite, caring, hardworking, and humorous person in front of her capable of doing such things. Maybe it was all an act to get them to let their guard down, if he could betray his brother in arms, how easy would it be to betray some people he met for a few weeks. She then remembered the brief look in his eyes he had every once in a while. With he admitted, she could see why his eyes were so pained and he wanted to be alone. She knew that he was avoiding them after their first dinner despite his assurances, at first it hurt but he made it up to her the brief times they spoke in the morning. She could tell something was weighing him down, and now knowing that he was a traitor that regretted his actions weighed her heart.
He said that he was going back to Blackdust, surely he knew that that could very well result in his execution. Regardless he worked hard to earn enough money to do so even when he easily could've asked the sisters for a favor. Anna wanted to point this out to him and hopefully change his mind on returning but he interrupted her.
"While I traveled, I decided that Rahim was dead. He was once a loyal soldier who belonged to the Mystic Guard and was reported to be killed in action during the civil war. I didn't want to be Father's weapon so I abandoned the name Wrath and decided on a new name. I once heard a fairy tale about some knight named Edward who fought for the innocent and protected any and all who needed it. A warrior with a pure heart with honor that could not be questioned. I was envious of the warrior so I took his name. Now that I'm free, I'm going to face my King and inform him of the danger that the remnants of Rakat Veera's men presented. He will likely decree I be executed and I wouldn't disagree with him in the slightest, however I know that my body won't allow myself to be killed. I refuse to send a letter and avoid facing the man, he at least deserves to see me on my knees begging for his forgiveness."
Anna closed her mouth as she could tell that nothing would change his mind. She didn't understand how his body refused to do what he wanted it to but she also didn't understand her sister's magic very well. She could see that he was doing the best with what he had, she only wished he didn't feel that he should die.
"What about Ahimoth?"
Edward and Anna turned to the ice harvester who had his arms crossed and was leaning back in his chair giving a blank stare at the injured man. He listened to the young man's words as well the conversations they had. It was noble he wanted to face the consequences for his actions but Kristoff knew that he wanted to avoid facing the Prince. From the way he talked Kristoff could see that the betrayal Edward had inflicted on Ahimoth was far deeper than the one he did against the King. If the King deserved the man facing him, then why didn't his previous best friend earn the same?
"What do you mean?.."
Edward had the look of panic in his eyes when Kristoff brought up Ahimoth. He was ok with facing the King but the Prince was a different story. They had done so much together and shared their fears, thoughts, and dreams. They were brothers in a series of wars that made them witness the loss of many friends. Facing Ahimoth meant admitting that Edward stepped on all of that. Despite how much he wanted to say he that their bond meant the world to him, his action trampled on that notion. King Alrick wouldn't act on his emotions at the drop of a hat, he trained and fought long enough to know that uncontrollable emotions left you vulnerable in battle.
That lesson was not taught to Ahimoth however.
The Prince was ruled by emotion, he could force it down in a dire enough situation but it always returned with a vengeance. Edward was honestly scared to see how the man would react to seeing him admit everything he did. If he had to guess, Ahimoth would probably launch himself at the young man and bash his head in with his bare hands. Given his condition, his body probably couldn't stop the Prince if he wanted to.
"I mean you said you betrayed him when you needed him most, if you were really sorry you'd at least tell it to him face to face versus just telling his dad."
The blunt answer fit the ice harvester and Edward couldn't even blame him. Out of all the people he wronged Ahimoth was at the top of the list of regrets. He argued with himself many times that if he valued their friendship he'd apologize to him face to face but the memory of seeing him hit the ground in front of him took away all his courage. The look of shock and utter betrayal on his face haunted him dreams and his nightmares replayed the scene over and over. He couldn't face those emerald eyes that were hurt as he coldly walked over the body.
He remembered returning to his room after speaking to Elsa, the cold sweat he worked up wasn't just because of her. It was when he read that Ahimoth was coming to Arendelle did his world stopped cold. His mind went into overdrive trying to think despite the panic that enveloped him. It was amazing that his body stayed deadly still as he pondered the letter and the blonde watched him. He was relieved she steered the conversation away from the letter and to other subjects. She calmed him enough to enjoy talking to her and make it back to his room that night. He made up his mind to get two extra jobs and budget his funds more to get a ship to smuggle him into Blackdust.
Edward couldn't face the man, period. He was fine being called a coward, any other insults were fine with him but he was too haunted by what he's done to attempt to right it.
"I can't, I wish to God I could but I can't…"
The broken voice made the couple feel bad for the man. The other times his voice was laced with grief couldn't begin to compare to the one they heard now. It honestly sounded like he wanted to cry but had run out of tears. Anna didn't fault Kristoff, what he said was right but she couldn't help but put her other hand on his hands and rub them reassuringly. The mountain man felt guilty for being so blunt and hurting Edward like that, surely he could've come up with a better way to say it but now it was too late and the damage had been done. All he could do was soften his expression as the couple listened to Edward say sorry over and over to Ahimoth as if he was there.
Outside the doors to the infirmary, Elsa had her back leaned against it as she heard him speak.
She came straight here after convincing Ahimoth that their security would be enough after she doubled the guard and had two of them right outside his cell where he laid shackled from head to toe. The Prince confessed he couldn't remain in Arendelle as long as Edward did and was going to leave that evening. Elsa spent around ten minutes trying to pry what the young man could've done to warrant that a Prince couldn't stand to be in the same kingdom as him. All she could get from him was that he lost a lot of friends and that it was all her rescuer's fault.
Realizing she wouldn't get anything more out of him, she attempted to change his mind and that they could all sit down and talk about it. He flat out refused before leaving and saying he needed to pack his things. When he left she had quickly apologized to the Captain for the indoor winter earlier which he responded ``It's fine, in fact it's comforting to know you can quick reflexes with your magic.' She asked him to see to the increase in security around the prisoner to which he said he'd personally see to. After that she left to return to the infirmary and check on Edward.
As she rounded the corner she ran into Lilian who had just left the infirmary. The brunette had a calculating expression as she executed a bow to the Queen before returning her inquisting eyes to the blonde's own. Neither said nothing as they continued their staredown. Elsa knew she should exchange polite words but for some reason, she couldn't bring herself to make the effort. All she did was maintain her regal poise that gave nothing away.
Lilian was examining the woman in front of her, searching her face for any cracks in the mask she wore and wasn't surprised to find none. When they were in the infirmary earlier, Anna wasn't the only one to notice the brief flash that went across the woman's face. Nor did she miss the way Elsa had said Edward and not Rahim as if she didn't care if he lied to her. There was something there that she was curious about and wanted to know, however, she had to see her fiance before he did something he might regret.
So for now, she would have to put her curiosity aside.
"Good evening Your Majesty, it seems Rahim has now awakened. He seems to have been very concerned about your safety, enough to wear himself out by attempting to get back on his feet. I humbly ask you take care of him, he's been through a long day and should get some rest."
Elsa responded with fabricated politeness. "I'll ensure Edward has the best care, please make sure Prince Ahimoth is well, he seems to be distraught for some reason."
Lilian bowed her head and walked past the Queen with measured footsteps that echoed in the blonde's head until she was gone. Elsa moved toward the door and was about to open it when she could hear Edward's voice barely reach her ears.
"...I slaughtered all my comrades in a single night, leaving only two survivors. King Alrick and his son Ahimoth…"
Elsa's hand fell limply to her side as she couldn't help but think back on the Prince's words.
"You may have known him as a hero and friend as I have but you haven't known him as a traitor and killer like his victims had."
Now she understood why Ahimoth felt the way he did. He lost comrades to her rescuer, the victims he spoke were people he knew and fought with. She didn't know what to say or think. She didn't understand how the Prince wasn't demanding Edward's head on a plate after what he did. The blonde couldn't help but listen to the man and what sounded like her sister's conversation.
She now knew why he gave them a fake name and that why he was so haunted. It was hard but she reminded herself she wouldn't hold what he did against him. Edward even wanted to face his actions and beg for forgiveness which made Elsa's heart swell with pride. Then it cracked into little pieces when Kristoff asked about Ahimoth and the young man's voice broke and he retreated into his mind and apologized like a traumatized child. It went on and on for a while until Anna got him to stop and she could hear them say that he should rest for the night. A few moments later, her sister and boyfriend opened the door to see the blonde standing there with a somber expression on her face. It was obvious she had heard what the man said.
Anna didn't have to say anything as she stepped to the side and gestured for her sister to walk into the infirmary. Elsa walked in and heard the door close behind her as she looked at the bed and could see Edward staring back at her with a broken expression. Her face must've retained her previous expression as he looked down into his hands as she walked over to the chair next to him and sat in it.
For a moment neither of them said anything, Elsa didn't know how to say she heard everything, but what she didn't know was Edward heard her outside the door. He memorized the way she breathed and could easily distinguish it. She had already seen him as Wrath in the bandit cave, knowing she had heard what he had done, at least a part of it made it hard for him to face her. He didn't want her to view him as a monster but now that seemed like an impossibility.
He flinched when he felt her oddly warm hands envelop his own. The way she rubbed his knuckles began to make the wall he built up around himself crumble as she began to speak. "I know you're afraid, it's fine to be afraid, but it's what we do when we're afraid that defines us. I know you're not a coward in any sense of the word, you're just haunted by the past. I know it's hard but the past is in the past and you need to know that you can move on."
Edward couldn't help but scoff as he took his hands away from her. "The past is in the past is it? Tell that to the dead bodies of my fallen comrades who watched as someone they fought and bled with killed them with no hesitation." The blonde's face was patient as she didn't take offense to him brushing her off, grief took on many forms, regardless she continued to speak.
"You're seeking to atone for the things you've done even with the threat of death over your head. You're honoring their memory by trying to face the consequences of your actions…"
Instead of soothing him, Edward for the first time that felt a wave of anger that made his eyes bleed red and returned some of his strength.
"You know nothing!"
Elsa was taken aback to see the young man whirled in her direction and she got to finally see the red eyes that belonged to the man who saved her. They were the same as Zavis and Greed's but where there's made a shiver go down her back, Edward's made her want to get closer. The young man didn't expect the woman to raise her hand and put it on his cheek which instantly made his eyes turn blue again as his anger dissipated.
"Then tell me, I'm here to listen and not judge."
Her soft tone made him regret snapping at her. He honestly hoped she'd drop it and leave but couldn't deny that he felt a little better that she stayed. He couldn't tell her, he couldn't even tell Anna. He left out one key detail that made it impossible for him to ever deserve forgiveness. It made him sick to think about it, the one thing he took that he could never give back. He couldn't say it out loud it was far too painful to ever put into words but those soft blue gems and warm touch on his cheek had the words out of his lips before he could stop them.
…
He watched Elsa's eyes widened at what he said and felt her hand slowly drop from his cheek. He couldn't stand to watch the whirl of emotions that bounced in her eyes as he looked down to his hands cursing himself and wishing that he just stayed dead.
It wasn't until he felt two warm arms wrap around his head and pulled him into something that smelled of winter peppermint. It took him a moment to realize that Elsa was hugging him and he was about to ask she release him when he felt something hit his cheek. It was wet and barely registered it touching his skin but when he felt it again he recognized it as water. For a moment he entertained the thought it was raining inside when he felt a hand rub the back of his head that he realized it was Elsa's tears raining down on him. Part of him wanted to ask why she was crying but before he could, he felt something slide down his cheek.
For a moment he thought it was another one of her tears but when felt something slide from the top of cheek down his face did he realize that he was crying.
Edward had thought he cried all of his tears when he realized his mother was gone and his father had beat out any unnecessary emotions. Feeling them roll down in his cheeks while being embraced by an angel who had known his sins made him shake to his core. More tears began to flow down his face as he couldn't help but lift his arms and wrap them around her back as he sobbed and sobbed into her collarbone. The angel held him in her arms well into the night until he calmed himself down enough to sleep and for once, there were no nightmares.
Hope ya'll enjoyed the chapter, I wanted to go with a feels chapter hopefully ya'll enjoyed it. I'll try to drop a new chapter next week. I'm trying to get to the main point of this fanfic BEFORE Frozen 2 drops so that's like 12 weeks away and i'm gonna be away from a computer for 4 of those weeks. So that's roughly 80k words. I might need to speed up this fanfic, drop a review or pm me to offer opinions.