Shoutout to gamersubice for the favorite.
In response to the review left by the visiter: thank you for your kind words and I'm glad to hear you are enjoy the filler portions. I try to keep the story progressively moving toward the endgame but I would also like to further develop the relationships between characters and give them meaningful parts in this story.
In response to the review left by my loyal guest: thank you for your thoughtful and well throughout feedback. To be honest, the reason the chapter is so long is because last chapter admittedly didn't get the point I wanted across and thus I felt that this one needed to do so. While I agree that Lina was not enough to cheer Elsa up and planned on having her lose it in Edward's room, your constructive feedback had me address some points that I left out in the previous chapter. As for Elsa's out of character aspect last chapter, I wrote that wrong. I wanted there to be some doubt that she was ok and debated on having Mr. Jorgen say something about it but decided to go a different way as I wrote this. Hopefully this chapter more accurately ties in to the last chapter and addresses all the holes that was left in the other one. Please continue to completely honest in your review as it hopefully has made this chapter a cut above the rest given its length that hopefully conveys the right emotions that I want the reader to see in my fanfiction.
Getting out of his cell and going up the stairway then out the false wall was the easy part. The difficult task that lay ahead of him. Not long after he went through the wall and came upon a laboratory of some kind, he could hear the voices of others nearby. The monarch in him that wished for peace and cooperation wanted to reveal himself and ask for assistance.
However, after recent events, that side of him was gone for the moment. What replaced it was the cold, calculating, ruthless warrior that left nothing but agony in his wake. Even with one arm and after being thoroughly beaten, all it did was make him focus even more. So much more focused as he hid in the dark corners of the underground cavern, he was able to see the other occupants before they could see him.
There were three of them; average height and build, a sword and pistol each, dressed in the same uniform as the men who killed his soldiers. Under normal circumstances, he would've just walked over and took them down but the situation called for stealth and finesse rather than brutish methods.
He looked around the cavern to see what he had to work with. There were tables set up with research notes as well as a furnace to likely smelt weapons. The clutter of opened reports and strewn around papers resembled Talib's lab back in Blackdust while it was still active. Combining that with the man that had been checking on him recently, Alrick began to get a disturbing picture in his head that Talib wasn't what he seemed.
And here I was thinking a deranged, psychopathic, sociopathic depraved man of science was bad…
The King pushed that out of his mind for a later date and took a second look on the tables. Reports and papers were useless in this situation, both as weapons and a means of being distractions. The boxes next to the furnace that had a long handle sticking out of it looked promising. Glancing at the men who were at the front of the cavern, Alrick snuck around the room using the tables as cover when it was safe.
All the while, he scanned the reports to get a sense of what this hidden lab was being used for.
The reports referenced different metals and methods of combining them as well as the result of the many trials that were listed. Not too interesting but it explained the furnace. As he continued to sneak around, he glanced on one single piece of parchment that seemed out of place. Fortunately it was at the last table closest to the furnace so he could remain hidden as he read it.
Carefully, he ducked under the table and slipped the parchment off the top and brought it down for him to read. The first thing that stood out was that it was a letter addressed to a Victor Zoloman. The name didn't mean anything to the King so initially, he doubted that this letter was any important. All the same, he continued to read out of curiosity that he knew was unnecessary for this particular situation.
Victor Zoloman.
I trust that your efforts have yielded the promised results and that you will be ready to execute your part of the plan on schedule. Mr. Lind as well as Sylvester have both been successful in integrating themselves in Weselton and the Northern Isles, which gives us access to information from the two kingdoms. The Northern Isles is not a concern, however Weselton has sent troops to the Southern Isles, to join the invasionary force that will march on Arendelle…
Alrick's breath hitched as he reread the last line a few times. When he was sure he wasn't mistaken, his mind completely forgot about his current surroundings and racked itself thinking about Arendelle. Tactically speaking, the only way that a large force could come to Arendelle, especially from the Southern Isles, would be by sea which Elsa could just freeze the ocean so they wouldn't be able to get in close. It greatly lessened the risk of an effective attack which should have reassured him.
In reality though, it worried him more.
Alrick has heard about the stories of the Snow Queen, everyone has. Even if they had no idea what an Elemental was capable of as he knew, they would know that if she was able to freeze her entire kingdom, then freezing the sea which was the only way to feasibly transport a large force would be child's play.
Even if they tried coming in from the mountains surrounding the village, that was an even worse idea. The mountains in Arendelle were high and were almost always snowing. If she caught wind of a force moving through them, she could up the intensity of the blizzards and let them freeze to death out there. Her powers were a large deterrent but the geography of Arendelle, made it almost foolish to attack.
Any rational person would realize this yet, this man seemed to want to attack Arendelle. He referenced a plan of some sort as well as implied having a spy in the Northern Isles and Weselton which alluded that this was a very ambitious and large scale plan. If he was capable of thinking of a plan that required spies in two kingdoms that were enemies, then he had to have a rational plan to deal with Elsa.
What that plan was, Alrick had no idea so he continued reading.
...Garret who has kept an eye on the Queen has given us the scope of her abilities and expects that while she may be dangerous, she is still unskilled with the combat use of her abilities. The geographical terrain certainly gives her the advantage and will allow her to either hunker down her capitol or simply stave off any large scale invasion. As such, I have been given leave to deploy the prototypes to deal with her. I've already sent two ahead and they will advise the others on the situation and will determine the best course to remove the threat the Queen represents. Talib has fashioned us two more sets of the magic sealing shackles he created and the pair from Arendelle has been recovered. We are to capture her alive if possible, however if she proves to be too difficult to capture then killing her is authorized. The date of the invasion has been set ten days after Weselton forces have set out to rendezvous with the Southern Isles. King Hans will be leading all our forces to avoid suspicion, even if he fails in his bid to take over Arendelle, we will still have what we need.
The King narrowed his eyes in annoyance as he realized that the letter did not specifically say how the enemy planned to deal with the Queen. Only that some weapon had been sent ahead already and that there were more lying in wait. From the wording of whoever wrote this, it seemed that they weren't the one in charge of the operation. Someone was pulling the strings and they were able to use a King with a grudge to conceal their hand. This proved that there was a powerful player in this whole mess but unfortunately, Alrick had no clue who could they be.
Irritated by the development, he decided to consider it later after escaping his current predicament. The men were still at the front of the cavern but he didn't know how long that would last. With some newfound difficulty that was caused by him now being one handed, Alrick slowly with frustration began to fold the letter. Doing so required him to actively look at his one hand to fold it in between his fingers.
Frustration crossed his features as he used every finger but his thumb to fold it vertically once then turned it to do so again. He didn't want to risk the letter falling out of his pockets or being discovered by the enemy, so he wanted to fold it as small as possible so it would fit as deep as possible in his pocket. The simple act of folding paper was so trivial before when he had two hands but now with one, it required a bit more focus that was ridiculous to him…
...until he noticed there was some writing on the back.
He already folded the parchment twice so he could only see half of the lettering that was at the bottom of the letter. Quickly unfolding it once and squinting his eyes at the wording, he crushed the letter in his hand when he knew what it said.
Fight until the ground becomes shrouded in black dust from the ruins of our enemies.
He knew that line, he hated that line.
It used to be his kingdom's creed that was formed by the first King of Blackdust, Abraham the Sinful. According to their history, Abraham was a demon among men who engaged in every sin known to man. From raping to killing, there was nothing he wouldn't do. Over time, he gathered himself a following of depraved souls who fought for the promise of having everything they wanted. They fought and burned any who stood in their path before finally the world over wanted them destroyed. After countless battles, Abraham finally crossed the great seas with his men before settling on a desert island, then built a home for himself.
Realizing that there was no way to take on the entire world, Abraham sent his men out into small groups to each kingdom to undermine them from the inside. He learned their weapon secrets, troop training procedures, geography, any scrap on information he could use to get an advantage over them. The process took years, all the while the world searched for their hiding place.
As the years went by and the world forgot about Abraham and believing he had died of unknown causes, one kingdom had found them. The scouts hurried back to their kingdom to report that they had found the enemy.
The night before the King could tell his allies and organize a strike against Abraham, their capitol burned.
There were no survivors; men, women, and children alike were reduced to ashes at the sudden attack. There was no warning, an army just appeared at the kingdom's front gates as if it was magic. The battle was savage and too many had lost their lives. The royal family were all gone as well as anyone who knew where Abraham was hiding.
By the time the allies of the kingdom as well as the rest of its army arrived, there was nothing left but ash. Every building, person, and document was all reduced to ash. There was no way to identify who attacked, the only sign was the ash that remained.
The trend continued, any who would find where Abraham was had their kingdom completely wiped away, with no trace. Priding himself on the fear that ran rampant throughout the world, he named his kingdom Blackdust so that his followers would never forget what was expected from them whenever they fought. After establishing himself as King, Abraham decided that his time was coming to an end so tried to have a family and produce a son who would succeed him.
His second in command didn't appreciate the sentiment, so they murdered his family before fighting the King one on one then taking the throne for himself. The followers were split between those loyal to Abraham and the new King and infighting ravaged Blackdust. Finally, they decided that the strongest shall rule with absolute power and could only be challenged by their second in fair combat.
Those governing laws were what made Blackdust the kingdom it was before Alrick to control and tried changing it. The history was known by all however the creed was not so commonly known. There was only one time the creed was ever spoken in Blackdust.
When the King died on the blade of his second.
Alrick remembered impaling Rakat and the King's final words were the creed. At the time, it didn't mean squat to the new King, just ramblings of a dead tyrant, but as Alrick tried to restore order to his kingdom, he was met by heavy resistance to men who embodied those words. They were willing to fight him until Blackdust itself was reduced to black dust on the ground. A soldier's loyalty was to his home and the people who lived there, willing to sacrifice one's home to destroy an enemy was self-serving and brought shame to the army one fought in.
As such, he began to hate those words and swore that he would not have such a mindset be acceptable to his men.
Seeing them written down on a letter addressed to someone who wasn't even in Blackdust was disturbing. To write it down would mean that Zoloman knew what it meant. Alrick would've thought it was impossible if not for the fact that Talib and Victor looked the exact same and his captor had said 'other versions of me' which meant there was more than one Talib.
It made his head hurt to think about the depraved man, he remembered first meeting him all those years ago and looking back, it just now occurred to him that the alchemist never aged a day.
Everyone always called him a monster, they had no idea how right they were…
Rakat had favored Talib so it could be possible that the late King told the alchemist of the creed, yet Alrick's gut didn't buy it. He felt that there was something bigger at play here. Perhaps he shouldn't have killed his jailer but there was no taking it back now unless…
The sound of a flintlock being primed came before something hard was pressed to his head.
"Where do you think you're going, traitor?"
Alrick growled, he was getting real tired of people calling him a traitor to his home.
After speaking with Lina, Edward and Elsa had returned to the harbor to find that not only had the party not died down, it had begun to pick up greatly. The music was louder and people were bumping into one another covered in the stench of alcohol as they very poorly danced with one another. That made it slightly difficult for the seemingly only two sober participants to get through to the tables that were set outside.
Once they had claimed a table, Edward had volunteered to brave the sea of intoxicated Arendellians to fetch his darling Crystal a drink. He met some resistance in the form of a girl or two asking him for a dance which he politely denied the first one and grabbed a random guy to dance with the second. Making it to the impromptu bar that was set up outside, he walked up to the bartender then asked for two pints.
While the man went to grab his drinks, it allowed the young man a moment to think about the blonde. He was worried that she would still be down about what happened to those families and he hoped that Lina's presence would lift her spirits. It was heartwarming to see the little girl and the blonde talk and even more so when Elsa returned with a smile on her face then wished to join the party.
It made him giddy inside that she was feeling better and he wanted to have a little fun to take her mind off recent events. It was strange, the night before, he was literally fighting who he used to be and had died before coming back to life. It still felt like a dream to him, yet when he concentrated, the black dust that responded to him confirmed it wasn't. Rahim's soul echo was absolutely dense with black dust which made absorbing him a rejuvenating experience.
The amount he had now wasn't massive but it was more than what he had for a long time. He could probably fight at an enhanced level for some time, maybe even tap into Wrath's physical form for a time. Speaking of whom, the demon had still remained silent after what happened and the young man still wanted to give him some time to process what he went through. Edward figured that the Sin would speak when he was ready to explore the new opportunities they had now, until then, the young man would just continue to do what he was doing.
The bartender returned with the pints which Edward paid and thanked him for before crossing into the forest of happy drinkers. Emerging from the other side victorious and with their drinks in hand, he was about to offer one to Elsa when he noticed that someone was already talking to her.
The man was larger than him and had an impressive physique, red shaggy hair, green eyes, strong jaw, and a signature smile that probably made him a hit with the ladies. He had one arm propped on the table as he leaned over to speak with the blonde who Edward couldn't see thanks to the man blocking her from view.
Edward's first emotion was typical, a feeling of possessiveness and jealousy washed over him as he wished to storm his way over and tell the guy to back off. Which immediately triggered the logical part of his brain to tell him that he couldn't get jealous in public. Elsa was a Queen and officially he had no claim over her as she was expected for Arendelle's benefit. The both of them had agreed that in public they were to remain professional so it wouldn't make life harder for-
Wait…
Edward made a quick ressassement of the situation. The man in front of Elsa had definitely been drinking as evident by the way he subtly swayed as he moved. The blonde was wearing a pretty decent disguise and even if someone recognized her, they would likely be drinking and would chalk it up to the alcohol messing with them when they sobered up. Finally Elsa had for the night, agreed to remain Crystal so no one would be aware that the Queen was partying on the docks…
...which made it ok for him to be possessive since the Queen wasn't here.
A grin that mirrored Wrath's fanged one, appeared on Edward's face as he walked over. He could actually be possessive for once! The myriad of petty and completely unnecessary thoughts on how to dispel the man making a move on the blonde made him excited as Olaf as he debated on which one to act on.
Knocking those perfect teeth down his throat? Too violent.
Throwing him into the harbor? Too much work.
Roaring in his face? Too loud.
Turning into Wrath? Good opportunity for some practice but no, uncalled for.
He was still undecided as he appeared behind the man then silently set down the drinks, still too occupied with debating on what he wanted to do to actually listen to what the man was saying. Finally deciding to play it by ear, Edward schooled his face into a neutral expression before tapping the man on his shoulder. The redhead didn't even turn around to respond.
"Buzz off, I'm busy pal."
Oh boy...this is going to be so fun.
With an ear splitting grin on the inside yet a calm facade on the outside, Edward firmly grabbed the man's shoulder and spun him around. This angered the man who opened his mouth to berate the guy in front of him. The young man already knew it was coming and was actively trying to hold his grin in. He slid his eyes over to where Elsa was sitting so that he could send her a somewhat sincere apology for what he was about to do when he saw that a brunette was sitting there.
Instantly, his jovial disposition shattered as panic rose in his throat, Elsa was gone! He knew this was the table she was sitting at earlier and she knew that he would be right back so she wouldn't have wandered off too far. Whipping his head side to side frantically searching for any sign on the small blonde made the man in front of him grow irritable that he was being ignored and he reached his hand out to grab the young man by the collar.
"Hey buddy! Look at me when I'm talk-"
The table broke from the man landing on it as Edward speed walked away.
He dove back into the crowd with restlessness as he tried to keep his shoves gentle yet firm but the frequent complaints that sounded behind him showed that he failed. The table the two had wasn't that far away from the bar and he wasn't gone that long, which meant the blond couldn't have gone that far. That was what the logical part of his mind told him but the panicked part of his mind was now in control. It thought of worse case scenarios like Rahim had kidnapped her and was killing her at this very moment.
He ruled that possibility out as the warrior was dead and his appearance last night was handled by the young man. Unfortunately when that one scenario was dismissed, another one popped up instantly. He remembered seeing Talib at Anna and Kristoff's wedding, he searched for the man for days and came up with nothing. Elsa said that she would look into it but she hadn't mentioned him so he assumed she found nothing. He really didn't want to, but his mind considered the possibility that the alchemist had captured her and was now evaluating her.
That made Edward move faster.
He had already seen the results of the alchemist evaluating an Elemental and if Elsa didn't meet the psycho's standards, then she'd be disposed of.
He shoved his way right through a dancing couple to see a familiar bonnet sitting at a table. He made a beeline over, not letting anything break his stride and when he finally got to the table, he heard his name being called.
"Well if it isn't my Young Edward!"
The mentioned man ears tracked the voice to the other side of the table where his eyes slid over to and saw Mr. Jorgen sitting there with a happy smile on his face. In front of him was a tray that housed a numerous amount of tiny cups each filled with a clear liquid. Somehow seeing the old man calmed Edward down as he observed the cups and noticed a few were already empty. He could smell that the harbormaster had drank some from the scent of the man's breath but there was a hint of it diverging away from the old man to the woman right in front of him.
Plucking the bonnet off the woman's head, Edward almost dropped into the seat next to him in relief when Elsa covered her head with one arm and tried to snatch her bonnet back.
"Edward, give that back right now!"
The young man ignored her hiss and simply wrapped an arm around her shoulder and pulled her in for a hug. She looked confused for a moment while Mr. Jorgen let out a hearty laugh.
"The lad was worried his lass had wandered off into a spot of trouble! Or maybe...he was afraid she found a man to entertain her, luckily for him, my days of wooing women are long behind me!"
Edward let go of the blonde and calmed his beating heart before shooting the harbormaster a grin. "What are you talking about, you're still quite the catch, Jorgen."
The old man laughed again before taking a cup in hand easily drinking it as if it was water. "You should've seen me back in my youth, I had everyone dancing around in the palm of my hand. It was fun but after doing it for so long, you get bored pretty quickly. But enough of that…"
Mr. Jorgen leaned over and pointed at the blonde with a conspiratory smirk on his face. "Is she the one you gave the necklace to? You know the one you spent so much time on carving with your hands?"
Elsa debated on if she should or not but she found herself digging for the necklace and taking it out to look at it closely. It was still one of the most beautiful things she had ever seen and it meant so much to her. She knew that it was a custom order as there was no way that anyone else besides Edward could think of the design.
What she didn't know was that he had hand carved it, likely with Wrath's claws as she could make out the gouges when she examined it closely.
That made its value instantly double in her eyes as she looked up to see the young man blushing then looking away. Mr. Jorgen on the other hand, was trying and failing to hide his victorious grin at being right. Edward had probably left out that little detail and just gifted her the necklace, a noble gesture but the old man knew that with women, it helped to be meaningful.
"Oh so it is!? You know lass, before he could decide on it, he was traveling all over Arendelle looking for a gift. He told me that he visited every shop in Arendelle and couldn't find anything that was worthy of a gem such as yourself. His exact words, I assure you."
The young man shot the old one a look who had his thumbs up when the blonde had her back turned to him. While it warmed Edward's heart to see Elsa's eyes twinkle at him as she held the necklace, he was still quite embarrassed that Mr. Jorgen felt that he needed help so the old man was trying to offer his assistance with the blonde.
Even if it seems to be working perfectly.
"I...just wanted it to be special..."
It came out as a mumble but the two of them heard it and the woman took one of his hands in hers with a firm grip. "It is, it's really special to me."
Edward smiled at the sincere tone and likely would've kissed her if the two of them were alone. However with Mr. Jorgen right there, he restrained himself in case the old man had realized that it was Queen Elsa right in front of him. So far, it seemed that he hadn't and that was probably thanks to the alcohol in his system as well as the additional amount that he kept drinking every so often.
The old man took another shot once again before speaking again. "You know lass, you really know how to pick em, Edward here is one of the best young men I've ever known but sometimes, I want to smack him over the head to get him to focus!"
She giggled as she remembered Stonewell having a similar opinion. "You aren't the first to say so."
"Should've seen him the first day he worked for me, what an eye opener that was."
The young man had been on the side, still embarrassed on how they were talking about him and keeping out of the conversation yet still listening. When they started talking about his first day at work, he instantly perked up and tried to intervene.
"Ok...how about we talk about something else…"
Elsa looked intrigued while Mr. Jorgen had a wider grin on his face. In his opinion the story wasn't anything bad, it just really showed what kind of person Edward was. The young man likely didn't want the story told because of the woman in front of him might have found it funny which it was, but it also showed that she had someone special.
"What happened?" The blonde had a genuinely curious expression on her face and it seemed that she wanted to know. The harbormaster would normally just tell her but he recalled his interaction with them earlier and had an idea.
"I would love to tell you lass but it seems Young Edward here would rather I not. Do I answer the wishes of a beautiful lass or a hardworking man who was under my employ? Such a hard decision…" Mr. Jorgen took a faux pensive expression that Edward saw through in an instant. After a moment of rubbing his chin, the old man snapped his fingers when something occurred to him.
"I got it! I'll leave it up to you two. Whoever finishes their glass first, I will answer." The young man's eyes almost rolled out of his head at the way they widened. He wanted them to drink?! Edward had known the harbormaster for some time and couldn't see the usually responsible senior citizen coming up with something like this but throw in alcohol and things seemed to change.
For a moment, he considered what the harbormaster had asked. Drinking for him was somewhat an exercise in futility. His body could burn through any toxins introduced into his system quite quickly and it could be accelerated if he used his black dust. In theory he could get drunk if he drank enough and fast enough but going shot for him was pointless. There was also the fact that since he had known Elsa, he rarely could recall her ever having the slightest whiff of alcohol on her. Which made him believe that she wasn't much of a drinker, so she would surely not accept the harbormaster's proposal when she knew who she would be drinking against…
The clink of a cup hitting the table snapped the young man out of his deep thinking to see Elsa with a triumphant look on her face.
"Ok, what happened?"
Mr. Jorgen grinned while Edward's jaw dropped at the blonde as she listened intently to the old man's tale. The young man muted it out as he took another look at Elsa. Earlier today, she had broken down into a shattered mess of guilt and regrets which prompted him to hold her until she picked up the pieces. After she calmed down which alluded that she succeeded, he could tell that she was barely holding it together and needed more support to further cement that fragility of her heart right now.
Unfortunately, he was unfamiliar in the ways of comfort besides just being there, holding someone, or telling them what they needed to hear. Those three methods seemed ineffective this time so he decided to think outside of the box. He remembered many times that Ahimoth would party after a successful campaign which would brighten people's spirits. Rahim never went so Edward had no idea if it worked but gambled he had nothing to lose.
Their first brief immersion into the party did nothing to help the blonde's mood which made him realize quickly that he needed a change in strategy. He felt that she needed some type of affirmation, that she had made a positive difference in someone's life. She obviously must've known the positive influence she had on him yet that wasn't enough, so he wracked his brain for a while and it dawned on him who she needed to speak to.
Lina was a good choice as she was now getting better thanks to the blonde's efforts to improve the lives of her people. He had met the little girl a few times whenever he saw Cameron outside the castle and the guard had introduced them. The little girl had been told of his exploits and already saw him as a hero which was quite embarrassing in a good way. There were times that he secretly had doubts about what he was doing in Arendelle and when Elsa, Anna, and Kristoff were busy, the little girl's childlike innocence was just what he needed.
He hoped that she could share the endless light that radiated off her with the blonde in this trying time and thought that it had been a success. Elsa shed a few happy tears, smiled, and agreed to return to the party. All those signs pointed to her having her spirits lifted but for some reason, there was a tiny bit of doubt in the back of his mind. It was a nagging thought that would appear every time she smiled, he ignored it, hoping that it was his deep sated pessimism after living the life he had but the more and more he locked eyes with her, the feeling grew.
"...so I get there in the morning, and my entire night staff was brawling in the office. Edward was off to the side, doing paperwork of all things. I ask him what happened and do you know what he says? 'I might've pissed off Aaron who threw a punch but hit Melvin who tried to punch him back but he hit Devin then things started to escalate while I snuck out to finish updating the cargo manifest.' Honestly, I've seen Edward hold his own in a brawl quite easily and I'm sure he could've handled Aaron but instead he avoids conflict even if it escalates the situation. Sometimes I wish he'd just stand his ground when something happens."
Elsa shook her head. "While Edward is adept at combat, I think it's noble that he tries to avoid it. Even if he's the one who started it."
"That's the thing lass, in life, there are some things that you can't avoid." Mr. Jorgen took another cup and drank it slower than the others. Him tipping his chin to drink it broke eye contact with Elsa but not with the young man who received a somewhat stern look. The young man noticed it yet said nothing as the old man finished his shot and returned a smile to the woman in front of him.
"Alright, enough of that. I have plenty of more stories of Edward here that I would be willing to speak of if you manage to beat him in shots."
The young man heard the proposal and thought better of it as he chose now to intervene. "I don't that would be wise, she's already had a few drinks. There's no need for her to get heavily intoxicated when she has to wake up tomorrow."
That was only half of the truth, the real reason that Edward didn't want Elsa drunk was because of her powers. If she became too intoxicated, there was a chance that she would lose control over abilities and use them without precision. Plus the fact that they would undoubtedly give her away which would put her in a deeper hole as Queen. He reached over to move the tray out of the blonde's reach but found himself to slow for the unusually excited woman.
Edward watched with great astonishment as Elsa grabbed and downed four more shots in rapid succession. After dropping the fourth one, her face wrinkled in disgust and he thought she might've become sick but she shook it off before throwing her hands up victoriously.
"Yes! That's four more stories!"
The young man gave the old one a curious look as he grasped one of the cups and brought it to his nose to sniff. He couldn't make out any distinct odors so he took a sip and instantly regretted it as a burning feeling consumed his throat and he felt his taste buds commit suicide one at a time. He likely would've coughed or gagged if he tried to take the entire shot, how Elsa managed to down four of them so quickly was a wonder to him.
"Yeah, these are really hard to stomach while you're sober. You gotta work your way up to them or you won't be able to keep them down."
"Then how is she able to keep them down?" The tone Edward took wasn't meant to be harsh but there was definitely an edge to it that was plain to notice.
"This wasn't her first drink of the night, I immediately bumped into her while you were gone and we started talking about you over a round of drinks. She didn't drink too much but she had enough before you got here." The simple way the old man explained it brought a small headache to the young man's mind that made him rub his temples.
He wished that he could've monitored all that she drank tonight but wasn't expecting Mr. Jorgen to make things a bit more complicated. Shaking his head of what if's, he evaluated the situation right now. Elsa didn't seem to have any loss of control over her abilities nor to her balance and speech. Which meant the alcohol hadn't fully kicked in yet. Unfortunately given her size and what she drank, it wouldn't be too long before they did kick in.
He had to get her out of here before it did.
"Alright Crystal, it's time we go. You have things to do tomorrow, remember?"
Elsa was a logical person, she preferred to think about things first and have some kind of plan before doing anything. It's what made her a great Queen and an intelligent person who usually was prepared for most outcomes. Her upbringing made planning and being logical a must in her life. He hated to play on that aspect but he needed to do so to avoid any more complications.
However…
"No, people in the castle have things to do tomorrow. I on the other hand want to do whatever I want tonight!"
...the logical part of her mind had left the building and gave the keys to her more impulsive side of her mind.
The music in the background was mostly the same since they got here but it changed as if it was linked to the blonde's emotions. A faster, more livier song started to play that had the woman out of her seat with an excited grin on her face. Before he could protest, Elsa grabbed him and pulled him along in a way that would make even Anna jealous. While he was being pulled away, he pointed at the harbormaster and mouthed, 'this is your fault.' the old man simply lifted another glass and downed it as the sea of people blocked him from view once again.
The music got louder and louder until he could see the people who were playing. It was a group of six people who had a wide array of different instruments. He could make out a tambourine, a trumpet, a violin, some large guitar like instrument, a drum of some kind, and finally some kind of flute. The synchronization of them playing was masterfully done as one would taper off another would take the spotlight augmented by tones from the other instruments. The result was a lively beat that would not settle down and only knew how to evolve to stay alive.
Elsa dropped him off somewhat close to them right in the middle of the sea of dancing people and wrapped her arms around him and started dancing to the beat. Placing his own arms around her near the small of her back to steady her in case she lost her balance, he tried to reason with her.
"I think we should go."
The loud music easily drowned out his voice as a particularly high note made Elsa spin them both while she squealed in drunken happiness. He tried to raise his voice to get her attention but the blonde was completely under the hypnotic spell of the song that was playing. It seemed that nothing would break her out of the trance. He debated on just throwing her over his shoulder and bodily taking her away but he didn't want to make a scene. So he reluctantly danced with her to the song and hoped that it would end soon so that he could move the two of them away.
Too bad for him, the band seemed to have a limitless capacity of breath and between the six instruments, they found a way to seemingly increase the duration of the song indefinitely. Edward tried not to think about it but, some time had passed and Elsa's movement began to get more sluggish as she danced. In the beginning her lithe arms held him still and at her mercy but now his arms were supporting her slouching body as she more or less bounced against him. She had lost rhythm with the beat a while ago and the energy she had diminished.
Realizing now was a good opportunity, he was about to gently lead her away when a caressing hand landed on his forearm. His eyes slid over to another blonde woman who was dressed in a very filling short red dress. He briefly scanned her from head to toe as he did with everyone due to his more cautious nature.
The woman noticed and thought he liked what he saw.
"Well hey there, handsome, looks like you have all the girls on you tonight." Edward could smell the small hint of alcohol in her breath and could tell that while she had been drinking, she was as level headed as when she was sober. The comment was most likely aimed at Elsa who had her eyes closed and was slouched on him, likely passed out.
"Yeah, she drank a little too much so I was just going to take her home."
The words registered in his mind the moment they left his mouth. Here in his hands was an unconscious woman that he was all but dragging away and he tells someone else that she had too much to drink and he was taking her home?! Even though it was the truth, any sane regular person would be suspicious of such a reason. He instantly started to speak to better explain the situation before the woman became suspicious.
"i-I know that sounds bad but it's true. We showed up here together because she was having a rough day and I thought that a party would cheer her up so I brought her here where Mr. Jorgen was hosting one for his workers and their friends. I used to work for him so he said that I was welcome any time and I thought today would be a good day to come, so I did and I brought her. I told her to wait at the table we had so I could get her something to drink but when I got back there was this guy who was at our table. I thought he was trying to put the moves on her so I walked over ready to put him in his place but he was with a different woman. I panicked and looked for her then found her with Mr. Jorgen taking shots with him in exchange for stories about me. I thought it was a bad idea for her to drink too much but it was too late and she dragged me over to dance where that damn band played that same song forever and finally she passed out and I'm trying to take her home but you showed up and think that I'm some creep who wants to take advantage of a passed out woman which I would never do because I'm not that guy, in fact I would never do that to anyone and would probably beat whatever guy who would stoop so low into the dirt happily because that's beyond wrong but it's sad to know people do that and-" a finger on his lips stopped his babbling as the woman giggled at his panic.
"Aww you are so adorable. How could I possibly imagine a good boy like you taking advantage of this woman? You're probably going to carry her all the way to her home and tuck her into bed aren't you?"
He was. His first instinct was to take her to the castle and tuck her into her bed for tomorrow. However what he didn't consider was how people would talk if they found out their Queen was passed out from drinking in his arms. That would bring forth a plethora of questions that he was sure Elsa didn't want to answer. Maybe he could bring her to his room at the Lumberjack's Heart, it was well into the night there and there wouldn't be too many patrons. The owner knew him and would believe that the woman in his arms had indeed passed out from drinking.
"I was going to but just remembered that her parents don't approve of me so I'm going to take her to the inn I usually stay in and get her a room."
The woman crossed her arms and raised a beautifully sculpted eyebrow. "Now you're being suspicious."
"The owner knows I would never do such a thing."
"All the same, I think I'll go with you just to make sure you're genuine."
Edward might've felt insulted but reasoned that it was a logical request which he accepted. He and the woman left the life of the party and walked down the street toward the inn he stayed in. As the two walked, the young man offered no more conversation as he took discrete looks at his new companion. The woman was beautiful, no one could deny that. Her emerald eyes, heart shaped face, full pink lips and her hair done in a way that some of it covered her left eye would have men fighting for her attention. Then came her body that was quite fuller than most women he'd seen, her abdomen was small and fit while her hips and legs were very shapely. Then there were her breasts that easily dwarfed Elsa's in size and with the way she swayed her hips she knew that men were looking at her.
All things considered, she was drop dead gorgeous.
Yet in Edward's mind, he was suspicious of her. While he understood that he acted a little shady, it was odd that she wished to accompany him to make sure that he told the truth. Say he was lying, she could easily be another victim of his. Even though the streets walked down had some people that would be witnesses if he was planning such a thing, he still found it odd but said nothing as he noticed the familiar inn ahead of him.
Shouldering the door open, Edward carried Elsa to the counter which made the owner give him an incredulous look. Before he could even ask what was going on the young man already requested a room.
"Sorry kid, there aren't any more rooms available."
Edward resisted the urge to groan and say 'of course there aren't' and just politely nodded. All the while aware of the woman behind him giggling at his less than pleased expression.
"Looks like you are going to have a girl in your bed tonight."
The way she spoke the words made it plainly obvious that she was alluding to something else which he didn't care to ask about. With a grumble, Edward carried the woman in his arms up the stairs then down the hall until he was in front of his door. He heard the footsteps of his new companion behind him and felt that she could be useful to him.
"Could you please reach into my right pocket to get my key for the room?"
The woman hummed in affirmation as he felt her slender hand reach into his pocket. The pants he wore didn't have too deep of pockets but he could feel her rummaging in there which made him think that she was looking for something other than keys. His assumption was right when he felt her fingers brush his member before giving it a slight squeeze which made him jump a bit.
Oh, she doesn't care about Elsa, she came here for that.
"Got it." She slipped the key out of his pocket before unlocking the door and allowing him through. The welcomed sight of his room would've been most relaxing if it wasn't for the woman who was staring at his back like a hawk. He wanted to tell her to get lost but he didn't want to risk waking up Elsa who he laid down in his bed. After doing so, he tucked her into the covers then turned to the woman who was now right in front of him.
"Look at you being such a gentleman, I would say any girl would be lucky to have you care for them." The caressing touch she laid on his chest made his headache throb a little bit more as he gently grasped her hand before gesturing to the door.
"Perhaps we could return to the bar and I could buy you a drink." Edward would've preferred to stay with Elsa but he needed to get rid of this woman who has yet to tell him her name. She had also seen the blonde a few times and he wanted to make sure that she didn't figure out it was the Queen.
Which led him to his plan at the bar that disgusted him somewhat.
The woman looked triumphant as she thought he was falling for her charms and allowed him to lead her to the bar where he ordered a bottle on the strongest alcohol they served.
"Are you trying to impress me with a shiny bottle?"
Edward simply poured two shot glasses for the two of them before handing her hers. "No, just trying to have a friendly drink." He raised his glass to hers which she clinked it with hers then they started drinking. The two of them went shot after shot with her becoming more and more intoxicated and loose lipped while he remained dry as a bone. He planned on getting her so drunk that she would forget the night and hopefully him and Elsa, a detestable plan but the only one he had at the time.
Plus it was the easiest, given that she seemed to think that he was a lightweight given his obvious distaste to the shots and insisted they drink until he got the hang of it. While they were going through shots, he got her to tell him where she lived so that when she would inevitably pass out he could take her home. Her speech began to slur as well as her movements as she tried to stand up but tripped over her feet which made him catch her before she fell. It was something any decent person would do…
...but the shiver that went up his back when he looked up to see Elsa without her bonnet and her eyes full of rage, made him wish he let the woman faceplant.
"What. Do. You. Think. You're. Doing?!"
Her speech had definitely improved which was a good sign but he could see the faint wisps of cold air flow in her clenched hands. Her hair was still styled in a messy bun that had few strands falling out of it here and there with no make up on her face at all. He could easily recognize her but to someone else who didn't see Queen Elsa everyday and didn't know her, it would take them a minute to recognize her. Edward knew that he needed to deescalate a potentially bad situation quickly.
"Crystal, this is not what it looks like."
He was talking to Elsa but the heavens above must've had a bone to pick with him because the blonde woman in his arms responded. "Really, because it seems that the little girl over there doesn't seem to get that you're otherwise engaged at the moment. And another thing, how did you know my name?"
Of course that's her name.
He was about to defend Elsa but she already crossed the inn to get in between the two of them while poking the woman in her chest. "Who are you calling a little girl, and for your information, he's already spoken for." Edward did a double take. He never expected Elsa to actually act possessive. It was very arousing to be sure but he could still smell the alcohol on her breath and knew that she was still quite drunk so she couldn't exactly be held responsible for what she might say or do while in this state.
Crystal didn't find it amusing as she brushed the hand off and laughed in the pissed off Queen's face. "Spoken for you say? Then why is he down here with me over being upstairs with you?"
"Because he's too nice to tell you to buzz off!"
Edward might've found this funny another time but for now he gently grasped Elsa's shoulders to keep her from doing something that she would definitely regret tomorrow. While he was relieved that she believed that he wouldn't do anything with the other woman, he could sense that she was close to being furious. The bar was most empty but the few remaining patrons began to take notice the argument, he really needed to get Elsa back upstairs.
"Ok, how about we go upstairs and calm down."
He started to gently pull her away and she reluctantly allowed herself to be dragged until Crystal opened her big mouth.
"Or maybe he realizes he'll have a better time with me over you just sleeping in his bed."
Just like that, Elsa's skin got ice cold and the bottom of her shoes anchored her to the floor which made it impossible to pull her anymore. Edward gave her a few more tugs but she remained rooted in her spot as she leveled an intense glare at the well endowed woman. He could feel her anger beginning to build and he got in front of her to look her in the eyes to convey the seriousness in his voice.
"Listen you need to calm down before you do something that you'll regret."
He hoped she'd understand but all she did was smile in a way that would've made even Wrath nervous before leaning to the side so she could see Crystal.
"Oh I would never regret this."
Elsa then grabbed him by the collar and did the first thing that her intoxicated mind came up with.
She kissed him. Hard. In front of everyone in the inn.
When he and Elsa had first been intimate and he gave her a ravenous kiss that made her nervous, he never kissed her in such a fashion as he didn't want to push her too fast even though they had been intimate multiple times. Right now, in this moment, he could easily say that the kiss he gave her was nothing compared to the one she was giving him now. His rational mind told him she was only doing so to prove a point but the mind that dwelled in between his legs that was slowly but surely taking over his brain could only focus on the invasive tongue in his mouth that tasted like alcohol with winter peppermint.
He wanted to surrender to her power completely in that moment, but his rational brain held on until the blonde broke the kiss off herself. She gave him a grin and an even more devilish one to the few patrons that were there before finally landing on Crystal who was steaming. If the normal Elsa was around right now, she would be absolutely mortified at what she just did. The political consequences would be flying through her mind as well as the crippling blow that the Queen's reputation could take if people had seen what she had just done. She probably would've been on the second floor still observing Edward and Crystal drink and wait until the young man got rid of the blonde before speaking with him later.
However, the intoxicated Elsa who was done being the perfect girl and letting her fears control her, was going to let the storm inside her rage outside her as well.
"I'll be doing much more than sleeping in his bed."
With that blatant innuendo, she hauled him up the stairs away from everyone and slammed his door so hard to make sure that everyone down there heard it. Edward's mind was still a little dazed but for the most part he was able to appreciate that the two of them were now in the privacy of his room. While it could've been handled much better, he was glad that Elsa didn't go entirely off the deep end and used her powers, which would've been a dead giveaway who she was.
She still had him by the collar but her grip had considerably loosened to the point that it was just her palm against his collar. He was about to say something when she gave him a firm shove that had the back of his knees hitting his bed forcing him to sit down on it. He was surprised and was about to ask what that was for but when he met her eyes, his throat dried up.
Being a predator for so long taught him early on how to distinguish his kind from prey quite easily. He look people in the eyes and see who would give in first versus the ones that would be the most defiant. He could pick out killers easily with the dead and murderous look in their eyes. He could also see the fear in someone's eyes when they realized that there was nothing they could do.
When he looked into Elsa's eyes in that moment, he could see himself in her eyes' reflection and could easily see that he was the prey and she was the predator.
"U-um Elsa, I-i think that you should go to bed now…"
She gave a sultry laugh and crossed the room with long strides before being in front of him and slightly lifting her blouse so that she could slide a leg across his lap and straddle him. "I'll go to bed after…"
She tried to wrap her arms around his neck but he gently took her shoulders to keep her from getting any closer. As much as he craved the blonde, even more so given that they haven't really had any privacy since he got back from his field exercise, he knew that this was wrong. He always wanted Elsa to be true to herself and not worry about what she should be as Queen. Even if now she acted like the mantle of Queen wasn't on her mind at all, she still wasn't in her right mind.
The Elsa he knew and loved could be quite flirtatious and arousing for sure but that was behind closed doors. She would never flaunt her private business in public like she had just done downstairs. She also wouldn't act so territorial so openly. Elsa was far too insightful and tactical than to do that. The blonde he knew would move her assets discreetly before taking her target down without letting them know what hit them the way she always did when she played chess. Plus she was above having a screaming match with another woman and almost losing her cool.
As much as it pained him to admit it, the Elsa in his arms, wasn't his Elsa.
"No, you need to go to bed right now."
The blonde pouted and gave him the puppy dog look that probably would've gotten him to do anything she wanted any other time. Right now though, he met her gaze with a firm look that wasn't going to budge. After realizing it wasn't going to work, she dropped her head into his chest and remained there for a moment. Satisfied that she had stopped trying to persuade him into doing something wrong, he wrapped his arms around her shoulders and her waist and was about to tuck her in when she said something he doubted he would've heard from her normally.
"Even you will look at me differently now that you know that I'm a monster on the inside..."
Edward froze and tried to pull her off his chest to see her face but she wouldn't move. He could feel her hands tightly gripping his shirt and could see that she was only making herself smaller and smaller in front of him.
He never expected to hear that come from her. After all this time of her trying to convince him that he wasn't a monster, it never crossed his mind that she would ever call herself one. It made it quite obvious that her earlier smile tonight was just for show and that those families still weighed heavily on her mind. His earlier instinct that he tried to convince was wrong was right on the money.
He should've seen it, the way she instantly flirted back with him right after her talk with Lina. Her indulgence of drinking. Finally her recent confrontation with Crystal. She was putting up a front that she was ok and tried to drink and forget her earlier worries but now that she was sobering up, they all came rushing back.
"Elsa, you aren't a monster."
A harsh depreciating laugh came from her as she finally lifted her head to give him a sullen smile. "That's funny coming from you. Seeing as you called yourself a monster for the longest time and I had to keep telling you over and over that you weren't. Now that I'm doing it, you probably think that you should do the same for me. The only problem with that is you never had to hide it from anyone. You could show it and move on to the next town as you planned on doing when you first got here. Me on the other hand, I'm trapped here, chained by my obligations as Queen and am forced to be someone else."
Elsa then began to laugh in that same depreciating way that made him begin to worry. He knew that laugh, it was the laugh of someone on the edge of losing all hope and falling into a bottomless pit of sadness. He needed to snap her out of it before it was too late.
"Listen, you aren't a monster. You drank too much alcohol and don't know what you're doing or saying."
The blonde's laugh abruptly stopped as her eyes lost their sullen look to them and became ice cold. She remained silent as she stared at the ceiling before her eyes leveled on his and his breath hitched. The spark of anger that he felt from her was his only warning that he should not have said that.
"I don't know what I'm doing?"
A harsh slap to his cheek knocked him down on the bed before Elsa grabbed him by the collar and brought him back to her face before she roared at him.
"Screw you, I know exactly what I'm doing! I've spent my entire childhood becoming ready to one day be Queen. I know every law, policy, history, culture, religion, language, building, position, and aspect that has anything to do with Arendelle. I can recite Socrates in Greek, recount the laws Pythagoras studied as well as his theorem, and can speak many languages. I've enriched the lives of my people in every way and fought to make something out of a small kingdom in terms of size and military power. I've also made alliances and helped other kingdoms settle disputes peacefully and have been instrumental in the current peace that the world has now enjoyed. Yet for some reason, I'm always asked for more, there's always more! No matter what I do, I'm expected to do more. They think because I can make it snow that I'm some kind of god but all I am is a twenty-odd something woman who just got out of total isolation!"
Edward could do nothing but listen to her as vented on him. Surprisingly, there was no ice around and the room remained at its normal temperature despite the emotional downpour that was coming from her.
"Even now, I'm portrayed as this perfect Queen that everyone loves and wouldn't hurt a fly. I killed four people and my own council hid that from me! They knew that the people would see me for what I am and they did what was best and hid it from me so I could believe in the lie that they sold everyone else. Now that I know about it, I can't even do anything about it! The council set things up so perfectly that they could ruin the image they crafted for me with a snap of their fingers! So I'm forced to remain the good girl that I always have to be. I try to be content, I have Anna, she's happy, hell she's married right now to the man of her dreams. I will never blame her but I know that I will never have that. No, I'll be married off to some dashing royal and expected to submit to him like a good pet. When that happens, what I know will be irrelevant. He'll have all the power, even if I could snap my fingers and turn him into an icicle, he could reveal how much of a monster I am and have people wanting me burned at the stake as you so eloquently put it."
He listened and could feel her pent up anger finally coming to the surface. He should've seen a whole lot sooner, her being a single ruler had its load of problems but being a Queen had its own share. Females were unfortunately considered lesser than men and even with all she accomplished, he knew that there would be people who thought a man could do better. She had told him that she forgave her parents long ago but the pain of being alone was still there, and to be honest, he didn't see it ever leaving her.
Some kinds of pain, just never go away.
A wave of rage washed over him but he could instantly tell it wasn't his. It was the myriad of soul echoes of all his victims that he had killed over his long life, Rahim's being the most distinguishable of all of them. He had a record of all of them that he could relive at any time and continued to maintain them all this time. It was his own punishment for being the monster that he was.
Elsa had told him that after her parents died, she debated on leaving her room to comfort her sister that was crying on the other side of her door. What stopped her was the frost that exploded from her when she saw the black curtain that was over her parents' picture. She had been dressed for the funeral and was about to go to get Anna but one look at that picture had her running back to her room and releasing the anguish that came from the realization that they were really gone.
So she stayed in her room.
She imprisoned herself to keep everyone safe until the day she became Queen and was forced to open the gates and expose her people to the hidden danger that was her. She tried to be the perfect Queen but ultimately failed and tried to flee but the mantle of the throne wouldn't release her so easily. Anna came after her because they were family and Elsa would never doubt that, but everyone else wanted her back because she was the Queen.
That's what everyone saw her as and since she prepared her whole life to fulfill that role, she took the job and did what was expected of her.
It made him wonder something…
"Elsa...do you want to be Queen?"
The blonde's venting came to a screeching halt with that simple question. She was finally able to register the patient look in the man's eyes and could tell that there was a subtle shift in them. They didn't house the look of pity or worry that so plain to see earlier, all there was a calm, open, and attentive look in his eyes. Her earlier rant was out of his mind as he only wished to know her answer to his question.
A question, no one has ever asked her, not even Anna.
"Do I want to be Queen, what kind of question is that?"
She expected that he would explain the reasoning of asking that but he didn't.
"Exactly what it sounds like."
She wanted to scoff at the question and say of course but the words died in her throat when she looked him in the eyes. They easily pierced hers and looked deep in her soul as he awaited her answer. If she said the words, he would be able to instantly tell that it was a lie. Her mind began to argue with itself as it asked why would that be a lie?
Of course she wanted to be Queen. It was what she had been brought up to be her entire life. She didn't know anything else, her being Queen made sense given everything that's happened to her. Yet a small part of her wondered if she wasn't Queen, what would she do?
Where would she be if she wasn't bound to the throne?
Would she be hunted as she knew others were since her abilities weren't natural? '
Or could she find some remote place to be alone and not hurt anyone, like her ice palace?
The questions kept appearing in her mind as she tried to ignore them. She couldn't think about things like that, she was Queen, she loved her people, she loved her kingdom, she loved being able to make a difference.
Does one have to be a Queen to make a difference?
That nagging voice in the back of her head asked that question and she couldn't help but consider it. She wanted to say no, that anyone could make a difference but doing so would mean that she didn't have to be Queen to make a difference in her people's lives. She already had the power to do essentially whatever she wanted but she always told herself that using her power for her own ends was unacceptable. She wouldn't force change, she'd earn it by playing by the same rules as everyone else but the fact was that they didn't really apply to her.
If she wanted to, she could conquer all her enemies by sealing them in a snowglobe or sending an endless amount of snowmen to fight their armies. Both her allies and enemies knew she could do this. Even if she wasn't Queen, she was a threat to any kingdom on her own. Which made her ask herself…
...did she really have to be Queen?
It was a question she never allowed herself to consider, if she did, she would begin to wonder what her life could've been like if she wasn't a Queen.
As she continued to stare into his eyes, she gave him the best answer she had.
"I don't know what I would be if I wasn't a Queen."
The young man only blinked before he said something that she would never forget.
"You'd be Elsa."
Such a simple answer made all the raging storm inside her dissipate. She felt all her tense muscles all go lax at once that she actually felt herself fall before two arms grabbed her and kept her upright. She was so drained all of a sudden like someone had sucked all the energy out of her but when she looked around the room, there wasn't a speck of ice that should've manifested in her surge of emotion.
All she could do was continue to look in those calm blue eyes that pierced through hers yet hide nothing when she looked into his. She could see that he understood what it meant to be something that you were always expected to be. To always be expected to do more when you've already achieved great things. To know what it was like to feel trapped by someone else and when they finally couldn't hold you, you decide to hold yourself in the same prison they fashioned.
"And you're Wrath, aren't you?"
Wrath didn't see the need to answer as he was pretty sure that she knew who he was. The shift between him and Edward was so subtle that neither of them realized they had swapped places. Even now, he couldn't sense Edward anywhere, it was just him alone with Elsa. The demon had listened to the blonde vent and could understand how she felt, it was the same way he felt for so long.
He could remember always fighting, hunting, and killing whenever he was told to. It never ended, there was just always more. No matter the opponent or amount of people, he'd always be asked to do more. Whenever he finished, he'd go back to his courtyard and collect his trophy. He always tended to them so he'd remember who he killed seeing as he had nothing better to do. Even when Edward broke away from Talib and Father, he remained in his courtyard. Despite the desire to break free and return to his master's service as it was the only thing he knew, he remained in the prison that had confined him for so long.
To him, it was his space. He was the King inside that space. No one could tell him anything as long as he stayed in there. He loved his courtyard, it was his home because it was all he knew. He never imagined going beyond it until he arrived to Arendelle. Now, he wanted to see the sky, see the ocean, the forests, anything and everything that was beyond his walls. However, he usually chose to remain in his prison because he was afraid. Afraid of being something else than what he was expected to be.
He was the exact same as Elsa, which made it important that she heard what he had to say.
"Elsa, for as long as I can remember, I've been Wrath the Furious. A weapon used whenever my master thought was needed. It was all I could be because it was what I was made to be. Even now that he's far away and I can do whatever I please, my main function is to be a weapon. I imprison myself in the same space because that space is mine and no one can take it from me. My existence has been a long and lonely one that I would not wish on anyone else."
Wrath spoke simply, as if he was reading an informative text. There was no pity or sadness in his voice, just complete certainty that came from acceptance of his situation.
"You still have time, you can be whatever you wish to be, even if it's only in small steps. You have a sister, mom, dad, and grandfather who would be more than willing to run the kingdom for you if you asked them to. You told Edward that he wasn't a monster because he felt remorse for the things he's done and has actively tried to be better. You are no monster, the grief and guilt you feel right now proves it. I wish I could say that some day, the feeling will go away. But it doesn't, you will always remember those four lives ended because of you, however instead of stop trying to be better, become better for them so their lives had meaning. Be worthy of their sacrifice, and make it so that it will never happen again."
She appreciated the words, she really did but her mind was still plagued with doubts.
"...what if I can't?"
"You have absolute faith in Edward's ability to do so. Which means that if there's no doubt in your mind that he can do it, then there's no doubt in my mind that you can since you are without a doubt the strongest person I've ever come across."
The more Elsa looked into Wrath's eyes, the more she could feel the sheer certainty that he possessed. Her brain refused to try and find some way to argue with what he said and with the last of her burdens erased from her mind by his stare, she found herself becoming tired. Her eyelids became too heavy to keep up after all the energy had left her body and her head slumped into his chest.
She felt him pick her up before feeling her blouse being unbuttoned and slipped off her leaving her in her underclothes. If her mind was more active, she would've wondered if Wrath was still aroused from earlier events but as it wasn't, all she could do was register what she felt. The feeling of her skin exposed to his touch made it easier to distinguish that he had one arm holding her upright while the other stripped her of excess clothing.
After the last of her outerwear was gone, she felt an arm go under her legs then carry her to the bed where he put her down and draped a cover on her. She felt her body become slightly warm as she was now in bed and could hear him grab a chair before dragging it across the floor before the sound of the chair squeaking alerting her that he was sitting in it.
This brought back memories of the first time she ever kissed the man next to her. He had let her sleep in his bed while he stood watch over her like a sentinel. It didn't surprise her to know that Wrath would do the exact same thing, those two were very alike, even if they didn't see it.
Inevitably though, that cold feeling that she had last time washed over her which made it impossible for her to sleep. She already knew that no matter how she squirmed she would remain cold until the man next to her joined her in the bed. So with her eyes still closed, she pulled off the half the cover and patted the space next to her. She knew he was watching her and could guess that he was reluctant to indulge her request.
"You know I won't sleep without you."
She heard him blow through his nose before the sound of the chair squeaking as well as the bed dipping with his weight as he slipped in with his clothes still on. Elsa took her usual position on his chest and let her hands wander as they usually did over his scars but frowned when she felt the shirt under her fingers. So she pinched the fabric in between her fingernails and tugged on it.
"Off."
It was a simple command, one that Wrath clearly understood but didn't move to execute. Seemingly frustrated by his lack in movement, Elsa opened an eye to give him a look that had him grumble before fulfilling her request. He returned back to the bed with his chest bare which allowed her to take her usual spot again on her favorite pillow. Her hand once again traced the many scars that littered it, memorizing each one once again with her eyes closed. He knew that she did this almost every time she was ever in this position, Edward wondered why she did such a thing but never asked her thinking that she would tell him one day on her own. Feeling her nails raking across his chest had Wrath opening his mouth to speak.
"Why do you do that?"
"Do what?"
"Trace my scars."
"Does it bother you?"
Wrath thought about the question for a moment and realized that it didn't bother him but it still made him curious why she was so fascinated in them.
"No, but you always touch them and I always wondered why."
"Because I know you can heal any wound with no visible mark remaining. When you fought Zavis, I noticed that you had a new scar on your abdomen from that cut he gave you. However when Rahim completely destroyed you and you regenerated yourself, you had a gaping hole in your throat that you healed and I haven't seen a scar of. At first I always traced these to remind myself that you have been through enough and shouldn't have to fight anymore, but now, I know that they mean something to you if you willingly allow them to remain on your skin even when you have the option to heal them."
That sounded more like the Elsa he loved. Analytical and intelligent. Being able to point out his scars and the fact that they remained on his skin after being aware he could heal any wound completely showed that she was paying attention. She was absolutely right in her theory, his scars did mean something to him.
"You're right, they do mean something to me. They're all the wounds I've ever obtained after taking over Rahim's body. Before, any wound I sustained would be instantly healed with no mark that showed it was ever there. Made it seem like the battle never happened. It never occurred to me to care about such a thing until I fought Rahim. He was the best fighter I've ever come up against and my victory over him was one that I will never forget. Yet unfortunately, the scars I had of that battle was erased, so when I took over Rahim's body, I erased all of his scars and let all of mine remain. In the beginning, it was just a reminder of the people I fought. Now, it's another way that I honor the fallen."
Elsa hummed after hearing what he said and snuggled up into him more. He likewise relaxed some more and let his fingers absently glide across her bare stomach in a way that was calming. The predator almost dozed off when the blonde spoke up again.
"If I just ran away from Arendelle, what would you do?"
The answer was obvious.
"I'd chase after you, of course."
"To bring me back?"
"No, to make sure that you remained safe. Whether you return or not, is entirely up to you. All I care about is make sure you have the choice."
She didn't speak which made him think that she didn't have anything left to say until he heard her whisper.
"You really did mean it when you said you loved me..."
"Of course I did."
Wrath felt a kiss on his cheek before he allowed himself to doze off before the blonde who cracked an eye open to see the peaceful expression on the man's face as he slept. It was the exact same expression he had whenever he slept with her and she loved to see it, yet she knew that deep down, there was a war going on.
One in which the two of them were still trying to figure out who exactly they were.
You gave me a simple answer on who I would be if I wasn't Queen, yet you can't figure out who you are if you weren't Wrath.
She knew the answer, but she kept it to herself. They needed to find it and she would stay right where she was until they did.
Wow 13,000 words in ONE chapter. That was a lot and to be honest, it completely murdered my weekend, I better get to a hundred reviews or I'm going to lose my mind. Anyway I hoped you liked it, and the lemon will definitely be next chapter, I needed this one to be insightful and meaningful. I hope none of you find the characters too out of character. Alcohol is a powerful thing, I got drunk pretty fast and almost got into a fight with a 12 year old, how does that happen? _ anyway I really hoped ya'll enjoyed and I will definitely have another chapter pumped out next week. Maybe two since I'll be at a desk for 24 hours maybe twice next week, but I have to remember that my brain function declines when I'm tired and so will my writing so I'll take it into account. Anyway please review or send me a pm if you wish to contact me, I hope you all stay tuned.