As always, let me know what you think about any changes I made compared to FH, if you have any constructive criticism and enjoy!

Trigger warnings:

Injuries
Death
Trauma
Surpressing emotions
Verbal argument

Elsa was a patient person. After all, she'd been waiting for years to enact justice upon those who wronged her. She'd been patient on the five-day trip it took to sail from Arendelle to Resque, the town located closest to Teach's estate with a harbour, and not a single complained had left her lips during the eight hours it took to ride from Resque to Sela, the village residing near the she'd been waiting in Sela for two days without a hint of the Admiral, and with this close to one of her goals, even she was getting irritated. The waves had made place for a lush forest, even as the leaves were already falling and discolouring.

She'd already scouted the surroundings of the mansion -ensuring she wasn't seen by any servants that had been sent ahead to prepare for the arrival of their master- to make sure any information she had on the geography was correct. She'd also studied the report on Rapunzel her father had given her (and then burned it, of course. Information hygiene was important).

It had been… interesting, to say the least. Kidnapped and gaslighted into thinking she was her kidnapper's daughter? And then to be saved by one of the most infamous and wanted men of their time, Flynn Rider. And they would live happily ever after in Corona. It sounded like a fairy tale. But all that didn't truly matter. For Elsa, it just meant another target. Frederic wouldn't feel their pain if he didn't lose what was most important to him either.

But as the afternoon was drawing to a close, her thoughts were interrupted by the sound of a carriage, followed by multiple horses and voices. Quietly climbing a tree, she found what she had been hoping for already: Admiral Edward Teach, leaving his carriage, as a small contingent of guards was dismounting. As she knew beforehand, the man had no wife or children. She nodded to herself and almost smiled. Don't feel. She'd strike tonight. The stage was set, and the main character had just arrived.

In early autumn as it was, the low sun and brisk temperature made for a near perfect environment for Elsa. The closer she came to the large house, the more aware she became of the sentinels, guarding the house. Drifting from shadow to shadow, she knew the tired soldiers trudging through the woods had other things on their mind than looking for shadows.

There weren't too many around, but Elsa couldn't risk having even one identifying her and making it out. I'll have to silence those first. Locating one, the one furthest away from his compatriots, she moved in. Silent as death, she snuck around the man clad in the sun of Corona. She rose up from behind him and wrapped her hands around his neck. Not even a second later, he was already frozen.

Briefly she inspected her handywork. It would hold him in place for a few hours and that was enough for her purpose. Though she realised her goal would come with victims, she wouldn't kill if she could avoid it. She remembered her promise to herself. I'll be the monster that kills monsters. Not the innocent.

Incapacitating the others took her a full hour. Each of them, she froze in place. Making sure they wouldn't hinder her work, nor that they saw who she was. She wore a mask, but between her pale complexion, blue eyes and platinum hair, there was a chance someone could recognize her. Even if she only scarcely came into the public's eye.

The sun had completely set, wrapping everything around them in darkness, save for the torches by the front doors and the lights from inside. Only two guards were left, guarding the doors she was eyeing now. For a moment, she was tempted to just ignore them and go straight for Teach, but she couldn't take the risk of him calling out and actually getting back up. Not when she was so close. She could feel it!

And then she made a mistake. In her feelings of excitement, she rushed and made one of the simplest mistakes; she made a sound. Now it was Elsa who froze. Any movement would betray her now. Don't hear me. Don't hear me. Don't hear me!

"What was that? Who's there?" one of the guards called out. Elsa couldn't see which one, she dared not move a single muscle. Her caution had made sure she was behind a tree and some bushes, but if one of them decided to walk into the dark, her chances of remaining unseen would drop sharply.

The other guard replied, his voice a pitch higher than the first one. "Don't worry so much. It was probably just a squirrel or something. Haven't you seen enough action yet? Because of the whole thing with the carriage, we were already two extra days on the road. You can go chasing down rodents in the cold. I'm staying here until the other guys come to relieve us and we can get some sleep."

"But we have a job to do! I swear, that sounded like boots and snapping twigs," low-voice replied. "I want to go out there as much as you do, but shouldn't we, like, make sure? It could be a- a burglar, or bandits!"

High-voice sighed. "Look, I get that you're new, but this job doesn't actually involve a lot of fighting. If we must, we will, but most folks don't even try anything if they see us. But if you're hell-bent on checking it out, go ahead. I'll keep an eye out."

As Elsa followed the conversation and heard boots coming her way, her mind worked overtime to adapt to the situation. I can't get away, they'd see me without a doubt. Direct confrontation? Could work, but I'd need a distraction. What kind? They heard me, so something they could hear! Deciding not to second guess herself, a vaguely squirrel-shaped ice figure formed in her hand. Underhanded, she tossed low and hard into the woods, hoping for the guards to turn away from moment she heard it land, she acted.

She dashed low in the direction of the closest guard, the one that came looking. As she'd hoped, he stood partially turned away, peering into the darkness. As he heard her coming, he turned her way. She could see his eyes widening in the light of the torch he held in his left hand. His right was already headed for his sword. "Hey! What are you-"

Before he could finish his sentence, Elsa hurled an ice dagger at his head. In an extraordinary feat of dexterity, he moved his head just enough for it to miss, but she didn't. Before he could react, she was on him. Planting a knee in his groin, he doubled over and she knocked his head against a tree. Dazed, he fell to the ground.

The immediate threat dealt with, Elsa turned, looking for the second guard but already bolting for the doors. Well, there goes the element of surprise, she thought. Guess we'll have to do it the hard way. The guard in question had drawn his sword, but had remembered his first priority was to warn the rest of the house. With both headed for the doors, it was clear who would reach them first. There were hardly 3 steps left before the Coronan reached the doors.

Elsa swore. Fuck! Here goes nothing! Freezing the ground below the man, she sprinted at full speed at the guard. She braced herself. Unable to retain his balance, the man nearly slipped on the suddenly icy ground before Elsa barreled into him. While she was a lot lighter, their combined momentum was enough to crash through the doors, smashing them open and half out of their hinges.

As they fell to the floor, Elsa froze him where he lay below her and shot up. By some twist of fortune, no servants were in the hall they entered but she froze the doors leading into the house shut. The stairs leading up were to her left, but she stood for a moment to disable the burning candles with discreet flicks of ice. The decision probably saved her life.

Turning to rub her sore shoulder from the impact, she felt the steel blade of a sword pierce into her shoulder. Had she not turned or shut the lights, she knew it would've hit something more vital instead. She screamed in pain, stumbling forward and clutched at her shoulder. Blood seeped through her finger and covered the gloves in a dark liquid. The guard she had left dazed in the forest seemed almost as surprised as she was. With a snarl, she flung her arm back, blasting the man in the chest with enough magic to fling him back. She didn't check where he landed; all she heard was a sickening crunch.

Fuck, that hurts, she cursed internally as she pressed her palm against the exit wound. Ice crept over her skin, sealing the injury and stopping the bleeding. Repeating the process on the back of her shoulder, she tested her arm. She winced. Still hurts, but I've been through worse. This is bearable. She heard pounding on the doors she froze shut as she stalked forward. Reapplying the ice holding them closed, she took the stairs two at the time, looking for the man who killed her mother.

With as much trouble she had gaining access into the house, finding the man in question was easy. As she reached the first floor, most doors were closed. Any staff had made themselves scarce, locking the doors of whatever room they were hiding in. Not that it mattered. At the end of the hallway, a door was open, showing a bathtub filled with water, still steaming from the warmth it gave off. Prowling closer, Elsa noticed the wet footprints leading to the closed door on her right. Leaving any notion of stealth behind, she concentrated her power on the iron lock. Then, she simply opened the door, shattering the frozen metal in the process.

Admiral Edward Teach was standing with his back to her, hurrying to put on some pants. As he heard the lock break and the door open, he turned, grabbing his sword from where it laid on the bed. With his salt-and-pepper hair and greying beard, he looked like any distinguished gentleman in his middle fifties. Elsa knew better. He was nothing more than a monster in human skin. She just needed to be a worse monster.

Elsa held up her good arm, making a sable of pure ice appear from thin air. But her hand trembled, and she stood unsteady. She knew she couldn't beat him in a fair fight. The bashing noises down the stairs were also increasing. It wouldn't be long before any spare guards broke through the doors. Then she'd be done for. Turning back to the Admiral, she could see him recover from the fright of seeing her magic. He took a relaxed but confident stance, knowing he had the upper hand in this scenario.

Taking a few steps forward, Elsa struck. Teach parried with ease before going on the offensive. As they traded blows she knew would have bested him at her best. But she was wounded, and he had four decades of experience on her. Taking a few steps back, the Admiral took the chance to speak up, holding his sword at the ready.

"Give it up, assassin. You cannot defeat me, and my men will be here any minute. Surrender your weapon, and I promise to show mercy. I am not an unreasonable man." He spoke in a soft baritone, as if calming a wild animal. But it was the promise of mercy that made something in Elsa crack. She closed the door, dropped her weapon and the temperature in the room dropped to below the freezing point.

Ice crawled up the walls, the ceiling, the floor and the door. It spread from her,making its way onto every surface. Any fire in the room was immediately snuffed out, the only source of light now coming from the moon outside and the flashes of blue that came from her magic. Making a split-second decision, Teach attacked, sword poised to strike. In a hand covered with ice, Elsa caught the blade, freezing it so solidly it shattered in her grasp.

The Admiral recoiled, but still bare feet, slipped on the frosty floor. Still, he retreated, backing away until he hit the wall. The light of the moon lit up, appearing from behind the clouds and bathing the room in an ethereal light. Elsa didn't know what she looked like, but Teach made a sign to repel evil.

Slowly approaching, she spoke for the first time. "Do you know who I am, Admiral?" she asked, voice soft and low. With every step she took, the temperature dropped further. Teach shivered as his breath condensed in front of him.

"You're not human. You cannot be," he whispered, terror now soaking into his voice. Gone was the confident man that stood in front of her merely seconds ago. And as much as Elsa tried, she couldn't help but enjoy it. This was revenge for all her suffering. A small smile appeared on her face.

"Oh, I am human. I have a sibling, I have a father… and I would've had a mother had you not taken her from me!" Magic sparked from her as it hadn't done in years, expressing itself through her rage that finally made it to the surface. Small snowflakes started falling from the ceiling, beginning to cover everything in snow.

Understanding dawned on his face, and he stood up on shaky legs. "So this is personal, not political," he mumbled. He locked eyes with Elsa. "Who are you, girl? At least let me know the identity of my killer." As much as fear still laced his voice, the tiniest sliver of respect welled up in her, for knowing when he was beaten, and accepting it with dignity. "You're Arendellian, aren't you? I can tell by your accent."

She tore off her hood and mask. "I am Princess Elsa of Arendelle, firstborn of King Agnarr and Queen Iduna. And you will pay for what you did to my family! You, and everyone involved," she hissed through clenched teeth. A new emotion bubbled up in her: hate. She hated how he acted. Why couldn't he just be a cowering, spineless fool?! Don't feel, don't feel, don't feel!

Teach nodded, and looked down with a sigh before gazing at Elsa once more. "For what it's worth, I am sorry for your loss, Your Highness. But every decision I made was for the good of Corona. That is, and always has been, the policy of King Frede…ric…" A realisation dawned on him. "Everyone involved. You're going after him next," he said breathlessly. A different kind of terror had now filled his voice. And in this one, Elsa could delight again.

Her smile grew ever so slightly. "Now you're catching on. I'll send him and his family down with you, this I promise you." Any words that the Admiral tried to speak failed as Elsa threw four spikes of pure ice in his longs, stealing away his breath. And her already frozen heart shattered into pieces as she watched the light leave the eyes of Admiral Edward Teach.

For a short second, everything was silent. Then, reality came crashing in. Especially the pounding on the door shook her back into focus. Taking a deep breath to calm herself, she pulled her mask and hood back into place before waving a hand, making all the ice disappear into nothingness. Without resistance, the door fell open and guards burst in. Just in time to see Elsa jump out the window, slow her fall down into a roll and disappear into the night.

Anna

She's the same. She's the fucking same! Anna paced around her room, thinking to herself. It had been three days since Elsa had returned from her 'trip'. Her revenge. Her mission. Her first murder. The words were repeated over and over again in Anna's mind. Murderer. Murderer. Your sister is a murderer.

The worst part, however, was how unaffected she seemed to be by it all. When she'd returned, injured and bruised, she'd gone straight to their father. It was early afternoon when she entered and it was late at night when she left. Only then did she go to see the healers. When she came out the next morning, shoulder bandaged up and arm in a sling, she simply returned to her room to do what she always did: continue her plan.

Anna just couldn't wrap her head around it. Never in the first place did she think that Elsa was capable of cold-blooded murder. But not only was she capable, she seemed completely fine with it. All her repressed anger and fear came bubbling to the surface. This has gone on long enough. Whether she wants to or not, I'm going to see my sister! With a determined look on her face, she left her room, intending to finally connect with her sister again.

There was one problem she encountered, however. If Elsa didn't want to be found, Anna wouldn't find her. She checked her room, the basement rooms, the barracks; anywhere where Elsa might be. But no luck so far. Anna sighed, shoulders slumping in defeat. Maybe it really is too late. So when she turned a corner and practically bumped into her sister, her mind took a few seconds to register the event.

"Elsa," Anna managed to stutter out once her brain had caught up, just as surprised as Elsa seemed to be. "I-I-I was just looking for you." She cringed internally. Real smooth going, Anna. Way to start the first conversation with your sister in months.

Raising a single eyebrow, her sister regarded her with barely noticeable curiosity. "Well, you found me. Why is it that you were looking for me?" The way her sister spoke gave Anna the chills. At least act like you have just done something terrible!

"I… I just wanted to ask you if you were feeling alright, you know?" she chuckled awkwardly. "I mean, it's been a while since we talked and wanted to catch up." What are you saying?! she thought to herself as her mouth decided to do its own thing. Her desperation spiked as she saw the curiosity in Elsa's eyes die down. "My shoulder hurts," she remarked coldly. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have things to prepare so…" she said as she made to walk past her sister, disregarding her once again. Her anger flared up.

She grabbed Elsa's arm, only to immediately release her again. Holy mother of… She's freezing! Still, she wouldn't quit so easily. Not this time! She turned to face her sister, looking straight at her. "No, Elsa. I need to talk to you. Really talk to you. Don't just shut me out again!" Did she sound desperate? Because she was.

Elsa brow slightly furrowed and Anna had to repress the desire to take a step back. "Fine. Then talk, if you want to so badly." Now Anna frowned too. She hadn't heard her sister this agitated in ages. Was that a good sign, or a bad one?

"How are you feeling, Elsa?" She moved to grip her sister by the shoulders, but retracted her hands at the last second, literally feeling the cold radiate of her skin.

"I told you, my shoulder hurts-" Elsa started before Anna interrupted her. "NO! Not physically. How are you feeling?"

This time it seemed like Elsa was more confused than she was irritated. She blinked twice. "I don't think I quite understand what you mean?"

Anna's eyes nearly bulged out of her skull. Is she serious right now? Looking for traces of deceit on her face, tells that always gave her away when she was playing dumb, she found nothing. She is. What the fuck. Fine, guess we'll do this the hard way! Anna breathed in deeply.

"Elsa, you just killed a person. You leave for two weeks and return with a stab wound on your shoulder!" She pointed at the injury in question, which was slightly bleeding again, staining the white cloth. "I'm worried about you! You act like it's absolutely nothing, but it isn't. I know it isn't, and I'm sure you know it too." She sighed and dropped her eyes to the floor. "You are allowed to feel, you know?" she tentatively said. "You are only human. Mom knew that, and Dad used to too. What do you think Mom would say if she saw-"

The temperature dropped and Anna knew she said the wrong thing. The cold preceded her sister's words, but they did nothing to hide the venom in them. "DO NOT LECTURE ME ABOUT MOTHER!" Elsa nearly screamed. "Mother can't say anything anymore! They made sure of that! I am trying to bring justice to everyone, after all the injustice we've had to endure! And what have you done, huh? Whine and bitch about how hard life is now? I've been bled, bruised and scarred for Mother! You did what? Sit here, in your pretty dresses, acting like a spoiled brat!"

Anna staggered back, almost as if she'd been struck. Tears lined her eyes as everything Elsa said impacted her. Her sister, for her part, looked just as shocked as she was, clearly not having expected that outburst. With a trembling hand, Anna reached out, trying one last time. "Elsa, I…"

Little snowflakes started to fall as Elsa held up her hand, face moulded back into an icy facade. "Don't, Anna. You cannot stop me." She moved to walk away. "No one can," she mumbled. But before she could leave, she noticed the snowflakes flurrying around them. She flinched and backed away, nearly running off as the cold chased after her.

Anna just felt numb, which had nothing to do with the cold. No thoughts at all went through her head as she sank to her knees and started sobbing uncontrollably.

3 years later

Standing on the wooden planks of the docks, before the rise of the sun, Elsa quietly listened to the sounds around her; the creaking ships, the call of the seagulls and the waves of the sea crashing on the shore. The stone castle where she lived her whole life loomed behind her, cold in its silence.

Keeping her hood on, she stood apart from the other passengers that had gathered there. Some of them were checking goods, others were making small talk amongst each other and some were saying goodbye to people they knew.

No one had come for her, of course. Not her father nor her sister. If they showed up, people would notice, which was exactly what she was trying to avoid. No one could know where she was going or what she was going to do. That would defeat the point of, well, everything.

After killing Admiral Teach, and the briefing she gave her father after, they'd agreed on one thing. She wasn't ready to keep going. She had hardly been ready for this. If she had such problems with an assassination in the middle of nowhere, even attempting something in the heart of their capital would be folly. So she analysed where she went wrong, and set to improve herself.

As unmatched as her combat skills were in the castle, Teach had gotten the better of her. Even if she had not been injured, she knew her victory had not been a certainty. Which was something she needed to change. The world was wide, there would always be people better than her.

Elsa's greatest strength lay in her magic; the fact that she could create weapons out of thin air with half a thought. That versatility is what she decided to capitalise on. As skilled as she was with a sable, and maybe even better with a pair of daggers, she expanded her combat repertoire dramatically. No one could change their weapons as fast as she could. Not using that would be a waste. A jack of all trades is a master of none, but often better than a master of one; that was what she was going for. Even if she did master a few.

The Admiral had also been able to tell her origin by her accent. That was a liability that she couldn't afford. Even in the worst case scenario, no one could know where she was from. And as proficient as she was in stealth and sleight of hand, there was no harm in sharpening her skills. She had no doubt she'd need those before the end.

But her greatest blunder had been her moment of weakness. But with no way to remove her emotions or ability to feel, there was little she could do. Nothing but to repeat over and over to herself: conceal, don't feel.

When she had turned 21 last winter, once again her father agreed with her. It was time. So the last 9 months had been spent on getting the newest intelligence she could get.

King Frederic and Queen Arianna were both benevolent and beloved rulers among their people. The King was a man of great stature and had skill with the blade, while the Queen had had her own adventure in her youth, which made her resourceful, at least.

Princess Rapunzel was, by all accounts, a walking ray of sunshine. Helping the population, immersing herself in the common were hardly any reports that addressed negative behaviour or attitudes. If anything, she was a free spirit. Adventurous, and often out and about, usually in the company of one of two people.

Her boyfriend, Eugene Fitzherbert, better known as the infamous thief Flynn Rider. The one who had brought her home after 18 years and had seemingly turned a new leaf. New leaf or not, the man had a reputation with accompanying skills. They were incredibly close emotionally and often physically. He was mostly with her on whatever idea she had. Without preparation, both of them would potentially be a huge problem. Elsa had no doubt both would be resourceful in their own right.

If she wasn't with her boyfriend, she was with her lady-in-waiting, Cassandra. Adopted daughter of the Captain of the Royal Guard and close friend to Rapunzel. There had been multiple accounts of her displaying great prowess with many weapons. She would be a problem without a doubt. She either needed to not be involved, or be taken out. And considering everything Elsa knew, it would probably be the latter.

With the captain of the ship calling everyone aboard, she looked back one final time. Some lights were already on, but most of the castle was still dark. Not a soul to see her leave. Will I ever see this place again? she couldn't help but wonder. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. When she opened them again, she'd shaken off any sentimentality. With ice in her veins, she stepped aboard the ship, not looking back.

But even as they sailed out of the fjord, to open sea, her mind went to her little sister. Their last real conversation was still burned in her memory. It had been the last time she had actually been angry. The words she had said… she had known they would hurt Anna, and they did. But she didn't regret them. Couldn't regret them. If she did, if they weren't true… what had everything been for?

Casting the thoughts to the back of her mind, she gazed ahead, at the horizon and the lands beyond them, the pieces of her shattered heart crumbling further with every second she came closer to her goal.

Anna

Anna stood before her darkened window in her room as she watched Elsa's ship sail beyond the fjord. Not once did she avert her eyes, even as tears started to fill them. She remembered all the times they had played together, laughed together and how everything changed. She thought about the person her sister used to be and the person she had become.

As the ship started to fade from view, her mind wandered to her big sister, and how after everything, she still loved her. Will I ever see her again? Will she ever return home? And even if she does, will I even recognise her?

With the silent tears still streaming down her face, Anna looked until the ship crossed the horizon, into the unknown.