6/3/24: Started
8/8/24: Completed
VIOLENCE, ATTEMPTED RAPE
Chapter Summery: A normal day in Arendelle takes a turn when Gale requests Anna's visit to the Enchanted Forest.
Disclaimer: I don't own the characters of Frozen, Tangled or any other Disney characters or locations that appear or are mentioned in this work of fiction, Disney does.
NOTE: This is a two part chapter and the second part should be posted before the end of the week.
- Two days later, September 22th, Wednesday -
Elsa's Room, 7:27 A.M. -
Waking from her slumber, a pleasant aroma delighted Elsa's sense of smell. Yawning awake, Elsa blinked open her sleepy eyes and received a delightful surprise: Anna knelt at the side of her bed with a smile and a tray of breakfast resting on the bed in front of her. A rather light selection of scrambled eggs and toast with a small glass of orange juice.
"Surprise!" declared Anna in a lower tone as to not shock Elsa's hearing as soon as she woke up. "Breakfast in bed!"
A light chuckle left Elsa before she sat up, along with Anna lifting the tray to prevent her from knocking it away, and after another yawn, Elsa looked at her sister with a smile.
"What's the occasion?"
"No occasion." answered Anna as she joined Elsa in bed, sitting to her right and placing the tray on Elsa's lap. "I woke up early, and I remembered Mother suggesting I serve you breakfast in bed like you did for me. But I had some trouble deciding how much food would be good. Maybe you'd want to have breakfast with Mother and Father, and having a big breakfast would ruin that. But I didn't want you thinking that I didn't put effort in. I was stressing out about what to do and-"
"It's ok." interrupted Elsa with a smile and placing a hand on Anna's shoulder. "It's the thought that matters, and I very much appreciate it."
"Well, that's a relief." replied Anna with a smile.
"For future reference though, I wouldn't mind skipping family breakfast- or rather, having a light breakfast with them."
"Same here." commented Anna.
Elsa then picked up the toast in her right hand and the fork in her other before Anna asked...
"Oh, can I feed you? Since you did it for me."
"Heh, it's just eggs and toast." chuckled Elsa. "I'm good."
"Okay..." sighed Anna in disappointment, which prompted another chuckle from Elsa before she offered the toast and fork to Anna, quickly banishing her disappointment as she takes the food and utensil, before scooping some of the egg onto the toast and offering it to Elsa, taking a bite of it.
While a few chuckles left her, Elsa allowed Anna to feed her until the toast and eggs were gone and took a sip of the orange juice.
"Thanks for feeding me." stated Elsa.
"Thanks for letting me." replied Anna as she moved the tray to her lap.
"So, you have any plans today?" asked Elsa.
"Hmm, nothing particularly 'planned', but I have been practicing my glass flying, and I'm getting pretty good at it. I'm thinking of doing a test fly in the garden."
"Well, I'd like to join you when you do." commented Elsa. "I'm ready to learn your method of flying."
"Oh, great, the stepping too?"
"Yep. Maybe we could convince Cassandra to join us."
"Ohh, I'd like that."
- 12:32 P.M. -
- Elsa's Room -
"So, has Silvia visited lately?" asked Elsa as she sat on the end of her bed, with Isabelle sitting in front of her in a chair with a smile.
"Yeah, yesterday." answered Isabelle. "She came to introduce one of her kids to my sisters."
"Oh, that's nice; did they get along?"
"Yeah, they got along great. The kid even asked to come back to play with them."
"Well, that's good." commented Elsa. "If Silvia returns before the party in two weeks, could you tell her she's invited to it?"
"Sure, I can let my mom know, and she can tell her without the risk that she doesn't return before then."
"Alright, that works too."
"On the topic of the party, though..." commented Isabelle. "Do you have a timeframe for how long it'll be?"
"Not particularly." answered Elsa. "If I had to guess, though, the party will mostly be the citizens chatting with our parents and extended family. I don't anticipate that taking very long. So, I'd estimate the whole event will last three to four hours. Heh, certainly won't be an all-day event like my coronation."
"Hehe, yeah." chuckled Isabelle. "Once the food runs out, I'm sure people will start leaving after greeting your family."
"Yeah, just showing up and showing their appreciation for their return is enough." commented Elsa. "Anyway, moving on from this topic, Elly's returned, and Anna told me she's been 'cured' of her affection for Anna. That was pretty quick." she added, prompting a chuckle from Isabelle.
"Heh, I didn't use any magic, if that's what you're implying. I just gave her something she wasn't getting from Anna, reciprocation."
"Well, regardless of how you did it, thanks for steering her away from Anna. It's one less thing I need to worry about."
"Heh, you're welcome. It's a win for all of us."
- 1:23 P.M. -
Walking through the halls, dressed in her unique glass dress with pants, Anna was accompanied by Cassandra, dressed in the normal Arendelle guards uniform. Nearing Elsa's room, Anna was a little surprised to see not just Elsa leaving her room but Iduna as well, who greeted them.
"Oh, hello, Anna, Cassandra."
"Hi." greeted back Anna and Cassandra, before Anna added, looking to Elsa. "Elsa, Cass said she's willing to learn my new flying method too. Are you free?"
"Oh..." replied Elsa with a little surprise. "Now? Um..." she added, looking to Iduna, who smiled and added.
"It's fine, you can go with them."
The comment prompted a small gasp from Anna.
"Oh, did you two already have something planned?"
"Yeah, sorry." replied Elsa. "Mother just came to me a few minutes ago asking for a favor. If you don't mind waiting about ten to fifteen minutes, I can join you."
"I don't mind." replied Cassandra, before Iduna commented...
"It's really not that big of an issue, Elsa. I can wait."
However, Anna quickly insisted...
"No, no, you got to Elsa first. So go do whatever it is that you asked Elsa. We can wait."
"Alright." replied Iduna with a smile. "It won't be long. Like Elsa said, ten to fifteen minutes."
"Ok." stated Anna before turning her attention to Elsa. "Just meet us in the garden when you're done."
"Alright." replied Elsa, before looking to Iduna and adding, "Well, wanna go by portal instead?"
"Sure." replied Iduna, prompting a curious, raised brow from Anna that a portal was an option before Elsa created an icy doorway, and Anna saw the familiar sight of the shore near the castle and quickly guessed the favor her mother had asked of Elsa.
"See you two in a little while." commented Elsa as she followed Iduna into the portal, prompting Cassandra to wave them farewell while Anna commented...
"See you later."
Following the portal closing and disappearing, Anna turned around, walked by Cassandra, and commented...
"Well, let's head to the garden."
"Alright."
"Hey, while we wait for Elsa..." stated Anna, turning around and walking backwards with a smile. "Maybe you could give me a quick sword lesson?"
"Heh, a sword lesson? Why?" chuckled Cassandra.
"So I can defend myself if the need arises, obviously, and so that I won't have to rely on my magic. What if I'm in a situation where I'm alone and fire isn't an option to defend myself?"
"That would be quite a scenario where fire isn't an option." commented Cassandra. "Considering you could put out any fires. Are you stuck in a room of gunpowder?"
"Ha, ha, the point is, I want an option to fall back on." commented Anna. "I don't want to be some defenseless princess relying solely on my magic or someone to rescue me, and if I have access to my glass, I can make a sword, or a dagger at least."
"Heh, ok, ok. I can teach you some basic handling and proper swinging techniques."
"Works for me!" commented Anna happily. "I'm not asking to be winning any duels. I just want to be able to defend myself well enough to get away and not be an easy target. Like when we first met, I was too scared to even defend myself."
"Ah, that." replied Cassandra, with a nervous chuckle. "Having the courage to stand your ground against an opponent intent to hurt you will take some time."
"Yeah, you were really scary and intimidating, and you moved so fast, I just froze up. I'm sure you'd have still won, but at least you would've had to try a little, and maybe that delay would've changed something."
"Heh, well, as long as you work at it, you can overcome it."
- Fourteen minutes later -
- Garden -
"And you're dead." commented Cassandra with a smile as she poked Anna in the chest with a long, icy rod in place of a sword, as Anna stood still as she lifted both hands above her head, holding a similar rod but made of glass, although missing the right leg of her dress, looking more like shorts.
"Never lift your sword above your head like that." stated Cassandra, lowering her improvised sword, before Anna followed. "You're completely exposed in that position, and a faster opponent can take advantage of it. While I'm on the subject..." she added, before turning to her left and extending her rod directly in front of her. "Stabbing motions are a no-no too. I'm sure it's tempting to do, but stabs are easy to dodge, and you'll be left completely vulnerable."
"So I should do short, quick swings I can easily control?" asked Anna before getting into the ready stance Cassandra showed her, with one foot forward and holding the rod with two hands in front of her, before making a quick, downward swing and returning to her initial position.
"Right." answered Cassandra. "A swing you can't control is just as dangerous for yourself as leaving yourself open, like with stabs or overhead swings." she added, before Anna noticed her briefly avert her gaze in thought.
"What is it?" asked Anna.
"A thought just occurred to me. You froze when I attempted to attack you before. Teaching you to properly swing a sword won't help you much if you freeze when your opponent attacks you. So let's shift focus to defense." stated Cassandra before facing Anna and taking a ready stance. "I'm going to swing at you, from right to left in a downward motion, slowly, and I want you to move out of the way. Don't try to block, just move out of the way."
"Ok." replied Anna, as she felt her heart rate quicken in nervousness.
Anna soon saw Cassandra lift her 'sword' and slowly swing it towards her, and Anna easily hopped back to avoid it.
"Good." stated Cassandra. "Were you nervous or afraid?"
"A little."
"Alright, then let's do it again."
"Ok."
Anna repeated the avoidance twice more before Cassandra commented...
"Alright, again, but I'll swing a little faster."
"Uh, ok." replied Anna nervously. The slow swings had raised her confidence, but a faster, 'realer' swing raised her nerves again. "You're not actually gonna hit me if I freeze up, will you?"
"I won't hit you if you move." answered Cassandra.
"That's not answering the question." replied Anna with a nervous chuckle.
"Heh, would you rather be hit by a blunt stick or a blade? Use that fear of getting hit to push you to avoid the strike, rather than freezing up." stated Cassandra before Anna closed her eyes and took a deep, slow breath.
"Alright." replied Anna, before taking a ready stance again and facing Cassandra, heart racing anticipating her strike, before she saw her move, much quicker than the first three times, and Anna found her legs refused to move from the quick motion; she saw it, recognized it was happening, but couldn't will her legs to move, but her arms did. In panicked reflex, she lifted her 'sword' up to block and successfully did so; at least she thought so as she felt the contact in her hands, but also her left shoulder as Cassandra's strike caused her glass rod to smack her shoulder.
"Ow!" gasped out Anna as she dropped her rod, knelt down, and grabbed at her shoulder.
"Sorry! Sorry!" quickly stated Cassandra, quickly kneeling in front of her.
"It's ok. It's ok." replied Anna, wincing in pain as she rubbed her shoulder. "The pain is a lesson I should learn from."
"Well, at least you attempted to block instead of getting hit." commented Cassandra. "That tells me you could recognize the strike coming. It wasn't too quick for you to react to."
"True..." replied Anna, before moving her hand from her shoulder and picking up her rod and standing, wincing as she moved her shoulder.
"You're not going to heal yourself?" asked Cassandra as she stood. "That'll probably bruise."
"Not now; the pain will remind me to move next time."
"You still want to continue?"
"Yeah. I'm not going to let a little pain stop me. Besides, this is a serious issue! I'm sure that wasn't even a serious swing. If someone actually comes at me with a sword, I could actually die! I have to get past this freeze thing I have."
"Well, maybe you're more suited to actually blocking a strike rather than avoid it." suggested Cassandra. "Do you wanna try that instead? You could build your confidence with blocking and reduce your freezing that way."
"Sure."
"Alright then. Get in position." replied Cassandra before Anna did so. "We're gonna start with you getting used to the impact of a block; no reaction needed. Raise the stick in a blocking position like you did." she added, which Anna also did. "Now, you're gonna move your left hand from the handle to what would be the flat side of the blade if this was a sword." continued Cassandra as she took hold of Anna's hands and positioned her left hand towards the middle of the rod. "You just need to keep your palm pressed against it; you don't need to grab it." Cassandra then took a step back and also got into position. "Ready?"
"Yeah..." replied Anna before taking a breath, still feeling the ache in her shoulder. "I just hold this position, right?"
"Yep, as long as you brace for the impact, you shouldn't get hurt."
"Ok... I'm ready."
Cassandra also took a breath; after unintentionally hurting the princess, she was quite nervous. After calming herself, Cassandra swung her rod and connected with Anna's blocking stance, who flinched and closed her eyes with the impact, but her position remained secure, and Cassandra smiled.
"Good job." praised Cassandra, prompting Anna to open her eyes to see Cassandra's rod still against hers before pulling away, and Anna lowered her stance. "How did that feel?"
"Nerve-wracking."
"Heh, I mean the impact."
"Oh, uh, fine, I guess. Felt it in my shoulder though."
"Alright, let's go again." replied Cassandra as she got into position. "And keep your eyes open this time."
"Alright." replied Anna.
Following the next minute, Anna successfully blocked three further strikes, gradually getting more comfortable with it, her eyes remaining open and her nervousness lessening.
"Good job." complimented Cassandra with a smile as she relaxed her stance, along with Anna. "You're getting better with just four swings. Hows your shoulder?"
"Throbbing." answered Anna, before placing the rob in her left hand and moving her right hand to her left shoulder and healing it. "But my nervousness is a lot lower. I feel like I could actually avoid your swing now."
"Well, that's good to hear. Since you can properly block my strike, wanna try dodging now."
"Yeah! Let do it." replied Anna happily, placing the rod in her right hand and getting into a ready stance, along with Cassandra. Although the two were interrupted when they heard the garden door open and saw Elsa walk out, see the two, particularly Anna with her missing pant leg and chuckle.
"What are you two doing?"
"Cass is just teaching me a bit of swordsmanship, and I'm pretty sure she's helped me get over me freezing up at being attacked with a sword."
"Heh, you have magic." commented Elsa, walking up to the two. "Why bother with a sword?"
"I just want some sort of defensive skill I can fall back on in the event I can't use my magic, even if it's minor." replied Anna, prompting a chuckle from Elsa as she shook her head. "Anyway, I wanna finish this one thing we're working on, then I'll get to showing you my new flying."
"Alright." replied Elsa as she took a few steps away before Casandra spoke to Anna.
"I'm gonna follow through with my swing, so block or avoid it."
"Alright." replied Anna happily, before Cassandra thought to herself...
'Please don't freeze up and let me hit you with Elsa standing right there.'
Following a sigh from Cassandra, Anna saw her lock eyes with her, and while she felt nervous, she also felt confident.
'Alright, I can handle blocking; all I have to is move out of the way.'
A moment of waiting passed before Anna saw Cassandra make the familiar motion to strike, and although she felt the smallest moment of panic, it didn't last long enough to hinder her reaction, and Anna quickly hopped back, successfully avoiding the swing.
"I did it!" gasped Anna delightfully, prompting a smile from Elsa and Cassandra, who commented...
"Good job. You didn't freeze."
"Heh, I still felt a little stress, but yeah, I didn't freeze." replied Anna.
"Some stress is good." stated Cassandra before dispersing her icy rod. "It keeps you alert."
"Yeah, at least I won't be a sitting duck if someone comes at me." commented Anna before she returned the glass to her clothing and reformed her pant leg. "Well, on to the flying lesson." she added, before Elsa joined them, standing to Cassandra's right and asked her...
"Did Anna tell you anything about her method of flying?"
"Nope." answered Cassandra. "She just told me that she was going to teach you a new way to fly and asked if I'd like to join you. Since we share the same magic, I figured, why not? Flying could be pretty useful."
"Well then..." stated Anna with a smile. "There's two methods I'm going to teach you. One isn't 'technically' flying, but it'll help you reach high places. Cass, you can create ice and keep it in place, right?"
"Like this..." commented Elsa as she lifted her left hand and created a small, hand-sized sheet of ice above her hand that floated above her hand.
"Yeah, I can do that." answered Cassandra.
"Great, that's the primary method to this one." replied Anna. "I'll show you." she added, before jumping and bringing a surprised 'Oh' from Cassandra as Anna's feet didn't return to the ground; instead, she stood on nothing.
"How are you doing that?" asked Cassandra.
"I'm using the glass of my shoes to keep them in the air, which, since I'm wearing them, means I remain above the ground."
"Ohhh, I see. It's like making floating steps, but it's your shoes instead." replied Cassandra.
"Yep." stated Anna before calmly walking by her, remaining above the ground. "I've been practicing and gotten pretty comfortable with it." she added, before turning around with a hop and returning to her initial position. "Running's still a bit tricky, but I can jog fine."
"Well, that is certainly a nice trick to learn." commented Cassandra.
"I know, right!" replied Anna before stepping in place and rising into the air. "It's like having your own personal, invisible ladder." she added, before dropping down to the ground, before Cassandra looked at Elsa and asked...
"Well, ready to give it a shot?"
"You first." answered Elsa with a smile, prompting a chuckle from Cassandra before she sat on the ground and removed her boots and socks before creating a pair of icy shoes and stood.
"Alright then..." stated Cassandra before she lifted her right foot and seemed to step solidly on the air. "Heh, that's a weird visual."
"Now follow with your other foot!" urged Anna delightfully.
"Heh, ok, ok." replied Cassandra before lifting herself off the ground with her right foot and placing her other beside her, successfully standing, suspended above the ground."
"Great! You next, Elsa!" stated Anna.
Elsa only chuckled as she mimicked Cassandra's act, both standing above the ground, before Anna happily added...
"Now start walking!"
Cassandra looked at Elsa and commented...
"After you, your Majesty."
Elsa simply smiled and slowly took a step with her left foot, before gasping as her right foot returned to the ground with a gasp from her as she rolled her ankle, but Anna quickly grabbed her by the arm to save her from falling.
"Gotcha!"
"Thanks." replied Elsa as she stood up straight. "There's a bit of a timing to it. I basically removed the step before I could step off from it."
"Yeah, it's a bit tricky at first." commented Anna, before Elsa resumed and stepped onto nothing and looked at Cassandra, who was smiling at her.
"Your turn." stated Elsa.
"Thanks for the tip." replied Cassandra, before she took a rather confident step, then another and a third.
Cassandra's walking was a little stilted but deliberate as she circled the two. With a few more steps, Cassandra's stilted walking fades for a more normal stride.
"Wow, you're picking it up quick." stated Anna.
"Seems so." replied Cassandra, returning to her initial position. "I'll put off trying to run though."
"Awesome." stated Anna before looking to Elsa. "Your turn, Elsa. Just take it slow."
"Yeah, I know." replied Elsa with a smile before repeating her attempt, successfully taking two steps, and more. While stilted like Cassandra's, Elsa's were clearly more cautious and slower, focusing with each step. "This isn't so hard. Just have to get used to it and not rush." added Elsa as she also circled Anna and Cassandra.
With a second circling, Elsa's walking started to gain a normal stride and continued into a third circle, where she stopped at her initial starting point.
"Awesome!" declared Anna. "Both of you can now walk on air." she added, prompting a light chuckle from Elsa and Cassandra, both returning their feet to solid ground, and Cassandra chimed in...
"Thanks teach. Now, what about the second method?"
"Alright!" replied Anna delightfully. "This one is actual flying. Since you can move the ice you create around however you like, you could use the ice clothes you wear to lift yourself into the air."
"Really?" asked Cassandra with surprise.
"Yeah, I'll show you!" happily answered Anna before she shifted her dress into a form that hugged her like a second skin. Following, Cassandra's eyes widened in amazement as Anna slowly lifted into the air, just two feet or so from the ground.
"Whoa... You don't have to use your fire to fly."
"Yep." answered Anna. "My first attempt, I shot right up to the ceiling. But I've been practicing, and while I'm not as fast as my fire, I'm getting better and have more control."
"Heh, you shot up to the ceiling?" asked Casandra with a chuckle. "Well, there's no ceiling here. I'd rather not shoot into the sky with no alternate method to save myself."
"Oh, right." replied Anna, returning to the ground. "I didn't think this through."
"It's no problem." stated Elsa before she lifted her left hand up to the sky, releasing a bit of magic and creating a large sheet of ice spanning the entire garden. "There's no risk of mistakenly flying off into the sky now." she added, before Anna also added, looking to Cassandra...
"You should go first, since we can fly. If something goes wrong and you crash through the ice, we can save you."
"Heh, alright." replied Cassandra, before Elsa commented as she turned her back to her...
"We'll turn around while you change."
"Oh, right." added Anna as she turned around as well, prompting a little chuckle from Cassandra.
"Well, thanks."
The two waited for only about a minute before Cassandra said they could turn around, and the two saw their friend clothed in the familiar, green ice bodysuit.
"Well, first flight, here I go." commented Cassandra.
However, before Cassandra could attempt flight, all three felt the wind and a familiar whistle.
"Gale?" asked Elsa curiously.
"Hello, you three." greeted the Wind Spirit. "I'm sorry if I'm interrupting what you're doing, but I need a favor from Anna."
"Uh, sure. What is it?" asked Anna.
"I need you to come to the Enchanted Forest."
"Just me?" asked Anna.
"Preferably, yes." answered Gale before Elsa commented...
"So Emory needs Anna for something?"
"Uh, no." answered Gale hesitantly, prompting curious gazes from all three. "This is a personal request. Emory needs help with something, and she wouldn't like that I'm coming to you for help."
"What does she need help with?" asked Anna.
"Something personal."
All three raised a brow at Gale dodging the question.
"You can't tell us?" asked Anna.
"I'd rather not, so you won't tip Emory off. But if necessary, I will."
"No, no, it's not necessary." replied Anna. "I trust you. You must have a good reason. I'll come." she added, before looking to Elsa and Cassandra. "Do you two mind if I go help Gale?"
"Nope." answered Cassandra. "You already told us what to do. We can practice while you're gone." she added before Elsa, after a brief moment of thought, answered...
"I don't mind."
"Alright then." replied Anna, before turning around and creating a portal. "I'll be back in, uh... Gale, how long will this take?"
"If all goes well, a few minutes."
"Oh, well, that certainly piqued my interest. Ok then." replied Anna, before Elsa commented with a smirk...
"Anna, your dress."
Following the comment, Anna looked down and gasped when she realized she didn't return her dress to normal and quickly did so.
"Heh, thanks for that. See you two in a few minutes." replied Anna before walking through her portal, along with Gale, before it closed, followed by Elsa and Cassandra looking at each other.
"Thinking what I'm thinking?" asked Cassandra.
"Yeah..." sighed Elsa. "Gale wanted Anna specifically. Emory must be injured and wouldn't want to bother Anna with it, so Gale took it upon herself to do so."
- 2:40 P.M. -
- Enchanted Forest, near the Northuldra Camp -
"Is Emory in the camp?" asked Anna once the portal closed behind her.
"No, I'll lead you to her." answered Gale, before Anna saw Gale move to the right and followed the rustling of grass and leaves.
As Anna followed the Spirit, she thought to herself with a smile...
'Emory must've gotten hurt, and she didn't want to 'bother' me with asking to heal her. So Gale wants to bring me to her in a 'random visit' and end up healing her.'
After only a minute of following Gale, Anna notices two figures near a tree ahead of her, their backs to her, sitting against it together. Walking closer though, Anna noticed a change in the mood; the person she recognized as Emory was sitting with her knees up and her head lowered. It didn't give off a positive air.
Before she could reconsider the reason for the visit, Anna heard a groan from Emory and her comment...
"Who ever you are, I left because I want to be alone; So leave."
Briefly taken aback by the comment, Anna saw Emory lift her head, look back at her, and gasp her name before looking away, and Anna didn't even have time to lift a hand in greeting, although something caught her attention...
'What was that on her face?' thought Anna.
Anna only had the briefest glance at Emory's face, but she thought she saw something extra on the right side of her face, maybe an odd shadow?
"Hey Emory." greeted Anna as she walked up beside Emory, to also see Honeymaren sitting beside her, who looked up at her and gave a greeting wave of her hand. "Honeymaren too." added Anna with a smile before returning her gaze to Emory, who curiously avoided looking at her, even turning her face away from her and placing her right hand over the side of her face.
"What are you doing here?" asked Emory.
"Gale came to me and told me you needed help with something." answered Anna, although she felt agitation from Emory, like she didn't want her there.
"Dammit Gale." groaned Emory before the Spirit commented...
"You need help."
"What I need is to be left alone!" snapped Emory before standing and walking away a few steps from Anna and crossing her arms over her chest. "I know you mean well, but this is not what I need right now."
Anna was now very worried about what she had unknowingly walked in on, but it was clear Emory was dealing with something that greatly troubled her.
"H-Hey..." commented Anna. "I'm clearly out of the loop here, but if something's happened, let me help."
"This has nothing to do with you, Anna." replied Emory.
"You're my friend." stated Anna. "And something has clearly upset you. I want to help; let me." she added, walking up to Emory's right, although Emory turns away from her and takes a couple of steps further from her. "Come on, at least talk to me about it."
After a moment, Anna hears Emory sigh heavily.
"Fine, if you want to help so badly, there's a guy in camp that's hurt and could use your help. Heal him, and I'll tell you what happened."
"O...kay, sure." replied Anna, confused at the request, even more-so when Honeymaren quickly stood and walked up to Emory and whispered something to her, seemingly surprised and she heard Emory whisper back that she was sure. "That's all?"
"Yeah. Do that, and I'll cooperate." answered Emory. "I promise."
"OK, I'll be back in a little bit, then." replied Anna before walking away, and Anna heard Emory's comment...
"Gale, you stay with me. We need to have a talk."
As Anna walked away from a clearly troubled Emory, she quickly recalled her friend's behavior, and one detail jumped out at her.
'She avoided looking at me, or rather, showing her face to me. That thing I thought I saw on her face... could that be a bruise or black eye?' she thought, before gasping, 'Was she attacked!? No, no, wait, I can't jump to conclusions. She has a mark on her face, and she avoided looking at me, though. Even covering it up. What else could it be? Maybe the guy she wants me to heal protected her and got hurt in the process, and Emory feels guilty about it? But Honeymaren seemed to question her about it... ugh, I'm just guessing with a lack of information; I should just focus on helping this guy, and Emory will tell me what happened.'
- 2:54 P.M. -
- Northuldra Camp -
Entering the camp, Anna quickly spots Magna in the distance and decided to head to her, greeting those she walked by.
"Oh, Anna, nice to see you." greeted Magna as she spots Anna walking up to her.
"Same here." replied Anna. "Gale requested I come here to help Emory with something, but she's really agitated for some reason, and she told me to heal an injured guy here before she'd talk to me. Do you happen to know the guy she's talking about?"
Not even halfway into her statement, Anna noticed Magna's smiling expression fade at the mention of Emory and even looked confused as she asked...
"Emory really asked you to heal him?"
"Yeah." answered Anna curiously. "Is there a problem?"
"No, no. I was just surprised, that's all."
"What happened with Emory?" asked Anna. "When I met her, she wouldn't even look at me, and it seemed like she didn't even want me there." she added, prompting Magna to avert her gaze with a sigh.
"I'm sorry, but if Emory doesn't want to tell you, I don't think I should."
"Seriously? Was she attacked or something?" asked Anna.
"I can't say, I'm sorry. I'll lead you to the person she told you about. Just do what Emory asked, and let her tell you herself."
"Ugh, fine, fine." replied Anna before following Magna. "I thought this was just going to be a five-minute trip, and it's turning out to be a mystery."
Magna said nothing further as she led Anna through the camp. Upon approaching a particular tent, however, Anna did notice the mood in the area change, with a few people looking at her and whispering to each other.
"Um..." started Anna, she didn't feel unsafe, but the change in mood was quite confusing, as if she was someplace she shouldn't be. "Seriously, what's going on?"
"You'll see." answered Magna, before they arrived at the tent, knocked on the door, and shortly after, a young woman of similar age to Anna opened the door and looked a little surprised to see Anna.
"Anna?" commented the woman.
"Hey." greeted Anna.
"What are you doing here?" asked the woman.
"Emory asked me to heal someone. Apparently that someone is here." answered Anna, and almost expectantly now, the woman looked surprised and asked...
"Really? Emory asked you to do that?"
"Yeah, what's going on?" asked Anna, prompting a sigh from the woman.
"That person is my brother, and he-" started the woman, before stopping as if she realized something and added. "Uh, actually, I'd like you to heal him first, then I'll tell you."
Anna narrowed her eyes in suspicion; she didn't want to assume, but given how people were acting around the issue and being surprised that Emory wanted this person healed, especially the person's sister, it was all pointing to something that was starting to anger her at the possibility.
"Are you worried that I'll refuse to heal him if I know what happened?" asked Anna, prompting a sigh from the woman.
"Yeah. But, you'll do it because Emory asked you to, right?"
It was now Anna's turn to sigh; her suspicions were all but confirmed, but Emory did ask her to do this; she must've had a good reason.
"Fine, I'll do it." answered Anna. "Only because Emory asked me to. I want answers after."
"Deal." replied the woman. "Come in." she added, stepping aside to let Anna in.
Upon entering the tent, despite her suspicions, Anna was surprised to see a man laying on the floor in quite bad shape. He was unconscious and had bandages over her face, his right eye and cheek in particular, a bandage wrapped around his head, and his right arm from the elbow down to his wrist wrapped in a bloodied bandage and wooden splint.
"What happened to him!?" gasped Anna as she hurried to and knelt beside him.
"Ugh, being an absolute bigoted idiot is what happened." groaned the sister as she knelt to Anna's right.
'Bigotted? So, he's one of the people who don't like Emory?' thought Anna. 'He's in much worse condition than Emory was. I guess Emory really let him have it. Good for you, Emory.' she added with a smile.
"I'll start with his arm." commented Anna as she reached her hand over his immobilized arm, which soon glows a faint red from her healing magic, taking only a few moments before Anna pulled back. "That should do it..." commented Anna before moving herself above the man's head. "Can you remove the bandages over his face? It helps if I can see what's being healed."
"Sure." replied the sister as she leaned over and removed the bandages from her brother's face to reveal a large blackened bruise over his cheek and a massive bruise over his left eye that completely covered it, which prompted a cringe from Anna.
'Wow Emory.' thought Anna before placing her hands on the side of the man's head, gently grasping it as his head glows red.
This particular healing took a little more time, but the black eye and cheek bruise slowly faded to nothing, while Anna finished with whatever needed his head bandaged for, and soon after Anna removing her hands, the young man stirs with a groan and blinks open his eyes to see Anna above him.
"Ugh, Anna?"
"Hello." greeted Anna, forcing a smile.
"I feel so much better-Ah!" commented the brother before he attempted to sit up and gasped in pain. "My back!"
"I got you." replied Anna, reaching her left hand under the brothers back. "Where does it hurt?"
"My upper back." groaned the man.
"Upper back..." muttered Anna, feeling along the man's back, near his spine, and felt a lump, which brought a gasp of pain from the man.
"That it! Right there!"
Anna was very briefly tempted to apply pressure to the injury but held off and properly healed him, told from the man quickly relaxing in relief. Anna then returned to the sisters side and asked the brother as he sat up, looking at the splint his arm was in...
"Anything else hurting? Anything at all?"
"There's a pain in my neck..." answered the brother as he attempted to remove the splint. "... but I can deal with-" he continued, before Anna reached out her left hand and grabbed the man's neck and quickly healed him, but gave a little squeeze.
"What else?" asked Anna, clearly sounding a little agitated.
"Uh... I'm good." answered the brother, clearly confused at Anna's mood. "Everything ok with you?"
"Emory asked me to heal you." stated Anna and eagerly awaited his reaction, which was one of wide-eyed surprise, before he averted his gaze with a frown and muttered a swear. Anna could feel her anger rising, but reigned it in with clenched fists and asked, as calmly as she could, though clearly upset. "Did you do something to Emory?"
"What?" gasped the brother, looking at Anna in shock and offense. "I'M the bad guy!? I just wanted to talk. That bitch attacked ME!"
Following that comment, both brother and sister felt the air heat up as Anna, frowning in anger, commented...
"Then why do I have a hard time believing you?"
"The fact that she wanted you to heal me proves her guilt!" declared the brother before the sister commented angrily...
"No, it proves that she has a caring and forgiving heart, even for assholes like you! Who doesn't even deserve it after what you did! Ughh, I can't believe you would do something so... UGH! I can't even look at you right now!"
The sister then takes Anna's hand and urges her to stand before leading her out of the tent, where Anna groans in anger and asks...
"He attacked her, didn't he?"
"Yeah." answered the sister disappointingly. "I'm sorry."
"That's not something you need to apologize for. You were right to avoid telling me what he did before I healed him." replied Anna before walking away.
Returning to the place she left Emory, she saw her sitting against the tree again, along with Honeymaren beside her, and walked in front of Emory with a frown on her face, not angry with Emory but still furious at what she learned.
"Show me your face." demanded Anna.
"You heal him?" asked Emory, keeping her head lowered.
"Yeah, but I wish I didn't. Show me your face." repeated Anna, kneeling down, prompting a sigh from Emory, before she lifted her head and only briefly met Anna's gaze, who gasped as she saw what she expected but didn't want to believe. While only a fraction of the size of the brother, Emory had a small bruise around her right eye, and her eye itself was a little red.
"He attacked you!" declared Anna, quickly lifting her right hand up to Emory's face and healing her. "What happened!? Why would you ask me to heal him!?"
With Anna lowering her hand from Emory's now healed face, Emory lowered her gaze and lifted her right hand up to her face, confirming the healing, and smiled.
"He went to sleep last night and didn't wake up this morning." answered Emory.
"I don't care about him! What happened to make him attack you!?" asked Anna, prompting another sigh from Emory, though this one was one of sadness.
"Apparently, Nokk's mere presence in the forest protected me."
- The previous day -
"Hey, Emory, do you have a moment to talk?" asked the young man as he approached Emory walking through the camp.
"Sure." answered Emory. "Here or in private?"
"Private, if you don't mind."
"Ok. Follow me." stated Emory, before she turned around and headed out of the village, with the young man following.
However, near the other side of the camp, Honeymaren noticed the pair leaving.
"By the way..." started Emory, looking back at the young man. "Your name is... uh, Kyle, right?"
"Yeah." answered Kyle, wide-eyed. "You know my name?"
"Yep. It would be pretty rude of me to live here and not at least try to remember people's names. I don't know everyone's, but eventually I will."
"Well, that's nice of you." answered Kyle as she lowered his gaze and looked to be a little troubled by something.
"What's wrong?"
"Nothing. I just wasn't expecting you to make an effort to remember everyone's name. Does that include the people that don't like you?"
"Of course. Whether they like me or not, the least I could do is remember their name." answered Emory.
"Why bother?" asked Kyle. "I notice you even take the time to talk with them. Going off alone with them, aren't you worried they might attack you?" he added, prompting a smiling sigh from Emory as she looked ahead.
"That thought does cross my mind. But I want to give people a chance, and hopefully they give me one too. Plus, I'm not as helpless as you may think. I don't want to ignore a person's negative feelings about me; I want to at least try to change their mind about me." answered Emory before she stopped near a tree, sighed, and turned around to face the young man with a smile. "So, which are you?"
Kyle looked mildly surprised by the question and sighed as well before commenting...
"You should leave."
"Why?" asked Emory.
"I don't like you." admitted Kyle, prompting Emory to silently lower her gaze. "I'm one of the many here that don't. We put up with you, and this little act you have of wanting to be one of us, but you're not." he added, before adding in agitation, "And now, your Honeymaren's girlfriend? Seriously? You're really trying to secure your position."
Although hurt by the start of the young man's statement, his ending remark urged a chuckle from Emory that she couldn't hold in and looked at Kyle with a smile.
"Wow, that's what you end with? Seriously?" asked Emory with her hands on her hips. "What, you mad 'cause Honeymaren's interested in me over you?"
Kyle, though, only looked annoyed.
"That's what you focused on? You'd like that, wouldn't you, but no, I'm not interested in Honeymaren that way. What I am interested in is protecting her from an outsider who lets her 'children' abandon us." he answered, walking up to Emory and pushing her, causing her to stumble back but not fall.
"Hey! I've already apologized for that." replied Emory, regaining her lost ground and standing up to the young man.
"You think an 'I'm sorry' is enough for the dead Northuldra on your hands?" asked Kyle as he more forcefully pushes Emory, enough to push her into a tree.
"Seriously!?" gasped Emory. "I admitted I did nothing, but it's not like I picked up the sword and swung it!"
"YOU had the power to change what happened!" declared Kyle, getting louder and more agitated as he continued to advance on Emory, although Emory quickly acted and pushed him away, although only two steps back.
"Back off! I'm warning you!"
Kyle though smirks and quickly advances on Emory again, who lifted her hands to defend herself, but Kyle grabbed her by the wrists and lifted her hand above her head and against the tree behind her.
"Or what? You'll get your children to help you? Or the only one to bother to? He's gone, though. You're not so tough without your precious protector, are you?"
However, despite Kyle's taunting and her current situation, Emory laughs.
"So that's what this is, huh? Since Nokk's gone, you think I'm some helpless little girl you can bully?"
"I'm not the one pinned to a tree, defenseless."
Without another word, Emory swiftly kicks the young man in the crotch, releasing her with a gasp of pain. Emory was quick to act and grabs him by his left arm and twists it behind his back and kicks the back of his knee, dropping him to his knees, keeping her foot on the back of his knee, and lifts his arm, bringing a gasp of pain from as she threatened to pull it from its socket.
"Not very bright are you?" asked Emory. "I told you I'm not as helpless as you may think earlier. I don't need my 'children' to protect me. I've dealt with your type before. Thinking the big, strong man can overpower a weak woman, then you leave your most obvious weak spot open, and now you're on your knees, and I can decide whether to rip your arm out of it's socket!" declared Emory, lifting his arm to reinforce the fact, bringing a gasp of pain from Kyle.
"Nngh, you're just showing your true colors attacking me." stated Kyle.
"Attacking you!?" Gasped Emory. "Heh, yeah, you're not the greenest leaf, are you? I'm defending myself from someone who restrained and threatened me."
"And whose gonna believe who when we return to camp and I'm the one whose injured?"
"Really?" asked Emory with a groan. "That's the best you got? You did not think this thr-" she added, before she heard Honeymaren call her name in the distance, which distracted her just enough to look up from Kyle and loosen her grip on his arm, which was all Kyle needed before he snatched his arm free with a gasp from Emory, before he swung his right fist back and connected with Emory's head, briefly stunning her to falling face-down to the ground.
Unfortunately for Emory, she was unable to recover quick enough before she felt Kyle's arm pressed against the back of her neck and his knee on her back, pinning her to the ground.
"Now YOUR face down on the ground." stated Kyle smugly. "Pretty bad position to be in... especially for a woman." he added, before Emory gasped as she felt a slap to her butt.
"Don't you dare!" declared Emory, struggling in vain to free herself.
"Oh, the great Ahtohollen..." commented Kyle before another gasp left Emory when she felt her pants pulled down to her knees, exposing her bare butt. "In such a vulnerable position. Not so great now, are you?" he added, as he began to caress her butt.
"Stop this!"
"You claim to be a human; how about we see just how human you are, huh?" stated Kyle as he moved his hand between the cheeks of Emory's butt, towards her crotch.
"You asshole! Stop!" declared Emory, continued to struggle in vain, and tried closing her legs, but it did nothing as she felt Kyle's fingers touch and prod her crotch.
However, before she felt him go further, the two quickly heard Honeymaren yell...
"Emory, what's happening!?"
Just a second later, a powerful wind blew with enough force to propel Kyle from Emory, and into a tree with a pained gasp.
Now freed, Emory had enough time to roll over onto her back and lift a hand over the swelling already happening on the right side of her face before Honeymaren arrives, running up to her.
"Emory!" gasped Honeymaren as she ran up and knelt beside her and gasped again when she saw that Emory's pants were down and the swelling on her face, before she looked over to see the young man on the ground, sitting slumped against a tree, in a daze, and his right arm bent unnaturally at the elbow.
"You asshole!" declared Honeymaren angrily as she quickly ran to the young man, grabbing him by the shirt with one hand and punching him repeatedly with the other.
"Honeymaren, stop." requested Emory, hearing her attacking the man before groggily sitting up to see Honeymaren laying into the young man with fist after fist.
Standing with a groan and a brief stagger, partly pulling up her pants enough to walk, Emory staggered over to Honeymaren and placed a hand on her shoulder.
"Honeymaren, stop."
With the contact, Honeymaren does so and looked back to see Emory at her side and quickly stood, helping Emory to fully pull her pants up.
"Are you ok!?" quickly asked Honeymaren worriedly, lifting a hand up to the swollen area of Emory's face, prompting a wince from her. "S-sorry! Did he... h-he didn't..."
"No, you and Gale... came in ti-" replied Emory before she passed out mid-sentence and fell against Honeymaren.
- Present -
"That's horrible!" declared Anna. "How dare he get on you for something he wasn't even alive fo- no, I shouldn't say that." she added, before quickly restraining herself. "But he tried to rape you too!? I never would've healed him if I knew that!"
"Which is why I wanted you to heal him first." answered Emory, still sitting against the tree, knees up to her chest, looking down to the ground. "He attacked me; yeah- well, I did hit him first-" she added, before Honeymaren quickly chimed in...
"No, he got physical and threatened you first. You were just defending yourself."
"The point is..." sighed Emory. "He wasn't waking up. I didn't want him dying. I'd feel horrible. Then you showed up, wanting to help so much."
As furious as Anna was at Emory's assault, she forced herself to calm down. Emory was hurting right now, and it wasn't a pain she could just wave her hands and make disappear. Following a couple calming breaths, Anna reached a hand out to Emory's shoulder.
"How do you feel? Are you ok?" asked Anna, prompting a heavy sigh from Emory and hiding her face in her knees.
"Honestly... No, I'm not ok. I thought after sleeping it off, I'd be better. Just one bad experience in a bunch of good. Just shake it off and continue on with my life... but I'm on edge now, and he said he wasn't alone. I knew that, but..."
"He was the first to attack you." commented Anna.
"Yeah..." replied Emory, lifting her head, although not meeting Anna's gaze as tears brimmed Emory's eyes. "Gale and Honeymaren protected me, but... I don't feel safe here. I don't want to give that jerk the satisfaction, but... I have to think about the others and how my presence effects everyone after what happened. There's this weird tension in the air. People have tried reassuring me something like that wont happen again, even the people who don't like me. Saying that even if they don't like me, violence isn't the answer, which I'm happy about, but... I don't think it's a good idea for me to stay here while everything is fresh. It's like I have an open wound I can't cover. And the other people, while their intentions are good, I just can't deal with all the pity and reassurances I'm getting. It just makes me feel... So... can I... join you in Arendelle, just for a little while? It's not permanent; I just need-."
"Sure! Of course!" declared Anna. "You can stay as long as you want!"
"Thanks." replied Emory, lifting her smiling gaze towards Anna.
"I'm coming too." added Honeymaren.
"You don't need to do that, Honeymaren." commented Emory.
"But I'm gonna." replied Honeymaren. "I can't leave you alone someplace you're not familiar with. Plus, I can't stay here with the person who attacked you being here. Now that he's healed, I might attack him again if I see him."
"Alright, thanks." commented Emory with a smile, before the group heard a familiar whistle on the wind and Gale speak.
"I'll come too."
"No, Gale, you stay here." stated Emory. "I don't want to give off the impression that me leaving means the spirits leave too."
"We're here because of you."
"Please." sighed Emory. "Just stay here; keep an eye on things while I'm gone."
"Alright." answered Gale reluctantly. "But I'll come visit you."
"Heh, alright." replied Emory with a smile. "And if you end up speaking to Nokk, don't tell him about what happened. He'll likely come back and murder the guy, even if I was here to try and stop him."
The trio returned to the camp at Emory's request to inform Yelana of her choice and Honeymaren, her mother. Fortunately, the group saw Yelana and Magna talking to each other further in the camp and headed straight towards them.
"Emory." greeted Yelana, with some concern in her face. "It's good to see you." she added, stepping towards her and placing a hand on her shoulder. "I'm so sorry for what happened. Since he's recovered, Magna and I were just talking about the punishment your-"
"Thanks, but..." interrupted Emory with an uncomfortable smile. "I don't want to talk about that right now."
"Oh, of course. Sorry." replied Yelana, before Emory sighed and added...
"I just want to let you know that I'm gonna leave with Anna for a little while."
"Oh." replied Yelana, wide-eyed, before sighing sadly. "I understand."
"I'm not going away for good though." added Emory. "I intend to return. I just need to-"
"You don't need to explain yourself." stated Yelana with a smile. "Take as much time as you need."
"Thanks." replied Emory with a smile, before Magna looked at Honeymaren and asked...
"I'm guessing you're joining her too, Maren?"
"Yeah." answered Honeymaren.
"Alright then." replied Magna. "Make sure to tell your brother and your grandmother too."
"Of course, I wouldn't forget them." commented Honeymaren, before Yelana asked Emory...
"Emory, will the spirits be joining you?"
"No, like I said, I'm coming back." answered Emory. "Although Gale did want to come, I asked her to stay."
"Well, that's understandable." replied Yelana. "When you're ready, we'll welcome you back."
"Thanks." replied Emory before looking to Anna. "I'm ready; let's go say bye to Ryder and Rona."
"Ok." stated Anna. "But what about your friends? Don't you want to say bye to them?" she added, which prompted an uncomfortable look on Emory's face.
"I don't want to make this a big deal. I hate seeing that look of pity in their eyes. I just want to quietly leave."
"Alright then." replied Anna before looking at Yelana. "It was nice to see you again, Yelana."
"Same here. I just wish it was under better circumstances."
"Yeah, me too." replied Anna, before she, Emory, and Honeymaren departed from them.
To be continued