Fire and Ice

Chapter Eight

ELSA'S POV

Kristoff's eyes widened.  I knew he remembered who Hans was, he had almost killed his girlfriend.  That man had tried to destroy our lives, and even his name brought hatred to our hearts.  "What do you mean he's coming?  That douchebag can't come anywhere near here; I'll pound the crap out of him if he does." 

"Calm down," I told Kristoff.  "There was a letter. . . he's coming here because the Southern Isles don't have room in their prisons for him.  We give him a sentence, and he's ours.  He's coming to Arendelle, today, Kristoff!"  I started to breathe rapidly.  I could tell that the temperature in the room dropped a few degrees.  "That letter is why I almost killed myself; it was all because of Hans!" 

Kristoff tried his best to calm me down before I froze the room.  "Elsa, listen.  He'll be in chains, he can't hurt us.  You can sentence him to a life in prison, you can sentence him to death, I don't care.  But you have to act maturely about this.  You're a queen." 

Stirring in the bed beside me jerked our attentions.  Anna was awakening.  "W-What's going on?" she mumbled.  "I heard yelling, and . . ."  Her eyes fluttered open dreamily, and when she saw us, she was snapped awake.  "Elsa!  Kristoff!" 

I hopped out of bed and Kristoff and I ran over to her and wrapped out arms around her.  "Anna!" I cried in joy.  "You're awake!  Oh, Anna." 

Anna sat up and winced.  "Ugh, I don't feel so good.  What happened?"  I giggled when I saw her hair that resembled a rat's nest. 

Kristoff took her hand.  "We don't know.  You went missing, and we found you unconcious.  You've been that way for days." 

Suddenly, Anna's blue eyes grew wide with worry.  "Elsa!"  She grabbed my shoulders urgently.  "What happened to the potion?" 

"You whispered something to me about the potion, and how it would save something.  I gave it to you, Anna.  I needed to save you.  You were in bad shape."  Anna put her hands on her cheeks like she does when she realizes something is wrong. 

"Oh no," she whispered.  "This is bad, this is very bad.  Elsa, I bought that potion for you.  It was to heal the sick and dying!  It cost a fortune, and it's gone!  I wanted to save you, Elsa!"  Tears began to leak out of her eyes.  "Now it's gone, wasted on me when I didn't need it."  She put her face in her hands.  "Elsa, I can't get another one.  You're not getting better, this was my chance to save you, and now I'm alive and you're dying." 

I coudln't help but let a tear slide down my cheek.  "Anna, I would gladly die for you.  You needed that potion.  Besides, you've practically died for me once, I should repay the favor."  I wasn't lying.  I would give my life for my sister in a heartbeat. 

Anna sighed and laid back down.  I thought of Hans, and said a quick goodbye before rushing to the door.  Pushing them open, I ordered a guard, "Fetch the doctors.  Princess Anna is awake.  Also send the prison staff a message as soon as you can.  Prince Hans of the Southern Isles is arriving soon and I want him locked in the darkest, dirtiest cell.  Have high security on him at all times."  As one guard rushed to the prison, and another rushed to get the doctors, I felt my illness get the better of me.  Feeling exhausted, I sat on the floor, with my head in my hands. 

"Queen Elsa?" Gerda, a castle servant asked.  "Are you all right?" 

I weakly nodded.  "I'm fine.  I'm just . . . tired."  I sighed.  "Just. . . don't tell Princess Anna about the new prisoner." 

-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~

"Queen Elsa, the prisoner is secured in the darkest cell on high security, as you wished," a guard told me later that day.  I knew I had to do something.  Anything. 

"I need to talk to this prisoner," I told the guard.  "Take me to him." 

The guard and I headed down the tightly guarded stairwells leading down to the dungeon below Arendelle.  This was not a normal prison, for we had one of those near the fjords.  This was where the most dangerous, feared criminals went.  This was where Prince Hans was. 

As I descended into the suffocating darkness, I tried to think of what I could say to Hans.  I couldn't say anything, really.  Just holding back from slapping him across the face would be difficult. 

We arrived at Hans' cell, which was the furthest down into the ground.  Guards with swords ready to swing at any moment stood outside the cell, and opened it for me as I approached.  I took a deep breath as I stepped into the cell, reuinted with my enemy once again. 

The cell was lit by only one greenish lantern in the corner.  There was a bed, but it had no matress, pillow, or blanket at all.  There was nothing else in the room except for a hole that I assumed was a toliet.  I wrinkled my nose.  And in the corner, with shackles on his feet and chains on his wrists, was Prince Hans of the Southern Isles. 

Seeing him brought back a flood of memories and emotions.  I remembered Anna presenting him to me at my coronation party.  I had thought he was very handsome, and he seemed like a gentleman.  But they had only met.  I knew though, that deep down part of me was jealous, and that had an influence on my answer.  Anna would get to marry a nice, handsome prince and I'd be stuck alone with ice in my heart. 

I had run away, and built my ice castle.  I tried to hide my jealousy deep down inside me, I tried to ignore it and deny it.  I shoudln't be jealous, and I didn't want to be jealous.  And when Hans came back . . . I was so relieved.  I was about to kill two men, an act I would never forgive myself of, when I heard his voice. 

"Queen Elsa!" he had shouted.  "Don't be the monster they fear you are." 

I was snapped out of my trance.  My guard was let down, just like it always was around him.  He had come to find me.  But why?  Then, the next thing I knew, he had saved me.  He stopped an arrow from burying itself in my chest, when he could've left me to die.  And for that, I loved him. 

Then he changed. 

I ran, knowing my death sentence.  I ran, and he chased.  Something about him had grown different.  His emerald green eyes didn't possess the warmth and kindness they had before.  They gleamed with fury and greed and thirst.  Thirst for power.  And when I had lay on the ground, grieving for my 'dead' sister, he had unsheathed his sword, about to kill me--

"Hans."  So much emotion was packed into that one word.  I practically hissed his name at him, and I saw him cringe, cowering in the corner.  I coudln't see his face, not because of the dark, but because he had covered it with his arms.  He was being a coward. 

I turned to the guards, watching through the open door.  "Close the door.  Don't eavesdrop.  This is personal."  Once they did, I turned to Hans and spat, "Don't you dare think about making a move, or I'll freeze your head off." 

Hans didn't move.  He was a bundle of flesh and torn clothes hiding like a little kid.  "Are you too afraid to show yourself?"  Nothing.  "I order you, show yourself!" 

With a groan, Hans sat up and revealed his face.  My heart stopped.  He was a different person.  His face was bloody and scratched, his hair a tangled mess.  "Is this good enough for you, Your Majesty?"  He spat the last words. 

I paced the small cell.  "We need to have a very, very long talk, Hans."  Our glares connected,  blue against green.  Fire against ice. 

A/N:

Hiiiii so a bit of explaining: in most Helsa fanfics I see Elsa forgiving waayyy too easily.  Honestly, if someone tried to kill you and your sibling, would you forgive them so easily?  No!  So I'm trying to capture how hard forgiveness can be.  It can be verrrrrryyyyy difficult and I know that from first hand experience and I'm sure you do too. 

Follow my Instagram, @ princessannacomics!  Ily xx