Elsa tossed and turned in her sleep. Anna, Hans, the sword, the snow, the isolation, played over and over again in her mind. The pain and the anguish ripped at her heart. Over and over, she cried out in her sleep. You monster, no one could ever really love you, a voice coming from the back of her mind whispered. Three knocks at her door woke her from her slumber and she jumped up. Her hands were clammy, she was in a cold sweat, and tears streamed down her face. "Elsa?" Anna's voice said from behind the door.
"Oh, yeah, I'm coming," Elsa panted. "You can come in."
Anna wedged the door open as Elsa feverishly wiped at her face. "Are you okay?"
"Yeah, I'm really fine, I just had a pretty bad night." Elsa didn't bother to mention the nightmare, which came every night just he same. The room was covered in a thin layer of ice, and she pulled it back as Anna watched her, still in awe of her abilities after all this time.
"You should get ready now, we have a big day ahead of us!" Anna took both of Elsa's hands, pulling her off the bed and spinning her around the room.
"You're right," Elsa said, remembering that she and Anna were taking a trip to Finland to work out a trade agreement. We're going by boat, she thought as a fear rose up in her chest. She thought of her parents and looked down at her hands, only to see them shaking.
Anna, gently but firmly, grabbed Elsa by the shoulders. "Are you sure you're feeling okay?" Anna looked her dead in the eyes, concern etched all over her face.
"Yeah," Elsa smiled mischievously. "I'd be a lot better if you'd get out of my personal space."
Anna feigned a hurt face. "Fine, if you're going to be like that I will." She turned on her heel and walked out, gently closing the bedroom door behind her.
Elsa gently leaned back against the wall. It will be okay, she thought, we're gonna be okay. She rummaged through her closet as her hand settled on a faded red gown with a high collar and a white shawl. She left her room as her sense of dread grew with every step. The hallways were mostly empty, save for a few maid.s. When she entered the parlor, Anna was closely studying a painting of the ocean on the wall. "Are you ready to go?"
"I was born ready." Anna snickered.
Elsa latched arms with Anna as they walked out the front door. Anna shivered, but Elsa didn't particularly feel anything, this was her room temperature, after all. The wind blew so hard that it almost knocked them over.
"Is that you?" Anna yelled over the howling wind.
"No, no it's not. At least I don't think so." Elsa shouted back.
They continued on this way until they finally reached the docks. Men dressed in preparation for a sea voyage hustled to and fro the large ship. Two men rushed up to Anna and Elsa and took their bags on board while the girls quietly and solemnly boarded the boat, and in that moment Elsa knew that Anna's thoughts mirrored her own; she was afraid. About an hour after the ship had left port, a storm began and the waves rose up, towering over the ship. They slapped the deck with such force that the boat began to tilt and Elsa was slung against the side of the ship. Elsa tried to move away, but the force threw her over the side as she heard her sister's anguished cry. What good are ice powers now, she thought as she slipped below the waves. She thrashed about wildly, refusing to surrender for her sister's sake. Suddenly very cold hands slipped beneath her arms. She gasped in surprise, which she realized was definitely the wrong move. When she broke the surface she began coughing and gasping, desperately trying to make up for the temporary lack of oxygen. She frantically searched, but the boat was nowhere in sight.
"You can relax now," A warm soothing voice whispered in her ear as they lifted up out of the water. "I've got you."
Elsa's legs were suddenly swept up from under her and she was being carried bridal style through the air. She looked up into the face of a boy about her age. He had startling white hair and bright blue eyes with an almost lucid complexion. He had a strange ethereal beauty and seemed otherworldly. Obviously, she thought to herself, we're flying right now. "Who are you?" she tried to sound assertive, but she stuttered over her words.
