Little Things (Helsa)

The Escape

(HANS)

The boat ride back to the Southern Isles was the most horrifying experience of my life, and that's saying a lot. The crew made it a point to torture me every chance they got. Nothing too physical, more of a mental torture. But it was enough to make my heart race out of fear. Mostly it was name calling. The usual "Traitor!" Every once in a while they would say something that actually hurt. Like on the third day into our week-long voyage, when the first mate walked into the room my cell was in. I assumed he would start with the everyday low-blows. Saying I was a fool, or reminding me I was almost a murderer. But today he had a darkness in his eyes.

Instead, he opened right away with, "You know, I bet your mother was glad when she was dying. It meant she wouldn't have to spend another miserable moment with you."

To hear anyone speak of my mother in a negative way at all would have made me furious, but for someone to dare tell me she would rather die than be around me? That was an insult I would not stand for. At this I bolted for the door to my cell, and in all my rage I actually ripped the hinges off the frame. With all my strength I went at him, using just my bare hands; clawing and scratching. Once I was able to kick him in the face and he screamed in agony. I was so enraged I never heard half the crew tripping down the stairs to pull me off the first mate. They tried to pull me off him as quickly as possible, but by then I had done quite a bit of damage. The last thing I remembered before getting a blow to the head was one of the crew faintly saying, "You'll pay for this..."

It was cold when I woke. My wrists felt like they were falling off, my head could just explode, and my entire body was shaking. I opened my eyes and saw I was in a dark room. There was a door with metal bars to my left, and a small window right in front of me. I was sitting on a cold, hard, stone bed. There was no comfy pillow, let alone a mattress. All I had for warmth was a thin tweed blanket and myself. I tried looking around the room and saw a lit but dying candle on a small round table. Next to the candle was a tray. I could see a cup of something, some left over bread, and a probably cold bowl of broth; my dinner. I sighed and stood up to investigate if the "food" was edible. I only made it halfway across the room however; I was held back by the chains around my wrists. As I turned to look at my arms, I heard a voice coming from outside the door. It said, "Well well, glad you finally made it back home, brother."

"Shut up Peter," I snarled. He had come to gloat, and he knew I knew it. Sometimes I really hated my family. Ever since my mother died, my brothers and father had abused me. She had been my protector, and the moment she was gone they started treating me like the dirt on the floor. I was useless and disposable to the rest of my family. This was just another chance for them to ruin my life, and they were going to enjoy every moment of it.

I was practically thrown out of my cell. My brother laughed at my pain. He knew our father would want to see me struggling. We were making it up the stairs away from the dungeons and he tripped me. I fell face first and landed hard on my chest. I hadn't been able to pull my hands up high enough from the chains to catch my fall. My nose just barely missed the next step, which I'm sure would have broken it if I had made contact. My brother snickered as I struggled to stand again. Peter was just preparing me for my trial. He insulted me as we walked through the last hallway to the court room. He made me pause at the doors, I assume to get one last good look at me before I was sentenced to death. He smiled with wide eyes, and turned around as the doors opened to reveal the crowded room. There were hundreds of people sitting in the public area; the entire city must have shown up! I was always loved by my people, but after what I had done in Arendelle I doubted they were here to support me. I tried to not let the guilt and fear show on my face, but of course my courage didn't last for very long. I could see the looks in people's faces, the disappointment and embarrassment. I had gone as a representative of my country after all. I hadn't made a good name of the Southern Isles. I took a deep breath as we kept walking, and finally got the nerves to look to the throne and see what my father thought of my actions. My confidence completely vanished when I saw my eldest brother sit on the throne instead of my father.

Rovan had always been the most ambitious of the 13 princes. He would take advantage of power wherever he could. He started working his way up in the kingdom as soon as he was of age. It had always worried my mother that he had grown up so quickly, and not enjoyed his childhood. But then again, neither had I. He must have noticed our father growing older and decided to take the kingdom into his own hands. I couldn't process what that meant in the moment, I was too terrified of what my brother would do to me. Rovan welcomed me with a wicked smile, but spoke in a calming voice.

"So, brother...I hear you've made quite a mess in Arendelle."

That felt like an understatement. There was no point in trying to fight back, whatever I said would be turned against me, and I would rather die quickly than suffer at the hands of Rovan. My brothers muttered in agreement. I could feel the room shifting, wondering how long this would take and desperate to know how I would be executed.

The new king spoke again, "I hate to disappoint Hans, but this is more of a discussion on what your punishment will be rather than a trial. Should you be exiled or should you be burned at the stake for your attempted murders?"

The mood in the room swung rapidly to unease. People knew without a doubt I was guilty, but guilty enough to watch me suffer and die..? I couldn't even imagine what Rovan had planned for me, but I knew it'd be the worst thing he's ever done; that's including murdering my father. I could only be as calm as possible and wait for my turn to speak.

(ELSA)

I jumped awake in bed. My breathing was jagged and my heart racing. My hands felt clammy and my hair damp. 'At least it was just a nightmare,' I thought as I tried to calm myself down. I had dreamt Hans coming back and trying to kill Anna, but no matter how hard I tried I could never save her. These visions were getting more and more difficult to keep to myself. Anna didn't know I was having trouble sleeping. I had been seeing less of her recently as she spent more time with Kristoff. They were quite the couple. Always learning from each other, and growing closer than ever. I expected an engagement soon; I just hoped I would be asked first. I tossed the thought aside and decided to get ready for the day. It was only an hour before when I normally woke, I could manage a little extra time in the office today.

I stretched and stood from my bed. I could feel how tangled my hair had become from all the tossing and turning through the night. I took my time brushing it out, and spent longer working on a more intricate braid than my normal french. I enjoyed trying new styles every once in a while, and it was something to focus on to take my mind off the nightmares. I made my way to the wardrobe in the corner of my room, and started sifting through dresses. I still had so many clothes in shades of blue. It would always be my favorite color, but I was in a mood to try something different. I found a beautiful dress in the back corner. It was an off-the-shoulder, lavender dress with a moderately sized train. It had the most detailed stitching all along the bottom hem, and the top piece wrapped around itself and could be adjusted. I remembered how much I loved wearing this dress, and decided to try it on again. I had the perfect necklace to go with it, too. I tidied up my room, and felt ready to begin my day.

I went out of my room and down the hall to my office. There were stacks of paperwork for me to approve and file. Being a queen sure was a time commitment. There was always an endless supply of requests to dock in the harbor, new trade routes to consider, and the everyday keeping up with local kingdoms to strengthen allies. It was a lot to juggle by myself, and made me think how much easier it must have been for my parents. They always seemed to share duties, and had more time to spend with Anna and I. I smiled as I remembered them tucking us into bed every night themselves. How simple life was back then.

I shook the thoughts aside as I started to work, and in an hour or two had most everything filed or signed for today. I sat down on the couch in the room just as the butler, Hendricks, came in. I sighed and got up to see what he wanted. He held out a small silver dish with a letter on it. I thanked him and took it quickly, wondering why someone sent a letter so early. I hesitated when I saw the family crest on the envelope. It was from the Southern Isles.

I read briskly. I walked to my desk and sat down. I tried to think what the letter would change for me. Surely, it couldn't be too huge of a deal. But then again, it's not everyday your former attempted murderer came back to say hello. The letter said Hans was on his way to Arendelle.