Beyond the Horizon (JELSA)

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The Atlantic Ocean

Anna glanced up at the wooden ceiling of the deck above her as she was lying in her hammock. The hammock swayed slightly as it moved along with the rocking of the ship. She no longer had access to her tiny room and was forced to sleep with the crew. Punzie and Merida were lying in the hammocks next to Anna but after a hard day's work they were already fast asleep. Anna felt relieved that nothing bad had happened to them yet, the men kept their distance. The lieutenant in charge seemed to respect Elsa's final wish about her the well-being of the female crewmembers, he kept a close eye on his crew at all times. Anna couldn't tell as to why this young lieutenant treated them so delicately, apart from the horrible chores they recieved. Surely the order to protect them couldn't come from Hans. 

The sound of boots climbing down the ladder startled Anna out of her thoughts and she quickly sat up while letting out a silent gasp. She glanced up and looked right at Kristoff. "Oh, it's you." She sighed in relief. "What were you doing up on deck?" She asked softly.

"I had watch," Kristoff said casually as he lied down in the empty hammock next to Anna. His parrot, Sven, was sitting on a barrel next to Kristoff's hammock. The grey bird was also sound asleep. "What's on your mind?" Kristoff asked softly when he noticed Anna's grim facial expression. "Nothin'." Anna mumbled as she shrugged her shoulders and lied back down.

"There must be, otherwise you wouldn't be awake at this hour." Kristoff reasoned. "But it's fine if you don't want to talk about it."

Anna sighed, Kristoff had been a good friend of hers for years. She knew she could talk to him about anything. "Oh, you know," Anna said. "I was worrying about Elsa, per usual. Just wondering what she is doing right now." Kristoff remained silent for a moment. He too, knew that when a pirate was marooned it was a death penalty. "She's probably laying on the white beach with a coconut in one hand. She built an excellent fire and while she is warming herself she's plotting a brilliant escape." He chuckled after a while.

"You don't have to sugarcoat it," Anna said. "She won't, right?"

Kristoff sighed. "I don't know, Anna. Elsa is smart, that's all I know. But even if she does manage to get off, she won't be able to get to us in time."

Anna took her gaze off the ceiling and looked at Kristoff who was on her left. "At least we have eachother." She smiled faintly.

Kristoff looked her in the eyes and smiled. "There's the Anna I know," he smiled lightly. "Your optimism is the best thing about you, you know?"

Anna blushed a bit as Kristoff complimented her. "It seems to have deserted me lately, doesn't it?" She asked shyly as she looked away. Although she had always felt very comfortable around her friend, she didn't lately. She knew she was developing strong feelings for him but she didn't know what to do. Act on them or leave them be? She certainly didn't want to lose him. Even though she had a few weeks left to live, she wanted to spend them on good terms with her friend. 

"Nah, it's still in there." Kristoff smiled wider. Anna looked at him and smiled too. "Goodnight, Kristoff."

"Sweet dreams, Anna."

What the two friends didn't know was that their captain wasn't lying on a white sand beach with a coconut in one hand. Just like Anna, Elsa also couldn't sleep. She wasn't glancing up at the wooden ceiling of a ship but at the beautiful starry sky. She was lying on the bowsprit of the Moon. The ship was rocking very lightly underneath her, it was a calm night which also made it a pleasant warm one. Not that Elsa minded the cold, she loved it in fact. She was glad that they were moving up further on the Atlantic, the breeze was already noticeably getting a bit chillier. The heat in the Caribbean had been maddening for her, as a native from the colder climates.