Elsa's P.O.V.
I got up with a start. I was not going to let weakness and fear control me today. I changed into a formal, turquoise and black dress and put my hair in a bun. Nothing was going to damage me today. I would be strong.
I walked along the hallways and made my way to Anna's room. When I got there, I slowly knocked on her door. "Come in!" she chimed. I opened the door and stepped in.
"May I speak with you?" I asked politely.
"Sure! What's on your mind?" she asked encouragingly.
"It's about Hans."
"What about him?" she asked curiously.
I let out a sigh. "He's falling in love with me." I collapsed on her bed, defeated.
"Oh. That."
"Wait, you knew about that?" I asked, puzzled.
"Let's just say we had a little conversation while you were in the whole situation." But she didn't say anything else.
"What should I do?" This was Hans we were talking about. And from what he did just yesterday, Anna didn't look like she was in favor of him staying or, even more so, falling in love.
"Ignore it. Forget about what happened yesterday and be strong about it. Don't reveal your weak point to anyone. You have to have a strong mind."
"Thank you, Anna."
"No problem. Anything else you'd like to talk about?" she asked. She was like a psychologist. She pulled back a strand of hair that had fallen on my face and was covering my eye.
I felt hesitant to tell her my other problem. I knew her reaction wouldn't be a pretty one. "I have to travel to the Southern Isles today . . ." I replied hesitantly, dropping my head.
"What, why?" she asked with a scared tone of voice, slightly raising it. She instantly shot up from the bed and began pacing.
"King Henry." She knew the rest. There was no reason to explain.
"But who will run as ruler while you're gone? What if you get hurt? What if something happens to you? I can't trust you with Hans, you know that."
"Anna, I'll be fine. Don't worry about me."
"But you're my sister and the only family I have left. I have to worry," she explained and bit her lip.
"I'll be fine. I can defend myself. I'm not helpless either. And until I come back, you'll be in charge," I said.
"Are you serious?" she asked amazed by the offer. Her eyes twinkled and widened.
"Yes. I mean, you deserve to have responsibilities. So why not start with this?" I suggested cheerfully.
She pulled me into a tight hug and said, "Thank you, thank you, thank you!" She pulled away quickly and beamed.
"Now being a queen is difficult. So if you need any help, Kristoff and Phoenix are always available," I explained.
"What about Hans?" she asked, although I could tell she really didn't want any help from him.
"Oh, about that. I forgot to mention that he's coming with me."
"He's what!?"
"Anna, calm down. I'll be fine," I said, pulling myself up to standing position.
"I'll trust you. But he's a monster and he shouldn't be trusted." With that she left the room and bounded downstairs.
"No he's not," I whispered to myself. I walked around Anna's room for a little bit, contemplating the furniture and items, then left and went looking for Phoenix. She was still completely oblivious about me leaving to go to the Southern Isles. But I wasn't sure if she knew about what had caused the incident yesterday. I'd rather keep it that way. I arrived at her door and knocked. "Phoenix?" I asked to see if she was there.
"Coming!" she replied. Seconds later, the door opened to uncover and girl with a beautiful red dress and black hair that was dripping wet. "Yes?"
"May I talk to you?"
"Of course. Come in." She opened the door wider and stepped aside to allow me to enter. As soon as I stepped in, she asked, "How are you feeling? You know, from yesterday?" I didn't know how to respond to that. Mixed emotions, I guess. I felt better from the whole "internal freezing" thing, but at the same time, I felt sad and sorry for treating everyone, especially Hans, so rudely.
"Better," I lied and smiled.
She smiled back and asked," So what was it you wanted to talk about?"
"Well, today I have to go somewhere. But I'll be back by tomorrow."
"Do you need anything?" she asked. She knew nothing about where I was going or who I was going with. I felt a little guilty not telling her, but I felt I'd be better if I kept it a secret. I didn't want a panicking Phoenix haunting my dreams tonight.
"No, I'll be fine. But take care of Anna. Kristoff may not be there one hundred percent of the time."
"I'll make sure of that. But please be safe."
"I will, don't worry." With that I left the room and headed downstairs and out the gate. On the way out, I called out to the servants, "Take care of the castle while I'm gone." I received many bows and courtsies. On the way out, all that was on my mind was, I hope Anna doesn't make a mess.
❄❄❄
I arrived at the ship when a horrible thought struck me. What if the same thing that happened to my parents happened to me? No, Elsa. You'll be fine. But the thought kept pushing into my mind and I had no choice but to accept it. But this wasn't going to stop me.
I saw Kai and walked to him. "Prince Hans is on the ship. A guard is with him in case he tries anything," he explained, bowing.
"Thank you, Kai," I said.
"It is my pleasure, your highness," he responded and walked off. I slowly walked to the plank attaching the ship to land. When I got to the foot of the plank, I looked up at the ship. This ride would determine my fate, my destiny. I took a deep breath and stepped up the plank. I felt it tilt ever so slightly and froze. Looking down, I saw that I had frosted the area in which I had stepped. Below that was the deadly fjord that had once given me a limit to the options I had to escape. I looked up once more and continued the trek from ground to ship.
Once up on the ship, I started getting homesick. I started missing Anna and Phoenix. Did anything happen already? It seemed like millennia since I saw them last time. The memory of my parents hit me and I got nostalgic. I shook my head to wipe the memory and went to look for Hans.
I finally found him. Just as Kai had said, he was accompanied by a guard. "May I have a moment with him, alone?" I asked politely.
"But queen Elsa," he started.
"Don't worry. It will be fine." With that, he left and walked up the steps to the deck, leaving me alone with Hans.
"Why are you doing this?" he asked, looking down. "I'm a monster and ruined your life."
"Hans, no you're not. I know you're a really good person deep inside. I'm sorry for treating you the way I did. It was rude of me," I apologized. I looked down and hid my tears from him. He raised his hands, which were still in chains, and light placed them on my chin, lifting it so that I was looking at him. His eyes. His beautiful, green eyes that had once looked at me with hatred and lies. Remembering this, an icy tear ran down my cheek. My eyes darted down but my face stayed still.
"Elsa." That had been the first time in what seemed like forever since he called me by my first name only. Again, I looked at him; I couldn't help it. "Don't cry. I accept your apology. I'm sorry for putting stress on you. It wasn't my intention," he said, looking sad and sympathetic. "I'm truly sorry." We just stood there, looking into each other's eyes.
Until I replied, "I forgive you."
