Frozen Beyond [gxg]

Stolen Memories

"Shush!" Keahi whispered and pulled on the ropes that helped ease the rowboat into the water.

The moon was hidden behind a curtain of clouds and kept them to the shadows. Keahi's muscles ached as she helped lower the boat as smoothly as she could.

Jarrah was on the other side, helping lower the back end. It crinkled and screeched as the old rusted trollies tried their best to churn the rope and lower the boat.

Sweat started on Keahi's brow as she tried to ignore the fear that swam in her veins. She didn't know what her brother was capable of anymore, and she didn't want to test the lengths he would go to when he was angry.

"What are you doing?" Saphire's voice drifted from behind them.

Keahi craned her neck to look behind her. "Leaving, Elsa is on her way here and Crows going to kill her if he sees her."

Saphire's eyes caught a bit of lantern light and gave them an ominous hue as she clenched her fists at her side. "You're leaving us? For what, some high end, frilly princess?" She shouted.

Keahi let go of the rope to get her to lower her voice. "Saphire please, be quiet. I'll be back. I'm not going to let Crow go with whatever crazy plan he's concocted."

Saphire's eyes narrowed before she turned heel and stormed off the deck.

"Keahi! Grab the rope!" Jarrah strained, trying to hold it up alone.

Keahi shook her head and hurried to grab the rope as they finished lowering the boat into the water. Out of breath, they both sat against the ship railing to catch their wind.

"Hey," Jarrah lightly smacked her bicep.

She glanced over at him, "Yeah?"

"Promise you'll be back? It's lonely without you and Saphire is just acting like that because she missed you."

"I know. I missed you both. I won't leave you guys again, I swear." Keahi patted her chest with an easy smile. Jarrah held up his arm and Keahi bumped it with her own.

"Keahi!" Crow's voice slammed across the deck.

She leapt up, eyes narrowing as Crow stomped over to them. He stood in the center, men filing behind him and fanning around in a semi-circle to block her exit.

She caught a glimpse of Saphire, hurt ebbed as she watched the woman come from behind Crow. Saphire rubbed her arm, frowning and looking away.

"Saphire!" Keahi's voice tipped angrily through the night. Saphire shrunk back into the crowd of men and she refused to meet Keahi's gaze.

The men closed the circle around her and Keahi backed until her hips hit against the railing of the ship. She could jump on the rowboat, but she'd get nowhere. "Crow," Keahi started.

"No," he seethed, his nose wrinkling in disgust. "Where are you running off to? Your family is here, aren't you grateful to be with them? Hey fellas, she's got herself a nice cushioned life with a princess. She thinks she's better than all of us." He laughed. The surrounding group grumbled in response. Crow smirked, turning to her once more, jabbing a finger at her. "I'll make sure Arendelle is the first to burn and Elsa is thrown to them." He hitched a thumb to the crew of ruddy men.

Keahi lashed her arm out and a blast of blue fire sparked through the night and barreled at Crow and his men in a wide half-moon sweep. He easily countered it, nearly absorbing it.

Keahi took the time to leap overboard, diving into the murky water below. Swimming down deep below the surface and heading as far down shore as she could. She had no idea where she was going, but she needed to warn Elsa that Crow had something bigger brewing. It was something that not only put Elsa, her family, and Arendelle in danger. She was sure it wouldn't be good for Jarrah or Saphire, either.

That was the only thing on her mind.

Her lungs burned and her vision blurred before she broke the surface. Gasping as waves crashed over her and rolled her back under the water.

She wasn't sure how long she had swam, her head fogged with oxygen deprivation as she crawled onto the shore on all four.

Course sand grit against her as she collapsed just as the sun tipped the horizon. Maybe she swam far enough down the shore that she had a head start. She could lie low and steal a boat in town once night fall came again.

Weakly, she propped herself up on her elbows. Her arms and legs felt sore and weak, her chest hurting as she coughed up some water.

Boots thudded right in front of her. Swallowing hard, she carefully looked up the boots to the owners.

Crow towered over her with a smirk as he crouched down. "Thought you could get away?" He lashed out, grabbing Keahi's jaw and roughly making her look up at him. "If you don't want to be here because of that siren. I'll just erase every ounce of her from that little brain of yours."

Keahi ripped away and scrambled to run. Men filed from behind Crow and grabbed her, slamming her to the ground as she struggled under them. She sucked in as much breathe as she could, getting mouthfuls of sand as they crushed her face into the ground.

Crow gripped her hair, his eyes glowing crimson as billowing smoke started around him. Shadows wormed from below his skin and emerged from his fingertips.

"No Crow, stop!" Keahi yelled, wrestling against the men holding her down. She thrashed away from the snake-like shadows, holding her breath until her lungs screamed and she had to suck in air.

When she did, the dark smoke entered her lungs, and she gradually stopped struggling.

One by one, she felt memories slipping into darkness. Elsa's face wavered in her mind before it was hard for her to picture the ice princess at all.

Fear made her panic and she struggled more as she forgot what Elsa's name was or where she lived. Memories started to melt away, shrouding in darkness as the faces she'd come to love in Arendelle became obscure and mute. "Please Crow, don't take my memories of her." She finally begged, she stopped struggling and the gravity of what was happening had her choke out a sob as someone crushed her face into the wet sand once more. This time, she offered no resistance.

"You'll feel much better now." Crow whispered, standing.

A tear ran down her cheek as every memory she had of Arendelle and Elsa faded away and she forgot why she was crying.