My frozen heart

Chapter 18

When she opened her eyes it was dark. She could hear nothing, and feel nothing, but the hard ground beneath her. She called out in to the darkness, but her voice echoing was the only response she got. She sat up, groping in the dark for anything to give her a clue of where she was. She managed to get to her knees, then her feet, standing there a bit unsteady with her arms outstretched.

Suddenly out of the blackness she heard a voice, a voice she recognized. "Elsa, what have you done?" the voice cried. "It was an accident, I didn't mean to!" a small voice cried. "Papa?" she whispered stumbling forward with her arms out trying to feel her way towards something, anything. "Elsa, what have you done?" the voice said, and it kept repeating that line over and over again. She looked left and right, up and down, trying to find where the voice was coming from, but all she could see was darkness. His words were harsh in her ear and she again felt all the guilt and shame she had that night she hurt Anna. "It was an accident, I didn't mean to..." She whispered. His voice was growing louder and louder and she Elsa couldn't take it anymore. "Papa! I'm sorry!" she cried, tears stinging in her eyes.

Then, as quickly as it had come the voice was silent. Elsa called out in to the night, but he didn't answer. Then a light blinked on in the distance. It was small, tiny even, and flickering, but it was the only light in the room so she went towards it. As she approached it began to take shape, and almost looked like a "Keyhole?" she muttered. As she reached it she found it was in fact a keyhole, so she dropped down to her knees, closing her left eye to peer through the hole with her left.

Looking through the keyhole in the nonexistent door she could see a hallway, the castle hallway, and the window across from her room. There on the window seat was Anna, but she was small, not more than five years old. It was like they had gone back in time. "Anna! Anna! Open the door!" she called pressing her mouth against the keyhole, partially muffled by the imaginary door. She looked through it again and saw Anna still sitting there, as if she hand't heard her, holding on to a pair of dolls; one with red hair like Anna's and the other with blonde, like hers. They had been gifts from their parents, and toys they used to play with all the time. Just as she was going to cry out again she heard Anna sigh and rise from the seat.

Elsa watched as she took a long look at the blonde haired doll, then dropped it to the floor, and walked away. "Wait, Anna! No, please! Come back!" Elsa pleaded through the keyhole, but it was no use, she was gone. She let out a whimper, as she turned over, slumping to the floor with her back to the door. She put her head in her hands and began to cry, when she felt a drop of water hit her that had not fallen from her eyes. She picked her head up and looked around in to the darkness. Outstretching her palm she felt one, two, three more drops hit her hand. "Rain?" she whispered looking up as she heard a roll of thunder echo through out the dark space.

She was so confused, but the rain was coming down harder and she was now completely soaked. Another roll of thunder sounded then a large clap of lightening illuminated the sky and Elsa's eyes widened with fear as she saw a large wave rising up, preparing to crash down upon her. "No!" she cried shielding her face with her arms as the wave came down on her and pulled her under with it's mighty tow.

It drug her down deep and she kicked and flailed her arms with all her strength to try to reach the surface. Looking up she could see not light and just when she though she would drown her head popped up and she took a deep breath filling her lungs with life saving air. She gasped and sputtered, spitting out salty seawater as she treaded to keep herself afloat.

The only light came from the bolts of lightening perforating the angry gray sky. The water was choppy and black. Wave after wave crashed against her, pulling her under and filling her mouth with water. She gagged on it each time as she emerged on the surface, looking around wildly for any sign of salvation. She thought she would surely drown. Just when she thought all hope was her eye spotted something over the top of a cresting wave;it was a ship. "Help! Help me!" she cried desperately trying to swim towards it against the rough waves. Each rolling wave sucked her under and she had to fight to bring herself to the surface once more.

The ship was coming nearer, and she tried to scan it for any way to hold on when she saw something that stopped her heart. Just above the mast whipped the ships colors, Arendelle's colors, and on the flag, a crown. "No, no It can't be!" she cried, between slaps of salt water. This was the royal ship, the ship her parents had ventured out on and never returned. She was pulled down again and for a moment she almost allowed the sea to take her, when she bobbed to the surface once more. The thunder boomed and the lightening lit up the sky as the sea unleashed the full force of her wrath, and swallowed her parents ship whole. Elsa watched helplessly as the boat capsized and sunk to the bottom of the sea.

As soon as the sea had her fill the storm subsided. Although the sky remained dark, the rain no longer poured nor the thunder or lightening dominated the sky. When she thought she could take no more, a voice came out of the darkness. "Elsa, I know you're in there. People have been asking where you've been. They say have courage, and I'm trying to, I'm right out here for you, just let me in." her words carried across the sea and crashed in to her ears like the breaking waves.

"Anna! I'm here! Help me!" Elsa cried pathetically bobbing there in the sea like a piece of wreckage. Her voice continued filling the whole place, "We only have each other, it's just you and me. What are we going to do?" she sobbed. Her voice was heartbreaking and it was more than Elsa could stand. She'd rather die out here in this sea than listen to Anna's pain for another minute. "Enough!" she screamed bringing her hands down and slapping the water, which abruptly turned to ice.

She gasped, looking around at the now frozen water. The only spot free was the small place she was still dangling in the water; as if she fell in to an ice fisher's hole. She summoned her last bit of strength to pull herself out of the cold water and climb on to the ice. She slide on to it like a seal, dragging herself with her arms as her legs were heavy with her wet skirts. She pulled her legs towards her, tucking them up under her so she was on her knees. She was soaking wet, her clothes slowly hardening with the cold winds. Small icicles formed on the ends of her long braid. She was breathing hard trying to catch her breath when she heard his voice again, "Elsa, what have you done?" This time, the voice stung colder than the frozen ice beneath her. She put her face in her hands and wept. Her sobs resonated across the frozen sea like the saddest song ever heard...