Chapter XXVI: A Mother's Sacrifice

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Aphrodite was taking a walk around the halls since she couldn't allow herself to sleep. Hearing Elsa's screams these past days were her own nightmare. Every time she had heard them, she would cry and force herself to stay awake. She knew she did not deserve to sleep while her troubled daughter couldn't. She had already asked many people about how to stop these nightmare attacks but she kept receiving the same answer: "I don't know. I have never seen such a case." And tonight, Aphrodite couldn't sleep for real. She wanted to help Elsa in any way she could. As she walked in circles, thinking about a solution for Elsa, she suddenly heard it…The loud screams. Yet this time, they were full with terror, desperation and pain, that Aphrodite never heard them so horrifying. Her eyes widened when she recognized the voice, "Elsa?!" She whispered and looked around, confused. Another scream from Elsa and Aphrodite had enough. She started sprinting towards the screams as fast as she could. What is happening to her!?... These god damn nightmares! She thought in utter concern. Some guild members poked their heads from their rooms, all sleepy and tired yet confused and fearful because of the screams. Aphrodite ignored the weird and confused looks they were giving her and she had only one thing in her mind: Her daughter was screaming in fear and pain and she had to get to her as fast as she could. "I'm coming, Elsa!" She called out.

When she finally arrived, she gasped in horror at seeing the completely frozen door, and the extremely cold waves coming out from Elsa's room didn't go unnoticed. "Holy… God…" She stared in horror for a minute before she realized that her daughters were in there. "Anna?! Elsa!? Rapunzel?! Anyone?! What's happening in there!? Open the door!" She quickly tried to shove the door open but it wouldn't budge. Elsa screamed again and Aphrodite felt a whole wave of dread and concern overwhelm her body. She lost her mind and forgot about everything. She started hitting the door with her shoulder. "ELSAAAA!... I'm coming, Elsa!... I'm coming!" She leaned back and hit the door with her shoulder again, "Why… won't… you… budge!" She tried again and again. She needs me! She needs me! My baby is screaming! She needs me! But the door wouldn't open. She started to look around quickly and tried desperately to find anything that would help her. Elsa screamed again and Aphrodite clutched her head with her hands as she felt she would have collapsed to the ground. In her panic, she started throwing random things at the door, begging it to open. "Elsaaa!... I'm here, Elsa!" She called out but she knew Elsa couldn't hear anything. Please, God! Please! The adrenaline rushing in her body added so much of a desperate strength that finally with a loud scream from Aphrodite, she ran towards the door and smashed it open, using her entire body. When she entered, the door closed again and started to refreeze. Aphrodite stumbled to the floor-… More like snow. She gasped in horror when she saw the blizzard, the frozen room all around and the snow that covered the floor. The scene was so familiar. She found herself immobile and just stared as images of the ambush snow storm flashed in her mind and the day… the unforgettable, disgracing day when she left Elsa alone. But not this time. She shook her head and casted away the images and turned determined. She wasn't going to leave Elsa again. Not anymore. She brought her arms to cover her eyes from the snow storm. She tried to look around the blizzard and noticed that Anna and Rapunzel were nowhere to be found. She forgot about all that when she noticed Elsa's shaking form on the frozen bed. She ignored the frostbites and the ice forming on her arms and hands, lifted herself up and ran to her daughter. Even when it was extremely cold, she didn't care. Elsa was crying and screaming with her eyes closed and she was clutching the bed sheets tightly. Aphrodite felt her tears form but she also felt them freeze on her cheeks. Her eyes hovered shockingly over Elsa's trembling body. "Elsa?! Elsa! Wake up! Wake up, sweety! Wake up! It's just a nightmare!" She called but noticed how Elsa didn't even look as if she heard. Instead, Elsa screamed, "STOOOPPP!"

Aphrodite started to tremble by seeing her daughter in such condition… and also from the cold. Please make it stop! Make it stop! Whatever it is happening to her! Make it stop! Aphrodite cursed everything around her and was only able to do one thing in all her panic and inside all of that storm. She quickly cradled Elsa in her arms, hugged her tightly to her chest and ignored how her daughter's body temperature was so cold that Aphrodite felt pain all over her own body. Elsa started to flail aggressively, "NO! LEAVE ME ALONE, MAD! LEAVE ME ALONE!" Yet even with Elsa's extremely cold temperature, Aphrodite ignored the pain in her arms and held Elsa closer, "Elsa, no! It's me! I'm here, Elsa!... I'm here! You're safe now! You're with me!" She hugged her even tighter and Elsa kept trying to struggle. Aphrodite then let out a sob of despair as she held her freaked out daughter and she couldn't take it anymore. She leaned down to whisper in her daughter's ears, "Mama's here, now… I'm here. I won't leave you alone anymore."

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