It was around seven o'clock in the morning when Elsa started to wake. Everyone else were utterly tired and were sleeping like bears in hibernation. The past terrifying nights had stolen away a lot of their sleep and everyone was exhausted. The calm and relaxing sun rays gently lightened the room a bit and the only sound that was heard was the rooster's crow.
Elsa slowly lifted her eyelids. These past days, she had learned to wake up without instinctively starting to panic, fearing that her father would be present with her, ready to hurt her like every time she woke up in her cellar.
Her eyes quickly shot wide though, but it wasn't from fear. She quickly lifted herself up in a sitting position, "Mama…!" She whispered to herself. She started looking around-her long, wavy and loose hair swinging as she did- to try and desperately locate her mother. That voice she heard was angelic and soothing. She would never forget that voice that had sang to her every night when she was little. She looked around and only saw the weird sleeping form of Anna and the peaceful one of Rapunzel, but there was no sign of her mother. She suddenly buried her head in her hands and forced herself not to cry. Of course she thought she was hallucinating again.
You killed her, Monster!... You killed her! She's dead! Never to return!
The haunting words repeated in her head. Elsa squeezed her eyes shut and tried to send away the dreadful words that would make her feel delinquent and sinful. After a moment, she opened her eyes groggily and lifted her head from her hands. She brought her legs to her chest and started looking around again. It was only then did she realize that the room was not familiar. It wasn't her room, it was another, bigger one. She furrowed her eyebrows in confusion and wondered why and how they were moved here. Then, she remembered the nightmare. She gasp slightly as the sounds of Mad and her father's voices and her screams of the nightmare were suddenly heard in her mind. She winced and closed her ears. No, no, no… Go away! Go away! She begged the sounds to vanish but they continued to torment her for another five minutes, turning the rhythm of her heart beat fast, before everything turned silent. When she was sure that there were no more voices and sounds, she slowly slid her hands from her ears and her eyes darted cautiously around, making sure that Mad wasn't here. She quietly sighed in relief when she felt a bit safe. She never had experienced nightmares when she was locked away, and that's because she was living a nightmare. She then turned to look at Anna, whom libs were tangled weirdly in the bed sheets and her hair was a mess. Anna let out a loud snore and Elsa couldn't help but smile lovingly at the woman. Elsa's eyes then wandered towards the rose. Elsa's eyes widened in awe when she saw it. The rose looked more beautiful than ever, and even bluer. Elsa then turned to get up quietly-not willing to wake the other women- and wanted to take a look at the amazing rose up close. She dangled her legs from the bedside and reached for the stick. Before she could get up, she stopped herself and raised an eyebrow in wonder. I don't need that anymore, right? She thought, looking at the stick in her hands. She bit her smiling lip, excited to try and walk without the support of that old damn stick. She placed the stick on the nightstand and readied herself to get up. She fidgeted in her seat, stuck her tongue out at the corner of her mouth and concentrated. She pushed herself up and her leg wobbled a bit and the only support she needed was her hand on the nightstand. When she was sure everything was fine, she slowly removed her hand off the nightstand and stood shakily straighter. Her lips formed a wide, delightful smile of excitement. I did it! She thought happily as she balanced herself. She then turned to look at her target… The rose. She started walking-with a bit of limping- towards the rose and she had the biggest excited smile on her face, just like a toddler who was learning his first steps. When she was a meter away from the table, she more like threw herself at the table edge and steadied herself. "Oof… Haha…" She laughed at her childish behavior. Then she saw it. The blue rose was so flawless and it stood all elegant and proud. Elsa brought her gloved hand and touched it in curiosity. She wanted so horribly to try and know what it felt like to touch it with her bare fingers. Elsa looked down at her hands and felt in the tiny tickle on the finger that she used to touch the flower. She then suddenly frowned. She wanted actually to know how everything felt to the touch. The wooden table, the bed sheets, the rose, the bread of the sandwich, the metal forks, the dirt, the grass… There was just so many things she wanted to let her real hands discover. Were those things smooth, silky and soft? Or were they rustic, harsh, rough and coarse like the stony floor of the cellar that her body had been always in contact with? She despised the leather barrier of the gloves that prevented her from accomplishing her desires. But she knew that it was for the very best. Removing her gloves? Yeah, right. Not even a second thought.
