The Frozen Queen ~~ Ironic and Isenhart

[Isenhart De'Rathe]

Two years have past since the opening of Arendelle Castle's gates and the exposure of Queen Elsa's magical curse. Everything had, essentially, returned to normal in Arendelle during this time. Princess Anna had convinced her older sister to keep the gates of the castle open and while Elsa was a much more common appearance outside of her bedroom and even out in the streets, she still largely kept to herself. This was because she had not yet learned to fully control her curse. She had much more control than before, though she still often found herself having outbursts of frozen energy in fits of strong emotions; mostly fear or anger, which were not overly common but everyone has their bad days.

Arendelle had come to love their Queen. Though many feared or misunderstood her powers, and who could blame them after the eternal winter that she had accidentally triggered, everyone seemed to accept her as a good and noble ruler. Just as her parents had done before her, Elsa ruled Arendelle with love and compassion. Taxes were low and trade with foreign nations was as profitable as ever. It was a happy and prosperous time in Arendelle.

Despite this, it was a cold night near the end of summer when a dark shadow descended upon the castle - ten dark shadows to be more precise. Shrouded in cloaks of darkness, ten figures marched through the empty streets of Arendelle. There were no guards in the streets and only a few guards near the castle as the figures pressed onward. The few guards that were present to get in the way were easily dispatched by the cloaked figures. They were not killed, no. These figures were here for the Witch Queen, Elsa. The remaining citizens of Arendelle were of no consequence to them; innocents who had been bewitched by the wicked sorceress. Killing them would be a heinous crime. It would be murder.

Instead, the guard were merely rendered incapable of fighting. Some felt the prick of poisoned arrows that would render them either temporarily paralyzed or trapped in a deep sleep. Others met the blunt strike of a mace, simply rendering them unconscious. Regardless of how the guards were dealt with, none of them would die, but none of them would be able to interfere with the sacred mission of the cloaked figures.

It was not long before the courtyard before the castle was littered with the sleeping and paralyzed forms of the castle guards. That was when the figures divided their efforts. Six of the figures remained in the courtyard to begin binding the guards' hands and feet in thick rope so that they would not become a problem in the event that they were to awaken before the job was done. One figure split from the group and began to nimbly climb a lattice on the side of a nearby tower that looked to have a balcony near the top. The final three simply approached the door and pushed it open. It had not been locked. Why would it, with all of the guards and the lack of crime within the Utopian Arendelle.

It was nearly midnight by this time. Surely Queen Elsa would be asleep by such a late hour, but the shadowed figures had heard that Princess Anna was something of a free-spirited young woman. They proceeded with caution, should Anna not be in bed.

 

[Ironic]

Oh, if only Elsa was awake to witness the horrible acts that were being committed in her kingdom, especially to her poor guards that were being taken down one by one, but luckily their lives were spared. Silently they continued out throughout her kingdom, and sooner than later, they found a way into her castle, searching for her; being completely vulnerable. Anna, on the other hand, was the type of girl that enjoyed staying up late with the thousands of thoughts that ran through her head. Everyone wondered how she could be so energetic, but Anna was just, well, Anna.

In her room, Anna lied on her bed, gazing up at the snowflakes and stars that were painted on the ceiling of her room, glowing in the dark as the moonlight shined in her room through her opened window. Her toes tapped at the end of her bed, sighing as she grew bored of laying there doing nothing. "The Sky's awake, so I'm awake..." she silently whispered to herself; something she said ever since she was young. Sitting up quickly on her bed, she wrinkled her face a bit, thinking of what to do at an hour like this, until a cracking sound echoed in her ears. Immediately, she stood up, her head searching throughout her room.

"Where did that sound come from?!" She shouted in her head, tiptoeing towards her bedroom door slowly, placing her ear up against the door. Footsteps were heard downstairs, and she was considering if it was a guard or not. Slowly, she took her hand on the doorknob and began to twist is softly, not wanting to make any sudden sounds that would frighten whatever it was away. Hearing the door click of release, she opened it up, trying her best to avoid the creaking sound that old doors would make, but thankfully, it did not do that like it usually does. Sighing, she tiptoed to the balcony that was by the stairs, looking down to see downstairs, and there she seen a mysterious black figure escape off to the side of the room, disappearing as quickly as she seen it.

Startled by this, regardless if it was a guard or not (she still didn't even know what it was), she ran into her room, opening the door quickly and closing it softly, she pressed her back up against the wall, breathing heavily as her chest moved frantically. Anna was known to overreact on situations, but this, she was unsure about. "Oh no no... It's probably just a guard inspecting something..." she told herself, but the sound was so... unfamiliar? It almost sounded like someone dropping to the ground. "No no..." She shook her head, walking to her bed and jumping in it, pulling the covers over her and acting as if the covers was a source of protection from the boogy-man. She shook violently under her covers, shutting her eyes tightly and hoping that the fear would drain out of her that way.

 

[Isenhart De'Rathe]

"Stay close and stay alert," one of the cloaked figures whispered in a voice so quiet that it might as well have not even been uttered to anyone further away than a few inches. It was a female voice, soft and surprisingly gentle for someone who had just helped take down the vast majority of the castle guards. Despite the softness of the voice, the other figures seemed to have heard it, as they offered the slightest of nods.

The three figures that had entered the front door moved cautiously into the primary chamber of the large castle. Doors lined the walls, going off into who-knew-where, while two staircases wound upwards to a balcony that overlooked the massive room. Pictures and portraits could be seen on the walls above, but it was impossible to make out what they might be of in the blackness of the night. Other simple decorations were scattered along the walls between the many doors, but the center of the room was entirely empty, save for the luxurious red rug that had been sprawled out over the wooden floors. The interior of the castle was every bit as beautiful and elegant as one might have guessed, but the intruders had no time to take in the scenery.

"Remember that we are here only for Queen Elsa and Princess Anna," that soft and gentle voice whispered out again. "They are to be captured alive so that they can stand a proper trial for their witchcraft in full view of the foreign dignitaries."

The dignitaries... That was right! Tomorrow was the two-year anniversary of Elsa's coronation. A party had been planned and the rulers of all of Arendelle's trade partners, allies, and surrounding kingdoms had all been invited to attend. It was to be a grand ball to be held in the evening, followed by a feast fit for twenty kings that night. The shadowed figures, however, had other plans. They would, instead, put Elsa and Anna to trial for the crime of witchcraft in the castle's courtyard; in full view of all of the event's attendees. These dignitaries would then return to their own kingdoms with the words of the figures at heart - sorcery would not be tolerated. Their crusade against these dark magics would not stop until all witches and warlocks were wiped from the world.

Meanwhile, while the three figures advanced into the castle, the lone figure that had ascended to the balcony atop the tower had reached its destination. There, the figure found a door that would take him into the castle. This was just as he had hoped. The figure advanced toward the door and reached out to push gently upon it. It wasn't locked. Why would it be? Surely, no one would have expected someone to climb the lattice outside unnoticed by the guards. Unsure of where this door would lead him, the figure advanced as cautiously as his friends in the main chamber. As he stepped through the door, his footsteps made no sound - none of the figures seemed to make much sound, really. That skill would be pivotal to their success.

 

[Ironic]

Anna stayed in her bed, quivering beneath her warm covers, her eyes still shut tightly, her breathing hardening to try and calm herself down. Anna was once to over-react, regardless of the situation; causing herself to escalate into a panic attack almost each and every time. Removing her thoughts of what the situation could be, she took her mind and set it to something smoother, and later eventually calming herself down, her breathing slowly turning back to normal as her thoughts continued to be good instead of her current worries.

"You're probably just too tired and hearing/seeing things anyways." She chuckled to herself, and not surprisingly, this happened to her frequently; thinking that she heard or seen something to be out of ordinary, but this feeling stuck with her unlike the previous ones. Sighing softly, she blew a stray hair out of her face, twiddling her fingers as her eyes stared at the ceiling once more. "Just got to bed and you will be fine, this always happens to you anyways..." She reassured herself - funny how she was even talking out loud to herself in the first place.

Unaware of her current dangers, she rolled over on one side, her eyes still wide as she took her hands and cuffed them together, holding them closely to her chest as her legs rolled up in a tight ball close to her chest. "Think of Kristoff, Olaf and Elsa, that'll make you sleep for sure!" She determinedly spoke as she nestled in her covers, resting her eyes as her thoughts once more played out the wonderful sights of the ones she loved.

In the other room, Elsa still slept while the cloaked figures continued on their deed, wanting to show to entire world of what a wicked "witch" she truly is. Sure, she wasn't the best at controlling her powers, but at least she was better than two years ago. As with any story, there were some that agreed and some that disagreed, but no one brought it up to attention during the two years after the incident, well that is until now...

Anna couldn't sleep still, but she continued to keep her eyes closed just in case her body wore herself out and forced her weary eyes to rest. Yawning softly, she buried her head under the blankets to keep her warm, her breath acting as a heater for her. Poor Anna should of just walked downstairs to see what that figure was instead of thinking that it wasn't anything, but this time it certainly was.

 

[Isenhart De'Rathe]

As the three figures pushed into the center of the castle's entrance, they conversed among themselves in voices that were too soft to conceivably be heard. Despite this, they seemed to be able to hear one another perfectly. They spoke of the castle, of the Queen, and of the Princess. They spoke of the trials to be held the following morning, the execution of Arendelle's noble queen, and of who would take the throne of the kingdom once there was no remaining nobility in the land. The group had come here with a plan and they were now recounting it. Here, in the very home of their targets, they had little fear. Even here, they felt comfortable that there was nothing that would be able to stop them from wiping Arendelle of it's wicked sorcery.

That was when their plans met with a bit of a problem...

The figures that had been left outside had been gifted with the shroud of the night by the other four figures, but the remaining six were not truly part of their organization. The six figures that had been left outside had not received the training that the other for had put themselves through. They did not have the soft tongue nor the inaudible foot-falls. They were not witch hunters. They were nothing more than common guards which had come along to serve as a little muscle on behalf of the nobleman that had brought Queen Elsa's power to the attention of the self-righteous group. That nobleman had been none other than the Duke of Wesselton, and these six buffoons were little more than Wesselton knights.

The three figures that had entered the castle first were startled and interrupted by a loud clatter. They turned on their heels to stare daggers into the six shrouded knights who had entered the castle against the orders of the hunters. One of them had knocked over a suit of armor which had been put on display by the door and sent a terribly loud commotion of clinging and clanging out through the halls of the large castle. There went the element of surprise.

There was a moment of silence following the clatter as the three figures just stared in hatred at the other six, a silence which was broken only by a soft mumble. "Uhh... Oops. Sorry."

 

[Ironic]

Anna was oh so close to sleeping, her consciousness slowly slipping away, until a loud clatter and clinging sound ran throughout the almost empty castle. Gasping, she quickly arose to her feet, her heart beating rapidly due to her being startled. Her eyes searched around her room, wondering what to do. "Oh shoot, someone is down there!" She helplessly cried to herself, taking her right knuckle and biting down on it. Thinking quickly, she knew she should get Elsa, knowing that she was a heavy sleeper anyways and wouldn't of even been bothered with the noises that came from the castle.

Without thinking, Anna hurriedly ran to her bedroom door and opened it, running out softly towards her sisters room that had snowflakes scattered all around the door. Her palm was met with the door handle, and instantly it was cold, but after two years Anna got used to the coldness of it; the one thing she wasn't used to was being able to open Elsa's door whenever she wanted, due to being neglected by her for so long. As the door squeaked open, Anna rushed by her sister's bedside and jumped on the bed, taking her hands and placing them around Elsa's shoulders, shaking her quickly.

"Elsa! Wake up!" Anna shouted, yet it was whispered, her eyes scanning Elsa's closed eyes to notice a sign of her starting to wake up. Violently Anna continued to shake her sleeping sister, biting her lower lip nervously in worries that she would not wake up. Shortly, Elsa's eyes began to flicker, a glaze coating her tired eyes. Blinking blankly, it took her a minute to keep her vision straight on Anna, yawning restlessly as she tried to wake up.

"What is it Anna?" Elsa spoke in a fatigued tone, her eyes barely open. Taking the backside of her left hand she rubbed at her eyes, trying to rub the sleep that was coated in her tear ducts away.

"Someone is downstairs! Hurry!" She exclaimed, her trembling fingers still grasping against her sister's shoulders. The fear still did not leave her eyes, and soon Elsa's exhausted expression turned into a wide-eyed look, holding her breath for just a moment to take in this alarming information.

"W-What now?! Someone is in here? Doing what?" Elsa quickly sat up, taking her cold hands and shoving the covers off from her, twisting around to place her feet on the chilly floor. Quickly she stood up on her feet, heading towards her door that was open, Anna following closely behind her protective sister.

"I don't know! First I thought I heard something, but I shrugged it away, and right before I fell asleep something fell, it sounded like armor colliding with something!" Anna tried to explain herself, but she too was caught up in the unsuspecting moment.

"I'll see what this is all about!" Elsa said determinedly, setting foot against the balcony that lead downstairs. "Who is here? I demand an answer, now!" Elsa shouted with authority, making her voice echo throughout the castle, ricocheting around the walls. Her voice was clear, and she wondered if she would get a response, and if not, she would head down there herself to see what all of the commotion was.

 

[Isenhart De'Rathe]

Anna was not the only one who had been disturbed by the ruckus created by the falling armor display. Several of the castle's staff had responded to the commotion while Anna was still in the process of waking her sister. Chefs, housekeepers, and the guards that had been sleeping in their quarters came rushing to see what the commotion was all about. One by one, they met the same fates as those guards outside of the castle had met. Arrows and darts laced with paralytic poisons and sleep-inducing potions struck some of them in non-fatal locations while the six knights worked to apprehend others. By the time that Elsa's voice rang through the castle, the staff had already been rendered incapable of defending their queen from these intruders.

When Elsa had finally been stirred from her sleep and her voice rang out through the castle, no sound was returned. The figures remained silent as they looked up at the queen in all of her radiant beauty; or they would have had she not been disturbed from her slumber. Her lovely blonde hair was a mess and her usually elegant attire was replaced by a simple sleeping gown. She was certainly not the sight that the figures had been expecting.

"Queen Elsa," one of the figures finally spoke in that soft feminine voice. It was calm and gentle, lacking the malice that one might have expected considering the circumstances. "You have been accused of the heinous crime of witchcraft. We have come to apprehend you and place you on trial. Resistance is futile. Surrender yourself quietly and your trial will be fair and merciful."

Which figure the voice come from would have been anyone's guess, as they all seemed to be shrouded by a pitch veil of shadow. There were nine of these figures total in the common room below the balcony from which Elsa stood, all looking up at her. Six of the figures were near the door, unmoving, while the other three raised their hands, hand crossbows at the ready, all pointed at Elsa.

The final figure that had entered the castle alone had slipped his way into the Anna's bedroom. She was not there, of course, but he could tell that one of the sisters had to reside in such a decorated and elegant room. Knowing that she could not have gone far, he started out to find her. If he could find the younger sister, he knew that he could force the older, more dangerous sister to surrender.

 

[Ironic]

Below the balcony, Elsa's eyes scanned the dark figures that stood there, all looking up at her. Her blue eyes searched each and every one of them, trying to figure out which cloaked figure held the elegant and feminine voice. Elsa's expression was bitter, and lacking any signs of caring to the situation. Instead, she let out a soft chuckle, shocked that something like this would happen in the first place. On the other hand, Anna's expression was terrified, wondering what her sister would do in response to something as sudden as this.

"What do you mean?" Elsa asked, flabbergasted. Everyone seemed so happy, why would anyone want to put her on trial? It was not her fault for becoming this way, and no one in the kingdom or all over the globe could help her control her curse, at least this is what she thought for the meantime. "I have nothing to go on trial about, ma'am." Elsa simply said, bitterly and with a sour taste to it. "Besides of the short eternal winter I set off, please indulge me and tell me of the other heinous crime's that I hold?" Disbelieve still coated her tongue, her voice echoing against the pristine walls.

"You leave me and my sister alone!" Anna cried out, her hands curled into fists by her side, ready to defend her sister. Anna was very attached to Elsa, and she definitely did not want to lose her again, especially for good. "If you take her, you have to take me too!" Talking through clenched teeth, her eyes glared down against the crowed that was below her, her fear now turning into pure hate. How dare they barge in and act as if they can control their kingdom!

Already, Elsa knew that her defenses were taken into the hands of these fools, leaving it up to her to defend her and Anna. At will, she will strike whoever made the first move, her body still and listening quietly to any sounds that resembles throwing the "first punch", everything being silent as the two awaited for their response.

 

[Isenhart De'Rathe]

Having heard the voices down the hall, the tenth figure, the lone figure, began to make his way toward the sound of the voices. His feet were silent against the wood as he moved through the corridors, down past a room with an open door that seemed to emanate a chilling wind, and around a corner until the two sisters were visible at the end of the hall. Their backs were to him and they did not see to be aware of his presence. If his companions could give him a chance to advance, he could easily take the Princess.

"We have every intention of taking you both into custody," the woman's voice said in a very matter-of-fact tone, seemingly talking to Anna. "Sorcery and witchcraft can be passed through lineage on rare occasion. To try the Queen and not the Princess would be a disservice to this world. It is our duty to explore all possibilities of wicked powers, so you must both be put to trial. If you are found innocent, Princess, then the kingdom will be returned to you and we will be on our way. The queen, however..."

As the woman below made her speech, the figure that stalked the halls behind the sisters began to advance. His companion surely held the girls' attention. This might be his best chance.

"Your sister has no hope of being found innocent. There are eyewitnesses to her acts; eyewitnesses that will be present tomorrow at the trial. On top of that, she has just confessed her guilt to us. I could not, in good conscience, permit her to go free after hearing such things with my own ears. If she surrenders, it will be easier for the bot of you and I can permit greater liberties such as a last meal and final words for the Snow Queen."

 

[Ironic]

Anna gasped, taking her hand and clutching it at her chest, her mouth hanging open from the woman's intentions of taking her as well, regardless if she was defending her sister or not, but what Anna was more shocked about was the fact that they wanted to execute her sister. Looking over, Anna noticed the flabbergasted look on Elsa's face, shocked herself. Why would they want to hurt Elsa? She was a beautiful and fair queen!

"No you shall not!" Anna screamed, stomping her feet to the ground like the child she was, and quickly looking over to the right of her, she grabbed a statue of a head that stood on a cement pedestal and threw it in the direction of where she thought the woman was by orientation of her voice. As quickly as she threw it, the sound of glass shattering was presented, and Anna hoped that she got the women, a smirk playing on her pink lips.

"Why did you do that Anna?!" Elsa screamed at her, approaching her with dark eyes. As soon as the blood began to boil at Anna's unnecessary actions, underneath Elsa grew ice crystals, spreading violently and coating the ground, crawling its way up the walls. Suddenly the air began to shift, and now coldness consumed the castle, the ice quickly spreading everywhere. Noticing what she had just done herself, Elsa's eyes widened as she looked up at the ceiling, hearing he cracking of ice all around her. "Oh no..." she whispered to herself.

The two sisters were still unaware of the stalker that stalked behind them, now worried of their own troubles that they have gotten themselves into. The last thing that Elsa wanted to do was to have her powers be shown, now showing what evil "witchcraft" she was capable of. Now Elsa began to fear for her life, and Anna began to just as much. Her face was also coated with the same expression as Elsa's, wanting to believe that this was only a figment of her imagination, but sadly, it was not...

 

[Isenhart De'Rathe]

The statue that Anna had thrown smashed into the ground at the feet of one of the figures below, which did not move so much as an inch to avoid the object. They were not concerned with Anna. To the knowledge that they held from the information that had been provided to them, Anna was not dangerous. She had no magical ability, but due to such things being able to be passed through a bloodline, it was still mandatory that she be tried. Elsa was the one that they were most concerned about for reasoning that was displayed before their very eyes. Elsa was the one that the figures would need to render unable to fight and all of the figures knew it.

It was then, as Elsa's power radiated from her with abandon, that the figures below saw their lone friend among the shadows behind the two sisters. Now was the perfect opportunity to strike. They practically had Elsa in a checkmate, as she would not likely be able to defend from an attack n two fronts; especially when she seemed to not have noticed that the second threat was even present. They would not get a better chance than this.

"It seems that you are unable to control your power still. You are not only a witch, but a danger to everyone around you," the female voice spoke again as one of the figures raised a crossbow and put the sights on Elsa. "You cannot be permitted to be free."

With that, the figure fired the crossbow at Elsa. The bolt was poisoned with a potent sleep-inducing poison that would act very quickly if it stuck her in her thigh at which it was aimed. A non-fatal blow was preferred, as it would allow the group to go about their public spectacle of a trial the next day. Killing Elsa now would have certainly been an option, but it was far from preferable. They planned to make an example of the witch-queen.

In that same instant, the figure that was behind the girls darted forward toward Anna. If left unnoticed, he would grab her from behind, placing one arm around her waist to pull her in close to him while raising his other hand, a razor-sharp dagger held tightly within it, to the redheaded princess's neck. Regardless of which assault succeeded, the figures would surely have Elsa right where they wanted her. She would never risk hurting Anna.