DeFrosted

Chapter 18

(Hans)

"Move and you die!" A terrifying voice growled.

We were surrounded. I pushed Anna behind me, and unsheathed my blade. She fearfully gripped onto my shirt. I feared for her safety, and felt incredibly protective of her, perhaps more then was lawfully required of me.

"Well what a pleasant surprise." The voice chuckled with a menace that made even Hans shiver. A pair of rough hands reached out from the darkness and pulled Anna away, clutching a knife to her throat.

"Hans!" She whimpered in fear, reaching out for me. "Let her go!" I ordered fruitlessly. "Drop it boy." Said the tallest one, who I presumed was the leader.

Boy?!? How DARE he! I thought to myself, infuriated at his insolence! But then I thought otherwise, he does not know who I am, hopefully the same goes for Anna. Muttering to myself I cast my blade aside. I felt a pain in the back of my legs and I fell to my knees on to the snow. Someone had kicked me down. Recovering, I glared up at the ugly beast of a man. I couldn't see Anna but I could hear her struggling.

"Now, you will tell us where the queen of this god forsaken land is hiding!" The beast shouted, placing the tip of his sword at my neck.

Good, he hasn't found the castle, and he does not know who we are. I felt the blade at my neck and suddenly it felt as if my own life paled in comparison to the lives of all those innocent villagers. For once I wasn't thinking only of myself.

Well, he's going to going to kill me anyway...

"I'd die before I told you." I spat. Anna sighed in relief. Did she really think I'd betray her to these monsters? Yes once I had been willing to let her die. But what they would do to her would be MUCH worse. Plus I'd already thought about it, they'd kill me anyway. The Viking looked from me to her and smiled. I turned on my knees and watched as he walked over, pulling my jacket off of her, staring hungrily down at her. He trailed his hand down the side of her face. She flinched at his touch and looked at me in fear, I tried to stand but one of his troops slugged me across the back, sprawling me into the snow.

"What a warm little thing." He sneered at Anna. "I only need one of you to tell me where the camp is." He leered down at me. "Kill the boy and bring the woman to my tent. Trust me, by morning she will talk." He ordered his men "Oh." He laughed perversely "Make her watch."

"Hans!" She cried my name, reaching out but her captor held her back. Two other Vikings grabbed me and pushed me down as I struggled uselessly to break free. A third goon held his sword out to the back of my neck, ready to behead me.

He raised it up and was about to strike when Anna cried out with all the regality that she could muster. "Stop in the name of the queen!"

My executioner froze.
"You are the queen?" The leader laughed in disbelief. "Yes!" She replied pulling herself free from her captor and walking up to the leader. "Yes, I am Queen Anna of Arendale." She stated, head held high, though I could see fear in her eyes "I beseech you. You are to let that man go." She held up her hand displaying the royal crest on her ring.

"Oh and why should I? Your highness?" The Viking asked. "Because, if you do not let him live, I cannot, and will not marry your ruler."

Oh god, was she surrendering Arendale.... To save me?

"Well boys..." The Viking gave a hearty laugh. "It looks like we've got what we came for." He grabbed her wrist. "Highness, despite how we would have captured you, you are going to marry him. Claiming both you and your country as spoils of war. What difference does the lad make?"

"It is Arendale law that a bride be given away by a member of her family. Now I promise to surrender without fuss, but I DEMAND this be done legally."

"And this guard of yours is family?" He asked suspiciously, grabbing the hair on the back of my head and pulling it back to look closer at my face. I glared at him, biting back the pain. He would die by my blade, I promised myself.

"Y-Yes" she stuttered. "He is my cousin. Look at our red hair, do you not see the family resemblance?"

"Very well." He agreed, knocking me flat onto my back, and tossing my coat at me "We will indulge her majesty... Put them into the wagon."

We were dragged back to their camp, which was surprisingly much closer then anticipated. Thrown into what looked like the jailers wagon. It was made of solid oak, enclosed on all sides save for the door at the back which had a small barred window. They must have taken it when they seized the city. With a jingle of keys, the door was locked.

Silently I stood by the door. Peaking through the bars and watching them boast their victory to one another. After a bit, the camp died down and they all climbed into their tents for the night. Save one guard who sat lookout on the other side of the camp.

I turned and found Anna sitting up against the back wall, staring blankly ahead. She looked so broken. I sighed, crossed the wagon and slid down beside her. She was trembling from the cold. She was wearing only a nightdress under her cloak, and her cloak wasn't doing much good on its own. Realizing I still had my jacket in my hand I held it out to put over her shoulders.

"No. I've got my cloak, you need to wear it." She argued, batting my hand away. "Anna, your trembling. You will die." "Maybe its for the best." she mumbled. "What?" I asked, unsure I heard that correctly. "Nothing..." she mumbled again. But I kept persisting until eventually we reached a compromise, she removed her cloak and threw it over the front of both of us, then she put on my jacket.

"What just happened?" I asked after a few minutes. "You know what just happened." She answered, still staring ahead. "You surrendered... To save me?" I stuttered, still in disbelief. "Not just you, also to protect the villagers at the summer castle!" She defended. "But mostly..." She admitted, voice filled with guilt. "To save myself... from him." She shuddered. "So selfish, I know." She looked as if she positively hated herself right now.

"What you did was not selfish, you saved my life, and hopefully the lives of your people. You also bought us time, perhaps We can escape from this." I grabbed her chin and forced her to look at me. "Anna it is NOT selfish to want to save your self from being raped to death!" She cringed at those last words.

I noticed she was still shivering so I lifted my arm up. "Come closer, your freezing." For once, without arguing, she listened to me. I wrapped my arm around her shoulder and she rested her head against my chest.

"What did you mumble earlier." I asked gently, speaking into her hair. "Nothing..." She pushed the question away. "Do you wish to die?" I prodded.

"No... I don't know, sometimes..." She replied. "Why?" I rubbed her shoulder, trying to warm her. "You are really warm." Said Anna, trying to change the subject. "Yeah, hot southern blood." I chuckled slightly, but I would not be strayed off topic. "Why?" I asked again.

"You are the last person I wish to talk about this with..." She sighed sadly, staring at the wooden floor in front of her. "But there is no one else left. That is the problem."

"Everyone I ever cared for is dead. My parents, my sister, Kristoff..." I flinched slightly at his name. "Olaf, and now even Sven..." In the pale moonlight I could see her eyes were starting to water. "And I'm left here all alone. Everyone I ever loved has been killed or has tried to kill me." She was talking about me... She fell in love with me and I tried to... A spark of guilt bore it's way into my chest.

"A kingdom of isolation, and it looks like I'm the queen." I could see silent tears streaming down her cheeks. Months of holding her emotions back and now they all broke for the surface. Something inside me snapped, it hurt just to see her in pain.

I wrapped both arms around her and pulled her closer, I stroked her hair gently as she sobbed into my chest.