Into the Unknown (A Frozen Fanfic)

Chapter Seven

DARKNESS BEGAN TO fall, and she felt the swaying of the boat beneath her numbing legs. It had been hours since they had set sail, but Elsa never felt safe enough to come out. She heard voices all around her, but she wasn't going to get out until most of the crew had retired for the evening, and the sun no longer could give away her position; she begged for the sun to descend hours ago so she could stretch her crammed legs.

Elsa placed her ear up against the side of the barrel, listening closely for any sign of voices. Satisfied that no one was around, she slowly popped the lid off the barrel and slid her body a few inches upward to where she could peek out the top. She glanced around seeing a few lanterns lit here and there to make the deck not so dark. She raised the lid a tad bit higher, ready to climb out, when the heels of boots clicked against the planks close by.

She swiftly ducked low, careful not to slam the lid shut. Her heart pounded against her ribs. She placed her forehead on the barrel as she clenched her eyes shut praying this man hadn't seen her. I'll be thrown overboard if I'm caught. She waited until the clapping of boots died away to try once more.

Again, she lifted the lid and glanced to her right first making sure no one had followed the other man. When she felt confident and safe, she opened the lid fully, placing it gently against the side of the barrel.

She took one quick last glance before pushing herself upward, but being in that position for hours caused her legs to go completely numb. She couldn't feel them to help hoist her upright. She huffed and rolled her eyes. Gripping the edge of the barrel, she pulled until she sat carefully on the edge. She grabbed a hold of her left thigh and swung it over the barrel. Once her left leg was free, she did the same with her right until she eventually stood upright on the other side. She remained holding onto the barrel until the feeling in her legs returned. She shuffled backwards to the railing of the ship and used it to support most of her weight as she walked until her entire feeling returned.

She looked out into the sea to see if any land be nearby. Her brows furrowed when she found nothing. That was odd. If they were really sailing through the South Seas, they would be sailing close to land the whole way. Perhaps it was just too dark to make out any land.

Elsa continued stumbling her way to the front of the ship, and as she moved forward, the strength in her legs finally returned, allowing her to no longer need the railing for support. The ship began to rock roughly and she lost her balance numerous times. The waters felt a lot more rough than the waters from the South Seas. Those waters were the calmest in all the kingdoms.

Elsa still moved forward towards the cabin. Maybe she would find some clue as to where they were going in there. Thunder clapped and lightning blazed as the sky lit up with a burst of white. A strange figure flashed before her quicker than she could blink an eye. She gasped and froze, panting from the sudden fright. Rain started to pour from the dark clouds above, soaking her clothes immediately.

She glanced around frantically trying to calm her rapidly beating heart. It was nothing. Just the sea playing tricks. She took several deep breaths trying to settle her nerves. She shook her head as she looked to the deck and rubbed her forehead. She wasn't going crazy. All the stress about her parents, and seeing that strange woman appear multiple times now could be enough to cause someone to think they were going insane.

Elsa sighed heavily as she turned around to face the back of the ships where the crew rested inside nice and dry. She shivered, rubbing her hands up and down her arms. A dry and warm place sounded good right now. Suddenly, her barrel wasn't sounding too bad.

She took a step forward as another crack of thunder sounded bringing a flash of lightning once again. Elsa jumped backwards when the figure appeared before her, only this time, it didn't disappear.

She lowered her hands down to her side and stared dumbfounded. "You," she whispered. The same lady in white she had seen just the night before stood in front of her. "What do you want from me?" Elsa shouted, balling her hands into fists. "Why can't you just leave me alone?"

The lady's face unexpectedly twisted into anger as she narrowed her eyes. Her hands that rested at her side began to sparkle white.

Elsa gasped and took a step back afraid of what was to happen.

In a flash, the lady thrust her hands forward as ice shot from them aimed directly at Elsa.

Elsa raised her hands in front of her face in defense as the ice slammed into her midsection. She stumbled backwards until her back rested against the railing of the boat. She threw her hands behind her, catching herself to keep her from falling overboard.

"You were supposed to come alone," the mysterious lady said sternly, her voice booming in the night sky. "Now, you and everyone aboard this ship will die!" She flung her hands forward again and ice shot forth.

Elsa knew she couldn't stop the ice at the pace it traveled. She clenched her eyes shut and turned her head to the side as she felt the sharp pain of the ice as it rammed into her stomach. The force threw her backwards, and she felt the cold pain as her body smacked the dark, raging waters below.

Elsa held her breath as she plummeted deeper into the water; the cold made it hard for her muscles to move. Allowing her ice to flow through her body, her eyes shot open. She wasn't going to drown. Not while Anna still needed her. Looking towards the surface, she kicked with her legs and pushed with her arms, trying to break through the water to suck air back into her lungs.

She broke through the top gasping for air and coughing violently. The rain continued to pelt her and lightning flashed a little too close for comfort as the sounds were drowned out by thunder.

Something riding on top of the water caught her attention. She squinted her eyes to get a closer through the dark and rain. As it continued to race forward, her eyes grew wide in amazement. A horse. A clear horse that looked to be made entirely out of water. As it drew closer, she saw its sparkling blue eyes narrow, and it leaped into the air.

Elsa looked up, noticing that it was about to land directly on top of her. She swiftly tried swimming out of its way, but the rough waves made it impossible.

She felt something slam into her back pushing her deeper into the waters — she hadn't even gotten the chance to suck in a breath of air before going under. As she was shoved farther down into the sea, she tried to think of a way to escape. She wrapped her left arm around her in order to grab the horse's right front hoof and, summoning her ice, she froze the horse. It disintegrated into millions of pieces giving Elsa the chance to swim back to the top.

She pushed and kicked with everything she had, feeling her lungs beginning to burn. Just before she breached the water, the horse appeared directly in front of her. It slammed a hoof into her stomach and she lost whatever air she had left.

She had to forget about the horse. She had to get air! Aiming a hand towards the horse, she tried again to freeze it, but it bent down and bit into her neck causing her to cry out in pain. She watched as bubbles of what air was left, drifted to the surface.

Clenching her neck, she felt the warm blood between her fingers as it mixed with the cold waters. Her blood danced in the waves before her eyes through a pocket of moonlight shining down on her. This was it. She was going to die. If only she had stayed in Arendelle and dealt with being queen for two weeks then she wouldn't be in this predicament.

She opened her mouth trying to suck in air, but there was none. Only water met her lungs. Her vision began to blur as her body fell limp and slowly began to descend. How far could her body fall? All the way to the bottom?

All of a sudden, the mysterious invisible horse vanished. Through her blurry eyes, she saw a dark shadow swimming her way. Probably another predator coming to finish the job. She didn't care as long as it was quick and painless.

Something grabbed a hold of her frozen hand just as her vision darkened.