oO The Black Sea Oo

A soft knock preceded Agnire's entrance into the room and his soft eyes immediately took in the change in position Elsa had moved into. His heart skipped as he quickly closed and locked the door from the inside with one of the many key's he'd secured.

He hastily set down his offerings on a nearby bookcase before moving towards the bed. He had done all he could in regards to fixing Elsa's torn stitches but not wanting to invade too much on her person he'd left her bruises and cracked ribs unattended to. He'd felt them of course, the bottom two, but he had no way of doing anything for them at the time other than letting her rest.

"Agnire...?" Anna woke from her light rest, the soft wisps of Elsa's ragged breaths her lullaby. She was pretty sure she'd lost all use of her hands at this point, the sharp pins and needles that preceded their going numb her only indication. She shifted her shoulders slightly when he came closer, her eyes curled with worry.

Agnire frowned at the horribly twisted position Anna had held herself in, deciding that Elsa wouldn't get any worse for the moment he reached into his pocket and came around to the other side of the bed. Without a word of explanation he leaned his knee onto the bed and took hold of Anna's wrists, her body jolting forward when he released her.

"Ahh...." Anna let out low whining cry as her shoulder popped back into place and the feeling steadily returned, with a burning passion, into her fingertips, "Ow...owowowow...." She very slowly flexed her fingers and rolled her shoulders before hastily crawling across the bed without so much as a backward glance towards Agnire who was now moving just outside of her vision back towards Elsa's side of the bed.

All the moving about made Elsa groan and press her face tighter into the pillow but when soft finger tips took hold of her cheeks she tried to open her eyes. The pain the movement caused did not go unnoticed though Anna's apologies went without response. Elsa simply did not have the energy to speak, instead she forced her eyes to stay open and gave her a weak and tired smile.

"Can you take hers off too?" Anna wanted nothing more than to pull Elsa into the biggest hug she'd ever felt in her entire life. That and she wanted to see for herself what sort of injuries she was suffering from. From what she could tell, they were not good. Her sister never complained and for her to actually admit she was in discomfort of any kind was a new experience for the younger sister.

"No they're...sealed differently..." Agnire avoided touching the rune inlaid manacles and instead followed the length of chain that connected them to the floor, "But I can detach them." He felt lucky when he found the padlock just underneath the edge of the bed, the chain between Elsa's much longer than her sister's for reasons unknown to him. As it was, he was just glad he could help in someway. When he pulled the heavy chain up onto the side of the bed he could see a visible release of tension that lifting the weight caused.

Elsa blinked slowly through the ever shifting bed, her world uneven and without point. She didn't want to move in any direction but the sound of the man's voice was too familiar and so, despite the risk, she turned her head out of the pillow and straight into Agnire's eyes. Her own widened as she distinctly remembered him taking an arrow to the leg to protect Honeymaren.

Agnire offered only a soft smile in response to her silent question before turning back towards the bookcase, "I brought food, tea and medicine..." He began tearing the bread into smaller pieces. "Do you think you can help her sit up?"

Anna nodded her head idly before leaning over to catch Elsa's barely open eyes, "I'll be gentle okay? Just...be strong..."

Elsa did her best not to scream, the inside of her cheek taking the blunt of her restraint as Anna moved pillows behind her back. The entire process felt like it took years and when she was finally sitting somewhat higher than her stomach she turned her head into the pillow to try and muffle the sound of her distress.

Anna's hands jerked back from the sound and the pain so clear on Elsa's face. She wanted to help but all she seemed to be doing was making it worse. Her fingers opened and closed helplessly as Elsa's body slipped partially down the small rise she'd made, pulling up her tunic and exposing her hips in the process. Her heart shattered to the sight of Elsa's normally snow white skin turned deep purple. The black thread that Agnire had used to re-close the stitching on her side twisting around her heart like a noose.

Tears sprung to her eyes as she moved to pull the chain that had fallen against the wound away, "I'm so sorry..."

Agnire had had to remove the wrap that had been put in place to protect the wound, the once clean cloth filled with dried blood and melted ice. He hadn't yet been able to safely secure something to replace it but he did have something that could possibly improve the situation.

"Here...this should help..." He offered out a small metal container filled with a light green paste, "Gently okay?"

Anna nodded her head and brought the balm to her nose for a moment to try and figure out what it was. However, her botany skills were still somewhat lacking and she merely tilted the can to show Elsa though the latter gave no indication she knew or was capable of even seeing it through her barely opened eyes. A soft clearing of her throat turned her head down towards the small slip of skin that was now showing through.

Her fingers trembled greatly when she took some of the balm onto them and even more so with fear as she pushed the tunic further out of her way, the flesh beneath twitching from the contact. She had hoped Elsa had grown more comfortable with the touch of others over time but it seemed that her hope was not to be answered.

"It's going to feel cold..." Anna could tell one thing by the smell, that it was made with a menthol of some sort. If only she'd have paid attention in her science lessons she might have been more useful now.

Elsa merely closed her eyes and braced herself against the bed, her head turning back into the pillow to muffle any sounds that might make it past her throat. Thankfully, her sister's touch was warm, warmer than she thought it would be and the relief the balm brought was enough to ease the pressure that had been settled upon her chest. Though as her hand moved from the wound on her waist and began to slip further up towards her chest, she found a whole knew sensation causing chaos inside her.

"D-don't..."

Anna paused in her path, her focus solely on following the bruising that trailed up her stomach and towards her ribs, "But..."

Agnire knew that Elsa's prudence was going to hinder his attempts to bring relief and thus turned away towards the bookshelf to find his laudanum, he had been saving it for Anna but as it seemed his previous healing had left her feeling well enough he knew he needed to give it to Elsa instead.

"Small sip okay?" Agnire gave Anna a reassuring glance before holding the small glass vial in front of Elsa's nose, letting her take a small smell before he very carefully poured no more than a spoonful's amount between her parted lips.

Elsa's face twisted as the burning liquid slipped over her tongue. She remembered the taste from when she'd caught a fever and the castle physician and made her rest for three days under its hold. Thankfully, Agnire didn't offer anymore and she couldn't help but lick her dry lips to try and rid herself of the taste.

"Chaser." Agnire had quickly moved back to the bookshelf where he poured a cup of still warm tea. Instead of offering it himself he handed the cup to Anna who looked more than a dejected, "Carefully..."

Anna gave him a morose smile as she took the cup. A small shift brought herself closer to Elsa and she cradled her head before very gingerly placing it against her bottom lip. When Anna's eyes met with Elsa's, she could only offer her what little hope she had left and tilted the cup. Though a little spilled over, her heart thumped with relief when Elsa let out a heavy breath of relief. She took the cup to her own lips taking a small sip for herself, finally washing the taste of ash and fire off her tongue.

"Elsa...we really need to look at your ribs...if they're broken..." Agnire fidgeted slightly, "It's not going to be good..."

The heat of the laudanum pulled at her senses, not enough to take her under but just enough for her not to care much about the world around her. Almost outside of herself, she pulled her arms away from her sides, the heavy manacles carrying her hands the rest of the way down beside her head which rocked in the pillow where her vision gave a dangerous tilt.

Anna took that as a sign of consent and offered the cup back to Agnire who took it in silence. With only a nod, he turned away back towards the bookshelf to continue separating the bread and cheese into small easily manageable bites. Though he did watch from the corner of his eye, he wanted to give them as much privacy as was possible.

Anna shifted again, her knees gently pressing into Elsa's leg as she turned to push more of the tunic up towards her breast, "Oh...Elsa..." It looked bad, worse than she could have imagined. The large radiating bruise that covered nearly her entire stomach was almost nothing compared to the large lump of swelled tissue at the very bottom of her ribs. Red and angry, it was furiously warm to the touch and the hitch in Elsa's breathing did not give her hope.

"What should...what should it feel like?" Anna's touch was as light as a feather, too afraid to do much else.

"If it's broken, it'll feel soft...if it's just cracked you'll feel resistance." Agnire gave her another glance, "She won't be able to feel it, the laudanum should be working now."

Anna pursed her lips tight, Elsa's eyes were staring somewhere over her shoulder, her blinks long and unfocused. With a steeled breath and with all the courage she had left, she pressed her fingers down. Her heart sparked when she felt the faintest of resistance against her fingers, "It's not broken...it's not broken..."

She let out a heavy breath and reached back towards the tin of balm, taking more onto her fingers, she pressed her palm flat over the lump. Gradually, her fingers traced along Elsa's side, rising up under the remaining cloth, a deep blush painted her cheeks when her fingers brushed softly under Elsa's breast. A quick change of direction brought her back down and her head tilted as she realized, the bruise continued onto her back.

With reverence, Anna pulled Elsa's trapped hand up and across her chest then, as carefully as possible, she pulled on the sheets beneath so that Elsa was more on her side, Her sister's body was heavy and gave no resistance, her head rolling away from her from the adjustment. After pulling her loose hair out of her way, Anna continued to push the tunic up her back, her eyes taking in the shape of something wide and cylindrical-a tree, she could only guess by the small gashes left behind by the bark. While no longer bleeding they had begun to scab and left her porcelain skin looking tainted.

A warm cloth appeared at her shoulder, the heat of it raising her head and she offered the smallest of smiles as she took the cloth to wipe away the blood; her heart focused on her task. Long slow swipes left the skin clear but no less red and bruised. Exchanging the cloth for what little was left of the balm she gently massaged in the last of it, hoping that her ministrations would make some sort of difference.

The first rays of dawn pierced the windows and Anna saw something that made her stop. Her brows furrowed deeply when she saw what she believed to be the faintest shimmer against her sister's skin. Enchanted, she leaned in further and shifted out of the sun's path, a small gasp filling her lungs when more and more of the intricate lines began to show through.

"Woah...What is that?" Her fingers hesitantly traced one of the lines, its shape like the magic that flowed from her sister's hands. The looping spirals and webs. Like the reflection of light through a single snowflake over fresh snow, the lines were just barely visible in the cresting light. Though the bruising that laid beneath them did make them a little easier to trace, they seemed to only appear when caught just right in the sun.

"It's the mark of Ahtohallan..." Agnire glanced down at his own hands briefly before stepping back into the shadow to get their food, "Here...try to eat. I need to go." He set the plate down on the edge of the bed before taking a slow breath, "I need to put your chains back on..."

"No...I can't reach her when..."

"I'll move her closer, I promise..." Agnire didn't want to, he really didn't want to tear the sisters apart after seeing the love between them, how deep it was. He held out his hand as Anna moved away from Elsa's side after pulling her tunic back down. A look he couldn't describe in her eyes when she held out her bruised and chaffed wrists.

As the metal clicked into place he rose his heavy head, "I'm sorry..."

oO Northuldra Oo

"I am very sorry...there is nothing more I can do..." Eresa hung her head low, her eyes turning up to Honeymaren and Ryder, "We must rely on her strength now..."

Honeymaren bit back the tears coming to her eyes, her fingers gently scooping up Yelena's in her own, "Thank you, Eresa..."

"Thank you..." Ryder was unable to raise his head, he too taking his grandmother's hand, bringing it up to his forehead where he closed his eyes in silent prayer. All the information they'd managed to gather meant nothing at that moment. Though they believed they knew how Alrik had defeated the spirits they had no way of knowing what his true end game was. So when Eresa had come to them, there had been no conflict of interest in their hearts.

"She's strong...you know...This isn't her first time..." Honeymaren was trying to lighten the mood but her voice just could not raise in tone.

"Yeah...I remember the stories..." Ryder pulled her hand from his forehead and back to her side, "It's odd...I was so excited about the mist being gone...about exploring the outside world that I never stopped to think about what I already had..."

Honeymaren shared in her brother's wisdom, her eyes closing as she tried to find the strength inside her, "Yeah..."

"What do we do now...?" Ryder raised his head slowly, his eyes still unable to rise.

"We do...the next right thing..." Honeymaren swallowed thickly, her eyes raising to meet with Ryder's before she leaned down to pick up the staff demoting of the chieftess' position. The aged wood felt unnaturally heavy in her palm. Her eyes narrowed as she took in the intricate carvings worn down by time. Passed down from cheiftess to cheiftan through the years.

oOo

"Your Lordship...we must return to our people. The Kingdom..." Avon spoke his words with great caution and remorse. He had seen with his very eyes the moment his commander fell, and when his Queen was struck down. There was no question to him, that the Queen was gone,

Kristoff grimaced at his words, his eyes looking down at the man's boots as he tried to keep hope alive in his heart, "You may return the men to Arendelle..."

"What should we tell her people?" And unspoken question hung in the air.

"Tell her people that I am going to bring her home." Kristoff let out a heavy breath, "I am going to bring her home." His eyes rose with a confidence that would he would not be questioned. That his words were solid and true.

"Yes, sir." Avon bowed his head low.

oO The Black Sea Oo

"Please eat...I can feel your stomach growling. I know you're hungry..." Agnire had stayed true to his word and Anna had nearly every inch of her body pressed against Elsa's. Laying partially on their sides with Elsa partially over top. Anna was up just a bit higher so as to see better, her stomach pressing in close to Elsa's back giving her support and her legs kept Elsa from twisting too uncomfortably. Like puzzle pieces, each one seemed to fall perfectly in place, despite the chains, despite the pain.

Elsa's head was propped up lightly on the rise of Anna's breast, just under her chin which left the younger woman perfect access to her mouth, where she was presently offering a small bite of bread and cheese. Despite the hunger rolling in her stomach, her mouth simply did not want to open and she turned her head away, Anna was not impressed.

"I will hold your nose until you open your mouth." Anna tried her best to put on her annoying little sister voice but the smile just did not reach her eyes. She tapped the piece of bread against the ridge of Elsa's nose to accent her point, to which the woman in her arms crinkled her nose with a frown.

"Don't...you dare..." Elsa had been drifting in and out. The sound of her sister's heart leading her to and fro the deep call to sleep.

Anna smiled just a touch despite herself and lowered the bite to tap lightly on Elsa's tightly pursed lips, "Come on...let the little birdie into the nest..."

Elsa couldn't help but let a deep breath through her nose with mirth. The words of their father trying to get them to eat when they were young finally releasing her jaw back until her control, "That's so wrong..." Regardless, she opened her mouth for her sister, taking the bite into her cheek where she chewed slowly.

"Good girl," Anna couldn't help herself and took a bit of bread for herself chewing pensively. She let the silence stretch between them for a long time watching and making sure Elsa swallowed before pressing another bite to her lips that was reluctantly taken. As much as Anna wanted to speak, to hear her sister's voice the weight in the room didn't feel right. So instead, she continued to feed her sister and herself small bites, her heart growing warmer with each one that was taken.

Halfway through Anna let out a soft sigh of contentment, the bread sitting heavily in her stomach easing the ache. Her head turned down when the bite she'd placed at Elsa's lips was not taken, the weight against her frame growing just a bit heavier. She took the bite for herself and gingerly brushed away a crumb along Elsa's jaw releasing a deep sigh.

"Elsa?" Her voice was timid, her question kind.

"Mm?" Elsa had just been falling into a light slumber when her sister's voice broke through the haze. Her brow curled tight as she tried to bring herself back around.

"I love you..." Anna's smile fell when Elsa didn't return her words of affection, her body shifting just a little more to see her sister's face better.

"Please talk to me...I can see it in your face...something's wrong..." Anna could feel Elsa pulling away from her, not just physically but emotionally as well. Like the door that had separated them most of their lives.

Elsa turned her head into the pillow, the coldness of the fabric a stark contrast to the warmth of her sister's chest. Her words hurt, they hurt more than she could ever express.

"Elsa, please look at me?" Anna shifted, the chains on her manacles running down over Elsa's stomach as she tried to keep her from turning away completely. It wasn't a comfortable position but at the moment she couldn't care about herself.

"All, I've ever done...is bring destruction and pain..." A heavy breath brought her words to life, her eyes refusing to open.

"That isn't true.."

"How do you lie to yourself that way? How can you not see what's clearly right here in front of you?" Elsa lifted her arms, a great effort that ended with her letting out a sharp restrained cry as they came down over top of her bruised stomach causing bile to burn her throat.

Anna pursed her lips tight and she pushed and pulled Elsa's arms back to her sides, "Don't..." Her voice held many meanings. Deeper and more painful than their physical conditions.

"Can't you see what I am?" Pain flooded her with the energy she needed to open her eyes, to turn her head, her vision blurry as she looked up into Anna's face.

"All I see is my sister." Anna stubbornly pressed her forehead into Elsa's, her eyes strong and unrelenting. She could see the darkness creeping in the back of Elsa's gaze. That pesky little wolf that would never seem to leave her sister alone. The darkness that she herself kept locked so tightly away. The confidence that Elsa had brought to herself, the joy that she'd been able to bring did not reflect back at her now. She knew it was there, somewhere deep inside, hiding behind a locked door too afraid to come out.

"You're not the only one who grew up alone, Elsa. I lost my best friend that day..."

'Wait Anna, slow down!'

'Catch me!'

"When the doors closed...I knew in the deepest part of me that it was somehow my fault. That...you were hurting...and there was nothing I could do to help you...Surely, you know how painful that is? How deep that hurts?" Anna swallowed, trying to keep the strength in her voice.

'Elsa? Do you want to build a snowman?'

'Go away, Anna.'

'What are we going to do Agnar? Anna's beginning to ask questions I cannot give answers to...'

'We will think of something...Until then...we must give Elsa time...'

"I thought for a long time...you were sick....that...that was why

Mama and Papa wouldn't speak about it. That they were trying to protect me from the truth...I mean they were but...I had all these crazy ideas in my head about what had happened to you...How I could save you...Like you were some princess trapped in a castle from one of my fairy tales..." Anna chuckled dryly, "I admit...there were times when...I tried to forget that I even had a sister...That...you were gone...But then I'd walk by your door...and I'd see your shadow moving beneath it and I...It hurt Elsa...it hurt so much...I'd see you in the window sometimes...watching me play...I wondered why...Why you wouldn't just come down and join me..What had I done? What could I do to make everything alright again..."

'Can Elsa join us today?'

'Not today my sunflower...'

"I could hear you crying...sometimes at night when I would sneak out of my room to go to your door...You would call my name but I was too afraid to answer...Afraid that you'd tell me to go away..."

Anna swallowed thickly trying to keep her voice from disappearing completely, "Then I saw you on your coronation day. As though nothing had ever gone wrong. You were there, strong and beautiful and...I saw your smile, right in front of me for the first in forever and I hoped that this was it...this was the time where we could be together again."

'Monster!'

Another tear rolled down her cheek, dropping down her nose to fall upon Elsa's own, her fingers gently brushed it away, "Oh, how amazing you were...How could I ever compare? I knew I needed you to come home...to be the Queen. I couldn't do it by myself. I was just the spare...I couldn't let you go...I wanted you back, selfish as it was. I didn't care what it cost me. What it would mean for you. I just...wanted it so badly..."

'You sacrificed yourself for me?'

'I love you.'

"When we came to the forest, I felt like everything was going to change. I knew it deep inside. I didn't want you to go. Not again, I know I was reckless but I didn't care about me. I never did...I couldn't..."

'What were you doing? You could have been killed. You can't just follow me into fire!'

'You don't want me to follow you into fire? Then don't run into fire! You're not being careful Elsa."

"Anna..."

Anna sniffled again pressing her forehead down against Elsa's temple, "I loved you so much. I was willing to destroy our home, our people...I made that choice...not knowing fully what it would mean...and then...you were there...You were there and you saved me from myself...and then I thought...Who am I compared to you?"

'You are the fifth spirit, you're the bridge.'

"Well, actually, a bridge has two sides and mother had two daughters.'

Anna closed her eyes tight for a moment, her breath vibrating between them, "You've always been there for me...please...let me be there for you...just this once...let me in...open the door and just tell me...tell me..." Though she couldn't hold her hand, Anna reached down over Elsa's heart, her palm flat, her fingers pressed in feeling its slow beat.

'We did this together. And we'll continue to do this together'

'Together.'

There was a long time between, where Anna was sure that Elsa had slipped back into the darkness of unconsciousness or beyond. Her palm rose to cradle her neck, her thumb held tight to the pulse that ran through. Like her hope, weak but still there. Then...

"I failed Anna...I couldn't...protect you this time..." Elsa's words were barely a whisper, the weight inside them so much more than could be expressed, "I'm so sorry...I...I can't...The spirits...My power..it's...it's...gone..."

Anna pressed herself just a bit closer, Elsa's words such that she had to see her mouth move to assure herself that she'd actually spoken.

"I knew...I knew it was coming..." Elsa swallowed thickly, another long moment passing as she gathered her strength, "I tried to warn you...but...you never got my letter...and then..." Tears slipped over the brim of her closed eyes, "I saw...I saw you fall...the spirits warned me...warned me that if I didn't win...that I'd lose you forever..."

"But you didn't Elsa, I'm right here..." Anna pressed her forehead against Elsa's temple again, her nose and lips pressing gently into her ear so that she couldn't miss her words.

"But I lost them...They came to me because I asked them to...they're gone...because of me..." A heavy sob rocked her frame and there was a heavy pull inside her soul, the same sort of floating feeling she felt before she fell into the spirit realm, "Anna...I killed... so many..." Her sentence hung in the air as her body went still, her will to stay beside her sister easily overtaken.

"Elsa?" Anna's eyes snapped open, Elsa's head slipping down her throat as her body let out a weak shudder. Anna's eyes went wide and the urge to scream filled her mind. Instead, her hands came up to cup her sister's cheeks, "Elsa? ...Elsa?" Why was she so cold?

'Bring our brother home.'