—{Sir Liam Johan}—
I was staring at the distant sea in front of me, lost in thoughts. It's been several days since I've been exiled from the Kingdom, assigned an almost impossible quest to bring Prince Henry back to the Kingdom alive.
"Sir Liam! We're nearing where the ship got wrecked." All of a sudden, my thoughts were interrupted by one of my retinue. Imagine my surprise when the news of my exile reached the ears of the knight barracks and my entire retinue decided to join me in my cause.
"Slow down the ship. Take two of the emergency boats and scout around. Two of you will be with me. We're going to dive down, so take off your armor." I shouted a command and they immediately responded to it as I said so.
Even though the chances of finding the Prince alive and well is as slim as finding a needle in a barn full of haystacks, the possibility is still there and if not, at least bringing his body back to the Kingdom should be enough.
My priority right now after finding Prince Henry's body is to unleash the knives of justice against those who conspired against him.
Who am I talking about, one may ask?
None other than those pair of siblings. Everyone in the Kingdom knows just how much hatred was implanted in their minds since they were children, by their own mothers nonetheless.
Even though I still don't have the evidence to back up my suspicions, I know they're the ones who did it.
I just can't prove it yet.
———
"Please leave us, Kai." Elsa turned her head to the steward of the castle and despite his reluctance, Princess Elsa is currently the highest in command in the entire Kingdom, so he could only bow his head and leave the room, not before giving a nod towards Henry.
Now that he's alone with Elsa, Henry makes sure to keep his mysterious persona up. Hard to admit but it helps him in situations like this.
So he simply stared directly into Elsa's face, unknowingly getting lost in her bright blue eyes and pale skin. Just as his eyes start to wander over her lips like rose petals.
"Magician Henry…Can I call you Henry instead?" Elsa's soft voice snapped him out of his trance.
Henry blinked several times before nodding his head, "Yes. Of course, Princess Elsa." He then watched as she approached one of the floating fireballs around him, fearlessly stretching her hand towards it.
Before he could interrupt her, she spoke with melancholy, "It's so warm. I've never felt this warm before…"
Hearing this, instead of answering, Henry manipulated both fireballs to hover around Elsa instead. Engulfing her with their heat. Of course, he made sure to adjust the temperature so it wouldn't accidentally burn her.
Just then, Elsa shifted her attention back to Henry and asked, "If you don't mind me asking, how do you plan to help me?" Within the first few seconds after she finished her words, she was already expecting the same old words from Henry.
To conceal her powers and not feel it. Ignore them and keep it inside her forever. However, much to her surprise, Henry's words were the exact opposite of what she was expecting.
"Kai has already filled me in on your situation and if my assumption is right, your magical powers—after being concealed for years are overflowing and on the verge of breaking down." Henry then snapped his fingers, coating his hands in flames before continuing, "You're gonna have to release them first. I'll help you unleash your magical powers."
Elsa blinked her eyes in shock, "I'm sorry, did you just say release them? Like, use them?"
To her confirmation, Henry nodded his head and clarified, going more into details, "You see, years of being unable to use your powers have piled up inside you. Think of it like a chalice being filled with wine. If it continuously kept getting filled with wine without anyone drinking it, what do you think will happen?"
Elsa answered in a heartbeat, it's just simple logic after all, "It'll overflow and spill."
"Exactly. Now, think of that chalice as yourself and the wine as your magical powers growing day by day. Concealing it is like blocking it with a plate but that doesn't stop the wine from growing." Henry found himself a chair to sit on before continuing, "Let me ask you this, Princess Elsa. When you were a child, using your powers willy-nilly without fear of consequences, was it hard to control your powers?"
Elsa took her time to recall the days when she would openly use her powers in the castle, playing with Anna and impressing her parents. Back then, using her magical powers was just like an extension of her limb, with no trouble in controlling them.
When she relayed this to Henry, he nodded his head, "Exactly. But what about now?" She shook her head in return. Compared to before, now she can barely even create a snowman.
"That's why we'll be going over three very simple steps. First is release, second is finding your inner peace, and last but not the least, learning how to use your mind to control your powers instead of letting your emotions serve as a fuel."
For the first time, Elsa found herself mesmerized and hopeful. Henry's words make sense and it doesn't hurt to try anyway.
However, the fear of accidentally hurting someone is still buried deep within her bones, the memory of accidentally burying a chilling curse inside her little sister flashed before her, "B-But what if I lose control and can't stop? What if I hurt somebody again?"
"You won't." Henry confidently smiled and pointed to himself, "Because I'll be here and I'll make sure you have nothing to be afraid of."
His words were like an arrow. Not the painful one, no. It's like an arrow that pierces her fears away.
"Of course. We won't be doing it here. We're going to need an extremely wide open space and no living soul in the vicinity." Henry then stopped, letting his words sink in to Elsa.
He can see it in her eyes. The fear, the hesitation before finally settling in with determination, "I'll do it. Please, help me."
Henry smiled, "You didn't have to ask. But first things first. We need to settle quite a few things. As much as I hate to lie to you to protect Anna but to make sure we won't have any complications in the future. I'm going to tell you this now. Before Kai found and invited me here, I met Anna first. In Arendelle's Capital's plaza."
Elsa seemed surprised at first before realization kicked in, "She snuck. She once did the same when we were kids, and dad had to ground her for a few days."
Henry nodded his head, Anna already told him about it, "Just don't tell Kai what she did. She was the one who invited me first and trust me when I say this, no one in this world loves you more than your sister does."
Thankfully, Elsa found no reason to snitch over her sister so she nodded her head, "When this is all over…I'll be able to see her again. Touch her. Play with her…And build a snowman together."
Henry coughed, reeling in the bubbling emotion inside him. He truly has a weak heart when it comes to his favourite fictional characters.
"Don't be in a hurry, Princess Elsa. All those things you just mentioned will be realized soon. I promise you that." Even though it's a bit reckless of him to casually hand out promises, however if there's something he can be proud of, that is when he promised to do something, he'll damn well do his best to fulfill them.
Look at how he turned out in his past life. He promised his parents that he would become a successful person. And he did, albeit it was short-lived.
Elsa gulped her saliva and nodded her head. For now, her instincts were telling her to trust Henry.
"I'll tell Kai about the plan. If ever, we're going to need to leave the castle and venture into the forest. Perhaps we can try the top of a mountain, no one but us will be there." Just as Henry stood back up and was about to leave, Elsa interrupted him.
"Wait." When Henry turned to look at her, she seemed hesitant at first, "Thank you…for helping me. I won't forget this."
Henry didn't answer. He simply smiled and nodded his head before twisting the doorknob and leaving. In the meantime, he left the two fireballs still hovering around Elsa. Once he's out of distance, they'll extinguish by themselves.
Right exactly as he left, he was quickly met by Kai, an old woman who seemed to also be a servant, and surprisingly, there was also Princess Anna standing behind them.
"How is it? Is she okay?" Gerda, the head maid of the castle, was the first to react, repeatedly asking several questions concerning Elsa.
She's not overreacting or anything. Gerda is one of the oldest servants in the castle. She's been serving not just King Agnarr, but she also served under his father. So one can guess just how much she cares for what remains of the royal family.
Kai, on the other hand, didn't speak. He simply stared at Henry's eyes as if trying to pry the answer through them.
As for Anna, she's just fidgeting. No doubt silently praying for good news inside her mind.
'Why do I feel like a doctor about to deliver news after a surgery?' Henry's lips twitched at the sight of this.
Nonetheless, he delivered the good news, "Everything will be okay. But there will be some complications that Elsa has to go through. She won't be staying in the castle for a whi—."
Before Henry could finish his words, Kai quickly stepped forward and interrupted him, refusing Henry's attempt to take Elsa out of the castle, "Absolutely not! It's dangerous outside her room not just for her but also for the others!"
Even Gerda nodded her head in agreement. Perhaps, it's only Anna who looked excited by the thought of it. To the point that she even voiced out to defend Henry, "Kai, how about we hear what Magician Henry has to say first. He definitely has a good reason behind it, right Magician Henry?"
Henry nodded his head in appreciation and replied, "First of all, just address me simply as Henry. No need for formalities. Second, Princess Anna is right." He turned his attention to Kai's eyes, "First of all, if she stays here any longer, I doubt that room would be enough to hold down what she's been bottling up. I'm taking her outside for release."
Aware that Anna is still oblivious of Elsa's true situation, Henry coated his words so only Kai and Gerda would understand.
"Kai. What I want you to do right now is to trust me. I have a way to help her and I wouldn't be able to do it if you don't let me. I know their father asked you to take care of them and you probably swore your life to make sure no harm befalls his children but sometimes, you gotta take a risk."
Henry can see how Kai's eyes turned dull. Definitely caught up with the decision of whether to let Henry take Elsa out or refuse him and keep Elsa confined until the coronation day where she'll definitely lose control and put the entire Kingdom at risk.
"Kai…Please." Princess Anna patted the man's shoulders and nodded her head. Kai is like a father figure to them, and she knows just how much the man cares for both her and Elsa.
She might not know the full extent of Elsa's situation but she trusts Henry.
Finally, Kai sighed in defeat and nodded his head, "Alright, I agree. Please take care of her, Henry. I-I don't know how'll I face their parents if something bad happens."
"You made a wise choice, Kai. I'll tell Elsa about it." With that being said, Henry went back to Elsa's room. But just before he did so, he gave a brief nod towards Anna.
Sooner or later, he has to convince Elsa to let Anna know about her powers. In the film, Anna is the centerpoint of how Elsa will truly learn how to master her powers. Kind of like a lifeline.
Back in the room, Elsa was pacing around nervously. When she saw the door open and Henry entered, she approached him slightly, "How is it? Did Kai agree?"
When Henry nodded his head, Elsa sighed in relief. While at the same time, she felt a little bit nervous. This will be her first time leaving her room after years of isolation.
Countless questions rang inside her head. Several What-if's are plaguing her mind.
Such as, what if she lost control? What if she failed to control her powers? What if she accidentally froze Henry to death?
The more she thought about it, the more she started to regret her decision.
'M-Maybe this was a bad idea…'
Before she could spiral out of control, Henry's voice snapped her out of it, "Elsa. You look tense. Nervous?"
Looking up at his face, Elsa found her worries vanishing as she stuttered, "J-Just a little bit nervous, that's all."
Henry saw through her but didn't bother to expose her. It's normal to feel nervous when it comes to a life-changing situation. He can understand that.
"Let's go then. I'll give you some time to prepare, and call me if you're done, okay?" Elsa nodded her head at his words.
Just then, he remembered something, "Oh right. About Anna. Have you ever thought about telling her? She's your only family, you know. She at least deserves to know the truth. Though I'm not forcing you to tell her. Just reminding." With that being said, Henry didn't bother to wait for her answer and left the room.
On the other hand, Elsa stood frozen in her place. Henry's words echoed in her mind.
Should she reveal the truth to Anna? Tell her how she accidentally hurt her when they were children? Tell her that she's almost on the verge of death because of her?
In the end, she came up with nothing but a sigh, 'Perhaps this is what they call being stuck between a rock and a hard place.'