250A/N: The last full chapter, guys. There will be an epilogue after this, so we're not quite done, but enjoy the climax of the story. I dearly, dearly hope it meets your expectations.
(And major, major thanks to my wonderful Tumblr family for their encouragement. This chapter would not have happened without them.)
Dark as Snow
Chapter Thirteen
The snow lashed hard around them like stinging nettles as they rode, Kristoff taking the point, Elsa riding hot at his heels, rising up in the saddle, breath ghosting cold into the night.
"How much further?" she yelled ahead to him, even as the wind seemed to steal the words from her lungs and freeze them in the air before her.
"Not too far," Kristoff said, raising his voice to be heard, but there was a weakness to it, a weariness, and Elsa's brow furrowed in concern as she came up alongside him.
"Do you need to rest?" she asked, wincing as she glanced to the bloody spread beneath the hand he held tightly to his side.
Kristoff's jaw was set, eyes narrowed as he pushed Sven on. "It's fine," he said in a tight voice. "It has to be."
"You'll be of no use to my sister if you bleed to death before you even get to her!"
Kristoff was breathing hard as he looked to her then, and Elsa started at the wild, frantic look to his eyes as he met her gaze. "If I don't get to her," he said, voice thick, "then it doesn't even matter anymore."
Elsa stared at him, at the determined set to his features, and the memory of the postscript in the letter seemed to burn bright within her.
…because I love her, too.
"…do you really think he's that dangerous?" she asked, clicking her tongue and forcing her horse on a fraction faster even as she mentally apologized to the creature for the hard run.
Kristoff barely glanced to her, leaning harder into the saddle and staring down the path. "Who do you think did this to me?" he asked, voice dark, and Elsa's breath caught in her throat.
"…come on, girl," she murmured to the horse, eyes wide with fear as she rose up higher, breathing hard. "Faster."
Anna's world had narrowed to the slow, steady push-pull of her breath.
Inhale.
Exhale.
Inhale.
Exhale.
Her palms were pressed firmly to the cool silk of her skirts, purest white spattered with drops of blood.
Hers or Christabel's… she wasn't even sure anymore.
There was precious little left to distinguish them, in the end.
…precious little, Anna thought, slowly gazing to the locked bedchamber doors, swallowing hard even as a deep, iron resolve continued to solidify within her chest.
…but not nothing.
A slow, purposeful inhale, eyes closing, heart and shoulders steadying.
Did you fight, Christabel? Anna thought, running her fingertips along her skirts, and the girl who had held them in her hands on her wedding day, eyes bright with hope and promise, seemed a distant stranger. Did you try to fight him, too?
Exhale, thin and unsteady, eyes still focused on the doors.
She'd made two full circuits of the room after she'd torn from the windows, her heart seeming to beat in time with the rapid cadence of Kristoff and Elsa's flight towards her, eyes and hands searching for something, anything to arm herself for the fight.
Either anything that might be seen as makeshift weapons were too crass for the lord of the manor, or Hans had seen fit to eliminate that potential as well.
And so Anna had settled back to the bed, limbs threaded tight with tension, and forced herself to breathe.
She couldn't overpower him.
He'd ensured that she couldn't outsmart him.
Anna grimaced, jaw tight as his mocking smile flashed through her memory, and she ground her teeth together.
All she had left was the hope that she could outrun him when he came to retrieve her, push past him, rush to the forest, to Kristoff and Elsa, to safety, to home.
She knew the way, Anna thought, lips turning up into a weak half-smile as she remembered Kristoff's solid warmth beside her, his anchoring strength, his gentle, teasing eyes.
Inhale, deep and shaky, one hand pressing tight to her mouth.
He's alive, Anna thought, holding the breath deep within her, eyes closed. He's alive.
Exhale, breath passing between her fingers, and she opened her eyes only to narrow them malevolently at the doors.
But you tried to take him from me, didn't you, she thought to Hans's absent form, breath growing heavy, anger prickling along her arms, the back of her neck, red and sharp. You tried to take everything.
Her innocence, broken and bloodied in his bed.
Her love, twisted, mocked, abused, discarded.
Her sister, hidden and kept from her, the distance between them increasing even as it should have narrowed.
…and her heart, used, degraded, and left to die alone on the mountainside.
Inhale, trembling and short, jaw set, hands clenching tight in her skirts.
Everything in her was screaming to fight, to hold fast and make her final stand, steel her backbone, her will, her resolve, and reclaim some semblance of the strength she'd lost, that he'd so desperately tried to break and shatter…
A slow exhale, shoulders falling, and Anna closed her eyes and set her head in her hands.
Her best chance for survival was still to run, she knew.
But it felt so weak, somehow, to set desperate feet to the path and run to help instead of fighting back.
Sometimes being strong just means letting other people help you.
Kristoff's voice, soft yet heavy with meaning, came to her then, and Anna raised her head, chest rising on a slow, steady inhale.
A brief, bloody flash appeared behind her eyes, and she closed them briefly, just for the space of a few heartbeats.
Christabel, Anna thought, fists clenching, breath tight in her throat. I'm sorry. I promise I'll make it right somehow.
But I won't be joining you.
The sound of approaching footsteps reached her ears then, and Anna's heartbeat quickened in her chest as she forced herself to rise, as she moved towards the doors on unsteady legs.
It was an easy, unhurried step, measured and steady, and Anna pressed her back to the wall beside the doors, breath rising short and sharp as the lock began to turn.
Stronger than you think you are, she thought, the words burned bright into her memory, sustaining, and she briefly set her hand to her heart. Stronger than you think you are.
Her heart skipped a beat as the doors opened then, as Hans appeared, all lithe, easy movement, his familiar smirk tilting at the corners of his lips.
His hand rested easily along the sword slung over his hip.
"Well, Anna," he said, and there was a mocking sadness to his voice that set the familiar heat of rage to her blood, "as much as I've enjoyed our time together, I'm afraid that it's come to…"
She moved.
Feet sliding quick over the marble, she moved, one arm lashing out, pushing him bodily up against the doorframe, and she didn't even stop to register the brief narrowing of his eyes as she ran into the hallway, breaking into a hard sprint.
Go, Anna thought to herself, breathing hard, pushing herself to move as quickly as she could even as her wedding dress seemed a leaden weight against her, as her skirts trailed along the rich carpet. Go, just go!
The sound of quick footsteps breaking into a run sounded behind her, and Anna's eyes widened as she ran faster, ducking her head and moving, down the hall, around the corner, heart soaring as she recognized the familiar stairs in the distance.
Almost there, she thought, breath coming in quick bursts, heart pounding even as Hans's footsteps grew quicker and closer behind her. Almost…
Anna's eyes widened on a horrified gasp as her heavy skirts tangled around her ankles, and she stumbled hard, just for a moment, just long enough to throw her off balance and force her to hobble slightly to the side.
A grasping hand came tight around the back of her neck, pressing down, and Anna didn't even have time to cry out before it threw her hard against the rough stone wall.
The hall echoed with a sickening crack, and Anna slumped to the floor, blinking hard, the world seeming to tilt and swim before her even as a deep, awful throbbing settled along the base of her skull. She closed her eyes, nearly retching from the pain, even as something lifted her, grabbed, and pushed.
There was a hard impact at her side, followed by another along her ribs, her hip, point to point to point until she finally lay still, dizzy and breathless, every inch of her screaming in pain even as she tried to stand, to orient herself.
Anna blinked hard, glancing up at the long stone staircase now rising up above her, and she distantly registered that she'd been thrown down them even as she recognized Hans's boots descending towards her.
Go, her inner voice screamed again, but she closed her eyes and held back another wave of nausea as her head continued to throb.
Too late.
It was too late.
Another sharp, screaming pain at the base of her skull, and Anna's gaze was pulled forcefully to meet Hans's as he roughly dragged her to her feet by her hair.
His breath was steady and even as his eyes burned into hers, dark and murderous. "I suppose it was too much to ask that you might die with dignity, Anna," he said in a low voice, the hand at her nape fisting tight and pulling harder. "But we'll just have to make do."
She dimly felt his free hand come tight around her forearm, dragging her with him, and Anna went slack, attempted to drag her feet, but everything around her was gray and unsteady, long flashes of black streaking across her vision, and she knew Hans's rough pull was the only reason she was standing upright.
There was a sudden freezing rush, a pulse of driving snow and wind, and Anna blinked, blood turning to ice as she recognized the snowy stone of the courtyard.
She glanced desperately to the dark fringe of forest beyond the estate, something breaking within her as Hans dragged her to the center of the courtyard, to a large, upturned stone, and roughly forced her to her knees.
They wouldn't make it, she knew.
They wouldn't make it in time.
Anna bit back the sob rising hot and desperate to her throat even as Hans's hand curved around the back of her neck, pushing her head down against the stone. His touch was mockingly gentle as he pushed her hair aside, baring her pale neck to the cold winter air.
Anna's breath was heavy and short as she struggled, tried to push herself up, but her head and body ached… and she was suddenly tired, so very tired…
There was a metallic scrape behind her, the slow drag of a sword being pulled from its scabbard, and Anna closed her eyes tightly, taking a deep breath and willing the dampness pushing at her eyes to hold back.
She wouldn't let him see her cry.
Not even in death.
I'm sorry, Kristoff, Anna thought, and her heart seemed to break in her chest. Tell Elsa I love her. That… that I tried.
The world seemed to slow around her, narrowing once again to her breath, to the kiss of snowflakes along her cheeks, to the twisting bite of the wind around her.
She hoped, distantly, that Kristoff and Elsa would at least arrive late enough to not have to watch her die.
There was a hysterical sob rising up in her chest, and Anna bit hard against her lip.
If only she had fought harder…
If only she had been stronger…
Anna breathed in one last time, willing her heartbeat to settle even as her head pounded, louder and louder, driving hard and fast and sharp like a thousand thundering hoofbeats…
There was a sudden clatter a few paces away, the harsh sound of metal on stone just behind her, and Anna opened her eyes slowly in confusion, taking in a deep, shaking breath as she turned her head.
Her eyes widened as she drew her gaze up, to Hans's stunned form held aloft in Kristoff's iron-fisted grip, all bared teeth and narrowed eyes, blood dripping fast along his side.
"…Kristoff?" she gasped, struggling to her feet, but Kristoff glanced past her, down the courtyard.
"Elsa, get her out of here!" he yelled, voice fading into a sharp cry of pain as Hans pulled away far enough to drive one pointed fist hard and fast into his side.
Anna's vision was still hazy and unsteady, watching in horror as Hans moved to retrieve his sword, only for Kristoff to haul back and deliver a hard punch to his jaw before knocking him over. The two struggled, Hans's sword just barely out of reach, and Anna gasped as she noticed the trail of blood behind Kristoff.
"Anna!"
A pair of arms came tight around her shoulders, holding her close even as they shook, and Anna pulled back, eyes widening as Elsa looked to her, hair wild and disheveled around her shoulders, riding cloak askew. "Are you hurt?" she asked desperately, running her hands over Anna's face. "Anna, did he hurt you?"
Anna still stared at her, head and heart pounding even as Elsa helped her to her feet, one arm still wrapped tightly around her shoulders. "I…" Anna managed, blinking hard as she attempted to focus her gaze. "…I'm alive. I… I think."
Elsa attempted to pull her back towards the edge of the courtyard, and Anna dimly registered Sven and another horse waiting beyond the curving stone wall.
"We have to get out of here," Elsa said in a rush, pulling hard against Anna's shoulders. "Anna, we have to go, now!"
There was the sound of a hard impact, and Anna turned back, eyes widening in horror as Hans gained the upper hand, Kristoff prostrate on the ground beneath him as Hans drove a swift, hard kick against his ribs.
Anna cried out, pulling away from Elsa even as her sister held her firm.
"Anna!"
"I'm not leaving him!" Anna said breathlessly, struggling hard even as her vision faded and her breath grew short. "I promised! I promised him!"
Anna stared desperately ahead as Kristoff pushed up, breathing hard and driving his elbow up against Hans's chin, knocking him back even as Hans attempted once more to retrieve his sword.
He was so pale, so haggard-looking, and Anna's breath caught in her throat as she noticed the thick spread of blood along his shirt.
He fell to his knees, head bowed, exhaustion clear in every line of his body, and a silent scream rose up in Anna's chest as Hans's fingers came tight around the hilt of his sword.
I can't watch you die, she thought hysterically, and her scream broke over her lips even as she once more attempted to pull from Elsa's hold. I can't… I can't!
Elsa glanced to her then, shoulders shaking, before releasing Anna from her grasp.
Anna barely had time to glance to her sister in confusion before Elsa moved, quickly spanning the space across the courtyard and throwing her full weight hard against Hans, landing against him in an awkward heap. Her hands shook visibly as she pushed the sword away, but Hans recovered quickly, catching her wrist in his hand and twisting her arm up hard behind her back before throwing her roughly to the ground.
"You're all so eager to die, aren't you," Hans said, breathing heavily as he retrieved his sword, glancing from Elsa to Kristoff, who lay utterly still and silent in the snow. Hans's lips twisted into a sneer as Elsa moved to kneel protectively by Kristoff, hands shaking as she turned his face upright, searching for a pulse.
"Shame," Hans murmured, casting an appreciative eye over Elsa's form. "If only you'd been more accessible than your worthless sister, I'dve had a far more beautiful trophy for my bed."
He shrugged lightly, eyes flashing dark as he set the point of his sword to the rough flagstones of the courtyard. "But if I had to guess, I think you'll bleed just as beautifully as my dear Anna always did."
The blade of his sword glinted in the moonlight as he began to raise it high.
Anna struggled to her feet, breath coming in short, desperate pants as she looked with wide, horrified eyes to the scene before her.
Everything seemed almost frozen in place – Kristoff's inert form, bleeding thickly into the snow, Elsa's terrified features as she crouched protectively before him… the gleeful malice in Hans's eyes as he lifted his sword.
…he's going to kill them, she thought desperately, and it felt as though her breath had stopped entirely. He's going to kill them because I loved them.
Because they loved me.
Stronger than you think you are, Anna thought on a broken, angry sob, and she turned her head, head pounding, the first of a line of hot tears sliding down her cheeks. Stronger than…
Her breath hitched high in her throat as her gaze fell on a pair of unassuming objects, dusted thickly with snow, haphazardly tossed aside just moments before.
You wanted to shoot an arrow, remember? Kristoff's eyes, soft and teasing, the quirk of a smile as he lifted, drew, aimed…
Anna's knees shook but didn't buckle as she moved, as quickly as she could, taking up the bow in winter-numb hands, grabbing an arrow from the fallen quiver beside it, and setting it to the nock.
Her breath billowed out in great frozen clouds before her as she lifted it, fingers shaking as she set them to the bowstring and pulled…
…nothing.
It didn't budge.
No, Anna thought, desperate, hysterical, fingers tugging hard at the bowstring, a broken cry rising to her lips. Please… please!
…stronger than you think you are.
Kristoff's voice, warm and anchoring.
His hands, strong but gentle around hers.
…strongest person I've ever met…
…inhale.
…stronger than you think you are…
Exhale.
…stronger than you think you are…
The slicing arc of a flashing blade.
Her sister, strong but frightened, refusing to look away.
Her beloved's blood thick and red against freshly-fallen snow.
Inhale.
Always.
Exhale.
Always.
The faintest brush of her fingers along her cheek as pulled with everything she had, everything she was, as her eyes narrowed into the snow, between the flakes, through the wind.
She could feel the memory of Kristoff's arms around her, holding her hands to the bow, and she grit her teeth as she finally, muscles burning, screaming in pain, drew it back.
Stronger than you think you are.
Her vision was tilting wildly around her, fading into darkness, head pounding…
What I am, Anna… is so much more than you could ever be.
Anna tightened her grip, drawing in a deep breath and forcing herself to stand steady, fingers tight and strong along the bowstring.
No, Hans, she thought, mouth set tight, eyes open and clear.
You're so much less.
She loosed the arrow.
There was a sucking impact, a dull thud, and Anna's hands didn't move even as she stared ahead, to Hans's bowed back, to the sword that fell limply from his hand, to the hunting arrow protruding bloody and thick from his chest.
He half-turned to her, eyes wide in disbelief as he coughed, hard and deep, flecks of blood along his lips.
Anna's hand was tight along the bow, eyes staring into his even as she noted, distantly, that she had never before seen genuine emotion within him until now.
Another cough, deep and awful, and his eyes rolled back as he crumpled to the ground in an awkward heap. He twitched once, twice… and was still.
Anna was breathing hard, arms and hands trembling violently as she uncurled her fingers and dropped Kristoff's bow to the ground, turning to regard Elsa as her sister rose unsteadily to her feet, staring at Anna with wide eyes.
A sob broke from her throat, echoing through the courtyard before she even had a chance to bite it back, and Anna looked to Elsa, tears sliding down her cheeks.
"…I got your letters," she managed in a weak voice. "I finally… I finally got your letters…"
Anna dropped her face into her hands as Elsa rushed to her, her own shoulders shaking with the force of her sobs as she gathered Anna up in a fierce, enveloping hug, rocking her gently.
"I love you, Anna," she heard Elsa say in a teary voice, and she clung and wept harder.
"How did you even get here?" Anna asked, pulling back a fraction and scrubbing a hand over her face.
Elsa managed a watery smile, glancing behind her. "Your friend got a message to me that…" She paled suddenly as her eyes passed over Kristoff. "Oh god," she said, voice weak and frightened. "Anna… your friend…"
Anna's blood ran cold as she turned, a horrified gasp rising in her throat as she pulled from Elsa's embrace, rushing to Kristoff's side on unsteady legs.
"Kristoff!" she cried, gently framing his face with her hands as she pulled him to her in the snow.
His eyes were closed, face deathly pale, and Anna gasped again at the drip of blood along her hand as she laid him in her lap.
No, Anna thought, desperately curving her hand over his cheek. Please, god, no!
"Kristoff!" she yelled again, running one hand over his chest, over his heart. "Don't you dare die on me! Not now, not after everything!"
She was sobbing openly, shoulders heaving, hand limply clutching at his shirtfront. "Don't… don't you leave me," she managed, voice rough with tears and hitching sobs. "You son of a bitch, don't you dare leave me!"
Anna shut her eyes tightly as she wept with great, chest-heaving sobs, dripping tears onto her hands as she clutched them to her mouth.
Her eyes flew open at the feel of a gentle brush along her cheek, just along her cheekbone, brushing aside her tears, and her eyes widened as Kristoff's opened beneath her, the faintest hint of a smile tilting at the corners of his mouth.
"Language," he whispered, curving his hand around her cheek.
Anna made a noise somewhere between a sob and a desperate cry as she threw her arms around him, and Kristoff struggled into an upright position, holding Anna close, burying his face in her hair, pressing gentle kisses to her cheek, her temple.
Anna clung to him, fisting her hands in the back of his shirt, pressing close to him even as she glanced to Elsa over his shoulder.
Her sister offered her a soft, understanding smile, and Anna couldn't help but return it.
Stronger than you think you are, she thought, closing her eyes against the warmth of Kristoff's embrace.
For the first time in forever…
…she was pretty sure she knew.