Chapter 9 - Mind, Body and Soul

Throughout her life, Elsa had never been fond of the idea of going to a therapist. Since she had first discovered her ice powers as a child, Elsa had always been worried about how someone would see her on a professional level. Would they lock her up and experiment on her? Prod and poke her to find out what made her tick? Those were the things she feared.

Yet here she was, sitting in the reception area of Arendelle's most renowned mental health clinic, waiting for an appointment. She was wearing a rather formal light blue jacket, with her gloves back on today. Elsa knew it was best that Anna wasn't here and her powers in their current state would make her case more worthwhile.

The therapist she had booked to see, under Kristoff's recommendation, was a young woman named Fa Mulan. She had spent most of her life in the military according to what Elsa had found out online. Apparently, she was one of the best mental health experts in all of Arendelle, but Elsa knew that even an expert would likely be dumbfounded by her unique... condition.

Twiddling her fingers in worry, Elsa tried to be patient and calm. The reception area wasn't that busy, but even so, Elsa couldn't risk her powers flaring up. Still, once she was with the therapist, she could relax. These places were supposed to help relax the mind after all.

Just then, Elsa heard a calm voice call her name. "Elsa Fryst?" Elsa turned to one side, recognising her family's name being called.

To Elsa's left, down a small access ramp, a young Asian woman in a wheelchair, with short black hair and brown eyes, rolled towards her. She was wearing a rather casual looking red jacket, but what surprised Elsa most was her legs... or rather the lack of them. From her hips downward, Elsa could see a small green blanket covering the woman's lower body, thinning out from the lack of lower appendages.

Rolling up to Elsa and smiling, the woman looked up at Elsa and held out her hand. "I'm Fa Mulan. I believe we had an appointment."

Shaking the woman's hand, Elsa smiled in return. "Hello, Miss Fa. I hope I am not interrupting you with you my visit."

"Not at all," the therapist responded. "It's always a pleasure when a patient like yourself comes along." She giggled at the slightly confused expression on Elsa's face. "I know, you probably weren't expecting me in a wheelchair were you?"

"No, but it's not like I would judge you," Elsa admitted. "It's not a problem really, just a pleasant surprise."

"I get it all the time," Mulan replied, smiling warmly. "Shall we go to my office and begin?"

"Of course," Elsa agreed, as Mulan then started to wheel away down a nearby corridor, rolling at a rather steady pace. Elsa followed behind, feeling rather at ease in Mulan's presence. She hadn't even started her session with her and she was already feeling relaxed.

As she followed her therapist, Elsa started to wonder how this woman would react to seeing her abilities. Since she had clearly seen much in her life, Elsa had a feeling she might be a little understanding of her powers, but there was still a sense of worry.

But, Elsa knew that she was likely going to see this woman often, so there would be time for them to gradually build up a relationship and mutual understanding of one another.

Walking at Mulan's side, Elsa looked down at the young woman. "So... may I ask a personal question about you?" She inquired. "It's about your legs... I'm a little curious about them, but if it's a sensitive subject, I won't push about it."

"No, it's alright," Mulan said, the two of them soon arriving at the door to her office. As she took out her key, she began her tale. "I assume you read I was in the military right?"

Elsa nodded, as Mulan opened the door and led them into the rather calm, quiet office.

"Well, I was deployed in the middle east a couple of years ago and well... I fell on a landmine that should have blown me to bits. Miraculously I survived. There was extensive damage to my legs, so they both had to be amputated. The pain was intense, but I learned to cope with my injuries and adapt to them. Losing my legs helped me gain a spiritual understanding of myself." She chuckled. "It's funny. My grandma used to tell me stories about spirits and our ancestors and how we could look deep within ourselves to better one another. I never knew how much that truly meant until after the accident."

"Did you ever consider getting prosthetic limbs?" Elsa inquired. "It would be a bit easier for you. After all, pushing that wheelchair does look tiring."

"No, I don't like the idea of them," Mulan answered. "I've grown used to how my body is now and I wouldn't change a single thing."

Elsa smiled, admiring the woman's confidence in herself. She envied it slightly, feeling that much like Mulan, she too had lost a great deal. Of course, she hadn't lost any limbs, but she had hope that like Mulan and her injuries, she'd be able to overcome her guilt of hurting Anna and finally controlling her powers again.

Mulan then took out a notepad and then gestured for Elsa to lie down on a small chaise longue sofa to their left. Elsa did so, taking off her shoes and lying down.

Her therapist took a seat beside Elsa, looking at her with a calm expression. "Okay, I think it's time we talked a bit more about yourself, Elsa," Mulan spoke. "What exactly is the reason you wanted to see me today? You said on the phone with my receptionist that you had been dealing with anxiety issues?"

Nodding, Elsa confirmed Mulan's statement, but she knew there was so much more than meets the eye when it came to her issues. "Yes... but, it's a bit more than just a simple issue of anxiety. I'm a rather... unique case for you, doctor."

"Unique?" Mulan inquired. "In what way?"

Gulping, Elsa knew it was time to blow the lid on her not-so-little secret. She sat up and faced Mulan, gently pulling at the finger of her glove. She sighed, breathing easily, as the glove was slowly was pulled off her hand and her pale fingers were exposed.

She then held out her palm in front of her, closing her eyes and concentrating. She let her power flow freely, letting only a little bit of that swirling storm exit her body. At that moment, her hand glowed with blue sparkles as a small snowflake made of ice appeared above Elsa's hand, hovering in the air.

Mulan's jaw dropped completely once she saw the snowflake, utterly amazed and bewildered by the sight of it. She had never seen anything like it in her whole life. Looking at Elsa, she struggled to find the words, being too lost in surprise.

"Woah..." She eventually got out. "I... I wasn't expecting that. When you said you were unique, this wasn't what I had in mind."

Elsa quickly melted the snowflake and sighed, pulling her glove back on. "I... I can do a lot more with them than just making snowflakes but... it was very hard to do even that."

"Why so?" Mulan inquired.

Sighing, Elsa looked at Mulan. "Because of the reason I'm here... you see, a few years ago, I accidentally struck my fiancee Anna in the head with my powers. She was alright, but I've never been able to get over the guilt of it... and she was the only one who knew of my powers."

"And because of your guilt, you've been suffering from anxiety attacks?"

"No, I've had them for most of my life. That part is separate from my powers, but the more I worry, the more my powers grow stronger... and the more I worry about hurting someone."

Putting a comforting hand on Elsa's shoulder, Mulan smiled. "Well, you haven't hurt me. I suppose there's something for you to be happy about."

"Y-You aren't scared?" Elsa stuttered. "I mean, you are the first person to see these powers of mine in so many years."

"Why would I be?" Mulan wondered. "It's not like you've turned me into a block of ice now is it?" She chuckled. "It's okay, Elsa. You can trust me with your secret."

Relieved, Elsa sighed again, breathing easy again as she rested back down on the sofa, letting her whole body relax. She closed her eyes for a few seconds before opening them again and smiling. "Thank you, Doctor."

Mulan rested back in her chair and wrote a few things down in her notebook. "Now, Elsa, about these powers of yours... where exactly did you get them? Do you know where they come from?"

Shaking her head, Elsa gave her answer. "I... I don't really know myself. I've looked up many possibilities for my powers. Inherited genes? Sudden mutation? Latent human abilities? I've even looked into mystical elements, like curses and such... but nothing has ever been a clear answer. What I do know is that my powers are tied to my emotional state. The more emotional I am, the stronger my powers are to control."

"Does it always come out of your hands?" Mulan then asked. "I mean, is that why you wear the gloves all the time?"

"Part of the reason, yes," Elsa stated. "But... it has come out of... other places as well." She blushed a little. "There is one thing that does help me control my powers... or rather one person in particular."

"And who is that?"

Elsa sighed, letting her thoughts dwell on the beautiful redhead named Anna. "Anna... She and I have been spending time together again lately... and because of that I've been finding my powers much easier to control and such."

"Well, while I can help you with your mental health problems, Elsa," Mulan expressed. "I recommend on a professional level that you spend as much time with Anna as possible. You could even move in with her if that's preferable."

"I... I don't know about that," Elsa said. "You see... Anna doesn't know about my powers. Well, she used to know, but when I hit her with my powers, she fell and hit her head... and the concussion gave her some kind of selective amnesia and she forgot all about my powers."

"Perhaps letting her back in on your secret would be a step in the right direction to rebuilding your relationship?" Mulan suggested. "That is... if that's what you want."

"It is... I would want nothing more than for Anna to be with me again and maybe... we could get married as we planned... but I know she's seeing several other women now as well as myself." She paused. "But... I suppose it wouldn't hurt to think about it."

"That's the spirit, Elsa," Mulan assured her. "Would you like something to drink? I suspect we're going to be here for a while."

"Yes please," Elsa expressed. She knew she still had a lot more things to get off her chest, but she was happy that she finally had someone who would listen. Perhaps therapists weren't so bad after all.

xXx

After her appointment was over, Elsa felt very relieved with herself. For the first time without Anna, Elsa felt relaxed and in control of her powers and for that she was very thankful. Part of her wanted to stay out and enjoy her new freedom while it lasted, but Elsa knew she had to head home. Her parents would probably have started to worry about her.

Heading out of the doors of the clinic, Elsa walked to her car and climbed inside, buckling up her seatbelt. She'd have had Kristoff drive her to her appointment, but Elsa wanted to come alone and unannounced. Besides, it had been a while since she had been behind the wheel.

Staring up the engine, Elsa headed down the street back towards the palace, putting on a rather soothing song on the radio. As she relaxed in the melody, Elsa tried her best to keep her eyes on the road. She was starting to get quite tired.

The Appointment had been like a dream come true for Elsa, a chance to finally get most of her problems off her chest, but it had been very exhausting. All Elsa wanted now was to leap onto her bed and sleep for the rest of the day.

However, Elsa soon realised that would not be an option. As she was turning onto the main road back to the palace, she saw her phone buzz on the passenger seat. She didn't have time to check who was messaging her, but from the corner of her eye, she could make out the icon of the person messaging her. It was Hans.

What could he want? Elsa mused in her thoughts. Hans had been quiet these past few days, Elsa hoping that her time with Anna at the gala had been what had finally got him off her back. Clearly, he wasn't so easy to get rid of.

Realising there was no way of avoiding him now, Elsa agreed that she would have to deal with him. Perhaps now that she had some mental control over herself she could finally give Hans a piece of her mind.

As her car pulled into the driveway of the palace and Elsa had parked it in the garage, she started to make her way to the front entrance of the building. She put on a scowling face but remained as calm as possible. She would let herself be angry, but not let her powers show.

But before she could make her way into the building, however, Kristoff suddenly ran out of the door and stopped her, a panicked look on her face.

"Elsa!" He whispered. "I don't think you should go in there."

"What's going on?" Elsa inquired.

"It's that douchebag with the sideburns," Kristoff explained. "He's barged into the palace and he's pretty much tearing your dad a new one over something. I don't know what it is, but it's serious, like really really bad."

Elsa frowned. "I'll be alright Kristoff. If things get really ugly, you call the cops okay?"

Kristoff nodded and sighed. "Alright... but be careful, Elsa."

With Kristoff getting out of her way, Elsa then walked forward, pushing open the doors to the palace. Once she was inside the large main hall, she was greeted with sounds of arguing and shouting from one of the rooms on the upper floor.

She could definitely make out the two voices clearly. One was that of her father and the other was that of Hans, both of them arguing about something fiercely. Elsa knew to remain calm and collected, but there was deep anger rising within her.

She then made her way up the stairs, sitting very close to the walls. Soon, she found the source of where the arguing voices were coming from, her father's study. As she hid behind the open door, Elsa listened in on what Hans and her father were arguing over.

"You lied to me, Hans!" Elsa's father first accused the younger man. "You told me you were a man of the people, but clearly I was wrong!"

"And you're going to believe those lies?!" Hans scoffed. "Does that woman even have any proof against me?!"

"She most certainly does and I can't believe I let it slip right under my nose!"

What lies? Elsa then wondered in her thoughts. Had her father just discovered something incriminating about Hans? Needing answers, Elsa stormed out of her hiding spot, seeing her father and Hans inches from tearing each other apart.

"Papa what's going on here?!" Elsa demanded.

The king, who was behind his desk, sighed and pulled out a newspaper. He then tossed it over to his daughter, before glaring at Hans. "Read the cover story, Elsa. And you'll see something quite interesting about our new friend."

Elsa did as her father suggested, looking at the issue of the Arendelle Gazette that had just been handed to her. As she looked at the front article, written by a name familiar to hers, Rapunzel Corona, she scowled upon reading its contents.

The article in question was an expose on all of Hans's activities and unfair business practices, from his many anti-consumer dealings in the states, to his ties with the current ruling political party and how he helped assist them into power with ill-gotten gains. Reading all of it disgusted Elsa and only made her hate Hans even more.

"There's a lot more on the other pages," Elsa's father then stated. "But it doesn't matter now. I've seen him for what he truly is. Nothing more than a corrupt, corporate snake."

"Snake?!" Hans growled. "I am merely doing what it takes to survive in this dog eat dog world, Your Majesty! Maybe you wouldn't realise that with all your money and jewellery!?"

"Enough!" Elsa silenced him. "I've had enough of this, Hans! You're not only a snake, but you're also a perverted, disgusting bastard! Why Papa ever thought you would be good for me, I'll never know!"

"I agree," Elsa's father then stated. "I am sorry for having brought this man into your life, Elsa. Let me make up for that right now. Hans, get out of here and don't come back!"

Hans then growled and merely pushed Elsa's father aside. Snarling angrily, he grabbed Elsa by the shoulder and pinned her against the wall. Hot breath hit Elsa's face, as Hans glared at her. "You did this, didn't you?! I saw you with that reporter at the party and with that fucking ex of yours!"

"It wasn't me Hans!" Elsa argued, trying to break free of his grip as well as trying to maintain control of her powers. "You brought this upon yourself!"

With malice in his eyes, Hans then held his hand above Elsa's head. "Then if I'm going down, you're going with me!"

"No!" Elsa's father cried out.

With a shock of horror, Elsa pulled off her glove and let all her anger out. With a cry of anger, ice blasted from her wrist and shot Hans dead in the chest with a massive blow. Hans stumbled in shock, gazing at the bloody red wound on his stomach, before he collapsed to the ground.

Staring in horror, Elsa collapsed to the floor as well panicking wildly. "Oh god... I... I killed him!"

Quickly rushing to the side of Hans, the king checked the man's pulse. "No, it's alright. He's still breathing, but barely." He then went to Elsa's side and cradled her close to him. "Shhh, it's okay, child."

Grunting, Elsa pushed her father away. "Don't Papa! Please... I don't want to hurt you."

As some of the servants arrived and carried Hans away, the king helped his daughter to her feet and led her out of the room. "It's okay, Elsa. You can't hurt me."

Elsa merely whimpered with fear, holding her hands to her chest. "I... I.. I only wanted him to get out of the way. I didn't want to shoot him..."

"It's okay," the king assured his daughter again. "I'm not scared of you, Elsa."

"Y-You aren't?" Elsa wondered. "B-But... I just shot a man with magic ice powers... any normal person would be utterly terrified of that."

"Yes, anyone would be, but not me," Elsa's father replied, before leading Elsa into her bedroom. "You have no reason to be scared of hurting me, Elsa."

Sighing, Elsa then sat down on her bed, trying her best to compose herself. She quickly found a new pair of gloves for herself, before breathing much more easily. She then felt confused about why her father had not been scared of her powers. As far as she knew, he had never seen her powers before.

Looking up at the man, Elsa raised an eyebrow. "Papa... did you know?"

Giving his answer, the king nodded. "Yes... I've known about your powers from the moment you were born Elsa." He then sat beside Elsa and smiled. "I never gave them much thought over the years, but I knew something was up with them when you started hiding away, but I knew it wasn't my place to get involved with your own problems.

"You knew all this time...?" Elsa struggled to come to the realisation. "Did you know... why I started hiding in the first place?"

"Because you and Anna broke up?" The king wondered. "I knew there was something off about when you called off your wedding to her."

"Because... I once hurt Anna with my powers like I just hurt Hans and now I'm scared people are going to find out and-"

"Shhhh," Elsa's father quietened her daughter. "People will not find out. I'll make up some clever excuse to the press. Besides, the fallout from that article will probably be much more on their minds now." He sighed. "Do you need some time alone?"

Elsa then remembered something that Mulan had told her earlier, about how it might be better for her to be with a certain someone for a while to help control her powers. She then looked at her father and nodded. "Yes... Papa, could you ask Kristoff to come to my room and help me pack... I think I need some time away from home for a while."

The king nodded. "I'll do that straight after I deal with Hans," he told her. "In the meantime... you take care of yourself. Your mother and I love you very much."

As the king left Elsa's bedroom, the young blonde princess then looked under her bed and pulled out her phone. She quickly turned it on and went into the contacts app. There was only one person Elsa could think of calling at a time like this.

And Elsa prayed that she would be there to answer her call for help.

xXx

Anna sat on the couch in the living room of her apartment, feeding herself with potato chips. She was enjoying a nice day of doing nothing, just relaxing and enjoying life to the fullest. There was nothing she loved more than simply enjoying a lazy day in her casual clothes, wearing nothing more than a black shirt, green flannel and simple underwear.

In her arms was Anna's girlfriend Rapunzel, the young blonde having stayed the night with Anna. As the two of them cuddled together on the couch, both girls watched a news report on the television, Rapunzel being very insistent that she and Anna watch it.

"In the continuing story of the corruption in Arendelle's government, Prime Minister Dimitri Westleton and his party were recently found guilty of several illicit activities, including various ties to organised crime, rigging of their recent election win and allowing for external corporations to have an influence over Arendellian economy. Most notable of which was American business mogul Hans Woods. There are rumours that with the current party being ousted from office that opposition leader Moana Waialiki may take power, but in these uncertain times, people are unsure if Democracy can truly work for Arendelle's favour."

Rapunzel smirked, raising her drink in the air. "And so the corrupt tyrants are brought down and peace and progress rise in their wake."

Kissing her girlfriend's cheek, Anna smiled. "You did good breaking that story, Punzie. Thanks to you, a lot of people are gonna sleep safer in their beds at night."

"It was thanks to your suggestion, Anna my love," Rapunzel cooed. This had all come about when Rapunzel and Anna were discussing the information Rapunzel had gathered on Hans a few nights earlier. After the charity gala and worrying for Elsa's safety, Anna insisted that Rapunzel give what she knew to the authorities in hopes of not only exposing Hans for who he was, but also so that Elsa might hopefully get some space from the appalling man.

As Anna and Rapunzel cuddled, Anna wondered if she should go to the kitchen and fetch some more wine. This was their victory celebration after all. But she soon found the peace was broken when her phone started to vibrate wildly.

Curiously, Anna picking up her phone, seeing that she was getting a call from Elsa. Looking at Rapunzel's side, Anna quickly muted the TV. "It's Elsa, I gotta take this."

"Hope she's alright," Rapunzel said with concern.

Standing up, Anna walked to the kitchen where she knew she couldn't be disturbed. Holding the phone to her ear, Anna answered the call. "Hello?"

Elsa's voice then came over the other end of the line, the young princess sounding rather shaky and scared. "A-Anna?" She stuttered. "Are you there?"

"I'm here," Anna replied, holding the phone close. "Are you okay, Elsa? You sound... nervous."

"Anna... Something really bad has happened and... I don't feel safe in my own home anymore," Elsa expressed. "Is it alright if I come over to your place for a while? I... I have some things I would like to talk about with you... alone."

Smiling, Anna nodded. "Sure, Punzie might be going soon anyway. Are you okay, Elsa?"

"I... I hope so," Elsa responded. "God... today has been such a rough day for me."

"Well, you can tell me all about it when you get here," Anna replied. "I love you, Elsa."

"I... I love you too," Elsa whispered, before ending the call.

Putting the phone down, Anna sighed. It seemed like she was going to have more than just Rapunzel for company tonight... but Anna was more than okay with that. After all, it seemed like Elsa really needed to be with someone right now, someone she trusted and loved... and Anna would gladly be there for the woman she loved, no matter what.

xXx

Author's note: Hello everyone! Sorry for the long wait! I've had a bit of a rough month! I'm gonna try and put the rest of this fic out soon. Most of this fic is all written, I just need to edit and add a few things here and there. Hope you enjoy it! Oh.. "hands you tissues" here, you'll need these.

Btw I now have fanfic comissions open! If you would like to have a story like this written about an idea you have, please check out my tumblr! My comission info is all there!

Have a nice day!