Anna slowly and carefully wiggled her way out of Elsa's arms. Thankfully, the Queen was a relatively heavy sleeper, and sharing her bed for countless nights had given Anna a good idea of what would wake her monarch up. She'd waited for over an hour, keeping her eyes closed and her body still, until she was certain that Elsa had drifted into the realm of sleep.

It took her nearly ten minutes, but the Knight managed to separate herself from her consort without so much as a groan passing from Elsa's lips. That done, she softly slid to the other side of the bed and gradually lifted the blanket off of her body. For once, Anna's chronic clumsiness remained dormant. It wasn't long until her feet reached the floor without making a sound.

On her tiptoes now, the Knight crept across the room and opened the door. The slightest creak made itself known as the wood slid inwards. Anna closed her eyes, praying for Elsa to remain unconscious...and the gods granted her wish. Sighing silently, Anna slipped into the hall and shut the door carefully behind her.

After another few seconds passed without a reaction from the bedroom, Anna was flooded with relief. Still keeping her steps silent, the Knight walked down the hall and opened the door to one of the unused Royal Bedrooms. Earlier, when Elsa had briefly left their bedroom to relay a message to the kitchens that requested a meal to be brought up for Anna, the Knight had hurriedly grabbed one of her outfits and deposited it underneath the spare room's bed. It would not do for a Lady to walk the Castle's halls in her nightgown, after all.

Two minutes later, the now properly-clothed Anna made her way down the hall and rounded the corner. As always, two Royal Guards stood on watch; they allowed her to pass without comment. Her confidence rising, the Knight made her way through the Palace.

No one would stop her now. Anna had free reign to move wherever she pleased within the Castle; everyone knew that by now. An order from Elsa could bar her from the dungeons, sure, but the Queen had not carried through with that threat. Anna had no doubt that she would have, albeit reluctantly, but not if she was convinced that the Knight would obey her command regardless.

Well, oh wise and powerful Ice Queen, looks like I fooled you.

She was close, now. Anna made her way to the main floor of the Castle and headed for the corridor that led to the dungeons. The guards on duty would glance at her curiously but allow her through, and then all that was left was...

"Good evening, milady."

Anna whipped around. Standing behind her in the hallway was Kai, dressed in his typical daily uniform despite the fact that the sun had set long ago. As she stared at him in shock, the head servant offered her a sympathetic smile.

"Oh...hey, Kai! What are you doing up so late?" she asked awkwardly.

"I could ask you the same thing, milady," he replied lightly.

The Knight frowned. "I'm, uh, just going for a walk. I couldn't sleep and I was hungry, so I decided to head down to the kitchens and see if there was anything left. Elsa's still sleeping."

"I see. It might interest you to know, milady, that the kitchens are in fact in the opposite direction of where you are heading," he replied, a trace of amusement in his voice.

"Shit! I mean...it's late, I'm tired, guess I took a wrong turn. It's a big Castle, you know," she managed. "I'll just be going now-" Anna moved to step forward, but Kai gently blocked her path.

"To answer your original question, milady, I am staying up late at the request of Her Majesty. She feared that a certain Knight of hers might not follow a Royal Command and instead decide to make her way to the dungeons even though she was ordered not to. Rather than order the guards to bar this Knight from seeing the prisoners, which would damage said Knight's already questionable reputation, she asked someone she trusted to wait near the dungeons and head her off if need be."

Anna's teeth clenched. Of course! When Elsa had gone to tell the kitchens to make something for Anna- she'd also given Kai this message. No wonder she had accepted Anna's word so quickly; she knew the Knight was going to go anyway.

"Fine, I'm going to see Jocasta," Anna admitted. "This is something I need to do. You can't stop me; please don't try."

Kai shook his head. "I'm afraid it's not that simple, Anna," he said kindly." Her Majesty made it clear: if I am not able to convince you to return upstairs, then I am to relay to the guards her order to bar you from the dungeons."

No! She knew Kai would go through with it, too. She could see it in his eyes. And if he did, then Anna would never see Jocasta. Fighting her way past Elsa's loyal men was not an option; even if she only knocked them unconscious. The news would spread like wildfire.

"Kai, please..." she begged. "Elsa's trying to help me, she wants what's best, but she's wrong. She thinks seeing Jocasta will make things worse, but I know different. I'm less...recovered than I let on. This could help me heal...truly heal...for good."

There was a twinge of uncertainty in his eyes. Kai liked her. Trusted her. He knew that Anna was only doing what she thought was right. But that didn't mean that he was going to disobey his Queen's order. "Anna, I can't. I understand where you're coming from, but you'll have to take it up with the Queen. She's always been of sound judgment; I see no reason to doubt her now."

Anna glared at him. "You want a reason? She cares about me too much. It's overriding her judgment. Even if I can convince her logically that I need to do this, she'll never agree. She can't bring herself to take a risk when it concerns me. And she doesn't know how much...how much I'm damaged. I didn't want to worry her; you know she'd blame herself. Seeing Jocasta can't make it any worse."

The indecision on the servant's face became more apparent with each word she spoke, but still he countered. "You can't know that for sure, milady. This is a woman who tortured you. Perhaps your own judgment isn't quite...uncompromised. You don't know that this can't get worse."

The Knight nodded, accepting the point. "Maybe. But it's bad enough as it is-"

And then she saw it: the way to convince him. He and Gerda were loyal to Elsa above all else. And Anna was willing to bet that that meant that he would disobey an order if he was convinced that doing so would be in her best interest."

"Other than her own powers, I'm Elsa's best defense. I've proven that. I can't promise that seeing Jocasta will fix everything. But if I don't, then as things stand right now...I won't be able to protect her. Just seeing fire or hearing the clash of metal swords, sometimes even hearing Jocasta's name is enough to give me a flashback. What do think will happen the next time we're attacked? I'll freeze up, and suddenly she's lost her best defender." She paused, taking a deep breath. "This could end badly for me. But if I don't fix this, Elsa could die. Even if she won't admit it, we both know that Elsa's what's important. Not me."

\

Anna clenched her fists as she walked down the line of cells, her blood racing faster than it had in weeks. Her eyes scanned each compartment quickly, but the vast majority were empty. In previous centuries, Arendelle's Castle had been the host of dozens of prisoners at a time. Now, with true prisons having been built throughout the country as the kingdom modernized, the Palace Cells were only used in special circumstances.

"Back in your place as Elsa's pet, I see."

The Knight turned around so quickly that one of her pigtails fell behind her soldier. There, shackled to the back of a cell...so far back that Anna's vision had initially missed her, was Jocasta. The interrogator's bright blond hair was disheveled and her clothes could barely be described as rags, but her eyes still blazed with the same confident cruelty that Anna had come to recognize.

She was screaming as the brand applied to her face. Tears were streaming freely down her cheeks. Jocasta leaned forward, a smirk plain on her lips. 'Don't think I'm disappointed that you aren't talking,' she whispered, her voice soothing. 'I'm enjoying this interrogation almost as much as you're despising it. Scream all you like, dear Anna. It's music to my ears.'

"You must be so pleased with yourself. Rescued by your beloved Queen...taken back to her beautiful Palace as a hero. But one day soon, dearest Anna, you're going to find out that you're nothing more than a plaything. She saved you because you're useful, and once she thinks she's safe and the threat has passed, you'll wish that you remained in my cell. It would have been less painful."

Anna stared at her. The words themselves didn't have any effect; she knew they were just out of spite. But the Knight had expected to see her foe broken and afraid. Yet here she was, displaying just as much bravado as she had possessed when Anna was on the other side of the bars.

The Knight's mouth moved of its own accord. "You're not surprised to see me?" she blurted out.

Jocasta smirked. "Hardly. I knew you'd show up, sooner or later. Let me guess? You're still experiencing trauma due to the time we spent together. And you think you can make it all go away by seeing me chained up. Don't look so surprised," she chastised as Anna's eyes widened in shock. "You were hardly the first person I interrogated. I know how the human mind works."

Anna breathed deeply, allowing her face to set into an expression of calm. "That doesn't change the fact that I'm the one standing outside the cell this time. And now that I see you in there, as helpless as I ever was, I know that you have no power over me. I don't have to be afraid of you any longer." It was over. No more nightmares, no more flashbacks. She had confronted her fears and now could walk away satisfied.

"You're lying."

The Knight stared at her, blinking her eyes in confusion. "What?" she demanded.

Jocasta grinned. "Have you forgotten my magic? I know when someone isn't telling the truth, Anna. That was a lie, both to me and to yourself. You still fear me. You will always fear me. And deep down, you know it."

"No, I-" Anna hesitated for the briefest moment, clenching her fists in frustration. "Why would I fear you? You're never going to leave that cell for as long as you live. You can never hurt me again."

The laughter that now escaped from Jocasta's lips was like nothing the Knight had ever heard before. It was at once both completely genuine and utterly mocking. Mirth and cruelty were mixed in equal measure. Despite herself, Anna couldn't help but flinch back slightly.

"You really are a fool," the interrogator remarked, her voice still light with amusement. "Do you think that's how it works? Did you think that by coming down here and looking me in the eye you would suddenly be 'fixed'? It doesn't quite work that way. Yes, physically I may never leave this cell alive, but I will always be with you. Nothing you can do to me now can erase the time we spent together. I'll haunt your dreams, lurk at the edges of your vision; for the rest of your life you'll live in fear of when I'll strike next."

Anna stepped backwards now, struggling to maintain her composure. "No. You're here...you can't hurt me..."

"Yes I can. True, I might never get the chance to strike you directly again. But I don't need to; the damage has been done. I did far more than put you through a rough couple of days and scar your cheek. You've known hunger and hardship during your life, yes, but I introduced you to real suffering. I showed you what the world is capable of doing to naive young girl who thinks being the Queen's pet is going to solve all her problems," she continued, her voice as vicious as any Anna had ever heard.

"No...you're beaten...I..." the Knight didn't realize she had backpedaled all the way into the other side of the hall until her back pressed into the bars of the cell behind her. Jocasta's grin widened as she observed the pain in her eyes.

She stood over Anna, smoke still trailing off of the red hot brand. Darkness was closing in...No! Anna shut her eyes, trying to block out the vision, but Jocasta's words continued to pound into her skull.

"Jocasta will remain in this cell. But I'm more than just 'Jocasta' to you, now aren't I? I am a symbol of the savagery that this world is capable of…the brutality that you know you may very well face again. I shattered your delusions, and they're never being repaired. My memory will torment you for the rest of your days. And that, dear Anna, gives me more satisfaction than you will ever..."

That was the last the Knight heard before she took off running down the cellblock. She tore down the hallway as fast as her legs would carry her, completely ignoring the stunned guards at the entrance.

She didn't stop until she was halfway across the Palace.

\

Elsa had been looking for hours. After Kai had spoken to her, the Queen had briefly waited in their room, hoping Anna would soon decide to return there, but the Knight had remained unaccounted for. Unable to order the Castle's servants to find her and unwilling to leave Anna suffering on her own, Elsa had set out after her.

But where to look? Anna would remain in the Castle, even she wouldn't risk going out into the world in such a distressed state. At least, that's what the Queen hoped. She visited several of the redhead's known haunts: her old room, the courtyard where she trained, and the art gallery. There was no sign of her. Where else would Anna go if she wanted to be alone in the middle of the night?

Perhaps she had chosen a place of no true significance; the Palace had many rooms that would be completely empty throughout the night. Elsa would have to search the entire building, and it was almost certain that dawn would be upon them before she finished.

Wait...

There was one more place to look. If Anna was still in the Castle, her mind would have directed her somewhere that was both secluded and comforting. That's why she hadn't been in the gallery or in the courtyard; she had her share of bad memories there. But there was a room in the Castle that had not yet been tainted in Anna's mind by a harrowing experience.

Elsa walked into the library, her mind almost automatically telling her where to go. She made her way into the darkened room and carefully navigated the maze of bookshelves and tables. Unsurprisingly, the room was empty of servants at the moment.

She heard the Knight before she saw her. It was a quiet sniffle, given off not by someone who was crying but had recently been doing so. Both relieved and saddened by the noise, the Queen walked down the aisle and rounded the corner.

Anna was sitting in a red leather chair, eyes cast downward and feet resting on the mahogany table in front of her. Seeing where she sat, Elsa berated herself for not thinking of this place sooner. This was where...it seemed like a lifetime ago...they had played their first games of checkers and chess. It was the first place where they had truly interacted, meeting not as a thief and a Queen, but as friends.

"Anna," she prompted softly.

The Knight flinched back in her chair, somehow startled by a voice she had heard thousands of times. Her face glistened with drying tears. She looked at her Queen uncertainly, as if expecting a rebuke.

Elsa had already had her night's fill of yelling at subordinates, as Kai would attest. Right now, her consort needing comforting. Reprimanding her would come later. She walked forward, moving the table out of the way and taking Anna's hands into her own. "Come here..."

The Knight offered no resistance as Elsa tugged her forward. The Queen sat down in the other chair before gently lowering Anna onto her lap. Without a word, the younger woman wrapped her arms around Elsa's slim frame and buried her face into her shoulder.

"It didn't work," Anna finally whispered. "I thought I was in control...but I wasn't strong enough. I'm the mightiest warrior in Arendelle and I get sent off running by a few threatening words. Some Knight I am."

With a sigh, the Queen pulled back and looked her consort in the eyes. "You're the best Knight I could ever ask for, Anna. Of course you're still frightened of her, it's amazing you're still in one piece. I just wish..." she paused, allowing some disappointment to leak into her voice, "I just wish you would trust me. Time and again you go against my wishes and it always ends poorly. I'm not questioning your loyalty or your love for me, but you have to be more careful. Sooner or later you're going to get yourself killed."

Anna's glance fell to the floor. "It wouldn't matter," she mumbled.

Elsa shifted in her chair, preparing to give her Knight the talking to of a lifetime before Anna raised her hands defensively and hastily amended her statement. "I am not suicidal. I promise. I kept going even when I owned nothing but the rags on my back and ate one meal a day if I was lucky; you think I'm going to give up when I have all this? But I know what's more important: you."

"And how was confronting Jocasta for my benefit?" the Queen asked irritably.

"Because I need to protect you," Anna shot back immediately. "I'm sure Kai told you that I've been hiding how badly I was...affected. If you're attacked again, I don't know if I'll be able to go into combat without freezing up. I took the chance to see Jocasta because, while I knew I might get hurt, it might also make me more capable of protecting you."

Elsa scowled. She did not want to have this argument now, but if Anna was insistent, then the Queen would oblige her. It would have happened eventually regardless. Why not get it over with now?

"I am the Queen, Anna. I know you mean well, but I am the one who makes the decisions. How many times do I have to make this clear? I'll listen to your input, but the choice is ultimately mine...especially when it comes to keeping us both alive."

"Exactly!" the Knight said triumphantly. "You're trying to keep us both alive. I'm trying to protect you. Whether you accept it or not, you are what's important. This kingdom needs you! Its people need you! I want to live, and I plan to, but when it comes down to the two of us, I know who matters more. Unlike you."

"Anna, I-"

The Knight's hand darted forward, forcefully covering the Queen's lips. "You can deny it all you want, but it's true. And I went down to see Jocasta because your sense of priorities is clouded and mine isn't. Think I'm wrong? Well, here's a question for you. Imagine this scenario: you're chained in place, your powers are gone, and there's an arrow speeding toward you. Suddenly I'm on the scene. I don't have any weapons, but I'm running as fast as I can to place myself between you and the arrow. You see this happening in slow motion. Now, are you hoping I make it in time to take the arrow for you? Or are you hoping that I don't?" She pulled back her hand.

Elsa's mind spun. She knew what her answer should be. The kingdom always came first. But no matter how hard she tried, the Queen's mouth couldn't form the words Anna was looking for. She sat in continued silence.

"You're guilty of the same thing," the Queen finally said. "You lied to me about your recovery because you couldn't bring yourself to admit the truth. Don't you think that's something that concerned my safety? What would have happened if I was counting on you during an attack and you suddenly froze?"

The Knight's gaze hardened. "I didn't lie because I was afraid," she nearly hissed. "I lied because I didn't want you to feel guilty. Even after all you've done for me, you still feel responsible for the past I had to go through. Every time something happens to me, you blame yourself. How was I supposed to think you'd react when I was traumatized due to protecting you?"

That was fair enough. Elsa did feel guilty. It was her natural reaction to blame herself for things. Whenever her mind tried to reason that she hadn't truly been at fault for something, a larger part of her brain derided such thinking as selfish rationalization.

But maybe that wasn't always true. Perhaps, in some cases, the better thing to do was to let go and focus on how to correct what went wrong rather than dwelling on it. Besides, Anna was the one who had been hurt, and Elsa figured that that gave her the right to assign blame. If she thought that the Queen shouldn't feel guilty about it, then maybe Elsa could refrain from blaming herself.

Mostly.

"I'll try not to. I know you need me, and that means I can't be focused on beating myself up. But this works both ways. I need you, Anna. More than you know. There's no reason why we can't both live through this conspiracy, if we don't make foolish mistakes. You always think that what you're doing is in my best interests, but that doesn't mean you're right. I nearly lost my most valuable protector when you ran off to see the trolls. And going to see Jocasta tonight only made it less likely that I can depend on you in battle."

Anna winced. "...Fine," she agreed. "As long as you keep what I said in mind and remember which of us is more important, I'll try harder to listen to you. If it's not already too late at his point."

"You're going to get through this, Anna," the Queen said firmly. "Time heals all wounds, and no matter what Jocasta said to you, even mental scars fade eventually. No matter what you need, I'm here for you. I know you won't agree to step down from your role as my attendant, but if you ever need a break, I'll make sure you get it. I promise you, we will fix this."

From the look in her eyes, Elsa could tell that Anna was struggling to believe her. For now, through an unspoken agreement, both physically and mentally exhausted women allowed silence to take over. Wordlessly, the Queen rose from her chair and guided Anna back to their chambers.

\

Elsa sat in her study the next afternoon, going over the day's requisite paperwork. Anna stood at her side, yawning despite the late sleep that the two of them had shared. In a few minutes, the Queen would be joining Evangeline and her best agents as they interrogated Jocasta, while Anna would be joining Kai for another of her etiquette lessons.

A loud, urgent knock on the door shook her out of her thoughts. Kai was almost never so bold. Regardless, the Queen rose from her chair. "Enter!" she called.

The head servant walked in. His eyes were wide with shock; Elsa had almost never seen him appear so disturbed. With a faint incline of her head, she motioned for him to speak, but he failed to recognize the gesture. Frowning, Elsa questioned him. "What is it Kai?"

"Jocasta, Your Majesty. There's been...something has happened."

The Queen's heart dropped. Judging by the horrified gasp behind her, Anna was having a similar reaction. "What do you mean?" Elsa demanded. "Do not tell me she has escaped; it's not possible."

Kai shook his head. "No, Your Majesty. She is still in the dungeons. But the water that was brought to her...it appears as though it was…contaminated."

No...

"Your Majesty...she is dead."

Responses:

Shtoops: Good point. Anna's not perfect though, and she was distracted by the thought that they had captured Jocasta to the extent that she didn't really think about what Elsa was saying. 'Suffer' could mean just keep her uncomfortable and deprive her of food and water. Elsa was referring to torture, but Anna didn't grasp that immediately.

MasterBlackCrow: Answers would be good.

BlackMistBeast: You might be surprised.

Yuiiub: You're welcome!

Tigger: Because she's Anna.

Moonwacther13: Anna wouldn't do that to someone helpless, especially if that someone had crucial information.

ASnowQueen: Looks like you were right.

RisingDaemon: Just wait.

WinterWolfDragon: Here you go!

Jascmaster: I don't know about that.

BreeBear98: That would be nice, but it's unlikely.

Guest 1: Interesting, but not quite.

Star: Well, you got your wish.

Lionheart: Does this count?

RR: Jocasta wasn't convinced, and Elsa never got the chance to prove her wrong.

SP2019: I wouldn't put it that way. She trusts Elsa more than anyone else. The problem is that her common sense is sometimes drowned out by her emotions and when that happens hell ensues.

Leelan: That was a mistake. I put down the wrong eye color; it's corrected now. Sorry. It is the real Jocasta.

Snowboardgurl: That's pretty close.

3Gs: Another mistake.

JPElles: Thanks!

Mpsantiago: I really appreciate your analyses; you pick up on a lot of stuff. Elsa's violent streak has been constrained to people who do her (and more importantly, Anna) harm, but it is something to think about.

ClaireCooper: Nope.

Raven: It doesn't appear like it helped.

Sedryn: You can answer that for yourself now.

FreelanceBum: Hopefully she's learned her lesson.

PascalDragon: This probably wasn't what you were expecting.