(Normal pov)

Darkness shrouded Elsa's vision as she awoke from a long period of unconsciousness. The whole world spun around her as disorientation struck her, but the sensation slowly passed as her body began catching up to speed. When she realized that she was in a cramped bedroom, her heart suddenly raced as fear creeped along her spine like a demonic arachnid.

Where am I?

The room was cramped, crates of unknown material were stacked a few feet from her bed. She was resting on a cot, a warm and comfortable one even though it was simpler than her king-sized one. Opening her eyes slowly, she looked down at her beaten body. She was clothed with clean yet simple grey tunic and breeches. A horrifying flash of the cold-blooded scourging she suffered haunted her mind, and a phantom sting pulsed faintly in her back.

Am I still wounded?

There was a hole in her wrist were the crossbow bolt had impaled her, but the stigmata was painless and now blood flowed from the hole. Oxygen also flowed freely into her chest, her lungs having been cleansed of the blood that had been leaking into them. But what about her back? Her hand trembling in fear, she carefully grazed her back with her fingers, bracing for the brutal stinging that was sure to follow. However, no excruciating pain surprisingly struck her, and she suddenly realized that her brutal lacerations had sealed themselves. How did I heal so fast?

She caught sight of something short moving in her peripheral vision. Whipping her head at the source, she saw the shaman, Valka slowly enter her room. Her lips were pursed, and Queen of Arendelle noted her mother in laws eyes were filled with but one emotion: grief.

Elsa was about to blurt out an apology for her for allowing herself and Anna to be captured so easily, but the older woman shot Elsa a look that told her to never mind her apologies. Valka had more important things to discuss. The middle aged dragon rider trudged up to her, and placed a hand on her shoulder. "Are you alright?" Valka asked her, her voice calm and collected.

"H-how did I heal so quickly?" From the brutality of the flagellation she was given, Elsa expected to have been out of commission for more than three months.

"Courtesy of your cousin Rapunzel..." She said simply. "...it appears she has powers of her own as well, the power to make the old young once more and to heal the most grisly of wounds. Your cuts from your scourging were very serious, although I did all I could to minimalize the scars." A sad smile ghosted over Valka's face, and her lips twisted as if she ate something sour. "I am so sorry that this happened to you and Anna Elsa. I have encountered my fair share of vile men in the past, but Hans? To harm you and Anna with the whip and... his cock?! It sickens me."

The memories of her flogging were painfully vivid, forever scarred into her mind as much as it was on her body: every single stinging lash of the scourge, every degrading insult hurled at her, and every labored breath she gasped as her lungs slowly filled with blood. She felt her hands shaking violently, and tears begin dripping down her cheeks as she relived the hellish experience.

She was not prepared at all for the haunting pain that her guardian angel had warned her about. That's when the most appalling moments of their time in the dungeon raised its head, catching her unprepared. A mental scream - Anna's scream - tore through her mind like a hurricane. Visions of Hans violating her sister played repeatedly in her head, reminding her of her failure to uphold her oath to protect her own sister.

She started sobbing forlornly, tears streaking down her dirt-slick cheeks. The tears solidified into little beads of ice, falling from her face and melting on the bed.

Valka carefully seized her trembling hand to comfort her. "Elsa, calm yourself. You're safe now." She said stiffly. She focused on her mother in laws voice, using it as an anchor.

The leader of the Ryttere placed her hand on Elsa's cheek and gently caressed the skin beneath her hand and reassured her that she was okay, no longer in the malicious clutches of her demonic captor. Clarity slowly returned to Elsa, clearing her mind of the brutal images and the panic attack ceased, freeing her from terror. She sighed softly, mouthing a thank you to her mother in law before speaking.

"Valka, can you tell me where are we and..." She choked slightly as she thought of her sister. "...and where is Anna?"

An uneasy expression twisted Valka's face, whatever she was going to say to Elsa, the Queen of Arendelle knew she wouldn't like it. "We're in-- "

Irwin abruptly stepped through the door, a cold, steely expression on his hardened face. From the looks of it, he had been eavesdropping on their little conversation. The commander of the sisters guards eyes were heavily bloodshot, and Elsa came to wonder how hard the man had been sobbing or even awake for that matter. She was about to question him but he spoke up to interrupt her.

"Queen Elsa. Apologies for the disruption, but, despite all the horrible things that have happened to you and your sister... I have news on Hiccup."

Both Elsa and Valka turned to Irwin with clear interest on the subject. The Queen of Arendelle's eyes were filled with longing. "What about Hiccup?" She asked with caution in her tone, Irwin cleared his throat before continuing to speak. "My men had found the heathen slave master called Sven. The man and his crew were dispatched to the afterlife after the piece of weasel shit revealed Hiccup's location. He is in the village of the combined people of Hairy Hooligans and White Wolves." Irwin's words caused Valka to turn to her daughter in law, waiting for a reaction, the platinum blonds reaction was simply a nod, she then swung her legs over the bed.

"What are you doing?" Valka and Irwin asked in unison. Elsa stood up to her full height. Her muscles ached, but she withstood the dull pain. "Anna..." She winced as she puts her weight on the leg that had been shot with a crossbow, a phantom pain lightly pulsing in the limb. "...take me to her. I need to see her!"

Irwin slants away from the door for her, uneasiness in his face as he watched her silently trudge passed him, making her way to the living quarters. When Elsa got to the main quarters, she saw Athelwold playing a game of solitaire on the dining table while Lord Clemenson, a very close friend of her parents, was sitting on a stool, hunched over taking a nap. Athelwold jerks his head up from his game, and his eyes widen.

Sebastian stood up from the table, messing up his playing cards and disturbing Clemenson from his sleep as he rushed over to her to try and help her. The servant had been always helpful and close to the sisters ever since he was hired, but he's even more caring for them now. "Queen Elsa, be carefu--"

She looks at him straight in his worrisome eyes. "Take me to Anna. Now."

"She's through here, my queen." Athelwold said gently, gesturing to a small, dark room nearby. Elsa approached the doorway, taking a deep breath before opening the closed door. Athelwold closed the door behind her to give her some much-needed privacy.

Tears streamed down Elsa's cheeks, freezing into ice as she looked at the broken form of her sister. The strawberry blond was lying supine on a small cot, wrapped tightly in a fur blanket from the stomach down. Anna wore a simple brown tunic, her chest gently rising and falling as she slept. Although Anna's skin was still dirty from their time in the dungeon, the angry bruises and bite marks that Hans inflicted on her were gone, no doubt healed by Rapunzel's magic. But Anna would never, ever fully recover from the mental damage she had suffered.

And it's all Elsa's fault.

Elsa rushed over to the bed, crouching beside it, and gently pushed her sister's hair back from her grime-covered face. Anna looked so weak and fragile, that Elsa was afraid she might break her if she wasn't careful. She lightly grazed Anna's face with her cold fingers. Abruptly, the princess's azure eyes suddenly shot open, disturbed by her touch. There was only one look on her face: unadulterated panic.

The shriek that followed brought back dark memories from the dungeon.

"Get away from me!" Anna screamed madly, roughly pushing her sister away. Elsa grunted as she fell back on her rump, taken by surprise.

The door slammed open, and their rescuers rushed in all at once, almost tripping over each other as they jammed the small entrance. "What's going on?!" They all cried out in unison.

Anna panicked even further, snatching her pillow and readying it for a fight. Her eyes were wide in fear, and Elsa could even hear her heart beating madly in her chest. Elsa had no choice but to back up and give her sister space.

That son of a bitch will pay for this. She was going to tear that bastards body to shreds in a storm of ice.

"Anna, it's okay, we're safe." Elsa said soothingly. She tried to rein her anger towards Ulfric in so her voice was as calm as possible. "Anna we're safe now. We're no longer in the dungeon..."

Still under the influence of her panic attack, Anna refused to lower her pillow. Elsa approached her carefully, pain wrenching her heart as she watched her sister fall into the depths of her despair.

Locking eyes with the spooked redhead, she made one heartfelt attempt to communicate with her. "It's me... Elsa."

Hearing her sister's name wrenched the princess out of her panic attack. Her grip on the pillow loosened, and it fell to the ground. Anna collapsed on her knees shortly afterwards and began to sob hopelessly into her hands.

Elsa immediately bolted forwards the fallen girl, kneeling down and wrapping her arms around Anna, before pulling her to her chest. The fabric she wore became drenched as the girl's tears fell from her face. "I'm here Anna, don't worry... I'm here..." She heard the door close again behind them, but she had a feeling they were being eavesdropped on.

Her sister's sobs were utterly heartbreaking. She had only seen Hans violate her sister for a few minutes before passing out from agonizing pain, but she couldn't help but wonder what had happened while she was knocked out. How long did Hans rape her? Did any of his men join in as well? Thinking about it only served to fuel the Queen of Arendelle's fury.

A string of curses escapes the blonde's lips. "Damn that bastard Hans..." She cursed the Crown Prince's name, her words like hot venom in her tongue. Hate does not even describe what she feels for him. By first dehumanizing her by scourging her and then daring to rape Anna right in front of her... the ire she bore towards him burned hotter than the fires of hell. Elsa tightened her grip around Anna, burying her face in the younger's hair as she took deep breaths.

Minutes passed before the girl's fervent crying subsided to small sniffles. She turned her face up to look at her sister, teal eyes bloodshot and looking lost and unsure. "I... I'm not pure anymore, Elsa... what... what will Hiccup think of me now? Will he cast me aside for being weak? Will he cast me aside because I wasn't strong enough to fend off Hans?" Anna cried softly.

Shocked by her words, Elsa pushed her sister from her chest to confront her. Elsa still held the vision that her sister was innocent and pure, no matter how many sexual escapades she takes her on. "Anna, don't you dare say that! You're pure! You'll always be pure!" Elsa reassured her.

But even Elsa doubted her own words.

Anna shook her head vigorously. "H-He violated me." She whimpered, "Told me I was a whore... A disgusting, abhorrent, heathen loving..."

Not bearing to hear her sister degrade herself, Elsa snapped at her. "Stop it!" The princess hung her head low, sniveling. The blonde had to convince her that she was still pure. "Anna, don't listen to his words! That's what he wants you to think about yourself. He wants you to think you're below him." She embraced her tightly. "But the only opinion that should matter to you is mine and Hiccup's... and I'll never think of you like that. And I know for a fact, that our husband will never let you think so lowly of yourself."

The younger girl kept silent, but she returned the embrace. "Thank you... Elsa..."

Their embrace lasted for a couple minutes before the sound of Anna's stomach growling broke the silence. It had been more than a day since they last ate. "Are you hungry, Anna? Do you want me to get you something?"

Anna shook her head however. "Not yet. I-I want to take a bath first... we need to get this dirt off of us."

Both girls have not taken a proper bath, their skin marred by the grime they gathered spent in the dungeon. Elsa helped her sister up, utilizing the blanket on the bed as a cloak for her sister. She then pulled her in close to her. "Alright then." She knocked at the door to get their caretaker's attention. "Lord Clemenson? Athelwold Is there a spring nearby? We need a bath..."

"There's one over a ridge not far from here, to the North." Athelwold called from behind the door. "It's hidden within an alcove so don't worry about anyone daring to gaze upon your nakedness."

Opening the door, Elsa led her sister out the little room, Athelwold and Lord Clemenson cocked their heads to the two sisters as they passed by, but they did not say anything about the blonde's display of affection. They returned to their game of cards, carefully minding their own business as the Queen and the Princess of Arendelle left the lodge.

The two sisters kept silent as they walked outside, following a gravel trail as they headed to the ridge a few hundred feet away from the lodge. A grim overcast above oppressed the mountainous lands, as if mimicking the current state of affairs. From the lighting that was available, it appears they had awoken during the early stages of twilight. When they passed the ridge, the trail continued forth until it led to a large alcove. The spring Athelwold had mentioned was tucked away inside the alcove.

Elsa nudged Anna forth. "Come on..."

The soft sound of the spring waters churning was calming to Elsa, reminding her of the royal baths in the palace. She ever wondered if she'd see them again.

She took the blanket off of Anna, but the warm spring air around the spring kept her warm. Elsa gently grabbed the hem of Anna's tunic. She tensed slightly, another panic attack threatening to rip through her. "Don't be afraid Anna. It's just you and me..." She whispered soothingly as she stripped the girl.

The princess thankfully calmed down, allowing the blonde to take off her clothes. Other than the dried blood blemishing the inside of her thighs, the bruises that were inflicted on her body no longer marred her fair skin. Elsa hiked her breeches up further and led Anna into the warm pool. "Step in the spring Anna. I'll follow you in."

Anna stood in place, looking at her own reflection in the warm waters. A soothing numbness spreads through her body as she gazed at the empty reflection of herself, and she detached from her body for a brief moment. The horrific memory of seeing her sister, bloody, naked, and limp against the whipping pillar after being brutally scourged, returned to her. The frailness in Elsa's voice as she--

A cool hand touching her shoulder brought her back to reality. The princess glanced at her sister, the blonde having stripped herself of her own clothes. "Anna, are you okay?"

The front of Elsa's nude body was fairly unhurt, but there were some dark stripes running down the side of her ribs, sharply contrasting with her porcelain skin. These scars were only the faint edges of larger ones in her back however. Anna reached out towards one of the dark markings, but pulled her fingers back just before she can touch the scar. "Does it hurt?"

Elsa stroked the younger girl's cheek with her fingers, whispering softly to her sister. "No it doesn't hurt, but Anna, don't worry about me. It's my job to worry about it, not yours." She pulled her into a soft kiss, her hand on her cheek.

Her sister's soothing voice reassured her... for now.

Taking Anna's hands in her own, Elsa carefully led her deeper into the spring until the warm water went up to their chests. Elsa squeezed her hand gently, giving her a soft smile. "We're going to take a plunge into the water, okay Anna?"

Holding their breaths, the two lower themselves in the water, staying under water for a ten seconds before surfacing. Their hair stuck to their faces, and the grime that tarnished their skin had mostly disappeared due to the heat. They then walked back to shallower waters, careful to not slip on the rocks, until the water had just reached their knees.

Albeit faint, the bloodstains still marred the redhead's legs. Elsa fashioned a sponge of ice, intent on scrubbing the stain away. "Anna, I'm going to clean your legs now... remember, it's just me. I'm not going to hurt you..."

Dipping a sponge made of ice into the warm water, Elsa grazed her sisters skin with the sponge. Anna winced from the touch, and terror crept up to haunt her. Sensing her dread, Elsa eased up on the scrubbing, placating her with soothing words before resuming cleaning her. Light red water dripped slowly down the redhead's thighs, and Elsa rinsed them off.

"Don't you ever think you're not pure anymore, okay? Because you're always going to be pure to me and Hiccup." Elsa pressed their lips together briefly again, softer this time. Breaking the kiss, she gave Anna a watery smile. "Now go put your clothes on. I'll wash myself a few more times before joining you."

After Elsa handed her a towel she conjured herself, Anna did as she was told, getting out of the spring. However, as the  princess watched the blonde rinse herself, she caught sight of the scars on her back when Elsa briefly turned around. It lasted only a few moments, but the image of Elsa's scars were branded into her fragile mind.

The younger girl was taken aback by the severity of the scarring. "Oh my God..."

A crude, dark cruciform scar ghastly disfigured her pale skin, running down from the bottom of the nape of her neck to the small of her back, and stretched from shoulder to shoulder. Multiple slanted slashes of dark scars decorated the sides of the macabre cross, making a sort of gruesome mockery of a halo.

Elsa finally finished cleansing herself. She turned around to look at Anna and found the girl still naked, gawking at her. "What is it?"

"Y-your back it-it's sc-" Anna's voice devolved into tears. Emotion got the better of her, and she ran up to the blonde, embracing her tightly and burying her face into Elsa's chest.

The older girl placed her hand under her chin and pulled the redhead's up to face her. She knew the scars were horrid but from Anna's reaction to them, they were worse than she thought. Nevertheless, the blonde tried to assure her that it was okay, even though it was far from it. "Anna, please! I told you to not worry about me."

"But--"

Suddenly, Elsa was kissing her desperately, one hand tangled in her hair, the other around her neck, pulling her up. Anna stiffened for a few moments before she melted into the kiss. Elsa felt the girl's hot tears against her cheeks as she slipped her arms around Anna. They kissed for countless minutes, not getting enough of each other's touch.

They pulled out of the kiss for much needed air, a thin line of saliva connecting their lips. Before Anna could pull her in for more, Elsa confronted her. "Anna, you have to stop worrying about me. I'm not going to let you get yourself hurt because of your fretting. All of this is my fault, and so, it's my job to fix it."

Anna shook her head in disagreement. "We're in this together Elsa... It's just you and me until we get Hiccup back, then the three of us will retake our home."

Sighing in exasperation, Elsa rested her head against Anna's. Elsa had always placed her sisters needs before her own since they were reunited years ago. But that's what made Elsa's sister an angel, her love and purity. She'd saved her life in one form or another twice already, where her love for her sister and her love for Hiccup gave her the strength to overcome and defy death.

Their stomachs growled again, interrupting the moment. With a soft sigh, Elsa quickly pulled her sister out of the spring, quickly drying herself and putting on the borrowed clothes. She then helped Anna with her own clothes, tossing the fur blanket over her to keep her warm. They braided their hair afterwards, helping each other when needed.

Although Elsa still had a lot to tell Anna, like how she saw her as her guardian angel during her whipping and in her near-death experience. But that had to wait for now. It's been quite some time since their last supper.

(Hiccup's pov)

As I sat in my cell, I rested my head against the stone wall and closed my eyes, I was thinking about my wives. Elsa and Anna. They were on my mind every hour and it was driving me insane that I couldn't see them, I needed to let them know I am alive, well and back on English soil. 

The sounds of footsteps echoed through the hall, I looked up see Astrid approach my cell, I groaned in annoyance and looked into her eyes. "What?" I say in a uninterested tone, the former love of my life had plate of food in her hands and slid it underneath the cell. "I brought you food." She said, I got up and inspected the food, I then took the plate and sat on the slab of stone that served as my bed and the furs beneath the stone and began eating. 

"Hiccup... I'm sorry." Astrid said, I looked up at her while I was still chewing, she looked into my eyes and repeated. "I'm sorry. For not being there when you needed me. We were the best of friends and... I abandoned you. You have no idea how much I have regretted turning my back on you." She said, I however finished chewing the food in my mouth and swallowed, I then replied back. "Like Stoick, you're only saying this because the guilt has eaten you alive. I do not want your apologies Astrid." I turned to the fierce shield maiden and shook my head. "You didn't just abandon me Astrid. You broke... you broke my heart." I confessed, causing tears to form in my eyes, I scoff and laugh bitterly as a tear slid down my face. "You were... the love of my life when I was a boy Astrid!! I loved you with every fiber of my being!! And you broke my heart." I say bitterly, Astrid covered a hand over her mouth and fought off her own tears while looking away.

"You hurt me with Snotlout and the twins, you hurt me with your words and... despite the pain you inflicted on me? I still loved you." I said, Astrid turned back toward me, with hope in her eyes, but I quickly squashed her hope down. "That is, until I met Elsa and Anna. My wives." I said, Astrid's hands clenched into fists as I mentioned my wives, I then continued. "Though they aren't what I once loved about you, I love them because... they remind me of myself. I look at them, and I see myself." I then look right into Astrid's eyes and shook my head at her. "I do not love you. When I look at you? It takes everything in me not to kill you for the pain you inflicted on me." 

"Y-You... would kill me?" Astrid asks in disbelief, I nod at her. "I would grant you a warriors death of course, that is more than you deserve." I spat out, I then took another bite of food before looking back at the blond shield maiden. "My father is trying to force me to live a life that rejected me, to live amongst people who despise me and Stoick wants me to worship gods... that don't even exist! Odin, Thor, Loki and all the gods of the Aesir? They. Don't. Exist! These "gods" are made out of human hands. They are blind, deaf, mute and dumb! They cannot answer your prayers, your pleas for aid upon the field of battle or grant you the form of happiness because they never existed in the first place."

My words echoed in the prison and Astrid was silent for thirty seconds, her face then twisted with rage as she grasped the bars and spat out. "And what of your new god? What do the Saxons call him? Jesus? Does he exist?" She challenges, I look into her eyes and glare at her. "Of course Jesus Christ exists! Though I cannot see him, He is in Heaven, and He and is with me." I say firmly, Astrid however shakes her head in disbelief. "Who are you?" She asks, I look away and continue eating, Astrid asked again. "This... this isn't you Hiccup. I know you! You are a Viking! You are our true heir! Son of Stoick the Vast! Not a Christian."

In rage, I grab the plate of food and hurl it at the bars in front of me, Astrid backs away as food and pieces of the plate scatter everywhere, I then point a finger in her face. "I am not a Viking!" I seethed out, I then scoff as I continue speaking. "You don't know me! You never took the time to know me after you devoted yourself to becoming the finest shield maiden on Berk! You became like everyone else on Berk-- cold and heartless." I then grasp the bars in front of me while baring my teeth. "When I get out of here, I will reunite with my wives, my mother, my dragon and my people. We will raise an army, destroy those who have usurped my wives of their kingdom and unleash the wrath of God upon the heathens." 

Astrid gave me a look of disbelief and shook her head. "Heathens? Heathens like me?" She asked, she slowly approached the bars to my cell and cocked her head slightly. "You would truly kill me Hiccup?" She asked, I looked away and dwelled upon her question. Could I kill Astrid? I once loved her and we were childhood friends and yet... she threw away what we had in favor of becoming the finest warrior on Midgard. The pain she inflicted on me with her hands and her words? They broke me. I then turn back to Astrid and answer her question. "If it comes it? Yes. I will kill you Astrid Hofferson."

Astrid inhaled sharply at my words and then nodded in confirmation, she then quickly wiped away a tear that slid down her cheek and then looked into my eyes. "Then I advise you rest well. Tomorrow? Stoick will throw you in a arena full of warriors our age to prove that you are still... worthy of being among us." She sighed heavily and then spat out. "I will do whatever it takes to protect my people from those who wish to drive us out. And if I have to kill you too? Then I will do it." 

I looked into Astrid's eyes, they were burning and I knew she was speaking the truth, I simply nodded at her and replied back. "Do what you have to do. Warrior." I say before laying on the slab of stone and wrapping the furs around my body and look up at the ceiling, Astrid's departing footsteps were the only sound I heard as I continued to look up at the ceiling. 

The time for battle was near, I could feel it. And when the time came? I knew where my loyalties were and I knew what I was fighting for. My wives, my mother, my dragon and for Arendelle. I was Saxon and Christian now and forever, nothing and nobody will ever convince me to renounce my new faith and my life here. 

Not now, not ever.