Hey, guys! Hope you enjoy this chapter and happy reading!

Ten Years Later....

..~..

A gray and ugly post-revolution building with a sign above the door that identified it as: "Young Comrades Without Parents" stood in the snow, its antique and old exterior a glum difference to the bright, pure perfection of the weather. Children of all ages were cleaning the cold, gray dormitory, most of them getting distracted and admiring the snow outside. Their clothes were ragged and they looked underfed.

Elsa, a pretty eighteen-year-old girl despite wearing boy's hand-me-down clothes, was busy scrubbing the floor of the building. Unlike the others, she was determined not to let her surroundings get to her. While cleaning, she hummed a familiar yet unrecognizable tune to herself.

The door suddenly slammed open and an eight-year-old boy named Jamie, who looked clearly terrified, came running in followed by Comrade Gothel - an intimidating woman carrying a bar of a rocker.

"Elsa! Elsa!" Jamie shouted.

All of the other kids turned away, not wanting to get involved in what was to happen. Elsa looked up and focused on Jamie, who was shivering with fright and on the verge of tears as Gothel approached, swinging the bar menacingly.

"You can't get away from me now, boy," Gothel said, a smile that was close to evil on her face. She advanced on Jamie. Elsa took the scrub brush and shoved it across the floor, right under Gothel's unsuspecting foot. Gothel's feet flew out from under her and she smashed to the floor. Jamie hopped over her body and and ran to Elsa to safety.

Some of the other kids glanced over. Part of them looked at Elsa with great admiration, while the others looked at her as if they thought she was crazy. Out of all the them, Elsa was the oldest by far. She had a reputation of being the big sister to them all and would even get herself into trouble if it meant the other children could have a meal.

Gothel rose, covered with soap bubbles, and spun to Elsa, who gave her an innocent smile.

"You!" Gothel screeched. "You did this!"

Some of the children laughed as soap bubbles flew off the enraged woman. She spun on them, her back to Elsa.

"Brats!" she yelled at them. "There'll be no supper for any of you! You hear me? Now get back to work!"

Elsa, behind Gothel who wasn't paying any attention to her at the moment, mimicked her outraged face and angry gestures perfectly as the children laughed harder.

Gothel spun and almost caught Elsa with her "acting". The children suddenly hushed, all eyes on Elsa, Gothel, and Jamie.

Gothel began advancing towards Elsa as Jamie hid behind her legs.

"Don't touch him," Elsa said, her blue eyes cold and hard as ice.

"Why you little-" Gothel said. "You ragged, skinny, little nothing! I have had just about enough of you!" She raised her hand to slap Elsa, who held her ground. Suddenly, Gothel sniffed the air.

"What is that smell?" one of the kids asked. The other kids made faces and held their noses.

"That better not be one of you little brats!" Gothel said. She sniffed some of the children, checking to see if they were the perpetrator of the foul smell. Then, as if a lightbulb had been turned on in her head, she realized the cause of the stench. She spun around to the entrance of the orphanage.

"Comrade Hans!" she exclaimed. She tried to straighten herself out nervously.

Comrade Hans stood in the doorway, lecherously eyeing the girls. He was a man of moderate stature, with auburn hair and green eyes. Save for the fishy stench, most people would compare his looks to that of a prince.

"Comrade Hans!" Gothel said, her voice sickeningly sweet. "What a lovely surprise! What brings you here?"

"I need a worker," Hans said coolly. While looking over the children, his eye suddenly caught Elsa. He looked her up and down, his cunning eyes showing a touch of lust for her.

"I'll take her," he said, pointing to Elsa.

"Why, of course, Comrade Hans!" Gothel said, her honey smile still plastered on her face.

Hans strode over to Elsa and proceeded to lean close to whisper in her ear.

"Tomorrow you begin your work in my herring factory. You'll start by cutting off the tails, but if I'm pleased with you, you may just move up to cutting off the heads. How does that sound?"

"About as bad as you smell!" Elsa hissed. "Who do you think you are, looking and choosing from us like we're a lot of farm animals!" And to everyone's astonishment, including herself, she slapped him in the face.

Hans recoiled, touching the spot where she hit him. He looked at her in disbelief, then covered it up with a smirk. "A feisty one we've got here, I see. Well, I can handle that."

Elsa's anger flamed even more. "I've got a few words to say to you, mister-"

Gothel moved in between them, pulling Hans away. "On second thought, Comrade- you don't want her..."

"I want her."

"That horrible, skinny thing?" Gothel scoffed, smirking at Elsa. She's crazy- she has no memory of anything before she came here! She didn't even know her name! That one is a troublemaker, willful-"

"I'll break her will then," Hans said, as if what he just said was nothing out of the ordinary.

He turned to Elsa again. "I shall come for you tomorrow at dawn." He touched her face as she pulled away. "You will enjoy serving under me." Smiling in anticipation, he exited.

When the door closed behind him, Gothel spun towards Elsa. "I couldn't break you- but he can! Finally, someone who can get Ms. Princess here off her high horse!"

And she turned to leave in a huff. Elsa did one more imitation of her, making the children laugh. But as Elsa turned away from her young audience, one could see her facade fade and realize her terror of the future.