A/N: Look who's back from AO3?
Somewhere far from civilization on the rocky lands lived a small village; all the buildings were made out of freshly chopped wood but that was all the materials the people who lived there could afford. The whole village was surrounded by thick trees that cast ominous shadows everywhere, giving the whole place an eerie feeling. Despite the area being surrounded by trees, there was one place that wasn't covered in the trees' shadows; a cave.
Everyone in the village knew of the cave's legend and were told to never go in. They all heed the warning and few have ever dared to go into the cave's system. However, those who do dare, they never get far thanks to the guardians of the cave. After all, humans can just be as terrifying as spiritual entities.
The two guardians stood at their posts, standing tall and regal. The two both wore hand-me-down robes with their only weapons were the swords that were hidden within their sheaths. One of the guardians was a tall man with a fairly muscular structure, his dark blue eyes scanning the horizon with a certain hardness in them. His dark hair was short but it moved slightly in the breeze.
The other guardian was shorter compared to this man and his features were softer. He had long brown hair that goes past his ears and his light green eyes shift around nervously.
"So, how long did they say we should stand here?" the younger guardian asks.
"Until sunrise," the other guardian replies.
"Is there anything else we can do besides standing around here?"
"You know we can't leave during our post, Oliver," Oliver sighs at that.
"What if we just leave our post for a moment, Magnus? Look around, see the sights-"
"Oliver, no," Magnus says, causing the younger boy to flinch. "You know why we need to be here."
Oliver shifts slightly. "Well, yeah, but it's been years, Magnus. Don't you think people are bound to stop believing in that old legend at this point?"
"Yeah, but there are people in the world who get curious about these legends," Magnus points out. "They could sneak in to see if the legend is true and steal what we're guarding. Trust me, Oliver, it's better if we stayed here."
"... It would be nice if we get some action around here," Oliver mutters underneath his breath.
Magnus shook his head and was about to say something before he hears something.
A rustle from the bushes. Magnus tenses his body, slightly raising his sword in the direction of where he heard the noise. Oliver notices this and shoots him a questioning glance due to not hearing the noise in the midst of his self-evaluation.
Magnus gestures his head over to the bushes ahead of them. Now getting the message, Oliver raises his sword as well. The two wait anxiously for something to pop out at them.
They waited...
But nothing happened.
An eyebrow raised in confusion, Magnus loses his tense posture. "I could've sworn I hear something-"
The attack didn't come from the front like they expected. It came from above.
Magnus and Oliver both cry out when two heavy things fell from above and landed right on their backs. This forces them to have their own fall to the ground, their swords flying out of their hands and skidding across the dirt a few feet away from them. There was no way they could defend themselves now.
A loud, vigorous laugh bellowed through the air, snapping the two trapped guardians' heads up. While they can't see the things that are on top of them, they can see the person that's in charge of this little ambush.
They were expecting a large, greed pirate with a pipe in his mouth. Not a large, humanoid cat wearing the strangest outfit they have ever seen.
"Told ya they'd fall for the old diversion trick!" the large cat exclaims to someone near his left. The two turn their heads to see someone who's human - thank goodness, Magnus was worry that this was an animal invasion or something. The human, who was a man, had auburn hair with sideburns. For a moment, Magnus could've sworn he saw this man's face before. He just didn't know where.
"While I appreciate your optimism, Pete," so that's what that cat's name is. "I still have yet to see the item that will give me Arendelle like you promised."
Arendelle? Wasn't that the place who had-?
"Don't get your royal pants in a twist yet, Your Highness," Magnus narrows his eyes, that guy was royalty? "The weapon that you seek is right there in this cave. We just got rid of the only obstacles in the way, now we just need to find it in this here cave."
The man looked down at the two trapped guardians with an unimpressed look in his eyes. "This weapon better be worth it, Pete. These guards aren't really meeting my expectations."
"Hey!" Oliver shouts in protest but instantly regrets it when the thing on his back slams his head down with his face meeting the dirt.
Magnus watches helplessly as this Pete character and man walk into the cavern, the place he had dedicated his life to protecting. He could not believe that he let himself get defeated so easily by- Whatever these things that are on his back are! If he could just reach his sword...
"Ow!" Magnus whips his head over to Oliver, his thoughts on his sword instantly leaving his mind when he sees his comrade's pain-stricken face. "I think this thing is digging its claws into my back!"
"Get off him!" the older man yells as he desperately tries to crawl out from underneath his captive's grip.
"Hey, Heartless!" Pete's voice resonates from within the caverns. "Don't snack on 'em! We still need 'em for that magic mirror!'
The 'heartless', as this Pete calls them, stop clawing on Oliver's back, making the younger male sigh in relief. But it still did little to calm Magnus's nerves. If what he's thinking is true, then-
"Aha!" Pete's voice bellows from the caves. "Found it!"
Their eyes widen. Oh no...
The air around them suddenly got chilly. Magnus could see his breath coming out as fog.
They got it.
"I don't see why ya still need convincing," Pete's voice returns, now closer, telling the two guardians that they're currently walking out with the dangerous item in hand. "I mean, you saw what it did back in the chamber."
Their bodies finally appear from the darkness of the caves, in the man's hands was the item that both Magnus and Oliver dread they'd find.
It was a single wall mirror. But nothing about it was normal; the glass that's supposed to reflect the entire world around it was covered in icy frost. The edges of the frost were sharp and jagged, like the teeth of the wolves that surrounded this area. The frame that was allowing the man to hold the mirror didn't look like a frame, either. Skinny, black vines surround the mirror as if they were holding it. Sharp thorns can be seen on the vines.
Magnus and Oliver both gulp when they saw it; the Mirror of Skadi. The most dangerous magical item in Norway.
For years, the people of this village have been guarding this cave in hopes there would never be another incident with that mirror. But now their worst fears have come to life.
The man, who was inspecting the mirror in his hands, looked unimpressed by it, however. "You said there are other people in your World that can also control Ice Magic. How do I know if this mirror has the powers similar to the Snow Queen or to your enemies, Pete?"
This makes Pete let out an eerie chuckle. Despite his boastful, and slightly comedic, voice, Magnus and Oliver feel shivers run down their spines when they hear him laugh like that. It was never good.
"Well, Your Highness, the difference between their magic and your Snow Queen's magic is that they can't freeze hearts like your Queen can. And since this here mirror is supposed to be similar to that Queen's magic, freezing hearts should be a breeze for ya."
"Really?" yet again, the man still looks like he wasn't convinced. Which was good, Magnus thought. If he didn't believe the power that mirror wield then there was a chance he wouldn't use it.
But then, that Pete character said something that made both of the Guardians' hearts drop.
"Why don't you use it on them, Guardians, here," the giant cat looks down at them with a sickening smug smile. "You've seen what that Queen's magic did to her sister, so you should know the effects better than anybody."
Wait... Now Magnus recognized the man. He was a wanted man over at Arendelle; for trying to kill the Queen and leaving the Princess to die.
This was Prince Hans of the Southern Isles.
Hans glances between the mirror and them. Magnus could feel Oliver trembling next to him and it wasn't from the cold. He stuck his arm out in front of him the best he could in his state. He glares up at the Prince's green eyes, almost daring him to use that mirror on Oliver.
Suddenly, a cruel smirk appears on Han's face as he turns the mirror over to them. "With pleasure..."
Small flurries of snow slowly begin to form around the mirror in a circular motion. With each second that past, more snow begins to appear as a mini storm. Then, pale crystals begin to show themselves next to the mirror, outside of the storm. As the storm gets bigger, the crystals glow brighter.
Magnus and Oliver were watching the mirror charge up in horror. Never in all of their years, they would see the weapon they were afraid of and guard with their lives would be used against them.
"Thank you for services, gentlemen," Han's voice tells them before an icy blast shoots from the mirror and hits one of them.