King Yat Yau
Fire and Ice
King Adgar looked out of the ship and smiled. Night was sure to come. They had been out for ten days at sea towards a land only he and his queen remembered so far, far away. So far, things were at peace. They were sailing north, and there were only two storms that cost 3 lives out of the 50 guards he took with him. It was a private voyage that only his family knew about. He had told the kingdom that he was off to visit some relatives. He never said where he was actually going: to find someone or something from his past.
"Your Majesty, I do suggest you go into your quarters and rest. Nothing unusual's going to happen out here." Lucan the navigator called as he slid down the crow's nest. Adgar grinned. Lucan was one of his closest friends since birth, and they both shared a passion of the seas. Lucan, however, was far more skilled than Adgar was, which was why he was in charge of the king's own vessel. "How much longer until we reach land?" Adgar asked.
Lucan shrugged. "Don't know, might take three more days until we see even the smallest chunk of rock. Or maybe even a dead whale!" He laughed, then his voice turned serious. "You still haven't told me why we're out in this begotten blue."
"We're here to look for the ruins of a thousand year-old city called Thorin. My ancestors had ties with that nation before it fell. I wish to try and look for survivors." Adgar replied. The truth was, although the kingdom was a thousand years old, it fell only twenty years ago from invaders. Lucan was confused. "That's not possible, sir. It's been a thousand years. No one can live in rubbles of rock." The king simply lied, "Who knows, Lucan. There are always survivors after the fall of kingdoms."
"If you say so, sir. You're the boss." Lucan patted the king on the back. "Go try and get some sleep." Adgar nodded, and bid farewell to his crew on deck. He then walked to the very end of the boat, and lay down for a long night's rest. His wife, Idun, was already asleep. Typical, he chuckled. Idun always was an early sleeper. She never slept late, unless it was urgent business. Nevertheless, Adgar strolled over to his own bed, plopped down, and closed his eyes.
When he opened into his dream, he was in a clearing in some forest covered by rocks. Everywhere he looked, moss covered the smooth stones, in front of him, sat a tree stump. "Where am I?" The king wondered. "Why am I here? Is this even a dream?" Suddenly, he heard footsteps. He turned around, and behind him was a bushy-haired creature that had a body made of stone. In his hand was a wooden staff, and his eyes shone with wisdom. "This is indeed a dream, old friend, and I have summoned you."
"Paddie," the king said. "It's been ten years since I last saw you."
"Oh it has been long. But we have no time for catching up. I have news for you. Some of which you already know, some you do not." The old troll talked over the tree stump and sat on it. "When I first saw you carrying your unconscious daughter, I was willing to help you. But I did not know who you truly were. Now I do."
The king gestured at Paddie. "Really? If so, do entertain me by how the stars have told you who I am."
"With pleasure," Paddie answered, and began drawing in the dirt. "You were not the ruler of one kingdom, but two. You ruled Thorin, the city that you 'claim' to be searching for. Centuries ago, your ancestors came into war with an enemy nation, the Darkseiders, who controlled pure night, but were not necessarily evil. For decades your nation clashed with the forces of night, until the leader of the Darkseiders, the Dark Ruler sought for peace. He and your father became allies and soon the war was ended. But soon, things changed. There was a prophecy that arose of a young woman who would channel winter itself to restore the light, and this came to the attention of the new Dark Ruler. He saw the prophecy as a threat to his kingdom, so he ordered your kingdom's extermination. Thorin was razed, and your people were scattered across the world. You and your royal family fled to Arendelle, and soon took the throne. Now you have come back to the ruins of Thorin to look for any of your people who may be still alive. Your two daughters weren't even born at the time, so they do not remember any of this. Is what I am saying correct?"
Adgar simply smiled. "Truly your wisdom does not fail you, wise one. Yes, all that you have said is correct. I was indeed the king of Thorin, and yes, I did flee to Arendelle with my family. But you said you had news for me?"
"Oh yes. I need to tell you about your other daughter, Anna." The troll touched the tip of his staff with the rocks, and it burst into flame. "You remember that night when you came to me saying that Elsa nearly froze Anna's heart? Well, Elsa did indeed freeze Anna's heart, but it did not kill her. Instead, it stopped her flames, because she is like her older sister."
The king was rather shocked. "What do you mean, Anna is like Elsa? She can't control ice!"
Paddie snorted, "You say that is not possible, and look at you. I immediately saw that magical water coursed through you veins. You can summon water, just like any Summoner. Your two daughters resemble the two components of water, locked in an eternal struggle-fire and ice. True, Anna now can't wield fire, because that frost in her heart temporarily quenched those powers, so they will manifest her at an older age. And once she can control her fiery powers, she will help her older sister to fulfill the prophecy."
Adgar stared at his own hand. A small stream of water was coming out of his palm and into the ground. He had a tendency to do this whenever he got nervous. "You mean to say Elsa…"
"…Is indeed the one the prophecy spoke of? Think, Adgar. It's been years since there has been another one with powers of ice. Be it so, I cannot predict the future accurately. All I know is that Elsa will indeed restore Thorin to its former glory, and end the feud with the Darkseiders." Paddie stopped drawing in the soil, and stood up. Adgar realized that he had drawn the symbol of Darkness-a facial mask with red streaks across the eyes, and hollow, streaked pitch-black eyes. "For now, the future is in your hands, King Adgar. But I fear that you will perish soon."
Adgar simply replied, "Then I will die with honor." The dream faded into darkness.
It was still dark when Adgar left his room and went out to the deck. He had spent the last hour trying to comprehend the dream he had. Anna has fire powers, and Elsa is the one the Summoner Prophecy spoke of. This is news. He reached into his coat pocket and pulled out a gold medallion with a ten-sided star, the emblem of Thorin. He had kept the medallion during the long trek to Arendelle. He closed it into his fist. Water began to trickle in and wash the medallion.
"Couldn't sleep?" a voice spoke behind him. Adgar turned around. Idun was behind. She had watched him ever since he had left their quarters. "I've been having dreams." He replied. Reluctantly, Adgar told her his dream-message from Paddie. Idun listened closely. When he got to part about Anna and her fire powers, she shook her head. "That's not possible. So many years have passed, and I have not seen the slightest sign of her conjuring flames. "
The king shrugged. "Paddie said they would manifest her. He just didn't say how or when." He faltered. "Of course, you wouldn't really know much about this. You can't summon anything."
"I'm not a Summoner like you, I'm just a normal human. But I don't mind. I believe that fate has given you and our children these powers for good, not for harm." Idun walked past him and stared out to the sea. "Being special means that you were made to protect others who cannot protect themselves. You just need to have faith that you can do it."
"Maybe..." Adgar followed her gaze into the ocean. This was a peaceful voyage, but something didn't seem right. There was a patch of darkness that was too black to be cloud, and was quickly making its way across the ocean. With a shock, he realized that it was a ship with a black flag, and its bow was pointed towards them. "Lucan, stop the ship!"
His warning came too late. The incoming ship slammed into the side of the vessel. No sooner than had it made contact, the air shimmered, and arrows started raining from the skies, ripping the sails with their obsidian-tipped points. He heard a splash and looked. Lucan had fallen into the water, and arrow sticking out his chest. Dead. Idun and Adgar crouched behind the railing, the arrows sailing over them. Suddenly, the arrows stopped firing. The guards ran to the royal couple, weapons drawn. The enemy ship rowed to a stop, and as Adgar watched, a man, or what he thought was a man, walked slowly to the bow that had somehow wedged into the king's ship.
The person was a fearsome warrior. He had pure-black scales that covered his body, making him blend in almost entirely with the shadows. He had no distinguishable features; instead he had a simple round face with no ears, nose, or even a mouth. He didn't even have hair; instead he wore a red crest, as if a Greek helmet was fused into his temples. His eyes were blood red and small, but radiated anger and hatred. He wore a suit of shiny bronze armor, and in his right hand, he carried a winged axe. Adgar immediately knew whom the axe belonged to. It belonged to the same person that had led the army that destroyed Thorin. Surrounding him were one hundred humanoids like him with black-scaled skin, but instead they carried iron longswords.
"Branar! Why have you come?" Adgar called. The shadowed man simply stopped and glared at him with malice. Then he spoke in rumbling voice, "To destroy you. As long as you and your Summoners exist, the world will have no peace." Being with no mouth, his voice echoed around the darkness, as if the black fog had spoke on it's own. Adgar remembered that Branar had slaughtered thousands of Adgar's people before personally burning down the city with blue fire. He cried, "Isn't it enough that you killed my brothers and sisters? Leave now, and perhaps I shall spare your life." Branar's glare softened for a moment, and it showed…pity?
"I have no choice. My king, The Dark Ruler, decrees it." Then his gaze hardened back, and he raised his weapon. Instantly, the dark soldiers swarmed the deck, clashing with Adgar's men. The air was filled with roars and screams as swords clashed and people battled for their lives. Branar himself lunged towards Adgar and Idun. They both scattered in different directions.
"Hey stupid!" Idun yelled to a Darkseider. He turned around, and she smacked him in the face with a broken plank. The soldier toppled over and she kicked him into the sea. Adgar called to her, "Run and hide until it's over!" She nodded, and ran to the back of the boat, closing the door behind her. He turned around. Branar had just lodged his axe free from the ground and was walking towards him. You want a duel? So be it. Adgar thrust open his hand, and channeled his power and ferocity into the palm of his hand. Water spewed out of it, and materialized into a trident made of liquid water. He tested its weight. Perfect. He then leveled his new weapon and charged at Branar. For a solid minute, they were evenly matched. They fought axe on spear throughout the ship, while the battle raged around them. Adgar twirled his trident as he parried, thrust, and stabbed in a whirling propeller of translucent liquid. In return, the dark warrior hacked and slashed at him with his full strength and fury. They spun and sparred, neither one gaining the upper hand. Both were clearly deadly, but not deadly enough to kill each other. But Adgar still had one more trick up his sleeve.
He spun his trident and hooked the winged axe by the handle. With a flick, he disarmed Branar. Adgar then concentrated and opened his palm towards Branar. Water swirled in his hand, building momentum and strength. In an instant, he had a swirling ball of water in his hand. Adgar took aim and fired with all his might. The highly pressurized water slammed Branar into the mast. Moving his hand again, Adgar focused on the water behind him and summoned a wave from the sea to smash Branar. The force of the waves thrust him into a pile of barrels. He concentrated one last time. Water began wrapping around Branar's legs and solidified, immobilizing his arms as well. Adgar then grabbed his trident, and charged in for the kill.
Suddenly, extreme pain seared into his back. Adgar howled, as a wave of darkness seemed to impale into him. The agony overwhelmed him, and he blacked out.
When he came to, he found himself sprawled on the floor, face up. He blinked, and his vision refocused on Branar pointing his winged axe at Adgar's chest. Adgar stood up cautiously, but pain still flared in his back, like someone had stabbed him in the spinal cord. The axe was still pointed at him.
Adgar looked around. 15 Darkseiders had formed a ring around Branar. Everywhere were bodies from both sides. Idun was tied to the mast with ropes. Surprisingly, the ship suffered very little damage from the battle, but as far as Adgar knew, all of his entire garrison and crew were dead. He glared at Branar and growled, "Be done with it then."
"Oh, I won't kill you," someone said, "It is far beneath me." As Adgar watched, smoky mist swirled around the deck, and came to form a man in a dark robe and hood. Adgar knew immediately that this was the Dark Ruler, for he wore an unmistakable artifact-The Mask of Eternal Night, a replica of the Symbol of Darkness. The masked man drew closer, and his mask crumpled away to reveal a fair face with orange hair and an evil smile. This was the ageless Ruler of the Darkseiders.
"You." Adgar replied coldly. "You were the one who broke the peace with Thorin. You were the one who killed my father!" The man grinned, but showed no sympathy or warmth. "Yes to all of that. I suppose you think that I have come to kill you. But no, I will leave that to fate. But I wish to tell you something before you die." He strolled over to Idun and examined her. "A beautiful woman, no doubt. Too bad she is not as powerful as you."
"What do you want to tell me, traitor?" Adgar snapped.
The Dark Ruler walked straight up to him and looked into his eyes. "I have come to tell you about the coming death of your daughters. You see, I've always fancied charming my prey before I kill them. And you Summoners are my prey. True, I love the thrill of hunting my quarry, but I have decided to do something…different. I know perfectly well of your children and the threat they pose of my rule. Using my powers, I have created a mere imbalance within the kingdoms. When your two daughters have so foolishly gained my trust, I will kill them both and destroy Arendelle as well."
"You must be really foolish to tell us everything you are planning to do. We will let the world know," Idun shouted from her bonds.
The Dark Ruler stifled a laugh. "I am doing this out of nobility. Do you not think it's surprisingly kind of me to tell you how your daughters will die so you can stop it? Alas, you cannot prevent it. By the way, I have sapped you of your powers using dark magic, so you can't fight back." He nodded at Branar, and Branar pointed his winged axe toward the sky. The clouds began to rumble, and the waves began to churn. The Darkseiders then gathered together. Streams of darkness swirled around them, and then they began to fade. Taking the chance, Adgar rushed to Idun and untied her.
"Dark Ruler! You said you would not kill us!" Adgar shouted to him above the roaring wind.
"Oh I said I would leave that to fate," The warlord laughed, "But it seems that Mother Nature has said otherwise!" His voice faded with the night as he, Branar and the Darkseider soldiers dissolved into the sky. The waves swirled and lapped the side of the boat. Adgar tried to control the waves, but the Dark Ruler was right. He was powerless. Idun screamed and grabbed Adgar's arm. They held each other close in fear, powerless, as the waves crashed in on them. Adgar's last thought before he succumbed to the darkness was Elsa, Anna, I'm sorry. I promised I would return.
Far off on a distant island, the Dark Ruler sensed their deaths. He bowed his head. "So passed a worthy opponent." In front of him stood a slender figure, his skin pale-grey. The person shimmered and fizzled, for it was a mere apparition. The figure spoke. "You have done well, my servant. Continue the rest of your plan. I expect good results." The thing faded into the storm. Branar cleared his throat. "My lord, about your plan. What if, should the worst ever happen, our plan fails?"
He looked at Branar through his dark mask, his eyes emotionless, devoid of life. He said nothing at first, but then he rasped, "Then we will kill the sisters nonetheless."
End Prologue