The Tides of Destruction
Chapter Three
Inland
The noonday sun was high in the sky by the time Sélene arrived in the cool waters at the edge of the Continent. Diving toward the ocean floor, she followed the arching contour of the seabed, her graceful form gliding fluidly along as she moved closer and closer toward the edge of the large landmass. Looking upward, she noted the presence of dozens of large ships, merchant vessels from each of the Four Kingdoms nestled in the harbor of the coastal kingdom the Erthwélethwain called "Arendelle."
Slowly, cautiously, she propelled herself toward the surface of the waters, carefully pulling her head out from beneath the waves, staring anxiously about as countless men hurried about the harbor, loading and unloading their wares, barking orders at each other, blissfully unaware of her presence. Looking beyond the harbor, she saw the village, its streets filled with citizens going about their daily routines. Rising high above the village, its parapets stretching toward the sky, stood a majestic palace, the abode of the Queen of Arendelle herself.
Now what? she asked herself, realizing she had no idea how she was going to enlist the aid of the Erthwélethwain. It's not like you can ask just anybody to take you to the palace. They will panic when they see you . . . or try to capture you. Or worse . . .
Frustrated, she dove beneath the surface once more, not wanting to risk being spotted by the bustling tradesmen. Somehow, I must make contact with the Queen, she thought. But how?
Swimming along the floor of the fjord, Sélene noticed something peculiar. To her left, she detected the faint pull of a current, its gentle caress calling to her, summoning her. With a flick of her tail, she followed it, smiling as she realized what lay before her. An underground tunnel!
Indeed, at the base of the large landmass was an opening large enough for her to comfortably navigate. Water flowed from it into the fjord from some inland body of water. Perhaps . . . Perhaps if I follow it, I might come close enough to the palace that I could attract less attention, find someone trustworthy to help me . . .
Squeezing her frame into the opening, she kicked her tail, fighting against the current as she moved deeper into the tunnel, her eyes struggling to adjust to the gradually-dimming light. For several tense minutes, Sélene found herself swimming in total darkness, her heart pounding relentlessly in her chest as she fought to remain calm, silently invoking the grace of the Almighty, praying that He would not allow the tunnel to collapse upon her, nor allow it to become so narrow that she would be trapped forever within its confines.
Just when she thought she could abide the darkness no longer, Sélene saw a light in the distance, a light that grew brighter by the second as she pressed onward toward its beckoning glow. Exhaling in relief, the Véldenmaína increased the pace of her thrusts, eager to leave the confines of the tunnel far behind her.
As she approached the opening, Sélene licked her lips, a look of confusion falling upon her face. The water . . . What is wrong with it? It tastes so . . . sweet!
Her eyes widened as she remembered the legends of her people . . . legends that spoke of bodies of water scattered throughout the world that did not bear the salty flavor of the ocean, but instead were filled with the most wonderful water imaginable, fresh and pure, the drink of the Almighty Himself.
The Véldenmaína could not contain herself. A warm laugh burst from her throat as she allowed the sweet liquid to cover her tongue, to flow down her throat, the moment more pleasant than anything she had ever experienced before. Reveling in the sheer exhilaration coursing through her spirit, Sélene burst from the tunnel into a large body of water. Surfacing, she looked about, eager to gain her bearings.
Her already-elated spirit was buoyed once more by recognition of her location. Sélene found herself in a large lake surrounded by long grass, tall trees, beautiful flowers of every conceivable color. The Véldenmaína's heart skipped a beat as she saw the palace not far from her, its towers glistening against the brilliant blue sky, as if it was a beacon guiding her way through the land of the Erthwélethwain.
Now, all I have to do is find someone. Someone I can trust . . .
Her eyes darted about as the sounds of footsteps and voices drew near, growing louder by the moment. Overcome by instinct, Sélene dove beneath the surface of the lake, not wanting to be seen until she was certain the approaching Erthwélethwain meant her no harm. She swam to a large rock near the center of the lake, slowly pulling her lithe form up the tall boulder as her hazel eyes took in the sight before her . . .
"Maíreweth, this is . . . this is absolutely beautiful!"
The young woman smiled as she reached for her Elsa's hand, feeling about in the darkness as her fingers closed around her mother's wrist, wishing with all her heart she could truly see the look upon the Queen's face, certain by the tone of her voice that it was filled with sheer wonder and amazement, just as she had hoped.
"I thought you would like it," Maíreweth said softly. "I've been down here many times before. Sometimes with Alúvelin or Valanda. Sometimes by myself." She squeezed Elsa's hand, her unseeing eyes looking about. "I know I can't see what it looks like, but I . . . I can just sense how wonderful this place is. It's become my thinking place, where I go when I need to just be by myself."
Elsa wrapped her arms around the young woman, her heart overflowing with contentment, bursting with pride. "Thank you for sharing this with me," she whispered, kissing the back of Maíreweth's head. "This is the best birthday gift you ever could have given me—"
"Let me see, Élsaweth! You're in the way!"
"Ow! You're stepping on my feet! Knock it off!"
Elsa turned around, smiling at her niece and nephew. "What's going on?"
The twins ceased their squabbling immediately. "Sorry, Aunt Elsa," Élsaweth said. "We just wanted to see the pretty flowers."
"You wanted to see the flowers," Célebron muttered. "I want to see the lake! I bet there's so many fish in there!" His eyes beaming, he looked at Elsa expectantly. "Can I fish here, Aunt Elsa? Please, please, please, please, please?!"
Elsa looked to Maíreweth, knowing her daughter could sense her shimmering presence despite her blindness. "What do you think, Maíreweth?"
The young woman smiled. "I suppose, if he's careful—"
"YAY!" The five-year-old sprinted to the water's edge, pausing only to pick up a long, thick stick lying on the ground. Concentrating, Célebron wove a thin string of ice from the tip of the stick, forming a fishing line unnaturally strong ice, a pointed hook at its end. Singing to himself, he cast his makeshift line into the lake, waiting expectantly for a nibble.
"Come on, Maíreweth!" Élsaweth grabbed the girl's hand. "Help me pick some flowers! We're going to get some for everybody: for Mama, for Papa, for Aunt Elsa, Aunt Alúvelin, Valanda . . . everybody!"
Laughing, Elsa released her grip on Maíreweth's hand. "Go on," she said. "If you don't, I don't think you'll ever hear the end of it."
Maíreweth managed to flash a brief smile toward her mother before an ecstatic Élsaweth dragged her away. "Come on! Come on! Come on!"
Keeping the children ever in her vision, Elsa moved to the lake's edge, sitting upon a soft bed of long grass. Absentmindedly running her fingers through the rippling waters, she sighed, her spirit filled with a sense of utter bliss. I was right, she thought. This is the best birthday I have ever had . . .
From her hidden vantage point at the center of the lake, Sélene watched the scene play out before her, marveling at how the four Erthwélethwain interacted with each other. Father was wrong, she thought. So, so wrong! Look how much they love each other! I knew it! I knew not all of them were vicious killers!
As the three younger Erthwélethwain dispersed, the Véldenmaína's attention was consumed solely by the beautiful woman seated at the edge of the lake. Sélene was mesmerized by her grace, her dignity, realizing in the back of her mind that she had never seen a female Erthwélethwain up close before. Her jaw dropped as she suddenly realized who she was gazing upon. The snatches of conversation she had overheard among the Erthwélethwain over the years regarding the beauty of the Queen of Arendelle suddenly rang in her ears. It's her! It has to be! She is here, at this moment!
Sélene released her hold on the rock, prepared to cross the span of the lake, to formally extend an offer of alliance to the Queen, to break every sacred Law of her people and consciously reveal herself to one of the Erthwélethwain. Her intentions, however, were interrupted by an excited voice ringing across the lake.
"Look at me, Aunt Elsa! Look up here!"
The Véldenmaína looked to her left, bringing her hand to her mouth in horror as she saw the boy standing upon a fallen tree. Somehow the boy had climbed the tree and moved to its edge, oblivious to how much danger he was in as he sat precariously perched high above the waters.
"Célebron! What are you doing?" The Queen was standing now, her voice calm, yet tinged with an audible hint of worry.
"Célebron!"
Sélene saw the young girl running to the edge of the lake, her eyes upon her brother, the older girl close behind her. "Célebron, what are you doing? That's not safe!"
"I'm fine!" the boy shouted back. "The fish weren't biting over there. Up here's better! Right over the middle! I'll bet they're all right here!"
"Célebron, don't move!" The Queen was moving toward the edge of the waters. Waving her hand, she formed a walkway of ice toward the center of the lake.
Sélene let out a soft gasp as she saw the ice appear just on the other side of her rock. She . . . She can create ice? How . . . How is this possible? Who is she?!
The Queen was walking on the ice, slowly crossing the lake. "I'm going to come out to the middle of the lake, right under you. When I tell you to jump, I want you to fall into my arms. Understand?"
Sighing, the boy conceded defeat. "Okay. I'll jump when you say so, Aunt Elsa. But you're all worried for no reason. I'm just—"
Everything seemed to happen in slow motion. In one moment, the boy was standing atop the tree; in the next, he was falling toward the waters. A horrified scream erupted from his twin sister's throat as the boy's body collided with the edge of the ice. The wind knocked out of him, Célebron's inertia carried him into the water, his form disappearing beneath the surface.
Sélene's spirit filled with terror as she watched the boy sink into the lake. Her horror at the child's predicament intensified, a feeling of dread washing over her, as she saw something large move just beneath the surface, the waters rippling as some mammoth creature moved toward where Célebron had disappeared, the Véldenmaína suddenly realizing she was not the only foreign being within the lake . . .
"No!"
The Queen rushed to the middle of the lake, her eyes scanning the waters, desperately searching for her nephew. "Célebron!" she cried. "Célebron!"
The boy's body suddenly burst from beneath the waters, floating like a doll on the surface. Elsa felt a rush of relief wash over her as she stretched out her hand toward him. "Célebron! Take my hand! Célebron, can you hear me?!"
The boy did not respond, his eyes shut tight. Pulling off her shoes, Elsa prepared to dive into the water, to pull him back to shore. Her focus was suddenly drawn to a large shape bursting from beneath the waves.
The creature—whatever it was—was larger than anything Elsa had ever seen before. It bore some resemblance to an eel, except it was far, far larger than any known specimen. Its limbless body bore down upon Célebron's unconscious form, jaws opened wide as its razor-sharp teeth prepared to rip into the boy's flesh.
"Get away!" Remaining calm despite her desperate situation, Elsa unleashed a wave of ice toward the creature. The sudden shock of coldness caused the beast to pull back in surprise. Growling in rage, it turned its attention to the Queen, its head upon her in an instant as it prepared to punish the foolish being who dared to deny it its prey.
Elsa rolled across her bridge of ice, narrowly avoiding losing her foot to the creature's teeth. Pulling herself to her knees, she flicked her wrist, a tall wall of icicles forming around her attacker, entrapping it within a crystalline prison.
Roaring in rage, the serpentine monster launched its body against the ice, desperate to escape its frozen confines. Seeing that the beast was momentarily contained, Elsa quickly extended the ice bridge toward where Célebron floated, blissfully unaware of the danger he was in.
Running to the edge of her ice, Elsa reached into the water, pulling her nephew's sopping body from the cold liquid. With a strength she did not know she possessed, Elsa threw Célebron's unconscious form over her shoulder. Standing, she turned back, running across the bridge toward the shore.
With a terrifying shriek, the creature burst through the ice that confined it. Enraged beyond all measure, it dove toward Elsa, slamming headfirst into the ice behind her. The impact was strong enough to knock the Queen off balance, sending her and her nephew skidding across the bridge.
Dazed, Elsa forced herself to sit up, ignoring the protests from her aching limbs. Shaking her head, she tried to clear the fog that clouded her vision, trying to summon the power within her. But she couldn't concentrate; everything was blurry, disorienting. Looking up, she could do nothing but watch as the jaws of the beast descended upon her, bracing herself for the inevitable.
The creature suddenly pulled back, screaming in agony. Fighting the fog that still tinged her vision, Elsa looked toward the monster, trying to determine why it had stopped when it had been so close to—
The beast roared again as Elsa's vision finally cleared. Squinting, she gasped as she saw something . . . someone clinging to the creature's head, pale hands clawing at its eyes. Elsa thought she saw a glimmer of crimson as the beast pulled whoever was fighting it beneath the surface of the water.
No! They'll drown! Crawling to the edge of her ice bridge, Elsa looked into the water, desperately searching for her savior, hoping that somehow whoever it was would survive . . .
Underneath the water, Sélene's arms were wrapped tightly around the creature's head, its jaw held shut beneath her vicelike grip. She had recognized the beast the moment it had surfaced. It was a Dérgenthrall, one of the giant Worms of the Deep. Believed to be extinct for centuries, the Véldenmaína knew of the monster from the stories she had heard as a child. Its taste for Véldenthem flesh was legendary, matched only by its ruthless cunning and tenacity. It must have followed me through the tunnel, she thought as she grappled with the creature, tightening her hold on its skull, her fingers clawing at its yellow eyes. Somehow, it knew I was here . . .
Slamming the Dérgenthrall's skull against the lakebed, Sélene arched her body, thrusting her fin forward, delivering a powerful kick to the creature's ribcage. Looking the beast directly in the eye, the Véldenmaína let out a powerful bellow of her own, asserting her dominance, knowing power was the only thing the monster would respect. "Nun ganna elémathen haiéraway! Maístera, creátura Négrasem!" she snarled, pressing its head against the sharp stones on the floor of the lake. Be gone with you! Get out! I am your Mistress, Creature of Darkness!
The beast would not be easily subdued. Roaring at her, the Dérgenthrall swung its tail around, connecting with Sélene's torso, sending shockwaves through her body.
The Véldenmaína refused to back down despite the pain that now rocked her to her very core. "Nun ganna elémathen haiéraway!" she repeated, her voice louder, more intense than before. "Maístera, creátura Négrasem!"
Sélene took hold of a jagged rock lying near her fin. With a mighty roar, she drove the rock into the creature's eye, coughing and sputtering as dark blood filled her lungs, momentarily blinding her.
With a final wail of agony, the Dérgenthrall, realizing it had been thoroughly dominated, slowly slinked away, retreating through the tunnel, escaping to the fjord, to the ocean where it could lick its wounds in solitude.
Her adrenaline rush subsiding, Sélene felt her eyes growing heavy, the injuries she had sustained during the battle taking their toll. A wave of panic came over her as she suddenly remembered: The boy! The Queen! You must . . . help them! Get to the surface . . . now . . .
Fighting the urge to sleep, to rest, Sélene forced herself above the waves, her eyes filled with panic as she looked wildly about for any sign of the Queen and her nephew. Kicking her exhausted fin, she pushed herself to the shore, pulling herself out of the water, her breathing labored, her head pounding in excruciating agony.
"There! Over there!"
In the distance, Sélene heard a voice, saw three figures rushing toward here, one of them helping a fourth figure to walk. The boy . . . He . . . He's all right! As the figures drew near, she opened her mouth to greet them, to introduce herself, but the weight of her exhaustion overwhelmed her as she fell to the ground, her nostrils filled with the sweet, unfamiliar smell of fresh grass as her eyelids closed, sending her into restful oblivion.
AN: Elsa has indeed become even more powerful since her induction into the Order. Her ability to remain calm under pressure is now greatly heightened. And now, Sélene has been exposed for Elsa to see. More to come . . .