Chapter Four
I managed to dodge the first blow from the creature, ducking under the swing and drawing my sword. The men around me surged forward, throwing spears and firing arrows. This had no effect on the creature whatsoever, except to make it angrier. It flung its arm sideways, knocking several of the men aside. I rolled out of its way, but it lifted a leg to step on me.
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Weselton's two thugs dart up the stairs into the palace. No! If they got to the Queen, they could ruin everything! With a burst of adrenaline, I regained my footing, swung my sword right through the snow creature's leg, and ran past it up the steps. As it toppled over the edge of the cliff, it reached out and snagged the edge of the staircase, snapping off the railing and pulling me over with it. Only a wild grab for the edge of a stair prevented me from falling into the chasm along with it. However, I could feel my hand starting to slide on the smooth ice. Thankfully, the other men in the search party pulled me back up before I slipped completely.
"Come on!" I hastened up the stairs and into the palace. I could hear the sounds of conflict from upstairs and desperately hoped that I wasn't too late. I reached the top floor and saw Elsa, a fierce expression on her face, with one man pinned to the wall and the other being pushed by a slab of ice off the balcony. I had to stop this quickly. If Elsa killed someone, even in justified self-defense, the rest of the men around me would undoubtedly attack as well, despite my orders. In the ensuing melee, there was every chance that several lives would be lost. I couldn't afford to lose the power and information I needed from Elsa, nor did I want to appear wasteful of the men's lives. Not to mention the fact that there would be the possibility of losing my own life as well, which would not sit well with my plans. No country was worth that.
All this flashed through my mind in an instant. I called out the only thing I could think of to appeal to her humanity, "Queen Elsa! Don't be the monster they fear you are!"
She snapped her head around. With relief, I saw her expression begin to ease. She looked around as if shocked at her behavior. As she straightened, her ice began to pull back as well.
At that moment, the man on the wall lifted the crossbow he still held and began to aim it at her. Acting quickly, I flung myself at him, knocking the bow up and away just as he pulled the trigger. The arrow flew up and through the elaborate ice chandelier above us, severing it from the ceiling. In slow motion, it dropped down, straight toward Elsa. She scrambled to evade it.
I shielded my eyes as it smashed into the floor, shattering into hundreds of pieces. When all was quiet again, I looked up for Elsa. She lay in a crumpled heap near the remains of the chandelier. I hurried over. Was she injured? Had she been hit? I didn't see any obvious wounds. As I turned her over, my hand encountered a growing lump on the side of her head. She must have simply struck it on the floor. She would probably be unconscious for a while.
Well, I wouldn't be able to get any information from her any time soon. But I didn't want to sit around here waiting for her to wake up. For one thing, I needed to return to Arendelle as soon as possible. I didn't trust the Duke of Weselton not to take advantage of my absence, given how eager his men were to act against Elsa. Additionally, someone might have brought news of Anna.
A call from the man still pinned on the wall interrupted my thoughts. "Can someone get me down from here?"
Before anyone could move to help, I rounded on him, my expression fierce. "You went against my direct orders not to harm the Queen. If I hadn't intervened, you would have killed her!"
He sneered at me. "I don't answer to you. I have no loyalty to Arendelle."
My gaze hardened. "Perhaps not. But an act of violence against the ruling authority of a country in a time of peace is an offense tantamount to treason. You and your companion will be held prisoner until such a time as a decision can be made for your punishment." He paled visibly as I nodded to the others. "Release the two of them and arrest them."
As they moved to follow my orders, I called two of the men over to my side. "You will carry the Queen down to our horses below where she will be transported back to Arendelle with us." They nodded and stooped to lift her. "And be careful!" I reminded sharply.
Bringing her back to Arendelle wasn't exactly ideal. I didn't know how it would affect the weather. However, I wanted Elsa contained and within easy access. If she could reverse the winter, Arendelle would be the best location for her to do so. And naturally, if I could be the one to convince her to do so, and save the princess as well, my victory would be assured.
As the men carried the unconscious Queen outside, I noticed that the snow and wind had completely died down. However, the cold had not dissipated in the least. I wondered if Elsa was controlling it even now, in some way. I looked down at her, but she had not moved.
She didn't move the entire journey back down to Arendelle. I transported her on my horse, in front of me. I didn't trust anyone else to react properly if she woke up. When we arrived back at the palace, I there were many gasps and murmurings from the townspeople. A brave few dared to try for a closer look, but most stepped back nervously.
"Don't worry," I assured them. "I will not let her cause any more harm. Arendelle will be safe again!" A cheer started up, slowly at first, then growing to fill the square. I looked at them all, and felt a warm glow begin to fill me.
This is how my life was always meant to be.
A/N: This chapter is a little bit short, I know, but the next chapter will be ready to go in only a couple of days!
