Later that day
Even though it was winter and there was still a strong chill in the air, it was nice to see a sunset for once rather than the typical wet and windy end to the day Arendelle had been experiencing for about three prior to this one. A mix of red, orange, gold and purple filled the air towards the west and in the east the first traces of the night sky were beginning to creep over the horizon. It was a cloudless time and so there was a very strong likelihood that the stars would be visible tonight, possibly even the Aurora. That was one of the benefits of Arendelle's winter nights. As cold as they were, they could at least see the Northern Lights come to life. Another addendum of natural beauty to this already amazing landscape. Many would be captivated by the sights, wondering how such beautiful things could come into existence with a multitude of explanations but all with the same outcome as to how the people felt about them.
On the docks, however, it was not to be so for Christopher as he stood on the docks and stared out over the bay of Arendelle, taking in the scene of beauty and calm with his brown eyes like an artist trying to interpret the natural world around him. Water gently hit the stone wall nearby as it met the land border of the town and a few seagulls called out overhead as they flew around searching for any food left on the ground by the market earlier that day or any fish in the bay. Some rested on the roofs of buildings, others on the fountain and the four statues around it. They were unaware of their meaning and yet remembering that they were stone creations of the legendary beasts that had once fought here. They [the seagulls] might have seen them once but these gigantic creatures to them were just pieces of land, land that moved to be precise but land nonetheless.
If one could read his mind and face, they would know he was looking directly at the entrance to the bay with a solemn expression, reliving the events that made him into the man he is now. It pained him as much as it would anyone trying to remember those few minutes that changed his life, yet no matter how hard he tried to forget it all, it just came back and seemed to be more painful than ever as if it were a punishment.
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Chaos, that was really the only word to describe the scene around Christopher as loud BANGS from outside his carriage made it rumble slightly and the woman sitting across from him cried out in terror; clinging onto her husband's arm for comfort. Guards standing outside screamed at the driver to go whilst others fired on the huge behemoths fighting outside; the noise of their roars of pain and anger filling the air like thunder. He covered his ears and leant forward, praying frantically that they would not be hit by a stray bullet or be knocked of the wall. "GO! GO!" A guard standing outside the carriage yelled at the driver in a panicked tone. Not even a second passed before the carriage shook wildly as the horses literally shot forward away from the battle, a cacophony of noises deafening their ears. Cries of pain and terror, gunshots, cannon blasts and roars that sounded like the fury of God cleansing the earth in some kind of apocalyptic act rang out around them. Gingerly looking up, Christopher saw the blueness of the ground racing past. The noise died down only slightly after what seemed like forever with the carriage rocking about and no one saying a word. Those inside it heard the driver and a guard shout out and they felt the horse dawn vehicle slow to a halt. Christopher looked out through the windows in confusion. Why was it stopping? Were they not aware that they were in a
"The carriage behind us is stuck!" someone outside the carriage shouted loudly, but whatever he said afterwards was cut off by a loud roar from the fight nearby.
That was enough for Christopher, however. He threw the door of the vehicle open and jumped out, landing with a thud on the ground; the cries of the four passengers inside following him as they begged him to get back inside. As he looked up, he was greeted by a scene of utter consternation. Guards rushed up and down and across the immense ice wall that stretched out across the bay entrance, tens of voices filling the air as captains and soldiers all tried to give out orders or crying out in pain. Another carriage came towards him at high speeds and it was only the quick reaction of the driver as he swerved around Christopher; the driver and a guard holding onto the side of it screaming invectives at him. BOOM! The wall and earth shook as he looked and saw a huge beast be thrown against it by another huge creature it was wrestling. A loud roar pierced the voices and sounds of the humans around him, again making him feel as if the voice of God was announcing judgement upon the earth and humanity. Then, his eyes fell on an object and his heart stopped, his breath became caught in his throat and a panicked expression worked its way onto his face. One hundred feet ahead of him on the ice wall was the carriage the guard had shouted about, the wheel of it caught in a large hole and the driver was literally smashing it into the behinds of the horses as if he was trying to kill them; desperately hoping that they could pull it out of the hole and reach the end of the wall. Another BOOM shook the wall and knocked a few guards off their feet and a large piece of the wall on the Arendelle side could be heard cracking as it came off and fell into the bay. "Vanessa! Sophie!" Christopher breathed seemingly motionless and nonchalant, yet his body was figuratively screaming at him to do one thing: Get out there now! He ran. Ran faster than anytime he could remember; adrenaline running through his bloodstream. He had to get there! He had to! He had to! His wife and daughter were in danger! As he ran through the battle towards the carriage, nearly falling over twice as the monsters threw each other at the wall, he saw Elsa and several others reach it and try and pull its wheel out of the hole. Yes! The relief and feeling of hope was spontaneous, yet it felt amazing! They would help him! His family had a chance aft- "STOP!" Next thing he knew, Christopher fell to the ground and was held down as a guard pulled one of his arms behind his back. "What the hell are you doing up here?!" "My family!" Christopher shouted back over the noise of the fighting as three guards carrying a fourth who was wounded on a stretcher rushed past them; a cannon firing nearby as they went. "I have to get to them!" "No, you need to leave now!" the guard pulled him to his feet and began to pull him in the direction of the end of the wall, though he struggled as Christopher tried to yank his arm free. "OH SHIT, RUN! LOOK OUT!" Wheeling round, both men looked on in complete disbelief as they saw Godzilla be thrown towards the wall by the Kraken.
"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" He could not believe it as his brown eyes looked as the wall, watching it explode as if a bomb had gone off inside it. He was speechless, yet his heart cried out in pain, one that he had never felt before.
In one fell swoop, everything had been taken from him.
"Christopher!" a feminine voice full of urgency said to him. "Christopher!" it came again! He knew that voice … it was …
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"Christopher." The feminine voice came again, one that he knew all too well.
With an irritated sigh through gritted teeth, he looked over his shoulder to see a woman with deep sea blue eyes, a small nose, soft cheeks, near silvery blonde hair tied up in a French braid and dressed in a blue ice dress that sparkled in the evening light. On her head was a small tiara, a symbol of her status and power. It was Queen Elsa, monarch of Arendelle and the legendary Ice Queen so to speak to the world now that her powers had come to light. She stood about five feet away, staring at him with a mixture of concern, even downright worry but he responded with a tight lipped, look of disgust as if she were a pet that had made a mess on the floor. What is she doing here?
"Come to gloat again?!" he spat at her, half turning his head away from her so he would not have to look at her in the hopes that his words and body language would be enough of a message to her.
He heard Elsa sigh and she took a step towards him. "Christopher, please don't be like this."
He grunted in an annoyed manner. "Why are you here anyway?" he asked sordidly.
It was amazing that anyone would talk to their monarch in this manner, especially to one who had the power to freeze him on the spot if she wished. Truth was Elsa did momentarily contemplate doing that, or something along those lines but she restrained herself. She knew how he felt.
"I came to see if you were alright," she replied calmly, trying to sound friendly. "You were very brusque in the meetings today."
He gave a light scoff. "When haven't I?" he asked her sarcastically, referring to the last few months' meetings and how his attitude towards Elsa had changed considerably since the battle here. "Are you here because you're going to tell me that I have respect that … that thing! That abomination and what it did to this kingdom?!" he hissed, turning his head to look at Elsa in the eyes.
She held her ground, not blinking or backing away. "As I said, I came to make sure you were okay." She responded, her tone carrying a level of bluntness within it. Oh well done Elsa, you dumbo. Perfect way to respond to someone whose just spoke to you that way! "Look, Christopher," She continued, trying to sound normal and comforting. "Please don't be way. I know how you feel."
He rounded on her, a look of anger on his face accentuated by his glaring eyes and reddening cheeks. "Oh do you?!" he barked vehemently. "You-" he pointed a finger at her accusingly. "-have had five years! Five years to get over it, and you still have family!" he paused to let that sink into her. "Me?!" he hit himself on the chest with his hand to emphasise his point. "I have nothing! No one!"
"Christopher!" Elsa said, her voice becoming more firm as she stepped closer to him and tried to take his hand but he pushed it away and glared angrily into her blue eyes. Anger met comfort, yet firmness. "Please, I just want to help you."
"You want to help me?" he repeated and pointed at her angrily. "You can help me by killing that thing! That … Godzilla, or whatever his name is!"
Elsa stared at him in disbelief. She sympathised with him and could see where he was coming from in his view, but … but kill Godzilla? Could she really bring herself to do that? It was not just a question of their size and power but also … well, their connection. One only had to look at what happened six months ago to see that. They had a strong bond, no one could deny that but that did not mean everyone had to accept it.
She sighed. "Christopher, I know how you feel but … I-I can't!"
He shook his head at her in a disappointed manner, wishing he could say some harsh things to her right now but even his current state of emotions were not stupid enough to lead him to say such vulgar words to a monarch, and especially one like Elsa.
"I knew it!" he said, turning away from her and looking out across the bay. "You're keeping him as some kind of guardian or spirit or whatever! Well, you're making a mistake!" he paused for a moment to look back at the bay entrance as if reminding himself of the events there, the tragedy that tore his life in two, then looked back at Elsa. "Luckily there are others out there who see otherwise!"
Upon hearing this, Elsa took a few steps closer to him, a look of nervousness and aghast on her face. What! Others knew?! Such a thing would have been obvious to an extent, of course. After all, who could not keep something like the great battle under the covers? But the question was; how many was he referring to?
"You've spoken with them, haven't you?" she asked rhetorically and he nodded and looked at her, not a trace of guilt locatable on his face. "Christopher, why did you do that?!" she cried, anger and shock in her voice.
"Well what would have us do?" he snapped vehemently at her. "What were you going to do when this got out? Because it would! What then? You would not fool anyone in saying that what happened here was some kind of natural disaster! You would be lying and they and you would know it! This wasn't an earthquake, it wasn't a typhoon! It wasn't even a goddamn army from another kingdom!"
"Christopher-" Elsa tried to speak.
"No, no!" he cut her off. "Listen to me! I am doing Arendelle a favour, one that you-" he pointed a harsh finger at her, startling her a little. "-won't do! We need to stop this thing, not protect it as you want to. It didn't protect us, it destroyed lives! It destroyed families!"
"Your family included," Elsa spoke up and he went silent, though the anger on is face became even more apparent. "Christopher what do you want from me?!" she asked him, her voice becoming a little desperate as she tried to get him to see his senses. "Really! What do you wat me to do?!"
He took a step closer to her, likely an attempt to intimidate her but she held her position and gazed firmly at him. Though he had a good few inches over her and was of a much stronger build, he would not dare attack the queen; her ice powers being more of a deterrent than her status.
"What do I want?" he breathed. "I want that thing gone!" he snapped at her and he thrust a pointing finger out towards the bay entrance. "My wife and daughter died here!" he half-shouted at her, his voice breaking and a look of sadness overwhelming him as he stepped back a few paces and wiped his eyes with the sleeve of his arm. "That thing killed my family!"
Elsa stared at him with ambiguity. On the one hand, she was angry with him. How dare he conduct foreign policies without her consent, especially on a matter of importance such as this! How dare he! He could put the entire kingdom at risk now that … probably everyone on the continent knew about the battle here and the 'friendship', as they would see it, though admittedly it was not far from the truth, between her and Godzilla.
On the other hand, she sympathised with him. He had lost his family that day and he wanted revenge. He wanted Godzilla to pay for the killing of his family, regardless of how unintentional it was. She could not really blame him for feeling this way; after all she had early given up when her parents had died and would have done two years ago when her sister had become a frozen statue had it not been for her act of true love that saved her.
Sadly, the same could not be said for Christopher.
Elsa took a few steps towards him until she was close enough to touch him, a look of sympathy in her eyes. "Christopher, you lost your family. I can sympathise with that-"
"You've had five years to get over it!" he snapped at her. She tried to speak but he cut her off. "No, no! I'm done talking to you!" A pause hung between them as he looked out at the bay once more, taking in the now setting sun behind the mountains and the colours of the day going with it as if to try and calm himself down. "What I have done is for this kingdom." He said to Elsa bluntly and turned to walk away. "Expect a message from the coalition. You'll realise where you stand then."
"Christopher!" Elsa called but he walked away from her, wiping his eyes dry as he went, ignoring the looks from the Asian man standing nearby outside a storehouse watching the argument. "Christopher, I order you halt now!" she ordered him but he ignored her and rounded a corner and disappeared from sight.
Elsa growled and, turning around, fired all of her anger and frustration at the dock walkway and the water in front of her. A good fifty foot section of the water froze into solid ice and several large and incredibly sharp shards of ice smashed the first twenty or so feet or the wooden walkway to pieces, sending pieces of it in all directions.
How dare he speak to me like that! She seethed. How dare he! Who does he think he is?!She could not believe the attitude of this man. He had lost his family ad it was understandable for him to feel this way, but to go ad speak with a group of leaders, or even a coalition (such a thing sounded ludicrous but given what had happened and even the power Elsa had that did not mean it was not possible) as he put it! And without her consent given foreign policy was her rightful prerogative and hers only! How dare he! Oh, that man was going to get into a lot of trouble; he could risking the whole of Arendelle and the surrounding areas for all she knew.
And then there was Godzilla. As much as she knew he was a danger, intentionally or not, she just … just could not bring herself to do it. After all, she and probably everyone here, possibly even Christopher, knew that were it not for him, then their kingdom and thousands of lives outside of it would have been extinguished. Godzilla had been chasing the Kraken who had brought Ebirah into the fray and he, with Varan and Elsa as a snow dragon by his side, had emerged victorious, though Varan had died fighting. Monster or not, Godzilla had saved them.
Why is it so hard for him to see that? She asked herself mentally as she heaved a heavy sigh, extending her finger and making the shards dissipate into the bay.
"Excuse me, Your Majesty?" a heavy accented voice came asked from behind.
Elsa turned to see the Asian man standing a few feet from her, his bag on the ground next to him. He bowed respectfully and spoke again.
"Forgive me, Queen Elsa, but I was wondering if I could direct me to the residence-" (he had a little trouble pronouncing this word as he made the 'I' sound like an 'ee') of Henrik."
Elsa raised an eyebrow and studied this man for a moment, taking in his clothing his face, his bag and his words. Henrik? Why would he want to see Henrik? Surely he knew-wait!
She stepped closer to him. "You're Akiro, aren't you?" she asked. "You were a fellow trader and a friend of Henrik in America." She added.
He nodded. "Yes, Your Majesty. Henrik spoke very highly of you and your powers and wisdom. I can see it in you he was not misplacing his words."
Elsa nodded a little. "Well thank you," she replied. "But, if I may ask, why are you here, Akiro?"
"I came here to meet up with Henrik in the hopes we could track the development of two creatures; the Kraken and Godzilla." He answered. "I just arrived today. Though, may I ask you, Queen Elsa? Have you come into contact with him already this matter?"
Elsa bit her lip in apprehension. If Akiro had only arrived today, then … he would not know about …
She sighed and looked up at him sadly. "I think you better come with me to my study." She told him.
Author's note: Greetings fellow FF readers and writers. If any of you are wondering, yes this chapter's dialogue between Elsa and Christopher is based off the trailer chapter for this FF but with some changes. Also, the backstory to it is based off the events of Chapter 11 in 'Clash of Titans'. Just to clear up any potential confusion. Happy Holidays.
~Cossacks250.