Chapter 10:
Turning Tables
Two chapters on two consecutive days! How? Because I'm Batman!
"PABBIE!" screamed Kristoff into the fire. He was still on the floor from being thrown out alongside Boulda, now in the middle of the hallway. He reached out, ready to run back in there, but the ceiling had finally collapsed. He watched as Pabbie fell to his knees, having spent his last ounce of energy. He looked onto the doorway, seeing Kristoff and Boulda before him. He smiled briefly as the ruble, fire, and ashes consumed him from above.
Kristoff could only watch helplessly as the debri came down. The sound of fire and wood and stone hitting the ground was all he could hear now. A wave of hot air rushed out of the room, forcing him to cover his face with his elbow.
"No!" cried Boulda, seeing Pabbie's fate unfold.
Kristoff stood up now, not believing what he had just witnessed. He took a step towards the room, but was stopped by Kai and another male servant.
"No my lord!" said Kai as they pulled him back. "No, it's too late!"
Kristoff fought back briefly, but reality finally set in. The whole room was ablaze, dust, hot ash, and fire filled the air inside, leaving little room for the imagination. Knowing he wouldn't fight anymore, Kai and the other man let go, letting Kristoff stare into the fire.
"Pabbie?" he whimpered lightly. He struggled to come to terms with what just happened less than a minute ago. How Pabbie just threw him and Boulda out, saving themselves but sacrificing himself in the process. He was still in there, and there was nothing he could do about it. Matthew ran away from Sven and hugged his father's leg, crying softly into it. Kristoff patted his head, his own eyes watering up. He bent down, his eyes still fixed on the flames.
The fire started climbing out of the room, threatening to spread into the hallway while Kristoff waited. The hallway was crumbed full of people now, packed like a can of sardines. He knew they were all still in danger. He would have to mourn later.
"Everyone!" he called out half heartedly, still trying to fight back the grief. "To the ballroom! Come on! We can't stay here!" Almost immediately, the people began rushing out, slowly clearing the hallway, leaving Kristoff and Boulda at the end near the entrance of what was once the painting room. Through the crowd, he heard his name being called.
"Kristoff!"
He looked back. He saw Anna coming for him, fighting against traffic. In the chaos, he almost forgot that she had left to get Lionel.
"Anna" he said in relief. He stood there with Boulda, waiting for Anna to come to him.
"Kristoff, what happened?" she asked. She saw Kristoff with Matthew crying by his side. Seeing her, the boy ran up to her. She knelt down and picked him up, shooing him and rubbing his back out of inctinct. She knew something horrible had happened.
Kristoff went to explain what happened, but stopped when he saw Lionel and Fredrick come in behind her, having just fought through the crowd. An idea formed in his head.
"Lionel. Lionel!" he rushed forward. He grabbed the man by the arm and led him to the burning entrance of the painting room. "Lionel, he's still in there!" he said. "Put out the fire, fast! There's still a chance!"
Still confused on who he was talking about, Lionel waisted no time, seeing the extent of the flames inside. All he could see in his mind was a man burning alive within. He let that happen once. He couldn't let hat happen again. Immediately, he shot his hands forward. He focused on the flames, imagining them to stop. Slowly, but steadily, the flames vaporized in clouds of red magic.
"Who's in there?" Anna asked in panic.
"Pabbie!" said Boulda. She hung onto Anna's hand hopefully, seeing if Lionel could indeed stop the flames.
Lionel once said he wasn't nearly as strong as Elsa was with his magic. Back in Weselton, he was not able to put out the fire that claimed three lives, a fire he started. While in Arendelle's custody, however, he decided that that would never happen again. He asked the queen for practice in putting out flames, using brush fires to test his powers on. He became proficient at it, but never to the degree he hoped.
Still, it proved useful now as he concentrated on putting out sections rather than the whole thing at once. Flames were pulled up and out, shrinking into a spiral of flame and magic until they vanished. After almost thirty seconds, he pulled enough of the flame away for Kristoff and Kai to run in and begin moving logs out of the way. Anna left Matthew on Sven's back while she ran in with Boulda and began tearing though debris.
"Pabbie!" Kristoff and the others began calling out. They kept calling his name and pulling debri out of the way while Lionel continued clearing the flames. There was still some flames in the corners and in what was left in the room above. With the heat still emanating in the room, he wouldn't not stop until all the sources of ignition were quenched.
Then, Boulda heard a groan from under a pile of burnt wood. "Over here!" she called out. She dug in, the others joining in behind her. Pulling up charred wood and sooty bricks, they finally found him. He was covered in ash and dust. Part of his face was blackened by the fire, along with his right arm and leg. Trolls reacted differently to fire than humans, their stony skin turning black and brittle after prolonged exposure. Still, they were more resilient to it, and Pabbie might have recovered.
It was the massive support beam crushing his chest that had Boulda worried. With great strain, Kristoff and Kai pulled the wooden beam away, letting it fall down with a heavy thud nearby. Boulda immediately rushed to his side.
"Pabbie! Oh dear" she said after seeing his injuries. Much of his robes and clothing had burned away. The crystals adorning his necklace, the crystals that reflected a trolls spirit, flickered on and off, as if struggling to stay lit.
"We need to get him to help" she said. Kristoff went down to lift him, but Pabbie raised his hands for him to stop.
"No no" he said in a weak, croaky voice. He coughed hard, sounding like it hurt. He shook his head, looking up with squinted, weak eyes. "It's too late."
"Don't say that" said Kristoff." We can get you to help. I'll take you home. We can help you there."
Pabbie shook his head again. "Not enough time. I, I feel that it is my time." He coughed again as his crystals flickered again.
Everyone remained silent, staring sorrowfully at the dying old troll. Kristoff knew in his heart, a feeling fighting his irrationally optimistic mind, that Pabbie wouldn't be around much longer. He could see it in his cracked chest, and his heavy breathing. It was just the way he looked. He had hunted enough animals to know when a wound was fatal, based on how the animal carried on. He had seen it also in the passing of mountain men he knew in his old life. The signs were unmistakable.
"Boulda, my daughter" Pabbie said weakly. Boulda immediately grabbed his hand, holding it gently with both hands. "My child. Know that I have always loved you."
"Oh, I know that" she said, a sniffle escaping her.
"Tell the others not to mourn me" he said. "Tell them, I will be in a better place, and that we will meet again, in time."
Boulda nodded softly. She bowed her head and cried, refusing to let go. Then, Pabbie turned his eyes, not his head, to Kristoff.
Kristoff could see the weakness in his eyes, and the pain, and fear. All people, despite knowing what is on the other side, feared death. Not so much that they are leaving; it is what they are leaving behind that haunts their minds.
"Kristoff, I am proud to call you my grandson." he said, then coughed. "I thank you for making us your family."
Kristoff just smiled. "I wouldn't have chosen any other, even if I had my choice."
Then Pabbie looked to Anna. Her face was red, on the verge of breaking down, but she tried to stay strong for Pabbie. "Princess Anna, come here, please." Anne didn't hesitate to come over and kneel down by the dying troll's side. He reached up and picked up her hand in his own. "I owe you and your family so much. Your father before you allowed us to live in peace in your kingdom, just as you and your sister have (coughs)."
His speech became more slow, more soft, and most disconcerting, more distant. "I never had all the answers, or at least never the easy ones..." he paused, taking a deep breathe. "You and your sister have always been a rare gem in this world, I knew that. Your past trials have only proven your resilience as sisters (coughs). Take care foo your sister, Anna. She needs you. I feel in my heart that she will bring about a great change in this world. She may be powerful, but she wouldn't have made it this far without you, you know that."
He then leaned back, leaving Anna to briefly digest what he just said. He then took a hard breathe, then stared into the ceiling above. He shook his head slowly. "Death is not the end, remember that" he spoke softly, peacefully. "This life is fleeting, and temporary. What's to come" he nodded, "that is what the ultimate goal is. Remember that." He then closed his eyes, letting go of this pointless fight to prolong the inevitable. He took one last breathe, then breathed out. At that moment, his crystals around his neck lost their glow, becoming pale and lifeless.
Kristoff knew that his grandfather, the one who took him into his family, the one who helped his wife and sister-in-law on so many occasions, who held his clan together for over a century, was gone.
Boulda then let go, letting his body lay flat on the ground. She wept as his body underwent it's final transformation. Seconds later, when the last of Pabbie's spirit had left, his stony body grew stiff and rigid. Where before his rocky skin was livid and full of life, it grew hard and cold, like real stone. His mossy hare, as well as his eyes, mouth, and even his robes and necklace, turned to stone. Soon, his body became a statue of pure stone, forever freezing his body in this resting, peaceful form. For humans, and nearly every other leaving being in this world, it was called dust to dust. For trolls however, it was stone to stone.
Anna bent over and wept. She felt her son next to her, who as now sniffling. She hugged him and drew him in close. Kristoff held one hand on his wife's sholder, and the other on Boulda's shoulders, and the family shared a grieving hug. Olaf, for once, didn't feel like hugging as he just slumped down to his feet, gently patting an equally sorrowful Sven on his leg.
Meanwhile, the battle outside carried on. Knowing this, the family was forced to carry on with their duties. The dead would have to wait if they were to prevent more from joining them.
Jethro hung on for dear life as the dragon flew in a serpentine flight path over the city, trying to throw its unwelcome passenger. Jethro lost his footing earlier, now being pounded against the side of the dragons heard, bony head repeatedly.
"Ow. Ow. Ow. Stop it! Ow" he said in grunts as the dragon thrashed its head about. It flew up and down, left and right, roaring in agitation as it tried to shake him off. Finally, Jethro found footing against a nook in the dragon's skull, stabilizing himself as he raised his sword up.
"OK, listen!" he shouted. "I don't want to kill you, but you're not leaving me much choice! Stand down!" he said. The dragon just roared, then swung its head down hard in one last effort to throw the elf. In it's mad fury, it failed to see the clock tower materialize in the darkness. With a resounding crash of bricks and wood and the loud clang of a bell, Jethro and the dragon crashed through the tower, sending bricks and stone in every direction.
Both he and the dragon were taken out of the sky and crashed to the ground below. The dragon slid down a street, tearing up cobblestone as its head plowed into the ground. It finally came to a stop when it crashed halfway into an empty store front. Jethro rolled and tumbled on the ground like tumbleweed until he finally came to a stop, landing on his side. Thanks to the angle of the dragons head in relation to the tower, Jethro managed to avoid major bodily damage, though he had some scrapes and bruises along his side.
He groaned, then got up slowly. His whole body ached from the fall. Thanks to his unique physiology, he managed to avoid any serious injury that would normally befall a man. Once he was up, He became aware of the townspeople nearby, coming out of their buildings after the dust had settled. He saw that some had begun walking over in curiosity.
Then, the shop crumbled as the dragon got back up, not a scratch on him. He shook the dust from his body, then swung its head around in a snake like motion, giving Jethro a deathly stare. It's snout was short Jethro thought, giving in a bulldog-like appearance. The dragon then hissed.
"Everyone get back!" he said, waving his hands back to further exemplify his point. The citizens didn't need to be told twice as the scurried away.
The dragon growled, then took a few steps down the street towards Jethro. Jehtro held his ground in the middle of the road, holding his hands down. He extended his right hand out. A moment later, his sword came flying back into his hand from where it had fallen. He held it backhand style, a rare and unorthodox way of handling such a weapon.
"I'm telling you again" he told the dragon as he held his sword in front of him. "Surrender!"
The dragon only roared again.
"I've killed other dragons before, you will be no different" he warned again. The dragon opened its mouth, a red glow growing in its throat with a hiss. "I'm tired of killing! Don't make me do this!" Jethro screamed desperately.
He knew by now that, like the other times he had tried, that diplomacy was not going to work.
He charged the beast. The dragon breathed its fire down at him. The elf leapt up, high enough to clear the fire and up onto the roof of a nearby shop. The dragon only followed him with its fire, setting the building on fire. Jethro continued to outrun the flame, jumping and running as he needed on the rooftops of the neighboring buildings. The dragon ceased his fire, then leaned up and slammed its front claws onto the side of the building, snapping at him with its jaws. Jethro, in a feat of acrobatics, leapt up over the dragon, clearing its head and landing on its back. The dragon swung its head around then snapped. Jethro leapt off onto the ground below. The dragon flapped its wings once, giving it a few seconds of airtime as it hovered away from the elf, landing almost fifty feet away, shaking the ground as it landed. Both combatants now held their ground. They circled each other slowly in a counterclockwise motion. The dragon gave of a long, low growl as they anticipated their next moves. They then stopped. The dragon slowly reared back its head. Jethro recognized the obvious move, and prepared himself accordingly.
Ten tense seconds later, the dragon struck, faster than a cobra, sending its head out at Jethro with its mouth wide. Jehtro held his ground, up until the last second. Then, in a single move, side stepped to the left, ducking down to his knees. The dragon's head zoomed past him, leaving his neck vulnerable. Jethro then swung his sword in a back handed motion, thrusting his sword up into the dragon's throat, right up through its head.
Upon impact, the dragon raised its head high up, giving an unnatural, painful grunt. It rose up, standing on its hind legs for a few moments, before falling backwards, crushing a wagon that was abandoned behind it. It kicked and spasmed once or twice, then went limb.
Jethro sighed in relief. After a few moments, he heard a few cheers behind him from the townspeople who were brave enough to stay and witness the spectacle.
One down, four more to go.
Not knowing the tragedy going on inside her own castle, Elsa continued to keep her castle from going up in flames. With each pass, the dragons fired again and again, relentless in their attacks. As quickly as she coated her castle in ice, the dragons would simply melt it with explosive flames.
The archers continued to fire, but just as Jethro said, it was almost impossible to hit one where it counted, let alone make an arrow stick. The men were running out of arrows, stamina, and man power as more and more men became wounded, or worse.
"We're not going anywhere like this" said Elsa to Jase, who had not left her side. "I need to get a clear shot at them."
"What, you mean, up on the wall?"
"I have no choice. We're losing with each pass. I have to stop this now."
Jase looked up at he walls. The North wall took most of the damage. The wooden roof was now a patchwork of burnt sections, holes, and ice. More and more wounded were carried away all around them. Reluctantly agreeing, he looked back at her, then nodded.
"Alright" he said. He unsheathed his sword, unsure if it was even useful at this time. "Follow me, and stay low."
Jase and Elsa walked swiftly up the staircase leading up to the top of the north wall. After meandering around the other men, who were darting up and down the stairs, they made it to the top of the northeast tower. Once there, Elsa ordered her men to stand down, arrows long ago proving useless. She walked to the edge, but passed standing on the ledge as Jethro had done earlier.
Then the next dragon came into sight. It flew down from the east, flying low over the city in their direction.
"OK, all on you now" said Jase, taking a step away from Elsa to give her space. "No pressure" he said smartly.
"Gee, thanks" said Elsa sarcastically.
Elsa looked out. The dragon came fast, gliding rapidly towards the castle. Elsa held her ground. She held out her left hand, letting magic grow in it. The dragon flapped again. It was now close enough to see clearly. This one was greenish in color, maybe blue in the dim light. It had two horns high up over its head, both slanting backwards. It roared once, then opened its mouth, a faint hissing sound coming from it.
The fire came out sooner then Elsa had expected it. It came at the tower in a straight stream of flame. Elsa reacted fast. She held out her left hand and shot out a beam of her ice magic. In the air away from the tower, the two forces met, each canceling the other out in the middle. Both opponents held their own as ice and fire clashed. The dragon then curved away from the tower, still holding its intense flame. Else followed it, up until the dragon was now moving away from the tower, curving its flight path away from the tower. Both opponents then stopped relented. The dragon flew away into the night.
"Another one!" shouted one of the men along the wall.
Elsa had barely any time to react when she caught sight of the second dragon, coming from the west this time. This one had a long snout, with a ridge of spikes along the mid-ridge of it's head. It had slightly longer wingtips than the others, and it was dark blue in color.
Elsa didn't wait this time as she swung her right hand at it, sending a wave of magic. The magic manifested as a gust of fierce, arctic air. The wind caught the dragon's wings before it could even think about firing, and it was sent spiraling out of control. It passed the castle harmlessly, crashing into the waters of the fjord.
"Here comes another one!" said Jase, pointing it out for Elsa. This one came in from the east. This dark green one lacked a frill of any sort, having only a large horn on its nose. This one was easily the largest of the bunch, as big as a two story building, maybe more.
Elsa was getting the hang of fighting these airborne enemies. More prepared this time, she waited until it got a little closer. Confidence building, she allowed herself to smile a small, confident smirk. The dragon opened its mouth, and Elsa took her shot. She fired a ball of pure ice magic at the animal, hitting it directly inside its open mouth, The beast closed its mouth on impact, widening its eyes in surprise. It then cringed, losing its areal stability as its wings lost their stamina. It opened its mouth to roar, but nothing came out. Instead, its whole body began to freeze over into pure ice. Weighed down, the dragon, now entirely made of ice, frozen in an arching pose, arched down and crashed into the steep hill overlooking the city near the perimeter wall. On impact, it shattered into hundreds of pieces of icy shards
At that, the men cheered, having finally gotten a dragon that night.
On his perch on the perimeter wall, Skouch had a clear view of the battle below. Simultaneously, two of his dragons, one by the elf, the other by the Snow Queen, were taken out. He had only two under his command left. Elsa had taken out a dragon within her first minute of having joined the fight, a scary thought. Any more passes at the castle would be suicide.
He roared out a single, bark-like roar. The last remaining dragons responded, flying up away from the castle into the night air, safely out of Elsa's range.
This is no good he thought. He had drawn out the Queen, but he lost two of his attackers. She was proving to be far more adept with her powers than he had thought. Normally, anyone with the gift couldn't simply hit a dragon an expect it to ice over. A dragon's own fire magic would protect it, even from a frozen heart. She was certainly living up to her name.
But his troops were vulnerable now. The only way to capture her now was to isolate her completely, away from any soldiers who would defend her. Alone, she could be out witted he thought, especially with his secret weapon. But how to get her alone.
He thought to spread out her forces, but how. The castle was small, and heavily fortified. They only had to concentrate their forces along the wall.
The city, however, was an easy target. A sly smile overcame the dragon's face. He looked out to his dragons, hovering over the city.
"Take the city!" he roared. "Burn it to the ground!"
Back at the castle, Skouch's command could easily be heard by those outside, including Elsa.
"No!" she shouted. She darted over to the edge of the balcony in alarm, watching as the two remaining dragons dove down at the city, spiraling around each other along the way. The city was defenseless, and all the soldiers were there at the castle. Her people would be sitting ducks.
Elsa shook her head, panic taking over. Visions of burning buildings and people consumed by flames filled her head, her people.
The dragons were too far away for her to hit with any accuary. If only she could hit them with a broader attack...
She didn't even stop to think. In the five seconds since Skouch's order, Elsa had made a decision, an action she never thought she'd ever make willingly.
She waved her hands forward, summoning every once of winter power she had.
Starting from a single point just in front of her, an explosion of snow, wind, and ice sprung out, expanding in mass and area exponentially. Within seconds, the mass had grown to cover the front of the castle, and continued to grow. It then expanded out, swirling and swarming out of control towards the city. It engulfed the town, filling every space and alleyway with forceful winter winds and snow. It grew up, engulfing the dragons as well, effectively making flying impossible.
Elsa unleashed a full blown blizzard onto her city.
RIP Grand Pabbie. You're Yoda/Papa Smurf-like demeanor will never be forgotten.
Sorry if I made some of you cry. While deaths make a story more realistic, Pabbie's death signifies the new angle this story will take. Having normally relied on him for help and knowledge, our heroes will now be forced to seek such help from other sources now, which will introduce even more interesting and wonderful characters. Easily one of my favorite characters, I will miss Pabbie.
What on earth made me believe that I could contain this battle sequence into one measly chapter?! I think I can finish this up and get to the final climax before the end of the next chapter, but for it to be three chapters long is insane! I have never expanded a scene into so much detail and chapters with so many words before!
I now wish I had the skill I do now when writing all my previous stories, as I now feel I can make them ten times better. That, and that "Fiction Writing for Dummies" book really gets you to think about your story in such a way to give it more detail and meaning. Again, highly recommend this book to anyone who writes.
With this next upcoming chapter (hopefully), the story will enter it's next stage, taking on a whole new angle that I have never taken before in any of my other stories... Man this is going to be a long story!
See you later!
-Batman