I don't own Frozen
I'm sorry if this didn't come up as fast as you guys want it. This chapter is my longest chapter so far and it isn't easy with life these days. You guys are awesome by the way if you're reading this; it helps me make this. The next part should be up faster, hopefully. I hope you enjoy this chapter. It's been an idea I've wanted to do for some time now.
Episode 10: Fortress of Ice
"Kaji?" the young king's head snapped up from his thoughts to look up at his wife's worried expression. They were sitting in their cabin, eating breakfast, and he'd allowed himself to get lost in his thoughts.
"I'm sorry Elsa…I'm just…distracted right now…plus I've never really been a sea person," he answered with as much cheer as he could muster, which wasn't really ant. They were still sailing back to Arendelle but they were very close now; about a few hours away. Then they would be faced with the crisis of the upcoming invasion from Adenia. Kaji dreaded the coming battle and he was sure Elsa did too.
"You're more than just distracted…" Elsa replied, softly. Kaji's gaze dropped, guiltily. His wife could always tell when he was lying or as he put it "downgrading the truth" it was a bit annoying but it was also refreshing that she could understand him well enough. Thought, he supposed it wouldn't be hard to tell how he was feeling if you were there when his brother told him about an imminent invasion and that his sister was dead.
His mood dropped again when he thought of his sister again. Suri was the one that took care of him when their father passed and their mother passed into madness. She always told him stories of their ancestors and the great accomplishments and achievements they gained. She especially focused on their father though, since Kaji was only six when he passed from the world. He remembered the stories she told him of how their father bested a dragon in combat and was supposedly rewarded with a dragon of his own. Now that he thought about it though, it seemed a bit far-fetched. True Adenia did have dragons but they lived up in the high mountains. Plus, it's been centuries since people have ridden on dragons. And he's never heard anything about a dragon roaming or flying over Adenia.
"Kaji!" Elsa yelled, making him snap back to reality. She wasn't sitting across from him anymore. Now she was standing next to him, with her hand on his shoulder, looking at him, intently.
"I'm sorry Elsa…" he said, sadly. Then he flinched when she wrapped one arm around him so she could sit on his lap while she placed the other on his chest plate and leaned her head onto it. It was at that moment that he realized she was still wearing her nightgown. It was a nice dress that seemed to hug her modestly and since she wasn't wearing the little scarf that was supposed to cover her neck; it showed off a bit more cleavage then was really needed. Kaji felt his heartbeat speed up a bit. He reeled himself in though before he gave his wife a hint that he was getting aroused. That was not something he needed in a moment like this.
"Don't blink out on me…don't go back to how you were…" she said, tears starting to form in her eyes. Kaji's eyes widened and he immediately felt so stupid and selfish for forgetting to think about how his behavior was affecting his wife. He reached and held her face between his hands, so he could look at her face before gently pulling her into a gentle kiss. She responded immediately, returning the kiss with as much affection and comfort as possible. They stayed like that for a few moments until Kaji pulled back.
"I'm so sorry Elsa…it's just that with everything happening I just don't know wh-," Elsa placed her finger on his lips, cutting off his sentence before he finished.
"Don't talk…" she said lowly in a voice that Kaji recognized very well. Her eyes bored into his with intent as if asking for permission.
"They'll be enough talk of death when we get home…right now I want it to be just us…" she whispered. Ok scratch that it wasn't a request; it was a command. Kaji nodded his head, eager to distract himself and what better way then with his beloved.
"You're mine for now…" Elsa whispered as she leaned back in and captured his lips in a kiss. Kaji wrapped his arms around her, enjoying her natural coolness. Their tongues danced inside their mouths as they fought for who was the better kisser.
"Your Graces we-by the gods!" Kaji and Elsa pulled apart immediately to see a blushing Tamriel, standing at the door of their cabin with a few scrolls in her hand. She turned around when she thought about the fact that she was staring at her king and queen, enjoying each other's company. Kaji felt his own face heat up and when he looked at Elsa, her face was red as well. Although she looked more angry then embarrassed.
"What is it Admiral?" Elsa asked, standing up from Kaji's lap, much to his dismay that he would never voice. She waved her hand and she was dressed back in her ice armor, which Kaji thought she looked better in than any dress, which again he would never say out loud.
"Um…er I thought it would be wise to start planning for the defense of Arendelle. I sent a couple of our faster ships ahead to warn them and Princess Anna and Balin are no doubt preparing as we speak, assuming our ships were made it. I also sent a couple ships to Corona and our other allies to call for their aid. I only hope that they reached their destinations safely and that our allies will send aid. Now, I believe we should start making plans as well, seeing as Balin cannot plan a defense alone and it will probably be beneficial if we have some form of a plan to direct our forces when we get back," Tamriel said, regaining her strict voice.
Kaji sighed at the thought that he agreed with. After they got back on their ship and started sailing back for home, they told Tamriel about the imminent invasion force coming for Arendelle. She dispatched the faster ships that accompanied them to go to Arendelle and warn them ahead of time before their arrival. She also dispatched the rest of the faster ships to Corona and their other allied kingdoms to send aid. Assuming they were not intercepted of course. Balin and Anna were probably in the process of preparing the kingdom for an attack. They were no doubt giving it their all to prepare for the impending attack.
However, Kaji also knew that while Anna would do her best, she was not touched by war and didn't know how to really prepare for it, besides keeping the people strong. Balin was a hardened veteran that had commanded men before and fought in sieges but he could only do so much by himself. He also knew that while his wife was a good student, they hadn't touched the part about being a tactician or leader of an army. Tamriel unfortunately, like his wife was relatively new to war, though she was a gifted leader and fighter. She had only fought small skirmishes at sea and while that did give her more experience than most of her peers, she was still relatively new to war.
Kaji soon came to the scary conclusion that they were at a very big disadvantage in the strategy department until Chie arrived with reinforcements, including Commander Yamato; who was a very good strategist in his own right, but Kaji also knew that they couldn't just wait for them to arrive. But how was he supposed to plan for a siege? He had never fought in a real war or battle before, aside from the fights he had while he was on the run. Sure he killed people before and he'd do it again but those fights couldn't be compared to a real war. He had studied strategy before but reading could hardly speak for his ability on the field. Aside from the obvious things to plan for, what else could he do?
"Ok…do you have a map of the city?" Kaji asked. Tamriel walked over to the table and unrolled one of the scrolls she was holding, over it. Kaji stood up from his chair as he and his wife moved to get a better look.
The map was of Arendelle's main city. Except it was as if they were looking down on it from the skies. Kaji wondered how they actually managed to do so. Except that was not the time to think about that.
"It is likely that they will come in through the main harbor, here," Tamriel said as she placed her finger on the large circle of water.
"We could barricade the ports and hold them down in a nasty close quarters fight. Their numbers won't mean much then and we could probably try to pick them off with our archers," Tamriel said. Kaji crossed his arms and looked at his wife and she looked deep in thought as well.
"How many troops do we have at our disposal?" Elsa asked. Tamriel paused before answering.
"I don't know how many knights and soldiers we have but I do know that we have about twenty ships. Only two of them, including this flagship are up to military standards in armament. The rest are all either ships with crude refits or merchant ships that are lightly fitted for speed. Also this ship, your flagship is the only one armed and armored to make it a formidable target. Other than that, all ships are filled with an appropriate number of crewmen, who are relatively untouched by battle or war," Tamriel said, grimly.
"So, no matter what, we can't face them head on," Kaji commented. He saw Elsa bite her lips, slightly. Things weren't looking good.
"Let's not forget that we will be getting a sizeable amount of reinforcements from my brother and no doubt, Corona will send aid as well. That may help bring the naval difference up to level," Kaji added.
"Yeah, Corona is closer to Arendelle then the Southern Isles, maybe if we're lucky, Rapunzel's reinforcements will already be there," Elsa commented.
"Assuming, she actually decided to help us," Tamriel added. Elsa glared at her, making the woman flinch slightly. She had no desire to anger her queen.
"Nonsense, Rapunzel is our most trusted friend outside of our kingdom and Corona has always stood by us in our time of need!" she snapped.
Tamriel nodded a bit quickly before staring back at the map. Elsa and Kaji looked at each other with a bit of hope before turning back to the map. They all talked about a few more plans that sounded logical but were quickly shot down.
"Perhaps we could station our ships in the harbor to try and make them come to us then we'd just cut them down and bog them down in a nasty fight," Elsa suggested.
"That may work, but they would swarm us eventually and we'd get overrun," Tamriel said. Kaji thought for a few more moments then an idea hit him and he looked at his wife and she seemed to be thinking the same thing.
"Wait…maybe I could freeze the harbor over, preventing their ships from even coming into the harbor. Then they would have to send their troops in on foot and then our ships could just pick them off," Elsa said. Tamriel looked at them like they were crazy before looking at Elsa.
"Milady? Could you?" she asked.
"I've done it before, I could probably do it again," Elsa replied. Things seemed to be looking up at that point but then another thought hit Kaji like a brick. Adenia could get around it.
"Wait…I don't know if that'll work?" Kaji said. They looked at him, questioningly and alarmed and he sighed.
"I know that Adenia has magic and advanced cannons and catapults. Plus my brother, Mitsu controls water. Freezing the harbor wouldn't stop him from sending a giant tidal wave at us. Plus, even if they couldn't get their ships in, they'd just bombard us with fireballs or run their troops in by the hundreds. I think we need to keep the harbor thawed but we do need to put some kind of obstacle in the way, otherwise they'll just dismount, which would be preferable since they don't throw fireballs at the enemy if their own men are near them," Kaji summarized. Elsa and Tamriel's faces dropped at the news. Then Elsa's eyes lit up with a new idea, but before she could speak, the door to their cabin opened up. One of their sailors was standing there and he looked like something urgent had occurred.
"Milord, Milady, Admiral! Arendelle is in sight, we'll be arriving in a few minutes but there's something else," he said, quickly.
"Well? Out with it sailor!" Tamriel ordered. The man saluted quickly before replying.
"It appears that reinforcements from Corona have already arrived at Arendelle as well as all the ships that we sent to them," he said quickly.
"How many ships?" Elsa asked.
"Corona seems to have sent about five ships, all galleon class and we think one of them is their flagship," he answered. Kaji's eyes widened and when he looked toward Elsa she had the same look of alarm.
"Wait, are you saying that Rapunzel herself is here?" Kaji asked. The man seemed to stutter when Kaji addressed him but he snapped back.
"We don't know for sure Milord but we're sure it's their flagship," he answered back. Kaji crossed his arms in thought while Elsa answered the sailor.
"Very well, get us into port as soon as possible," Elsa ordered. The man saluted again before rushing off to follow what his queen commanded.
"Well at least we have more support now," Tamriel said.
"Go up and oversee docking, we'll be there soon," Kaji spoke. The Admiral nodded and saluted before she left the room quickly, leaving the king and queen alone.
"Well we were right about Rapunzel sending help but I didn't think she'd actually come herself. Plus Eugene is probably with her as well," Elsa sighed. Kaji sighed too, it was bad enough that they had so many people to protect and now they had even more people dear to them in danger. There was another thing that Kaji was worried about however.
"Elsa…this is war, you know that right?" he asked. Elsa turned to him a neutral expression, not giving anything away.
"I know that I'll have to kill people Kaji…" she said lowly. Kaji frowned and took her into his arms. Despite the fact that they were both dressed in armor they still fit together like they weren't. Elsa leaned her head onto his chest and sighed.
"I know what's coming Kaji…I guess I've always known. Ever since I decided to be with you. I know that these people are coming to kill us…and I won't let them," she whispered. Kaji stroked her hair softly as he leaned down and kissed her head.
"Are you sure? I don't know what we'll face when my brothers come," Kaji reasoned. He knew that Elsa was no fan of killing, he wasn't either however, he knew that if she killed someone; to her it would be like she was turning into a monster, the thing she feared the most. She still hadn't lived down what she did to Ralof and his men, even though they were traitors.
"Kaji…I love you…these people are coming to take away my sister, my friends, my home, and my people, but most of all they're coming to take you away from me…You've brought so much light and happiness to Arendelle that Balin compares to when my parents were still alive…the people love you, Anna and the others love you, but most of all…I love you…and I refuse to let these people take you away from me. I will kill them if it means protecting you and the others…" Elsa said firmly. Kaji was a bit shocked to hear her declaration. He was flattered though that she cared for him that much…even though they were in this mess because of him.
"I don't deserve this…or you…you've all given me so much ever since I came to you and I haven't done anything besides get us in this mess…" Kaji berated himself. He was about to go on but Elsa pulled back and pulled him into a fierce kiss.
"Don't talk like that about yourself…" she whispered. It wasn't a request it was a demand. Kaji leaned his head against hers and they stayed like that for a few moments until Kaji sighed.
"We should probably get up on deck. I think we'll be pulling up shortly. Anna and the others are probably waiting for us," Kaji said. Elsa let out a small sigh before she nodded. Then together they left their cabin and walked up onto the deck of their ship.
Sure enough, they were only a few moments from docking into port. They saw a lot of motion on the docks. Soldiers and knights were running around and some people were building what looked like makeshift barricades, probably to bar off the harbor when the attack came. Balin and Anna had been busy. Speaking of them, they were standing on the harbor, waiting for them just like Kaji said. Rapunzel was also standing with them and she waved to them when she saw them. Kristoff and Eugene weren't anywhere in sight.
"Well at least we won't be starting from scratch," Kaji said. Elsa nodded and as soon as they docked at the port, they barely had any time after they stepped off before Anna jump hugged them both.
"I was so worried about you two when our ships came back and told us you'd been attacked!" Anna exclaimed as she tried to squeeze them both before Rapunzel came over and pulled her off much to the couples relief.
"We came as soon as we heard about what happened," she said rather fast. Then she smiled and gave both Kaji and Elsa a hug, separately.
"Thanks for you help but you didn't have to come yourself! You'll only be in danger also," Elsa said. Rapunzel shook her head and pointed at the five galleon ships in the harbor.
"Nonsense, how could I let my friends face an invasion without me? My father and mother wouldn't commit our full force but Eugene and I were able to sneak some ships and men out here," she said cheerfully despite how dire the situation really was at the moment.
"Where is Eugene anyway?" Kaji asked.
"Eugene is waiting for us at the main command tent which we set up here at the port. He's trying to organize the forces we brought with us," Rapunzel answered.
"And Kristoff?" Kaji asked. Anna decided to answer that one.
"He and Sven rode out yesterday to go round up all our stragglers living in the kingdom and bring them here. He's also going to bring the trolls here also," she said. Kaji nodded but before he could talk again, Balin came up and saluted.
"Your Grace, forgive my interruption but we really should get to the command tent so we can plan for the siege. As Princess Rapunzel said, Prince Eugene is already there, we should get there post haste now that you and Queen Elsa are back," he said briskly. Kaji heard Rapunzel and Anna sigh but they didn't argue as they all made their way to the main command tent as Balin called it.
"I see that you've all been busy," Elsa commented as they all walked, avoiding the soldiers that were running all over the place.
"Yes as soon as we were informed of the invasion on the way, we've been preparing the kingdom for war. We've been preparing the port and the area around it to receive the enemy forces. We have barricades and makeshift sentry towers around the area. It should bog down the enemy. If we make sure they can't use their number advantage to the fullest then we might be able to hold them," Balin said.
"For awhile…" Tamriel muttered. Balin glared at her but he stopped because they were already at the tent. It wasn't really anything impressive aside from the fact that it was bigger than a normal tent. Of course they didn't really need much since it wasn't going to be there when the fighting started. The tent had a single large table in the middle with a map. Eugene was in the tent, overlooking the map, planning, or if you could consider twirling a knife in his hand with a bored expression while he lazily stared at the map, planning.
"Eugene!" Rapunzel snapped. The man stuttered and almost stabbed his hand as he stood up straight as his wife stomped over. She gave him a light punch to his side, making him wince as he moved to the side.
"Nice to see that you're hard at work while we're out there making sure everything is running smoothly," Rapunzel said with crossed arms and an accusing expression. Eugene looked embarrassed and worried at the same time. Thankfully for him, Anna cut into the spat before someone got hurt.
"Anyway…have you gotten anything planned?" she asked. Eugene looked at her then back to his wife before he stepped away from Rapunzel for safety.
"Well…I tried to get the troops we brought to try and set some traps around the area and well…I didn't exactly know what to do after that," he said, nervously. Rapunzel seemed to calm down since he at least did something.
"Now onto the matter at hand," Balin said as he came over to one side of the table. Kaji and the others followed sweet, Anna stood across from Balin while Tamriel went next to the general and then finally, Kaji and Elsa took their positions across from Rapunzel and Eugene.
"Ok, how many troops do we have General?" Kaji spoke first as he leaned his hands onto the table, looking at the map intently. Balin turned to him and stood up straight, placing his hands behind his back.
"Your Majesty, Arendelle has a total of about two hundred militia and fifty trained knights. Thanks to Corona we have an additional three hundred knights and four hundred soldiers. In total we have a total number of almost a thousand troops," Balin answered. Kaji nodded and looked down at the map as his wife asked the next question.
"How well are they equipped?" Elsa asked.
"The knights are all sufficiently armed and armored. The militia are lightly equipped but the forges are putting out equipment as fast as they can. Corona's troops are all sufficiently equipped," Balin said, nodding to Rapunzel, who nodded back.
"What about our fleet?" Kaji asked. Tamriel spoke up this time, snapping to a salute even though she didn't have to.
"Our fleet is twenty ships strong as I told you and now that Corona has sent us their help, we know have five formidable ships added to our strength. But as I said, we cannot face the enemy in a conventional fight, assuming Adenia's fleet is as big as they say. I believe our best option is to have our ships stationed in the harbor to try and slow them down and aid with the ground battle," Tamriel said. Kaji nodded but before he could reply, Rapunzel spoke first.
"Kaji, aren't you from Adenia? Can you give us a feel for what we have to prepare for?" she asked. Kaji looked at the princess and saw that she was indeed, interested in what he had to say. In fact, everyone in the room seemed to be interested. Fair enough, it was the truth and it was only fair that he answer as honestly as possible.
"Adenia is to the south east of Arendelle and they are a massive empire, bigger than the Southern Isles. They have a fleet with a total of over ten thousand ships strong, probably more at this point. They have an army of knights and soldiers that easily outnumber any other kingdom in the vicinity. Their navy and army are all well trained," he summarized, trying not to psyche them out.
The kingdom also fairly more advanced in many ways. Their catapults are stronger and the armor on their ships is tougher. They are capable of launching fireballs, larger than normal over longer distances then we can. Plus to top it all of, they're being led by two people like Elsa, and myself" Kaji finished. The tent was silent for a time before someone spoke it was Eugene.
"How do we fight something like that?" he asked, nervously, causing Rapunzel to elbow him in the side, hard. They all looked to Kaji and he sighed before tilting his head down.
"To be honest, I have no idea. Adenia has never lost a battle or war, especially given the fact that the royal family are Old Race and that every generation has held powers like myself," Kaji muttered.
"Wait…then you're going to be fighting your…" Rapunzel pieced the puzzle together and Kaji nodded.
"Yes…we'll be facing my older brothers in this battle…and I don't know if I have the strength to stand up to them. They've always been stronger than me…" Kaji said as he clenched his fists in frustration until Elsa placed her hand on his shoulder. He looked to her and she smiled reassuringly.
"Don't worry, you won't be facing them alone, I'll be there with you and don't degrade yourself. I've seen how powerful you are. Besides that was then, this is now," Elsa said. Kaji hesitated to respond but he nodded to make her feel better. He hoped she was right about him. It also made him feel even better about sharing the other news they had.
"I also wish to add that one of my brothers, Prince Chie is going to be aiding us in this battle, along with a very large portion of Adenia's army and navy that are on our side. Including Adenia's Commander, Yamato," Kaji said. That seemed to brighten up everyone's mood.
"How many?" Balin asked. Tamriel looked like Kaji looked to Elsa this time with a small smile and she smiled back before responding.
"More than a third of their forces are going to aid us along with Kaji's brother and their commander. Also about an entire fourth of their whole military and navy are sitting this battle out to keep Adenia strong and to await the victor," she spoke. They all seemed to sigh in relief at that.
"That helps a lot more. We may have trouble holding everyone in this small city though. Plus we have to figure out a way to hold them and bog them down so we don't have to deal with the full force of their might," Tamirel said. Everyone looked down at the map again except for Kaji who noticed that Elsa wasn't looking at the map either. Then he remembered that she was trying to tell him and Tamriel something before they docked.
"Elsa? Wasn't their something you wanted to tell me and Tamriel before we docked?" he asked, getting everyone's' attention. Elsa looked at him and he nodded to her before she moved to give her suggestion.
"Well, we know that I can't just freeze the harbor and we need to make the city big enough to take in our reinforcements. What if I use my powers to make Arendelle into a fortress?" she suggested. Everyone was a bit surprised by her suggestion, except for Anna.
"You mean like the Ice Palace you made up on the North Mountain?" she asked. Elsa nodded.
"Yes, but I'm talking about something a lot bigger, on a more massive scale. I can create ice that never melts even from the summer rays. I could sculpt out gian walls around the town and the harbor. And I could make gates and extend the town and make this place a fortress so we would have room for our reinforcements. Then with the walls we would have something to block them out and a way to hold them," Elsa summarized with a gleam in her eye. Kaji took back what he thought earlier; Elsa probably was a seasoned strategist in disguise. Maybe they weren't at such a disadvantage as he thought.
"You could make Arendelle into a fortress?" Balin asked. Elsa nodded but then Anna came over and grasped her arm worriedly.
"Are you sure?" she asked. Elsa smiled and gave her sister a hug before turning to the others.
"I think I can manage it. I was barely fazed when I created my tower on the North Mountain and I've gotten control over my powers since then…I just never thought I would be using my powers for war…" she muttered the last part, making Kaji feel even more guilty. Another reason for him to make sure they got out of this alive.
"Besides…I did make a wall when we met," Elsa added, jokingly. Kaji laughed along with Anna and his wife at the joke while everyone one else was confused.
"If she believes she can do it, then we can't argue. We don't have many options," Kaji said, regaining his composure as he looked back at the map. He placed his finger on Arendelle and drew a circle around the entire town and castle.
"Now I believe you said that you could put an entire wall around us like this?" he asked. Elsa went next to him and responded.
"Yes I can put a wall around us entirely and I also want to extend it out so that we have more room for our reinforcements. I think I can make the entire city larger with my powers. It'll be made of ice for now but it'll do. After the battle we can go over it with something to make it more sturdy to protect it from things with extreme heat," Elsa said as she drew her finger out a bit more into the harbor and drawing it around the city. Kaji looked up at everyone and they were listening intently. He looked down at the map again as his wife continued.
"We should also put up a wall at the entrance to the harbor so we can prevent their ships from just sailing through without a fight. Then when they come banging on the gate we would rain down on them with anything we have," Elsa said as Kaji and her looked up at Tamriel and Balin. Balin snapped to attention before he spoke.
"We have some catapults and cauldrons that we could fill with oil or some hot tar and drop it on their ships then we could light them ablaze. We could do the same for the inner wall as well. We also have a few bows and crossbows that we could equip our men with so they could fire down on them but we need a bit more time to make enough for everyone," Balin said. Then Kaji looked at Tamriel.
"You have something to add Admiral?" he asked. Tamriel nodded before leaning down and pointing at the harbor behind where they were going to put the outer wall.
"I could station some of our ships here so if anyone gets past the wall then we'll have something to try and thin them out before they get to the main city. The rest I would station around the inner wall to try and pick off any that try to get to it and even aid with keeping them away from the wall and gate," Tamriel said crisply. Kaji nodded swiped his hand toward the entrance to the tent.
"Move quickly and get those crossbows and catapults ready and built and get our ships away from the port so Elsa has room to follow our plan, move it!" he ordered. Tamirel and Balin both saluted and ran out of the tent with haste. Then Kaji turned to the rest of the people in the tent.
"I assume you've taken measures to insure that our people don't get caught in this, Anna?" he asked. Anna nodded before pointing at a portion of the city towards the back.
"Yes, everyone that has not volunteered to fight or invovlved with it will be moved to towards the back of the city, near the castle. We've already had shelters built and the people are already there. If worse comes to worse then we'll move them all into the castle grounds," Anna said. Kaji nodded and turned to his wife as she spoke next.
"Who's going to be guarding them?" she asked. Anna pointed at Rapunzel and she spoke.
"Some of our men are taking care of it," the princess of Corona said. Kaji smiled a bit at his friends. Perhaps he was wrong about them after all. They definitely did everything they could think of. He hoped he could do just as well.
"We'll need to make sure the walls are strong. I expect that they'll be able to break through the wall at the harbor. There are going to be too many of their ships with a shot at it. So we should focus most of our attention on keeping the inner wall secure and strong. I would even suggest putting bricks or granite over the ice wall to secure its strength. We have to keep them out no matter what. If they get through the gate, they'll just overwhelm our forces with their superior numbers," Kaji said as he picked up a piece of charcoal and drew the line where Elsa was going to extend the city and make the wall.
"What about their catapults?" Anna asked. Kaji pointed at the mountains around the area.
"The mountains around us will keep them from hitting at long range. They'll have to get their ships into the harbor if they want to bombard us. They won't risk their heavy ships like that though. Not if I know my brother well enough…and I think I do," Kaji summarized. Everyone nodded in agreement before Elsa spoke next.
"When will Kristoff be back with the trolls? We could probably use their help with getting the granite and rock for the inner wall. They could even help make the wall stronger. We should also put some metal over the gates to reinforce it," she asked, looking at her sister.
"Kristoff should be back today. We're expecting him back anytime now. We'll make sure to direct Pabbie to you if they get here while you're out there," Anna said as she turned back to Rapunzel and Eugene.
"Come on Elsa, we should go now, I think Balin and Tamriel have been given enough time to move everyone out of the area," Kaji said to his wife. Elsa nodded and they quickly left the others in the tent as they headed back toward the port.
They saw that indeed all the soldiers were waiting outside the port for them. They all bowed when they passed, even the soldiers from Corona. Balin was amongst them and he quickly fell in line behind the two as they entered the port. Tamriel had moved the ships away from the part, far enough for Elsa to reach the distance she wanted. The three all stopped before they walked onto the docks, then Elsa stepped out.
"Ok Elsa, everyone's clear," Kaji said.
Elsa took a deep breath and exhaled. Then she extended her arms out toward the sea and she started spraying the sea with her frost, freezing the water instantly. She kept freezing the water until it reached the distance she wanted, which was only a few feet away from their ships, which were trying to back off even more.
Then the ice queen took another deep breath and raised her hands up in a rising motion. The area of the harbor that she froze started to raise or rather it was growing. It grew until it was level with the land. Then she made a pulling motion and the ice seemed to attach to the land. She took a few more breaths as she started enforcing the binding to the land before she stopped.
Kaji's eyes widened in wonder as he watched his wife perform. It was rather unusual that he'd see her use her power to an extent like this, though he wasn't anyone to talk either. He looked around and smiled when he saw that the entire area she intended to use was indeed covered. The first part was done, now they had to move onto the next part.
"Last part Elsa, make it good," Kaji encouraged. Elsa smiled at him with her icy blue eyes before she turned back to her work. She swiped her hand and the icy area seemed to change to a…cleaner state. Then she stepped onto the ice, without slipping at all. She must have made the ice like normal ground as well as unmelt able. Kaji took an experimental step onto it and found that it indeed wasn't slippery in any way. It felt like he was standing on normal ground.
"Here goes," she said as she extended her hands and shot out her frost towards the edges of her creation. At first she made what looked like docks, made from her ice that extended around the area before branching out in some areas. The docks even looked athentic, expect for the fact that they were blue.
To finish it she pulled her frost back and then giant slabs started rising in between the ice docks and the ice ground all around the entire area. They rose until they were taller than all of the cities buildings. Only the castle was taller than the slabs but not by that much. Then she brought her hands together and the slabs all formed together into one wall.
However, this was not a wall that they could rely on. It was only a bunch of slabs put together all around the city. Then Elsa took another breath and started molding the slabs into a real wall. The ice molded into a real wall and straightened up fully. She formed a walkway on top of the wall for their soldiers to stand on and shoot at the enemies from above. A few stairs leading up to the top were formed along the wall at various locations on their side so their men could get up there.
"Is there anything else I should put besides the gate?" she asked.
"Did you put cover on the wall for our men? They're like little arches with holes so out men can shoot out of them," Balin said. Elsa paused for a moment before she formed some shape that Kaji couldn't make out with her hands. He couldn't tell what happened since the wall was taller than he could see at his angle. Though he had a feeling that she just added cover like Balin said.
"Now for the gate…" Elsa said as she pointed her arms in front of her. More frost seemed to come from her hands and flow towards the portion of the wall in front of her. A gate was formed, big enough to fit any battlement through. The door was engraved with lightning and snow on it. She made sure to add the hinges and was no doubt adding the necessary means to open the door. Then when she seemed to finish; she clenched her hands into fists and gave the wall the same clean treatment as the land she made, making it as stable and traversable as any normal wall.
"She really is incredible…" Kaji thought proudly as he watched her at work. He felt insignificant as he watched her. It would take more than a sturdy wall to halt the might of Adenia though. The young king knew this all too well.
"There…" Elsa breathed as she lowered her hands and took a step back to admire her work. Kaji stepped up next to her and he wrapped his arm around her. She leaned against him when he did that and leaned her head onto his shoulder.
"Do you think that's good enough?" Elsa asked. Kaji chuckled a bit despite the seriousness of the question.
"I think my brothers will be surprised of what Arendelle has waiting for them," he praised. He heard Elsa sigh in a satisfied way as she eased off of his shoulder.
"Your majesty…" Balin said in an awed way.
"There's your wall. I hope it'll hold," Elsa said as she started leading Kaji by his hand towards one of the flights of stairs.
"This wall will need people to man it, Balin, and the other one will as well," Elsa called back as she led Kaji up the steps. He was a little nervous but as soon as he felt that the steps weren't slippery, he banished the feeling from his mind.
"I'll be back soon your majesties!" Balin shouted as they heard the padding of his footsteps as he went back to gather some troops.
"You've outdone yourself, Elsa," Kaji praised as they both arrived at the top of the wall. Kaji took note of the many spots of cover sprouted up from the wall almost like spikes. They were two small walls with a tiny opening in the middle for their men to fire from. There were gaps between these areas but Kaji knew that they couldn't have the entire wall filled with the arches. Otherwise no one would be able to see spot the enemy very well.
"I did my best…" Elsa commented as they both stepped up to the railing and looked over the wall.
"I think you did more than enough…" Kaji said thoughtfully as he looked down at the ice ports, Elsa made.
"I left the surface on this side slippery. I hope it'll help keep them at bay," Elsa commented as she tapped the wall. Kaji placed his hand on the wall and marveled how smooth it felt. Perhaps Elsa was secretly an artist?
"We can only hope…" Kaji said as he pushed away from the rail and turned back toward the city. He looked down and saw that Balin had returned with quite a few soldiers.
"General, get the men up here now to man the gates and get some more ready for the next wall!" Kaji shouted down.
"Yes sir!" Balin shouted back as he started barking orders at his men.
"Are you sure that you can do it Elsa?" Kaji asked as he turned back towards his wife. She turned to him and smiled before nodding.
"Of course. It's best we get both walls up now so we can start preparing," she said as she turned towards the entrance of the harbor. Kaji went up to the rail again and looked towards their ships. He saw Tamriel on the deck of their flagship. He almost laughed at the flabbergasted expression on her face.
"Admiral, keep your ships away from the entrance! I'm going to bring up the harbor wall now!" Elsa shouted down. Tamriel seemed to hear her since she saluted before barking some orders at her men.
"Feel free to dock, we'll have the gates open soon!" Kaji added. Then he turned to the entrance of the harbor as platforms, formed on both sides of the entrance. He looked to his left and saw frost flowing from his wife's hands again, her eyes filled with determination.
The platforms started forming into large areas where men could pool. Then ports started to sprout from them and hold there. She must've already frozen the area's water. After she was finished with making the loading area, she started spraying her ice at the body of water in between the two platforms, slightly in front of them.
A large wall of ice started forming from the water. She wasn't going to bother with the slabs; she was going to build the full wall in all its glory right from the start. The wall built up slower than the last one since she was building the final product from the start. There were two columns that were sticking out from the wall, to help hold it up. There were also staircases leading up to the tops of the wall, which were building up from the platforms. The gate was being built as well; it was a large gate, big enough to fit any warship through.
"How does it feel?" Kaji asked, noting that Elsa seemed to be going slower.
"It feels ok. I never exactly thought of myself as some kind of architect," Elsa replied as she continued building the wall.
She built the wall until it reached the top of the two mountains it was between. The gate was decorated with the symbol of Arendelle this time and Kaji approved. The wall looked sturdy Kaji thought that she'd outdone herself that time. It was a wall built to repel a siege force. Kaji turned to see his wife admiring her work and he went over and held her hand. She tightened her hold on him when he did this.
"Do you think it'll be enough?" she asked. Kaji sighed as he thought about how to reply.
"To be honest…from a limited military perspective I have no idea what will happen until Chie gets here with reinforcements…" Kaji said, slowly. Elsa sighed and leaned her head onto his shoulder.
"Well what do you think personally?" she asked as she lifted her head from his shoulder. Kaji looked at her and then back towards the harbor wall, where he saw Tamriel shoring up troops, to go man the wall and the way the troops charged up the long flight of stairs.
"In my opinion, I know that none of us are going to be at less than our best. Our friends are showing themselves as efficient leaders in this time, they know what's at stake here. I do as well. This kingdoms very existence as well as her people is at stake. I won't let this kingdom fall just because of my shortcomings," Kaji said.
"You're part of us now, too. You may not think you are but we do," Elsa said. Kaji sighed as he looked down at the docking ships. He saw some of their soldiers rushing onto the ships to be transported to the harbor wall.
"I'm an Adenian, a pure-blooded Adenian Prince. That can never change," Kaji said bitterly. Elsa placed her hand on his shoulder and made his face turn to her. She had a firm expression her face, which meant that she was probably going to say something to try and erase his worries. But before she could speak, they were interrupted.
"Hey Kaji, Elsa! Get down here. Pabbie and Kristoff are here!" Anna's loud call reached their ears and Kaji turned towards the way leading down.
"Duty calls…" he said. Elsa nodded sadly but she gave him a look that said they weren't finished. Kaji turned his gaze away from hers but he still held her hand as they made their way down the stairs, onto the ice land, Elsa made. When they reached the bottom, a group of their soldiers ran up the steps of the wall right after they stepped off, Kaji thought he saw them holding a ballista of some sort.
"Well at least Balin isn't wasting any time," Kaji commented as they walked towards Anna. True to her word, Kristoff was there along with Pabbie. All three of them were staring at Elsa's work in a bit of awe. Pabbie was the one that broke his gaze away first to address the king and queen.
"Your majesties. We came as fast as we could when Kristoff told us what was happening. Is it truly coming to war?" the troll king asked as he padded his staff into the ground softly.
"Unfortunately yes. Adenia is coming here. I fear that this war will ravage Arendelle in ways that can't be healed," Kaji said. Pabbie nodded and placed his hand on his chin in thought.
"Interesting, are you not a prince of Adenia? Why are your fellows coming to destroy us? Are you not their leader?" Pabbie asked. Kaji nodded sadly in resignation.
"I wish it were not so but it is. My brother is hungry for power and he is not willing to give up his claim to the throne. He's coming here because he knows that I have been hiding here. Even if I leave he'll still destroy this place just because you aided me," Kaji said, bitterly. He felt Elsa grab his arm tightly and he looked at her to see that she was looking at him with a fierce expression.
"Not that I would let you leave and put yourself through solitude again or worse, getting caught…" Elsa said, fiercely. He knew that there was no if in that question.
"Yeah, you're not getting away from us that easily," Anna, added and Kristoff simply nodded in agreement.
"They're both right. I don't think any of the people want to lose their new king. Besides, I don't think Sven or I want to lose a friend," the blonde said. Kaji smiled at his two friends, thankful that they weren't angry with him. Then the troll king decided to interject again.
"My people know the threat that is coming and we will stand with you," he said, firmly. Kaji and Elsa both bowed slightly in thanks to their old friend.
"Thank you, Pabbie. We welcome any aid you offer," Kaji said. Pabbie smiled lightly but he also looked grim.
"My people are not exactly the best for going up against the enemy head to head but we can help you prepare your defenses and we still have some magic that we may be able to use," he said. Kaji nodded and he knew that things were still grim but at least they were looking up.
"Could you, perhaps help put a layer of stones over the ice wall here. In the unlikely case that they have something that can melt through it, we need something to shield it," Elsa said as she pointed at the wall behind them. Pabbie nodded, but before he left, he turned to Kaji.
"Is something wrong, Pabbie?" he asked. The troll king gazed at him with a bit of…caution? It unnerved him a bit. Then the little king relented and pulled a small piece of paper out of his stone. He offered it to Kaji and he took it with a bit of interest.
"What is this?" Kaji asked as he looked at the paper. The words on the paper were in a language that he didn't recognize. The letters looked like the ones in the English alphabet but also like something from the ancient world but neither of those were correct. It was like the letters were a mix of current and old language. He looked at his wife, but she gave him a look saying she didn't understand it either.
"What's this say? We don't know what it says," Elsa said. Anna had come over by then to look at the paper and she tilted her head in confusion.
"What language is this?" she asked. Pabbie stared at Kaji for a moment as if Kaji should know.
"You do know, you just don't realize that…" he said. His statement for a moment confused him before the realization hit him.
"This is the language of the Old Race?" he asked. Pabbie nodded and Kaji looked at the paper in a new light. He had never seen any writings from the Old Race despite living in Adenia. Mostly because of the fact that he was being tortured by the time he could think about it.
"Well how are we supposed to read it? Only a true Old Race can read it and obviously Kaji and Elsa can't read it," Anna groaned. Kaji gazed at the paper intently before he spoke.
"My father could read it and he wasn't true like Elsa and I," he said softly. He tried to make out the words and something seemed to be clicking in his mind. It was as if this was something that he knew but he forgot and he was hammering himself to remember how.
"Don't you know what it says?' Pabbie asked again.
"Do-" Kaji didn't hear anything else as his head started throbbing slightly. The sounds of those around him were muffled until he could barely hear their alarmed voices. He placed one of his heads on his head as he cringed. The pain grew a little, bit by bit as he stared at the paper. His vision turned to a blue tint like when he was at the Southern Isles but it was painful this time. He felt like something was getting burned into his mind as he tried to read the paper. He gazed at the paper again but this time something happened.
The words started glowing green and then they suddenly rearranged themselves and morphed into words that he could read. His eyes widened as he made out the words. They said that only one who possesses the sight would be able to read this paper. Apparently these words were like a…activation of some sort. Orudo was the name of this ability. It said nothing more after that.
"Orudo…" he said aloud. The pain had faded from his head a few moments ago. He looked up from the paper, down at Pabbie. His vision was still tinted blue but he didn't mind.
"What?" Anna asked. Apparently his hearing had returned fully.
"What's wrong Kaji?" Elsa asked in an alarmed voice. Kaji felt guilty for worrying her.
"Yes…Orudo. The ability to read the ancient speech of the precursor race, the "Old Race" as people called them. My people have guarded many relics over the centuries and this was the only piece that we were instructed to give to one we believed worthy. One who held the power of the sight within him," Pabbie said. Kaji looked down at the ice and his eyes widened a bit when he saw his reflection. His irises were glowing, or at least that's what he thought. The glow got brighter and brighter as it got closer to his pupils. He blinked a few times and then his vision returned to normal, leaving him with a little headache.
"Are you ok Kaji?" Elsa asked, alarmed. She was holding his arm again and Kaji turned to her with a weary look as he nodded.
"You will get used to the sight in time. There is more to that ability then reading the ancient texts but even my people do not know what else it can do," Pabbie said as he ducked into his rock and rolled off to go gather his people to help no doubt.
"Are you sure that you're ok? You seemed to be in pain when you activated whatever ability you did," Elsa asked skeptically. Kaji nodded before he sighed. He appreciated that Elsa cared about him but he really needed to think about other things.
"Yes…come on, we have much to do before my brother arrives. I want him and Commander Yamato to have something to work with when they get here," he said, softly. Anna seemed to accept that right away if a bit hesitantly before she dragged Kristoff off before he could protest, leaving the couple there. Kaji chuckled at the energy his sister-in-law possessed. It couldn't be helped he thought.
"Are you sure that you don't want to rest?" she asked. Kaji looked at her and saw the worry all over her face.
"Don't worry about it," he said curtly. Elsa sighed at his evasiveness. She always could make him feel guilty, whether it was about what he did or what he didn't do.
"So…you can really read the language of our ancestors?" she asked. Kaji nodded and Elsa actually smiled lightly.
"Well I guess that's another reason added onto why you aren't as useless as you think. Now why don't we go rest for awhile?" she asked with a knowing look. Kaji sighed and blushed at his wife's forwardness.
"We really should get back to helping with our kingdom's defense," he countered but then she leaned up and kissed him, cutting off his argument.
"The others can handle it for today. Right now I think we need to rest…" Elsa said as she pulled him off toward the castle. Perhaps the end was on the way but Kaji knew that they would greet his brother with something to chew on.