Hi! I barely had time to write this chapter because I have been so busy this week with school, homework and sports. It's a miracle that I even had time at all! But I made sure to make time, because your reviews made me so happy, I wanted to let you know that I apreciate your wonderful comments! Once again, I don't own Frozen or Rise of the Guardians. So Enjoy!
Chapter 11
I must have fallen asleep, because next thing I know, I'm in total darkness. "Hello?" I say. My voice echoes off of unseen walls. This is a dream, I know it is. There's a hazy quality to the air and my voice sounds strange and muted. A fuzzy pinprick of blue light wavers into view. As it gets closer, I can see that the glow is coming from Jack's staff. He looks out of breath and a bit bruised, but generally he looks fine. Behind Jack, the other guardians follow him through what looks like a small hallway. By the light given off by Jack's staff, I can guess that they are underground from the texture of the walls. The guardians look exhausted. The tooth fairy looks like she's lost a third of her feathers, and the ones left seem pale and sickly. Santa has to crouch low to avoid hitting his head on the ceiling and he looks older than before, if that's possible. He holds only one of his swords, since his other hand is occupied with holding something large and furry over his shoulder. As they get closer, I realize it must be the Easter bunny he is carrying. The guardians look warily around them as they walk as if they expect something to jump out at them at any moment.
When they are only about five feet from where I'm sitting, (at least it feels like I'm sitting) the guardians stop short. The hallway they were in has opened up into a much larger room, which I assume must be where I am. The light of Jack's staff casts flickering shadows on the walls. Some look natural, but others look sinister. "Pitch." Jack growls. At first it looks like he's looking at me, but then I turn to see Pitch Black step up next to me.
"Welcome guardians." Pitch laughs, "I hope my nightmares didn't give you any trouble." Jack tenses up, and I suddenly notice that Sandy is not with the group. What happened? "Too bad there aren't any sweet dreams anymore." Pitch says. The tooth fairy explodes forward toward Pitch, flying straight at him, but a monstrous horse made of black sand bursts up in front of her, forcing her back. "Lovely, isn't it?" Pitch cackles, stroking the sand creature. "I haven't been strong enough to make one of these since before you were a guardian, Frost."
"Yes, we defeated you last time Pitch," Jack snarls, "How did you come back?"
"I had a little help from a friend of yours…" Pitch grins slyly. I feel a sharp tug, and I am wrenched to my feet.
"Elsa!" Jack shouts. He starts to rush toward me, but Santa holds him back.
"Jack!" I try to cry out, but no sound comes out of my mouth. I try to run to him, but I can't control my legs. I look down and I'm horrified to discover that my entire body is made of shifting black sand. I try to scream, but again I am voiceless.
"All the years that you've known her Jack, I've been living and growing inside her." Pitch says, strolling around me as I try to struggle. "You must have seen it. The fear eating away inside of her, feeding me and giving me power." I suddenly realize why I can't move, because I'm not me. Pitch is just controlling his sand into my image. I must be still in my castle, somehow dreaming into this moment.
"Why…why wouldn't she tell me?" Jack stammers. He looks at me and I can see in his eyes the betrayal he feels.
"I wanted to tell you! I really did! But Pitch threatened to kill you if I said anything. Please don't be mad at me!" I sob. Jack still can't hear me.
"Do you really think she cares about you?" Pitch laughs, "I control her. Her friendship was only a disguise to hide my rise to power from you."
Jack looks like he's been slapped in the face. "I trusted you." He says to me with pain in his voice.
I can't take it anymore. Seeing Jack so broken pushes me over the edge. I can't tell if it's anger or sadness, or perhaps a mixture of both, that bubbles up inside of me. An earth-shattering scream rushes from my throat, blasting through the gag of sand blocking my voice. Pitch looks shocked, and so does Jack. Pitch snaps his fingers and I feel my sand body beginning to dissolve. Black sand horses explode from the shadows and attack the guardians. Santa slashes at them with his sword and the tooth fairy slices the sand apart with her wings as she flies. Jack blasts them with ice from his staff left and right. "Jack, help!" I manage to wheeze before I completely dissolve and my vision fades to black.
I wake up gasping on the floor of my ice palace. I lay there for a while, catching my breath until my heart rate returns to normal. I eventually stand up and smooth the wrinkles out of my ice dress. I didn't know ice could wrinkle. A noise from outside catches my attention. I listen harder, and I hear shouts and roars from the front of the castle. Curious, I creep down to the front door to investigate. I inch the door open just enough to peek outside.
The commotion outside leaves me speechless. My snow monster battles a group of guards from Arendelle, led by a man who looks somehow familiar. Now I remember, it's Prince Hans of the Southern Isles, the man who Anna wanted to marry. "The queen!" A gruff voice shouts. I see two soldiers break off from the group to run past my snow monster. I see from their clothing that they work for the duke. I quickly shut the door and rush up the stairs. Behind me I hear the door burst open and one of the soldiers shouts, "Up there! Come on!" I keep running, searching desperately for a door. I can hear the soldiers catching up behind me. I throw myself through the first door I see, dashing inside. The balcony looms ahead of me. I spin around, looking for another exit. I silently curse myself for not making any extra passages when I built the castle. The door behind me crashes open and the two soldiers run in. "We've got her!" one of them grunts. They raise their crossbows for the kill shot.
"No, Please!" I beg. A crossbow clicks and an arrow whistles toward me. I reflexively shield myself with my hands and squeeze my eyes shut. I'm expecting a sharp pain, but I don't feel anything. I open my eyes, shocked to find the arrow mere inches from my face, lodged solidly in a sheet of ice.
"Look what you can do!" Pitch cheers. He's standing not far away, leaning lazily against the wall. "You shouldn't have to fear them, they should fear you!"
"Go around!" One of the soldiers shouts to the other, "Toss it!" The soldier runs around my barrier to get a clear shot, catching an arrow that his partner tosses him.
"Stay away!" I shout, shooting a burst of ice toward the soldier. The blast knocks the soldier off his feet, but doesn't hit him directly. I don't want to hurt them, but they're giving me no choice! He rolls to his feet, and I send another blast at him, forcing him to duck. I hear his partner taking aim behind me, so I send some ice in his direction as well.
"Come on queen, you're not even trying!" Pitch laughs. I send an ice blast at him, but he easily blocks it with a swath of black sand. Pitch continues talking like nothing happened, "The only way you will ever get people to leave you alone is if you make them afraid to come near you."
"I don't want to hurt you!" I plead to the soldiers. They ignore my comment and continue to try aiming their crossbows. I keep sending ice blasts just close enough to unbalance them, but I can see that soon enough they would shoot me if I didn't shoot them first.
"You can't be serious," Pitch scoffs, "They're trying to kill you! I think even your friend Jack would agree that some violence is necessary here." Jack did say he used his power to fight…and Pitch was right, these men won't stop until I'm dead. Perhaps Pitch was right, I need people to fear me so they won't come close enough to get hurt. The two soldiers stalk around me, trying to pin me in the middle of them. I watch them warily, ready to shoot at any moment. One of the soldiers raises his crossbow. Before he can fire, I project a cluster of thick icicles at him. Two of them catch the soldier under his arms and shove him against the wall, effectively pinning him there with his feet dangling above the ground. I position several other icicles to secure him solidly. A long, thin icicle grows to a wicked point, inches from the soldier's neck. The other soldier aims his crossbow at me, but I quickly turn and blast it out of his hand. I conjure barriers of ice to block his escape and confine him to a narrow area. I thrust a pillar of ice toward him, pushing him back toward the balcony door. He tries to brace himself against the door and push my ice away, but my power is stronger than him. The ice of the door shatters behind him from the pressure and he falls down. The shattered remains of the door crash into the balcony railing, smashing it to splinters. My pillar of ice continues to advance toward the soldier as he scrambles back. He braces his back against it, digging his heels into the floor of the balcony to try and slow his progress toward the edge. I continue pressing the ice forward, pouring all my fear and anger into my power. The soldier can't get a foothold on the slippery ice, and now he's right on the edge.
I hear a commotion behind me. Prince Hans and the other guards rush into the room. They stop, evaluating the scene before them. "Queen Elsa!" someone shouts. I turn and see that it's Prince Hans. He looks concerned, and the guards behind him are filled with terror. I realize that my face is twisted into a feral snarl. "Don't be the monster they fear you are!" Prince Hans pleads. I lower my hands in shock. What am I doing? Pushing an unarmed man to his death is far past self-defense. Am I becoming the monster I always feared being? Prince Hans looks to my left, and I hear the click of a crossbow. The soldier I had left pinned to the wall had managed to hold on to his weapon and was now aiming the arrow at my chest. I see Prince Hans rush toward the soldier and wrench his arm up just as the arrow is released. I hear a neat slice and I look up to see the ice chandelier above my head plummeting down at me. I gasp and try to run out of its way, but it's falling too fast. Ice crashes to the ground around me. I'm not going to make it.
An arm catches my waist and yanks me out of the falling ice. Both my rescuer and I tumble to the floor, sliding across the ice to slam hard into the wall. I am saved from most of the impact when my rescuer turns to hit the wall first, allowing me to run into his body instead of the ice. "Ooof! You're getting big, Snowflake." A familiar voice grunts.
"Jack!"
Review to tell me what you think! I can't thank you all enough for the continued support. I spaz a little every time I get a review, because I know that people are reading what I write and actually want me to write more! :D I can't promise to get the next chapter out soon, because of homework and stuff, but I will do my best.