Here it is, my dear readers! The long awaited final chapter! (There will be an epilogue though, don't forget)

It's pretty action-packed, but I think you guys can take it. :D Enjoy!

Chapter 10 – Fire and Ice Collide

The loud pounding of Elsa's heart crowded out the thoughts that ran through her mind and quickly dissipated like sand blown in the wind. But one thought finally made itself heard. I've got to get Arren away from him!

Almost without thinking her hands thrust forward and created a slope of ice that rose into the sky. But as her feet touched the ice she slipped and barely managed to keep her balance. This isn't going to work.

Wait!

She quickly shot two streaks of swirling blue magic at her shoes. Instantly sharp spikes of ice formed on the bottom of them, giving her just enough traction to go on.

"Queen Elsa! Stop that at once or you're going to hurt yourself!" Sir Magnus' voice called from below her. But she didn't stop.

Just a few steps higher. Perfect!

Elsa skidded to a stop, breathing hard. Her staircase towered above the rooftops. A risky place to be, she knew, but also the ideal place to be if she wanted to have any chance of taking down Ranson. For one tense moment she scanned the sky for any sight of Ranson. The realization of what she was about to do finally sank in all the way. She was going head on with a dragon. A dragon! Elsa knew that her powers were about to be tested to their limit. She still didn't know how much she was capable of, but she hoped it would be enough.

At last, out of the stormy gray sky came a terrible roar that made Elsa wince with pain, but she stood unmoving as the raging monster descended upon her.

"Let him go, Ranson!" she shouted at the top of her lungs. Tears burned at the corners of her eyes. "Arren never wanted to hurt you! So just leave him and my kingdom alone, or you'll be sorry!"

A sickening gurgling noise unlike anything Elsa had ever heard came from the gaping, toothy mouth and seconds afterward a huge ball of fire rushed directly at her.

"No!" Arren's muffled scream found its way through the deafening, high-pitched shrieking that filled Elsa's ears as the fire sucked in oxygen and hurled towards her.

It could have been the end of the Snow Queen right then and there. But she'd been prepared for this.

The blast of flame met with a wall of ice thicker than an eagle's wingspan. There was a terrible cracking noise as the wall melted and plunged downwards. The ice bridge trembled from the draft of the dragon's wing, and Elsa hugged the bridge to avoid behind blown off by the same powerful gust. As the dragon nosed up and flew over Elsa, she flipped onto her back and sent a shard of ice into its chest. Just as she'd anticipated, the dragon gave a roar of pain and his claws loosed for a second, releasing Arren. He tumbled through the air, causing Elsa's heart to wrench in fear despite herself. Thankfully, he landed in the thick bed of soft snow that blanketed the town-center. She'd placed it there only moments before.

The dragon snarled savagely and soared back into the sky, giving Elsa and the others a few precious seconds of time. Quickly Elsa leapt into the same bed of snow and raced to Arren's side. The town-center was filled with guards, and several of them, including Sir Magnus, immediately slogged over to them through the slushy snow.

"My queen, are you hurt?" he asked in a gruff but concerned voice. It also held a touch of awe, though he seemed to be trying to hide it.

"I'm fine," Elsa said dismissively. "It's him I'm worried about."

At the sound of her voice Arren forced open his eyes. There was a bloody gash across his chest where the dragon's claws had sliced through his shirt. His chest heaved up and down with irregular, ragged breaths. The wound didn't seem to be too serious, but Arren definitely needed treatment right away. Elsa quickly created a cool bandage that wrapped around his chest. She had hardly finished when Arren's eyes widened and his pupils shrank into tiny dots. "He's coming back!" he cried hoarsely.

Elsa turned, the cold blue fires of desperation burning within her eyes. She conjured up giant icicles and thrust them at the dragon. One of them struck his upper leg, but the rest were easily destroyed by a well-placed burst of flame. Arrows fired by Elsa's soldiers rained on the dragon like frenzied ants, but all of them bounced off of his tough scales.

"Get back!" Sir Magnus hollered. Everyone fled to the edges of the square, along with Elsa and Arren. Together the two of them huddled behind an overturned market stall that was partially on fire and partially wet from melted ice. There was a loud roar as Ranson flamed again, demolishing every last bit of snow and ice that lay in the town square.

"You shouldn't have done that, Elsa," Arren gasped, leaning against the stall. "It was too dangerous." But when he glanced over at her, there was thankfulness in the brown depths of his eyes.

"We need a plan to calm down your brother, or at least restrain him," Elsa said, wanting to get back to the matter at hand.

Arren's face twisted and tears filled his eyes. He turned to gaze at the dragon, which was standing in the square and restlessly lashing his spiked tail like an maddened cat.

"That's not my brother," he said in a broken voice. "Not anymore."

Elsa stared at him. "What do mean?"

"I looked into his eyes when he was coming down from the sky to attack us. They were the eyes of a mindless beast."

With a start Elsa understood what he meant. Arren's brother had become completely overcome by the curse, and he was no longer anything but a dragon.

Suddenly a high-pitched scream split the air.

Both Arren and Elsa peered around the side of the stall to see a woman trying to climb out of a second-story window. The lower portion of her house was engulfed in large, devouring flames. A small girl standing beside the woman, tears streaming down her face.

"Someone help her!" Sir Magnus shouted. A guard darted across the town square, trying to reach the house, but the dragon swiped at him with one vicious claw and sent the man flying.

Oh no, Elsa thought, her heart speeding up. She was deciding whether to make an ice stairway along the side of the house or try to douse the flames, (which would not be an easy task) when all of a sudden she noticed a figure in the alleyway below the house, partially obscured by the black smoke. Elsa caught a glimpse of a dark blue and gold dress at the figure moved through the smoke, lugging a wooden ladder. As the figure shoved the ladder up against the house and helped the two townspeople climb to safety, Elsa realized who it was.

Her sister.

"Anna!" she yelled. "Get back to the castle! What are you doing out here?"

"Helping!" Anna shouted back. Elsa could make out her sister more clearly now. Her face was smudged with smoke and her blue eyes glinted with fear and stubborn determination. Just then, another figure joined Anna's. It was Kristoff.

Elsa couldn't make out most of what he said, but it was obvious that he was angry with Anna and seemed to be trying to drag her away from the town center.

Good. Take her out of harm's way.

But fate had other plans. As Anna gave in and let Kristoff hustle her deeper into the alley, a shrill voice rang out from the main path leading from the castle.

"Anna? Kristoff? Where'd you go off to?" Olaf asked, trotting into the square. The dragon, heaving great clouds of smoke from his nostrils, turned to face the unwary snowman with blazing eyes.

"Oh! Uh...hi." Olaf said weakly, waving one stick hand. He looked like he was about to pass out from fear.

The dragon gave a low, deep rumble and took one thudding step towards Olaf.

"Olaf!" Elsa gasped in horror. She raised her hand to send a bolt of ice in the dragon's direction. It would give away her hiding spot, but she couldn't watch her dear friend die. But just then Anna tore through the square with a cry and snatched Olaf up. A jet of flame scorched the air just behind her, but both she and Olaf escaped unharmed.

"Anna! Get out of there!" Elsa screamed. Several guards ran bravely forward to protect Anna, but the dragon lunged forward and knocked them aside like they were kindling. Anna shrieked and ran into an abandoned building, still carrying Olaf. The dragon seemed furious that his prey had gotten away. He crashed into the structure and the whole front of it collapsed, trapping Anna and Olaf inside.

"You ugly, hideous beast!" Kristoff yelled, grabbing a smoldering hunk of wood and hurling it at the dragon's back. It barely grazed the dragon's scales, but it was enough to attract the creature's attention. He swung around to face Kristoff.

For a moment the two glowered at each other. Then the dragon charged. Kristoff whirled and darted into the alleyway, and the dragon lunged

"Fire!" Sir Magnus commanded, and this time dozens of javelins flew at the dragon's turned back. "Blast it!" he thundered when the weapons still did not pierce the dragon's powerful scales.

"We have to stop him! But what are we going to do?" Elsa moaned. "Your fire powers don't work well on him, and anything I create won't be able to stand the heat."

Arren was curled up against the stall and was gripping his head as though he was trying to think as hard as he could. "There's got to be something we can do," he said. For one long, agonizing minute he remained silent.

"Oh, I wish Marshmallow was here," Elsa said, suddenly thinking of her ice troll. "But even if I made another one like him, Ranson would just melt him in one blast."

Arren's eyes snapped open. "Elsa," he asked in a low but urgent voice, "how did you make your ice troll, and Olaf, for that matter?"

Elsa tried to think. "Well...I guess...they sort of just came out. Olaf was an accident, but with Marshmallow I focused on taking my emotions and...I poured them out and let them take shape. I still don't understand fully how it worked, but it did."

"I was thinking..." Arren said, staring intently into Elsa's eyes. "I can't make a creature with just fire, or at least I don't think I could, and your snow creatures would just melt. But maybe if we combined our powers, we could create a creature of a more resilient quality. A creature that could stop Ra-I mean, the dragon."

"Are you crazy?" Elsa said. "Our powers don't go together. Your fire would just melt my ice, or my ice would extinguish your flames."

Arren gripped her shoulders. He looked pretty excited for someone who was suggesting an idea that could never work. "But don't forget, Elsa, that our powers are not like normal ice and fire. They're magic. And magic, if used in the right way, could possibly work together."

Elsa took a deep breath. "If we made something, what would be make?"

"What creature's strong enough to take down a dragon?"

"Not really anything. It would have to be...it would have to be another dragon!"

"Exactly!" Arren leaned in closer to Elsa. "Are you ready to try?"

She gazed into his eyes with a mixture of desperation and determination. "Yes."

"Then let's do this!"

Together the two of them, almost without thinking, wrapped one arm around each other. It was almost like when they'd danced together, they way their hearts beat as one and their minds fell almost into sync. As one they raised their free hands to the sky and let their powers collide.

At first there was a loud sputtering as fire and ice met. A great orange and blue cloud formed above them and hissed and bubbled like a geyser about to erupt. Then the colors mixed and darkened until they were a deep purple.

Elsa grunted. "It's giving way," she said as sparks and snowflakes began erupting from the mess in the sky.

"Keep pushing it!" Arren encouraged her. "We can do this!"

Elsa took a split second to glance into his face, and he did the same. As their eyes met, the bond between them grew so strong it was as though they were one person. It was as though Elsa was staring straight into a face that was her own, a youthful face that shown with earnestness and passion.

Then she turned her gaze back upwards and gave herself fully to her task.

The purple cloud began spiraling into the air in a giant, whirling column. Dimly Elsa could hear gasps and cries coming from around her, but she didn't break her focus. And slowly, the cloud took its form. Two great wings sprouted from the sides and the bottom of it spun tighter and tighter until it closed up into a long, snake-like tail. A dark gray began to appear from deep within the cloud. There was a magnificent "whoosh" of flame as the cloud burst into purple fire, sending out a shower of snowflake-shaped sparks. The rest of the cloud split away from the creature like thin tendrils of smoke. And there it was: a massive stone dragon engulfed in purple fire that looked every bit as fierce as Ranson, but instead of looking horrible and ugly it was so beautiful it made Elsa catch her breath. It beat its huge, flaming wings and gave out a roar of delight, as though it was excited to be alive.

"Majestia! Take down that dragon!" Arren shouted as loudly as he could.

For a moment Elsa was afraid the creature wouldn't listen. But after a second it rose gracefully in the air and then fell into a steep dive. The screams of the terrified townspeople and soldiers were soon drowned out by Majestia's ear-shattering, melodious battle cry. Both Arren and Elsa moved around the overturned stall and watched the two dragons fight. The two sinewy, powerful bodies collided and then drew away.

"Majestia's pierced his scales!" Elsa cried.

Sure enough, there were bloody scratch lines on Ranson's lower neck. The dragon lifted his head and weaved it back and forth nervously. It was as though the creature knew this was a fight that could very well be his last stand. He gave a tremendous roar louder than any Elsa had heard yet, and launched himself at his opponent. Majestia keened in a shrill voice and met him with her teeth bared and her claws ready. They clashed with all the power in their bodies.

Elsa closed her eyes, unable to watch. "He'll tear her – Majestia, as you call her - to bits!"

Arren's voice was steady. "She's made of stone. There's no way he'll do that."

Elsa didn't open her eyes. She just stood there and waited. Waited for it to be all over.

And finally...it was.

Arren nudged her shoulder and Elsa opened her eyes to see the red and brown dragon lying slain on the ground, with the purple dragon standing triumphant over the beast. She gave a soft keen of victory and raised her head as Arren approached her.

"Good job, my beautiful one. Now, lie down and be still so that you do not frighten the others," Arren commanded her.

Majestia obeyed, settling onto the ground and pulling her wings in close to her. Slowly the soldiers and townspeople drew near to both of the beasts, speechless with amazement. Even Sir Magnus did not speak.

Kristoff interrupted the silence by running through the wreckage until he reached the building that had collapsed upon Anna and Olaf.

"Anna!" he cried. "Anna, are you okay?"

"I can't get out," came a weak voice from inside.

Anna! Elsa flew across the square and helped Kristoff clear away pieces of the building such as splintered boards and broken glass. Soon all of the soldiers had joined them.

When Anna was finally released, and it was discovered that other from a few scratches and bruises, she was okay, Elsa and Kristoff smothered her in hugs. Olaf was partially smushed and he'd lost his carrot nose, but with a few touches Elsa had managed to fix him up almost back to normal.

"You were so brave, Anna!" Elsa said. "But next time, stay back at the castle!"

"Sorry," Anna said. "But I couldn't let you go out there alone. I...I didn't want to be left behind. I was afraid if I just let you leave, you might never come back." She blinked back tears.

"Oh Anna." Elsa gave her sister another hug and tried to hold back tears of her own. "I'll always be here for you."

Even after they'd pulled away from each other, neither of them moved. But then Anna glanced behind her sister and her expression changed. "Elsa...I think you need to go talk to your friend."

Elsa turned around and saw Arren on his knees beside the motionless, mangled body of the dragon that had once been his brother. She softly walked up to him and, kneeling, laid a hand on his shoulder.

"He was so mean to me, but he was still my brother. And I still loved him." Arren drew in a shuddering breath. "He wasn't all that terrible. His greed was just too much for him."

"I'm sorry," Elsa whispered.

After a long minute Arren let out a long sigh and rose unsteadily to his feet. "It had to be done," he said, his eyes dark with sadness.

Silence hung heavy upon the clearing. Several plumes of smoke from dying fires trailed into the sky, and the townspeople and guards stood there, watching from a respectful distance. At last, Elsa turned to face her people. She knew many of them did not understand most of what had happened. So she said in a loud, clear voice, "My people, today King Ranson attempted to take Arren away from the castle without consulting me first. Despite the legend of Arren's betrayal to his brother, almost none of that is true, as I found out from several sources, including Ranson's own guards. Because of this, I tried to rescue Arren from his brother. Ranson gave pursuit of us, and, becoming overcome with anger, he used a powerful curse few know of that transformed him into a dragon. This curse soon overtook him completely until he no longer had the mind of a man, but only of a terrible, murderous beast. But together Arren and I used our powers to create Majestia, this great dragon you see before you. It was only through her that Ranson could be defeated, and he was."

There was a stunned quiet. At last the crowd broke into cheers. "Long live Queen Elsa! Long live our queen!"

Elsa smiled and ducked her head bashfully. But then another chant rose up, one that made her lift her head quickly.

"Long live Prince Arren! Long live Prince Arren!"

"Do you hear that, Arren?" Elsa said, turning to face him with smile that sparkled like freshly fallen snow.

Arren was standing straight and tall. His brown and gold-flecked eyes were very large and filled with tears.

"What is it?" Elsa questioned him tenderly.

"It's been six years since I've heard someone call me that," he said in a voice thick with emotion. He took a few hesitant steps forward and the crowd broke into even noisier cheering. "It's been six years since a crowd of people have looked at me and known me for who I truly am, and still hailed me with joy."

"You deserve it," Elsa said, stepping forward to stand beside him. "You don't have to be afraid anymore."

Arren turned to look at her, his eyes still moist. "I've been afraid of so many things for so long. It's going to be very hard to change."

Elsa felt a warmth rise in her chest, a warmth that made the ice around her heart buckle and begin to give way. "Perfect love casts out fear," she said softly.

A smile broke upon Arren's face. "You're right."

For a moment longer they stared at each other, unable to look away. Then Arren said quietly, "I love you." The words were simple and unashamed.

Elsa blinked and a tear slid down her cheek. "I love you too."

Like a wave rising to break against a rock Elsa moved towards Arren and in a moment the two of them met in a tight embrace. Arren's warm, loving arms wrapped around Elsa and she buried her head in his shoulder.

And with that, the ice covering her heart finally melted completely away.