The door to Elsa's room burst open and hit the wall so hard it bounced back and almost closed again. Both Anna and Kristoff jumped from the bed, startled. She didn't even have time to react before she felt a hand grabbing her by the arm and pulling her out of the bed. She caught a glimpse of someone else doing the same with Kristoff.
"You'd better be wrong about your sister, Princess, or you will regret it for the rest of your short life!" a voice filled with rage hissed into her ear as she was dragged away from the room.
Though a bit disoriented at first, Anna quickly recovered from the rather sudden awakening and prepared for another round with Sideburns. "I take it you found nothing at my sister's Palace," she said, grinning.
"On the contrary. I found your sister with my ice-breathing monster—and a fire breathing one helping them both!"
"What?" Anna said, momentarily unable to keep her disguise as she tried to process what she'd just heard. Was this some kind of ruse from Sigurd's part to make her talk or something like that?
But she knew it wasn't. She had seen the shadow of another dragon two nights ago just after Olaf and Sven had left for Elsa's Palace, after all. That gave her hope. If that shadow had helped Elsa and Wintergale, that meant they had a new ally against Sigurd—one that was bringing fire into the mix. Things should get interesting.
She recovered her defiant stance and chuckled. "Oh, you must be really mad right about now, aren't you?"
Sigurd let go of her and slapped her in the face so hard she fell to the floor. She heard Kristoff shout her name and rush to her side. He put his arm around her, trying to help her get up—right before hearing a thud and feel him fall on top of her. Blood oozed from a large cut on his forehead.
"Pick him up!" Sigurd ordered. Then he forced Anna on her feet and kept dragging her. "We shall see if you keep that smile on your face by the time I'm done with you two."
Anna wanted to reply and make him angrier, but that slap had weakened her resolve. In fact, that comment about her smile was pointless now, since she was no longer smiling. She tasted blood, and her cheek felt swollen. She was surprised he hadn't broken her jaw, but one thing was for sure: he wouldn't break her loyalty to her sister, no matter what he tried to do.
They reached the courtyard, which was packed with Sigurd's men once more. The soldiers carrying Kristoff put a gag on his mouth and tied his hands and feet up. Then Sigurd hit Anna's knees from behind, bending them and forcing her to kneel.
"Behold, Princes Anna of Arendelle!" he announced mockingly. "Let her be an example to those who would challenge us and our righteous quest to rid the world of the ice monster!"
The soldiers cheered and hollered and chanted Sigurd's name while he spoke into Anna's ear again. "I considered humiliating you in front of my men and your boyfriend before killing you, but I've already had enough of you and your sister. At this point, I'll take greater pleasure in torturing you."
Anna made an effort to look into Sideburns' eyes. "Go ahead. It's your funeral. Elsa will come to rescue us, and then she'll make you beg for mercy."
"Oh, I'm counting on her coming here, and I'm sure she will try to rescue you. The question is, how many fingers and unbroken bones will you have left by the time she arrives?"
He beckoned a soldier holding a pair of large shears in his hands. Another two of them held Anna still while Sigurd took the shears and grabbed her right hand. "So shall be made to those who would side with the beast!"
The soldiers went into uproar. They were craving for Anna's blood. Kristoff tried to shout and free himself, but it was pointless. His bindings looked tight enough. Anna felt the cold, sharp edges of the blades grazing her right thumb. She closed her eyes.
"Please, Elsa," she pleaded silently, her façade of bravado finally undone.
A loud, piercing roar let her know that her plea had been heard and was about to be answered. She looked up—everyone did, in fact—to see a pair of winged figures flying low overhead, slowly climbing up higher and higher. The roars was different from Wintergale's, so those had to be both Wintergale and the other dragon Sigurd had mentioned—the one she'd seen before as well. But they weren't flying towards the castle but away from it, to the sea.
They were leaving Arendelle.
Anna's sudden spark of hope nearly faded away. Part of her thought that Elsa was abandoning her to her fate. But as everyone else kept looking to the sky, she suddenly noticed that the stone floor on the courtyard was becoming covered in ice. It reminded her of the day after the Great Thaw, when Elsa turned the courtyard into an ice rink, except that this ice looked less pristine.
Sigurd looked back at Anna with hate, only to finally notice the ice. His lips quivered slightly.
Without warning, dozens of ice spheres emerged from the frozen ground and formed around the soldiers, trapping all of them in several groups. A thick, icy mist appeared out of nowhere and filled the air everywhere, preventing her—and probably Sigurd too—from seeing anything past their own noses. The sound of thumping made by the soldiers trying to break out of their impromptu prisons was momentarily eclipsed by the creaking of the gates being opened. Sigurd dropped the shears, forced Anna on her feet again, and pulled his knife from its sheath, bringing it to her throat.
"Drop it," Anna heard an all too familiar voice say firmly. She felt brave and confident enough to smile once more.
"You are so done for," she told Sigurd.
He didn't reply. He just pressed the blade against her skin. Then a screech—Wintergale's—was heard in the distance.
"That's the sound of your ice monster getting away from Arendelle forever, to a place where you will never find it again," Elsa said. "It's over, Sigurd. Let my sister go and I will let you and your men leave my kingdom with your lives."
As Elsa spoke, her voice seemed to come from everywhere. Sigurd kept looking around him, and the only reason why he didn't seem scared witless was probably because he still had Anna hostage.
"I'm being extremely merciful with you, Captain. I could've frozen your heart by now, you know. In fact, if you don't relent, I will freeze your heart and those of your soldiers—and it's not a pleasant experience. Just ask my sister; I've already done it to her once."
Anna immediately caught her sister's drift. "It's true. It hurts only for a moment when it happens, and you don't feel the effects right away, but after a few hours you start getting colder and colder to the point where you can no longer warm yourself up with anything. The pain becomes unbearable with each passing minute until you think it can't get any worse, and yet it does. Your extremities literally freeze, and you can feel how every bone in your body slowly turns into ice, and you believe they will shatter if you make the slightest move, but they don't. And finally, in an instant, everything goes black."
Sigurd seemed somewhat afraid now. He scoffed. "You wouldn't do that. You could've done it back at your Palace, but you chose to trap me in ice. You don't have it in you."
Elsa's voice became filled with mock sorrow complete with sobs. "I returned from my Ice Palace after a few days of rest, only to find that the ice monster was attacking the brave soldiers staying in my castle. I rushed to help them, but it was too late. The monster had already frozen everyone. I had to use my own ice powers to fight it and scare it away, but the damage was already done. I couldn't save them. I couldn't save any of them."
Now even Anna was getting scared. She had fully expected Elsa to arrive on Wintergale's back and deliver some punches or maybe just scare these people away. Obviously she hadn't arrived on Wintergale's back. Okay, that was passable. But this… this was more than just a bluff. Even her voice sounded creepy… full of evil. Elsa really was prepared to do something unspeakable.
This wasn't her sister anymore.
"Your people will never believe such a preposterous story. They'll know it was you," Sigurd argued.
"Oh, will they? How much do they really know? They've been locking themselves up inside their homes every night for almost two weeks, unable to see anything that's happening outside. My servants and guards are imprisoned in the dungeons. You put them there, remember? So, who will be able to say otherwise?"
Sigurd's hand shook almost imperceptibly. Almost.
"This is your last chance. Drop. The. Knife."
Anna's heart beat rapidly. This was getting out of hand. Sigurd was cornered, and cornered mad men like him tended to do reckless things, perhaps believing that it would be better not to go down without a fight. She thought Sigurd would just slit her throat in the end out of desperation. But the funny thing was, she wasn't as afraid of dying as she was of watching her sister become the monster she'd tried so hard not to be.
Sigurd's hand became steady at last, and he chuckled, apparently having lost his fear—or his mind. Anna closed her eyes, half-expecting to feel the sharp steel cut through her flesh and sever her throat.
Instead, he let go of her, pushing her aside.
For a couple of seconds, Anna was hesitant to reopen her eyes. Had Sigurd actually decided to comply with Elsa's demands, or was he about to drive the blade elsewhere into her body? Curiosity finally took over, and when she opened her eyes, she saw Sigurd sheathing the knife. It wasn't exactly dropping it, but it was good enough.
"Wise decision," Elsa said.
The mist vanished, and the ice spheres trapping the soldiers receded. All of them instantly raised their weapons—only to lower them in fear when they heard a loud roar behind them at the gates. It was Marshmallow!
And Elsa was nowhere to be seen.
"Your Majesty?" Sigurd said with a singsong tone. "I thought we had an arrangement."
"Do we now?" Elsa said behind him. He spun around, taking his hand to the hilt of his sword. "Prove it. Tell you men to stand down."
Sigurd chuckled again and moved his hand away from his weapon. "Stand down, people!" he ordered, turning to look at them. "We're leaving this place."
The soldiers seemed confused, but they obeyed. Marshmallow kept blocking the exit while the men prepared to move out. Meanwhile, Sigurd moved closer to Elsa, speaking in a low conversational tone, but Anna was able to hear them anyway.
"Now this is the Snow Queen I'd heard so many stories about. I'm impressed, Your Highness. You could take over the world if you resolved to do it, you know?"
Elsa held her icy gaze.
"I will tell you this, Queen Elsa," he continued. It was the first time Anna didn't hear him talk without a trace of sarcasm. "You've just earned my respect and admiration. As I said before, not every regent has the character and strength of will that you have. That's the only reason why I'm relenting. But know this: no man or woman has ever truly defeated me, and you shall not be the exception. We will meet again someday, and we shall settle this little feud between you and me once and for all."
Elsa leaned closer to his face. "You better pray that doesn't happen, for your own sake. And if it does happen, you will rue the day you set foot in my kingdom and tried to kill my sister."
Sigurd looked at her with a smug smile on his face. "I'll see you around."
"Never again," Elsa told him firmly. "Go."
Sigurd didn't move, still looking at Elsa haughtily.
"Go!" she commanded.
Several seconds passed before Sigurd finally walked away and towards the gate to lead his men on their journey back home, wherever 'home' was for each of them. Elsa nodded at Marshmallow, and the bulky snowman stepped aside to allow the Captain and his army to march through the gates. The men headed for the Northern Road and disappeared into the night, never to return to Arendelle.
When the army was out of sight, Elsa let her shoulders drop and rushed to help her sister. "Anna, are you alright?"
"I'm fine, Elsa," she replied, though half of her face felt on fire.
Elsa knelt to look clearly at her and, probably seeing her swollen cheek, clenched her fists. She stared at the road with a murderous look on her face and began standing up.
"Elsa, please, don't," Anna said, grabbing her sister's arm. "Just let him go. He's not worth it."
Elsa hesitated, but upon looking at Anna's watery eyes, she relented. She stroked Anna's hair and said teasingly, "Are you trying to follow in our cousin's footsteps?"
Anna laughed. "Yeah, something like that."
And both sisters hugged each other lovingly. Anna felt relief wash over her. Her sister was back, in every sense of the word.
"I love you, Anna."
"I love you too, Elsa."
Then they heard a muffled voice saying something like, 'I'm still here'. Anna gasped. "Kristoff!" She ran to him and freed him of his bindings and gag. "I'm sorry. Are you okay?" she asked him, wiping some blood from his forehead.
"I've got a thick skull, remember?" he replied, winking. He grunted as he tried to stand up, but Anna wouldn't let him, as she couldn't help kissing him passionately before he could. She heard Elsa giggle and clear her throat while she approached.
"Thank you for looking after her, Kristoff," she told him, offering a hand to help him on his feet. "I'm sure you did all you could to keep her safe. You'll make a great brother-in-law someday."
Both Anna and Kristoff blushed as he nodded, smiling. Then, looking all around him, he asked, "Where are Olaf and Sven?"
Elsa opened her mouth to speak, but a cheerful voice and the sound of hoofs hitting the ground cut her off. "Hey, guys!"
Sven arrived running at the courtyard. Olaf hopped off his back and ran to embrace the sisters while Kristoff patted his friend and congratulated him. Nobody noticed Marshmallow approaching until they were all surrounded and lifted in the air by a pair of large snow arms. It was a big, happy family reunion. But there was still someone else missing.
"So, when is Wintergale joining us?" Anna asked when Marshmallow put them down.
Elsa looked sadly up to the sky. "She isn't."
Anna gave her a double take. "What?"
Elsa didn't reply.
"Come on, Elsa. Sigurd's gone. I know that it was all a bluff, so you can drop the act," Anna said, teasingly.
"I wish it were an act," Elsa said. Her voice was shaky.
Anna shook her head. "No, you can't be serious. She is leaving for real? But where is she going?"
A tear rolled down Elsa's cheek. "Where she belongs."
Elsa woke up at dusk, feeling physically rested but with a heavy heart nonetheless. She had fallen asleep shortly before dawn, pondering about the dragon rider's proposal. She didn't want to concede that the rider was right, even though she knew she was, because that would mean having to get separated from Wintergale—which was something she didn't want to do. She had been the one to find her in that cave. She had been the one to bond with her. She had been the one to help her find her courage and let go of her fear to fly. Besides, she wasn't sure that the Ice Fury would leave her side anyway. After all, she had come back for her to the Ice Palace when she sensed that she was in trouble.
And that had almost got them both killed.
She knew that none of what they had endured together meant a thing if she couldn't protect her. So, yeah, perhaps she could manage to take Sigurd out of the picture this time, but then what? She wouldn't be able to keep Wintergale in secret forever, especially now that she could fly. What if other people came and tried to kill her? She had to admit that, in a way, she and the rider were on the same page. She wouldn't let anyone kill Wintergale either. But how could she hope to protect her and her kingdom if one endangered the other?
At some point, someone crazy enough—and with enough resources—might declare war to her small kingdom only to get their hands on the Ice Fury. Someone like Drago Bludvist, the man the dragon rider mentioned before, for example. And if such a thing happened, there would be bloodshed. Arendelle simply wasn't prepared for war, not after seven decades of peace. Diplomacy and good trade relationships had been key to maintaining said peace, so a large army hadn't been necessary for a long time. The Royal Guards were Arendelle's sole standing army, and it was made up of roughly 300 men—not enough to actually go into battle with a larger kingdom.
And she was only considering the larger picture on a long term. Right here and now, there was just too much at stake if she kept Wintergale. But could Elsa bring herself to part ways with her dragon?
After she woke up, the rider—who was already awake—told her to get ready to return and that she had a plan to save Anna. She didn't share it with Elsa, though, and Elsa felt it would be pointless to ask about it. Shortly after that, they left the lake and headed back to Arendelle. Olaf rode with Elsa on Wintergale's back while Cloudjumper carried Marshmallow—who, in turn, carried Sven in his arms—like he did before. They flew over the North Mountain on their way back, finding that, in spite of the damage done to the Palace, it was still standing. There was no sign of Sigurd or his soldiers anywhere, so they kept flying.
When they were a short distance from the fjord, they landed at the outskirts of the town, on top of a hill overlooking it. Elsa felt somewhat relieved to see Sigurd and his army on the road, still a good distance away from the castle. At their current speed, they would arrive in about ten minutes.
She and Olaf got off Wintergale's back. So far, the woman hadn't mentioned anything else about the Ice Fury, perhaps giving Elsa a bit more time to think about it. But now, the rider was gazing at her from behind that mask, and Elsa knew that she awaited a response. She lowered her head. This was one of those times when making a choice is really hard no matter how much time one takes to make it, even when you know which is the right thing to do, because it's extremely painful.
Without saying a word, Elsa knelt to loosen the saddle straps. She took the saddle off Wintergale's neck carefully and placed it on the ground. She did the same with the saddle pad. Wintergale looked at Elsa, puzzled. Elsa cupped the dragon's face between her hands.
"Hey, girl. Remember when I told you to go with Olaf and Sven while I took care of the man chasing you?"
The dragon growled.
"Well, now I need you to…" she began, but she was unable to finish her sentence. A lump formed on her throat. "I need you to go with…"
She couldn't continue. She rested her head on Wintergale's own and began sobbing. There was no easy way to tell someone you loved to go away… especially your best friend. Because Anna was her sister; they were family. But Wintergale…
"You are my best friend," she told her amid the sobs. "My first friend, in fact. I don't want this, but it's for your own good."
The dragon crooned softly. She sounded sad.
"I know, Wintergale. I love you too. And because I love you, I have to let you go."
Elsa turned to look at the rider. "You promise me she will be safe?"
"She will," the woman said.
Elsa nodded and looked again into Wintergale's eyes. "See? You'll be fine," she said, mirroring her father's last words to her.
Wintergale growled and shook her head, looking at Elsa with begging eyes.
"Please, listen to me. Nothing will ever break our friendship. It doesn't matter if you're here or a thousand miles away from me. Nothing will ever truly break us apart. You hear me, Wintergale?"
The Ice Fury's gaze met Elsa's. She could've sworn the dragon was crying with her.
"I'll never forget you, my dearest friend, so please don't forget me. And always remember what I told you. You are brave and strong, like ice. Don't be afraid to fly. Don't be afraid to be free. And whatever you do, don't ever go back to what you used to be. The past is in the past, okay?"
The dragon nodded. Elsa embraced her once more. "I'll miss you."
They were like that for a while until the dragon rider poked her shoulder. "It's time."
Elsa let go of Wintergale and looked at the woman, waiting to hear her plan.
"The army has arrived at your castle. You must hurry if you want to get there and teach them who the real ruler is in this kingdom. I'll wait for you to arrive at the bridge, and then we'll leave, making a lot of noise to draw their attention." She turned to climb on Cloudjumper's back, but before doing so, she looked back once more. "Good luck, Queen Elsa."
"You too," Elsa replied. "And thank you."
The rider nodded. Elsa and Olaf climbed onto Sven's back, and they left. Marshmallow followed them, running. As they distanced themselves from the woman and the dragons, she looked back to see Wintergale one last time.
Goodbye, dear friend, she thought.
When they reached the plaza a few minutes later, Elsa hopped off the reindeer's back and instructed him to stay hidden until the soldiers were gone—for good this time. She and Marshmallow ran from one end of the bridge to the other, and then she heard Cloudjumper roar mightily. That was her cue. She took a moment to analyze her feelings, trying to determine which of them was best to use to face Sigurd.
There was a deep sadness from Wintergale's departure. There was rage from the fact that Sigurd had caused them to separate in one way or another. And there was concern for what he could still be trying to do to her sister. She thought of using her anger, just like she had done at her Palace, since it seemed to be the feeling that gave her greater power.
But there was something else she couldn't ignore or shut out: love. She tried to forget about it in order to unleash the fearsome side of her powers… but she couldn't. After all, letting Wintergale go had been an act of love. Saving her sister was an act of love.
Everything she'd been doing so far for both her sister and her best friend had been out of pure love.
Tears streamed down her face once more. They were tears of sorrow but also of gladness—a gladness that came from knowing that Wintergale would finally find peace and rest in the dragon rider's sanctuary. Now she had to make sure that this sacrifice she'd been forced to make would not be in vain.
She felt a sudden surge of power within her. It was like nothing she'd ever felt before. And in a sudden moment of enlightenment, she realized that she had found a new side to her abilities and how they related to her emotions. Up to now, there had only been one feeling at a time whenever she used her powers. In that very instant, however, there were more than one—and they were all equally present. There wasn't a prevalent feeling but a balance between them all.
She felt like she could take these 200 men down in one fell swoop… but she also felt in absolute control. She didn't have to unleash a storm upon these people. And she wouldn't kill them, unless they gave her reason to. Thus, it would be better to deny them the chance to do so.
She stomped the ground…
"Elsa, think fast!" Anna's loud warning interrupted Elsa's train of thought. Or rather, it was the snowball that hit her squarely on the right side of her face.
Several gasps were heard as everyone else in the courtyard froze in place, awaiting anxiously the Snow Queen's response to this sudden attack.
Elsa wiped the snow from her face. The cold didn't bother her, but the hit hurt a bit. "Anna, why would you throw me a snowball?"
"Because you need to have some fun," Anna replied, grinning mischievously.
"I'm still Queen of Arendelle, Anna, and you must show me respect!" Elsa stated, sounding upset and even furious.
Anna looked unnaturally nervous. "I-I'm sorry, Elsa. I just thought—"
"Throwing snowballs at royalty is considered daring and offensive," Elsa interrupted her.
"I-I just got caught up in the heat of the moment and—"
"Besides," Elsa continued, her fingers moving and twirling ever so slightly, "you should already know that hitting the Snow Queen with a snowball has its consequences."
Anna failed to notice the large shadow blocking the sunlight right above her. With another twirl of Elsa's fingers, a seven-foot wide snowball she'd been forming in the last few seconds fell on top of Anna's head, covering her completely in snow.
"Now that's funny, and also a good punishment for your audacity," Elsa said as Anna's head popped from under the pile of snow.
Some people laughed as discreetly as possible, but others—including Kristoff—must've thought that this was the most hilarious thing they'd seen because they began guffawing uncontrollably. This laughter became contagious soon enough as everyone resumed their recreational activities on snow. Elsa could only smile at the sight of her loyal subjects, and even her servants and guards, having such a good time. They deserved it after nearly two weeks of confinement and boredom.
She also took pride in such a well done job. All of her planning and preparation for this anniversary celebration, even if it was taking two weeks later than originally intended, had borne fruit. The courtyard looked amazing—all covered in a thick layer of snow, enough to let all these people have more than enough fun building snowmen and making snow angels. The whole place was littered with them by now, in fact. Needless to say, this was the only place in Arendelle with snow, since the summer sun had finally melted away the rest.
She looked at Marshmallow who stood at the far side of the courtyard, standing guard at the gates as he always did at the Ice Palace. Elsa had given him his own personal flurry just like she had done with Olaf so that he could stay for this event. And though his crown was still missing, he looked happy. The people of Arendelle had warmed up to the giant snowman just as quickly as they had with Olaf—especially the children. Some kids would walk up to him at times and ask him to lift them on his shoulders, and he would comply without questioning. Even now, the two kids she'd met during her first night escapade—Kat and her friend—were enjoying themselves with him.
"Alright, listen, everyone!" she exclaimed. "Take sides, because it's time for the snowball fight!"
She used her powers to make two trenches—and hundreds of snowballs, enough for all the townspeople to have a decent fight. Within seconds, the snowballs began flying from one side of the courtyard to the other. Elsa smiled melancholically.
"Well, it's good to know that you have a sense of humor, twisted though it may be," Anna said, still shaking off some snow from behind her ears.
"I'm sorry about that," Elsa said, giggling.
"No, you're not," Anna replied.
"No, I'm not," Elsa admitted, smirking. She still couldn't get used to seeing Anna with her hair short.
"I knew it. But that's fine, I don't mind. I rather have you pull a prank on me than seeing you depressed."
Elsa's smile vanished.
"Come on, Elsa, cheer up. Wintergale wouldn't want you to be like this."
She sighed. "I just keep thinking of how much she would've loved to be here."
"Among so many people?"
"Why not?"
"I don't know. She didn't strike me as the sociable type."
Elsa remembered what the dragon rider had told her about Furies. "You'd be surprised."
Anna put a comforting hand on Elsa's shoulder. "You did the right thing, Elsa."
"I know," Elsa replied. "I don't regret letting her go, and I never will. But I feel like part of my heart has been ripped, and I'm not sure if that will ever heal."
Anna stayed silent for a few moments. Then, she smiled. "Do you wanna build a snowman?"
In spite of herself, Elsa smiled at her sister's childish antics. "A living one?"
Anna laughed. "No, a normal one will do."
She took Elsa's hand and took her to the nearest mound of snow. They began building their snowman, and as they did, the rest of the world around them faded away. It was just the two of them in that simple moment. This was the first time in fifteen years that Anna and Elsa built a snowman, and Elsa was enjoying it with every fiber of her being. She felt like that carefree little girl she used to be. It was a nice feeling.
When they were finished, and while Anna went looking for a carrot among the crates that Elsa had given to Sven, Elsa sat on the ground and reminisced of the night when she and Wintergale first met. A tear fell to the ground and mixed with the snowflakes covering it. Wherever she was now, she could only hope that she was happy. As for Elsa…
I'll never forget you, my dearest friend…
A/N: And that was the end of Part I. I hope you enjoyed it.
Obviously, this also means that the (possibly) month-long hiatus has officially begun. I may feel tempted to reduce it to a two-week long one if I get enough lovely reviews, but it won't be less than that because I need those two weeks (plus the remaining days of this one) to finish at least two more chapters for 'The Fifth Race's Reclaimers'. Also, I promised my Latin American readers to translate Chapters 10 and 11 during that time, so there's that. On the other hand, this hiatus will also give people a chance to catch up with HTTYD2, especially in those countries where the film was released later than in the US.
Before I get to the general replies to the latest reviews, I'd like to answer one in particular from Bloodmoon234:
I appreciate your comment and your attempt not to insult my writing skills, as you put it. In fact, what you said had me thinking for a while, wondering if could've made a terrible mistake while writing this story. Truth be told, I thought of 200 soldiers (I did say as well that they were soldiers from different places, not mercenaries) because I honestly didn't think that any more than that would fit inside the courtyard with tents and camping equipment and whatnot. However, there was this phrase you wrote that stood out among the rest of your arguments: you said, 'especially in medieval period'. I'm sorry to contradict you, but both Frozen and Tangled (I bring the latter up only 'cause you did) take place between the late 1700s and early 1800s.
Also, your comment about the army of Corona had me thinking, so I took some time this week to watch Tangled again. I don't like to speculate, but I'd say the number of soldiers in the gallows might be between 200-300, and since Flynn (*cough* Eugene! *cough*) was to be hanged that day, I'd even bet that all of the soldiers in Corona were there both to witness the excecution and to ensure that he didn't escape—which he did, anyway, thanks to the timely intervention of Maximus and a band of mercenaries and criminals.
But let's say you're right about Corona having no less than a thousand soldiers. The King and Queen of Corona had a reason to have such an army, and I personally think it had nothing to do with a display of dominance. They spent 18 years searching for their daughter who had been kidnapped from the castle under their very noses. That would make any parent paranoid, don't you think? Besides, Arendelle strikes me more as a peaceful kingdom, which would be logic since this was a period of relative peace in Norway where Arendelle is located.
And finally, the reason why Elsa's 'generals'—or rather, Royal Guards—were not present when Sigurd was in the Throne Room with her could simply be because she asked them to leave the two of them have a conversation in private.
Sorry if I sound a bit arrogant with all these arguments. I usually admit when I'm wrong, but if there is a chance I might not be, I think have the right to defend my stance, don't I?
Okay, let's get now to the other replies:
Angryhenry: Nope. At least not yet.
magiclover13: I just love your reviews! Always so filled with enthusiasm and with such a detailed analysis of the chapter. Thank you! I'm absolutely looking forward to Baby Furies (in fact, that's one of the many reasons why I began writing this story). I won't say much about how HTTYD2 will fit into this story, and you may or not be right about your theory of the chieftain. And why do we have to wait two months for Season 4?! D: Anyway, thank you so much for reviewing!
alienfinderx: Absolutely, we need more Furies, please! Regarding pairings, I guess only time will tell. Your idea sound pretty dramatic indeed, and under other circumstances I might use it. Unfortunately, I already have the whole story 'mapped out', so I'm afraid I can't, but thanks for sharing it, anyway. And no, as much as it made me cry like crazy, I wouldn't take that scene away from the story, 'cause I agree with you. Thank you!
ArmyWife22079: Yep, just like Vikings were Norsemen, and Arendelle takes place in Norway, they share the same language because of it. Thank you! I'm glad you liked this chapter, and I too am excited about OUAT!
White Hunter: Thanks. I hope this wasn't too sad.
Linzerj: I'm glad you stumbled upon this too ;). Thank you for reviewing! (And is there away to make time run faster?! Two months is just too much!).
YouNameIt: I agree with you, the bond between dragon and rider is forever. But Wintergale is also extremely smart, and she knew there was no other way, no matter how painful it was for her as well as for Elsa. I hope you liked this chapter!
imvictorious: Thank you! Rest assured, I will continue!
Pabulover123: Ain't that the truth. But it's satisfying to know that the effort is well worth it. And what exactly did you think I'd have Sigurd do to Anna? Anyway, I agree with you, if they don't mention Olaf at all, heads are gonna roll! And trust me, you'll love Georgina Haig as Elsa. I'm certain of it! Thanks!
Cry-Pom: Thank you! I'm glad you liked the theory.
alive-in-us: Don't worry, I know the feeling... :'(
Azlea: I freaked out as well, and I actually believe that was the general reaction. Thank you for your comments! I hope you liked this chapter.
lady: She could've done it, yeah, but I don't think she would've gone to such lengths. We'll get to see more of Valka and Elsa at some point, and keep those fingers crossed!
Crystal12: Their bond is definitely unique and special. I'm sorry I had to break them apart, but it's only for a while. Thank you!
PascalDragon: Ups, I guess I did forget to mention her reaction to them! Sorry! I'm aware that most people believe Frozen takes place in the 1840s, but some have moved it to the late 1700s because of Rapunzel's appearance in the film. Personally, I chose to follow the latter because having Vikings in the 1800s was already pushing my story too far, and also because of a certain sequel that I'm planning to write which needs it to be in that time period. Which seasons of OUAT have you watched so far? And thanks for mentioning your preference for Sci-Fi stuff; you might be interested in reading my Halo/SGA crossover, then. Thanks for your review, Sven!
eagle219406: You're right, Sigurd is an OC, and yes, it's possible that he's obsessed with Wintergale because of that. I'm glad you like the story and the song adaptation!
Art n' Music: That's a reaction I'm sooo willing to see, too! Thank you for reviewing!
Now, since I will be 'gone' for a while, I've decided to include my replies to Chapter 11 reviews in this very same author's note rather than waiting until Chapter 12 to answer to them all. It's not much, and I bet some of you would prefer a new chapter instead of replies, but it's something at least. So, if you write a review for Chapter 11, I'll reply to it within 24 hours, so keep refreshing this page in your browser during that time until you find your reply. :)
Also, I've noticed that there are some new reviews for previous chapters. I'll also reply to those soon enough. I didn't do it before because I was still deciding whether to add those replies to their respective chapter or to answer them in a latter one. I've finally chosen to do the latter, so, same deas as with reviews for Chapter 11. Thank you all for reading!
I'll see you guys in two weeks!
EDIT: I've moved the replies to all reviews for Chapter 11 to Chapter 12. Replies to previous reviews will still appear here... as soon as I can give myself some time to find them all. Sorry about that last part. :/
UPDATE
Replies to new reviews for previous chapters:
Coming soon...