Up on the North Mountain, Marshmallow, Olaf and Katrina were leading Freya's guards into an ambush. As the threesome rounded a corner, they jumped down into a 200 foot valley. Freya's guards did not see that, and kept searching for them, until they came into a dead end.
There, the Trolls launched their counter attack! Freya's soldiers didn't know which rocks were real and which were Trolls, so they whacked at every rock indiscriminately, dulling their swords, and wasting their arrows and spears. The Troll threw rocks and boulders, and were soon joined by Marshmallow, Olaf and Katrina. With their range weapons (arrows and spears) gone, and their sword dulled, Marshmallow started to clean up the lot with punches. Soon, not a guard was standing. The Trolls tied all of them up.
/
Prior to entering the arena floor, the contestants shared a moment with their supporters.
"This should be fun!" stated Freya. "I have never been challenged to a formal battle before! If anyone dared to oppose me in the past, I just reduced them to cinders and ash! Elsa actually has a power, which could take me a few minutes to defeat. That victory will be the sweetest I've ever had!"
"What do you plan to do after your victory?" Han asked.
"Elsa will be ashes, but I plan to do the same thing to her three supporters: Anna, Kristoff and James! Little does Elsa know, I will also reduce her Imperial Guards in the dungeon to ashes as well!"
"Good luck!" Hans wished, seconded by her guards, confidently.
"Oh, I won't need luck!" replied Freya as she entered the arena floor.
Elsa was having her final words before the contest with her supporters as well.
Elsa gave a long hug to Anna.
"Take care of yourself, Anna, and be a good wife to Kristoff, and mother to any future nieces and nephews!"
"You can beat her, Elsa! I know you can!" replied Anna.
Elsa then gave a quick hug to Kristoff.
"Make sure you take care of my sister," she said with a smile.
Lastly, she faced Captain Smith. For a moment the two were transfixed in their gaze toward each other, as if they were memorizing every last detail.
Elsa and James shared a long, loving hug and kiss; quite possibly a farewell, without a word. Elsa then went to the arena floor.
Freya stood on the left on the arena floor; Elsa on the right. Freya's six guards and Hans sat on her side; Anna, Kristoff, and Captain Smith on Elsa's. Captain Smith had ordered the Imperial Guards under Sergeants Janssen to comb the city and capture all of Freya's guards. Half of them (about 150 under Sergeants Wilhelmson and Andersson) followed the route up the North Mountain to help their icy friends, the other half searched the city and dock areas. Freya wasn't aware that the Imperial Guards were free.
"Ready, Elsa? I can't wait to defeat you!" stated Freya, as she unleashed three fireballs at Elsa.
Elsa said nothing in reply, as she absorbed the fireballs into ice balls of her own. The two combatants were slowly circling each other. Freya sent two fireballs and a brimstone stomp toward Elsa. Elsa again absorbed the fireballs and counteracted the brimstone stomp with an ice stomp of her own.
For about five minutes, Freya attacked, with escalating ferocity. Elsa was able to parry all of her attacks, which was beginning to frustrate Freya. Elsa then launched an attack of her own: a huge ice stomp, with five rapid-fire ice balls, and an ice shield!
Freya was stunned! Freya deflected the ice balls, but slipped on the ice. She then saw herself under a huge ice shield that Elsa was lowering over her!
Hans could not BELIEVE his eyes! Freya was LOSING!
He couldn't let that happen. So he surreptitiously bent down and grabbed a large stone. James saw what was happening, but his warning shout was too late, as Hans hurled the stone at Elsa's head, knocking her down and dazing her. Freya stood., as Anna rushed to her sister's side.
"I saved you from defeat, Freya!" cried Hans proudly, hoping he could get his payment of wages to Freya sharply reduced, thanks to his deed.
"That was a dirty piece of CHEATING!" yelled James in rage, as Kristoff held him back. "What's the matter? Freya can't handle herself? She needs YOU to help her beat Elsa?"
Freya's eyes were on fire, first at Captain Smith, but ultimately at Hans.
She expected Captain Smith to shrink from her gaze, but he was ready to get on the arena floor and battle her himself. That just intensified her anger toward Hans.
"YOU did this? I was merely toying with Elsa! Did you THINK I could be so easily defeated?" She bellowed.
"But….but I was only trying to help!" cried Hans defensively.
"I don't NEED your help! Remember, YOU came to ME for help, not me to you!"
"But…."
"Thanks to you, I have been robbed of my juiciest victory in my life! Now my victory is tainted!"
"Your VICTORY!?" cried James. "You should lose by forfeit for cheating!"
"You DARE to challenge me?" said Freya, as she sent a fireball straight at James!
But an ice ball from Elsa intercepted it.
"What?" cried Freya in surprise.
"Your battle is with me, not Captain Smith, Freya, or have you forgotten? The battle is not over yet!" said Elsa.
Elsa continued, "I give you that chance for that 'juiciest victory' you crave!"
But Freya responded, "But you are injured; weak. There is no challenge!"
"I declare myself fit to continue, or did you really want Hans to intervene?"
Freya's eyes flashed in anger.
"I don't need Hans to defeat you! I'll deal with him after I turn you into cinders and ash!"
Anna whispered to Elsa, "Elsa, please don't throw away your life!"
"I'm not, Anna! I have completely recovered from Hans's cowardly attack; but Freya doesn't believe it. I will use that to my advantage!" whispered Elsa back.
"Ready yourself to continue, Elsa! I thirst for my victory!"
Anna returned to her seat, as Elsa stated, "I am ready!"
/
Hans was in mortal fear of his life! As soon as Freya stated her intentions toward him, he quickly ran out of the arena, and headed for the Treasury.
I'm not going to stick around to become a human torch! I'll grab a few bags of gold and make my escape through the castle catacombs, out to the meadow! Freya would be looking for me at the docks! thought Hans to himself.
Quickly he grabbed two bags of gold, and put them in a large doubled sack. He slung the sack over his shoulder. He then raced to the Throne Room and activated the secret catacomb door.
He was half way around the Pit of Fire with his gold, when he received a shock!
"Deserting your 'kingdom', Hans?" asked Captain Smith. James noticed Hans leave the arena, and guessed he would try to flee Arendelle through the catacombs, so he took the meadow entrance to the Pit of Fire.
Hans was confident, as he put his sack on the walkway around the Pit of Fire.
"Yes,, and you think you are going to stop me?" unsheathing his sword, Hans continued, "I am the best swordsman in the entire Southern Isles!"
But James responded as he unsheathed his sword, "But we are in Arendelle now!"
/
Elsa began the continuation by constantly being in motion. Freya hurled five fireballs at Elsa, which she just barely parried.
"I knew it! You are weak and injured! I would have let you and your supporters live, if you would not have angered me! Now I will reduce you all to cinders and ashes!" Freya laughed, as she continued her attacks.
But Freya was attacking without caution. Attack after attack, and Elsa was just barely parrying them, until Freya sent three fireballs, a brimstone foot stomp, and a fire shield at her. Elsa was down!
/
Hans started with a thrust and backhand slash; James parried and countered. The two combatants circled, as James faked a thrust and transitioned to a forward slash, which Hans blocked. Hans, circling in the opposite direction, tried a combination, but James was equal to the task, blocking and parrying the attack. James went with a double lunge, but Hans sidestepped the first and parried the second.
"I must congratulate you, James! You handle a sword almost as well as I!" stated Hans as he made a thrust, lunge combination.
James defended both, but said nothing. He always felt that the time for talking was before and after the fight; not during it.
Hans took James' silence as a sign of worry. He then unleashed his favorite combination-thrust move. It had never failed!
But James was equal to the task! He easily defended both.
Now Hans was getting worried, how do I beat this guy! He's great with a sword!
Hans decided to try an unorthodox move – a combination with a backhand slash! It had to work!
But James once again was equal to the task! He easily defended the attack and was able to dislodge Hans' sword from his hand, right into the Pit of Fire! Hans was looking at James' sword point.
"Surrender, blackheart! You are defeated!" said James.
But Hans had other ideas. He noted that he was closer to the exit hall and decided to make a mad dash for it!
Only one problem. Hans had forgotten where he had placed his sack of gold. He ended up stumbling over the sack, and teetered on the edge of the Pit! James quickly lowered his sword and tried to grab Hans, but he was a bit late. All James grabbed was Hans' baldric of the Southern Isles; Hans fell straight down into the Pit, a threat to no one ever again! James lowered his head, and then took the sack of gold back to the Treasury. He was on his way back to the arena, when he heard a great tumult!
/
Freya wanted such a complete victory, that she tossed caution to the wind, and pulled her wand out and was pushing her fire shield down on Elsa, as she walked toward her, laughing.
Elsa was using an ice shield to protect herself, and she now saw the opening she was waiting for. Freya's wand was totally exposed, and Elsa quickly sent two ice balls at the fire crystal in the base. The fire crystal and ice balls both exploded into thousands of pieces. Almost immediately, Freya started to catch fire!
For a second, Freya didn't realize what had happened. Then it dawned on her.
"No! NOOOOOOOO! The fire crystal is not only the source of my power, but also of my very life!" The fire spread quickly. Elsa tried to dowse it with ice, but it was so intense, her ice balls and shields merely turned into vapor. Soon it was Freya, not Elsa that had been turned into ashes. A breeze wafted through the arena, scattering Freya's ashes to the four winds.
At that instant, Sergeant Janssen and his troops entered the arena and quickly captured Freya's guards. Captain Smith also rushed in.
Anna, Kristoff and James ran onto the arena floor to Elsa.
"I KNEW you could do it!" cried Anna joyfully, as she hugged her sister.
"You were great, Elsa!" stated Kristoff, as Elsa also gave him a quick hug.
James and Elsa stood momentarily facing one another smiling. They then exchanged a prolong hug and kiss. "I am happy and relieved that you are safe, Elsa!" Elsa just smiled and continued to hug James.