A/N: Sorry for the long hiatus. I edited the past 24 chapters to improve some grammatical errors and typos. I didn't change the main plot but I added or altered very minor details here and there. Rereading the last few chapters might be helpful to refresh on the story for those who haven't read it since the last update. Thank you for reading!
The forest was silent around DunBroch, the mossy floor dampened by the hanging fog that enveloped all who enter. The eerie backdrop was once again disturbed by heavy hooves.
Kristoff broke into the scene, riding a galloping Angus and holding Merida close in one hand, gripping the slippery reins in another. Branches from the trees whipped into his face as he squinted through the mist. He couldn't see anything.
At least, he thought, he was off his leg and able to move quickly again. He had never ridden a horse before, but he figured it wasn't too much different than a reindeer. Merida's hair started to come loose from its intricate bun, releasing flying curls into his face. With a move of his arm, Merida's head turned so her hair was no longer in his way, but he now had a clear view of the curly white ribbon among the red that caressed her face.
It pained him to see her like this. Memories of Anna, huddled in his arms and shivering to death, started to flood his mind. She was so cold. Kristoff would have offered her his hat if he had it; he was still in his stuffy formal wear from the ball, and it obviously wasn't going to be a help to anyone.
Kristoff had to pull on the reins, halting Angus in the middle of a clearing. He looked around in every direction, but the mist was the only ending he could see. They were lost.
His breathing grew harder, weary from his long days of nothing but constant suffering. It all looked the same now. Black edges started to creep into his vision. He tried to blink it away, but his eyelids seemed to grow heavier, pulling sleep over him. Kristoff slouched down, his weight starting to shift his balance off the horse.
Suddenly, Angus reared back and neighed, jolting Kristoff awake. He felt himself slipping from the saddle and pulled himself up again, trying to calm Angus down.
"There, there, what is it, boy?"
A blue light had caught his eye ahead of him, flickering through the fog. Another appeared behind it, and another, and another.
"Didn't Elsa say something about blue lights?"
"I think she told us to follow them," Kristoff answered his own question, in his best Angus voice.
"Right. Good boy." Kristoff patted Angus, before steering him in that direction, riding off into the lighted path.
After a while, the blue lights had stopped by the edge of the forest. Kristoff could see the open expanse of ocean through the tree line, and pushed Angus faster, eager to reach the ship. The horse finally broke out of the Scottish hillside and onto the rocky shore, where a longboat awaited them.
A small old woman was already sitting in it, smiling at them.
"You? What are you doing here?" Kristoff asked her.
The witch laughed. "You didn't think I'd miss this now, did you?"
Kristoff rolled his eyes before carefully steadying Merida in his arms, preparing to dismount. His feet hit the rocky shore. It took all the strength he had to keep on his feet, tears of agony starting to well up in his eyes. He clenched his jaw and forced himself through it, making sure both Merida and her horse were secure in the boat. He sat down, picked up an oar, and began to row.
"Grand Pabbie!" Kristoff exclaimed, as he pulled himself over the rail of the Corona ship, Merida in hand. The elderly troll made his way to him on the deck, noticing the princess's hair as he approached.
The witch followed behind him, suddenly intrigued by the rocky creature.
"Ah! You have a troll, do you? Haven't seen one before, though by the tales I've heard I never much cared for the things. Mess with memories and kidnap children and such." The witch kept on with her ramblings, walking around Pabbie and inspecting him, lifting up his cloak and measuring his ears. The troll looked at Kristoff, confused.
"Kristoff, why is there a witch with you?"
He shrugged. "She wanted to come along, I guess."
He took another step forward, but his leg gave way. He knelt to the deck, clutching Merida to his chest as he winced in his pain.
"Kristoff, come below deck. It looks like both of you could use some help," Pabbie insisted, leading the way.
Once they found an empty cabin, Kristoff lay Merida down on a cot, making room for Pabbie and the witch to stand by her bedside. He stayed on his knees, not wanting to put weight on his leg again.
"What happened to her, Kristoff?" Pabbie said, touching his hand to Merida's head.
"Elsa hit her with her powers. But before that she mentioned some sort of spell."
"Yes, I sense dark magic in her. That would explain it." Pabbie turned to the witch, raising an eyebrow. "This wouldn't have anything to do with you, would it?"
The old woman started wringing her hands in guilt. "Ah ha, well, when you put it like that…"
Pabbie continued, "Removing Elsa's magic is easy. But this spell, it's done something to her memories." He pulled the silvery magic from her head, revealing a window into her thoughts. Kristoff had seen this before, way back years ago when Anna had needed it.
Most of Merida's memories that shown through the glittering screen were contorted, covered by a think and whirling dark purple fog. What memories he could uncover were warped and unclear, images too strange to decipher.
"What did you do?" the troll asked the witch, baffled by the magic before him.
"Well, you see, the spell she took gave the prince the power to manipulate her. And to do that, the spell fogs the memories, leaving them open to be changed."
"So these weird memories are the ones Hans told her she had?" Kristoff pointed out.
"That's right."
"Do you have anything to cure it with?"
"Uh…" the witch smiled weakly, her shoulders slowly rising into a shrug. "No, I don't, sorry."
Grand Pabbie rubbed his stone forehead, thinking of a solution. "I can't take away the magic, it's too intertwined within the fabric of her memories, and I can't just take away the false ones, she'll still be under the effects of the spell."
Minutes passed by in silence as the troll stood in thought. He finally nodded his head, coming to the conclusion he didn't want to reach.
"I have to remove her memories."
"What? All of them?" Kristoff asked worriedly, looking back at Merida.
"I don't know. I have to remove all those that are fogged by the spell. That could mean a few days' worth of memories, or a whole life time. It just depends on how far back Prince Hans wanted to use the spell."
The three of them stared at Merida, still sleeping under the blankets of the cot. Grand Pabbie glanced back up at her cloud of memories, and waved his hand to dissipate them into the air without returning to her mind, destroying them.
"I hope this was for the best," Grand Pabbie muttered.
"I guess we'll figure it out when she wakes up," Kristoff said, watching as the last sparkles of her memories faded into the air.
"Yes…" the troll agreed, disappointed in his limitations to help the girl. He turned to Kristoff, gesturing to his leg. "But now we need to help you. And I have just the thing."
Kristoff stepped onto the deck, breathing in the morning air. The old wound had been wrapped in new bandages, covered in an herbal medicine Pabbie made to help the infection and the pain. It wasn't completely healed, but he could finally walk normally again. He had also changed out of his suffocating suit, into a casual cotton shirt and pants. This was the most comfortable he had felt in a long time.
The man leaned over the railing of the ship, staring out into the blizzard far beyond the forest, hugging the horizon. Pabbie joined next to him.
"Pabbie, you should know…" Kristoff started, looking down at the troll.
"What is it Kristoff?"
"About Elsa… her ice is black. Is that supposed to happen?"
This seemed to concern Grand Pabbie, but it didn't seem to surprise him. "She didn't listen."
"Didn't listen to what?"
"I told her she had to control herself. Her hatred for Prince Hans is consuming her."
"Is that what it is? When we were on one of her ice structures, it started to break, and she couldn't do anything about it."
The troll stood in silence for a while, before whispering, "It's worse than I thought."
Before Kristoff could ask about it further, a grand explosion rocked the ship back, knocking him of his feet and hitting the deck.
"We're being hit!" yelled one of the Corona guards, pointing out into the distance. Indeed, the Southern Isles fleet had spotted them, and were now on the hunt for their prey.
"All hands on deck!" commanded the captain, running up the stairs to the helm, taking the wheel. "Raise the anchor!"
"But what about Elsa and the others?" Kristoff asked, shouting over the bustle of the guards.
"They won't have a ship to come back to if we're blown to smithereens!"
Kristoff nodded, making sure Pabbie got below deck safely before manning cannon, and pointing the end of the barrel at the Southern Isles ship.
"What are you doing?" the captain asked, pointing to Kristoff. "We're trying to evade them not fight them!"
Another blow hit the ship, shaking the wooden boards. The captain continued, "If you want to be helpful lower the sails, we need all the wind we can get."
Kristoff followed his new order, loosening the roped that held the sails up. As he worked meticulously on the knot, he received another command.
"Don't move!"
"Make up your mind!" Kristoff called out, looking up to the captain. Instead he found himself face-to-face with the tip of an arrow.
"I said don't move!"
He slowly moved his hands up, palms facing the princess. "Merida, calm down."
"Who are you? Where am I?" she sputtered, frustrated. She aimed her arrow to several of the guards on the ship, slowing their progress.
"Merida, we're friends," Kristoff explained calmly, "we want to help you."
"How do you know me name? Why am I in this…" she looked down to her wedding dress, now covered in grass stains and tree branches.
The ship shook again, knocking Merida off her balance. She released her arrow in her surprise, embedding itself into the floorboards of the deck. Kristoff eyed the approaching Southern Isles ship. They had to move.
"We'll explain everything later. But right now we need to get out of here. Please, just drop the bow."
Merida steadied herself, then turned to face theattacking warship; an intimidating silhouette against the sunrise.
"Fine."
Now that the guards could work unthreatened by her arrow, the speed of the ship picked up, sailing further and further away from the shores of DunBroch. Merida stood dazed, watching as her land left her, and forcing her into the hands of strangers.
They sailed their ship parallel to the coastline, back into the sight of the harbor. Most of the Southern Isles fleet had spotted them now, opening their sails to join in the chase. Luckily, their ship was faster, able to stay out of range from the regular iron cannonballs.
Feeling confident, Kristoff leaned over the railing again, watching as the Southern Isles ships were starting to lag behind. He could even see them start to stop.
"They're giving up!" he told to the captain at the helm, his exclamation met with cheers from the crew. Kristoff smiled, looking back at the ships again. Now they had turned, their sides facing their ship, cannons ready. His eyebrows furrowed. Something was wrong.
Before Kristoff could think, the sound of simultaneous cannon fire filled the air. Several whipping blurs sped through the misty air, straight at their ship. The chain shot tore through the sails, leaving large rips in the canvass. Masts broke and splintered, debris littering the deck like wooden daggers. The crew took cover, burying their limbs under their bodies and armor, protecting themselves from the shrapnel. Sails toppled over, the canvass falling down on top of them.
The wind blew through holes of the sails still left standing, slowing the ship considerably. The Southern Isles had faced them again, pursuing faster than before.
"They're going to catch us!" Kristoff shouted, trying to salvage what he could of the remaining sails. The captain shouted orders at the shaken crew, but it wasn't any use now.
Among the chaos, Merida was transfixed at the sight of her shrinking kingdom, encased in a black blizzard. Her eyes followed down to the harbor, where the rest of the Southern Isles fleet remained, their cannons aimed at a point in the bay. Something was growing on the water.
"Aye, what is that?!" the princess cried over the commotion, her finger pointed at the harbor. Kristoff joined her side, captivated by the sight.
A ghostly ship rose out of the surface of the water, its sparkling sails dazzling in the sunrise. The hull of this mighty ship was translucent, a brilliant black pearl emerging from the sea, leaving a trail of ice behind it.
"It's Elsa."
The ice ship gained terrific speed, propelled by the snowstorm Elsa created behind the sails, quickly evading the cannon fire from the rest of the fleet.
Kristoff turned to the captain. "Sir, we need to get the crew on that ship." Kristoff pointed behind him.
The captain looked over at the speeding ice ship behind them. "That? You sure?"
"Yes!"
"Alright," the captain sighed, running out of options. "Prepare the ropes and cargo! We're transferring to the Queen's ship!"
All the needed cargo had been brought to the deck, secured and fastened with ropes. Kristoff took Angus from below deck, presenting him to Merida.
"Angus!" She cried, hugging his neck and petting his coat, finally grasping onto something she knew. "I thought I'd never see you again."
"At least you remember him," Kristoff said, before another cannonball had found its way into the ship's hull. At this rate their ship was going to sink before they could get captured.
At last, the view of the icy ship appeared next to them, with Elsa at the helm. She screamed over the gap between the two ships. "Come on, you all have to get on!"
Ropes were swung over to the smoking ship, accompanied by the thugs and the Brothers, quickly taking the cargo they could and swinging it back to Elsa's ship like clockwork. Morgan landed on deck, outstretching his hand to Merida.
"Come on, girlie. We don't have all day."
"I'm sorry, do I know you?"
"No, can't say that you do. Now you coming or what?"
Merida raised her head indignant, crossing her arms. "I'll get over there myself."
Morgan chuckled. "Well if you can get another rope, be my guest."
"I don't have to."
Merida ran over to Angus, hopping up into his saddle. She backed him up to the far railing and whipped the reins in her hands, sprinting across the deck to the ice ship. Time seemed to slow as horse and rider jumped through the air, landing firmly on the other deck, leaving hoof prints engraved into the ice.
"Okay then," Morgan mumbled, though impressed.
Merida dismounted, unknowingly falling right into the eager arms of her waiting father.
"Oh, Merida! I've been worried sick Darlin'!"
"Dad!" she cried, burying her face into his shoulder, letting out a sigh of relief.
Half the cargo and crew made it across before the Southern Isles ship had caught up, now regularly sending cannonballs into the side of both escaping ships, hindering their efforts. Vladimir and Hook Hand took Grand Pabbie and the witch back to Elsa's ship. But several crates of food and water were still waiting to be carried.
"We won't be able to get everything!" Elsa yelled, "Kristoff, you have to get over here!"
Kristoff grasped onto a rope and stood onto the railing, ready to jump. As he did, a cannonball was sent into the side of the ship, destroying the hull near his feet. He slipped, holding onto the rope for dear life.
"E-Elsa!" he shouted, dangling in the space between the two ships and waving his feet around, left vulnerable in the open. He watched as the enemy cannons aimed right at him, ready to fire. This was it.
Unexpectedly, a smaller ship sailed in front of the cannon's path, filled to the brim with loud angry men waving weapons at the war fleets. Several of these small ships started to appear, like a swarm of army ants, quickly boarding and taking down the fleet's crew, one by one.
"Who are they?" Rapunzel asked, as everyone stared at awe at their new saviors, brutally conquering the warship that had been chasing them. One of these small ships sailed towards them, led by a slender wild-haired man, with blue war paint covering his face.
"Lord Macintosh! Ain't you a sight for sore eyes!" shouted Fergus. "I don't suppose you brought ol' MacGuffin and Dingwall to the party?"
"Who else do you think would come to save your sorry arse!" Lord Macintosh jested, wagging his finger at the King. "We've come to help with… whatever this is."
The small ship settled on the water under Kristoff.
"Aye, Boy! You want to dangle there or do you want to come down here!"
Kristoff sighed, releasing the rope and dropping to his feet on the Scottish ship deck, his leg still sore from the impact. He looked up to the magnificent ice ship that floated just next to him, finding Elsa already created a ladder for him to climb up.
Everyone stood as the Corona flagship started to sink beneath the waves, taking their food and supplies down with them. The fallen kingdom of DunBroch disappeared over the horizon, as Elsa's ship continued to sail away, trailed by an armada of Scottish warriors. Merida was still struggled to wrap her head around it all.
"Okay, now can anyone tell me what's going on?" Merida announced to the crew.
Elsa glanced at her. "We're going back to Arendelle. Hans knows your mother is there."
"Who's Hans?"
Now everyone turned their attention to the princess, jaws dropped.
"Merida…" Rapunzel started slowly, "what do you remember?"
Merida anxiously surveyed the faces that stared at her. Besides that of her family and the witch, they were all new to her.
"Angus tripped on a root… and I ruined me new silk dress."