The Storm Rages On
Chapter Twenty-Six
Radiance
"Stop this!" Alúvelin moved toward Vandránavish, holding up her hands, begging the Earth Spirit to cease his assault upon Hans. "He has suffered enough! Stop!"
"Out of my way, brann wielder!" Vandránavish snarled, pushing her aside, furiously storming toward the battered, barely-conscious Hans lying against the wall. "He must die for his actions!"
"ENOUGH!" A maelstrom of snow and ice erupted in the air, tiny fragments of crystalized water showering about the room. The temperature in the throne room plummeted, rendering their breath visible.
Vandránavish turned to see Elsa glaring at him, Elenórathem at her side.
"Stay out of this, ice bærer queen!" the Earth Spirit commanded. "This filth must die for his treachery!"
"He deserves to be punished," Elsa said, "but not by you. He will be judged by his brothers for his crimes. They alone have the right to sentence him." She gestured toward the window, the torrential rain threatening to shatter the glass, the wind outside roaring furiously. A mighty clap of thunder tore through the palace, hot on the heels of the lightning bolt that turned the darkness outside into brilliant daylight.
"You have to stop this!" Elsa cried. "Arendelle cannot withstand much more! Please! Undo what the three of you have done!"
Vinderdrómethen looked up at Elsa, the Wind Spirit's green eyes full of sorrow. "We cannot," he confessed. "Our power is limited to summoning the elements. We cannot undo what we have generated. That is why we were hidden away. Men tried to use our power without restraint, nearly destroying this Continent in the process."
Elenórathem stepped toward Valdránavish. "But if all three of you work together, surely you can—"
"What is the use?" Valdránavish asked, bowing his head in defeat. "Even if . . . Even if our sister was well enough to help us, we still cannot stop what we have done."
"That is not . . . entirely true." A weak voice rang in their ears.
Elenóreweth opened her eyes, her head delicately cradled in Arberish's arms. She forced herself to sit, wincing as pain ran through her limbs.
"Sister!" Valdránavish, Vinderdrómethen, and Elenórathem rushed to her, kneeling beside her.
"I am fine," the Water Spirit murmured. A smile crossed her blue lips. "We are together again. I . . . I am very thankful for that."
Valdránavish bowed his head, his eyes filled with shame. "Forgive me," he said. "I would not listen to you. I was blinded by my desire to be free, to unleash my power. I allowed him to trick me—"
"It is fine, Brother," Elenóreweth whispered. "He betrayed us all. It is not your fault."
Arberish took her hand. "Elenóreweth, I'm sorry to interrupt, but the elements you have unleashed are about to destroy Arendelle. You said there was something we could do to stop it! What is it? Please, tell us!"
The Water Spirit looked at her sister. "You . . . You will need to help her. She is the only one who can . . . Do you know of what I speak?"
Elenórathem's eyes widened. "Of course!" she said. "How could I have forgotten?"
"What?" Arberish asked. "What do we need to do?"
The Water Spirit looked at him, shaking her head. "There is nothing you can do," she said. She stood, moving to Elsa, taking her hand. "Elsa is the only one strong enough . . . worthy enough."
Alúvelin's face paled, worry coursing through her heart. "What . . . What do you mean? Strong enough for what?"
Elenórathem turned to Elsa. "Come with me now," she said, taking the Snow Queen's hand. With her free hand, she gestured to her siblings. "Arberish, please help my sister stand with my brothers."
Arberish carefully helped Elenóreweth to her feet, allowing her to lean on him as they walked with the other Spirits to stand before the Tritastónende. Elenórathem led Elsa to stand just behind the Spirits.
Valdránavish turned to Elsa. "While we do not have the power to undo what we have summoned, you have proven yourself worthy. You, and you alone, have can do this."
Elsa looked at the Spirits. "What do I need to do?" she asked.
Elenórathem looked into her eyes. "If you are brave enough . . . If you truly are courageous enough . . . We will allow our power to flow into you. Our strength will augment your natural authority over ice and snow. Then, for a brief time, you will have complete authority over the elements. You can stop the destruction they have unleashed."
Elsa backed away, her face contorted in horror. "I . . . I can't do this!" she gasped. "All of this . . . This is too much power for one person to control! There must be some other way!"
"There is no time!" Valdránavish cried. "Unless you do this now, Arendelle will be destroyed! You must take control of the elements and bring their power back under your control!"
"And how exactly is she to do that?" Alúvelin asked.
Elenórathem's eyes shifted, looking at the ground. "If she is successful, the full fury of the elements will flow into her body. From there, she can dispel the energy by unleashing it in a controlled burst of ice and snow."
"'A controlled burst' . . .?!" Arberish glared at the Spirits. "You four are out of your minds! That much power unleashed within her body . . . It could kill her!"
"But it won't!" Elenórathem protested. She looked at Elsa, her sapphire eyes begging the Queen to trust her. "Remember what I said when we first met, Elsa? How the moment you put me upon your finger, I knew there was something unique about you? How I recognized your incredible power?" The Spirit smiled, bringing her hand to Elsa's cheek. "The time has come for you to use that power to the fullest. You can do this, Elsa. You can save Arendelle. All you need to do is believe in yourself."
Elsa closed her eyes, hand resting upon her forehead, deep in thought. After several moments, she opened them again, looking at her sister. "They're right. I . . . I can do this, Alúvelin. You don't need to be afraid."
"No, no, no, no!" Alúvelin protested. "You promised, Elsa! You promised you would stop doing this! You don't have to do everything by yourself anymore! Let me help you!"
Elsa brought her hand to Alúvelin's hair, gently caressing it. "I would if I could, Alúvelin. But this is my task to complete. No one can help me. Not even you."
She turned to Arberish. The brann wielder's face was grim, his eyes heavy. "This isn't right. I can't let you do this."
"I'll be fine. I promise."
"And what if you're not?!" Arberish protested. He took Elsa's hand, feeling the gentle coolness that radiated from her fingertips. "If anything happens, I'll . . . I'll never forgive . . ."
"Nothing is going to happen," Elsa said. "You'll see. Everything will turn out as it should." She leaned forward, kissing him, eyes closing as she breathed in his scent, imprinting it forever in her memory. She finally broke free, smiling. "Thank you. Thank you for allowing me . . . to love you. Like I've always wanted to."
She turned away, moving toward Elenórathem and the Spirits.
Something inside of Arberish snapped. "No!" He rushed forward, determined to pull Elsa away, to find some other method of dealing with the nightmare raging outside.
Except just as he reached Elsa, he was stopped in his tracks. A thick wall of ice appeared before him, extending from wall to wall, preventing him from reaching his love.
"NO!" Arberish cried, pounding on the ice. "Elsa! Don't do this! Let me through! ELSA!"
Elsa looked at Arberish through the ice, her eyes full of sadness. The ice was thick enough that sound could not pass through. She watched as Arberish and Alúvelin both hit the wall with their fists, soundless screaming at her to dispel the barrier. She saw the two of them send a rain of flame upon the wall, determined to melt the ice, but the ice stood firm, unrelenting. "I'm sorry," she whispered, turning back toward the spirits.
She exhaled, letting the air leave her lungs. A profound sense of peace descended upon her. "Let's end this."
Valdránavish, Elenóreweth, and Vinderdrómethen held each other's hands, forming a small circle. Elenórathem brought Elsa to the center of the circle, standing behind her, placing her hands on the Queen's shoulders. Elsa closed her eyes, waiting.
"Relax," Elenórathem whispered, her breath cool upon Elsa's ear. "Just like in the cavern. Let my power and theirs flow into you. Let us be as one. Then, imagine the weather outside becoming calm, peaceful once more. Let the madness run through your veins. Then, when you know the time is right, unleash it as the strongest burst of snow you have ever released."
Without warning, Elsa felt her body surge with power. She kept her eyes closed, harnessing the energy the Spirits were channeling into her. She could feel each of the Spirits becoming one with her soul, could sense each of the Tritastónende pulsating with radiant light.
The darkness before her closed eyes suddenly exploded into a plethora of colors. Elsa grimaced as the power threatened to overwhelm her, to consume her. She could sense the wind outside growing stronger, the earthquakes ripping rock apart like paper, the hail and rain ripping the heavens apart.
"Fight it!" Elenórathem commanded. "You are its mistress. This power bows before you, and you alone! Take control! Put an end to this!"
Power as Elsa had never felt before suddenly ran through her body. She marveled at how incredible it felt. In the back of her mind, she realized that this must be how it felt to be a goddess, to have complete authority over anything she desired. A small voice told her to embrace it, to let the power rush over her, to use it to reshape the world as she wished. You can have anything you want! the voice said. Use this power! Give in! Give in!
NO! Elsa silenced the voice with a single word, a word that rang through her mind like a mighty bell tolling from a cathedral steeple. I no longer fear myself! I am in complete control! I will end this! NOW!
The power continued to build within her, the Spirits lending her their strength. From behind the wall of ice, Alúvelin and Arberish watched in amazement as, outside the windows, the rain suddenly ceased, the wind became calm, the earthquakes stopped their destruction. A light of purest gold burst through the windows, flowing like liquid metal into Elsa, illuminating her body brighter than a thousand candles ever could.
So focused was Elsa upon bringing the elements under her control that she failed to sense his presence until it was too late. To her horror, she realized she had trapped Hans on the same side of the ice as her and the Spirits. In her mind's eye, she could see the mad former prince rushing toward her, his eyes wild with madness.
Elsa's eyes flew open, her mouth contorted in a gasp of complete shock as she felt the blade enter her abdomen. She stared in amazement as, before her, stood Hans, his gaze full of malice, of pure hatred.
"Something to remember me by," he whispered, his voice dripping with contempt. Satisfied that his vengeance had, in some small way, finally been accomplished, he allowed himself to step backward, not bothering to fight off Valdránavish as the Earth Spirit hurled him into the wall. He felt his neck move to a horribly unnatural position, heard something snap, then—
Blackness.
"NO!" Elenórathem was before Elsa in an instant, her hand upon the knife's hilt. She tugged on the weapon, trying to remove it from the Queen's flesh. But the weapon was buried deep, unmoving.
Elenórathem turned to her brothers and sister."Don't stop! She needs your help! Do not stop!"
The Spirit of the Eden-stone looked Elsa in the eye, her pulse quickening as she realized just how pale Elsa's face had become. "Elsa, keep concentrating! I'm going to get this blade out of you! You'll be fine! You can heal yourself with this power! Just stay focused!"
Elsa nodded, her body still glowing, her vision becoming fuzzy. NO! she screamed at herself. You cannot stop! You MUST continue!
Crying out, she continued to channel the power of the elements into her body. The pain in her abdomen spread throughout her body as she felt Elenórathem pull upon it again. She screamed, her eyes closed tightly, forcing herself to continue despite her realization that her strength was fading.
With a loud cry, Elenórathem gave a final, desperate tug on the knife. Somehow, the weapon pried itself from Elsa's abdomen. The knife pulsed once with an unnatural violet hue as it lay in Elenórathem's hand. The Water Spirit hurled the weapon aside, turning back to look at Elsa.
Elsa's body was now awash in light, the glow bright enough to blind any man who dared look upon her. The energy cascaded down her body in waves, crackling over her, filling her with power.
"Now, Elsa!" Elenórathem cried, pressing her hands against Elsa's abdomen, forcing the bleeding to cease. "It is time! Unleash it now!"
But Elsa didn't release the power. Her mind was filled with dozens of conflicting commands, each trying to force her to do their bidding.
Let it out now! You cannot contain it much longer! It will kill you!
Don't listen to her! You are a goddess now! USE it! Take control! You don't have to listen to anyone anymore!
NO! You MUST unleash it!
Fool! Why would you do that? Finally, the entire Continent will bow before you! Everyone will finally recognize your greatness! EMBRACE IT!
Elsa's face furrowed in anguish as she struggled to maintain control. Finally, as she was certain she was about to give in, about to use the power to destroy the world, images flashed through her mind. The faces of everyone she had ever cared about, had ever loved, ran through her brain at impossibly-high speeds: Andersen, her mother, her father, Jansarnen, Isarn, Valanda, Kristoff . . . Alúvelin . . . Arberish . . . ANNA! Anna's face stood before her, accompanied by the cries—were they real . . . they couldn't possibly be, could they?—of her newborn children, their beautiful voices ringing in her ears. In that moment, Elsa realized what she must do, that had no right to remake the world when so many wonderful things already existed, when the Almighty had already done such a wonderful job, when her niece and nephew deserved to live in a world of peace . . . of happiness . . .
She screamed at the top of her lungs, holding her hands above her head. The golden brilliance merged with the icy blue of her power, erupting from her, screaming toward the tall ceiling of the throne room. The snow and ice that came from her was unlike any she had ever summoned before. It glittered, it sparkled, it pulsated with holy light, swirling and forming into images she did not consciously summon, merging and congealing to form . . . something beautiful and wondrous—
Silence descended upon the throne room. The golden light was gone. Elsa stood perfectly still, hardly breathing. The ice wall behind her shattered. In the recesses of her consciousness, Elsa thought she heard Alúvelin call her name, thought she felt the familiar arms of her beloved Arberish wrap around her, but she was exhausted, she could not stand any longer, and she permitted the haziness to wrap itself around her, to take her away, to allow her to finally rest.
AN: More to come!