A/N: Okay, has anyone guessed what the big clue to the Phoenix's identity was? If you haven't, here it is: the cover.
MHS0501: Okay then.
Nlgirl17: Yeah, I'm aware of that.
Ignore Haters: Um...thanks.
Korrasami 88: Well, you get to find out now.
Miaka: Okay.
Al Drin Hoshizora: Well, everyone thought the Phoenix was male prior to the reveal.
I am a burglar: Well duh.
Antha1: Research was the name "Agni" means. As for why Agni killed that guy, my moneys on the latter.
Strange and proud of it: Maybe.
Also, just something I wanted to say: I'm glad I've finally gotten the reveal out of the way. Since I was trying to keep the Phoenix's identity a secret, writing her parts were rather difficult, and came off as awkwardly written in my opinion. So, I'm glad her identity has been revealed so I can write her more fluently.
Elsa and Agni stood at the wide field in the midst of the forest at the bottom of the cliff side. Agni had wanted their duel to take place in an area that wouldn't be complicated by forestry.
Elsa took a deep breath as she faced Agni, who stood at the opposite end of the field. Behind the Fire Queen, Thaw stood in the grasp of Agni's men. Her normally pink skin was now pale with fear, and her hands were clasped together fearfully. Ander lay on the ground, his expression containing just as much fear as Thaw.
"Are you ready, Elsa?" Agni called out to the Snow Queen. There was a confident look in her eyes, almost as if she knew she had no chance of losing.
Elsa gave a glance at her niece, and then called out, "Give me your word that your men will release my niece if you lose!"
"I give my word," Agni replied casually, giving a mocking bow. "I merely wanted her to draw you out. I knew you'd abandon your kingdom if someone you loved was missing."
Elsa clenched her fists as she realized that she had fallen right into Agni's trap. There was a pause as she felt the air around her turn sullen and dreadful. She realized that there were multiple outcomes to this fight, and only one of them turned out in her favor.
The Fire Queen took a stance, her smile vanishing. She hardened her expression, her eyebrows furrowing in concentration. As the glow of her fire appeared in the palm of her hand, Elsa cried out, "We don't have to do this, Agni!"
Agni stopped.
"I don't want to kill you, Agni," Elsa continued. "Why do you even want Arendelle? My kingdom is small and insignificant. Why can't we just turn back now, without either of us shedding any blood."
Agni paused for a moment, and then said, "It's too late for that. Are we going to duel or not?"
Elsa gritted her teeth. She closed her eyes, then whispered, just loud enough for Agni to hear, "Fine. You'll have your duel, Agni."
Despite the distance between them, Elsa could see the way Agni's smile appeared on her face. It wasn't like the smile she'd seen before in the castle, though. This smile was evil and twisted.
Elsa grimaced. While she didn't want to fight Agni, for the sake of Arendelle, she knew she had to. But even then, in the bowels of her mind, a voice was whispering to her, You will not win.
Elsa ignored the voice. Taking a stance, she took a deep breath as she faced off against Agni. The Fire Queen didn't take a stance, however, and stood upright. Elsa stared at her, waiting for her to make a move. Seeing what Agni could do could prove useful in taking her down.
Eventually, Agni did make a move. Making a quick motion with her arms, Agni summoned a large ball of fire and hurled it into the air. Elsa froze as she watched the fireball soar upwards into the sky. It then expanded into the form of a fire bird before dissipating into thin air.
Elsa looked down to stare at Agni, confused. That move wasn't meant as an attack, so why had Agni done it?
"Now, we can fight," Agni said.
In the sea, the captain of the Phoenix's fleet saw the fireball in the air morph into a Phoenix bird before vanishing. He grinned, for he knew what this meant.
It was time to attack.
"It's the signal!" He told the rest of the crew. "Come on, set a course for the kingdom. Queen Agni will join us soon!"
With that, the fleet of ships turned and floated through the sea in the direction of the Kingdom of Arendelle.
Agni was the first to go on the offensive.
Shooting her hand out, Agni fired a yellow ball of flame at Elsa. The Snow Queen quickly threw her hand out, and a blast of snow caused the fireball to dissipate into air. She let out a breath, relieved that she had managed to block Agni's first strike.
Agni sent another fireball in Elsa's direction. And another. And another. Elsa blocked each one, but as she did, she couldn't help but feel as if Agni was holding back for some reason. Surely this wasn't the best she could manage.
Agni shot another fire ball at Elsa. However, as Elsa raised her arms to deflect the fire ball, she saw Agni raise her arm in the fire. Before her eyes, Agni summoned a fire whip. Her eyes widened as Agni whirled the whip back, and then sent it in Elsa's direction.
CRACK!
As Elsa deflected the fire ball, Agni lashed at her with the whip, forcing Elsa to dodge under it. Agni whipped the air around Elsa, then sent the whip down upon Elsa's head. Seeing the blazing whip near her, Elsa instinctively raised her arms to defend her, and summoned an ice wall to defend herself.
The fire whip smashed through the ice wall effortlessly. Elsa screamed as the whip stung her arms, and she reeled her arms back. She looked down at her arms, and her eyes widened when she saw a black ring around her arms where she had been burnt.
With a flick of her hand, Agni's fire whip vanished into thin air. She, too, saw Elsa's burnt arms, and she smiled.
"Elsa!" Thaw cried out in horror. She tried to rush out, but one of the Phoenix's men grabbed her and yanked her back, causing her to fall onto the ground.
Elsa groaned, her arms burning. However, she fought past her pain, and locked eyes with Agni. Now, it was her chance to strike back.
Elsa shot her arm out, and a burst of snow fired out in Agni's direction. The Fire Queen summoned a burst of fire to shield her, but some of the snow made contact with her skin. Agni groaned as the snow and ice bit into her arms. Her eyes ablaze, Agni shot a blast of fire out of her hands, sending it in Elsa's direction.
Agni raised an ice wall to defend herself, but Agni's fire smashed through it. Elsa dodged out of the way to avoid the fire, which shot past her and burnt a tree severely, causing it to tumble down.
Seeing Elsa falter, Agni moved. Racing down the field, Agni sent a series of fireballs in Elsa's direction. Elsa dodged some of them and deflected others.
Propelling herself into the air, Agni soared down towards Elsa, her hands aflame. Elsa let out a gasp and hurriedly jumped out of the way as Agni landed on the ground close to her. The wave of fire knocked Elsa back, and she collapsed onto her feet.
Agni stood up, a ring of charred ground surrounding her. She stared at Elsa as she got to her feet, and stumbled for a moment. She finally stood upright, but Agni could see her breathing heavily.
"You look tired," Agni pointed out, folding her arms.
Elsa took a deep breath, and with a motion of her arms, she sent an ice spike out of the ground to skewer Agni. Clearly, the Fire Queen hadn't expected that, as she nearly stumbled to get out of the way.
Elsa seemed to pick up a new strategy immediately afterwards. She'd fire an ice blast in Agni's direction, then send an ice spike at her when she tried to dodge it. Agni seemed adept at dodging this attack, though.
Agni summoned a blade of fire in her hands. As Elsa summoned an ice spike to skewer her, she'd cut through the spike with the fire blade. She shot another fire blast at Elsa, who blocked it with a wall of snow.
As Agni moved to the left, Elsa summoned an ice spike from behind. Agni heard it break through the ground behind her, and for a moment, Elsa actually saw Agni's eyes widen in shock. She dodged, but the ice spike slashed Agni's arm, drawing blood.
Agni stifled a cry of pain as she clutched her wounded arm. Blood streamed down her wound and dripped onto the ground. Behind her, Thaw and Agni's men were frozen in shock that the Phoenix's blood had been shed.
Even Elsa stood, shocked that she had managed to wound Agni.
Her victory was cut short, however. Agni turned to her, eyes ablaze, and she whispered, "No more games."
What happened next was a blur. Agni fired two separate fire blasts from her hands, trapping Elsa between them. The fire singed her arms, and she clenched them in pain. Agni used the distraction to surge forward. As she did, the ground below her turned to hardened molten lava. It spread across the ground until it engulfed the entire field.
Elsa could feel the temperature rise as she stood on the hardened molten lava. It burnt her feet, and she realized that her walking, and by extension dodging, had been compromised.
Agni raised her arms, and blades of lava shot out of the ground. Elsa struggled to dodge it, but one of the blades slashed through her back, leaving a gash. She let out a cry as blood seeped out of her wound.
"Elsa!" Thaw cried out in horror, but the Phoenix's men held her still. Unlike Elsa, the ground beneath them didn't burn them due to their armor.
Agni raced forward, and her hands caught on fire. Elsa's eyes widened as Agni brought her flaming fist towards her, and it connected with her jaw. It burnt her, and the sheer force of the blow knocked her back. Another blade of molten lava shot out, nearly impaling her through the gut.
Elsa stood up, and fired a blast of snow in Agni's direction. Suddenly, Agni summoned a massive wall of fire, its heat so intense it burned Elsa's skin. Agni lurched forward, the fire wall expanding, its heat beating Elsa back.
As Elsa watched, the wall of fire shifted and morphed until it had formed into the head of a massive fire bird. Her eyes widened as the fire bird's gaping jaws opened, and a blast of fire was omitted in Elsa's direction.
Elsa immediately dashed off in the opposite direction, the flames pursuing her. It was almost like the Hounds of Hell itself were coming for her, ready to drag her to her doom.
Agni laughed, and using her other arm, she parted the ground. As Elsa watched in horror, deep, orange and yellow lava appeared within the ground, cutting her off.
She was holding back the whole time, She realized in horror.
The wall of fire disappeared, and Agni propelled herself forward. Elsa spun around as Agni's fist, once again caught aflame, connected with her jaw. Agni unleashed several more punches to Elsa's face and gut, each strike burning her flesh. Elsa sent an ice spike hurtling at Agni, but she burnt it to a crisp within seconds.
Another punch sent Elsa crashing onto the ground. Her face was covered in nasty bruises and burns, and there were a few gashes in her skin. She lay on the ground, struggling to get up.
"Agni, stop this!" Thaw pleaded on the other side of the field. She thrashed and kicked in the men's grasp, but it was a futile effort.
Agni scoffed at Thaw's pleading. She looked down at Elsa, who got to her knees, clutching her stomach.
"So this was the Snow Queen everyone revered as so powerful?" Agni asked. "How pitiful."
Summoning a fire whip, Agni wrapped it around Elsa's neck, choking and burning her. "It appears I was wrong to take such precautions against you, such a waste," She taunted, raising Elsa into the air with the whip. "I thought you were strong, but you're not. This whole time, I could've just taken your kingdom from you, but I wanted to see what you were capable of! Now I see I was wrong to have even given you that chance!"
Elsa struggled to speak, but the fire whip strangling her prevented anything coherent to escape her mouth. Agni narrowed her eyes. Using the whip, she flung Elsa into the air.
Thaw watched in horror as her aunt was flung up into the sky like a rag doll. She let out a cry of horror as Elsa landed on the hard ground, broken and battered. She was bleeding, and her body was bruised and burned.
For a moment, she didn't move. All eyes were on her, waiting to see if she could get up.
After about a minute passed, she did. Slowly, her arms and legs twitched, and she struggled to get up. Thaw watched her, her former contempt for her aunt replaced with pity.
Elsa looked like an infant trying to take its first steps as she got up. Her body felt like it was on fire, but despite this, she fought past it. Slowly, she got onto one knee. Breathing heavily, she slowly got to her feet. For a moment, her legs buckled, and she stumbled. Despite this, she remained on her feet.
"I. . . will not lose," She whispered, every word an effort. Her stomach was aflame, and every movement hurt, but she couldn't give Agni the satisfaction of giving up.
Agni stared at her, her arms folded.
"For my sister. . . my niece. . . for Arendelle, I won't give up," Elsa said. She clenched her fists tight. Slowly, she took another stance, facing Agni. As she did, the ground beneath her began to turn to ice. It expanded across the field, transforming the lava into snow.
Agni sneered, and sent several fire blasts in Elsa's direction, confident that they would be enough to finish off the injured Snow Queen. Amazingly, Elsa's snow overwhelmed the flames, and they vanished into the air. She was visibly in pain, but she intended to keep on fighting.
Then, Elsa unleashed a stunningly powerful blast of snow. Agni raised a shield of fire to defend herself, but some of the snow bit into her skin.
Agni stared at Elsa, grimacing. She had given the signal to her fleet to attack Arendelle, and she knew it was only a matter of time before they reached the kingdom.
She knew she had to be there when they struck.
I can't prolong this fight any longer, She thought to herself. I must end it.
Then, her eyes landed on Thaw. She stood behind Elsa, her eyes filled with terror and her hands over her mouth. Her eyes darted from Agni to Elsa, wondering what both intended to do.
Agni grinned. Opening her hand, she summoned a ball of fire into the palm of her hand. Elsa immediately prepared to block it.
Agni fired the ball of flame. However, Elsa realized, to her horror, that Agni wasn't aiming for her.
She was aiming for Thaw.
The young girl's eyes widened in shock as she saw the fire ball soar through the air in her direction. Behind her, several of Agni's men let out shouts of horror as she realized they'd be caught in the blast as well.
But Elsa refused to let that happen.
"No!" She cried. Despite the intense pain she was in, she ran to shield Thaw. The fire ball soared towards her, and Elsa hurriedly threw her arms out to summon a shield of ice.
But it was too late.
The fire ball struck Elsa right in the heart.
Immediately, everyone froze. Thaw let out a choked gasp as she saw the fireball make contact with her aunt's chest. Her pupils shrank, and she opened her mouth to scream, but nothing came out.
Elsa's mouth hung open as well, but no sound came out. The wind had been knocked out of her chest; she felt as if someone had plunged a dagger into her heart. She could feel her skin burn from the inside, and she slowly looked down to see her chest glowing red.
Then, she fell. All of the injuries she had sustained in the battle were suddenly brought to the forefront with this final, devastating blow from Agni. She could feel all her wounds rip through her with the force of a hurricane. She felt like she was being torn apart.
Elsa crashed onto the ground hard, clutching her burning chest. She choked and coughed, her entire body burning. She had never been in this much pain before.
Thaw stared down in horror at her aunt as she lay on the ground. She knew that her aunt wouldn't get up from this attack.
"Elsa. . ." Thaw whispered, and covered her mouth, tears brimming in her eyes. Behind her, several of the Phoenix's men grinned. Agni had won the duel.
Agni surged forward , and she soon stood before Thaw. She stared into the princess' eyes, then looked down at Elsa, who had stopped moving. Her only movement was her eyes, darting from Agni to Thaw.
"I've won," Agni whispered, and she almost sounded astounded. She stared down at Elsa, who was struggling to breath. Thaw was too horrified to say anything.
"I must admit; I didn't quite think that trick would work," Agni confessed. "Putting your own life in danger to save another. To think, that felled one of the most powerful women in the kingdom."
Elsa stared up at Agni, her eyes ablaze. Her ire for the Fire Queen burned just as hot as her own injuries. Despite this, she could not summon the strength to strike back. She had been defeated, and she knew it.
"Now to claim this kingdom as my own," Agni said. She pointed a finger at Elsa, and the tip of her finger glowed with fire. Elsa's eyes widened as she saw the fire blazing before her.
Then, Agni's eyes wandered to Thaw, who stood a few feet away, trembling.
Agni's eyes seemed to flicker as a new thought entered her mind. "Oh, now here's an idea," She said, and Elsa and Thaw were disturbed by the way Agni's grin grew on her face.
Agni turned to one of her men and grabbed his sword. Turning to Thaw, she threw the blade to the young princess, who caught it with trembling hands.
Thaw stared down at the sword in her hands, and her eyes widened in horror as she realized what Agni wanted her to do.
"I know how much you dislike your aunt for shunning you all those years," Agni said, folding your arms. "Now here's a chance to get your revenge and prove you're loyal to me at the same time."
Thaw looked up to Agni, her eyes as wide as saucers.
"Go ahead, Thaw," Agni whispered. "Kill her."
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