SUPER DISNEY BROS.
Chapter Twenty-Nine: The Queen
Peter Pan was the first to feel the snowflakes on his face. He carried Merida high above Hiro, Baymax, and the Beast. He glanced to the side where Merida's thick red hair collected bits of frost. Haunting the gray sky, the clouds moved as a murky veil, one that would certainly cloak the stars if they were last for the entire night to come. Peter Pan sighed, missing the wonderful warmth that came from Neverland sunlight. He had to remind himself that this incredible adventure was for Tinker Bell. He would do anything to save her, even if it meant braving the coldest winds in the world.
"What's got yer nerves?" asked Merida, adjusting her legs over Peter Pan's arms for comfort.
"It's just...it's nothing," said Peter Pan. His shivering, foggy breath slipped out.
"A bit nippy but nuthin' to weep over. Tears might freeze yer face," joked Merida.
Peter Pan looked onward, hoping the flight would end soon. His arms ached terribly. His legs turned numb. He wished they would all land and find some place like a cave to escape the cold. Peter Pan refused to ask Hiro about taking a break and risk showing weakness in front of Merida. He could last perhaps thirty minutes more. Maybe twenty.
"How much longer?" asked the Beast. Peter Pan thanked him in his thoughts.
"We're almost there. Hey Baymax. It's getting pretty chilly. How about we drop some altitude?" suggested Hiro. Baymax blinked and gradually angled downwards. Peter Pan flew close behind.
"Is that it over there?" asked Merida, pointing straight ahead. When she raised her other arm over her eyes for a better view, Peter Pan stretched his head behind her and squinted.
It was difficult to describe anything, due to the hazy white shroud that engulfed the mountains ahead. Once Merida had spoken, everyone searched through the abyss and located a distant sparkle, like a diamond in a blizzard.
"That's gotta be it. Baymax. Let's boost those thermo-sensors. Do you detect anyone ahead?" asked Hiro.
"Readings are...negative," reported Baymax. "There is a large structure atop the summit."
"Should we watch out for it?"
"Scanning...the layout primarily consists of...hexagonal fractals...best described as...a snowflake."
"What that's supposed to mean?" asked Merida.
WHOOOOOOOOSH!
The icy winds whipped out intensely and blasted Peter Pan and Merida off balance. Together, they twirled in terrifying turbulence. As for Hiro and the Beast, they swayed midly with Baymax's steady flying. Peter Pan could not see in which direction he was spiraling. Merida tugged at his tunic and secured her arrows.
"Help!" cried Merida.
"Baymax! Let's get everyone down. It's not safe up here!" Hiro tilted Baymax to swoop down where Peter Pan and Merida were plummeting. When they came close, the Beast acted on his own and pulled in Peter Pan by his foot. Baymax ushered everyone to glide forward as smooth as he could manuever. Hiro shrieked, as the high-pitched gusts blew just outside his helmet. The winter wind turned more wild as they drew closer to the snowy mountain.
"Detecting large rock formations...hold on," said Baymax.
"Huh...Oh geez!" cried Hiro.
"Whooooa!" Merida was mesmerized by the massive stone spikes. The top side was covered in a thick layer of snow; underneath, long icicles extended like quills. The spikes served as a kind of brutal barricade. Merida finally understood why the villains who commanded the Heartless decided to travel with a flying vessel. To traverse through such a blinding blizzard by foot would be dangerous. The winds howled ferociously. What was so important about this location?
Finally, Baymax located a flat white field, clear of sharp rocks and ice. When Peter Pan extended his feet to touch down, his ankles plunged through six inches of snow. Merida tumbled out of his arms. Peter Pan flinched from the freezing touch and flew back up. Merida lay with a clump of snow in her hair.
"Yer lucky this be soft like a pillow," said Merida. Once Baymax came close to the ground for a safe jump, the Beast leaped out. His thick fur enabled him to withstand the chilly air. He stretched his limbs by prowling the white field and sprinting, as if performing laps. Peter Pan, tucking his bare arms into each other, was amazed by how the Beast was adept in such a snowy terrain.
"Baymax, I think I could use a hug," said Hiro with a goofy grin.
"Certainly. Everyone is welcome," replied Baymax, emitting a tender red glow from his white face. Steam slipped through the cracks and joints in his armor.
"C'mon. Baymax can keep us warm." Hiro was first in line to embrace Baymax. The Beast snorted, as if to decline. Instead, he paced on his own, while staying close to the group. Merida giggled at trying to shake off the snow from her hair and dress. When she nudged her back over to Baymax, she sighed with great relief.
"Peter! I know yer shivering like a shaved lamb. Join us." said Merida. Peter Pan floated over and tapped Baymax's armor. It possessed the wondrous warmth of a cozy campfire. He rubbed his face and hands over Baymax's chest piece.
"Baymax. Can you tell us more about what you saw up there?" asked Hiro, slumping down against his robotic partner.
"The structure appears tall...sharp...and cold. It possesses many chambers within."
"Maybe someone lives up there? Someone who wants to be left alone?" guessed Merida. She thought back to the time she followed the will-o-the-wisps to a witch's hut, hidden in a dark forest.
"I don't see how anyone...brrr...could live waaaaaay up there," said Peter Pan. "Remember. We came here because Hook's ship is supposed to be heading here."
"Is that it up there?" The Beast pointed away from the mountain. He spotted a scarlet vessel, soaring through the snowfall. Hiro, Merida, and Peter Pan turned around and searched up high. Once Peter Pan recognized the three tall masts, rising from the upper deck, he was struck by memories of his rivalry with the ship's notorious pirate captain. He clenched his fists. His sudden rise in anger acted as a newfound source of warmth.
"Hiro. Have you got any ideas of getting aboard that ship?" asked Merida.
"Let's survey the ship first and see what we're dealing with. Baymax, scan for heat signatures," said Hiro. As Baymax activated his telescopic sensors, everyone else stared at the strange stream of darkness spilling from the bottom of the flying ship. It was black and purple, pouring down like a toxic waterfall.
"That doesn't look good." Merida pulled over her bow and kept a keen eye on the sky. She and the others braved themselves for whatever new threat would soon come.
"Baymaaax. Anything yet?" Hiro was frightened by the looming ship.
"Scan complete. I detected...five sources of heat for five people. I processed a layout and located...what appears to be...a hidden chamber. I'm picking up a...strange energy source from that chamber. Analysis... inconclusive."
"Incon-what?!" asked Peter Pan, irritated.
"It means he has no way of knowing what that energy source is supposed to be," explained Hiro, also confused by Baymax's report.
"I bet that's Tinker Bell," said Peter Pan, adamantly.
"What makes you say that?" asked Hiro.
"I dunno. She's magic. I know it's her. It has to be." Peter Pan had turned stubborn. He was ready to soar into the freezing cold air and rescue Tinker Bell on his own. His body inched slightly higher.
"Do you hear that?" asked the Beast.
"Huh?" Hiro paused, trying to listen without moving. The slightest crunching noise from the snow around his shoes could block whatever sound the Beast heard. Merida curved her hand around her ear. Peter Pan rubbed his arms and managed to stay quiet, floating easily in midair. He noticed that the black waterfall had finished spilling from the ship. Looking ahead, Peter Pan dreaded the distant sounds that crept so faintly into his ears. Merida's expert eyes did not widen with fear. They focused on the blurry horde whose black skin clashed with the white snow.
"Heartless," snarled Merida harshly. There was still time to decide where to shoot her first arrow. There was about a half-mile in between her group and the armada of Shadow Heartless that prowled so hastily.
"Were they expecting us?" worried Hiro.
"Doesn't matter! They can't beat all of us!" declared Merida, proudly. She glanced around the area in case more fiendish foes would arrive. The Beast sniffed and pounced ahead of Merida.
"What is it? Something else?" asked Hiro. "Baymax. Scan straight ahead." Baymax followed his orders but Hiro spotted a new batch of monsters that rose above the smaller Shadows. Fairy-like Heartless flew in four different colors: red, blue, yellow, and green. They shined like Christmas lights against the snow. What would have normally delighted a person who enjoyed the holiday season infuriated the Beast. Another familiar breed of Heartless swooped alongside the Shadows. They flapped their large, bat-like wings. Merida recognized these vicious creatures as the Gargoyle Heartless that tried to ambush her at the graveyard. Peter Pan flew up with a heightened view and spotted numerous Heartless that resembled the same fat creature that brawled the Beast. It was an unfriendly reunion, to say the least.
"Hey you guys. If you want, I can go up and see what's going on with the ship. They won't see me, I promise," asked Peter Pan.
"What? No. We need you down here. They're coming," said Hiro urgently. Peter Pan pulled out his dagger. He hoped to rush into the fight, slay some Heartless, and then quickly hurry up to the ship, sneak inside, and bust Tinker Bell free from her prison box. Having to wait was a total bother. Still, he knew he had only come this far because of his new friends, all starting with the Beast. Abandoning them right before a battle would be wrong. But the idea still lingered in his head.
Peter Pan stared at the ship and prayed that Tinker Bell was still unharmed by Captain Hook or his pirate goons. He was the only one in his group who noticed it rotate. Its port side faced the mountain of ice and snow. He knew exactly what would happen next. He plugged his ears.
BOOOOOOOOM!
Hiro and Merida were alarmed by the sudden cannon fire, pounding the sky like thunder. Their hearts nearly vaulted out of their chests. The Beast growled like a frightened animal. A smoky clump of gun powder drifted away from the ship.
BOOOOOOOOM! BOOOOOOOOM!
Cannon fire resumed, blasting the same target upon the mountain's summit.
"What the devil are they doing?!" yelled Merida. She had lowered her bow and covered her ears.
"They're obviously trying to attack whatever is up there!" answered Hiro.
"Then let's fly to the ship, while they're distracted," said Peter Pan, eagerly. He looked to the Beast who nodded in agreement.
"It's still too dangerous!" warned Hiro, frantically switching his view from the flying ship to the racing Heartless army. The assault had to have been planned. Land and sky. If these villians of darkness were in fact pulling in so much effort to destroy whatever structure sat in such an isolated place, Hiro had to wonder how great a threat lurked inside.
Oddly enough, the harsh weather subsided. The snowflakes turned gentle and pleasant. The Heartless army were still racing and flying towards the ground level where Hiro and his friends stood. From behind, restless winds spiraled up the mountain and gathered at the summit. Everyone watched in awe as a monstrous blizzard took form and blasted the flying ship. With the sails holding the full force of the storm, the ship tilted over its starboard side.
"No," muttered Peter Pan.
"What is it?" asked Hiro.
"I'm really sorry but I have to go," said Peter Pan with a conflicted frown.
"Huh? No. We need to stick together!" argued Hiro.
"Tinker Bell could get hurt by whoever rules this mountain. I have to stop him." Peter Pan gave only a quick glance to Hiro, Baymax, and Merida. As for the Beast, it was a longer look of regret. He straightened his arms over his head and darted up the mountain.
"Peter Pan, wait!" yelled Hiro. He tried to run and wave at Peter Pan but the Beast blocked him.
"Let him go," said the Beast, firmly.
"Huh? Why would you-" Hiro was still stunned by Peter Pan's departure.
"I would do the same, if I could fly." The Beast wanted to join Peter Pan but his chances of climbing the mountain in time to make it to the ship were against him. It would also mean leaving behind Hiro, Baymax, and Merida. If Baymax were to carry everyone and fly, the storm would then easily ensare them and fling them into harm's way.
The Beast faced the stampede of Heartless, chirping like a swarm of ravenous insects. He placed his paw over his heart and thought deeply about what Belle would have wanted. Hiro approached the Beast, whose pain and misery quickly melted away. Left in its place was a burning rage. The Beast bared his sharp fangs and stretched his brawny arms.
"I will stay and fight alongside you. And when we are done here, you and Baymax will take me to the ship." The Beast had announced his demands. He let out a passionate roar and charged into the Heartless.
"Sounds like a fair deal, if ye ask me," said Merida, impressed by the Beast's loyalty. She readied an arrow and aimed for the Heartless that would come after the Beast in his blind spot. Hiro nodded. Now was not the time to argue about arrangements. He climbed on top of Baymax and rocketed into the fray. They all greeted the Heartless scum with claws, arrows, and robot fists.
Peter Pan was free to fly on his own. He persevered through the shivering winds that tried to send him into a tailspin. Peter Pan curved away and continued to advance even higher. Although the air was thinning, Peter Pan made sure to take deep, easy breaths to avoid losing consciousness. By retreating behind rocky cliffs, Peter Pan could recover his strength and wait until the winds were calm enough to penetrate. He had made it halfway towards the summit where snow and ice continued to surround the ship.
BOOOOOOOM!
The ship retaliated with another cannonball shot. The blizzard faltered, allowing the ship to straighten its sails and reload its cannons.
"Even if I get inside the ship, I have to stop this storm. It'll kill us all," said Peter Pan out loud. He squatted sideways from the cliff. He then sprung back into the air. He had to hurry before the blizzard would resume its intensity. As Peter Pan soared over the frosted slopes, he was grateful for his unique ability to fly. All those years of pixie dust left a permanent effect on his body. Climbing by foot would have been a death wish for any person.
"Hey! Heeey! Yoo-hooooo!" hollered a whiny voice.
Peter Pan shrugged in disbelief. He found a safe spot to float still and look for whoever was trying to talk to him.
"Hey kid! I'm down here!" The voice definitely belonged to a man, young and bossy. Peter Pan scanned the white coating of the mountain until he spotted a fuzzy animal, hiding inside a stone crevice. Perhaps a lost goat separated from his human partner? The animal swung his front leg, beckoning Peter Pan to get close to him. Peter Pan flew into the crevice which had enough room for him and the animal. It had brown fur, a long black neck, and a horse-like face.
"Hey buddy. Is there anyone else out here with you?" asked Peter Pan.
"Naaaah. It's just me. All alone. By myself. Because no one else cared to help me!" huffed the animal, raising its hoove to its head in a melodramatic manner.
"What?! You can talk?"
"Yes, I can talk! What do I...oh right, duh! I'm a llama."
"A llama? What's that?"
"Nevermind that! Doesn't matter! The point is. I'm here. You're here. And I need your help." The llama leaned in with an eager grin.
"I'm sorry. I can't help you. I need to get up there fast," said Peter Pan, whose eyes were looking away and up.
"Then what a coin-ki-dink! So do I! I've got a major tragedy on my hands! Well...hooves. Hand-hooves. You get the point!" fussed the llama.
"Well what is it? Did the Heartless attack your home? Were your friends kidnapped and turned to stone?" asked Peter Pan with sympathy.
"No, no, and ugh! No. Look. It's very simple. I'm Kuzco. Emperor Kuzco. I was trying to build my second summer house just around the area and then this super-lame blizzard came in and froze everything. That lady up there is to blame!" accused Kuzco, pointing upward.
"Lady? So there is someone who lives up here?" Peter Pan became intrigued.
"That's right. Some snow queen. I like sunshine, pools, and coconut drinks with teeny-tiny umbrellas." Kuzco pinched his hoof up to his face for emphasis. "Not cold weather, frozen lakes, or snowcones!" Kuzco slammed his hoof and pouted. "If that's her gig, fine. But this winter that's been spreading all over the mountains. I had to turn back into a llama just so I could make the climb and give her a piece of my mind. But if I go out there now, I'll slip and fall and break every single precious bone in my body. And no one wants a messy, dead emperor-llama."
"So you and I both have business with this...snow queen," reasoned Peter Pan.
"Exactly. So tell you what? You carry me, exhausted and weak, up to the top, and I'll make it worth your while. I'm very-VERY rich, you know." Kuzco flaunted his llama mane as if to imply some sort of social status. Peter Pan frowned, hesistant to accept such a bargain.
"I'm not interested in money. I gotta save my friend. If this blizzard keeps up, she'll get hurt."
"Don't go!" pleaded Kuzco, holding Peter Pan by his shoulder. "I can...I can...keep your warm. See this luscious, llama fur? Holding me is like wearing a coat. We're basically helping each other get to the same place."
"I guess that seems-" Peter Pan shyly wiggled back into the crevice.
"Look! You seem like a special...kid. You can fly and I have...my own various talents. Take me up there. And that's it. Pretty-pretty-please. I know you're feeling cold. The sooner we leave, the sooner we can end this blizzard. Capiche?"
"All right. Let's do this then." Peter Pan reached under Kuzco's back and lifted him out of the crevice. The icy touch of the mountain air returned to his face and Kuzco's.
"You know. I normally don't let people get all 'touchy' with me. You should consider yourself lucky," said Kuzco. Peter Pan rolled his eyes and flew off with Kuzco as his newest royal passenger. The wind tried to throw them off course but Peter Pan swerved away from its reach. With Kuzco's fur around his arms, Peter Pan could better handle the weather and fly much more easily. While one side of the summit concentrated its power on blasting the flying pirate ship, the opposite was much safer. Peter Pan and Kuzco had survived their mountain journey where they were gifted with a most marvelous and magical view.
A magnificent palace of ice shined in brilliant blue and wondrous white. It sat firmly on the snowy summit beyond a rail bridge, also constructed of ice. Peter Pan did not want to take his chances and carried Kuzco over the bridge. As they flew, they looked to the open air on their left side where the flying pirate ship hovered.
BOOOOOOM! A single cannonball destroyed the ice bridge, shattering and plummeting into a frosty abyss.
"I'm surprised you're not wearing a halo because YOU...are my guardian angel," said Kuzco.
Peter Pan smirked. He could not easily refuse such a compliment, even from an obnoxious llama. They landed right in front of the double doors. Together, they each pushed the heavy doors forward, grating against the floor of ice. As they entered the palace, Kuzco cautiously walked while Peter Pan floated onward.
"Whoa!" gasped Peter Pan and Kuzco in unison. The foyer immediately entranced the two uninvited visitors with its crystalline gleam. In between its curved stairways, a frozen fountain with three tiers dangled thin strings of ice from the rims. Peter Pan rose higher and basked in the incredible snowflake design upon the ceiling.
"This crib makes my own palace look shabby. Waa-ah-ah!" shrieked Kuzco. He slipped and wobbled with his noddle-like legs. Peter Pan rushed in time to help him to the banister of the curved stairway.
"So we're finally here. Where is this snow queen?" asked Peter Pan.
"Who's there?!" It was a young woman's voice, delicate but defensive. Someone tall and thin came down from the second level of the palace. She opened the glassy doors from the landing at the top of the curved stairways.
Peter Pan had never fancied a girl in his everlasting life of youth. Wendy was sweet and Tinker Bell was his closest pal. Anything romantic was too gross and grown-up. However, none of that mattered when the young woman stepped out to face her intruders.
The snow queen wore a beautiful, icy-blue dress with a glittering corset and a transluscent cape. Her white-blonde hair was braided from the back and lay on her pale shoulders.
Peter Pan was too stunned by her magical presence to dodge her icy attack. Both he and Kuzco were trapped in icicles, pinning them against the wall.
"Uhm...okay...uhm...maybe we can just talk and be nice to each other," said Kuzco. Suddenly his sassy attitude was nowhere to be seen.
"Who are you?! Who sent you?!" The snow queen demanded answers. She twirled her fingers and cast a freezing gust upon them. Peter Pan shivered instantly. Even Kuzco shivered under his own thick llama fur.
"No one. I'm here..." Peter Pan strained against the ice magic. He wiggled his arms and legs through the mercilesssly cold icicles that touched his skin. He slipped out and escaped. The snow queen panicked and tried to hit him with another magical blast. Rather than slip on the floor and get impaled by icicles. Peter Pan dodged her second attack and the third by flying over and under. He then flew over the frozen fountain and faced her. The snow queen was in shock of this boy, hovering effortlessly in front of her eyes.
"I'm here to save a friend. She's on that pirate ship," said Peter Pan bravely.
"Then she must be up to no good. I won't let you, your pirate friends, or any Heartless come after Anna," said the snow queen aggressively.
"Who's Anna?" asked Peter Pan, forced to dodge a fourth attack, consisting of heavy clump of snow that would have crushed his frail body. "Hey! My friend is not a pirate. She was kidnapped. If you attack that ship, she could get hurt."
"Do you expect me to hold back? The ship attacked first. No...it was the Heartless. They invaded Arendelle. And now they're bringing reinforcements."
"There are also hostages in that ship. Do you really want to hurt them too?"
"Why should I trust anything you have to say?!" The snow queen threw up her arms vigorously, causing icicles to crash from the ceiling. Peter Pan ducked and swerved from the airborne attack.
"Because I...because I don't want to lose Tinker Bell!" confessed Peter Pan.
"Huh?" The snow queen felt a connection. Her sympathy surfaced just by the mention of a name. She could tell this Tinker Bell was precious by the sincere look in the boy's eyes.
"The truth is...I don't like trusting anyone either. After those pirates took Tinker Bell, I didn't know where to go...but I met others. They're trying to save their friends too. I trusted them and they helped me get this far. I don't want to fight you, but we need to stop this storm. Let me go onto that ship and give me some time to save Tinker Bell and the others."
Peter Pan came down to the landing. He stood only a few feet away from the snow queen. She had an easy target to strike him at point-blank range.
"Pleeeeeease?" whined Kuzco from the foyer. "He's a good kid. I trusted him and I literally just met him like...five...four minutes ago."
The snow queen appeared hesitant. She studied Peter Pan, from head to toe. He let out a misty breath. She glanced at the talking llama and then back to Peter Pan. She lowered her hands and relaxed her shoulders.
"You're gifted, aren't you?" asked the snow queen.
"Hey. You're not bad yourself." Peter Pan offered his hand, hoping to gain a new ally. The snow queen flinched and shrugged. "It's fine if you don't actually wanna shake hands. I have this friend who doesn't like any touching. But you're much prettier-I MEAN-nicer than him."
The snow queen giggled. The sight of the boy's blushing face amused her. It helped to further melt the anxiety.
"By the way, I'm Peter Pan. That llama-dude down there is Kuzco. Is it true you're a queen?"
"I am. Queen Elsa, of Arendelle," said Elsa, calmly. Peter Pan was thankful to have befriended the Beast before meeting Elsa. The exhausting and deathly experience had helped him to understand what it meant to earn someone's trust, whether it was guarded by anger or a palace of ice.
