"Why the hell would I help you?" Meg spat. "You don't own me anymore."

Hades spoke much more loudly than was necessary. "Let me remind you, Meg, that you are supposed to be dead!"

"No I'm not!"

"You already died, remember? Wonderboy put your soul back in its corpse." Hades smiled. "You died, which means you're my problem whether or not I own your soul."

Meg rolled her eyes. "Don't pull shit on me, Hades. You know that's not how it works."

Hades pouted. "You're right." Then, smirking, "Or you're wrong. There's not really any way to know, is there? I'm the lord of the dead – I know the rules; it's up to you whether or not you want to fuck yourself over."

Damn it, he was right. If Hades was lying, Meg was fine where she was. Zeus didn't take kindly to Hades killing humans. But if Hades was telling the truth…

"So let me tell you what's going to happen here. Maleficent has her own reasons for running the Tournament; I didn't ask too much about it. But at the end, we should get the best fighter out of that lot of princesses. And I would like you, Meg, to be Herc's reason to listen to her."

Meg scoffed. "Why don't you just hire some random guy to do it? You need a princess?"

Hades shrugged. "I don't need a princess. But it would help. Hercules would be less antsy to fight a girl, much less one who could summon an army."

"And if he doesn't play along?"

Hades grabbed Meg by the shoulder. "Herc reconsiders, or the princess kills you. If it goes smoothly, he wouldn't know that I'm involved at all."

• • •

"She's not coming back, is she?" Aurora said almost inaudibly.

"Come on," Pocahontas. "We can't think like that. She will be back."

"How could you know that?" Anna asked.

"I don't," Pocahontas admitted, "but we have to remain optimistic. Maleficent will be back to free us from this imprisonment."

Anna laughed. "We're not in prison, Pocahontas. We're dead."

Pocahontas sighed. "We have to hope."

"It's not healthy to hope," Anna insisted.

"I'm sorry, Pocahontas," Tiana said, "But I agree with Anna. We can't expect Maleficent to come back. It'd be great if she did, but we need to be able to function without thinking about her. We don't even know if it's possible for anyone to bring the dead back to life."

"Fine." Pocahontas turned to Eilonwy. "But we'll have to do as she says when… if she returns."

Eilonwy nodded. She had been seen what the living dead could do at the Horned King's hands, and had expressed her wariness of Maleficent's plan to essentially do the same thing. However, Eilonwy understood that most of the other girls, unlike her, had recoverable bodies. She couldn't ruin their chances at returning to life in the case that Maleficent had good intentions.

• • •

Rapunzel let blood dribble out of her mouth and fall an inch to the cell floor. Perhaps if she rolled onto her back, she'd have better luck drowning herself.

"Well, would you look at the time?" Dr. Facilier exclaimed. "I'm going to have to go pretty soon." He wasn't even wearing a watch.

Something important moved when Rapunzel coughed this time. If she couldn't roll onto her back before, she certainly couldn't now without some organ getting speared by her lowest broken rib.

"Aah! You know, Rapunzel, it does feel good to get your hands a little dirty every now and then." Dr. Facilier grabbed Rapunzel by the chin and forced her to stare at his twisted face. "Tell me, Rapunzel. Be honest. Before I go… do you want me to kill you?"

Rapunzel hated herself for saying no. What the hell reason did she have for saying no?

It pissed Dr. Facilier off. His Shadow didn't even do anything this time, nor did he use his voodoo; he kicked Rapunzel in the face, pulled out a knife, and drove it into her gut.

Rapunzel grit her teeth, but managed not to scream. To be honest, she wasn't sure she was alive enough to scream if she wanted to.

Dr. Facilier laughed. "Lookie here, Rapunzel. You made me get my hands dirty. Let me ask you again –" Dr. Facilier turned the knife and growled. "Do you want to die?"

Rapunzel already succumbed to Lady Tremaine. She refused to fail a second time. The last thing Rapunzel wanted was to live another damn second in this condition, but she wouldn't let Dr. Facilier know that. So instead, she spat blood into his face.

Dr. Facilier recoiled and kicked the knife out of Rapunzel's body, leaving a gaping hole from which even more of her blood could leave her. He stuck his head out of the cell and shouted something about taking Rapunzel to the nurse. Then, to Rapunzel he said, "Round 3's almost starting up, so it looks like you got lucky. Ursula's gonna fix you up so you'll be able to fight."

Rapunzel struggled to breathe.

"But don't worry, girl," Dr. Facilier whispered, "soon the first match of the round will be over, and if you make it out alive… you will beg for hell."

The door clicked behind Dr. Facilier, and Rapunzel laughed.

The Chinese girl was horrified at what she had seen, the Arab fascinated that Rapunzel was still conscious. Rapunzel didn't blame them – parts of her were strewn on the cold stone floor around her; the dim light of the cell reflected off of her blood and painted the walls red. She was certain she'd die if she weren't taken to the nurse soon.

That wasn't why she had laughed. It had taken Rapunzel a while after Tremaine's torture to realize that all of this meant that Belle had escaped, and that Belle was still outside the Tournament's reach, and that Belle posed a legitimate threat to the Tournament. They were worried about what Belle would do.

Which meant Belle was coming back for her. It was only when Rapunzel realized this that she was able to tough out Dr. Facilier's treatment and think clearly of her plan to escape.

Rapunzel popped the green pill she had swiped from Dr. Facilier during her beating. "Can you two understand me?" Rapunzel hacked through phlegm and blood.

The other girls nodded, bewildered that Rapunzel had spoken in their native tongue.

Rapunzel smiled. "My friend Belle is on her way here. She's coming to rescue us," Rapunzel said. "We just have to hang tight." Then, in a voice that was hardly audible, "If I don't make it, tell her that Rapunzel says thank you."

• • •

Jafar entered the freezer cell to an Elsa shot through the heart with more grief than usual. He didn't pay it much attention until he caught sight of what she was staring at.

"Did you do that?" he asked.

Elsa nodded.

"Fuck me…" Her sister's corpse was crawling with veins of ice that ruptured the skin, powdery snow piled near the neck of the body and head. The reasons Elsa would do such a thing were beyond Jafar. She must've gone mental.

Jafar had seen Elsa angry and sad; he knew what to expect there. He could keep her under control. But if she had really lost her sense of self to the point where she began mutilating her sister's corpse… who knew what the hell she might do next.

• • •

Mulan couldn't get her head straight. Damn it! Just yesterday she'd been feeling more confident in herself than she had any other time during the Tournament. And now…

No matter how much Mulan repeated to herself that this was no time to go soft, she felt herself weakening at the thought of Dr. Facilier. It wasn't the things he did to Rapunzel that unnerved Mulan; to be honest, that part was a little fascinating. It was he, Dr. Facilier, the person, whose face brought back memories Mulan would give anything to forget.

It had been what, twelve hours since Dr. Facilier left? Mulan hadn't thought about anything else since, not even the supposed rescue mission Rapunzel mentioned in Chinese. Dr. Facilier said that Rapunzel would be fixed up so she could fight in the Tournament. Surely, Mulan thought, it would have to be done over a few days at least.

She was wrong – at the usual time, a man entered the cell with chains to lead Mulan and the Arab to the arena. And for some reason, in the place of the guard who transported the girls in Rounds 1 and 2 stood Shan Yu, with Rapunzel already in hand.

• • •

"Adam, stay here and keep your men back," Belle instructed. "I don't want our first impression to be of an army at their front gates."

"Shouldn't I be there too? You are blind, Belle."

"If you insist. But I'll be fine." Belle smiled, ruffling the papers she had in her coat pocket. "I'm not going on 'vacation' again."

Adam laughed awkwardly. "I know, I was stupid for believing those damn letters the Tournament folk sent me. It wasn't even your handwriting."

Belle kissed him on the cheek. "I'm just messing with you. I'm sure I would've believed them too, if I could see them." She pulled the reins of her horse and faced the road leading to the capital city.

"I trust these men with my life, Belle. They'll stay here."

Belle nodded. "We don't have time to waste, then. Come on." With that, they dug in their heels and galloped off to Corona's royal castle.

• • •

"Ladies and gentlemen, welcome back to the Princess Tournament!" The announcer. Meg wondered if he was a sick bastard too, like the members of the audience cheering in the seats below, or the people running the Tournament. Maybe, like Meg, the announcer was acting against his will.

But if that were the case, he would be a damn good actor. It was more than likely that the announcer was as excited as he sounded.

"This is it, folks. The moment you've all been waiting for – the Finale!"

Meg rubbed the burn Hades gave her on her shoulder. Nothing was visible on the skin, but it sure as hell felt like a burn.

"If you've been keeping track, we only have three competitors left – Jasmine, Mulan, and Rapunzel. It's not an even number, so we had to do something different for this final round."

Meg wondered why they couldn't just put all three of them in and get this over with.

"One of our girls, through the draw of Miss Megara, will be the finale's pre game show!"

There wasn't nearly as hearty a reaction from the audience as Meg knew the announcer could create. She figured that those bastards were betting on the princesses the same way one would in a dogfight; having a girl you put money on taken out of the race must have been outrageous for those people.

"Now, don't you worry. This person will be armed. And she won't be fighting any animal."

Meg was only told that she'd have to draw a name twice, and nothing else. She was genuinely curious herself.

"She'll be fighting a witch. Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome Queen Elsa!"

• • •

Elsa's head was spinning from the noise blasting at her from every direction. The dome around the arena wasn't the least bit soundproof.

"Now, we know it would be a little unfair to ask the princess Miss Megara chooses to fight Elsa to the death. Elsa is, after all, a witch. She survived every animal we could throw at her and then some!"

They remembered. Elsa shuffled her hands in the special iron mitts Jafar had placed over them.

"So we'll give the chosen princess ten minutes in the arena with Elsa. If she survives, she automatically makes it to the finale. If not… well, the next match would be the finale."

Fine, Elsa decided. She'd play along. Maybe she'd just freeze the princess for ten minutes and thaw them out. It wasn't a fight to the death, like Anna's was.

"Without further ado… Miss Megara, draw the name of our competitor for this final pre-game show!"

There was some murmuring over the speakers, followed a rustle of paper.

"Ladies and gentlemen, our competitor is… Mulan!"

Elsa hoped to God that she had heard that right. It would mean that Anna's death could be avenged.

• • •

Mulan drew her sword and steadied herself. She couldn't let Dr. Facilier's torture tactics or Rapunzel's ridiculous escape plan get to her right now. She saw what this witch did to a veritable herd of beasts; Mulan would have to be at her best even to survive ten minutes.

She could tell that the witch was not standing still of her own volition. Her hands were encased in some iron shell, but nothing was tethered to the ground. She wanted the mitts to come off before she did anything.

"Let the match begin!"

Something clicked on the witch's handcuffs, and they tumbled to the ground. The floor crackled with ice with each step the witch took towards Mulan, her face contorted into something reeking of hate.

• • •

Mulan was backing away just as fast as Elsa was approaching her. Elsa walked a little faster, and Mulan backpedaled a little faster.

Elsa shot a beam of ice at each of Mulan's feet. She dodged them both, so Elsa tried again. No luck. Mulan dodged every icicle Elsa hurled at her arms or legs, every wall of snow Elsa sent to trip her up.

Elsa wasn't here to play games. She needed to come face to face with Anna's killer, and quick. She only had seven minutes.

The audience gasped almost in unison when Elsa knocked Mulan's sword to the ground from thirty feet away and encased it in a block of ice.

• • •

Fuck.

Mulan ran for her life. She didn't know how the hell the witch caught her off guard like that, but she swore to herself that it wouldn't happen again.

It was at least a few seconds later that the witch froze Mulan from the waist down in a block of ice two feet thick.

• • •

"Hmm. You don't have a scar," Elsa said, running her hand across a petrified murderer's cheek.

Mulan didn't reply, of course. She probably only knew Chinese. Elsa was talking mainly to herself.

Where did the scar go? Anna had burned half of Mulan's face before she died. That had to have left a mark.

Elsa decided that the octopus nurse must've gotten to Mulan and fixed her up the same way Elsa had been fixed.

"Five whole minutes left! Will Mulan make it?"

Elsa turned Mulan's ice prison to powder and immediately nailed her hands and feet to the ground with spikes of ice, back to the dirt. Mulan screamed at the new holes in her limbs.

The ice around Mulan's sword also turned to dust. Elsa summoned the pile of snow and drew Mulan's sword.

"This is the sword you used to kill my sister."

"Four minutes!"

Elsa wanted to make sure Mulan felt what Anna felt. She needed not only to kill Mulan, but to truly avenge Anna's murder. She needed Mulan to feel, physically, what Anna felt.

She cut a gash across Mulan's chest. It bled. Elsa breathed in deeply. That felt good. That felt good.

But nothing Elsa did would ever bring Anna back.

"Three minutes, ladies and gentlemen, and we have blood!"

"Anna's never coming back!" Elsa screamed as she drove her foot into Mulan's head. It made a satisfying thunk. Goddamn, if the sword felt good…

Elsa kicked Mulan everywhere that Anna had been beaten: in the collarbone, nose, and jaw.

"Two minutes left, folks. Let's see if Queen Elsa ever decides to use that sorcery of hers."

The icicles through Mulan's hands and feet disappeared. The vile thing almost tried to make a go at Elsa, even in this bloody state, to which Elsa responded by freezing her onto her hands and knees.

Elsa slashed Mulan's back. That never happened to Anna, but Mulan deserved it. She killed Anna. She deserved it.

She cut it again and again, all with Mulan's own sword. Anna's blood was on this sword – Anna was cutting Mulan. Elsa smiled. Anna was back.

"One minute! This does not look good at all for Mulan, folks!"

Elsa carried Mulan's sword high into the air. Mulan could barely remain on all fours, she had lost so much blood. "Tell Anna that I love her."

The sword came down.

"And it is done, ladies and gentlemen," the announcer called as Mulan's head rolled onto Elsa's feet, "Elsa wins!"

Elsa won. She was panting and covered in blood, but she did it. She did it.

The realization crumbled through her slowly. She killed Anna's murderer. She avenged Anna's death. And yet…

Nothing Elsa did could bring Anna back to life.

• • •

"How do I know you're telling the truth about Rapunzel?"

"Well – Eugene, was it?"

"That's right."

"Eugene, you've been receiving letters from her, haven't you?" Belle asked. "Describing her vacation?"

"How did you-"

"I was sent the same thing while Belle was missing," Adam interjected. "They're fake." Belle handed him the letters, which Adam presumably showed to Eugene.

"Well fuck me," Eugene muttered. "It's the same paper and everything."

"Eugene," Belle stressed, "we don't have a lot of time. Rapunzel was alive when I escaped, but she could be long dead if we don't make it in time."

Eugene huffed. "You two lead the way. I'll go gather my troops."

***Author's Note***

Well, Elsa avenged Anna's death, and it felt a whole lot emptier than Elsa imagined. Hopefully Belle can get to Rapunzel before it's too late.

I'm going to try posting on the 17th of every month; I've been doing that for that last three, at least. Anyways, thanks for reading and reviewing, and let me know what you think!