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Gerda faced the Snow Queen, her eyes filled with venomous flames as they glared into the Queen's cold, icy ones. Her teeth were gritted together as she and her enemy faced off, both after the same thing.
Kai.
Gerda weighed her options as she stared down the Queen, trying to configure a plan before taking action. She was smaller, weaker, and lacked the Snow Queen's powers. She had all the disadvantages in the situation; rescuing Kai definitely would not be an easy task.
But. . . she saw how utterly helpless Kai looked. His body was limp, his breaths long and drawn out, his eyes half-lidded. He was suffering, no doubt, and she couldn't continue to stand there idly while he still lay in the Snow Queen's grasp. She had to save him.
"Release him!" Gerda shouted, trying to sound forceful, though she knew it was a futile demand. She would have to take Kai by force.
"Not until I have my child back," The Snow Queen replied, her voice lower but with an equal amount of force. Her eyes narrowed at the small girl, her fingers twitching, threatening to unveil her icy powers.
Gerda did not falter. She would not be intimidated.
Without even thinking, Gerda felt herself move forward. Her legs soared down the ballroom as if with a mind of its own, charging quickly towards the Snow Queen and her friend.
The Snow Queen's eyes sparkled. Before Gerda could properly register the act, a sharp ice spike emerged from the ground, blocking her path. She instinctively sidestepped out of the way, nearly slipping on the ice, and twisted her body to avoid getting impaled as another spike emerged from the wall inches away from her.
She continued running towards the Snow Queen. The ice spikes continued to emerge from the walls and grounds, attempting to block her path. But Gerda was too fast, agilely dodging past the sharp spikes as they emerged around the ballroom.
The Snow Queen narrowed her eyes. Lifting her arm, she summoned a large row of spikes from the ground, creating a barrier to entrap the redhead. Thinking quickly, Gerda jumped up into the air, aiming at a large spike protruding from the wall. Her fingers tightened around the spike and she swung over the barrier, narrowly avoiding getting skewered on the spikes. With a thud, she landed on the ground on the other side of the barrier.
Breathing heavily, Gerda lifted her eyes to face the Queen. Getting past the Queen's first line of defenses had given her a renewed confidence, but it wasn't over yet.
It would take all of her strength to win this battle.
In another section of the castle, an even more ferocious battle was being waged, this one between the Beast and the Black Wolf.
A flurry of fur, fangs and claws swirled throughout the corridors as the two beasts ravaged one another. Nearby, Belle watched on, prevented from intervening from the Snow Queen's wolves.
The Beast and Black Wolf's battle brought them to the Snow Queen's reading room. Landing on top of one another, the two continued to bite and claw the other before the Beast kicked the wolf off of him, sending the animal crashing onto the floor several feet away.
Belle and the wolves stopped at the door, watching on in anticipation. Belle wanted desperately to join the Beast's side, but she knew that would only hinder the Beast in his fight.
The Beast and the Black Wolf got to their feet. Both were bleeding, but the Beast was proving more resilient than before. The Black Wolf bared his teeth, exhausted, but still capable of fighting.
"What made you keep going?" He asked, pacing around the Beast, who watched him carefully, on full alert. "Do you think helping that girl rescue her friend will shatter your curse, and you won't be a beast anymore?"
"No," The Beast whispered. "Because I'm not a beast. Not anymore."
The Black Wolf snarled. "You'll always be a beast," He snarled, and lunged at the Beast.
However, the Beast was ready. As the Black Wolf lunged, the Beast stepped aside and slashed the wolf's abdomen with his claws. The Black Wolf howled in pain and collided with the wall with enough force to crack it.
The Beast stood tall over his downed opponent, breathing heavily. The Black Wolf glared up at him, fury in his eyes, but too injured to continue the fight. Whipping his head towards the rest of his pack, he growled, "Tear him apart!"
Quickly, the rest of the pack surged forward towards the Beast. Quickly, he swiped them away, but they simply continued attacking.
Belle watched the ferocious battle take place, and her eyes fell upon a massive bookshelf that stood against the wall. As the wolves occupied themselves subduing the Beast, Belle quickly rushed towards the shelf, grabbing hold of it.
"Beast!" She shouted, alerting the Beast to what she was doing. Using all of her strength, she shoved the shelf over, causing it to topple and crush several wolves beneath it. The force of the blow caused the floor to give way, and part of the ground crumpled into ice shards. The shelf and the wolves proceeded to fall through the floor, their howls echoing throughout the castle as they plummeted.
"Come on!" Belle shouted towards the Beast, gesturing with her arm. The Beast threw several of the remaining wolves off of him and leaped over the hole, joining Belle on the other side. The two rushed out of the room, leaving the Black Wolf lying on the ground, too injured to move.
Gerda tackled the Snow Queen, using all of her force to send the Queen toppling over. Recovering quickly, she scrambled over to Kai, wielding a broken ice spike. Quickly, she used the spike to chip away at the ice restraints holding Kai in place.
"Come on," She whispered, using all of her strength to break the ice. However, as the ice began to crack, Gerda was suddenly picked up by a burst of wind. Screaming in sudden fear, Gerda was blown up towards the ceiling, flailing helplessly in the Snow Queen's blizzard.
The young girl twisted in the air like a rag doll, utterly powerless. The Snow Queen used her magic to pull Gerda closer towards her, until they were within arms length of each other. Once she was close enough, the Snow Queen outstretched her arm and grabbed Gerda around the neck. Quickly, the blizzard ceased.
"Foolish child," The Snow Queen whispered, holding Gerda tight. "Did you really think you would succeed?" Her fingers tightened around the redhead's neck, causing Gerda to struggle in her grip, attempting futilely to pry the Queen's fingers from her throat.
"Here, in my castle, in my domain, you have no power," The Queen sneered. "None."
Despite her pain, Gerda grinned. "You're. . . wrong," She choked out, her voice weak, but forceful. "Because I have the one thing you need."
Shoving her hand into her pocket, Gerda pulled out the last, remaining shard.
The Snow Queen let out a gasp. Quickly, she released Gerda, who collapsed onto the ground, coughing and rubbing her hand over her neck. The shard clattered onto the ground, out of Gerda's grip.
"The shard," The Snow Queen whispered, her eyes on the gem. She immediately scooped it up and caressed it tenderly in her hands, breathing heavily, as if entranced by it.
Getting to her feet, Gerda limped over to Kai. Using the shard, she finally shattered Kai's bonds. The pale boy collapsed onto the ground, but Gerda caught him and gently set him down on the ground.
"Kai," Gerda whispered.
Kai looked up at Gerda, squinting his eyes at her. "Gerda?" He whispered, his voice soft and fragile. His cheeks and fingers were red, and his skin was icy cold. Seeing him so delicate filled Gerda with concern. She wanted nothing more than to get him home, safe and sound.
Nearby, the Snow Queen summoned the mirror with a wave of her hand. It appeared on the wall in a burst of light. The Snow Queen approached it, holding the shard out, her arms trembling. She had practically forgotten about Gerda and Kai. All her attention was on the mirror.
On the other side of the ballroom, Belle and the Beast arrived, along with Aisley. "Gerda!" Belle shouted upon spotting the two children. "Kai!"
Helping Kai to his feet, Gerda half-walked, half-ran towards the ballroom's exit. Seeing her struggling, Aisley rushed forward and helped her carry Kai towards the door.
"Come on, we don't have much time," The Robber Girl said as she and Gerda lifted Kai up and carried him towards Belle and the Beast.
At the end of the ballroom, the Snow Queen slowly placed the shard into the mirror, allowing it to be absorbed into it. As it connected with the mirror, the Snow Queen knew, without a doubt, that her mirror was finally complete.
Yes, she thought. After so long, it is done.
By now, the children had reached the ballroom's exit. The girls handed Kai over to the Beast to carry, and they prepared to flee, before the Snow Queen snapped out of her trance.
As they were about to run, however, they paused when they heard the Snow Queen say, "Mirror, show me my lost child."
As if unwillingly, they all turned towards the mirror, a morbid curiosity filling them. After all this suffering had been caused for the sake of the Snow Queen finding her child, they all, subconsciously, wanted to know the truth as much as the Queen did.
What they saw filled them with utter horror, with the exception of Kai, who simply closed his eyes in resigned defeat, having known the truth for some time.
None were more horrified, however, than Gerda herself.
They didn't spare even another moment afterwards. Whether for fear of the Snow Queen, or fear of the truth that had been revealed to them, they couldn't remain any longer.
They ran.
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