A/N: Hope ya'll are doing okay during this crazy time! In the meantime, here's the next chapter!


Chapter 42: Hidden Shadows

Between the darkened caves and the ice wall that blocked the Nattmara from entered the mines, Kairi and Anna finally felt like they and their friends could finally have a safe place to take a breather. Yet, they also didn't waste time trying to figure out where to continue their journey. Within the mines, there were numerous passages. In this situation, it was a classic maze. Taking the wrong way could result them in getting lost or worse, being killed. Kristoff shined his lantern closer to each passage, hoping one of them will hint towards being the right path, but instead, they all looked identical, each one leading into pure darkness.

"Which way do we go?" Anna asked, scratching her head.

Xion observed all three paths before licking her finger and holding it up, leaving both Naminé and Kairi starting at her confused. "What are you doing?" They asked.

"Well…" She began to explain. "Axel and Roxas always said if you're lost, follow the direction of the wind."

"And…?"

"I got nothing…" Xion said with a sigh.

"Wait...does anyone else feel that?" Kairi asked as she tapped her foot on the ground.

Naminé nodded as she bounced in place. "I do!"

"So do I. Kristoff, can you shine your lantern down?" Elsa requested.

As requested, Kristoff shone his lantern down by Kairi and Naminé's feet. Much to their surprise, the girls were standing on none other than tracks! Specifically, they were mine cart tracks! Anna couldn't help but wonder if maybe they should follow them. Elsa agreed, especially when it seemed like the tracks were only following down one passage. Using the logic that the mine carts had to end up somewhere safe for humans like an entrance or exit of a cave, Elsa lead everybody down the far right passage with Kristoff keeping the lantern low in order to keep track of the tracks.

Upon following the tracks, Anna gasped at a structure that was hidden in the darkness up ahead. The dim light of the lantern revealed that it was indeed a train of mine carts, two carts specifically attached to each other. Everyone seemed to have the same idea that they might be able to ride the carts through, and it would not only keep them far away from the Nattmara, but also save them time. According to Kairi, who was keeping track of the time on her watch, it was about 1:30 in the morning, indicating that in only a few hours, the sun would rise on their last day to try and break the curse before it became permanent.

"Ta-da! Your chariot awaits, ladies…" Kristoff dramatically presented the carts. "And Sorenson."

"At least it's better than walking." Xion said as she brushed her hand against the dusty wood.

"Is it safe?" Naminé asked as she kicked the wheels. "It looks like these wheels are older than Ansem the Wise."

Anna shrugged her shoulders before climbing into the back car. "Well, at this point, we have two options. We are either in danger of a mine cart accident or in danger of getting caught by the Nattmara."

After thinking for a moment, Xion hopped into the front car. "I'm good with a little adrenaline ride."

"Me too." Kairi nodded.

Once everyone had hopped into the mine cart, Kristoff and Sorenson both got behind the back cart and started pushing it to try and get a good start, but even that was too easy for them. They were able to get the cart moving a little bit only for the the rusty wheels to come to a stop. At first, Kristoff thought maybe the wheels where too rusty, wishing he had some oil on him, but then he realized that if the wheels were too rusty to move, they wouldn't have already done so in the first place.

"Why isn't it working?" Elsa asked in an irritated tone.

"I...don't...know!" Kristoff grunted as he kept on struggling to push the carts forward.

"Uh...Kristoff? I think I see your problem." Anna pointed out with a sheepish giggle.

Right below the men's line of vision was a rope that as attached to the mine carts, obviously in place to make sure they didn't roll away on their own and with the intention of the miners coming back for it later. Judging by how dusty the cart was and how rusty the wheels were, Elsa had come to a conclusion that whoever this cart belonged to, they weren't coming back and asked Naminé to use a Fire spell to burn the rope. She was glad to and pointed her Keyblade, igniting a little spark before the rope started to burn its threads slowly.

Like all of their good ideas so far, this one came with bad timing. There was a violent tremor inside the mine, causing Kristoff, who sat behind Anna in the cart, to look back. The cave had suddenly grown darker than it once was, now not having any light source from the outside world. The sounds of snarling and howling bounced off the walls, as did the unpleasant sound of scraping against the walls and ceilings. Judging by that alone, everyone knew the Nattmara had broken through Elsa's ice wall and was slowly making its way into the mines, even if it was struggling to fit its oversized body in.

"Uh...guys? We gotta go." Kristoff warned, tapping the side of the cart.

"Come on, Naminé!" Kairi and Xion encouraged her.

Naminé sighed. "I'm going as fast as I can! I don't control how fast a rope burns!" She mentally encouraged the rope to burn faster until the last bit finally snapped. Normally, this would be when the mine carts would start moving, but unfortunately, they didn't move an inch. "Okay...why are we not moving?"

"Are the wheels stuck?" Kairi asked as she began to jiggle her body in the cart.

"We're too heavy for them!" Elsa cried out.

Anna sighed, getting more anxious as she could hear the Nattmara storming for them. "Maybe if we rock a bit-"

"No need to." Sorenson said, cutting her off.

With a confident smile, Sorenson launched himself out of the cart, taking a bit of the weight off, and making it just light enough for the mine carts to start moving forward on their own. With the cart leaving him behind, Sorenson did the only thing he could do, he sprinted back toward the entrance of the mines, toward the Nattmara.

"Sorenson, no!" Anna yelled, reaching out for him.

With the cart able to move now, it started off moving slow, but the more it traveled at the slight incline, the more momentum it gathered. Kairi felt very relieved riding the mine cart until it suddenly dipped down, plunging down a steep hill, helping the carts achieve top speed in no time at all. Everyone held onto the sides as the cart barreled down the tracks, the vibration of the wheels against the tracks creating a booming sound that tuned just about everyone out. To Kairi, the speed wasn't the scary aspect. It was no more than riding an intense wooden rollercoaster at Destiny Islands' own amusement park. It was the fact that she couldn't see ahead of her that freaked her out.

The cart twisted and turned, albeit roughly. It screeched through jolting turns and sharp twists. Each one of them threatened to buck them out of the cart. This time, unlike a coaster, there were no safety restraints preventing them from flying out, leaving the group to rely on using their body weight and strength to stay in. It occurred to Elsa that they were also probably going way too fast for their own good, especially considering the metal that kept the carts attached to each other was also really worn and was most likely not the best in shape.

"We're going too fast!" Elsa shouted. "Slow down, Kairi!"

"I can't!" Kairi yelled back as she started pulling back on the steering stick that stuck out between her legs. "It's stuck!"

While Kairi struggled with the brakes, Kristoff shone his lantern up and saw in a flash second that it looked like the track was about to be split into two. If they wanted to avoid an accident, they would have to both lean in the same direction, assuring that both carts would continue down on the same track.

"Kairi! Lean to the right!" Kristoff called out to her as loud as he could.

"What? Follow the light?" She incorrectly repeated, unable to her him clearly.

Just as Kristoff feared, Kairi didn't react to him in time and both carts found themselves leaning in the different direction. The consequence was also just about what he predicted too. Something went wrong, really wrong. The stress on the attachment mechanism, and the jolt of one cart going in a different direction than the other, caused the two carts to detach from each other. The cart that Anna, Elsa, and Kristoff rode in went to the right, thanks to their bodies leaning in that direction. Kairi, Naminé, and Xion, their cart began travelling to the left. They didn't notice that their friends had gone missing until Naminé noticed how quiet it suddenly was behind them. She took a look back, her eyes widening at the sight, or lack thereof.

"Uh...Kairi? We just lost Anna, Elsa, and Kristoff…" Naminé said in a concerning tone.

Kairi looked back, her face going pale at the missing mine cart. "Farkleburgers…"

"Could this get any worse?" Xion mumbled as she folded her arms. Her question was answered as numerous Flutterling Heartless began spawning right above their heads. "Why do I even bother asking?"

"Okay...uh...Naminé! I need you to take down any Heartless that come for us! Xion, you and I need to steer this mine cart. Since the stick is stuck, we gotta use our full body weight and ride this out like a rollercoaster!" Kairi called out.

Xion and Naminé both gave affirmative nods to Kairi as they each prepared to ride out the mine cart. Naminé stood up in a crouched position, gripping onto the side of the cart to help retain balance while she aimed her Keyblade at the Flutterlings shooting blue orbs at each of them. It didn't take a lot to take them out, it's just that there were a lot of them, hence why Naminé had to be quick, otherwise the Flutterlings would've clouded up Kairi and Xion's already limited vision. In fact, Xion had to turn on the flashlight on her phone just to give the girls a basic idea of where the track was leading.

"Right!" Kairi and Xion yelled in unison. "Left!" The two of them leaned in the same direction, their combined weight arching the cart in various directions.

"I think that's the last of them…" Naminé breathed out as she took out the last Flutterling.

"Oh gosh…" Kairi muttered at what she saw ahead. It looked like the track as broken into two sides, resulting in a large gap between them. The only way the could get across is if they could jump, but the only way they could jump was if they got a good enough speed boost. There was only one way Kairi knew they could get a boost in speed. "Naminé! Wind! Wind! Wind!"

"Right!" Naminé aimed her Keyblade backwards and cast Aerora. The wind gust sent the mine cart rushing forward. After gaining momentum, it flew off the track and over the gap. Naminé covered her eyes while Xion gripped onto Kairi for dear life and Kairi simply screamed. It felt like the cart was flying in slow motion, but did make it to the other side, albeit having a hard landing.

"Phew…" Kairi wiped her brow.

Unbeknownst to her, the light tremors from the mine cart's intense speed and rocking causing some of the earth above to crumble. Small pebbles and rocks fell atop the the girls' heads. They weren't exactly painful (yet), but they were irritating. However, some of the walls that were closer to the tracks, weren't as stable. In fact, there was a boulder that was rocking back and forth before it finally lost its balance and began to collapse over the mine cart.

Naminé gasped as she looked up and saw the boulder. "Look out!" She squealed before holding up her Keyblade and shielding them with Reflera, which caused the boulder to explode into tiny pebbles.

"Is the world just trying to kill us right now or something?" Xion asked.

"Well, we are Keyblade wielders." Kairi noted as she looked back.

"KAIRI! WATCH OUT!" Xion and Naminé shouted out.

Having only a millisecond to react, Kairi looked ahead and yelped as she saw a wooden barricade that was blocking them from going any further. Having no idea what lay beyond this point, the girls all screamed as the cart collided head on into the barricade, launching them forward and plunging down. Each of the shut their eyes, fearing for their lives. They could land in anything at this point. The hard ground? A bed of rocky spikes? An endless pool of darkness? The last thing that was on their mind that they could plunge into was a body of water, or specifically, a lake.

One by one, each of the girls' bodies plunged into a lake that was thankfully deep enough for them to sink to the bottom briefly without harming themselves. Upon realizing she was underwater, Kairi opened her eyes, sighing of relief that she was still alive, which meant Naminé and Xion were okay. She turned around underneath and found the other two, who nodded and gave her a thumbs up, indicating that they were okay too. After swimming back up to the surface, gasping for air, they each doggy paddled their shooken up bodies to the edges, gripping the edges and giving themselves a chance to calm down from the adrenaline.

"Oh...thank light, we're alive…" Naminé sighed of relief as she climbed out of the lake and onto dry land.

Kairi nodded. "Yeah…" She hopped out and began to shake her soaking wet hair out. "If that was a theme park ride, I'd never want to ride it again…"

"You can say that again…" Xion said as she hung onto the ledge. Kairi and Naminé helped her out before she held her forehead. "Eh...I feel like I hit my head…"

"Let me see." Naminé said as she observed what was a large red mark across Xion's forehead. "Yeah, that's definitely gonna bruise. Let me fix that." She rested her hand atop the mark, her hands glowing green and restoring the skin to it's normal color. "Better?"

Xion chuckled and nodded. "Yeah, much."

While treating Xion's injury, Kairi paced around trying to assess their current situation. "I wonder where Anna, Elsa, and Kristoff ended up. I hope they're okay."

From above, Kairi and the girls could hear another set of screaming. The trio looked up to see Anna, Elsa, and Kristoff's cart barreling toward the edge of the cliff. This time the entire cart plunged all the way and into the lake, giving them a somewhat cushioned fall. The weight of the cart kept them afloat, but Kristoff wasted no time in beginning to paddle them to the edge, knowing that eventually the cart would start sink beneath their body weight. Kairi hurried over and offered a hand to Anna, who was ready to get out of that cart. She had enough of traumatizing experiences and this mine cart ride was no exception.

"We're alive!" Anna exclaimed as she climbed out of the mine cart and hopped onto the dry land. "Kairi, Naminé, Xion, you three are alright!"

Kairi nodded. "Yeah, we were worried once we noticed we lost you."

Kristoff chuckled before helping Elsa out of the cart. "That was nothing."

"I hope Sorenson is okay." Elsa said she she looked back in the direction where they came from.

Anna came up and rested a hand on her sister's shoulder. "I'm sure he's fine." She said in a comforting tone. "I'm sure that scientist has more tricks up his sleeves than appointments in your schedule."

"And everyone will be fine once we life up this curse. So, let's go find that sword!" Kairi encouraged.

Now, in a completely different place than they started or were anticipating, Elsa noticed some feint light up ahead. She led the group further in until they came upon a chamber that brightly lit up, not by natural light from the outside world, but thanks to hundreds of glowworms that dangled from the ceiling. It was an interesting little varmin that Kairi had never seen before, but she couldn't deny that it did make the chamber beautiful thanks to its greenish glow. While, she, Naminé, and Xion enjoyed the light from the glowworms, Elsa retained her focus, trying to figure out a way out. They no longer were just looking for the Huldrefok, but were now also trying to figure out a way that could take them back out, especially with the Nattmara blocking the entrance.

"It's beautiful!" Naminé sighed.

"It sure is." Kairi said while nodding. "It's also so quiet. I can't hear anything."

"I can't hear anything either." Elsa said as she looked around, looking rather puzzled.

"That's a good thing, right? Maybe we finally lost track of the Nattmara." Kristoff suggested.

Xion folded her arms and shook her head. "If these Nightmares are anything like the Heartless, we're not out of the woods yet. It's probably better to keep going."

"Good idea." Anna nodded in agreement. She began to press on until she stopped in her tracks upon noticing the pitch black tunnel ahead. "Uh...you think it's safe to keep going forward?"

Elsa looked back to the numerous passages above them, each one leading them somewhere else. "Well, we can't go back." She pointed out.

"It's official, we're lost…" Xion sighed heavily.

"Not necessarily." Kairi said while gazing up at the glowworms. "I have an idea. Somebody give me a boost." Once Kristoff lifted her up, Kairi started pulling a number of glowworms off the ceiling and throwing them onto the ground. "Back on the island, Sora, Riku, and I always used to wear these necklaces and bracelets that glowed in the dark every summer. These glowworms shine brighter, so if we can make necklaces and bracelets with these, they can be used to light the way!"

Naminé smiled widely and nodded. "That's perfect!"

"It's a great idea, but where are we supposed to find string?" Kristoff asked as he set Kairi down once she had pulled off enough glowworms.

"Here!" Naminé reached into the pocket pouch on her vest and pulled out a needle and a spool of thread. "First rule of being a woman who's going on a dangerous journey: always carry an emergency sewing kit!"

"How clever, Naminé!" Anna giggled.

With Naminé becoming quite an expert in sewing, she began threating the glow worms together until each person had a necklace a couple bracelets to wear. It wasn't the most pleasant form of jewelry, but was better than nothing. Now with the amount of light being emitted from each of their bodies, there was no reason to not have any idea what was up ahead. Elsa kept ahead, her ice magic ready in case they ran into anything dangerous with Kairi right behind her, Keyblade also ready in case they ran into any Heartless, which she was surprised that they hadn't run into yet considering how dark it was.

The trek through the mine's passages was now starting to feel like a marathon. It wasn't so much the fact that they couldn't walk it out, Kairi, Naminé, and Xion were especially used to that by now. It was more that they hadn't slept in over 24 hours. Even for someone like Kairi, who slept for a full year straight, she was still a normal human who needed her eight hours of sleep overnight. The whole group started their trek at a good pace, but one by one, they started to slow down. The lack of sleep was catching up to everyone. Elsa seemed to be the only one keeping a consistent pace, but deep down, she was just as tired.

"Anyone else getting tired? Or am I just getting old?" Kristoff asked with a yawn.

Xion shook her head, also yawning. "I'm tired too. How long has it been since we last slept, Kairi?"

"I don't know. I'm too tired to do math…" Kairi sighed.

"Can't we stop for a quick nap?" Naminé asked.

Elsa shook her head, keeping a stern look on her face."We can't. If we want to break Arendelle's curse and stay safe, we have to keep going."

"Oh...a nap won't be…" Kristoff mumbled before collapsing onto the ground. He sighed and rubbed his head while letting his eyes drift shut. "This rock...it's so soft…"

Anna fell down to her knees and nudged her sleeping boyfriend. "Kristoff! You have to wake up!" She nudged him before trying to pull him up by his arm. "Come on...Kristoff…" She moaned before she felt herself growing sleepy and lay down on the ground, losing herself to her desire for sleep.

"Oh boy…" Kairi murmured while shaking her head.

"Don't worry, I've got this." Elsa smirked before stepping closer to them. She conjured up a couple snowballs before chucking them at their faces.

"Ouch!" Anna yelped as she jerked her body awake.

Kristoff groaned while sitting up and rubbing his cheek. "What was that for?"

"I'm saving your lives." Elsa said in the same tone that a mother would use while disciplining her children. "Now, let's go, unless you want another one." She said as readied another snowball.

"Okay! Okay! We're getting up!" Anna shielded her face before jumping from the ground and dusting off her dress.

Xion let out one more big yawn before letting her eyes drift shut while still standing. "Oh come...on...just...a little...nap…"

"Elsa, we have a problem." Kairi called ahead. "Xion's getting too tired. She's gonna pass out."

Naminé grunted as she continued to nudge their exhausted friend. "Come on, Xion! You gotta stay awake!"

"Hmm…" Elsa thought for a moment. "You know, singing softly to a child helps them fall asleep…"

"So, maybe singing an upbeat song will keep her awake?" Kairi suggested, catching onto Elsa's idea.

"It's worth a shot." Naminé answered.

Anna thought for a moment before bursting into song. "Let it go! Let it go! Can't hold it back any-"

"Ugh, no! Anything but that." Elsa scrunched her face and shook her head.

When Anna's initial song was rejected, Kairi thought one up that she felt had the perfect tune. "I remember this one song Sora and Riku taught me when we were kids. It's a famous island song and we often sang it when either one of us was feeling down. It always made us feel better."

"I...remember that." Naminé said with a smile.

"Was it the one about the coconuts?" Xion asked, Kairi nodding in response. "I remember I heard some islanders singing it when I visited Destiny Islands back with Axel and Roxas. How did it go again?"

Kairi laughed before clearing her throat. "Allow me!" She put a bounce in her step as she got the tune in her head. "Down at an island fair, one evening i was there, when I heard a showman shouting underneath the flare: 'I've got a lovely bunch of coconuts, there they are, all standing in a row, big ones, small ones, some as big as your head! Give 'em a twist, a flick of the wrist!' That's what the showman said!" She sang.

"Now I remember!" Xion smiled widely, her energy picking up.

Anna and Elsa laughed with her. "That's such a catchy song." The queen said with a bop of her head.

"Come on, let's sing with her!" Anna encouraged Kristoff and her sister.

Kristoff sighed. "Oh boy. I'm gonna have this song stuck in my head, aren't I?"

"Yep!' The girls all said in unison.

Elsa and Kairi's idea seemed to work well as Xion found herself putting a bounce in her step, bopping her head, and joining in with the singing. It evolved from a simple island song that Kairi learned in her youth to multiple songs that everyone learned throughout their lives. Kristoff, being raised by the trolls, also learned a couple tunes while Anna and Elsa knew some that their mother taught them when they were little.

As their singing continued and their voices bounced off the walls, Anna started to pick up on something different. She heard a voice that was different from everyone else's. It was a high-pitched, sounding like it belonged to a child. The voice also sounded like it was singing along with them. Her curiosity peaking, Anna stopped in tracks and told everyone else to do the same. She cupped her hand around her ear and stepped ahead of Elsa, listening carefully to the feint voice that echoed further down the tunnel. She couldn't see anything, but could definitely hear something.

"Hey...it's someone...singing?" Anna guessed.

"Maybe we should follow the voice?" Kairi suggested. "It might be someone who knows a way out of here."

"Uh…" Xion reached out and took Kairi by the shoulder. "No offense, but the last time you followed a voice, you nearly got killed."

"Yeah, but this is different." She argued. "The voice before was hypnotizing. This voice…" She cupped her hand around her ear and leaned forward, listening further. "It's different. It sounds like a child's voice."

"A child? What if they're lost too?" Naminé asked in a tone of despair.

Anna nodded. "That's a good point. Let's go check it out."

The further Kairi and Anna lead the group toward the child's voice, the brighter the caves became between the glowworms and what awaited them ahead. No longer were they in a cave of just pillars, boulders, and cracks in the ground below them. Each person's eyes were treated to the gorgeous sparkling light of large crystals, both sticking out of the ground and hanging from the ceiling. Being used to the darkness, the sparkle of the crystals was a little overwhelming and everyone had to squint their eyes to get used to the aqua light. Despite it being extremely bright, it was easy to tell that the voice was close by.

"It's getting louder!" Kairi gasped. She took a quick look around until the singing ceased, leaving her disappointed. "They're gone." She murmured, turning back and looking at her friends.

"Maybe it was something in your head?" Xion asked.

"How would that be possible if all of us heard it?" Elsa questioned. "But, it's always possible that it's not what we thought it was."

"Darn it, I thought maybe we found someone to help us out of the cave." Anna sighed, holding her head low.

Kristoff gulped before pointing behind Anna and Kairi. "Or maybe they're right behind you two."

Anna gasped, whipping her body around to face whatever beheld her. There was definitely something there, judging by the pattering footsteps. Kairi could barely catch a glimpse of the creature as it ducked behind one of the crystals. Keeping her eyes locked on the crystal, she waited patiently to see if it would come at all. Kairi's patience did pay off as from behind the crystal, what appeared to the head of a small child of around three years old, crept around. Nobody could full grasp what the creature looked like, but it did represent a human, yet it wasn't a human considering there was a tail similar to a cow's tail that whipped back and forth.

Growing more curious, Kairi stepped forward. She locked eyes with the small child, who fiddled with her chestnut curls. The little one watched Kairi step forward and dipped her foot out before retreating it back immediately. It as here that Kairi was able to figure out how to approach the child. She seemed to want to see the mysterious strangers, but was still unsure about it. All Kairi could do was smile. She started to remember acting that way when she was little, especially during her earliest days on the island, being scared and timid of her living situation and being around other kids.

"Kairi, what're you-" Anna reached out for her.

"Hang on, let me try and talk to them." Kairi said with a confident nod. She quietly stepped forward and knelt down to the child's view. "Hello there, little one." She softly said. "I'm sorry if we're intruding. We just couldn't help but enjoy your singing."

Kristoff scoffed. "That's not gonna work."

"Shh!" Anna jabbed him in the arm with her elbow. "You'll scare them."

"Come on out, you don't have to be afraid." Kairi held out her hand. The child's luminescent eyes darted between hers and her hand. As scared as the child was, there was something comforting about her presence, same for Anna and Elsa's. "Can you speak?"

The child tiptoed closer, her eyes gazing into Kairi's. "L...Ligh…"

Kairi laughed. "That's it! You can speak! What's your name?"

"L...Ligh...Light." The child murmured.

"She just keeps saying 'light'." Xion whispered to Naminé, who needed in agreement.

"Is that your name?" Kairi asked softly.

The child shook her head before pointing to Kairi. "Light." She repeated before holding out her hand, palm facing forward.

"Oh?" Kairi held out her hand the same way, palms touching with the child. Her skin was smooth and dry, like a lizard's and its blue color matched the crystals. As contact was made. The child gasped, gazing at Kairi as she started to glow a yellowish tint. "What's...happening?" She asked, her glow revealing more of the child's appearance.

"Anna, look!" Elsa pointed out. She noticed that the child's ears had a sharp point at the top where they would normally be rounded.

Anna gasped, noticing the same thing. "It's…" She remembered all that she had leaned over the years from her parents, from books, from friends, and this child was living, breathing proof that it wasn't just a legend. It wasn't a myth. The people that lived in the shadows, they were as real as the people that stood with them. "Elsa, it's a Huldrefolk!"

"Light!" The child chirped again, this time pointing to both Anna and Elsa, puzzling both of them. What did this child mean? Maybe there was much more to these people than even the books shared.

"Hello there, little one!" Anna knelt down and joined Kairi. "My name is Anna. What is your name?"

"What is your name?" The Hulder repeated.

"Anna." She answered.

The child nodded. "Anna."

"Wait, your name is Anna too?" Anna asked while holding her hand out.

"Wait, your name is Anna too!" The child repeated again.

Xion smirked, trying to hold back her laughter. "She sounds like a bird."

"She sounds like a bird!" The Hulder pointed and repeated to Xion, who was not amused by the accusation. Naminé and Kairi found it funny.

Elsa chuckled before kneeling down as well. "My name is Elsa. I'm the queen of Arendelle."

"Elsa! Queen!" The Hulder squealed.

Kairi giggled as she ruffled the curls. "She's so cute! Do you live around here, little one?"

"Live?" She tilted her head to the side like a curious puppy.

Anna nodded. "Yep. Like your home? My home is above the ground in Arendelle. Where's your home?"

"Home? Home!"

The Hulder child whipped around and took off sprinting in the other direction. Anna and Kairi looked at each other, knowing that this child was the only hope they had in finding the Huldrefolk. They were one step closer to finding the Revolute. Unfortunately, the child was much faster than either of them. However, her footsteps echoed enough that they could follow the soft pattering through the cave's passage. It also didn't take long until they reached what appeared to be a dead end. While most of the group was confused, Kristoff smirked, knowing well there was no way this child could have suddenly disappeared from a dead end. He cracked his fingers and began pushing what appeared to be a rock door. It was on the heavier side, leading to getting help from the girls.

The door rolled to the side and revealed a dark tunnel. Despite not being the biggest fan of following down a tunnel that they couldn't see, what awaited them on the other side, made taking the risk worth it. They came to the edge of a cliff that overlooked what looked like an entire city! There were houses, lakes with rafts travelling on them, and many Huldrefolk of various shapes, sizes, and ages, both male and female. Kairi gasped, dazing down at the place. She had never seen anything like it! It made her begin to appreciate the world around her and how there's so much that she had yet to see.

"It's amazing!' Anna gazed upon the sight.

"It's...a whole city!" Kairi gasped. "I should get a picture of this! Sora and Riku will want to see this!"

"Kairi...I don't think that's a good idea." Xion shook her head.

"Why not? There's no signs that say no photography." Kairi shrugged her shoulders as she took out her phone and took a photo of the city. "There, see? No harm done."

"Let's get down and get closer." Kristoff suggested. "We won't find the Revolute by standing here."

Just as everyone was about to follow Kristoff's advice, Anna was interrupted by something very unpleasant. It wasn't a tap on the back, her waist, or even someone pulling her hair. Instead, she suddenly felt a sharp poke on her back. It wasn't exactly what she wanted to feel, and knew that Kristoff was notorious for playing silly pranks on her, even in the worst times, but now was definitely not the time, and especially with something that sharp.

"Kristoff," Anna groaned, swiping a hand behind her. "Stop that, I'm trying to see."

"I'm not doing anything." Kristoff said while shaking his head. He was standing a few feet away to her left, definitely not within poking distance.

The hairs on the back of Anna's neck suddenly stuck right up and Kairi felt her heart drop into her stomach. Before anyone knew it, they were surrounded, but they weren't surrounded by an angry mob of villagers. This time, there had to be at least a couple dozen Huldrefolk, all armed with spears that looked like they had been recently sharpened, ready to penetrate their next target, whether it was an animal that could be turned into food, or in this case, intruders. The largest of the warriors, each of them stuck a spear closer toward the group. Kairi murmured to everyone not to make any sudden movements.

Anna and Elsa wanted to figure a way out. There usually was when dealing with any human race. Even if they were Huldrefolk, they were still people and deserved to be treated like them, despite living underground in the shadows. Anna harkened back to when she read about the Huldrefolk at Sorenson's tower. She remembered that the best way to get on good terms with them was to introduce yourself as a friend. Anna was aware that Elsa knew about this too, but could tell that she was just as anxious about the situation, if not more. She decided she'd do the talking, hoping that maybe it'd take some of the already established pressure off her sister.

"H-Hello! My name is Anna of Arendelle, and this is my sis-"

"Stop!" A Hulder hissed. "Thief!" He jabbed a spearpoint closer to her face, silencing her.

"Uh...n-no! We're not thieves!" Kairi shook her head frantically.

Naminé nodded. "Yeah! We came to ask for help! We're not here to take anything!"

"Take, take, take!" The same Hulder repeated.

Kristoff groaned and shook his head. "No! We're not here to take anything! We followed a little one-"

"Take little one! Take little one!" The Hulder chanted, followed by his fellow Huldrefolk chanting with him and holding up their spears.

"Please, listen to us. We didn't kidnap anyone, nor were we trying to." Elsa said in a calm tone, trying to reason with the angry warriors.

The Huldrefolk exchanged looks with each other before raising their spears again. "Liar, liar, every word!"

"Listen you cave freaks! We haven't done anything wrong! So you'd better-" Xion threatened with her jaw clenched and her hand curled into a fist.

"Xion!" Kairi chided her friend, cutting her off.

"The abyss!" Another Hulder called out. "Take to abyss! Take to abyss! Take to abyss!" The mob chanted.

"Oh boy…" Naminé whimpered.

Kairi sighed and rolled her eyes. "You and your big mouth…" She mumbled to Xion.

The Hulder warriors tied each person's hands behind their back, attaching them to an even longer rope that was gripped by one warrior on each end. Kairi couldn't help but be more annoyed than scared. This was something she'd see happen when intruders happen upon an uncharted island and encounter cannibals. Then again, this journey had a way of subverting her expectations in just about every way. All tied up, the Huldrefolk began marching out of the city and up a rugged path, chanting something foreign that nobody wanted to try to translate.

The further they marched out, the warmer it got. It wasn't just due to the lack of air circulation from being underground. It almost started to feel like a hot summer day in the middle of August on Destiny Islands. Kairi tilted her head as she noticed a reddish glow coming from outside the other end of the tunnel they were traveling. Much to hers, as well as her friends' horror, there was what could only be the largest pool of lava any of them had ever seen. Xion and Naminé were immediately shaking their heads, knowing exactly what was coming to did his absolute best trying to reason with the Huldrefolk, but if anything, that only made things worse.

Anna and Elsa shushed him before they were all lined up next to each other, their backs to the lava. If Kairi wasn't scared before, now she was terrified. Of all the ways to die and end her short life of sixteen years, getting shoved into a pool of lava was not at the top of her list. Part of her felt like she could easily figure out a way out of this, but considering less than a foot behind her was the edge of the cliff and less than a foot in front of her was the tip of a spear that had her face's name on it, Kairi could only feel helpless at this point. She had gotten good at getting herself out of dangerous situations, but this was one of those moments where she wished Sora, Riku, Axel, or just about anybody she knew would bust through the tunnel and rescue her and her friends.

"HALT!" A deep voice echoed, causing the earth beneath and around them to shake.

The Huldrefolk obeyed the voice and froze in space. Each one of their heads turned as a much larger figure proceeded down the earthy steps and toward the cliff where the supposed 'intruders' were awaiting their tragic fate. Kairi gasped as the figure's full form was slowly, but surely more revealed by the warm light of the lava. His skin matched that of the other Hulder warriors, so he was definitely one of them, but he dressed differently. He appeared to have a robe crafted from the finest fur and animal skins Anna, Elsa, and Kristoff had ever seen. Based on his more regal demeanor, standing with great posture and his head held up high, Elsa felt more confident trying to befriend him, just as Anna had suggested. It was made clear by the Huldrefolk's bowing heads that this figure was in fact, their leader.

"Greetings, I am Queen Elsa of Arendelle, and this is my sister, Princess Anna, and her...er, our guard, Kristoff." She introduced everyone. "These are friends of ours, Kairi, Naminé, and Xion. We greet you in friendship."

"Friendship," The Hulder leader repeated. After a moment of observing the strange visitors, his stern look dropped to a much more relaxed expression, even smiling slightly. "I apologize for my family. They can be a bt overprotective." The Hulder child dashed right beside him, earning a pat on the head. "Young Echo cleared up the misunderstanding, and she and I welcome you to our domain. I am the king of the Huldrefolk."

"Wait...you can speak?" Kairi asked, a puzzled look across her face.

"We like to use other people's words so that we can wrap ourselves up and hide within them. It's very rare for Huldrefolk to actually have to compose something new. That's part of the reason why Echo found you. She wanted to collect your song. Songs are easy to remember, easy to echo back.

"Echo!" The little child repeated.

"But, why do you speak like humans do?" Anna asked, her curiosity peaking.

The king chuckled. "Because, I'm not only the king, but I'm also the librarian. Come, I'll take you back to the city."

"Wait, are you sure we're going to some place safe and not to a place where we're gonna be rotisseried over a fire?" Xion asked, hesitant of following the leader.

"Oh, don't be silly. We're vegetarians." He rolled his eyes at what felt like the millionth accusation of the Huldrefolk eating humans. The group followed as he continued his explanation. "Anyway, as I was saying, I've spent years visiting the world above, collecting items as well as stories, and I have enough words at my disposal. So, I'd like to apologize again for your initial greeting."

"That's it?" Kristoff burst out. "We're almost thrown into a lake of lava, and all you can say is 'I'm sorry'?"

"Does 'We're very sorry' make it better?" The king asked. Kairi chuckled, taking note of his spunk. "Usually, the only humans who make it down this far want to take precious stones and gems from our mountain, or to capture a member of our domain to make them find iron ore deposite for the weapons and the like."

"We're not here looking for stones, gems, or iron." Kairi said while shaking her head.

"Oh, I know, trust me, I know...Princess." The king said with nod, his last remark causing everyone to stop in their tracks.

"Princess?" Anna, Elsa, and Kristoff both asked in unison.

"Kairi, you never told us you were a princess." Anna noted.

Kairi bit down on her lip. "Well...it's kind of…"

The king held up his hand. "No need to explain." He said while shaking his head. "As I've stated before, I've heard stories, plenty. Comes with the territory of aging much differently than humans. I've seen many generations come and go above ground."

"What kind of stories?" Elsa asked.

"Come," He pointed to the largest house in the city. "Come inside my house, and I'll tell you."

For being the largest house in the underground city, it was rather cozy. It reminded Kairi of how humid the island would feel inside the caves sometimes between the moisture and the outside heat. This house was no different, most likely due to the heat circulating through the house. She took notice of the various artifacts and books that were on display. Even with her curiosity peaked, Kairi didn't want to come off as intrusive, especially considering this king just saved her and her friends from being tossed into a pool of lava.

Anna was anxious to ask the king about the Revolute, and yet, she was also just as curious about all of these stories that he heard, as well as finding out how Kairi was a princess and why she would keep that a secret from her, Elsa, and Kristoff. It seemed everyone had their own set of questions and there wasn't enough time to answer them. Still, everyone felt that if this king knew as much as they thought he did, then he'd be able to locate the Revolute. The king finally joined everyone at the dining room table, cups of tea ready to nourish the exhausted travelers.

"So...what all do you know?" Kairi asked, her grip around her tea tightening.

The king sighed, taking a seat at the end of the elongated table. "It was all a secret, kept from not just the people of Arendelle, but the people of all other worlds." He explained, grasping the attention of Anna, Elsa, and Kristoff especially. "Then one day, back when our worlds were still connected, a great war happened, and darkness engulfed this world, breaking it off into many smaller worlds."

"The Keyblade War…" Kairi muttered softly.

"What's this about a Keyblade War?" Kristoff asked. "And about other worlds? Nobody has ever left the surface of Arendelle."

"Oh, but it's real. It's about as real as the Seven Pure Lights that help retain the balance of the worlds' light."

"So then, wait, how do you know Kairi's a princess?" Naminé asked.

The king chuckled. "Simple. I can sense it, as could Echo."

"But the others…" Xion tried to argue.

"I'm afraid they lack the experience and knowledge I have gained over the years." The king held up his hands, his eyes darting between them. "This light that you emit, it's a powerful feeling to those who are open to it. After all, we of all people should be attracted to it. We are a people of darkness."

"Darkness? You mean like Heartless?" Elsa asked, her eyebrows furrowing.

"Oh, absolutely not. We may be the people of the shadows, but we're not Heartless. Darkness isn't all bad, after all. Just like light isn't all good. It's all about how one uses it. When it's used improperly, that's when it becomes a threat, and hence why there will be another Keyblade War. Many have misused the darkness and our worlds' are slowly beginning to lose their focus." The king stood up and walked over to the window. "Many years ago, when I was just a young lad, there was a man who claimed he knew the future. He claimed that one day, light would expire, and darkness would prevail. He knew it all. The Book of Prophecies...it's real. And one day, our world will expire. If we are to keep our world's balance, light and darkness must co-exist together."

"And we will." Anna said while standing up.

Elsa nodded. "Absolutely, starting with breaking Arendelle's curse."

The king chuckled. "Well said, pure lights."

"Wait...Anna and Elsa are pure lights too?" Kairi asked in shock.

"Recently, yes, indeed they are." He said before walking closer and resting his hands behind the sisters' backs. "As soon as I heard Echo chanting 'Light! Light! Light!', I had a feeling it'd be you."

Anna and Elsa shared bewildered looks with each other. Less than an hour ago, they were the princess and queen of Arendelle who were looking for a mythical sword to defeat the Nattmara, and now, they were apparently a part of something much bigger, and learned of a connection to Kairi because of it. It made the sisters realize that breaking this curse and keeping Arendelle was now more important than ever, as it could affect an entire universe outside of their little snowbound world.

"We're...pure lights…" Anna murmured, resting her hand against her chest.

"Wow, I never really thought of myself as a pure light." Elsa said as she tugged on the end of her braid.

Xion smiled and folded her arms. "Well what do you know? Two Princesses of Heart in one world."

"This means that more than ever, we have to get rid of the Nattmara and free Arendelle." Elsa said in a firm tone. "Your highness, we actually came here, hoping you would know where to find the Revolute."

The king finished sipping his tea before making his way to the door. "Come with me, and I'll see what I can do. We'll go to The Library of Lost Things. If my people find anything lost, it's in here." He explained, leading everyone back outside his house.

As it turned out, this library was a more hidden place for the Huldrefolk. In fact, it required taking a raft. Kairi couldn't help but chuckle at the idea of riding a raft. She seemed to have bad luck when it came to rafts. Once each person had boarded the wooden raft that was large enough to comfortably fit all seven of them, the king directed a Hulder to take them to the library. It was during this time that he encouraged everybody to try and at least nap, seeing as how it would be a little while before reaching their destination. The hesitation, especially from Elsa, was there, but the king assured that the group was safe from the Nattmara underground.

Deciding to trust him, Xion was the first to fall asleep, followed by Kristoff, and then Anna, Elsa, Kairi, and Naminé following suit shortly after, each of them immediately passing out thanks to the lack of sleep they had since the last night they slept in the castle. It wasn't too long of a ride, but a little bit of sleep felt a lot better than none. Kairi and Anna were both relieved that they could sleep without having nightmares, for better or worse.

Upon reaching the docks, the king gingerly woke up his sleeping passengers. It took a bit of extra effort to wake up Kristoff, but he finally got up and moving. Nobody knew what to make of where the king took them. It looked like nothing more than what they had previously seen while in the mines. The king waved his arm toward steps that seemed to wind up for what seemed like forever. It almost felt like being down in the underworld, and the steps were returning the departed souls back to the mortal realm. Nobody questioned it though, and instead they followed him up the steps, up until what appeared to be a dead end, but there were a few more steps that were angled up toward the ceiling.

"Wait here." The king whispered, holding an arm out. He suddenly pushed open a square patch in the ceiling, light streaming through.

The king stepped to the side, allowing everyone to continue up the steps one by one. It was quite a narrow opening, only permitting each person to fit through the opening. Anna was the first to ascend, her eyes lighting up upon the little house that was surprisingly bright considering where they were. It didn't take long for Anna to get the impression that they were no longer underground. Her eyes scanned the room until they landed upon a window that had a surprising amount of blue peering through and giving the house some much needed natural light that neither person in the group has had in several hours.

"Wait, is that the sky?" Anna asked, pointing out the window.

"It looks like we're in a turf house." Elsa noted, stepping aside for the others to climb into the house.

Once she had climbed all the way up, Kairi's first initial impression was that this was definitely no ordinary library. There were a few books, but not to the extent that she'd expect to see. It was more like a gift shop. Shelves were stacked with just about anything that any person would use throughout their daily life. There were gardening tools, weapons, kitchen supplies, and even figures and artifacts. Xion was especially fascinated with all of the items in the library considering that the locals of Twilight Town were always losing things such as keys, wallets, glasses, and even munny.

"Where'd you get all of this stuff?" Xion asked as she tried on some goggles that made her look bug-eyed.

"We find things that are lost and give them homes. That includes everything from missing spectacles, to hair bands, to legendary swords." The king answered as he rested in a chair.

"Can the Nattmara find us up here? Or are we still hidden?" Kristoff asked as he peered out the window.

"With me, you're still safe. Plus, remember, the Nattmara hate the sunlight."

While the search for the Revolute continued, Kairi couldn't help but begin her own little search. The fact that the Huldrefolk usually found lost things stuck in her mind. She had conflicted hope that they might have found her seashell piece. Yet, at the same time, she wasn't sure if she wanted it to be found. The last couple times this occurred, Kairi had to literally fight to get it back. She sighed upon taking one last look around the entire library, not finding a single seashell on display.

"You seem troubled, my dear." The king said as he stood next to her.

Kairi sighed, folding her arms. "I was hoping maybe you would've found a piece of broken seashell that I'm searching for." She took out her phone and checked her tracker. "Well, it doesn't matter much anyway, we're not even close."

"Don't worry, Kairi. Once Arendelle is safe again, we can start searching again." Naminé said in an encouraging manner. "Unfortunately, I'm having bad luck finding a sword."

"Me too." Xion nodded. "Anna? Elsa? What about you two?"

Anna shook her head, as did Elsa. "We haven't found a single sword in this library." The stressed out queen took a seat in front of the fireplace.

"You'd think the Huldrefolk would find a bunch since Arendelle's history is full of swords." Kristoff said with a sigh. "Maybe it's in a different location?"

"If that is so, then great swords are traditionally buried with their heroes." The king said in a somber tone.

"ARRGH!" Elsa roared as she stood up. "Well that's just great! It was said in the Saga of Aren that he was swallowed by a dragon! If he was swallowed by a dragon, and he had hs sword with him, then that means the sword is also in the belly of the dragon!" She vented, pacing back and forth.

"That's brutal…" Xion muttered as she shook her head. "Kairi, can't we just give Anna the ability to wield a Keyblade? Aqua did the same for you and Terra did it for Riku."

"I can't. I don't even know how. I've had like...what, a year of experience? I'm nowhere near qualified." Kairi said with a sigh.

"Wait, what do you mean Aren was swallowed by a dragon?" Kristoff asked.

"A dragon came to the fjord, and it threatened to eat everyone. So Aren, one of our greatest leaders, who loved his home and people more than anything, decided to go face the dragon, who lives where the sea is a sky, and he never came back." Elsa harkened back to the story that her mother had told her for many years before her passing. She sighed, all color leaving her face as she hid her face from Anna and her friends. "I don't know how else we're gonna find the Revolute. Maybe it never existed."

"That can't be, not with the Nattmara chasing us around. If that thing is real, then this sword has to be real too." Naminé shook her head in denial.

Nothing seemed to line up, and between being sleep-deprived and stressed for Arendelle's safety, Elsa's frustration was at an all time high that Anna hadn't seen since she last pushed her sister past her limits during her coronation. Anna, being the one who was good at steering Elsa back on track, harkened back to the original story of Aren. It was true, he did get swallowed by a dragon, but he was also on a boat. A boat, and a dragon, how and why were those two things so familiar to her?

Then, it suddenly hit her!

"Wait! Elsa! I know where the Revolute is!" Anna yelled as she gipped her sister by the shoulders.

"What?" Everyone else asked in unison.

"The Saga of Aren claims that Aren went out on a boat to face a dragon, and he was swallowed by said dragon, who lives in a place where the sea is the sky."

"Yeah, but for the sea to be a sky, you have to be under water…" Elsa noted. Her voice trailed off before her eyes lit up. "The Earth Giant's Passage! It goes under the fjord, which means the sea is the sky! And that's where the dragon boat is!"

"The tumulus that we walked through, that's Aren's tumulus, which means that's where the Revolute is buried!" Anna finished, gripping Elsa's hands with anticipation.

"Way to go, Anna! You solved it!" Kristoff said with a proud smile.

"We got it now!" Kairi said while clapping her hands together. "Anna! Elsa! Let's go save your kingdom!"

"This means we have to go back to the castle, and we need to get there quick if we're gonna break this curse in time." Naminé mentioned as she pointed out the window.

Anna bit down on her lip, giving her sister a longing look. "Elsa, do you think you could-"

"Magic? Won't it attract the Nattmara to us?" Elsa asked, a look of concern across her face.

The king rested a hand on Elsa's shoulder. "Either way, the Nattmara is attracted to you. At least magic can help you stay one leap ahead."

Elsa, having thought about the potential consequences of both sides, gave a nod, agreeing with the Hulder king. She stepped forward and dug her foot into the ground of the turf house. The girls gasped in awe as the ice crystal that had formed started to expand. Once it was a decent size, Elsa slowly brought her arms up, the ice started to meld into a sleigh, big enough to fit all six of them in. Just a sleigh wasn't enough though. Elsa also conjured up a flurry that grew over time before it began form into a large bear, made completely of snow, and all reigned up, ready to pull the sleigh back to Arendelle.

"Wow, that's beautiful!" Anna gasped as she brushed her hand along the sleigh.

"Aww, he's a cutie!" Kairi giggled as she pet the snow bear.

Kristoff's smile faded as he rested his hand on the bear's back. "Sven could've been a big help if he was…" He trailed off, immediately thinking about his best friend who was still suffering. "I hope Sven's still okay."

Anna walked up to him, brushed her hand along his face. "I'm sure he will. He's hanging in there for you."

"We should get back to the castle in no time." Kairi sad as she hopped into the sleigh that could fit all six of them.

"Alright, everyone climb aboard!" Elsa directed before turning back to the Hulder king. "My apologies for leaving so soon."

"The pleasure is all mine, my queen." He bowed his head. "But in my family, we don't say goodbye. We say, 'Till we see you again.'"

Anna smiled and nodded. "Till we see you again!"

"Till we see you again!" The rest of the group all said in unison.

The king smiled and nodded, allowing Elsa to board the front of the sleigh. He looked over to Kairi in the back and got her attention. "May your heart be your guiding key, Princess."

Taking his words to heart, Kairi smiled back and nodded confidently. She placed her hand over her chest, listened to her beating heart, and recited the same words softly. Her heart had a way of guiding her along the right path, but there was something that kept her from wanting to believe that completely. Whatever it was, these provocative thoughts would have to wait. It was time to hurry back to Arendelle and time was running short.


A/N: Btw, sorry for not giving the Hulder leader a name. He didn't have a name in the original source material and I honestly couldn't think of a name for him -_-;