Miracle
(A/N: There is a reason behind Nokk's actions in this chapter, so don't jump to too bad of conclusions just yet.)
Hans and Thord fought desperately back against the army. The giants were proving a massive help, but they knew it wasn't going to save them. Not against these numbers. If those things caught sight of them besides, then they were double doomed. The giants held allegiance to no one. Already Hans and Thord were being forced to give up ground, steadily being backed towards a cliff and certain death. Neither of them commented on the grimness of their situation. Neither of them wanted to.
Frozen
The Duke was being backed into a corner. He stood pressed against a rock, watching as his shadows fought the enemy, but he knew they wouldn't last long when there was nothing left to cast shadows for them to play in. Almost on cue, a blazing light lit up the forest, chasing away the shadows and, forcing them far, far back from the Duke where they couldn't reach him. Shadows could only exist in shadows. The shadows the light cast were too far away to be of any use now. The Duke gasped, looking up. He paled when he saw the wicked troll staring at him darkly from a tree across the way. The creature leapt down and approached menacingly, eyes murderous. The Duke straightened up, holding his ground and frowning. Twenty feet, fifteen feet, ten feet… five feet…
All at once the wicked troll screamed in pain as something struck him in the shoulder. He reeled back as if stung. The Duke gasped, looking over. Form the forest charged none other than the four Knights of the Round Table, bows and swords drawn as they threw themselves into the fray, slicing and shooting at anything that moved. Not with intent to kill them all, that would be near impossible, but in an attempt to reach him. Lamiel made it first, leaping down in front of the Duke as Carabis went in for a vengeful kill. The pirate blocked the attack last minute and slashed the creature across the stomach with his iron blade. Carabis reeled back with a scream of agony.
"What is that?!" the Duke exclaimed.
"He's fae enough that iron is still his weakness," Lamiel calmly answered. The other three joined up with them, Kay causing a fire wall to spring up all around. Bedivere lifted the old man onto his horse and charged off into the forest. The others followed after, forcing back the enemy army enough to give them breathing room. They followed the wind's guidance still, charging towards the cliffs. They heard the sounds of swords clashing desperately there and sped up as fast as they could go. They broke out of the treeline and saw Hans and Thord on the verge of being herded off the cliff. They leapt instantly into action, scowling and descending on the enemy creatures that immediately turned to try and fend them off. They battled their way to Hans and Thord's side before jumping off their horses and getting into a defensive wall between the two men and the fae army. Bedivere lifted the Duke off his own horse, plunking him next to Hans and Thord then turning to face the advancing enemy. Kay threw up another inferno, sending it as far back as the treeline. A little lizard darted out of said inferno hurrying towards them, and for a moment Kay was concerned it was an unintended casualty of the flames, before it scrambled up onto him then leapt to Hans, cutting its flames immediately and nuzzling into the young king's neck in relief.
All at once a figure shot by them in the air. Hans gasped, spinning around. His eyes widened in horror. "Carabis!" he shouted furiously, racing along the cliff. "Carabis, don't touch her! Don't you dare touch her!"
"Your little posse are quite the handfuls, aren't you?" Kay dryly asked Thord and the Duke. The Duke flushed a bit, clearing his throat awkwardly. Immediately they ran after Hans.
Frozen
Elsa's screams filled the cave. The Nokk stared back into it, clearly not impressed with any of this and more than a little concerned. Suddenly something struck the wall of ice blocking the mouth. Its head quickly turned, its eyes narrowing. It snorted and started to paw the ground. The ice was crashed into again, then again, then again until spiderweb fractures began spreading across it. All at once it shattered, but the nokk wasn't thrown. It threw itself through the fragments with a scream and took on a human form last second, tackling the intruder full on and forcing him down into the water. Clearly the would-be-intruder hadn't expected that, because the moment it was under water it began to thrash in a panic and hiss and spit and fight back with a vengeance, but it was in the nokk's domain now, and the nokk kept its hands firmly wrapped around the attacker's throat as it forced him deeper and deeper, a murderous scowl spread across its face.
"Carabis," the Nokk darkly growled. Carabis clawed at the watery entity in vain, scowling and thrashing in outrage.
The Nokk slammed the wicked troll into the riverbed, pinning him there as he struggled desperately, clawing and cursing. All at once it struck out with a shout. Nokk let out a cry, feeling something pierce it through. It looked down with a scowl. A dark spike that forced away the water form and caused a more human one to start to appear around the area of the wound. Carabis broke free, taking off for the surface. Nokk, not to be deterred, grasped the dark spike and tore it out of his body before immediately swimming after the jotun and closing the distance faster than Carabis could hope to be, when out of his element. Immediately it forced him down again, and the two thrashed and fought in the water locked in combat.
"You granted me entrance. You knew the risk," Carabis darkly communicated to him through a link.
"I granted you nothing. I gave you leave to pursue the young Danish king, but I warned you what would happen if you went after the queen," it communicated back.
"Fortunately for me, you were not the only one I convinced to my cause," Carabis replied. It was then that the nokk heard the violin start to play…
The kelpie went white, the moment the music began, and looked down at its opponent. Carabis smirked victoriously and darkly, baring menacing teeth and wearing a gaze that screamed, 'I win'. Nokk's jaw twitched. Immediately it tried to break for the surface. This time, though, it was the other that seized him and tried to keep him back, locking them once more into a wrestling match that, while it wouldn't last long given Carabis in the nokk's domain where he couldn't breathe while the nokk was at its peak, might just last long enough to cost the him more than he had intended to risk...
Frozen
The minute Jekyll heard the fiddle play, he knew something was wrong. A chill ran through his body. He looked upwards. "Doctor? Doctor!" he heard Elsa cry out frantically, but he felt as if he didn't fully register it. "Henry, please! Don't leave me, don't!" she pled. He was leaving, he wondered to himself? He felt like he was watching a scene play out in front of him, unable to interact with it. "I'm bleeding! Henry, I'm bleeding!" she begged through sobs, the cave starting to freeze over as her powers reacted to her fear. It somewhat snapped him out of it, and he forced himself to turn to look. He paled. Indeed there was far, far too much blood. He grimaced, shaking his head to try and shake away the fog the music put his mind in, but it was always there! There, steady and pulling him towards it… No! No, he had to focus. He couldn't leave her like this! Not now!
"Cover my ears," he ordered.
"What?" she said.
"Can't you hear the violin?" he asked. She paled and didn't need to be told twice. Quickly she reached up, covering the man's ears as he focused on her bleeding. He had seen this before. If it didn't resolve, she would need to have the baby cut out of her, and that wasn't something he was prepared to do. Not here. In this situation, in this place, it would be a choice between her life or the baby's, and he knew what she would choose without asking, but he asked anyway. "Elsa, if it comes to it…" he began.
"The baby," she gasped out. She knew what he meant. "Save the baby, please! Oh gods, please, save the baby!" she begged, breaking down. "Save my baby!"
"I will, I will," he quickly soothed. "It won't come to it. I won't let it." He didn't promise, he refused to do that, but he could at least attempt to reassure. Dammit. Dammit, dammit, dammit! Suddenly something appeared in the water. Henry could barely gasp before all at once it reached out, seizing him and dragging him under with a cry.
"Henry!" Elsa screamed. Jekyll broke the surface with a gasp, scrambling out onto the rocks and putting distance between himself and the water in horror. The creature emerged from it, disinterested in Elsa. He didn't know why, he didn't understand its focus on him! He didn't want to find out either. It drew its violin once more and began to play, and Jekyll felt his mind slipping away. Elsa's voice screaming his name faded into the back of his mind. Some part of him was aware he was following the creature somewhere, but he didn't know where and he didn't know to what fate. He just knew he needed to keep following and following and following…
Frozen
Hans had known he was probably insane when he took that flying leap off the cliff. The Duke had screamed he was going to get himself killed, Thord had echoed the same sentiment, but he'd survived bigger jumps than this one so he'd take his chances in the raging river and hope he didn't smash into rocks instead of deep water. He got lucky. More than lucky. He opened his eyes underwater and saw he'd just barely avoided a gruesome fate indeed. He swam for the surface and broke it, gasping for air. The others were shouting at him, but he was too far away now to hear it. He just swam. He'd find her if it was the last thing he did!
He rounded a bend in the river and saw, up ahead, a cave lined by shattered ice. He caught his breath, paling, and began swimming hard towards it. "Elsa!" he shouted. "Elsa!" he cried again.
Frozen
Under the water, the kelpie heard the cries as it wrestled to drown the sprite beneath it that was now starting to feel the effects of being underwater too long and weakening rapidly. The distraction cost it, though, and another dark spike, then another and another, pierced through his body, freezing him in the water as he let out a silent scream of agony, his watery form giving way to a fully human one. The sprite broke for the surface, heading towards the mortal man. Carabis leapt from the water and Nokk heard Hans cry out in terror. Nokk scowled, tearing out the spikes once again, and took on his watery horse form, charging for the surface. It tore out of the water right beneath the mortal, scooping him up, and raced across the surface of the river, heading for the cave. Were he still in human form, his jaw would have twitched. The urge to drown the man on his back was almost irresistible, for the lies he sensed burning in this mortal's heart... More was at stake than that right now, though. Carabis pursued them quickly. The queen's consort looked back and scowled before throwing back a wall of flames to block the entrance. The man continued filling the cavern with fire. It would drastically slow the enemy, but there was no guarantee it would keep Carabis at bay for any longer than Elsa's ice wall had. The nokk charged into the cave, steadily icing over, and knew something was very wrong. It felt the man's grip on its mane tighten as the Queen's anguished screams filled their ears. The nokk leapt off the cliff and over the waterfall without hesitation.
"Elsa!" Hans shouted out. They splashed down on top of the water. The nokk whinnied in terror to see the pool filled with blood. It spun around to face Elsa as the young king leapt from its back looking mortified. "Elsa!" Hans cried out in anguish and alarm. He forced his way through the bloodied water desperately, reaching her side in moments and wrapping his arms around her, pulling her close and looking horrified. "Henry, where's Henry? What happened? Oh gods, you're bleeding. You're bleeding so much."
"N-nacken," Elsa gasped out. The nokk started and whinnied in rage, spinning around and charging into the cave full speed. Hans hoped its intent was to rescue the doctor and bring him back here as soon as possible. He turned attention to Elsa again as she screamed and groaned, pushing to get the baby out. Or try to.
"Breathe honey, breathe for me. Breathe," Hans pled. Elsa sobbed as the contraction stopped, sagging against him.
"S-save the baby," she murmured, near delirious. "Save our baby."
"What?" he whispered, tears burning his eyes. He knew what she was implying, but he didn't want to hear it. He didn't want to acknowledge it!
"Save our baby," she begged again. "Oh gods, save our baby, please! Choose the baby. Choose the baby!"
"I won't have to choose!" he insisted, but he knew it was a lie. The amount of blood in the water… If Jekyll could do nothing for her, if they couldn't even get him back, the choice would be her or the baby. "I won't have to choose," he said again in a numb whisper. He looked at the woman in his arms. "You're going to be okay, my love. You're going to be okay. You're going-you're going to make it. Both of you."
"Save the baby," she begged again, sobbing.
"Stop. Please," he pled.
"Promise me," she darkly stated. She screamed in pain as another contraction came.
"I promise!" he blurted out without thinking, but it was too late to take it back now.
"Love it. Love our child, even if I die here," she said. "It isn't its fault mommy didn't make it. It isn't its fault!"
"It's not its fault, I know it's not its fault," Hans repeated, voice wavering. He sobbed, breaking down and burying his face in her hair. "It isn't its fault," he said again, shaking his head in denial.
"Your sword," she said.
"Not yet," he begged. "Please not yet. Jekyll will come back. The nokk will save him and bring him here and you'll be okay. You'll be okay. I can't-I can't lose you… Not here! Not like this! Elsa!"
"I love you," she whispered. "I love you so deeply." He clutched her tighter, gritting his teeth in grief. "Iduna needs to fit somewhere in the name, if it's a girl," Elsa said with a breathy laugh before screaming in pain and cursing against him. He shook his head in denial, burying his fingers in the hair his tears were wetting. "Agnarr needs to fit somewhere if it's a boy," she gasped.
"Yes," he said. It was all he could manage.
She screamed again. "Hans!" she pled through sobs that racked her body. "Hans, get it out! Please, please, get it out! Get it out of me. Get it out!"
"No!" he denied.
"You promised!" she screamed as the cave began to crack and creak with ice.
"You'll make it!" he insisted.
"Hans!" she begged. He sobbed, shaking his head in denial, and leaned her head back to look into her beautiful face, now twisted in pain and fear and desperation as she clung to him. "Hans, please," she pled in a near whimper. Shaking, he closed his eyes tightly and looked away. He moved a hand to his sword almost on autopilot. He knew what had to be done, he knew… But he so badly didn't want to… "You lose us both or only me," she whispered. He gasped, gaze turning quickly to her again, and the shocking reality of that statement hit him like a load of bricks. He lost them both or he lost only her… His breathing was hard and quick, his sword hovering near her stomach as he tried to psych himself up to do this. He had to do this. He had-he had to…
The nokk whinnied suddenly. He gasped, looking desperately and hopefully back. He saw it racing towards them. On its back, clinging to its neck, was Jekyll looking mortified and scared, staring back into the cave. "Henry!" Hans shouted frantically. The man's eyes turned to him quickly and he started, seeming to snap back to himself. The nokk rode right up to the pool and Jekyll leapt off it, throwing himself into the water next to Elsa. He pulled her out of the pool and lay her back on the rocks so he could have a better view of what was happening. He hesitated to be rough, but at this point it was all or nothing. He looked at Hans seriously. "One dies or both do. I know," Hans numbly acknowledged, grief in his eyes like he was already gearing himself up to accept it.
"I may yet be able to save them. Both of them," Jekyll answered. He turned to Elsa with determination and got to work. The bleeding wasn't as severe as it had been. That meant the complication was resolving itself. That meant there was hope. She would not last much longer at this rate, though. It wasn't unlikely she would begin to hemorrhage again. "Gods be with me," he said, shaking his head ruefully before diving right in and reaching up to see if he could feel what the baby was doing. He gasped in relief when he felt the head. Good. It was in the correct position. The faster it was pushed out, the better. "I can't guarantee she'll survive, Hans. If she starts to hemorrhage again…"
Hans sobbed, bowing his head and shaking it. "Just get it done!" he blurted. "Get the baby out whatever it takes!"
Jekyll nodded and looked at Elsa. "You need to push for all you're worth," he said. "The sooner it gets out of you, the sooner I can tend to the bleeding. As best I can manage." Again, no guarantee it would save her at this point. Another contraction began and she screamed, pushing for all she was worth. It was coming. It was coming! Jekyll braced. "That's a good girl. Keep going," he soothed calmingly. "Keep pushing." Another contraction. Another scream as she tried to push it out again. The bleeding was starting once more. Hans covered his mouth with both his hands. The nokk watched from behind looking deeply concerned and unsettled. It probably felt as helpless as Hans did right now.
"Come on, Elsa. Come on," Hans forced himself to encourage. "You're doing it, nightingale. You're doing it." Elsa pushed again.
"It's crowning!" Jekyll exclaimed. Hans gasped and dove for Elsa's hand, seizing it and letting her crush it as hard as she could as she pushed again, screaming and groaning in agony.
"I'm going to kill you!" she shouted at her husband. Hans laughed through his tears, quickly wiping them away with a sniff.
"It's head is out! It's out! The rest will come quickly," Jekyll breathed.
"Baby, you did it. You're doing it. Snow Queen, look at you. Look at what you're doing," Hans praised, joy tinging his tone despite the grief and panic he felt.
"It's out!" Jekyll exclaimed in a whoop. Elsa gave a shuddering gasp, leaning her head back as her grip on Hans' hand loosened, to his horror. Jekyll cursed and Hans looked quickly over in a panic. His eyes widened. The baby was limp and not making a sound. It was blue. It wasn't-it wasn't breathing! No. No, no, no, please no.
"Why isn't it crying?" Elsa asked in a whimpering whisper, eyes closed. Hans nearly lost his composure right then, dangerously close to dissolving into tears. Hans leapt towards Jekyll, looking down at the infant in mortification. Grief filled his expression as he looked at the tiny body. A boy… It was a baby boy… He shook his head, mouth quivering. He gave Jekyll a desperate look. Jekyll looked flustered and worried. Gently the doctor patted it, but he couldn't do so hard. It was premature, it was tiny. The tiniest little thing Hans had ever seen… Even tinier than Lars' child. It could have fit in Hans' hand.
"Henry please!" Hans begged.
"Why isn't it crying?" Elsa urgently repeated. She sensed what was wrong but didn't want to acknowledge it.
Jekyll looked over at Elsa and gasped, seeing how much she was bleeding. He looked from Hans to her, to Hans again. Finally he put the newborn into his friend's hands gently. "I can't make you promises," he whispered in grief. "But keep trying. Patting, prompting, trying to-to stimulate it to move. To breathe… To live… And either it will or it won't… There's nothing we can do here but try."
"No. No!" Hans pled. "Henry, please!"
"I'm going to save your wife. She is the patient I need to tend to. Everything I could possibly do for the child are things you can as well," he said. Hans looked down at the still little form in his hands and shook his head in denial. He sobbed, pressing it close to his chest and cradling it there. Gently he began to sing a song in Danish. A lullaby. Barely audible, but there nonetheless. A lament and plea… The nokk suddenly transformed into its human form and approached rapidly. Hans gasped, looking at it as it fell next to him. It examined the baby quickly before sprinkling water on its head. Then more, then more. Hans looked frantically from it to the child again, and when he felt the little body twitch a bit, he almost broke down, gasping. It began to shift more. The nokk stopped, leaning back. The newborn twitched a couple more times before suddenly little whimpers began to escape its lips that soon after became full on wails as the baby began to scream and cry. Everything froze. Jekyll, Elsa, Hans, the Nokk. Everything except for the squirming infant now squealing and wailing in its father's hands. Hans broke down into relieved sobs, clutching it close.
Jekyll gasped in relief and half laughed, running a disbelieving hand through his hair. "It's a bloody miracle," he said. He turned to Elsa quickly. "Now I need to perform this one," he more gravely said. Hans gasped, scrambling to Elsa's side. She was pale and barely conscious, her lips mouthing the question she had already asked again and again.
Why isn't it crying? Why isn't it crying?
"He's crying, my love. He's crying. Can't you hear him?" Hans asked in a tight breath, holding the infant near her face. Its tiny hands began tapping it, and its tiny feet kicked weakly against the skin. They'd worry about the weakness later, for now Hans was just glad it was breathing at all. Elsa let out a soft gasp, turning her head towards it.
"Open her dress and place it to her breast," Jekyll calmly said, focused on the task at hand. Hans hurriedly did so, pulling open Elsa's gown and pressing the child there. He covered it and her as best he could. Jekyll glanced up. "Make sure it latches right."
"What do you mean?!" Hans demanded.
"Never mind. I'll correct it later," Jekyll answered. "That's fine for now."
Elsa's hands weakly came up to cradle the bitty infant at her breast. She willed her eyes to open and saw it for the first time, so small it looked like it was laying on a hill. She sobbed, pursing her lips tightly. "A boy," she said in a tight whisper. "A boy," she repeated.
"Yes, my darling, yes. A boy," he said.
She sniffed as she watched it, tears flowing from her eyes. "Hi baby," she gently said. Hans half sobbed half laughed, resting his forehead on hers and lifting her in his arms, holding her near. The child made tiny mumbling noises, teensy fists opening and closing on nothing but skin. "Hi," Elsa said again softly.
Hans swallowed and looked at Jekyll, who seemed a lot more relieved suddenly. He hoped that meant something good. "Doctor?" he fearfully asked, voice shaking.
"She'll make it," Jekyll said. "If she is very, very careful and doesn't move much for the next long while. Weeks in fact. Ideally months."
"Damn right she won't move much," Hans said vehemently. A dark laugh echoed from above. They gasped, looking up. At the top of the waterfall looking down on the scene was Carabis! Hans shot to his feet, sword out and primed. The Nokk took on a horse form again and whinnied loudly. Almost in response a violin started to play. Carabis' cruel smirk fell swiftly as he looked down the cave. Hans looked questioningly at the nokk, but it didn't seem inclined to offer an answer. It walked to Elsa, nudging her lightly and tossing its head towards its back. Hans frowned but got he gist. He looked to Jekyll.
"We have to get her somewhere safe," Jekyll confirmed, nodding assent. "She can be moved since we must, but carefully. Very, very carefully."
Hans nodded and gently scooped Elsa up in his arms. The Nokk lay down. Hans paused. It was offering to let them both on its back. Maybe all three. Hans carefully sat on it with Elsa. The Nokk rose. Jekyll pet its mane. "You're not being left behind," Hans seriously said. Jekyll looked into the Nokk's eyes for permission. It nodded. Jekyll took a breath and mounted up once more. Immediately, while Carabis was dazed by the sound of the violin, it charged away deeper into the cave before making for the light up ahead and coming out onto a ledge above a waterfall. It whinnied loudly, pacing a bit, then leapt down towards the water. Hans held Elsa tightly in his arms and Jekyll held to Hans tightly. They didn't question where it was taking them, they couldn't afford to. All they could afford to do right now was breathe and trust it. The answers to the million questions that burned in their minds could wait for when they were safe.
