Author's Note: Before we begin, there is something I want to make sure you all know. The previous chapter did not get nearly as many views as this story has usually been getting and I'm convinced that it's because a glitch prevented people from getting notifications. So you all know, this is chapter 27 and I did release chapter 26 last week, but you might not have gotten a notification. I upload every week: in fact I upload the night before, so if it's Sunday, there is a new chapter of Disney Princesses: Extermination. I have never missed a week, so if it's Sunday and you haven't gotten a notification, there has been a glitch. I assure you that if you check the story to see how many chapters there are, the new chapter will be there. The last chapter, which you may have missed, was a flashback with Anna. So if you don't remember reading an Anna flashback last week, I might have two new chapters for you counting this one. Thank you and enjoy the chapters.

Chapter 27 Primal Storm

The beasts stationed near the third challenge were ready. There were fifty beasts in total; enough to take care of their expected enemies, they assumed. In just twenty minutes, the challenge would be activated and someone would be able to go inside. They were alert then more than ever, knowing that the princesses could show up at any moment. In a way, they were excited to get this over with. They had been waiting in the jungle for two days after a whole day's travel and wanted to leave as soon as possible. The large, stone door surrounded by lush vegetation may have been an intriguing sight at first, but they had gotten sick of it real quick. The rain didn't help their situation either; especially since they'd been brought to the jungle in a hurry and didn't bring anything to make a proper shelter with. Thankfully, this would be their last day.

A panther strolled out of the shade of the trees and came near to the beasts' camp. Not a very usual sight for them; in fact the beast that stood to shoo it away seemed to be tired of doing it. The panther might have been a common occurrence, but the rumbling in the earth wasn't. That was what made the beasts a little uneasy. Soon, they noticed a most unusual sight In the distance. Quickly approaching them was a stampede; a stampede of . . . everything. Dred set in as they saw the hundreds of animals that seemed hell-bent on the beasts' destruction. Elephants, wolves, tigers, bears, and so much more were on their way. Siding against their survival instincts, the beasts stayed where they were and prepared for battle. What a terrible mistake.

The animals charged at the beasts, hatred in their eyes. And then, the two forces clashed. A familiar-beast locked into a pushing contest with a bear; ordinarily, it would have been strong enough to deal with said bear, but not after a panther bit its leg. A group of wolves tackled a blade-beast and held it down; their teeth might not have been able to break its metal skin, but they could at least hold it down until an elephant came to trample it. Arrow-beasts were able to get a few shots on smaller animals, but rhinos were able to reach them and turn them into splinters with their horns. A spike-beast shot down at least three wolves before it was pounced upon by a tiger that bit his face and jerked it from side to side, sinking teeth deeper into the spike-beast's head.

Amongst the charging horde, Snow White walked calmly without a single animal coming close to hitting her. She was the conductor of this primal storm and she came to partake of the carnage. A familiar-beast came toward Snow White with ambitions of defeating her. What a terrible mistake. The familiar-beast swung its clawed hand at Snow White which she immediately cut off. The familiar beast recoiled in agony, clutching the wound where his hand used to be. Not that that stopped Snow White from plunging her sword into the familiar-beast's heart. Snow caught the attention of an arrow-beast who shot at her; each time, Snow was quick enough to block the arrows with her sword or dive out of the way. Snow White rushed forward while the arrow-beast tried to reload in time. Snow smashed her blade against the arrow-beast's face, breaking it. When a spike-beast started shooting at Snow, the arrow-beast still standing body made sufficient cover for Snow to hide behind as spikes dug into the dead arrow-beast's back. Unexpectedly, Snow White dove out from behind her cover, her body flying sideways and, while she was in midair, she aimed with her bow and arrow. Snow fired her arrow into the spike-beast's skull just before she landed. Even with her laying to her side, the animals knew better than to trample her. Once Snow White was on her feet again, she chose a blade-beast as her next target. Neither her sword nor her arrows would be able to cut the blade-beast's metal skin. Thankfully, Snow brought potions. She produced a vial from her clothes, uncorked it, and held it in her left hand while her right hand held her sword. The blade-beast plunged his sword-arm forward. Snow knocked its blade off course, and held the blade-beast in place with their blades locked. With her other hand, Snow poured the potion onto the unsuspecting blade-beast's neck. The potion burned and corroded its metal fresh, cutting deep, disintegrating much of its neck and then moved downward, almost cutting it in two.

Some of the beasts had originally thought they would be safe if they held back and shot from a distance; the truth was that Jack Frost was in the air, shooting down the spike-beasts and arrow-beasts that were currently beyond the animals' reach. Some tried to shot down Jack, but he laughed at their insufficient attempts.

The hundreds of animals were too much for the fifty beasts. Snow White kept pushing the assault of savage animals until the enemy forces were decimated.

With all the beasts were defeated, the animals calmed down. Snow White sang to them, commanding them to disperse, knowing they had fulfilled their calling. As the animals marched off in varying directions, Jack landed near Snow White. "Don't tell Elsa I said this, but . . . yeah, I'm pretty sure you could have done that without me."

"But I would be ever so grateful if you could tell her that. I thought it was dangerous to leave them without you for so long. In fact, I think you can go back to the castle now and I'll be there as soon as I have the piece of the Undoing Relic."

Jack replied, "I was given specific instructions to wait outside the doors in case someone comes for an after challenge ambush."

"Of course you were," Snow White sighed. "Alright, I'll be in and out as quick as I can."

"Hang on, hang on. You look kinda tired, there, Snow. You sure you don't want to take a loud off first before you go do the challenge that could have an obstacle course for all you know?"

"I . . ." Snow wanted to press on, but she had to concede that she was exhausted after killing so many beasts. (Not to mention how she trudged through the jungle, recruiting animals with her singing beforehand.) And since she had lost track of time, she wasn't sure if the challenge had activated yet. "Maybe just a minute or so," Snow said, plopping herself onto a conveniently located rock.

"Why were you so dead set on doing this yourself before? There's nothing wrong with having a little help."

"I know," Snow said with a laugh. "It took me a little too long to figure that out. Years ago, I used to be ashamed that I needed my husband to save me. I felt so weak and stupid for falling into my stepmother's trap by biting that poisoned apple."

"What changed your mind?" Jack inquired.

"I just realized one day that if had been him to be poisoned and I saved him, I wouldn't think he was weak or stupid. I would just be happy to have saved him."

"Did you ever get that chance? To save him?"

"Yes, actually. Five times."

"Keeping score, are you?" Jack asked with a smirk.

"I suppose you don't remember how many times you and Elsa have saved each other," Snow asked cutely, her hands on her hips.

"No, I do remember. I try not to make comparisons . . . anymore. Elsa likes to say that one of us isn't better or more powerful than the other, we just have different things the other can't do."

"Beneath the hazing, you two seem to be a good fit. Tell me, when are you two getting married?"

Jack thought fast. "Hang on now. You didn't really answer my question. Why did you want to do this alone?"

"I . . ." Snow lowered her head. "I'm just worrying for my friends. I think they underestimate what's coming."

"They'll be okay."

"You have so much faith in Elsa, don't you?"

Jack replied, "She's been in worse situations."

"No. She really hasn't," Snow said, staring off into space. Snapping herself out of it, Snow asked, "So . . . since I've answered you're question, when will you and Elsa be marrying."

Jack scratched his head, uncomfortable. "I don't know. We've known each other for two years. Her sister got married to Kristoff after knowing him for three. Maybe we'll wait one more."

Snow said sympathetically, "But you've already been waiting so long. Haven't you, Jack? You, like the other guardians are a lot older than you look and there so few people you can interact with. I'm sure it was lonely. I know what it's like to be alone, but not for that long."

"This . . . isn't just about me. Elsa has a lot to deal with right now without having a wedding to plan. Right now, I should concentrate on helping her with that."

"That's very sweet of you, Jack. And may provide an opportunity. If you help her with her problems enough, she might realize you're a good choice for a husband."

"I'm pretty sure she already knows."

Snow looked at Jack smugly.

"Oh, you're good," Jack told Snow, knowing what she helped him realize. "You seem to want us to get married pretty badly."

"Well, I think there aren't enough people like you and Elsa."

Knowing where she was going with this, Jack said, "And you think we should make more."

"You should know as well as I do that there's not enough magic in this world. Alas," Snow stood from the rock and continued, "I think I'd better get to that challenge. Wish me luck."

"Good luck."

Snow White was ready for the Challenge of Courage. She was so eager to prove, mostly to herself, that she had grown since her teen-years. She might have felt more driven to prove it to her friends if they had ever thought her past was something to be embarrassed about. More than one of Snow White's friends had told her that if a huntsman was about to stab them to death when they were only fourteen years old, they would have coward in fear, just as she did. That didn't mean she felt good about it. Deep down, a part of her knew that she shouldn't have been so ashamed; really, most adults wouldn't have been brave in the situation she faced as a teenager. It was understandable that she ran frightened in the woods when she found out her stepmother had sent a huntsman to kill. That didn't mean that the experience never haunted her; especially when she knew that she would have died if that huntsman didn't change his mind.

Snow White walked all the way down a spiral case and came to a hallway that looked unlike what she expected to see as far underground as she was. There were windows. And on the other side of those windows raged a lightning stormed . . . in the dark of night. Rain poured against the glass and every so often, lightning struck, illuminating the hall. It didn't make any sense. Even with the time difference between Atlantica and India, it wasn't anywhere near night. And how could there possibly be a lightning storm underground. Snow took a look out the window to see what else was out there, but, whether she looked to where the horizon should have been or the earth should have been, all she could see was a cloudy, storming night's sky. Snow reasoned that it had to have been an illusion.

Apart from the lightning, the hall was ill lit. A few candles sat on oddly placed dressers, but their flames were weak. Snow knew that the flames had to have been everlasting in under for them to be lit for her arrival, but it was hard to imagine them as such when they looked so liable to flicker out at any moment. Decaying wallpaper only covered some of the walls; the rest of it had fallen to the floor, revealing the bricks. Was this place waiting far longer for its challenger than it was built to last? No. It was supposed to look this way and Snow White knew it. From time to time, Snow heard strange, faint sounds such as a howling or a clatter. They were at a certain volume that made them hard to interpret and even hard to tell if it was just her imagination. Whoever built all this clearly want the challengers to think it was haunted.

On the side of the hall across from the windows were four doors. The first one had three key holes and a plaque where the challenges rules were written. Snow read out loud, "Behind the other three doors you will be confronted with your fears. You must carry on through these nightmares and find the three keys required to unlock the final door. Be warned that behind each door there will be terrors more freighting than the last."

Snow White was ready for the most horrifying of imagery. She could handle spider, and talking skeletons, and ghost. She was not however prepared for what she would really find behind those doors.

Snow wrapped her hand around the handle of the first door she would pass through. "Here we go," she said to herself. Snow twisted the doorknob and pushed. It was pitch black inside. She left the door open so she could at least see some of the floor. But once she was far enough inside, the door slammed shut, leaving her in total darkness.

Author's Note: Hm. . . . What do you suppose someone that powerful might be afraid of?

Please follow, review, and, please, check for new chapters each week if you haven't gotten a notification.