9/15/20: Started
10/11/20: Completed
VIOLENCE, DEATH
Chapter Summery: Face to face with Ahtohallan, Elsa and Anna get the answers they've been seeking as well as an emotional surprise, among others...
Disclaimer: I don't own Elsa, Anna, Cassandra or any other Disney characters or locations that appear or are mentioned in this work of fiction, Disney does.
NOTE: The end is in sight! I can confidently say that there are two more parts after this one before this massive chapter is finally finished! I did NOT expect this Frozen 2 rewrite to go into this many parts, I expected four, maybe five, but not ten! I'm certainly going to be taking a break from this series for a while when I finally complete this. I still intend to continue this series after this rewrite arc is done, but I need a break from this series.
"The thing that's been calling me?" asked Elsa. "The thing that's been taking control of my body!?" she added, quickly getting riled up and angry. "The thing that allowed my parents to die!?"
"While I did not intervene on Nokk's actions, that does make me complicit in it's act, so yes on all three of your questions." answered Ahtohallan.
"Then why!?" asked Elsa. "Why do all of this!?"
"Now that you are here, I will gladly answer any questions you have." answered Ahtohallan.
"Then start answering!"
"Wait." stated Anna, as she placed a hand to Elsa's shoulder, in an effort to calm her. "Earlier, you said we arrived sooner than expected; what do you mean by that?"
"I planned to call for Elsa a few human years from now." answered Ahtohallan. "But not only is she here sooner than expected, but you're also with her; along with the demon, who is an unknown factor."
"You planned this!?" gasped Elsa. "You PLANNED to have our parents killed!?"
"Planned? Yes." answered Ahtohallan. "Your parents deaths however, were not."
"Nokk listens to you!" declared Elsa. "We saw it! Why not tell him to spare them!?"
"I simply chose not to." answered Ahtohallan, which prompted Elsa to quickly raise her right hand towards the Ahtohallan, though Anna quickly grabbed Elsa's arm.
"Whoa! Whoa! Elsa." stated Anna, though Ahtohallan added...
"If your sister wishes to destroy this form to make herself feel better, she is free to, I will simply assume another."
Elsa's left eyes twitched at the remark and lowers her arm.
"Now that you say that, it's not even worth it if it doesn't change anything!" stated Elsa, before Ahtohallan continued...
"Very well. I assume the demon Silvia played a part in your accelerated arrival?"
"Yep." answered Silvia. "I happened to know a person who knew a person on their parents ship. I investigated and here we are."
"I see..." commented Ahtohallan. "This instance has diverged."
"W-What?" questioned Anna as she and Elsa looked puzzled by the remark.
"This instance?" questioned Elsa, before shaking her head. "Whatever! Why call us anyway? Why 'test' me?"
"The tests were Nokk's idea." answered Ahtohallan.
"What!?" gasped Elsa and Anna.
"Yes." answered Ahtohallan. "I let him know that a human with magic similar to his would be arriving and he wanted to see if you were 'worthy' and talked the other spirits into joining, I only told them not to kill you. I hope he wasn't too rough, ever since that dam-."
"Nokk nearly killed me!" declared Elsa. "I had long hair when this all started! And now you're telling me all that was some sort of sick game by that Murder Horse!?"
"Really?" asked Ahtohallan, with the first show of emotion, surprise.
"Yes! The ONLY reason he's even still alive is because Anna talked me out of it!" declared Elsa. "You need to teach that horse a lesson, or I'll gladly do it for you!"
"As long as you don't kill him, you can do whatever you like." answered Ahtohallan.
"Really?" asked Elsa with some surprise and a grin.
"Yes, as long as he's near water, Nokk is immortal, so do what ever you'd like."
"Nice!" declared Silvia, patting Elsa on the shoulder. "Got yourself a free punching-bag." she added, before Anna commented...
"That'll punch back, I'm sure."
"However..." stated Ahtohallan. "Your previous question made an assumption that was incorrect. My call was for you, your sister is the spare."
"Wow..." replied Anna, clearly irked. "I'm the spare for WHAT exactly?"
"My Fifth Spirit." answered Ahtohallan.
"Wait, what!?" gasped Elsa and Anna in unison, before Elsa added...
"I'M the Fifth Spirit!? I thought Mother was. Wait! YOUR Fifth Spirit!?"
"Yes, you are my Fifth Spirit." confirmed Ahtohallan. "You were promised to me by your mother, in exchange for saving the life of your father."
"WHAT!?" gasped both Elsa and Anna, who added...
"That's a lie!"
"It's not." answered Ahtohallan, before a flat image, the same as the many they saw before appeared to the left of Ahtohallan, revealing the same moment they saw before of a young Iduna holding an unconscious Agnarr, calling out to Ahtohallan.
Following two repeats of the call, the memory continued beyond what they had originally seen; there were sounds of battle in the distance and Iduna gave a wary look around, before looking down to Agnarr with concern. Soon, an unfamiliar female voice, with the same detached calmness, spoke to Iduna; who briefly looked around with surprise.
"Why do you call me?"
"Help me save Agnarr!" eagerly requested Iduna in a whisper.
"The fighting... the boy is dressed like the people yours are fighting."
"I don't know why their fighting!" declared Iduna. "But Agnarr is innocent! I just want to save him!"
"You care for this boy."
"Y-Yes, I do." replied Iduna with a light blush on her cheek as she looked down to Agnarr's face with a smile. "I'm pretty sure he likes me too."
"I see... I will have the spirit's aid you in escaping with him. However, in exchange, I request your first born-child as the new Fifth Spirit."
"What!? My first child?"
Iduna then gasped in fear and looked off-screen as a mans voice declared.
"You! What have you done to the prince!"
"I didn't do anything!" declared Iduna. "Ahtohallan I agree!"
The memory then ended there, leaving Elsa and Anna stunned, before Anna now looked at Ahtohallan with anger.
"How could you!?"
"Mother was just a child!" declared Elsa. "In a very stressful situation. How in the world is that a valid agreement!?"
"I did not force Iduna's decision." answered Ahtohallan. "I presented the offer, she took it. Iduna then attempted to back out on the agreement, which ultimately led to her unfortunate fate. So as it stands, you Fifth Spirit, belong to me."
"Like hell I do!" declared Elsa. "I don't accept this!"
"Yeah!" added Anna. "You're not taking Elsa from me!"
"Taking?" questioned Ahtohallan. "You are mistaken."
"Don't try to weasel your way out of what you just said!" declared Elsa angrily as a frosty aura covered her.
"I'm with you Elsa!" added Anna, as her clenched fists were enveloped in fire.
However, before the sisters lose it, Silvia quickly walks in front of them and places a hand to their shoulder.
"Whoa! Whoa! Wait, just calm down for a moment you two. Ahtohallan may sound pretty jerkish, but it hasn't shown aggression. Maybe this can be salvaged without getting into a fight with an ancient, whose the source of your power."
"What's to salvage about being told you're the property of someone else!?" declared Elsa, before Ahtohallan tilted its head and commented...
"I'm sorry; we have a misunderstanding. It has been awhile since I've actually had a meaningful conversation with humans, so perhaps I've misspoke."
"Misspoke!?" gasped Elsa angrily, before Silvia turns to Ahtohallan and asks...
"We seriously need this cleared up. First, what exactly do you mean when you say Her Majesty's the Fifth Spirit? What does that require of her?"
However, Elsa quickly commented...
"I don't care if you just want a warm cup of my piss in the winter!"
The remark brought a curious glance from Anna, who placed her left hand to Elsa's shoulder.
"Ok, maybe dial it back a little Elsa."
"As the Fifth Spirit..." began Ahtohallan. "Not much is actually required of her beyond what she normally does. You will be a sort of 'bridge' between myself and Humans. I think you would call it... an ambassador?"
Both, Elsa and Anna, look puzzled...
"Ambassador?" questioned Elsa. "I'm a Queen!"
"Of a small kingdom." pointed out Ahtohallan, which prompted a twitch of the eye from Elsa.
"Watch it!"
"Wait..." stated Anna. "So all of this is just some sort of weird... spirity promotion!?"
"If you'd like to consider it that way, then yes." answered Ahtohallan.
"What the FUCK!?" gasped Elsa with confusion, before Anna asked...
"So Elsa's not trapped here or anything?"
"Of course not." answered Ahtohallan. "To be honest; I am unable to move and would like to see or experience more of the world and saw the opportunity with your mother."
"What!?" gasped Elsa.
Silvia then sighs and places a hand to her forehead.
"You're lonely, is that what you're telling us?"
"That... is a suitable expression." answered Ahtohallan.
Elsa's frosty aura then billows from her again and she angrily asks...
"So our parents died because you're LONELY!? Then you force a responsibility on me that I DIDN'T asked for! Give me one GOOD reason I shouldn't destroy you!"
"Well, you can't." answered Ahtohallan. "And if you somehow could, as the source of you and your sister's magic, it would cease to be."
"Like I give a fuck!" declared Elsa. "My magic isn't me!"
"So 'Sanna' means nothing to you?" asked Ahtohallan, which prompted hesitation in Elsa. "Curious that you would name your magic. That is beside the point however; I have two very good reasons for you to calm your anger and for me to make amends for what you have endured."
"What reason could you possibly give that-" replied Elsa, before she and Anna saw the floor open up to the left of Ahtohallan and saw the frozen bodies of Iduna and Agnarr rise up, frozen the same way Anna was.
All anger left Elsa and Anna as they looked on with shock, tears quickly streaming down their faces as they both hurried to their parents.
"Mother!?"
"Father!?"
Elsa, facing Agnarr, placed her trembling hands to her fathers chest, while Anna, lifted her own shaking hands to cup her mother's cheeks.
"I-Is this real!?" desperately asked Elsa.
"Yes." answered Ahtohallan. "While they are in-fact, dead; drowned, their fate was not intended. So I instructed Nokk to bring them to me shortly after their deaths to preserve them for this moment. With Anna's magic, not only can you two have your parents with you, but alive." added Ahtohallan, however, the comment prompted a curious look on Silvia's face.
"Wait, what? You can revive the dead, Your Highness?"
"They really were here!" declared Anna, before she hugged the frozen corpse of her mother. "And I can bring them back! They can be with us again!"
As happy as Elsa was, as she wanted to be, she closed her eyes with a frown as the tears continued streaming down her face.
"What's the catch?" asked Elsa, turning her teary gaze to Ahtohallan, which prompted a 'What?' from Anna as she pulled back from Iduna. "I refuse to believe you would just hand them back to us like that."
"I have a very simple and easy request of you two." replied Ahtohallan.
"Of course you do." muttered Elsa with a frown.
"What is it!?" eagerly asked Anna.
"You three are not the first ones here." stated Ahtohallan. "I have a human trapped deeper within me. I request that you kill them."
"What!"? Gasped Elsa and Anna, before Elsa added, "No! We're not doing that!"
"Really?" asked Ahtohallan. "You were willing to kill Nokk because he killed them, but you won't kill to have your parents returned and even return to life?"
Elsa and Anna, we're silent, the two nervously looking at their parents in front of them, however...
"I'll do it." announced Silvia. "No reason to dirty their hands, they've been through enough."
"Silvia..." commented Anna with surprise.
"No..." stated Elsa. "We can't have you do that for us."
"It must be the Fifth Spirit and her sister." clarified Ahtohallan.
"Is this person bad?" asked Anna.
"Anna!" gasped Elsa.
"The memories of this human contained a malevolent entity that calls itself Zhan Tiri." stated Ahtohallan. "The memory has manipulated it's host into stealing a small fraction of my power."
"Zhan Tiri?" questioned Anna. "Isn't that the name of that evil sorceress Rapunzel told us about?" she added, looking to Elsa.
"Yeah..." replied Elsa, before looking to Ahtohallan. "The human, is it a woman named Cassandra?"
"Yes." answered Ahtohallan. "Killing the host will eliminate Zhan Tiri's presence and the host body must be removed. The task is quite simple, you're combined power dwarfs the power of the host."
"Simple, you say..." muttered Elsa, before Anna commented.
"If Cassandra's in trouble, we have to help her."
"Yeah, but I don't want to kill her." replied Elsa, though Ahtohallan comments.
"You can simply revive the host once you leave, I fail to see the dilemma."
"You still expect us to take a life!" declared Elsa.
"You lose nothing though." replied Ahtohallan. "You rescue someone you know and get your parents back."
"We'd lose a part of ourselves." stated Elsa. "There has to be an alternative that doesn't involve killing."
"How about knocking her out?" offered Anna. "If she's unconscious, we can take her away still alive. If she's not here, then Cassandra should return to normal, right?"
Ahtohallan pauses briefly, before answering...
"That is possible, but an unnecessary risk. Would you take responsibility for the hosts actions if it doesn't return to normal?"
"Yes." answered Elsa and Anna, before Silvia spoke up.
"Wait a minute; Something isn't adding up here. A lone human invades this place, which supposedly doesn't even appear if you don't want to be seen."
"Untrue." stated Ahtohallan. "My location is not hidden, just far away."
"Ok, but still..." continued Silvia. "How does a lone Human even come here when at least two times, Nokk sinks an entire ship and nearly kills someone who YOU were calling to come here?"
"Yeah!" declared Anna.
"Nokk did not see a lone human with no magic as worth the effort to attack." answered Ahtohallan, which prompted Elsa to narrow her eyes are Ahtohallan.
"So he'll attack a ship of people; someone you CALLED, but not a lone person, because it wasn't worth his time!?"
"That is what happened, yes." answered Ahtohallan.
"Nokk is an asshole!" declared Elsa.
"He is water." stated Ahtohallan, which prompted a confused stare from Elsa and Anna, though Anna snorted back a giggle, before she commented...
"Heh, anyway, what about my offer? Knock Cassandra out."
"You're taking a bigger risk with your suggestion." stated Ahtohallan. "Mine is much simpler and safer." it added, before Silvia asked...
"Wait, why haven't you killed this human if it's such a problem?"
"I saw no need." answered Ahtohallan. "Without my aid, they are trapped." it added, before Elsa asked...
"How long exactly has Cassandra been here?"
"A couple months of your time." answered Ahtohallan.
"What!?" gasped Elsa and Anna, who added, "How has she been alive all this time then!?"
"She has picked up the magic she has gained surprisingly well." stated Ahtohallan. "She has learned to go into a hibernated state."
"Whoa." stated Anna. "Well, Rapunzel did say she had the Moonstone, so she's familiar with magic."
"What kind of magic does Cassandra have?" asked Elsa.
"Yours." answered Ahtohallan.
"M-Mine?" asked Elsa.
"Yes. She is not as strong as you though."
"Wow." commented Anna with a smile. "Maybe you could learn a few tricks Elsa. Cassandra is a trained guard after all."
"Really?" muttered Elsa.
"Hey, I'm just trying to see the good in this aside from fighting one of Rapunzel's friends."
Elsa said nothing, before Ahtohallan comments...
"I will accept your suggestion. Kill OR otherwise incapacitate Zhan Tiri's host and I will return your parents to you."
Elsa narrowed her eyes at Ahtohallan and stated...
"Any other catches or small print you want to mention before we do this?"
"No, there are other matters to discuss, but we'll get to that afterwards; one thing at a time." replied Ahtohallan, before stepping aside, allowing them unhindered access to the corridor ahead of them.
Elsa and Anna briefly look to each other with concern, before sighing and looking at their frozen parents and Elsa looked to Ahtohallan.
"This better not being a trap or I swear I'll find some way to destroy you."
"I can assure you, Fifth Spirit, I mean you no harm. I have an interest in your well-being." answered Ahtohallan, before Elsa, Anna and Silvia were all confused when Ahtohallan made an odd twitchy expression with its borrowed face of Iduna.
"A-Are you..." began Anna looking oddly at Ahtohallan. "Trying to smile?"
"Yes, is it working?" asked Ahtohallan, the expression was less of a smile and more, simply revealing it's icy teeth.
"Uh..." stated Elsa. "Keep practicing."
"Y-Yeah..." replied Anna, with a nervous smile of her own. "You have all these smiling memories for examples."
"I see." replied Ahtohallan as it's face relaxed. "It has been some time since I've had human interaction."
"Uh-huh..." replied Elsa, before she, Anna and Silvia walked into the corridor.
Ahtohallan briefly watched them depart, before turning to the frozen corpses of Iduna and Agnarr.
"I do hope they put on a good show for me."
Just seconds into walking into the corridor, Anna commented...
"Well, Ahtohallan seems... odd."
"I don't trust it." stated Elsa.
"You think it's lying?" Asked Anna. "It's offering us our parents."
"That's just it, it knows we want our parents..." replied Elsa. "That we'd do just about anything to get them back and possibly even alive now!" she added, before sighing. "It just feels like we're being strung along and I don't like it one bit!"
"And what if Ahtohallan is telling the truth?" asked Anna. "What if it is just lonely, seeking attention? We do this, save Cassandra, Ahtohallan gives up our parents and we're free to leave?" she added, before Elsa sighed.
"I dunno, it still seems like we're being played in either scenario. What about you Silvia; what's your take on Ahtohallan?"
"Well..." stated Silvia. "Ahtohallan's behavior isn't that unusual in my experience. Ancients like Ahtohallan can come off rather eccentric; You live as long as they do and you can expect a dozen or so screws being loose or missing entirely. The four spirits are likely Ahtohallan's attempt for companionship, but that's like a child having imaginary friends; not much real interaction happening there."
"Wow..." stated Anna. "When you put it that way, it's kinda sad." she added, before Elsa gave a dismissive huff.
"Save your sympathy until the truth comes-"
Elsa stopped when they turned a small bend to the right and saw the back of their grandfather and his guard, before King Runeard spoke.
"You see the dam will weaken their lands, so they will have to turn to me."
"What?" commented Anna. "How?" she added, before Silvia suggested...
"Maybe Nokk didn't like a big wall in its river."
"Fuck Nokk." muttered Elsa.
Just moments later, following a slight left bend, although loosing sight of the memory of their grandfather, all three gave a small gasp as the corridor came to a sudden end at a ledge leading to an empty blackness.
However, the emptiness was soon filled as the image of a large dam appeared before them, looking from above as to their left, a crowd of Northuldra walked towards the image of the dam, while to their right, Arendelle soldiers.
Then the voice of King Runeard spoke...
"They will come in celebration; and then, we will know their size and strength."
"T-The dam..." commented Anna in disbelief, as she took Elsa's hand, who squeezed it in return. "It... was a trap?"
"Grandfather planned this." muttered Elsa, closing her eyes with a frown.
"But why!?" asked Anna. "You can't just build a dam overnight! It takes planning and resources and TIME!"
"I don't know." replied Elsa, gazing at the scene in front of them, as their grandfather spoke...
"As you have welcomed us, we welcome you. Our neighbors, our friends."
"Arendelle is responsible for the fighting." stated Elsa with a frown, before Silvia asked...
"Are you going to tell the Northuldra?"
"Of course, they deserve to know." answered Elsa. "I have to make this right."
"WE, will make this right." pointed out Anna, which prompted Elsa to look towards Anna with a smile.
"Right. Trust and honesty is the core of any relationship."
"So..." added Anna, looking over the ledge into the void. "I'm guessing we go down?"
Elsa the extending her free hand out over the ledge and created a large square platform.
"I guess so." replied Elsa, before she, followed by Anna, stepped onto the platform, joined by Silvia, before they slowly began to descend.
After just a few moments into their decent, seeing nothing in the blackness surrounding them, Anna spoke.
"This is getting pretty creepy."
"I agree." added Elsa. "This is feeling more and more like a trap."
"So who is this Cassandra?" asked Silvia, before Anna answered...
"One of Rapunzel's friends who went on that adventure I mentioned. Cassandra is Rapunzel's handmaid, but she's also a trained fighter. She ending up getting involved with Zhan Tiri and betrayed Rapunzel. There's some personal stuff Rapunzel mentioned so I won't say any of that, but in the end, everything worked out and Cassandra was able to work with Rapunzel and beat Zhan Tiri; they made up and Cassandra went off to find her own adventure."
"Huh... interesting." replied Silvia, before she saw Elsa look over the edge of the platform and created a glowing snowflake and send it down, before Elsa stated...
"The ground isn't too far. Silvia, do you know Zhan Tiri?"
"I knew of her." answered Silvia. "Just some nut-job sorceress who was apparently obsessed with a pair of stones and got herself banished for a few hundred years. I heard mention of her demise, but I didn't care enough to look into it. Seems it was true though, good riddance. Didn't even know she had returned."
Moments later, near the bottom, the trio all looked on in surprise when the void was filled, with trees.
"This, is the forest." stated Anna, following the platform touching the bottom and she, Elsa and Silvia stepping off.
Seconds into leaving the platform, a crowd of Northuldra and Arendelle citizens appeared in front of them, all happily mingled together in a large circle laughing and enjoying their company with Arendelle guards riding reindeer running within the circle.
"This must be the gathering Mattias mentioned." commented Elsa.
However, a few seconds more of the sight, Anna noticed something unusual as she felt a chilly shiver and saw Silvia feel the same, rubbing her bare arms and was curious that they just now began to feel a chill, particularly Silvia given her rather light clothing, but even more curious, Anna saw Elsa's breath.
"Elsa, your breath!" stated Anna.
"Huh?" replied Elsa as she turned to face her.
"I can see your breath."
Elsa then seemed to realize it and a small gasp left her as a frosty cloud left her mouth.
"This is a first." commented Elsa, waving her right hand through the cloud of her breath.
"Do you feel ok?" asked Anna. "Do you feel cold?"
"No, I feel fine." answered Elsa. "What about you?"
"I feel a bit of a chill, but I'm fine." answered Anna. "What about you Silvia? You're not exactly dressed for this."
"I'll be fine." replied Silvia. "A bit of cold won't bother me. Any deeper may be a problem though."
"This is worrying though." stated Anna. "If it's so cold down here that Elsa's starting to be affected, how did Cassandra survive?"
"Seems like more evidence that we're being played." stated Elsa with a frown.
However, the trio soon saw a lone Northuldra man, with his back to them, kneel; appearing to pray or meditate, before a small gasp left Elsa and Anna when their Grandfather walked by them from behind, drew his sword and rushed towards the kneeling man.
"Grandfather stop!" declared Elsa, reflexively firing her magic at King Runeard to halt him, it did nothing but disperse the memory; though they did see the Northuldra man turn around and gasp before the memory was gone, along with the crowd.
"H-He..." stated Anna, in open-mouthed shock. "Killed him!"
"He murdered him." muttered Elsa angrily. "He had no weapon; he wasn't even a threat. The Northuldra welcomed him!"
While the memory in front of them was interrupted, the group soon heard a mans voice behind them.
"King Runeard! What is the meaning of this!"
Spinning around, they saw the same scene; now maybe moments later, the Northuldra man on his feet, holding King Runeard's sword at bay by grabbing at his hands, holding back King Runeard's attempt at an overhead strike.
However, the trio then saw another Northuldra man and an Arendelle soldier appear a dozen or so paces away with shock on their faces.
"Your Majesty!?" gasped the Soldier.
"What is going on!?" gasped the Northuldra.
"He attacked me!" declared Runeard.
"Lies!" gasped the older Northuldra in shock. "I'm defending myself!"
Elsa and Anna then gasped in horror when King Runeard lifted his knee into the Northuldra man's gut and wrenched free of his hold and drove the sword into the mans stomach.
"NO!" declared the watching Northuldra and Arendelle soldier.
A small, shocked crowd quickly appeared, as King Runeard pulled his sword from the Northuldra and he slumped to the ground.
"Kill them all!" declared Runeard. "Every last man, woman and child!"
"Why Your Majesty!?" declared the Arendelle Soldier, before the Northuldra yelled...
"You traitor!"
Before charging at King Runeard, though the Arendelle soldier held him back.
"There has to be a reason for this!"
Elsa and Anna gasped again when an arrow suddenly pierced their Grandfather's chest, staggering him back to one knee, however he quickly pulled the arrow free before another arrow struck him in chest again seconds later, before a woman's voice was heard yelling...
"Arendelle has betrayed us!"
However, frozen in shock at what they had just witnessed, Elsa and Anna were not given the opportunity to process what they just saw. A figure then lands near silently in front of them where their grandfather was, dispersing the memory. The mystery person's arrival prompted a confused look on Silvia's face as she briefly looked up.
"Did they just come from above? I swear I heard Ahtohallan say they were trapped here."
"It's you who are trapped here." stated the figure, clearly a woman's voice as she rose to her feet, wearing what appeared to be a shimmering green version of what Elsa wore under her coat, covering her hands as well and had shoulder-length black hair and a rather intimidating glow to her eyes as she looked at the three. "So there's three of you?"
"I'm just a spectator." replied Silvia, backing away. "This isn't my fight, unfortunately."
"Yet here you are, with them." stated the woman, before Elsa and Anna gasped as the woman quickly created an ice sword in her right hand. "I agreed to a one on one; although your two friends there don't look like fighters, I won't let appearances fool me. I've been itching for an actual fight!" she added, before quickly assuming a ready stance with a grin.
"Whoa! Whoa!" gasped Anna as she and Elsa backed away. "What do you mean one on one!?"
Elsa and Anna then gasped again when the only further response they received was a thrust of the woman's left hand upward and a row of large ice spikes come shooting up through the ground at them, prompting Elsa and Anna to dive opposite directions as the spikes separated them.
Elsa managed to roll into a crouched position in time to see their attacker launched into the air from a pillar of ice under them; however, they weren't aiming for her as the woman drew back her sword and disappeared behind the wall of spikes.
"No-No-No-No!" gasped Elsa ans she scrambled to her feet, before her whole body when numb as she heard Anna scream.
"ANNA!"
Diving away from the icy spikes, Anna was not as graceful in her recovery, before she rolled onto her back and quickly turned her attention on her attacker and Anna gasped in fear as the woman's glowing eyes locked on hers and saw her propel herself into the air towards her, sword drawn.
It all was happening so quick, Anna's mind went blank as she froze up, death just moments away; she wasn't a fighter, she couldn't properly defend herself against a trained soldier; Anna did the only thing she naturally could in the fateful moment, cowering away in the fetal position, covering her face in her arm as she screamed in terror.
However, Anna heard the woman land over her and another gasp left her as she tense in fearful expectation, but... there was no pain. She'd never been stabbed before, but Anna was quite sure it hurt. Trembling in fear, Anna moved her arms aside and turned her fearful gaze to the woman looming over her and another fearful gasp left her as she saw the ice sword pointed down at her face, so close Anna could feel the chill emanating from its frosty edge as the woman stood over her.
The woman however, gave her a curious look; the glow in her eyes fading and narrowing her eyes at her and a slight tilt of her head.
"You're... terrified." stated the woman. "You've never been in an actual battle, have you?"
"N-n-n-n-n-no." stuttered out Anna.
The two then heard an angered yell of Anna's name from behind the spiked wall, before the wall was suddenly shattered in a spray of icy debris to Elsa's left and right, whose tears streamed down her face, though she clearly looked shocked when she saw Anna alive.
"You're alive!"
However, seeing the woman pointing the blade down at Anna, anger quickly came to Elsa's face.
"Get away from her!" declared Elsa, before firing a blast of magic and successfully disarming the woman as the sword was knocked from her hand and skittered away on the floor.
Elsa quickly followed with charging at their attacker, intent to punch them with her left fist.
However, Anna saw the woman easily dodge the strike, and counter with a knee to Elsa's stomach, dropping Elsa to one knee gasping for breath, before the woman followed with right hook to Elsa's face, dropping her to the floor as Anna gasped out her name and crawled over to her side, seeing Elsa clearly dazed, but conscious.
"Yeah..." stated the woman with clear disappointment in her voice and her hands on her hips as Elsa lifts herself to her hands and knees, shaking her head and lifted her left hand over her stomach. "You two clearly aren't fighters."
However, the woman is surprised when Elsa looked at her and quickly sat up and aimed both hands towards her and launched her away with a blast of magic and Anna quickly used the brief break to heal Elsa's injury to her face.
Shortly after the woman lands and rolls to a stop, she lifted herself to her hands and knees with a chuckle.
"Well, well, looks like someone has some fight in them! This won't be as boring as I thought!"
Seeing the woman get to her feet and reform her sword, Anna gets to hers in front of Elsa as her glass coat swifts into a sword into her right hand and holds it both hands, fearfully looking at the woman. Elsa however saw that Anna was clearly terrified, the sword trembling in her hold, mimicking the shaking of her body.
"We're going to save you Cassandra!" declared Anna.
"Yeah." added Elsa, getting to her feet to Anna's right. "We don't blame you for this."
"What?" questioned Cassandra. "Save me? From what, Ahtohallan's guardian? You three are the trespassers here!"
"What?" questioned Anna. "No, we were called here; well, Elsa was."
"We're here to free you from Zhan Tiri." added Elsa.
"Zhan Tiri's dead!" declared Cassandra. "But I guess some of her followers didn't get the message."
"We're not her followers." stated Anna. "You're being manipulated by Zhan Tiri's memory."
"What!?" gasped Cassandra. "That sorceress has already been dealt with, I'm not dumb enough to fall for that again. You're the ones being manipulated!"
"No, you are!" stated Elsa.
However, the stalemate was interrupted with a clapping and they all look to see Silvia clapping as she walked to Elsa and Anna's side.
"Ohhhh man oh man... This was good!"
"What are you talking about?" asked Anna.
"We've all been played!" stated Silvia, before she looked upward. "Ahtohallan, you're little scheme has failed."
"What!?" gasped Elsa, before Cassandra asked...
"You all meet Ahtohallan? You're not here to steal its power?"
"Steal it's power?" questioned Anna.
"I don't even WANT its power!" declared Elsa. "I just wanted my parents." she added, before groaning in anger. "Which Ahtohallan is holding hostage to make us fight you! I'm done being its puppet!" she added, before recreating the icy platform and stepping onto it, joined by Anna after she shifted her sword back into her coat and Silvia, before Anna spoke to Cassandra.
"Come on Cassandra."
"You want me to come with you?"
"Yeah." replied Elsa, before offering her left hand towards Cassandra. "I'm sure you'd like to have some words with Ahtohallan as well."
"Yes, I would." replied Cassandra, before she relaxed and stood up straight and her sword dispersed into a flurry of snow, before walking towards the group, briefly looking over the platform, before stepping onto it, standing in front of Elsa, before the platform quickly rose.
The return trip up was a little awkward for Anna as she saw Cassandra eyeing herself and Elsa, likely still wary of them, so Anna decided to break the tension.
"So, Cassandra... How did you end up here?"
The questioned prompted a heavy sigh from Cassandra, averting her gaze and turning her head away with a hand on her hip.
"Chasing a dream I can't have, which ended up making me a fool, again."
"Oh..." replied Anna, before Cassandra looks to them and asked...
"How do you two know me?"
"Rapunzel has talked about you in her stories!" answered Anna with a smile, which prompted another sigh from Cassandra, but also a little smile.
"Of course you know Raps..."
Elsa and Anna then noticed Cassandra's little smile grow and a near miss-able blush rise on her cheeks as she averted her gaze.
"How's she doing?" asked Cassandra.
"Good." replied Anna. "She visited on Elsa's Coronation and told us all about your adventures!" she added, which prompted a chuckle from Cassandra.
"That certainly sounds like Raps." replied Cassandra. "She loves to talk and is friendly with everyone. Heh, did she bring- wait, coronation?"
"Yeah." replied Anna, before placing her right hand to Elsa's left shoulder. "Elsa, my sister; is Queen of Arendelle; and I'm Anna, the Princess."
"T-The Queen, and Princess, of Arendelle!?" gasped Cassandra, before placing her hands over her face with a groan. "This is right up there with one of the worse days of my life! I'm so sorry for attacking you!" She added, before kneeling.
"It's not your fault." stated Elsa. "You were manipulated into doing it, as well as us."
"Yeah." replied Anna, before offering her hand to Cassandra, who takes it and stands. "The worse was avoided. No need for the formalities either; A friend of Rapunzel is a friend of ours!"
Cassandra was then clearly surprised when Anna hugs her.
"F-Friend? Just like that?" asked Cassandra. "I nearly killed you five minutes ago."
"But you didn't." replied Anna with a smile as she pulled back and Cassandra chuckled and shook her head.
"You remind me of Raps."
Anna simply smiled, before Silvia reached her right hand to Cassandra.
"And I'm Silvia, a friendly Succubus and a friend of these two."
"A Succubus?" questioned Cassandra, reaching out her hand to take Silvia's. "Like, a demon?"
"Yep, a demon of sex and desire." answered Silvia with a grin.
Cassandra's gaze briefly darted down to Silvia's chest, before she pulled back her hand with a nervous chuckle.
"Right..."
"You must've been so lonely here." stated Silvia with a grin. "If you need the touch of another-"
"So..." stated Elsa, cutting Silvia off as Cassandra's eyes widened and her face reddened from Silvia's implication. "Have you been living here in this place?"
"Nope." answered Cassandra, her eyes darting to Silvia a couple of times. "There's a nearby cave in the mountains that leads here, I've been living there. Not much to hunt inside this glacier."
"Wait." stated Anna. "You don't live here in Ahtohallan, but in the mountains?"
"A cave in the mountains, yeah, it's close." replied Cassandra with a smile. "Pretty cozy actually; snow makes a pretty comfortable bed when you can control it and aren't affected by the cold. I've enjoyed roaming around and living off the land." she added, before Elsa commented...
"Ahtohallan said it trapped you here after you stole some of its power."
"What!?" gasped Cassandra with a chuckle. "STOLE it's power? It GAVE me the power."
"What!?" gasped Elsa and Anna.
"Yeah. After coming here, it took the form of Rapunzel and said how impressed it was that I made it here and offered me a deal; It would give me power in exchange for protecting it from a future invasion a couple months from then. If I could successfully defend it, the power would be mine to keep."
The reveal prompted a frown on Elsa's face.
"That motherfucker! Was ANYTHING it said true!?"
Anna then asked Cassandra...
"So, can you use your powers to go into hibernation?"
"Hehehe, what?" laughed Cassandra. "Like a bear? No, I can't hibernate. Ahtohallan told you that?"
Shortly after the group reached the ledge they descended from, Elsa quickly left the platform and sprinted up the corridor, immediately followed by Anna, Silvia and Cassandra.
Upon returning to the memory room, aside from Cassandra's clear surprise from all the frozen memories still present, Elsa saw Ahtohallan, or at least the form that it took of Queen Iduna, still standing where they left it, with the frozen corpses of Iduna and Agnarr behind it.
"You surprise me." stated Ahtohallan. "I did not expect this particular outcome."
Following a swift wave of Elsa's left hand, the Iduna replica shatters.
"Sorry, didn't expect THAT to happen!" declared Elsa angrily.
Shortly after, the shattered remains of the replica swirled into the image of a short-haired Rapunzel. However, Ahtohallan only got as far as "I" before a frown came to Cassandra's face and quickly rose her right hand and an icy spike shot up from under the replica, splitting it in two.
"Ok, ok..." replied Anna with a smile. "We're all kinda mad, but let's get some answers first; THEN we can let out our frustrations."
Ahtohallan then reformed in the image of an unfamiliar man, but Ahtohallan couldn't even get a word out before Silvia quickly shot a black mass of magic at the replica, disintegrating with a scowl, before she glanced to the others and gave a nervous chuckle.
"Oops, sorry." replied Silvia.
"I'm not even sure we can trust-" stated Elsa with a frown, before all four were surprise and unsettled when all the random, still memories turned their heads towards them.
"Ok..." replied Cassandra. "That's not creepy at all."
Anna gave a nervous chuckle before the replica's all spoke in unison, with the same eerie calmness.
"I do not mind the destruction of the replica's, but you are making it difficult for me to explain myself."
Despite the unsettling event, Elsa angrily declared...
"Return our parents! Or so help me, I'll destroy this entire glacier to kill you!"
Then, to the surprise of Elsa and Anna, the frozen bodies of Iduna and Agnarr floated to them without a word of reply from Ahtohallan.
"Well..." stated Anna. "That was rather painless."
Seconds later, a replica of King Agnarr walked up to the group.
"I never intended to keep your parents." revealed Ahtohallan. "I would have returned them regardless of the fight's outcome."
"Really!?" asked Elsa with a scowl. "And what if we would've been killed!?"
"I would've intervened in the event that you were unable to complete the task." answered Ahtohallan, before Cassandra then angrily commented...
"Oh, so I'm the expendable one!?"
"No."
"Is this some sort of game to you!?" asked Cassandra.
"Entertainment, yes." answered Ahtohallan, whom was promptly destroyed yet again by Elsa, however Cassandra also attempted it, but her icy spike shot up after the replica had been shattered and Silvia commented...
"Well you two are on the same page."
However, once again, Ahtohallan reappeared, wearing the form of Young Iduna in her Northuldra clothing as it walked up to the group, Anna though took a few steps towards Ahtohallan and asked with a sigh...
"Why do all this?"
"Boredom." answered Ahtohallan, whom is destroyed yet again by Elsa.
"You play with our lives to cure your BOREDOM!?"
"Elsa..." commented Anna with concern as she returned to Elsa's side and placed her left hand to Elsa's right shoulder. "Try to keep it together."
"It's get'n real hard!" replied Elsa through clenched teeth.
"I know, but just try." stated Anna. "I'm not exactly happy with what it's been saying either, but we can't all lose it, we won't get anywhere."
"Fine..." replied Elsa, before she took a slow deep breath and exhale.
"And you Cassandra?" asked Anna, looking to Cassandra standing to Elsa's left, whom simply sighed and crossed her arms over her chest.
Ahtohallan then reappeared wearing an Anna replica, a mirror image, which prompted a frown from Anna.
"Ok, that's just..."
"I have existed for a very, very, very long time." spoke Ahtohallan. "But I'm unable to move and have very little to no contact with humans such as this. I greatly desire it; so when Iduna called to me, I saw an opportunity to have potential human contact in the future, you." added Ahtohallan, ending its statement looking directly at Elsa, whose left eye twitches, though Anna took a step towards Ahtohallan with a curious expression on her face.
"So... you're actually lonely?"
Elsa however suddenly yelled...
"YOU'RE LONELINESS FUCKED UP OUR LIFE!"
"I apologize that I didn't make my agreement with Iduna clearer in its intent." replied Ahtohallan. "But I am not the cause of your troubled childhood, that falls on your parents."
"How dare you!" muttered Elsa, followed by Anna exclaiming a 'What!?' as well, while her fist emanated her magic, However, Elsa quickly rose her left hand towards Ahtohallan, but the replica didn't shatter as Elsa frowned with a twitch of her left eye. "Change to a different person!" demanded Elsa.
Ahtohallan raised a brow at the demand.
"It seem's you have trouble destroying this form. So for the sake of allowing you to listen, I will not." replied Ahtohallan.
"Fuck you!" muttered Elsa as she lowered her hand, then Ahtohallan added...
"Your mother is Northuldra; a people who live with magic, yet she never mentioned it to you. She did not need to expose her past to let you know she is familiar with magic. Perhaps if she didn't die, she would've admitted the truth. I will admit I share some blame in the broader events, but Iduna is not innocent either."
Elsa and Anna are both silent at the statement, there was truth in what it said, as hard as it was to hear. Silvia then asked...
"What about the mist?"
"Insurance that Iduna honored the deal." answered Ahtohallan. "But it seems she was willing to abandon her people."
Silvia then whistled with a smirk.
"Well, well, seems like the prince worked a little magic of his own!"
Elsa however, quickly walked in front of Silvia and slaps her.
"I don't care what you are; You won't speak of my father like that!" declared Elsa angrily.
Silvia though smirks with a twitch of her right eye and lifted a hand to her reddened cheek, before she took a calming breath.
"Ok, ok... I was out of line; I apologize."
Elsa scowls at Silvia, before Ahtohallan spoke...
"I have removed the mist."
"Just like that?" asked Anna curiously, also joined by Elsa as she turned to look at Ahtohallan. "You're just, removing it?"
"It is removed." stated Ahtohallan. "Everyone is free to leave. Upon leaving the glacier, Silvia's portals will be free to use again. Before you all leave though, I have a request of the Fifth Spirit." it added, before Elsa angrily declared...
"Fuck you and your Fifth Spirit bullshit!"
"Grant my request and I will no longer bother you." offered Ahtohallan. "You can leave and never come back."
Elsa eyes Ahtohallan with a frown.
"You'll leave me and my family alone?"
"Yes."
"Fine." replied Elsa, crossing her arms over her chest. "What's the request?"
"I would like you to move me closer to the forest." requested Ahtohallan.
The request prompted surprised looks on Elsa and Anna's faces, the two sharing a confused look, before Elsa turned her gaze back to Ahtohallan and gave a little chuckle, before her smile faded...
"You're serious?"
"Yes."
"Let me get this straight; You want me, to move you; an island-size glacier, across the sea. What make you think I can even DO that!?"
"You're far stronger than you think." replied Ahtohallan. "Anna too." it added, which prompted a smile on Anna's face who asked...
"Really?"
"Yes." answered Ahtohallan. "It is obvious I've gone far too long without face-to-face human contact; But I am so far from them, they cannot reach me or even know where I am. The Northuldra only suspect I exist."
"You want a friend!" declared Anna with a smile.
"If I can be so lucky. I will settle for simple interaction." replied Ahtohallan, before Elsa gave a heavy sigh.
"Fine! I'll do this, then we're done!"
"Thank you." replied Ahtohallan.
Elsa starts to walk by Ahtohallan, before Anna quickly grabs her hand to stop her.
"Hey wait. Since everything seems to be working out. There's still some questions I'd like to ask." commented Anna, before Cassandra spoke up.
"I also have a request of my own."
Elsa sighs again and replies...
"Fine."
"Firstly." started Anna, looking to Ahtohallan. "What about the Dam? Our grandfather built it as a trap."
"What of it?" asked Ahtohallan.
"Are you ok with it being there?" asked Anna.
"It does not bother me." Answered Ahtohallan. "It does function as a bridge after-all. Nokk doesn't care for it but-"
"Fuck Nokk!" declared Elsa, before Ahtohallan continued...
"Should it simply be destroyed however, the wave of water would travel down to your kingdom."
Elsa and Anna's faces then went pale from the news, before Ahtohallan added...
"You can dismantle the dam if you like, and Nokk will aid you in preventing a massive wave; but given the dam functions as a bridge as well, you may want to keep that part, either with the spirits help or with your own power."
"So..." started Elsa. "You could've destroyed Arendelle at any time?"
"Why would I?" asked Ahtohallan. "I have no desire to do that."
"But still..." commented Anna, before Elsa added...
"I think I'll have the dam removed and keep the bridge."
"So..." started Anna, looking to Cassandra. "What did you want to ask, Cassandra."
"I can wait until you two are done."
"We can take turns." offered Anna. "There's no rush."
"Ok then..." replied Cassandra, before walking in front of Ahtohallan. "Ahtohallan, I want you take back your magic you gave me."
"Why?" asked Ahtohallan.
Cassandra cringes briefly, before replying...
"I don't have a good track record with magic."
"You stole magic that was not meant for you." stated Ahtohallan.
The group then see a new memory appear to their right; A long-haired Rapunzel reaching out to a stone, before Cassandra suddenly grabs it, however, the memory is suddenly impaled with multiple icy spikes.
"I don't need to be reminded of what happened!" declared Cassandra, with a hand over her face.
"You were given this power." stated Ahtohallan. "Accept it as a sign of my apology for my deception."
"I don't want power out of pity!" replied Cassandra, clearly irked and crossing her arms over her chest. "It's not even unique; No offense, Your Majesty."
"None taken." replied Elsa. "I'm happy to meet more people with magic, even if they have similar powers." she added, before Ahtohallan responded...
"I have not given you power out of pity."
"Whatever." stated Cassandra. "Just take it back."
"No." replied Ahtohallan.
"Why!?" asked Cassandra angrily. "I don't want this power!"
"You have the option not to use the power." replied Ahtohallan.
"Then take it back!"
Silvia then hums, before commenting...
"It's not that it won't, but rather, it can't."
The comment prompted a surprised look from all three to Silvia, then Ahtohallan, before Silvia added...
"Ahtohallan can grant power, but it can't revoke it; Am I right?"
"You are correct." answered Ahtohallan.
"What!?" gasped Cassandra. "So I'm stuck with this!?"
"For what it's worth..." stated Ahtohallan. "You're magic is weak, weaker than the Fifth Spirit's, so you-"
"Stop calling me that!" Interrupted Elsa, however, Cassandra smirks and chuckles.
"Well that's just stupid; I'm weaker, but I could beat your 'Chosen One' here in a fight."
"Excuuuse you!?" gasped Elsa, turning to face Cassandra. "I got the last hit!"
"You just pushed me away." teased Cassandra. "I had you both at the start and only backed off once I realized neither of you were soldiers or have experience fighting."
"I don't need to be a solider to beat you!" declared Elsa.
"Hey, hey..." stated Anna with a nervous chuckle, before Cassandra smirks.
"Care to put your magic where your mouth is, Your Majesty? A friendly spar."
"Challenge accepted!" answered Elsa.
"Whoa! Whoa!" stated Anna, grabbing Elsa's shoulder. "Just calm down Elsa."
"What? You don't think I can take her?" asked Elsa.
"No, no, I didn't say that! But Cassandra has training and skill; and you..." replied Anna, as she hesitated to finish. "... Don't."
Elsa simply groaned a shrugged away Anna's hand.
"I need to punch something that won't crumble."
To be continued...
Fun fact: The initial 'fight' with Cassandra was meant to be THE fight of the Ahtohallan section, where Cassandra was actually manipulated by the memory of Zhan Tiri and the fight was much more dangerous with Anna even dying at one point, even losing a limb or two, possibly even Elsa dying as well. Even a weakened decay song being used by Cassandra. But during the planning of the encounter, I figured it was going in too dark of a direction I really didn't want to go with. I liked it, but I just didn't feel it was the right direction to go. So I just made the initial idea all a lie from Ahtohallan.
