*Author's Note*: The name of the story is "Frozen 2.5" but the site doesn't allow periods in titles for some reason. There are original illustrations that go along with each chapter of this story, however I'm unable to add images to chapters. If you want the full story experience, I recommend reading the pdf version of the story, which is available on my blog here (replace |dot| with "."): yumeka36|dot|tumblr|dot|com/648209143723917312/frozen-25-complete-edition
"You can do it, Hubert."
Elsa patted the rocky arm of the earth giant as he timidly poked his head out from behind the cluster of trees he was hiding behind. With a few nervous grunts, he followed her to a nearby clearing where Nokk stood. Bruni was perched on Nokk's back, watching the scene with quizzical tilts to his head. Hubert scratched the bottom of his moss-covered chin with his stubby finger, then lurched his head from side to side.
"I know you want to go home." Elsa's voice was gentle as she caressed his arm. "But we're going to need all the help we can get."
Hubert regarded her for a minute, the indentations of his face showing an expression of puzzlement. Finally, he nodded. His massive chin made a thudding sound as it hit his neck.
"Are you ready?"
Elsa turned and saw Kristoff and Sven approaching them. Her gaze fell to the sheathed sword at Kristoff's side.
"Yes, we're all here," she replied, still eyeing the sheath. "I can see you're ready, too."
Kristoff noticed where she was looking and put his hand on the sheath. "Oh, yeah, we can't be too careful. Hopefully I won't have to use it." He looked behind Elsa and saw Hubert frowning at a cluster of flowers he had inadvertently stepped on. He brought a giant hand under the wilting stems in an attempt to stand them up.
"Are you sure you don't want to bring the other earth giants?" Kristoff asked, watching Hubert carefully rub his finger on the scattered flower petals. "I know Hubert is strong, but he's not exactly…threatening."
"I thought about it," Elsa replied. "But the others are too big. I couldn't risk them crushing people if things get out of hand in Dyrankia."
Kristoff nodded. "I guess that makes sense."
Nokk trotted over to Elsa with a proud gait, his head held high. Bruni jumped off of Nokk and landed on Elsa's shoulder. He blinked up at her and gave a confident chirp. A gust of wind suddenly rushed by, causing the crystals on the hem of Elsa's dress to billow and flicker in the early morning sunlight. The flower petals swirled around Hubert's bemused face before floating back to the ground. Elsa knew that Gale was showing her support.
"The spirits are all here." Elsa held out her hand as Gale's wind tickled her fingertips. She turned to Kristoff, her expression growing serious. "Is everyone else ready?"
"They were almost ready when I last checked. Anna asked me to make sure everything was okay with you and the spirits." Kristoff paused. His face became somber as he stared at Elsa. "Are you sure your injury is better?"
"Don't worry, it's fine." Seeing that Kristoff wasn't thoroughly convinced, Elsa patted her waist. "It doesn't hurt at all now. Not even a scar. Clyde's medicine really is amazing."
"Alright, I'll let Anna and the others know that you're ready. We'll meet you here in a bit." He climbed onto Sven's back and turned to leave, then stopped suddenly. He faced her again, but hesitated. His mouth opened slightly as if he wanted to say more.
"Is something wrong?" Elsa asked.
Kristoff paused before replying. A hint of guilt was forming in his expression. "You're not going to…try to do this on your own, right? You'll still be here when we get back?"
"Of course I will." Elsa wasn't sure whether to feel flattered by Kristoff's fretting or insulted that he would think she would go back on the plan they had made. "I promised Anna, and everyone, that we'd do this together."
"You promised her last time, too." Kristoff responded without delay, as if he was expecting her to say that.
"That was different, that was something only I could do. It would have definitely been too dangerous for her." Although she still felt a need to defend herself, Elsa found Kristoff's concern comforting. She tried to make her tone as reassuring as possible. "This time we have all the spirits, and Arendelle and Northuldra, working together. Plus we have a plan. There's no reason to break promises now."
"Well…okay."
"You're starting to sound like Anna," Elsa said with a giggle.
A slightly embarrassed smile spread across Kristoff's face. "In good ways, I hope," he chuckled. "But don't forget…" His voice became warm and Elsa noticed a deep sincerity in his eyes. "…you're my sister now, too."
Elsa smiled at him as he and Sven turned around and headed back through the outskirts of Arendelle towards the castle. A sudden squeal from Bruni caught her attention, and she noticed that he had hopped off her shoulder and was standing on Nokk's back again. They were both staring into the distance at another clearing behind some bushes. She followed their gazes and saw Clyde walking with his head hanging low, staring blankly at the ground. Fritz was following close behind him.
"Clyde!" Elsa called and ran toward him.
He slowly lifted his head. His gloomy face lit up when he saw her. "Elsa! I'm so glad you're alright. You're not in any pain, are you?"
She gave him an appreciative smile. "No, I'm completely fine…thanks to you."
"Oh, it was nothing, I'm just glad I was there." Clyde looked away. He wanted to say so much, but didn't know where to start.
"Did something happen in Dyrankia? Is that why you're here in Arendelle?"
Hearing the concern in Elsa's voice, Clyde knew he had to speak up. "Kind of…"
Before he could start to form an explanation, she asked the question he was dreading. "Where's your caravan?"
Clyde gulped down a sob that was starting to rise in his throat. "M-Marjorie found out that I betrayed her and…she burned it down."
"What!" Elsa gasped, her eyes widening in horror, then narrowing in anger. "How could she do such a cruel thing? To you, her brother?"
"It would have happened eventually." Clyde choked down another sob, trying desperately to keep his composure. "She knew I was lying the whole time."
"I'm so sorry, Clyde."
Looking at the outpouring of sympathy in Elsa's face made Clyde choke up even more. He could feel warm tears brimming in his eyes as he tried to speak through constant sniffles. "I-It's okay. J-Just years of research and supplies…burned to a crisp." He felt a tear trickle down his face. He quickly rubbed it away with his sleeve.
"I know it can't bring your caravan back," Elsa began, her tone serious, but still compassionate. "But we're about to go to Dyrankia; me, Anna, the spirits, soldiers from Arendelle, and even some Northuldra. We're going to end this once and for all."
Clyde sniffed back another sob. "Really?"
"You'll be safe in Arendelle." Elsa gestured behind her where the steep roofs of Arendelle Castle could be seen beyond the foliage. "Go to the castle. Kai and the servants can find a place for you to stay."
Clyde gave a weak nod and pulled himself onto Fritz's back. The ox mooed and began running across the grassy fields, past a rows of trees towards Arendelle. As soon as the kingdom came into view, Clyde saw some horses and reindeer standing by the village outskirts. A few feet away from them was a group of Arendellian soldiers and Northuldra, along with Anna, Kristoff, and Olaf.
"Are you sure you're ready, Mattias?" Anna asked the general who was standing beside her.
He was looking anxiously over his shoulder at the line of buildings along the village street. "I believe so, Your Majesty. All soldiers who are staying behind are at their assigned posts, and all the citizens have been instructed not to leave their homes until further notice." He wiped a bead of sweat from his forehead. "Though I still think we should have waited until additional forces arrived from at least one of our allied kingdoms."
"By the time they'd ship their men across the fjord, it could be too late," Yelena interjected, tapping her staff on the ground. "We've already discussed it. More soldiers mean nothing against an enemy with magic."
"I know this isn't the normal way of doing things," Anna said, placing an assuring hand on Mattias' arm. "But it's as Yelena said, this isn't a normal enemy we're dealing with."
Mattias sighed. "Understood." He turned towards Anna and noticed that she also had a sword sheath hanging at her side, slightly smaller than his. "Are you sure the sword is necessary, Your Majesty? My men have sworn to protect you at all costs. You shouldn't have to engage in combat."
"I trust you, Mattias," Anna said reassuringly, seeing the worry in his eyes. "This is just to be extra safe."
As everyone climbed onto their respective horses or reindeer, Mattias whispered to the solider closest to him. "You made sure to add an extra guard outside Hudson's Hearth, right?"
The solider nodded. "Yes sir."
Before Mattias could climb onto his horse, his eyes met the criticizing eyes of Yelena. She was staring at him with her eyebrow raised. Mattias cleared his throat.
"A-A lot of people live near Hudson's Hearth." He stifled a few nervous stutters. "It's better to have more guards there." Yelena shook her head, but couldn't help crack a wry smile.
"Wow, I can't believe I'm going to be riding my reindeer into battle!" Ryder exclaimed, sitting poised on his reindeer's back. "I'm kind of nervous…but also excited!"
"Just take this seriously, okay?" Honeymaren chided as she approached him on her reindeer.
"That's right," Kristoff added. "Hopefully this stealth mission will work and there won't have to be a battle. But we need to be careful."
"Yes, sir!" Ryder put his hand to his head in an exaggerated military salute.
As Anna brought Kjekk closer to her, she noticed Olaf sitting comfortably behind Kristoff on Sven's back.
"I said you were a valiant, pungent reindeer king before," Olaf snickered, tugging at Kristoff's arm to get his attention. "But now you're really going to be one!"
"You said I was a what?" Kristoff stared in confusion at the giggling snowman.
"Oh, no, Olaf," Anna said, rushing over to them. "You can't come with us this time. Marjorie will melt you as soon as she sees you."
"Oh, I won't mind!" Olaf beamed at her. "Marjorie's fire is scary, but Elsa can just rebuild me if I melt. I'm immortal!" He laughed and threw his stick arms in the air. "I do like heat, so getting burned by fire might be fun after all!"
"Well…" Anna began, still concerned about Olaf, but not wanting to burst his bubble. "Maybe you can stay with us, just until we reach Dyrankia, okay?"
Olaf didn't seem to be listening and was instead staring ahead into the distance. A huge grin spread across his face. "Hey, it's Fritz! And Clyde, too!"
Anna turned to where he was looking and saw Clyde riding on Fritz near the trees lining the village outskirts. The ox was taking slow, hesitant steps in their direction.
"It is Clyde," Kristoff said.
"The one who saved you, right?" Mattias asked Anna as he kept cautious eyes on Clyde.
"Yes. Let me go talk to him." Anna left the group and hurried over to Clyde. When he saw her approaching, he tugged at Fritz's harness and the ox came to a stop.
"Sorry, I didn't want to interrupt. It looked like you were having an important meeting."
Anna shook her head and smiled at him. "It's so good to see you again. Were you able to find out anything about Marjorie's plan?"
Seeing the hopeful look on Anna's face made Clyde's heart sink. "I'm sorry," he said with a disheartened sigh. "She was onto me the whole time. She never intended to let me in on the plan. Instead, she…" He paused, then decided to answer the question Anna would probably ask next. "She destroyed my caravan."
Anna gasped. "How low can she stoop?" she muttered angrily through clenched teeth.
Clyde felt grief starting to churn in his stomach again. He decided to quickly change the subject. "I ran into Elsa on my way here. She said I could stay somewhere in Arendelle for the time being."
"Of course you can," Anna affirmed. She grabbed a hanging piece of Fritz's torn harness. "I'll take you to the castle now. Kai can find somewhere for you to stay."
As she began leading the ox back towards the village where the others were waiting, a thought sprang into her head. She stopped in her tracks.
"Clyde," she began, staring at his puzzled face. "The times we talked, and I mentioned trolls, it seemed like you were reminded of something."
"I-I'm not sure." Clyde shut his eyes tightly for a moment. He wracked his brain for any trace of an important memory, but none came. "It's just…really fuzzy. It's probably nothing, though. Maybe my parents told me a scary story about trolls when I was little and I tried to suppress the memory. That's probably it."
The insincerity in his voice made Anna even less convinced. An idea suddenly formed in her mind–an idea she knew she had to act on now. She tightened her grip on Fritz's harness and began walking forward again, her steps faster and more purposeful than before. As soon as she returned to the group, she turned to Mattias and Yelena.
"Mattias, Yelena, take everyone, meet up with Elsa and the spirits, and go to Dyrankia, just like we planned. But don't enter the kingdom until I get there. I have to do something first. I'll catch up with you soon."
"What is it that you have to do?" Mattias asked. The burning determination he saw in Anna's eyes made him uneasy. She began pulling herself onto Kjekk's back before she answered.
"Clyde and I have to visit the trolls for a bit."
"Now?" Kristoff asked. His expression was full of disbelief.
"Clyde is trying to remember something about the trolls," she explained. "It might be nothing, but it could be important, too."
"In that case, I'm coming with you." Kristoff pointed Sven in the direction of the Valley of the Living Rock.
"Oh boy, we get to visit the trolls again!" Olaf beamed, raising his stick arms in celebration. "Maybe that anti-snowman troll will be nicer this time."
"I'm coming, too," Mattias announced to the group. He maneuvered his horse close to Anna. She noticed a look of regret spread across the wrinkles of his face. "These are dangerous times. A queen shouldn't travel without a proper escort. I won't repeat the mistake I made last time."
Anna smiled at him, then turned to the others. "We'll meet the rest of you outside Dyrankia. We shouldn't be long."
"Are you sure this is necessary?" Clyde's face reddened in shame. He looked at Anna and Mattias in turn. "To delay your plan just because of some silly thing I can't even remember?"
"If there's even the slightest chance it could help us, we should investigate," Anna replied.
"Soldiers!" Mattias called to the gathered group of Arendellian soldiers. They immediately stood up straight and turned their attention to him. "Until I return…" he began, then looked directly at Yelena. Their eyes met and she raised her eyebrow in confusion. "Yelena is in charge." He smiled and gave her an approving nod. After a moment, she returned his nod. The Arendellian soldiers exchanged a few shocked glances, but they soon conceded and moved their horses closer to the Northuldra and their reindeer.
"Let's go, everyone!" Yelena commanded. As her reindeer began galloping off, the other Northuldra reindeer and Arendellian horses followed. A symphony of hoof beats rang out from the cobblestone path. Anna watched the group disappear behind a row of buildings farther down the village.
"This way, Clyde," she said as she flicked Kjekk's reins. The horse began galloping away, followed swiftly by Mattias on his horse, and Sven carrying Kristoff and Olaf. Clyde felt a slight hesitation well up in his stomach, but before he could dwell on it further, he had to hang on as Fritz took off in a determined dash after the others.
After a while of riding across the meadows and forests of pine trees that connected Arendelle to the Valley of the Living Rock, the group approached the boulder-laden cliffs and mossy fields of the valley.
"Grand Pabbie, are you here?" Kristoff's voice echoed down the empty path. He climbed off of Sven and stepped deeper into the valley. Several boulders began rolling towards him, uncurling to reveal the trolls inside.
"Oh, you're visiting us again so soon?" Bulda cooed, popping up beside Kristoff.
"I wish it was just a visit," Anna began as she dismounted Kjekk.
"Hey, who are they?"
Anna heard a voice behind her and saw a crowd of younger trolls surrounding Clyde and Mattias.
Mattias climbed off his horse and stared in fascination at the various troll faces looking up at him. "So these are the trolls…that have helped the royal family for generations?" One of the youngest trolls leaped onto Mattias' shoulder and began poking at his curly hair. He chuckled. "They certainly are charming creatures."
Clyde slowly slid off of Fritz's back and looked around in wonder at the trolls and the surrounding cliffs of the valley. "I can't believe I never knew about this place," he muttered to himself. "I wonder if the moss and mushrooms here have any healing properties."
"Hey, what's all the commotion down there?"
Everyone turned towards a grumpy voice coming from the top of the nearest cliff. Stein poked his pointy head over the edge.
"Hey, it's the anti-snowman troll again!" Olaf announced. He hopped off of Sven and pointed a stick finger at Stein.
As soon as he noticed Olaf, a large scowl spread across the rocky dents of Stein's face. "Ugh, them again," he moaned, rolling his eyes.
"Mind yourself, Stein."
Pabbie's voice was abrupt and stern as he appeared beside Stein.
"Pabbie!" Kristoff called.
"More trouble with that hostile kingdom, I presume?" the elder troll asked. He rolled off the cliff and landed in front of Anna and Kristoff.
"Actually, our friend Clyde is from that kingdom. He thinks he knows something about trolls, but he's having trouble remembering." Anna gestured towards Clyde. Everyone looked at Clyde, who stiffened his posture and grinned nervously, unaccustomed to so much attention.
"Oh, have you been here before?" Bulda asked. She rubbed her chin as she looked him over. "I don't believe I've ever seen you."
"No, I don't think so, I…" Clyde began, then fell silent as something caught his eye.
The glimmering red crystals on Bulda's necklace.
A memory suddenly shot through his head like an arrow that exploded into a burst of recollection. A crystal of the same texture and color flashed by in his mind before disappearing into nothingness again. He closed his eyes tightly and furrowed his brows, straining every muscle in his head to try and bring it back.
"Clyde, what's wrong?" Anna noticed the pained look on his face and hurried over to him.
"T-Those crystals," Clyde whispered, raising his shaking arm and pointing at Bulda. "I-I've seen one…before."
"My fire crystals?" Bulda asked. She looked downward at the crystals dangling around her stout body.
"F-Fire crystals…fire…crystals…" Clyde repeated the words slowly, hoping they would somehow summon back the memory he was desperately trying to grasp. After a moment, he heard the words again, but not from himself or anyone else in the valley. They came from a voice in his mind.
"…trolls…fire crystal…"
He clutched his hand against his face, concentrating so hard that his head was starting to hurt. Whose voice was it?
"Clyde, are you remembering something?" Anna's concerned words rang in his ears, but he was too focused on pulling back the elusive memory to answer her.
"Trolls…fire crystal…" he repeated the words again, still keeping his eyes firmly closed, pressuring the memory to show itself in the dark recesses of his vision. Finally, the voice in his mind echoed the words again in a full sentence.
"To think that a troll's fire crystal…could be used to give this kind of magic to a human."
It was his mother's voice.
On the trails of that sentence, the rest of the memory began rapidly unraveling itself, spraining his already throbbing head, causing him to stumble backwards. He felt Kristoff and Mattias grab each of his arms to pull him back on his feet. In that instant, the scene he had so long repressed blasted with clarity in his mind.
He was staring at his mother and father through the narrow slit of an open door. Their backs were to him as they stared at a fire crystal that was placed on a metal perch on a narrow table. He remembered the glowing, sinister red of the crystal–the same red as Marjorie's fire.
His mother's voice replayed again. "To think that a troll's fire crystal…could be used to give this kind of magic to a human."
His father's resounding voice replied. "Yes, I can't believe that wretched creature ended up being so useful. But don't give the troll too much credit. The crystal was just a base." The king gestured towards another table in the corner. Clyde's mind drew a blank when trying to recall what objects were on the table. His father's booming voice continued. "This was all possible thanks to the clever sorcery of humans, as well as our daughter's years of determination trying to assimilate the crystal…and now, we've finally done it."
His father suddenly looked over his shoulder and noticed Clyde through the crack in the door. The king's eyes immediately widened in shock and anger.
"Clyde! What are you doing here at this hour!?" He rushed towards the door, then turned back to his wife. "You didn't lock the door!"
"I-I thought I did." His mother's petrified voice answered.
"Where are those useless guards?" the king shouted, sticking his head outside the door and looking from side to side. He stepped out of the room and closed the door behind him. The fear Clyde had felt as his father towered over him, a strange mix of terror and rage in his eyes, came flooding back to him. The fear was so great he had staggered backwards onto the floor, causing his father's menacing form to loom even higher above him.
"Clyde, you need to forget everything you saw and heard here! Do you understand? That's an order from the king! If you tell anyone about this, you will regret it! Do you hear me?"
"Y-Yes, Father…" Clyde's young and terrified voice replied. The feeling of scrambling to his feet, running back down the tower stairs, panic beating in his heart, and his father's piercing gaze against his back, collided and abruptly ended the memory.
Clyde felt himself collapsing down into a sitting position as Anna ushered him to sit on a nearby boulder. His pounding heart began to slow and he realized he had recounted the memory out loud to everyone as it played in his mind.
"I-I must have been…eight, maybe seven years old," he mumbled through heavy breaths. "Sometimes, when I had trouble sleeping, I would wander around the castle. I must have climbed one of the towers that night and noticed the light coming from the door. I wanted to see what it was." He paused, and closed his eyes. The image of his father's livid face was still imprinted in his vision. "My father was always so level-headed. I had never seen him look so angry…or so scared. That fear I felt…must be why I completely blocked the memory from my mind all these years. Well, except for the part about trolls."
"I can't…believe it." Anna stared wide-eyed into the distance, her mind drowning in the rush of new information. "They used a troll's fire crystal…to give Marjorie her powers."
"Then she wasn't born with it," Kristoff added. He folded his arms and creased his brow in thought. "She doesn't have any connection to Ahtohallan or the spirits after all. Her powers are stolen."
Olaf waddled over to the group from where he had been watching from a few feet away. "Hm, too bad it's not ice magic we're dealing with," he said with a snicker before whispering to Clyde, "Or we would have found this out a long time ago, since water has memory after all."
"But troll magic isn't that powerful, is it?" Mattias asked. He shot a questioning glance at Pabbie and Bulda.
"No, nothing like that at all!" Bulda rapidly shook her head.
"Unlike Elsa's magic, or this Marjorie's magic," Pabbie explained, "which can create elemental forces out of nothing, our troll magic simply enhances our ability to interact with the elements of nature."
"Yeah, any fires I make will always burn strong and bright with my fire crystals," Bulda said, pointing to her necklace of dangling fire crystals. "But the fire has to come naturally of course."
"And my sun crystals make me very in tune with the changing seasons." Pabbie looked down proudly at the shining yellow crystals that were draped over his body. "Also the rotations of the earth, the time of day, and pretty much everything that has to do with the sun."
"My father mentioned sorcery." Clyde said. He mustered the strength to stand up despite his still throbbing head. "Could that be how they managed to make the fire crystal so powerful?"
From the top of the surrounding cliff, Stein again poked his nose over the edge. He stared in disdain at the group below.
"They're still here yakking?" he grumbled. He began turning around to leave, but abruptly stopped when something caught his eye. He leaned over to get a closer look at Clyde, then gasped and rolled down the side of the cliff. He landed next to Clyde and pulled at the knife sheath attached to his belt. Everyone looked on in startlement as he appeared to be scrutinizing the salamander symbol on the sheath.
"Something wrong, Stein?" Pabbie asked. Upon realizing his sudden strange behavior, Stein immediately dropped the sheath and backed away.
"I-It's nothing," he mumbled, crossing his arms in indignation. "The symbol on his sheath seemed a little weird, that's all."
A look of realization spread across Bulda's face. She moved closer to Stein. "We were just talking about fire crystals," she said with a sly smile. "Didn't you always brag about the amazing fire crystal you used to have? A level-three, right?"
"W-What do you mean 'used to have'?" Stein snorted. He began tripping over his words as he took a few clumsy steps back. "I-I mean, that was years ago I had the…I mean, years ago since I bragged about it. Doesn't mean the crystal doesn't exist anymore. Not every troll has to flounce their crystals around on a necklace."
Bulda narrowed her eyes and poked him. ""Doesn't exist anymore' or 'don't have it anymore'?
"I don't have it! I mean…" Stein clasped his hands over his mouth, causing his drooping jowls to puff out.
"This is important, Stein," Pabbie said, urgency ringing in his voice. "If you know something that could help us stop Dyrankia from using troll magic for evil purposes, please speak up."
Stein's eyes darted back and forth between Pabbie and Bulda, then up at Anna, Kristoff, Mattias, and Clyde. After seeing the looks of expectation on everyone's faces, he dropped his hands to his side and sighed.
"Fine," he huffed, glaring at the ground. "If you're asking about a kingdom that stole a troll's fire crystal, I'm pretty sure the crystal is mine." He pointed at Clyde's knife sheath. "Especially if that's their kingdom's symbol."
Anna bent down so she was eye-level with Stein. He backed away slightly as her serious eyes looked directly at his flustered face. "Tell us what happened, Stein. Please."
"T-There's not much to tell," he stuttered. "It was about thirty years ago, maybe. I was just minding my own business one day, taking a nap in the hills near Miner's Mountain. Then suddenly, this swarm of soldiers on horses surrounded me. They started grabbing me, tore my fire crystal right off my neck, and knocked me down the hill. By the time I got back up, they were already riding away. I just remember one of them shouting, 'A troll so close to our kingdom. This is definitely a sign.'" He glanced back at Clyde. "And I remember that symbol they had on their clothes."
Pabbie put his hand on Stein's back. "Why didn't you tell us this before, Stein?"
"I-I was…" Stein stammered, his flustering coming to a boil. Finally, his words came out in an awkward yell. "I was embarrassed, okay! What kind of troll gets their prized crystal stolen, just like that?"
"That's why I always say," Bulda began, grasping one of the crystals hanging from her neck between two fingers, "if you're going to wear your crystal, it's best to keep its essence inside many smaller crystals instead of just one big one. That way, if you lose one, you won't lose all of it."
"Alright, alright, I know I should have done that," Stein grumbled.
"Wow, so many revelations in the past ten minutes." Olaf's eyes were wide in amazement as he looked at Clyde and Stein in turn. He tapped his stick hand against the side of his head as if trying to prod an idea into his mind. "What revelation could be next?" He gasped and turned to look at where Sven was standing with Fritz and the horses. "That Sven is actually a caribou?" Sven tilted his head quizzically to the side and gave a confused grunt.
"What if we destroy the crystal?" Anna asked. She stepped forward and turned her gaze to Pabbie. "Would Marjorie lose her powers?"
"That's likely, I would say," Pabbie replied, rubbing his chin. "If the crystal's essence is what feeds her powers, destroying it would destroy all its magic, regardless of where that magic exists."
"Then that makes things easier," Kristoff said as he climbed back onto Sven. "We just need to find that crystal and destroy it. Maybe there won't have to be a battle after all."
"It won't be that simple," Mattias interjected. "No doubt the reason Dyrankia has remained isolated for so long was to protect the secret of that crystal. I'm sure they've hidden it well. And that it's heavily guarded."
"I first saw it in one of the castle towers." Clyde slowly began walking back to Fritz, his brow creased in thought. "But I don't remember which tower…and each one has a lot of rooms. Plus, my father might have moved it after that incident…and there are guards all over the place. It could be anywhere."
"Then we'll just have to keep looking until we find it." With determined strides, Anna hurried back to Kjekk and climbed onto the horse's back. "But for now, we need to meet up with Elsa and the others and let them know about this."
As Mattias mounted his horse and Clyde got back onto Fritz, Pabbie waved and called out to them. "Wait!" He smiled knowingly and gestured towards Stein. "I think Stein should go with you."
"What!" Stein spat.
Bulda nudged him forward with her arm. "This whole mess is kind of your fault," she said with a smirk. "So you should help fix it. Besides, working together with others will help improve those terrible social skills you have."
Before Stein could voice his protest, Pabbie joined in. "And it is your fire crystal after all. You may be able to sense its location if you get close enough."
"Alright already, I'll go," Stein growled. He stepped away from Pabbie and Bulda only to have Mattias' strong hand scoop him up.
"You can ride with me." Mattias gave the perplexed troll a confident smile and placed him on the saddle behind him.
"Oh boy, the troll is coming with us!" Olaf cheered. He jumped onto Mattias' horse and plopped down next to Stein, who immediately scowled at the bouncy snowman.
"Thank you for your help." Anna smiled at all the gathered trolls.
"Yes, thank you," Clyde said, steering Fritz around the rows of stony heads looking up at him. "It's such a relief to remember everything now."
"Best of luck to you!" Pabbie called to them.
As the group rode back through the valley towards the eastern mountains, Stein's groaning and Olaf's rambling about the composition of troll moss, reverberated against the surrounding cliffs.
Gale's wind swirled around in the sky above Dyrankia village, rustling the clothes and hair of the people gathered in the square. They adjusted their hats and wiped strands of hair out of their faces, oblivious to the fact that they were being watched by the wind spirit. The gusts continued past the shabby rooftops towards the stone wall that enclosed the kingdom. The breezes danced around the heads of the guards standing in the lookout posts on all sides of the wall. They paid no attention to the sudden wind and kept their gazes set on any unusual activity around the kingdom.
With a final swoosh, Gale soared over the stone wall and through the fields surrounding Dyrankia, heading to the bottom of a large hill that lay beyond a cluster of blossoming trees. Obscured behind the hill and trees, Elsa stood beside the group of Northuldra and Arendellian soldiers, who were waiting in silence. She looked up when she noticed Gale rushing towards her. She closed her eyes and concentrated on Gale's magic as it flowed through her body, filling her mind with the sights and sounds that the wind had just picked up.
Honeymaren watched her intently. "How is it?"
Elsa opened her eyes. "There's a crowd gathered in the village, and guards posted all along the wall. But only three guards would see us from this direction."
"That's perfect!" Ryder exclaimed as he poked his head between them. "Could you blast them with your magic from here? They wouldn't know what hit them!"
"Don't be ridiculous," Honeymaren scolded, tugging him by the ear. "The idea is to be sneaky about this. If they get hit by blasts of ice in the middle of spring, they'll know something's up."
"Oh…right," Ryder sighed. "But how else can we get inside without being seen? Have Hubert throw stones at them?" He glanced to the side where the earth giant was napping against the hill. The rocky chunks of his back were rising and falling with loud snores. Next to him, Nokk was also dozing with his head resting on the grass and his front legs tucked neatly under him. Bruni lay curled up on Nokk's back, flicking his tongue out at random intervals as he slept.
"I think I know a way to distract the guards," Elsa replied. "But we don't do anything until Anna gets here."
"What is keeping her though?" Yelena stood with her staff held erect, gazing behind them in the direction they had come from Arendelle. "Why does she think visiting the trolls now is so important?"
Elsa also looked towards the woods they had passed on their way to Dyrankia. "She must have an idea."
Yelena suddenly stiffened and pointed her staff forward. "I see them."
Elsa, Honeymaren, Ryder, as well as the Arendellian soldiers and other Northuldra, immediately turned towards Yelena. Murmurs and whispers began rising from the group as everyone looked ahead at the fields on the horizon. Anna, Mattias, Kristoff, and Clyde were riding towards them on their respective steeds. Yelena hurried over to them, honing in on Mattias.
"Stay behind the hill, or they'll see you!"
"I-I know that." Mattias slowed his horse and approached the group. The Arendellian soldiers gathered around him and put their hands to their heads in salute.
Elsa rushed over to Anna as she dismounted Kjekk. "Is everything okay?"
"More than okay, actually," Anna replied. She smiled at Clyde, who had just gotten off of Fritz and was cautiously heading over to the group. "Clyde can explain."
"Um," Clyde began. He fidgeted with his hands, not used to being the bearer of major news. He inhaled, then said everything in one long breath. "We found out that Marjorie got her powers from a fire crystal enhanced with sorcery that my father stole from a troll long ago."
After a brief pause, a rush of gasps and murmurs erupted from the Northuldra and Arendellian soldiers. Anna noticed Elsa's look of surprise.
"I know it's shocking. I couldn't believe it, either."
"I never…would have guessed that." Elsa spoke slowly, still in disbelief about what she just heard.
"And the fire crystal belongs to this troll right here!" Kristoff announced. He nodded to where Stein was sitting next to Olaf on the back of Mattias' horse.
Olaf had an earnest look spread across his snowy face and one stick finger pointed upward in a knowing gesture as he spoke to Stein. "And that's why changes in temperature and chemical composition caused by the loss of free-flowing water, is one of many reasons dams are bad for the environment."
Stein gave a discreet nod. The strands of hair on his head shook slightly. "I guess that's kind of interesting," he mumbled. He lifted his head up and his eyes widened in embarrassment upon noticing everyone staring at him. "Uh, I mean, are we here already?"
Mattias reached behind him and picked Stein up with both hands, holding him before the group. "This troll has graciously offered to help us find where the fire crystal is hidden."
As Mattias winked at Stein, the disgruntled troll pulled himself out of his grasp and jumped to the ground. "Don't get your hopes up. I'm sure by now the crystal is too corrupted for me to sense."
"Destroying the crystal will destroy the queen's powers?" Yelena asked.
"It should," Anna confirmed. "We just have to find it." She turned back to Elsa. "Have you figured out how we can get inside?"
Elsa nodded. "Once we get the guards out of the way, I'll make an ice staircase that we can use to climb over the wall."
Anna peered beyond the hill between the cluster of trees, then immediately pulled back when she noticed the guard on the nearest lookout post turn around. "And how exactly are we going to get the guards out of the way…without being seen?"
Elsa smiled and walked over to where Nokk and the other spirits were waking up from their nap. "Bruni will help with that." She reached towards the salamander, who was stretching out his stubby legs and opening his mouth in a wide yawn. When he noticed her approaching, he skidded off of Nokk's back and up her arm. A gust of wind brushed against Elsa's face, rustling her hair before trickling down to play with the tips of her cape. "And Gale too, of course."
"W-When we get inside," Clyde stuttered, trying to speak loud enough for everyone to hear, but being too reserved to yell, "there's an abandoned house close by that we can hide in." He pointed to the leftward side of the wall.
"That sounds helpful. Thank you, Clyde." Despite his nervousness at being so close to Dyrankia again, Clyde couldn't help but smile at Elsa's encouraging words.
"I guess that means you're coming with us?" Anna asked. She placed a gentle hand on Clyde's arm.
"Yes." Clyde felt a sense of empowerment well up within him, a feeling he had never felt before. "I have to see this through to the end. No more running away."
"Everyone, leave your steeds here," Yelena instructed. She moved towards a row of nearby bushes where several reindeer and horses were already gathered.
After climbing off his own reindeer, Ryder looked up at Hubert. The earth giant was poking at a flock of birds that were trying to perch on his head. "What about Hubert?"
"He's going to stay here for now," Elsa replied. "It'll be too hard to sneak inside with him. But we may need his help later."
"This is so exciting!" Olaf cheered. He happily bounded over to where Elsa was observing the wall from behind the hill with Bruni perched attentively on her shoulder. She jumped in startlement as the snowman leaped in front of her. "I never thought I'd get to be an asset to a mission that decides the fate of our kingdom!"
"You can be an asset, Olaf," Elsa said, trying to choose her words carefully so as not to hurt his feelings, "by staying here and waiting for us, so you won't get melted."
"Aw, that's no fun." Olaf's head drooped in disappointment. Suddenly, he perked it up again, his eyes shining with realization. "Oh, that's right! I told Anna, but I never told you."
"Told me what?" Elsa asked. She and Bruni looked at Olaf, puzzled.
Olaf tenderly put his stick arms around her legs and hugged her close. "That some people are worth melting for," he said softly, resting his head against her waist. "And you're one of those people, too."
Elsa smiled at the snowman's touching display of affection. She picked him up and returned his hug. "I appreciate that, Olaf. But there's something important I need you to do here." She carried him over to where Nokk and Hubert were waiting. She pointed to the sky above the hill, in the direction of Dyrankia. "If things get out of hand in there, I'm going to shoot a beacon of ice into sky. I need you to keep an eye out for that. It'll be a signal for Nokk and Hubert to come help us." He continued to look at her with intrigue as she placed him on the ground. "Can I count on you for that?"
Olaf put his hand above his head, mimicking the salute of Mattias' soldiers. "You can count on me!"
"Everyone's ready now."
Anna came up beside Elsa, followed by Kristoff and Clyde. Behind them, Mattias, Yelena, Honeymaren, and Ryder gathered the remaining Northuldra and Arendellian soldiers–roughly twenty of them altogether. All eyes fell on Elsa and Bruni.
"Alright." Elsa bent down, lowering her arm so Bruni could run down it and onto the ground. Above her, Gale's wind rustled her hair. "Go on, Gale, Bruni."
With an acknowledging chirp, Bruni ran down Elsa's arm and dashed along the ground past the hill. Within moments, his tiny body disappeared inside the long strands of grass that waved in the breeze. In the sky above, a parade of leaves gusted forward with Gale's wind. When he reached the wall, Bruni began climbing it, his toes gripping its bumpy surface. He slid over and onto the other side, completely undetected by the guard standing a short distance away.
On a lookout post on the far right side of the wall, a tall, lanky guard with a perfectly spiral goatee stared at the quiet fields of swaying grass that lay before the kingdom. As he opened his mouth to yawn in boredom, Gale sent a fierce rush of wind against his body, causing him to stumble backwards. He grabbed the side of the post to steady himself, slamming his hand onto his helmet so it wouldn't fall off.
"What the…" he muttered. Before he could fully regain his balance, another strong gust swept under his feet, knocking him down completely. He desperately grabbed at the side of the post again, but he was already starting to fall over. He tumbled down against the legs of the post, hitting his head on its stone base before landing hard on his back. His cry of pain and the scuffling sounds as he fell caught the attention of a guard on another post towards the middle of the wall.
The guard turned just in time to see his companion topple down to the ground below. "Did he seriously trip over nothing?" he mumbled, staring in shock at the other guard lying on the ground in a daze. He steadied the crossbow that was strapped behind his back and began descending the ladder that hung on the side of the post. When he reached the bottom, he walked over to his fallen comrade while shaking his head and whispering, "How did this guy become a guard?" under his breath.
On the left corner of the wall, a brawny guard with a uniform too tight for his round body leaned over the side of his lookout post. He watched the trees against the hill in the distance and scratched the stubble of beard on his chin, unaware that Bruni had climbed up the side of the post and was now standing directly behind him. A brilliant flame sprung along the back of the little salamander. The blue of his scales faded to a soft purple as he blinked up at the guard's hefty behind. With a soft chirp, he spit out a tiny ball of fire that wedged itself into the back of the guard's uniform. In an instant, the fire spread down his pants and along the crossbow that was hanging on his back. Bruni skidded down under the post just as the guard spun around.
"Fire! I-I'm on fire!" he cried, frantically fanning and patting at the flames. He stumbled towards the ladder and began quickly climbing down, tripping over several rungs before staggering to the ground below. "Is Queen Marjorie punishing me? What did I do?" he whimpered. "Water! I need water!" He struggled to keep his footing as he scrambled away towards a well beyond the village square.
Gale's wind whooshed above the wall and back over the field, zooming behind the hill where Elsa waited. She closed her eyes and let the wind spirit's magic flow through her. "Thanks, Gale." She then turned and faced the expectant crowd watching her. "It's time. Let's go."
A resolute cheer rose from the group as they began sprinting forward, past the trees and nearby hills towards the wall that surrounded Dyrankia. Mattias reached over to pick up Stein, but the troll slipped away from his grasp.
"I can get there myself, thank you," he said with an indignant scowl on his face. He curled himself into a ball and began rolling over the hilly fields, building enough momentum on his way down that he soon sped past the Northuldra and Arendellians who were already far ahead. Mattias shrugged and followed after.
"Be careful, everyone!" Olaf called. He waved his stick arms and jumped up and down from where he stood on Hubert's shoulder.
When they got close to the wall, Elsa reached out her arms and shot blasts of ice against the stone surface. The ice quickly formed into a glittering staircase that led from the ground to the top of the wall. As the group clambered up the stairs, Bruni poked his head over the wall. He squealed happily and scampered down the banister before jumping onto Elsa's shoulder.
"Nice work, Bruni," she said, petting his head with her finger.
"There! That's where we can hide."
Elsa noticed that Clyde was standing at the top of the stairs, looking down over the wall and pointing. She climbed up beside him and saw a tattered house with a hole in its roof and a missing door.
"That house has been abandoned for years. It should be big enough for all of us," he whispered.
Elsa nodded, then extended her arms down over the wall, releasing more blasts of ice that molded into another staircase leading down into the kingdom. As everyone made their way down the stairs and towards the house, laughter and applause could be heard far in the distance.
Clyde froze in his tracks. "Marjorie must be visiting the town."
"We won't let her see you, don't worry," Anna said reassuringly, sensing Clyde's oncoming anxiety. She placed her hand against his back and ushered him to where everyone else was making their way through the empty doorway and into the abandoned house. A ray of sunlight poured through the square hole on the side of the structure where a window used to be, illuminating the coats of dust that lined the broken shelves and torn furniture of what appeared to be the living room.
Once everyone was safely inside the house, Elsa stood in the doorway and waved her hands towards the wall they had just climbed over. The magic within both staircases began to dispel, breaking apart into a flurry of ice particles that drifted into the air before fading away completely. She then ducked back inside and joined the others.
"What now, Your Majesty?" Mattias asked Anna. He was standing at the far end of the house with his soldiers poised on either side, keeping watch through the broken slats that made up the sides of the house.
Before Anna could answer, Yelena's sharp voice whispered loudly. "Shh! Over there." She pointed with her staff towards the window-shaped hole in the wall.
In the distance, Alfonse stood before the guard who had been knocked down by Gale's wind. He was slumped over the shoulder of the guard who had come to help him and was now fidgeting nervously in front of Alfonse.
"I-I don't know what happened, sir. He claims the wind made him fall."
"This gentle breeze?" Alfonse scoffed. He put his hand in the air and felt the soft wind blow between his fingers. When he cocked his head to the side, he noticed the other empty lookout post in the distance where Bruni had previously unleashed his fire. "And where is your northside lookout?" he demanded.
"I-I don't know, sir," the guard stuttered. "He was there earlier. I thought I heard him shouting something a little while ago, but then I didn't see him. I thought I heard him say 'fire'."
Alfonse heaved a frustrated sigh and buried his face in his hand. "I didn't see any fire." He glared back at the guard again. "I'll investigate anyway. But for now, take him inside, then get replacement guards and return to your posts immediately. Her Majesty is giving a very important announcement now. We can't have anything go wrong."
"Y-Yes, sir!" the guard replied. He walked off in the direction of Dyrankia Castle with his comrade in tow. Alfonse headed back towards the village square.
"I knew it, Marjorie's in the village now," Clyde whispered, his knees beginning to tremble.
Suddenly, Stein leaped onto the top of a nearby cushioned chair, stirring up a cloud of dust that had been resting on its surface. He leaned as far as he could towards the hole in the wall. "I don't believe it," he gasped as he stared at Dyrankia Castle off in the distance. "It's very slight, but I think I can sense my fire crystal over there."
"Really?" Anna asked.
"Maybe it's still in the same tower, too," Clyde said. The memory of discovering the crystal in the tower years ago began flooding back to him again. "But there are a lot of rooms there, I don't remember which one it was in."
"Then we'll have to bust into every room until we find it!" Kristoff declared, patting the sword at his side.
Mattias also put a hand on his sword and turned towards the others. "Agreed. We will have to infiltrate the castle. No doubt there will be more guards there, but I believe our forces are strong enough to overcome them, as long as we can avoid the queen and her magic." He paused and looked out the window hole again. His eyes followed a path from the room they were in, past the village square, towards the castle beyond. He scratched his head of curly hair. "But sneaking past the crowd gathered in the village will be difficult. What if the queen sees us? If we could create a distraction…"
Elsa took a purposeful step in front of him. "I'll distract her."
Concern immediately spread across Anna's face. "By yourself?"
"Maybe some of us should stay with you?" Honeymaren suggested. She gestured towards the other Northuldra who stood eagerly beside her.
"No, the rest of you should go to the castle," Elsa replied. "There will be a lot of guards there. We'll need as many of you to help as possible. And whatever happens, don't let them know that we're after the crystal." She tapped her hand on her shoulder, signaling Bruni to crawl onto it. "You help them too, Bruni."
The little salamander stepped into her palm. He looked up at her quizzically as she reached her arm towards Anna, coaxing him to jump off. He gave an affirming chirp, then hopped onto Anna's shoulder. Anna tried to smile at him, but fear was still tugging at her expression. "Are you sure, Elsa?" She grimaced as the memory of seeing Elsa beaten and injured from their last encounter with Marjorie flashed in her mind. "What if she…hurts you again?"
"There is no safe way to do this, Anna," Elsa replied, trying to sound bluntly calm in the hopes of easing Anna's doubt. "We don't have much time, either. But it'll be better for me if I don't have to worry about protecting anyone else. And you'll all be safer together, anyway." She placed a gentle hand on Anna's arm. "Don't worry. If things get too dangerous, I'll call Nokk and Hubert for help."
After thinking for a moment, Anna finally managed to smile. "Well, okay."
Elsa headed towards the doorway of the house and peered around each side. Nothing was there but the dreary stone surface of the wall and the abandoned lookout posts of the guards who hadn't yet returned. She quickly glanced back at the others. "As soon as you see me out there, sneak past the village as fast as you can, while everyone's attention is on me."
Anna, Yelena, and Mattias nodded in unison.