Disclaimer:
The Mad Doctor claims no ownership to the Kingdom Hearts franchise. It belongs to Disney and Square Enix.
However, he does claim ownership to any original characters that may appear in this story.
Notes from the Mad Doctor:
Greetings, readers!
Sorry it's been a long time since I last updated. There were a number of factors in the way ranging from personal issues to writer's block. But a major cause was getting too occupied with playing the original Final Fantasy VII. You see, while awaiting the next Kingdom Hearts game, I decided to get to know the original versions of the Final Fantasy characters that have shown up in the series because I doubt they share the same background (one of them is famously dead!). But I never imagined how complex a game it actually was, so it was a major time consumer!
I hate to do this to you all, but as I was writing this chapter, I ended up going back and making some story changes in the previous chapter. So, I recommend you reread the revised Chapter 22 or there's going to be quite a few things that will make no sense in this latest chapter. Sorry.
Enjoy!
Chapter 23: Revelations
Arendelle
"This is wrong, Kristoff. Elsa shouldn't punish herself like this. Especially for something that wasn't all her fault," said Kairi as she watched Kristoff pace around the room.
"I agree with you completely, Kairi. Especially since there's so much about this whole situation that doesn't add up," said the ice harvester.
"What do you mean?"
"Well, for one thing, if anybody, even outside of Arendelle, was lost in the winter, I'm sure we would have learned about it by now. Word of Elsa's powers did spread far after the coronation, so any outside kingdoms or lands that suffered casualties would have let her know," said Kristoff.
"You're right. If Elsa's powers are so well known by now, anybody could've determined the cause of the winter," said Kairi.
"And there's something about this Order of the Flame that doesn't seem right to me. They said they spent all that time and effort to master fire magic to fight against Elsa. But they didn't do much fighting with it at all. They just used it to threaten and intimidate her," said Kristoff.
"Yes. And then there's the way they just easily agreed to Elsa simply staying up here. Seems a little too reasonable for a group so thirsty for revenge," said Kairi.
"Exactly. And that's why I don't think we can trust them. For all we know, they could be planning a double-cross of some kind," said Kristoff.
"Like attacking us where we're heading back to Arendelle?" asked Kairi.
Kristoff shook his head. "More likely, they would attack Elsa when she's all alone up here and none of us would ever know about it."
Then the ice harvester gave an extremely worried look. "And it gets worse. Knowing Elsa and where her mind goes when she believes someone's been hurt by her powers, she may not even put up a fight."
Kairi's hands flew to her mouth as she gasped in horror. "We can't let that happen! We've got to do something!"
Kristoff rubbed the back of his head and let out a big sigh. "I know we should, Kairi. But it's really looking like no matter what we do, nothing's going to turn out right for any of us."
Kairi let out a yell of frustration and kicked the bonfire remains. 'Kristoff's right. If the Order was planning on keeping their word, then if we stay, they'll consider the agreement violated and attack us. But if we leave, they could attack Elsa or us. Either way, they win and we lose. It's just like being trapped in one of Xehanort's schemes all over again.'
Then she gazed to the balcony doors where she knew Anna and Elsa were spending their last hour together. A determined look came to her face as she tightened her fist.
'But Sora always found a way. No matter how hopeless it seemed or how much of an advantage Xehanort and the Organization had, he never stopped trying. And neither will I. Anna and Elsa have lost too much already. I won't let them lose any more!'
"Uh Kairi?" piped up Kristoff
The Princess of Heart turned to the ice harvester who had a look of bewilderment on his face. "What is it, Kristoff?"
Kristoff pointed at her. "Something's glowing under your coat."
"Huh?" asked Kairi as she looked at herself and saw that Kristoff was right. There was a glow coming from within her coat.
'The Wayfinder? No! It can't be time for me to leave now!' thought Kairi as she opened up the coat.
Much to her relief and surprise, the glow was not coming from the Wayfinder. Instead, it was coming from within one of her pockets.
'That's the pocket I…' she thought as she reached inside it and pulled out the Memento Card from Never Land which was now shining with a glowing light.
Suddenly, a strange feeling came over Kairi. It almost felt like she instantaneously knew exactly what to do with the card and what to say.
"World's light, hear my call!" she cried as she tossed the card up in the air.
As it rose up, she summoned her Keyblade to her hand. Once the card reached the apex of its ascent, it began to come down. Kairi then thrust Destiny's Embrace upward.
"Come to me now to protect all!" she shouted as the tip of her Keyblade struck the bottom of the card in mid-air.
Instantly, the card expanded into a heart-shaped portal of light about the size of a window. A ball of light similar to a comet shot out from the portal just as it dissipated. The ball streaked around the room briefly before bursting into a familiar form. Kairi gasped as she recognized what or rather who had just arrived.
Flying in the air, completely made of light, was none other than Peter Pan. He circled once around the room before stopping in front of Kairi and facing her.
"Peter?" she asked, hardly believing what she was seeing.
The apparition of Peter said nothing. He just gave Kairi a smile.
'I knew that Memento Card had some kind of power. But I never would've thought it would be like Sora's summon spells. But how did I suddenly know how to use it? How did that incantation just come to me?'
But Kairi knew she didn't have time to wonder about the mysteries regarding the power of the Memento Card. All that mattered now was that she used Peter's surprising appearance to her advantage.
Kristoff looked completely gobsmacked at what he was seeing. "Kairi, what just happened? Who is that?"
"He's a friend of mine and Sora's. Although he's not usually this silent. I can't exactly explain how he's able to be here right now. But he might be able to help us. You can help us, can you, Peter?" Kairi asked the apparition.
Once again, Peter gave no verbal response. But he did give Kairi a nod.
"All right then. Can you please pick me up?" asked Kairi.
Peter once again nodded and flew behind the Princess of Heart. Grabbing her by her sides, he lifted her up into the air.
"What are you planning to do, Kairi?" asked Kristoff.
"I'm going to have Peter fly me out of here to a place on the path up here where the Order of the Flame won't see me. Hopefully, I'll be able to find out if they are planning to double-cross us," said Kairi.
"And what will you do if they are?" asked the ice harvester.
Kairi sighed and admitted, "That, I haven't figured out yet. But I'll think of something and when I do, I'll let all of you know somehow. Trust me, Kristoff. I will get all of you out of this mess."
Kristoff smiled. "I know you will. You've got some pretty amazing magic yourself. I'll let Anna and Elsa know what you're doing when they come back in."
"Thanks Kristoff. Okay, Peter. Let's get out of here."
With that, Peter lifted Kairi up through one of the holes in the ceiling that the bonfire had made. Even if the bonfire hadn't been burning for very long, the holes were still big enough to allow them to fit through.
As they left, Kairi heard Kristoff's voice call out, "Be careful, Kairi! And good luck!"
Soon, Kairi and Peter emerged into the sky above the ice palace. Kairi's eyes widened as she briefly took in the incredible landscape in front of her.
Then her eyes gazed down where she could see the balcony. On it, she saw Anna and Elsa talking with each other. She couldn't hear exactly what the sisters were saying. But judging from the body language she could make out; it certainly wasn't happy.
'Anna, Elsa, I will protect and keep you both together. My fellow Princesses of Heart are not going to suffer like I have. Not on my watch.'
Peter then circled around and headed toward the mountain adjoining the ice palace. After passing by various trees and rock formations, they came to the place Kairi had in mind.
It was a clearing that she, Anna, Elsa and the others had passed through earlier on the way to the ice palace. The tracks of Kristoff's sled, Marshmallow and whatever transportation used by the Order of Flame were still there.
Peter flew toward the center of the clearing and then set the Princess of Heart down on the ground. Kairi turned around and said, "Thank you, Peter."
Peter gave a smile and a nod before bursting into a flash of light. When the light cleared, in Peter's place, was the Memento Card hovering in mid-air. It then floated right into Kairi's hand. She gazed at it just as she let out an exhausted sigh.
'Boy, I'm starting to feel just like I do after casting spells. I guess using the Memento Card requires using my magic reserves. Good thing I apparently had enough left to activate it.'
A puzzled look came to her face. 'Still, I wish I knew why all of a sudden I knew how to activate it. It's another strange power that came out of nowhere like when I saved Toodles back in Never Land. Where is it all coming from?'
The Princess of Heart then shook her head. 'All right, Kairi. Now's not the time to try and figure this out. There's some friends who need your help.'
She then turned to look at the path that led to the ice palace. 'Eimyrja said that she and the Order would be waiting outside the ice palace. I should head back up there and find a place where I can spy on them. I just hope I won't be too late to stop them if they are planning something bad.'
Kairi then stowed the Memento Card back in her pocket. Then she took out an Elixir from her pack and drank it. With her health and magic restored, she began to head up the path.
"Kairi!" a familiar voice filled with happiness suddenly shouted from behind her followed by some equally joyous barks and grunts.
'Could it be?' wondered Kairi as she turned around. She gasped as she saw a surprising yet welcoming sight.
Bounding up the path that led down the mountain was Pluto. Following close behind him was Olaf riding on Sven.
'Pluto! Olaf! Sven! They're all right!' thought Kairi as she collapsed to her knees in sheer relief.
The dog increased his speed and in mere moments, he was right in front of the Princess of Heart. Immediately, she threw her arms around his neck. He then began to lick her on the cheek causing her to giggle.
"Okay, Pluto! I'm glad to see you too. But take it easy on the licking!" Kairi said between laughs as she patted the dog on the head.
Pluto then ceased his licking. No sooner than he did, Sven had caught up and gave Kairi a lick of his own.
"Sven! Kristoff's going to be so happy to see that you're okay!" she exclaimed as she stroked the reindeer's cheek.
"Don't forget about me!" exclaimed Olaf.
Kairi laughed as she rose to her feet and held out her arms. The snowman took the hint and leapt into her arms and soon the two of them were in a tight embrace.
'I'm covered in dog and reindeer slobber and now I'm hugging someone who's a little frigid. But right now, I'm too relieved to care.'
Then she realized something. "But where's…?" she began to ask before the sound of loud footsteps interrupted her.
She turned toward the path and saw the large figure of Marshmallow lumbering toward her. Unlike the others, he took his time coming up to Kairi.
"Marshmallow!" shouted Kairi causing the giant snowman to acknowledge her with a low grunt.
"You don't know how happy I am to see all of you," said Kairi.
"We're happy to see you too, Kairi. But where's Anna? And Elsa? And Kristoff? You didn't get separated from them like you got separated from Sora, did you?" asked the small snowman.
"No, Olaf. I know where they are. They're still in the ice palace," said Kairi.
"Are they okay?" asked Olaf.
Kairi shook her head. "No. They may be in great danger from the Order of the Flame."
"Order of the Flame? Is that what that group of people who came to the palace are called? They are not very nice," said the snowman to which Pluto, Sven and Marshmallow nodded in agreement.
"That's putting it mildly, Olaf. In fact, they told us that something horrible happened to all of you: that you and Marshmallow were melted, and that Pluto and Sven fell off the edge of the mountain," said Kairi.
Olaf gave a perplexed look. "Is that what they told you? Well, that's not the truth at all. Because, as you can see, Marshmallow and I are okay. Now as for Sven and Pluto going off the edge of the mountain, that is kind of true. But to be absolutely truthful, it wasn't just them and it wasn't exactly a fall. Marshmallow and I went off the edge with them and it was more like a jump instead of a fall."
"Jump? You jumped off the edge of mountain?!" exclaimed Kairi.
Olaf nodded. "Yes, we did. Well actually, Marshmallow was the one who jumped while holding onto Sven and Pluto in his arms and I just rode on top of him. You see, we were standing guard outside the palace just like you and Elsa told us to do. But then those Order of the Flame people came, and they wanted to get in really badly. We tried to stop them but after doing what they did to Marshmallow again, he decided we couldn't stay."
Kairi gazed over to Marshmallow. Once again, there were holes all over his chest and arms. This time, she knew for sure that they were caused by the Order's fire magic.
"So, he grabbed Sven and Pluto, jumped off the mountain and we all slid down the side to the bottom. It was a long way down and it was a little scary. But it was also kind of fun. Everyone should try it out sometime," continued Olaf.
"None of you were hurt, were you? Especially Pluto and Sven?" asked Kairi.
"Oh no. Thanks to Marshmallow holding them tight, they had a nice soft landing and weren't hurt at all," said the little snowman as the two animals nodded.
"As for me and Marshmallow, falling down a mountain is no problem at all for us. It helps to not have a skull. Or bones."
Then Olaf's face fell. "We're really sorry, Kairi. I guess we weren't very good guards seeing as how we had to run away."
Kairi placed a comforting hand on Olaf's shoulder or rather where a shoulder would be if he actually had one. "You don't have to apologize for anything, Olaf. None of you do. The Order of the Flame is a pretty nasty group, so you guys made the right call to retreat. Although, I do have to say that jumping off a mountain is a little extreme."
"We did start heading back the moment we reached the bottom. We would've been up here sooner. But Marshmallow didn't want to come at first. I guess he was still pretty scared of those Order people," said Olaf causing his brother to grunt in agreement.
"We can't really blame him, Olaf. They've been pretty horrible to him," said Kairi as she gazed over Marshmallow's wounds. 'Aside from how Eimyrja hurt Elsa with her words, Marshmallow's probably suffered the most at the hands of the Order of the Flame.'
"Yes, it's very sad. My little brother used to let nothing stop him from trying to protect Elsa even if the people he was protecting her from were her sister and friends. He even fought with Sora, Donald and Goofy when he thought they weren't going to leave her alone. Luckily, I was able to convince him to come back up here with us. After all, we couldn't leave Anna, Elsa and Kristoff in trouble. They're our family. We also couldn't leave you either. In fact, mentioning you actually was what finally convinced him to be brave again," said Olaf.
"Me? Why?" asked Kairi in surprise.
"Because you're Sora's friend. Sora was so nice to him and wanted to help him find Elsa even after they fought. He really wants to repay that kindness and what better way to do that then by helping a friend of a friend?" asked Olaf.
The Princess of Heart gazed up at the giant snowman with a look of surprise. Marshmallow gave her a nod and muttered, "Sora."
Kairi smiled. 'Sora really can make friends with anyone.'
Then a serious look came to her face. "All right. I think it's time I got back to the palace. Anna, Elsa and Kristoff still need help."
"What are you going to do, Kairi?" asked the small snowman. Pluto, Sven and Marshmallow all had equally inquisitive looks on their faces.
Kairi sighed. "I don't know yet. The only thing I can think of right now is to spy on the Order and find out if they're planning something awful."
"Sounds like a good enough plan. Is there anything we can do?" asked Olaf as the others looked to her in anticipation of her orders.
A look of hesitation came to Kairi's face. "Olaf, I'm glad that you all went to the effort of getting back up here to help. But I think that all of you should stay down here in this clearing."
Olaf's eyes opened wide in surprise. "Huh? But why? We want to help. I mean that's why we all came up here with Elsa in the first place even though she wanted to do it by herself."
"I know we did, Olaf. But things have gotten way too dangerous so it's best that I handle this on my own," said the Princess of Heart.
Pluto let out a whimper. He gazed at Kairi pleadingly which did not escape her notice.
"Yes, Pluto. Even you should stay here. I'm sorry but the Order of the Flame are powerful enemies. Their fire magic may be strong enough to stand against Elsa's ice powers and my Keyblade combined. All of you were lucky to get away from them alive."
Another confused look came to Olaf's face. "Fire magic? Is that what they were using was supposed to be? Because it didn't look like any magic I've seen before."
Confusion took Kairi's face as well. "What do you mean? Didn't they create fire from their hands? You know, like how Elsa creates snow and ice with her own magic?"
In response to her question, the two snowmen and the two animals shook their heads. "No, they didn't. What they did was take these strange small glowing balls out of barrels and throw them at Marshmallow. They did turn into fire when they hit him so maybe it was a different kind of magic than Elsa's," said Olaf.
Kairi's puzzlement increased. 'Orange balls out of barrels? That sounds more like some kind of special weapon than magic. But I saw Eimyrja and the other members conjure fire in their hands. One of them even threw a fireball when Anna approached him,' thought Kairi as she recalled what happened earlier in the ice palace.
'Then again, they lied about what happened to Pluto, Olaf and the others. And then there's everything Kristoff brought up earlier. Could it be what we saw wasn't what it seemed to be?'
"Well, whatever's going on, it's all the more reason that I should get back up there and find out as much as I can about them. You all stay here where it's safe," said Kairi as she turned away from the group and began to head up the path to the ice palace.
But before she could get very far, Pluto and Sven rushed ahead of her and blocked her path. They glared at her defiantly.
"Stand aside, guys. I'm serious."
"And so are we," said Olaf as he strolled up to Kairi with Marshmallow following him. The smaller snowman indeed had an uncharacteristically serious look on his face.
"Kairi, I think I speak for all of us when I say that we appreciate that you don't want anything bad to happen to us. But we can't just wait around while our friends are in trouble," said Olaf.
Kairi was about to object before she stopped herself. 'There's something I can certainly relate to.'
"I know we may not look like a group that can be of much use against people with strange fire magic. But the four of us have done some pretty amazing things. I braved a warm room to take care of Anna. Marshmallow's got his courage back and he's willing to do anything to protect Elsa like before. Sven charged through a blizzard to bring Kristoff to help. And Pluto…well, I haven't known him for very long. But I'm sure he's done plenty of amazing things too," stated Olaf eliciting looks of pride from all of them causing Kairi to laugh in spite of herself.
Still, hesitance still had a firm grip on Kairi as her serious look returned. "Olaf, when the Order's leader lied about what happened to all of you, Anna, Elsa and Kristoff were horrified. I couldn't face them if I led you all into a battle where you might get hurt. You could get melted for real."
"I know. But like I told Anna once, some people are worth melting for," said Olaf with a smile.
Kairi soon found herself smiling as well. 'They're right. They may not be your typical army of heroes. But I can't deny their strong desire to fight for the people they care about. I did just win a battle against a crew of bloodthirsty pirates with a bunch of kids and one tiny fairy. I guess facing a group of fire-flinging sorcerers with two snowmen and two animals isn't that far off.'
"All right. You've convinced me. Let's help Anna, Elsa and Kristoff together," she said causing the group to cheer.
"So, what do you want us to do?" asked Olaf.
Kairi thought for a few moments before she said, "Okay. Gather around, everyone. Here's what we're going to do."
The two snowmen and the two animals gathered around the Princess of Heart as she related her plan to them.
Soon, after the briefing had been finished, the small group of heroes was making their way back to the ice palace. Pluto was leading the way. As he walked, he looked around in all directions while also sniffing the air and having his ears perked up. He was clearly on the lookout for any sign, scent or sound of anything.
Following close behind at a steady pace, was Sven carrying both Kairi and Olaf on his back. As he transported his two friends, he did the same things that Pluto was doing.
While they travelled, Olaf turned around and gazed back in the direction they had come from. In the distance, he saw the diminishing figure of Marshmallow waving at them. He let out a sad sigh.
Kairi heard him so she turned around and said, "I know you feel bad about leaving Marshmallow behind, Olaf. I do too. But right now, if we're going help our friends, we need to stay unseen. And Marshmallow is so big that he can be seen or heard pretty easily so it's better that he stays behind in the clearing. You understand?"
"Yes. But he really wanted to help," said the small snowman.
"I know and I can understand how he must be feeling getting left behind when he wants to help the people he cares about so much. It's happened to me a few times," said Kairi morosely.
"It has? But you have one of those giant keys like Sora does. You should be a big help to anyone just like he is," said Olaf.
"I'm afraid having a Keyblade doesn't make me anywhere near the level of Sora," said Kairi. 'And even having proper training didn't help as much as I hoped it would.'
"But now's not the time to talk about that so look at it this way, Olaf. We're not excluding Marshmallow completely. We're just keeping him in reserve so if things get bad and we need him, we'll send Pluto or Sven back down to fetch him," said Kairi.
Olaf smiled. "Okay. That sounds like a good plan."
Kairi then turned her attention back to the path ahead. "Now the Order's leader may have said they were waiting for us outside the palace. But after what you've told me about them, I'm not sure I can believe anything she said. For all we know, the Order could be hiding somewhere along this path planning some kind of sneak attack on us. Hopefully, Pluto and Sven can alert us to them before they have a chance to do that."
"They can do it. I know what Sven can do and if anyone can find any bad guys hiding up here, he's the reindeer for the job. After all, he is such a good listener, smeller and see-er. You should also see him when we play charades. And I'm sure Pluto is just as good," said Olaf optimistically.
Kairi chuckled. 'It's true that animals can sense things that humans can't. Although, I'm not sure how a reindeer's senses compare to a dog's. But two lookouts are still definitely better than one.'
"Kairi, can you tell me why exactly this Order of the Flame is doing all this? Why do they hate snowmen and ice palaces so much?" asked Olaf.
"Oh, I'm sorry, Olaf. I completely forgot you and the others don't know what happened in the palace. We've got some time before we get there so I guess I can fill you in," said Kairi as she began to relate what had transpired in the ice palace to the small snowman.
Much later, the group had ascended high into the mountains. As Pluto and Sven kept their eyes, ears and noses open for trouble, Kairi was reaching the end of her tale.
"And because of what the Order's leader told her, Elsa's decided that she has to stay up in the ice palace for the rest of her life to stop them from hurting anybody else especially Anna," related Kairi.
"Oh, that's terrible. Elsa must feel so awful," said Olaf sadly.
"Awful doesn't even begin to describe it, Olaf. She was devastated," said Kairi. 'Although, I don't know which devastated her more: the thought that she may have accidentally hurt people with her powers or the idea of never seeing Anna again.'
"No wonder this Order is so angry at her. They probably miss their loved ones as much as Anna and Elsa miss their parents. Do you think some warm hugs may help? They always made Anna and Elsa feel better," said Olaf.
Kairi couldn't help but let out a hollow chuckle at the ludicrousness of Olaf's statement. "If only it were that simple, Olaf. It's a nice thought but it would take more than warm hugs to get them to stop what they're doing."
Kairi's tone then became serious. "But Kristoff's pointed out that there are a lot of holes in their story and since they lied about destroying you and the others, who knows what else they've lied about?"
"Like, maybe they haven't really lost anybody?" suggested Olaf.
Kairi's eyes widened. "You know, I hadn't thought about that, Olaf. But that could be a possibility."
"If there's one thing I definitely don't like, it's liars. Especially after that nasty Prince Hans lied to Anna about loving her. But, if they've been lying, then why are they doing all this?" asked the snowman.
"That's a very good question. Hopefully, when we find them, we'll get some answers," said Kairi.
"Well, we haven't been attacked on the way up here so far. Pluto and Sven haven't detected anything either. Which probably means that they really are waiting outside the palace so at least they were truthful about that," said Olaf.
All of a sudden, Sven halted in his tracks startling both the girl and the snowman. Pluto stopped as well.
"What is it, boys?" asked Kairi.
The two animals then sniffed the air. Pluto began to growl and Sven let out a grunt as they gazed ahead.
"Kairi, look where we are," said Olaf pointing ahead.
The Princess of Heart looked in the direction the snowman and the animals were pointing in. They were definitely in familiar territory as right ahead was the bend that led to the ice palace. And from around the bend, faint sounds of voices filled the air.
"It's them. It's got to be. Let's get closer so we can hear them better. But we've got to be quiet, and we've got to approach slowly. We don't want to get caught," said Kairi as she and Olaf dismounted Sven.
With Kairi leading the way, the quartet inched along the rock wall. Though they couldn't see the exact sources of the voices, they were becoming clearer with every step they took closer.
"Lucky for us, the snow isn't so crunchy today or we'd definitely be making too much noise," observed Olaf.
"Shh, Olaf!" shushed Kairi.
"Oh. Be quiet. Gotcha, Kairi," said the snowman.
Suddenly, a loud voice rang through the air. "Hurry it up, all of you! Our time is running short!"
"That's Eimyrja!" Kairi exclaimed quietly.
"The Order's leader?" whispered Olaf to which Kairi responded with a nod.
Then a male voice that Kairi hadn't heard before yelled, "We're working as fast as we can, boss! But it's not easy lugging all these up stairs made of ice."
"I don't want to hear any excuses. If anyone of them in that palace comes down and sees the explosives piled in there, then this whole operation will be ruined. And I will not have any failures on my reputation. Is that clear?"
"Yes, boss," said the male voice.
Both Kairi and Olaf gasped in horror. Pluto and Sven's jaws dropped in shock.
"Explosives?!" exclaimed Kairi.
"They really are planning something bad!" exclaimed Olaf.
"And Anna, Elsa and Kristoff have no idea what they're doing!" added Kairi.
"We've got to stop them!" exclaimed Olaf.
Kairi was about to concur when they heard Eimyrja's voice let out a heavy sigh before stating, "They've been part of my band for the longest time. And yet, there are times when I feel like I'm surrounded by incompetents who can't seem to grasp the concept of timing."
"We wouldn't be so pressed for time if she wasn't so focused on playing dress-up and performing parlor tricks instead doing the job she was hired to do," muttered another male voice.
"And just what do you mean by that?!" snapped Eimyrja's voice.
"Did I say that out loud?" asked the male voice.
Kairi and the others' eyes opened wide in horror. They didn't know what was more shocking: what they had just heard or the voice they had just recognized.
"Kairi, was that…the Duke?" asked Olaf.
Kairi said nothing. But merely gave a shocked nod.
'What is going on?'
On the other side of the rock wall, in the area in front of the ice palace, a band of tough looking men and women had gathered. They were nine in number with four of them dressed in the robes of the Order of the Flame but with their hoods down and heads unwrapped. The remaining five were all dressed in various fur coats with swords, knives and other weapons on their persons. They were currently carrying barrels from nearby horse-drawn carts and taking them up the stairs into the palace.
As the band of nine worked, four other figures were standing nearby. One of them was none other than the Duke of Weselton. He looked very terrified as he stood behind two Order members who were now unmasked, revealing them to be a tall man with a moustache and a slightly shorter man with thick sideburns.
Facing him was a woman dressed in an Order robe. But her hood had been lowered and her face had been unwrapped to reveal her short black hair and various cuts and scars over her face. An eyepatch covered her left eye with her remaining green one eyeing the Duke with lividness.
"Well? Out with it! If you have a problem with the way we've done this job, Your Grace, then by all means, tell me!" the woman demanded angrily.
Summoning what little courage he had, the Duke stepped in front of the two men to face the woman. "You heard me perfectly, Eimyrja. I hired you and your band to do one simple job. And you could have been finished and we could have all been gone from this accursed mountain much sooner if you hadn't insisted on putting on this elaborate charade. And don't get me started on the expenses. Everything you required for your Order of the Flame act has cost far more than what I originally agreed to pay!"
"It is true that the indirect approach is not our usual method, Your Grace. But although we are the greatest band of mercenaries in all the land, we have never faced anyone like the queen of Arendelle before. So, we certainly weren't going to stupidly risk a direct confrontation with that kind of magic," said Eimyrja.
Then the leader pointed to the two men standing behind the Duke. "Didn't your own bodyguards try the same thing and very nearly lose their lives? They know how powerful the queen is. It was hard enough for them to even set foot in the palace, despite your request that they were to be the ones holding you during the hostage part of the deception since you didn't trust any of my band to do it."
The two men, who in actuality were the Duke's bodyguards Erik and Francis, gave nervous nods to their boss. Clearly, the memory of nearly being killed by Elsa was still fresh in their memories.
"And you can't deny our expensive elaborate charade, as you have called it, has worked perfectly. Our targets are right where we want them to be and all we needed to do was make them believe that we were sorcerers with fire magic who lost loved ones in the eternal winter. I can't believe how easily they fell for that sob story. But it's no surprise. After all, people who care about keeping others safe are always the easiest to manipulate. And as for your complaints about the expense, Your Grace, everything that you've paid for has served their purpose swimmingly," said Eimyrja.
The Order's leader then ran her gloved fingertips across the palm of her other glove creating a few sparks. "A little flammable liquid on fireproof gloves ignited by small bits of flint in the fingertips and you can trick people into believing you can create fire in the palm of your hand."
She then reached into her cloak and pulled out a glowing orange ball made out of some kind of fabric. "It's fortunate that we found an alchemist who could make these special incendiary orbs. They contain a substance that ignites on contact with air and the container burns away completely leaving no trace at all. They not only make it look like someone can throw fire, but they can also scare away giant snow monsters."
Eimyrja then gestured to the barrels that her troops were still carrying into the palace. "And to top it all off, enough barrels of explosives to make that ice palace and the ones inside nothing more than a bad memory. All it will take is one little spark."
With a sinister chuckle, she said, "So you see, Your Grace, although it has been very costly and very heavy on subterfuge, it has proven to be a perfect plan for a royal murder."
The Duke gave a look of offense at Eimyrja's last statement. "Please do not refer to this as a murder, Eimyrja. Calling it that implies that we are the wrongdoers here when our intentions are far more noble. The queen's powers are a danger to the entire world. The eternal winter she started at her coronation is proof of that so we must put an end to her."
"Yes, you've told me that many times. But I have been wondering why you wanted her sister gone as well. Isn't she powerless?" asked Eimyrja
"That's what she says. But the royal family kept so many secrets from everybody so she may very well be hiding powers of her own. And even if she isn't, she is still of the same blood. Any descendants of either of them could turn out to be monsters and that is why, for the good of the world, their bloodline must be ended once and for all."
"Whatever you have to tell yourself to set your conscience at ease, Your Grace. My band and I don't care either way as long we get paid," said Eimyrja.
"But as for your plan being perfect, I'm afraid I must protest. There are so many ways it could have gone wrong. Like you said earlier, if any one of them comes down and discovers what you are doing…" began the Duke.
"I am perfectly aware of that possibility, Your Grace, and that is why we are working as fast as we can. But after observing the sisters and their friends for some time before, they'll want to spend every waking moment possible together when faced with the prospect of never seeing each other again. So, as long as we have destroyed the palace within the hour, there is nothing to truly worry about."
"Even so, there was an unexpected element that could've jeopardized the whole plan," said the Duke.
"Oh? And what may that be?" asked Eimyrja in a tone that indicated she didn't believe it was possible.
"It's more of a who than a what. I refer to the queen and the princess' friend: the redhaired girl named Kairi," said the Duke.
"Her? Why on earth would we need to concern ourselves with her?" asked Eimyrja
"Because she is a sorceress as well. I saw what she could do with my own eyes. She conjured a weapon out of thin air right into her own hands. It looked like a…a giant…flowery…key."
"A giant flowery key? You must be joking if you think that is anything to worry about," said Eimyrja unimpressed.
"Trust me, this was no ordinary key. It enabled her to command the very winds themselves. And somehow, it even enabled her to help the queen extinguish your bonfire. And who knows what else she is capable of. We probably should've anticipated something like this. It only stands to reason that a sorceress like the queen would associate with others of her unnatural kind," said the Duke.
Eimyrja put a finger to her chin as she considered the Duke's words. "Hmm. You do raise a valid point, Your Grace. I do agree that a wildcard such as her would certainly have been inconvenient. But it really matters not. This unexpected interloper was just as gullible as the rest of them to fall for our little story. You should be proud of the fact that you helped rid the world of not one, but two sorceresses."
The Duke looked like he was about to argue further. But then he folded his arms. "I suppose you're right."
Eimyrja gave a smug smile. "Of course, I am. I certainly haven't remained the leader of this band because of my good looks. Rather, it's been my talent of concocting operations that are always successful. And after this operation, I'd have to say that I am far better than even I realized."
The Duke and Eimyrja then looked to the wagons. As the rest of the mercenaries continued their work, their cargo of explosive barrels got smaller.
"I trust that you have a way that won't endanger ourselves when the explosives are triggered?" asked the Duke.
Eimyrja gave the Duke an annoyed look. "Have you not been paying attention? Do you not see all the rope that we've brought?" she asked while pointing to one of the wagons which had some large spools of rope.
"After we finish setting up the explosives, we will create a line leading away from here with the ropes, which are coated in the same flammable liquid that we used to create the bonfire. Once we are at a safe distance away, we will ignite the ropes, the flames will travel along them to the explosives and then the job will be finished, save for one final step. All that will be left is for you to tell the people of Arendelle what happened up here. I trust that you have come up with something for that, Your Grace?" asked Eimyrja.
The Duke's eyes widened. "Well, er, I, uh," he stammered while his bodyguards traded nervous glances.
Eimyrja smacked her hand against her head as she let out a groan of exasperation. "I cannot believe this. Did you even consider how suspicious it would be for the sole survivor to be the one who's made an attempt on the queen's life before?"
"I am merely the financier of this operation. Working out the minute details of this plan was your job," the Duke shot back.
"Let me remind you, Your Grace, that you could've been on your way back to Weselton at this time and no one would have ever connected you to what happened here. But since you insisted on witnessing the end of the operation, I assumed you had some kind of explanation prepared for the kingdom that wouldn't throw suspicion on yourself. I can't believe someone could be so imbecilic!" exclaimed Eimyrja.
"Imbecilic? I'll have you know that I received one of the finest educations in all of Weselton," said the Duke indignantly.
"Then why don't you actually use it and come up with a good story? If you get caught, you can't pay us. And if we don't get our money, then whatever sentence Arendelle gives you for regicide will seem like a joy compared to what we'll do to you," said Eimyrja.
"Continue with your threats, Eimyrja, and you and your band will not see a single gold piece! And considering how much this operation has depleted your funds, I would imagine making sure your financier is not implicated is a priority!" snapped the Duke.
The Duke and the mercenary leader continued to argue. The Duke's bodyguards just stood by wondering who was going to come out on top.
Little did they know, the entire incriminating conversation that had just took place, had not gone unheard.
Around the bend, crouched behind the rock wall, Kairi, Olaf and the two animals wore expressions of shock on their faces. Their minds struggled to comprehend what they had just learned.
"That…that…that…" stammered Kairi as she struggled to finish her sentence.
"Weasel?" offered Olaf helpfully.
Kairi sighed. "I guess we'll have to go with calling him that because what I'm thinking are words that my parents taught me to never say out loud. I can't believe this whole thing has been a setup by the Duke and we all fell for it!" she exclaimed quietly.
She continued to listen to the Duke and Eimyrja argue. The more she heard from the two, the angrier she got.
'Elsa was so willing to give the Duke a chance to show he had changed and even Anna was about to do the same. But I guess his heart is just too full of darkness created by his hatred of magic. The Heartless would likely come for him and add him to their ranks. And how dare that Eimyrja woman use Elsa's worst fears and memories to play her like that. She'd fit in well with the Organization since she sounds a woman after Xehanort's own heart. That is, if that monster ever really had one.'
"Anna was right about him. He really is not a nice person," said Olaf snapping Kairi out of her thoughts.
A look of determination came to Kairi's face. "You know what he also isn't, Olaf? Getting away with this. We're going to save Anna, Elsa and Kristoff and make the Duke and his mercenaries answer for this."
"We're with you all the way, Kairi! I mean, sure it sounds like there's more of them then there are of us and they have a lot of nasty weapons. But I'm sure we can do it!" exclaimed Olaf with his usual optimism.
Pluto and Sven, however, looked like they didn't share the snowman's outlook on the situation. In fact, their worried expressions showed that they couldn't see a way they could pull off the rescue.
Kairi noticed and gave the two animals a reassuring smile. "I know rescuing our friends is going to be tough especially since what Olaf said is true. But even though it doesn't look like it, we actually have a big advantage."
"We do?" asked Olaf with Pluto and Sven giving questioning looks as well.
Kairi nodded. "Especially since we now know what's really going on and what we're actually dealing with. I've got an idea. But we have very little room for mistakes so if it's going to work, everyone needs to play their part perfectly. Especially you, Olaf."
"Me?" asked the snowman.
"Yes. Because a lot of it depends on you. Understand?" asked Kairi.
Olaf smiled. "You can count on me, Kairi. I'll do anything to help my friends," he said showing that he was not at all fazed in the slightest of being cast in an integral role in a matter of life-and-death.
Kairi smiled back as she once again had to admire the small snowman's devotion. 'So very much like Sora.'
"Okay. Now everyone, listen closely. We don't have a lot of time so I'm only going to be able to explain this once. Here's the plan," said Kairi.
With that, the snowman, the dog and the reindeer began to listen with undivided attention. As the Princess of Heart laid out the details of her plan, she inwardly steeled her resolve to protect her fellow bearers of the Seven Pure Lights.
'If Eimyrja and her mercenaries went to all this trouble to avoid a direct fight, then that's exactly what we're going to set them up for. And I'd be more than happy to show that weaselly Duke just how right he was to be worried about me.'
Notes from the Mad Doctor:
Okay, hands up everyone who saw the Duke's villainy coming. I don't know if he'd really sink this low in canon. But since bringing Hans back was out of the question due to becoming a Heartless, I needed a villain and he was the most notable one available.
I don't blame you if you got some Cardcaptor Sakura vibes from when Kairi used the Memento Card. I'm actually going to be using a few magical girl nods in this story since I sort of see Kairi as one herself.
The next chapter's the big fight scene and then two more chapters in Arendelle before we move onto the next world. Sorry again for making you wait so long. Hopefully, it won't be as long a wait for the next chapter depending on how smoothly the writing process is.
I give my thanks to everyone who read this chapter. I also give my thanks to anyone who read my other stories as well.
Reviews are much appreciated! Stay tuned!