The King Under the Mountain
"What do you mean, they're all dead?!" Hans shouted into the radio. Next to him, Weselton shrunk and backed away a few steps.
"Our forces were decimated, sir," the mercenary officer on the other side replied hastily. "We had no choice but to retreat."
Hans rubbed his forehead and sighed deeply as he tried to rein in his temper. "How is that possible?" he asked through gritted teeth.
"They overwhelmed us with their firepower, sir."
"Overwhelmed you with their firepower," Hans repeated slowly, drawing out each syllable. "Where were Scalpel and Torch during all this?"
"They've stopped answering their comms. We think they might have..."
"What? Spit it out!"
"It looked like they had their weapons, sir."
A vein bulged on Hans's forehead and his skin nearly matched the shade of his auburn hair now as he struggled to contain his fury. "They're dead. You're telling me, a pair of common thieves, took out two of my best operatives and slaughtered all of my men?!" he yelled incredulously."
"With respect, sir, there was another-"
"Aaaagh!" Hans roared and threw the radio at the wall, smashing it to pieces.
Weselton flinched and took a few steps back, clearing his throat nervously as he carefully regarded Hans. If the officer he had speaking to been present, he would have shot him for his incompetence. At the moment, they were standing in front of the entrance to a tomb.
Hans made a note in the back of his mind to clean house and fill his ranks with more capable henchmen once this business was concluded. "Have you got it open yet?!" he demanded as he turned on Weselton.
"Well, I'm still piecing together the translations and working out the mechanism but, but I should-" Weselton adjusted his glasses as he stumbled over his words.
"Enough," Hans held up a hand as he cut him off. "These doors had better be open by the time I get back," he turned around and started walking away.
"Where are you going?" Weselton called after him. "Those two meddlesome girls aren't dead yet."
"That's why I'm going to go kill them!" Hans shouted without looking back.
... ... ...
"So, how did you get inside the castle Kristoff?" Anna asked as they progressed further into the keep.
Daylight had faded behind them and the air grew noticeably more cold as they passed into the portion of the keep that was underneath the mountain.
"There's an inlet on the other side of this mountain that leads to a sort of dock," Kristoff replied. "That's where I left the boat and from there, there's a series of passageways that lead into the castle. My guess is that they were used as escape tunnels."
"And how did you know where to find us?" Elsa asked.
Kristoff shrugged. "That was easy, just follow the sounds of chaos. I heard all hell breaking loose, so I figured it had to be you two and starting making my way through the keep. That's when I got ambushed," he said. "Seriously though, thanks for saving me. I… uh, thought I might have been a goner."
Anna leaned over and gently squeezed his arm. "We would have never let that happen. Right Elsa?"
Elsa cocked her head at the familiar gesture between them and then answered quickly when Anna glanced over to her. "Of course not, Kristoff," she said, then turned away to hide the envy in her face.
"And, man, what a team you guys were! Elsa coming in with a grenade launcher, blowing up guys left and right," Kristoff mimicked the action with his hands and made explosion noises with his mouth. "And then, Anna with a minigun! Brrrrrrrt! Man, you guys kicked some serious ass back there," he laughed jovially.
Anna nodded her head in agreement. "We do make a good cou- team! We make a good team!" she recovered quickly then turned to the side to hide her face that turned red, hoping that Elsa hadn't caught the errant slip of her tongue.
Did she hear that? I hope she didn't, that was just wishful thinking. Wait a minute… uh oh, Anna thought. We can't be a couple, she's my sister. That'd be so… so… right? Perfect? Like everything I've been searching for but hadn't even realized was in front of me the whole time?
She frowned. Her thoughts were ordinarily jumbled, but she could parse through them easily enough. Occasionally, she was overcome by moments of clarity where her path before her was so clear that it frightened her at how easily her decisions came. At the back of her mind, she could almost feel understandings begin to slide into place, though she could not place what they were just yet. She only knew that at the center of it all was Elsa.
Elsa watched as Anna flushed and noticed the way her eyes darted back and forth between her and anywhere else.
Did she mean to say that? No, she couldn't have, she was just excited. That has to be it, surely, Elsa thought. Even so, she hoped the errant word that had nearly slid out meant something more. I have to tell her at some point, don't I? She deserves the truth, I owe her that much.
A rare moment of peace settled over Elsa as she finally reached a decision. Given their current circumstances and how their lives were threatened at every other moment, she resolved to tell Anna of her true feelings before the end. Come what may, Elsa would accept the consequences of the truth that she had tried to hide for so long. Anna had forgiven her for their past, and with it came the weightlessness and clarity of profound self-realization. Now, she could stop looking behind herself into the past, and begin to set the course right for her future.
The path ahead was clear, both figuratively and literally as they passed through another long foyer, different from the last one they encountered. Before them, a tall set of double doors lay open, permitting entry into the throne room that lay beyond.
Anna gasped in excitement as they approached, and before either Elsa or Kristoff could urge caution, she took off running towards it with giddy delight.
The throne room was a massive chamber, lined one either side by tall pillars that were adorned by faded banners that hung limply in the still air. They stretched all the way to the arched ceiling above where an intricate mosaic depicted a red dragon standing on its hind legs, wreathed in flames that encircled itself. A long hearth ran down the center, starting ahead of the entrance and stretching along the length of the room until coming to a stop near the base of a raised dais. Sitting atop the dais and carved out the mountain itself was an empty throne. Compared to the intricate and impressive mosaic hanging above it, the throne was simple, reflecting more practical and restrained taste.
Elsa and Kristoff followed not far behind Anna, remaining watchful for any danger that may yet lurk about. However, as they crossed through the entry, even they could not resist looking around at the splendor of the throne room.
"Wow," Anna turned around in a slow circle as she walked alongside the empty hearth and gazed in astonishment.
"It's something else isn't it?" Kristoff muttered in awe.
Elsa kept her gaze focused solely on Anna. "Yeah," she said wistfully. "Something else."
As Anna reached the throne she paused and frowned, then carefully stepped towards it as she examined it closer. There was a thick layer of dust that covered the throne, save for parts of the armrests and the seat where a human-shaped imprint had been left.
"Someone sat here," Anna scowled in realization. She turned to face the other two, placing a hand on her hip and gesturing with her other indignantly.
"I have a pretty good idea who could have done that," Kristoff replied.
Anna sighed deeply and rubbed her forehead. "Ugh, unbelievable. Nobody steps foot inside this room for centuries and the first people to do it are the bumbling mustachioed prick, and Mister Sideburns, and his army of douchebags!'
"You can still sit on it, if you want," Elsa suggested mildly.
"No," Anna shook her head glumly. "No, it wouldn't be the same."
"We didn't come all this way just to sit on a chair, Anna. Come on, we can still find that treasure," Elsa said encouragingly.
Anna looked up at her and smiled softly, then nodded as she found her resolve again.
"Looks like there's another way back here," Kristoff said as he walked towards a small passageway to the side of the throne.
"Well then, come on, slowpokes!" Anna exclaimed and then brushed past Kristoff. "Shake the lead out of your asses and move it!"
Behind her, Elsa followed along and shot Kristoff a quick apologetic look.
Kristoff sighed and shook his head. "And, she's back," he muttered then jogged to catch up with them.
The side passage led to a staircase that led upwards to another lengthy corridor that was interspersed by empty rooms and quarters. As they traveled through, the stale subterranean air grew noticeably humid and tasted faintly of salt. The darkness noticeably lightened up, and a low moan echoed through the empty halls as the air shifted and moved about slowly.
"Can you feel that?" Anna asked as she picked up on it first. "I think we're getting close to the outside again."
Elsa scanned their surroundings and sniffed the air. "These must have been the royal quarters," she muttered.
Anna stopped and looked up at a banner that held the same emblem of the dragon from the throne room. "I would say your guess is correct," she said, then continued on.
As they passed through the royal quarters, they would occasionally stop to pick through a side room or search the remains of an empty quarter but found nothing of interest. Not that there would have been anything to find, as everywhere they looked yielded more and more evidence that Hans and Weselton had already been there. Stories of their passage were told through recent footprints left in the dust or objects that had been disturbed, which were distressing signs to the trio. A silent agreement was struck between the three, which sped their way as they picked up their pace.
After rounding a corner, the way before them widened out into a larger hallway arranged in a Y-shape. The paths to either side led away from each other, and here they stopped to regard each of their options.
"Okay… which way do we go?" Kristoff asked as he drifted towards the left.
At the same time, Elsa and Anna started towards the right when suddenly, a loud grinding of stone and rattling of metal rang out. A portcullis appeared above them and slid down grooves embedded in the walls and floor, slamming into place behind and separating them.
"Damn!" Kristoff jumped from the noise, then turned around. "What did you guys do?"
"Us? We didn't do anything!" Anna grabbed the metal bars. "What the hell did you do?"
"I didn't do a damn thing!"
All around them, rapid footsteps could be heard as unseen mercenaries shouted out.
"We've got them! They're cut off from each other, take them down!"
"Shit!" Kristoff cursed. "It was a trap!"
"Okay, we got to hurry!" Anna shouted and knelt to lift the portcullis. "C'mon, help me lift this!"
Kristoff shook his head. "No, no. Anna, there's no way we can lift this thing, it's too heavy!"
"He's right, Anna," Elsa said hurriedly. "We can't lift this thing."
"Then what the hell do we do?" Anna asked.
The shouting and footsteps were steadily gaining on them.
"Here, Anna!" Kristoff shouted as he reached his hand through the bars. "Give me your gun, I'll draw them away!"
"What?! Kristoff, wait-" Anna started.
Kristoff gestured with his hands more urgently. "We don't have time to argue!" he exclaimed. "They'll be here any second!"
"Goddammit!" Anna swore, then passed her weapon through the portcullis to Kristoff.
"Get out of here! Go!" Kristoff waved them off then started back down the way they came. "Over here, you bastards!" he shouted as he led the mercenaries away.
"Come on, Anna!" Elsa grabbed her hand and started leading her ahead. "He knows what he's doing! We have to go!"
They ran down the corridor, which led to another large chamber that was filled with suits of armor and weapons that lined the walls top to bottom. It was an armory, and all around them were deadly instruments of medieval warfare. In front of them, three mercenaries emerged from the opposite side and began firing their weapons at Elsa and Anna.
"Get down!" Elsa shouted as she upended a thick wooden table and ducked beneath it, dragging Anna along with her.
"What the hell!" Anna yelled as she fired blindly over the table with her pistol. "I thought I killed all these assholes!"
Bullets continued to rain down on them from all over, slamming into tools, armor, and weapons alike, knocking them to the ground. They ripped at the edges of the table, forcing Elsa and Anna to press closer together.
"We're trapped in here!" Anna shrunk as small as she could and pressed herself against Elsa. "What do we do?!"
Elsa glanced all around her, searching for another way out or something she could use when a bullet struck a nearby suit of armor and knocked it over. The armored suit was clutching a thick sturdy kite shield and an arming sword which toppled over and scattered across the ground at her feet. She looked down, and a metal visored helmet with narrow eye slits stared back at her. An idea came to her then, and it was foolish and stupid and dangerous but it was the best chance they had.
"I have an idea," Elsa said as she reached over and picked up the shield, sword, and helmet.
Next, she looped her left arm through the buckles of the shield and winced sharply when the wound in her shoulder flared up. Fighting through the pain, she donned the helmet next and then took up the sword in her right hand. Elsa's fencing training came back to her then, and though she had never trained with a sword and shield, she was renewed with confidence nonetheless.
Anna finally looked over and her jaw fell loose as soon as she saw Elsa's new get up. "Elsa, what the hell are you doing?!" she shouted.
"Improvising," Elsa flashed a cocksure grin as she pushed herself up to one knee.
"Are you crazy?! You're out of your mind!"
"Yep! Probably!" Elsa repeated Anna's earlier statement on the plane, then slammed the visor of her helmet shut.
Before Anna could stop her, Elsa rose to her feet and held the shield out in front of her body which nearly covered her head to toe. With an epic roar, Elsa ran forward, bracing the flat of her sword against the top of her shield as she pointed the tip outwards. Ahead of them, the mercenaries spotted her and adjusted their aim accordingly.
"Over there! She's coming right at us!"
The shield proved to be more than a worthy match against the small arms fire. Bullets bounced off of Elsa's shield or were stopped completely by the sturdy metal. She maintained her momentum as she gained on the three mercenaries, crossing the distance of the armory while crying out with such fierceness and tenacity she had never felt before in her life. Elsa did not stumble, nor waver, nor stop for anything.
It was the most bizarre and baffling thing Anna had ever witnessed. It was the most reckless display of bravery and stupidity that had rivaled Anna's own. It was the strangest and the most beautiful thing that had ever come from far beyond the left field. It was so uncharacteristic and unexpected of Elsa, that Anna could hardly believe her own eyes.
"Oh… oh damn," Anna said dumbly as she watched what happened next unfold.
Elsa rammed into the first mercenary with her shield and hit him with explosive force. He was knocked clear off his feet and sent flying back against the wall. Next, she turned her head just in time before the second mercenary placed his pistol against the helmet and fired. The bullet grazed the side of the metal and bounced off cleanly, however, the shot had left her ears ringing. Elsa retaliated by swiping upwards with the shield to knock the weapon from his hands, then brought her arm in from the left and bashed him across the face with the pointed edge of the shield. The third mercenary attempted to step back to put some space between him and Elsa, but she responded by leaping forward and thrusting with her sword, stabbing him through the chest. By now, the first mercenary she had plowed into had risen to his feet, dazed from the blow and was promptly met with the steel of Elsa's sword that slashed him from shoulder to hip.
During the whole thing, Anna had merely stood and watched. She was too stunned and shocked to do anything, and she was unashamed to admit that the sight of Elsa charging headlong into danger like a knight of old had turned her on.
Once the mercenaries were dealt with, Anna approached her slowly. "Holy crap… Elsa… that was hot," she said shakily.
"What?!" Elsa turned around and looked in several directions, unable to pinpoint the source through the helmet until she eventually found Anna. "What did you say?!"
"I said that was-"
Elsa removed her helmet and let it fall to the ground. "I can't hear you! I think a bullet grazed the helmet, I'm a little deaf!" she said a little louder than necessary as she gestured to her ears.
Anna chuckled and leaned over to speak into Elsa's ear. "It's nothing. Are you okay?"
"Yeah, yeah. Fine!" Elsa said, again a little too loudly for Anna. "Just a little bell-rung, it'll pass!" she waved away Anna's concern as she dropped her sword and shield, wincing from the pain in her shoulder wound she had aggravated.
"Elsa, your shoulder!" Anna stepped over and began fussing over Elsa.
"It's fine. Probably," Elsa said as she reached under her clothing with her right hand to feel her left shoulder.
She pulled her hand away and noticed the small amount of blood on it. The wound had indeed been distressed, but the bandages helped to staunch much of the minor bleeding. More disconcerting was the constant ringing in Elsa's ears now.
"I hope I don't get tinnitus," Elsa placed her hands over her ears. "All these explosions and gunfire... not good."
"Oh, it's not so bad. You get used to it."
"That was a bad idea, wasn't it?"
Anna paused and looked around at the carnage Elsa had left in her wake. "Yeah," she nodded slowly, then smiled. "But it was also pretty awesome."
"Good, because I don't think I can do that again," Elsa replied, once again echoing one of Anna's earlier remarks. "Well, come on, slowpoke," she grinned tiredly and then straightened up. "We got a treasure to find," she squeezed Anna on the arm gently and started making her way out of the armory, leaving a very confused yet very captivated Anna behind.
What in the world? Anna thought. Where did all this come from?
Elsa was never this confident or sure of herself. She could handle herself in a fight, that much Anna was already aware of, but this new Elsa was like an entirely different person. She was thinking on her feet, making quips, and her demeanor was so much more open than before. Anna had no idea what had brought about this change. Elsa had always been a force to be reckoned with, but now she was like an unstoppable force of nature. A winter storm so cold and fierce it could crack the mountains in half and freeze the oceans solid. Even so, for the first time, Anna felt as if she could truly see Elsa at the center of it all. Where she had once been demure and modest, she was now unburdened and unafraid. She was severe and beautiful, graceful yet deadly, all at the same time.
Anna couldn't hide the dumb grin that spread across her face as she followed after Elsa.
They departed from the armory and traveled through the bowels of the keep, consistently ascending higher and higher through the mountain. Taking it as a good sign, they pressed on until the air was muggy and laced with the smell of sea salt. After rounding a bend, Elsa and Anna climbed up a small staircase and found themselves looking over the sea atop a landing.
The sky had deepened in color, leaking blood-orange and shades of violet as the late afternoon faded into evening. Below them, the seas were calm, washing and breaking up upon the rocky bluffs below them steadily.
Anna swallowed a lump in her throat, but this time she actually forced herself to look upon the great body of water rather than shy from it. With great concentration, she approached the edge as far as she dared - a few meters away - and looked at the calm blue waves. From there she glanced backwards and noticed that Elsa had remained by her side, not looking at the sea but at her. With an encouraging smile, Anna looked back to the sea.
I can do this. This far up and this far away… it's not so bad. The sea is actually kinda beautiful in a way. Like Elsa, Anna thought, then she was reminded of a joke.
"Hey, Elsa?" Anna began.
"Yes?"
"What did the ocean say to the beach?"
Elsa shut her eyes and smiled. "I don't know, what?"
"Nothing," Anna turned slowly to look at Elsa as a wide grin broke out on her face. "It just waved," she waved her hand.
In the next moment, a miraculous and beautiful thing happened. Elsa scrunched up her face in thought as she took in the punchline, and then she started to laugh. It started slowly at first. A small giggle escaped Elsa's lips, which she tried to cover from her hand. However, more and more kept slipping out, until the act of suppressing them became just as funny to Elsa as the joke was. She abandoned her attempts to hide her mirth and then chuckled heartily when her shoulders began to shake from the laughter that was bubbling out from her.
Anna started to laugh as well, until she heard the tiniest snort from Elsa slip out between her laughter. It was a seemingly unremarkable thing, but that small involuntary noise of Elsa's joy immediately wound its way into Anna's heart and embedded itself there. Never before in her life had she ever heard Elsa laugh like that. She could listen to Elsa snort with laughter for the rest of her life, and she would do everything in her power just to ensure that she always gave her that much happiness. The moment was so simple and so pure. With just the most insignificant and goofiest of noises, Anna was undone. She had fallen in love.
Elsa shook with laughter for a few moments longer, then finally gathered herself enough to form a complete sentence. "Heh he he," she sniffed and wiped her eyes. "Hmm, okay. That was pretty good."
"That was one of my better ones," Anna said.
The smile remained on each of their faces as they both enjoyed the tenderness of the moment.
I think I love you, Anna said to herself in her mind.
It didn't last forever however, much as both of them wanted it to. An explosion echoed from deep in the mountain, snapping Elsa and Anna back to attention and reminded them of their purpose on the island.
Without another word, they both departed from that landing above the staircase and made their way in the direction they hoped their goal would be in. The landing connected to a shelf carved into the cliff side. One side remained open and exposed to the salty air, sitting dozens of meters above the sea. They followed along this route until the passage curved inwards again and led towards an open doorway to a round chamber. Flanked on either side of the doorway, were two statues of snarling dragons.
Anna walked up to the dragons slowly, approaching them with caution as if they could burst free from their stony prison and burn her alive. Elsa stayed right by her side until they passed through and entered the chamber.
There was a single sarcophagus set in the center, surrounded by ten others that lined the perimeter and encircled the center of the room. Each one of them had been opened, the tops lying on floor next to them or were smashed open indiscriminately. The skeletons that were inside were dressed in all manner of chainmail and plate armor.
"Oh my god," Elsa muttered as she took in her surroundings.
Anna's mouth had fallen open, and as chatty as she usually was, she found she could summon no words accurate enough to describe what she was feeling.
The center sarcophagus had also been opened and the lid that lay next to it held an effigy in the shape of a handsome bearded man with long hair. A crown rested upon his head and his kingly likeness was forever cast in stone. The skeleton that lay inside was dressed in golden chainmail and despite the passage of centuries, it remained untarnished and gleamed as brightly as the day it's owner had worn it for the last time.
This was the tomb of King Arthur and his knights.
"Anna," Elsa started as she realized where they were standing. "Anna… I- I think it's them."
They walked slowly, approaching the sarcophagus in the center with the utmost trepidation and reverence. Anna looked down upon the skeleton who had once been a great king. A ruler and a hero, lost to history and now rediscovered again. The man who had been at the center of centuries of myth and storytelling that many had ever doubted even existed. Here he was, lying in peaceful repose as he rendered his undying legend unto eternity.
"I- I… its- " Anna started, but was cut off by a strong arm that wrapped around her throat.
She felt rough hands rip her own gun out of her holster, followed by the cool caress of the barrel against her temple near her scar.
"There you are" a sinister and recognizable voice hissed in Anna's ear.
Elsa immediately turned and reached for her gun, but Hans aimed at her and placed a shot between her feet faster than she could blink.
"Do that, and I'll scatter her brains all over the floor," Hans tightened his grip around Anna's throat and jammed the barrel against her head more roughly, cocking her head sideways. "Toss it away," he ordered.
Elsa shared a worried look with Anna. In her eyes, Elsa saw fear, shock, and apprehension. She felt paralyzed, and any action she took to free Anna would surely end in both of their deaths. She closed her eyes, and recalled the promise she had made. Then, she slowly kept her hands up and pulled her gun out of her holster before tossing it aside.
"Good," Hans smirked and nodded his approval, then pointed towards a doorway on the far end of the round chamber. "Now go on, there's someone I want you two to meet."
