Chapter Twenty One

The Last Stand

"I think we're here." Moana said as the ship started to slow down. The sun was starting to peer through the cold morning sky, and a faint orange light spread across the horizon.

"How do you know this is the right place?" Elsa asked. She had already tied her hair back into her trademark french braid, and had conjured up a new light blue outfit that was more suitable for the winter battle ahead. Her white sneakers had also been replaced by light blue snow boots which would give her more friction on the icy terrain that they were about to traverse.

"My magic," Moana touched her necklace and it glowed yellow. "I think it's attracted to the Major's. Like opposites attract. It's leading us to where he is right now."

"It's just like I read in the book in Atlantica. I told you, your white magic is the key to stopping the Major." Melody said.

"Let's hope that it is enough."

"It will be," Elsa looked at Moana and gave her a reassuring nod. "You got this."

"Let's get ready to move," Melody looked out at the shore that they were approaching, and pulled the thick green winter jacket Elsa's sister Anna had given her to cover her neck. It was really cold, but fortunately her human-mermaid hybrid biology helped her to adapt to various climates quickly. Soon, the cold wouldn't affect her, just like Elsa. Everything was iced over, and small blocks of ice that were chipped off floated in the water. The ship came to a stop, and Melody grabbed her bow and quiver.

She mounted the quiver on her back and carried the bow as she dismounted. As she climbed down from the ship and stepped down onto the ice, it cracked and sounded like it was going to give way. Cautiously, she placed her other foot away from the cracked surface, and inched away from the shoreline which was more unstable. Melody could immediately feel the lack of friction underneath her feet.

"Need some help?" Elsa watched from the ship as Melody tried to keep her balance on the ice below.

"Yeah."

"Alright, hang on. Don't move." Elsa lifted her hand gently, swirling it in a clockwise motion.

Ice droplets surrounded Melody's black boots, and to her amazement, she found her boots magically replaced with sturdy winter boots. "How?" she was stumped and pleasantly surprised.

"I don't know, it's just something that I can do with my powers." Elsa shrugged, and did the same for Moana. "I did it once for my sister when we were ice skating." She then used her powers to create a slope of ice from the beam of the ship down to the ground. She and Moana slid down gracefully and joined Melody on the ice.

"Thanks." Melody looked down, admiring her new snow boots.

"Oh, and I almost forgot." Elsa lifted her hand and swirled it again slowly, and this time, the thick green winter jacket that Anna had given Melody disappeared and was replaced by a black down jacket. Again, she also did the same for Moana, who was equally amazed and grateful.

"Wow," Melody admired her new jacket, and then mimicked the action of pulling an arrow from her quiver that was on her back. "It's so light and gives me more flexibility and range of motion!"

"That was the point," Elsa said. "You're going to need to be extra mobile when fighting the Major."

"Thanks Elsa." Moana held her spear in one hand and felt the material of her new jacket with the other.

A quake hit the ice that they were on, and the trio struggled to maintain their balance as the ice began to crack violently beneath their feet. Elsa quickly used her powers in an attempt to repair the cracks in the ground, filling up the cracks with ice to hold the ground together. The earth was really starting to crumble now that the heart of Te Fiti had been removed. Finally, the quake subsided and the ground stopped shaking.

"We should get going before it's too late," Melody exhaled in relief, and looked at Moana. "Where to next?"

"Right," Moana touched her necklace and it glowed yellow again, leaving a faint trail of energy for the girls to follow.

The trio followed the magical energy signature across the plain and up a small hill. They stopped and crouched low, hiding behind the snow capped hilltop. By this time, the sun had already risen and there was enough light for the girls to see their surroundings clearly. They peered out from behind the tall hilltop, surveying the vast landscape that stretched out before them. The entire terrain was covered in white, which was visually calming and pleasing to the eye. It would be nice to stop and gaze at if they weren't in the middle of trying to save the world, but instead they decided that the terrain was better to spot their enemies since the landscape was completely whited out.

"There," Melody pointed across the plain. The Major's mercenaries were stationed at the foot of a tall mountain, keeping watch for any signs of trouble.

"I don't see Kane though." Moana squinted as she scanned for the Major.

"He's probably hiding up there," Elsa pointed at the mountain that the mercenaries were standing in front of. Above them, there was a cave in the side of the mountain. "He said he was going to melt the ice caps, and he would have a good vantage point from that cave."

"How are we going to get to him?" Moana looked at the tall mountain and the huge plain of ice that lay before them. "There's a huge plain between us and the Major. We're never going to get across without being spotted."

"The odds are kind of stacked against us." Melody glanced back at her friends. "No element of surprise, we're two teammates down, and the Major has the advantage of elevation."

"What do you suggest?" Elsa asked.

"We don't really have any other choice. We've already come this far." Melody replied. "I say if we go down, we go down fighting. We have to at least try."

"It's not like I have anything else to lose," Moana shrugged.

"Let's do it. Even if there's a slim chance that we can walk away victorious, no matter how small, we have to take it. Our kingdoms are counting on us."

"The world is counting on us." Elsa added.

"So what's the play?"

"You and I are going to get up to the mountain cave, then you can neutralise Kane's black magic and I'll take him down." Melody explained her plan, hoping that it made sense. It sounded better in her head, and it was going to be way harder to pull off than it sounded.

"I'll stay on the ground to fight off the mercenaries and stop the ice caps from melting." Elsa added. "My powers should be enough to undo Kane's destruction." All her life, she had wondered why she had been cursed with ice powers. Maybe this was the reason she had been given powers, to serve a greater purpose than herself: to save her kingdom, and to save the world.

"Sounds like a plan." Moana clutched her spear tightly, ready to descend down the hill that they were hiding on.

"Wait," Melody grabbed Moana's forearm, stopping her. "We're forgetting about Tracy and Maui. What are we going to do if they show up and attack us?"

Silence reigned for a minute as the three girls realised that they would be out on the battlefield against their former teammates.

"We have to try to get through to them," Moana said boldly. "I mean, we can't just write them off, they're still a part of our team. Deep down, I know that there's some good in Tracy, and we have to appeal to her better instincts." She glanced at Melody.

"I saw Maui trying to fight off the mind control back on the island," Elsa added. "I think that with an extra push, we can help him break free of the Major's influence and get him back on our team."

"Okay then, it's settled," Melody adjusted the limbs of her take-down recurve bow, checking to make sure that she had assembled her weapon securely. "This might be our very last stand, so let's make it count. Let's go."

The three girls got up from their hiding spot and started scaling their way down the hill covered with ice. They walked across the flat terrain in plain sight towards the mercenaries standing in front of the mountain.

"Alert the Major." One of the mercenaries said to another, upon spotting the girls.

"Sir, we have company. You'll want to see this."

Upon hearing about the disturbance, an intrigued Kane walked past his new right hand man and Tracy, who was standing in the icy mountain cave behind him.

Tracy, who had also heard the message, turned to look out at the opening of the cave. Could it be that her former teammates had survived?

The Major walked out of the cave, and stood tall on the mountain. He looked down to see the three remaining warriors walking towards his mercenaries confidently without a trace of fear in their eyes. "Huh." He narrowed his eyes.

Melody, Elsa and Moana came to a stop a distance away from the mercenaries, at a spot where it would be easy for Melody to shoot a grappling arrow up to the mountain cave. They looked up at Major Kane who towered over them.

Tracy walked out of the cave and joined the Major at the edge of the mountain. She gaped when she saw her former teammates standing before the mercenaries. They really did survive!

"I've got to give it to you, I'm impressed at every turn! You girls have resolve," Kane called out loudly to the trio that stood before him, his deep voice reverberating throughout the vast terrain. "Not that it makes a difference now."

"Did you think sending us to the Mozambique Channel was going to stop us?!" Melody shouted. "We're going to stop you!"

"Santos always did talk too much." Kane mused.

"Where is he? What did you do with him?" Elsa realized that the double agent was nowhere to be found.

"He got what all traitors deserve."

"No…" Elsa's eyes welled up slightly, deeply grieved that Santos had given his life to help them. At least he redeemed himself before dying, she comforted herself.

"And so will all of you," the Major continued menacingly. "You've been a thorn in my side for far too long."

Tracy turned and looked at the Major in shock. He couldn't be serious! He was willing to kill them? To get them out of his way was one thing, but to murder them in cold blood? That was too much! She hadn't signed up for this!

"We travelled across the world to get here, Kane!" Melody retorted bravely. "You think a little threatening is going to stop us from getting to you?"

"Maybe this will, Princess." Major Kane snapped his fingers, and a huge figure emerged from the cave. Maui stood beside the Major, his eyes still glazed over and the heart of Te Fiti strung around his neck like a medal.

"Maui." Moana narrowed her eyes, gripping her spear a little tighter.

"This changes nothing!" Melody shouted. "We're going to stop you, even if that's the last thing we ever do!"

Major Kane smirked. "As last words go, those weren't bad."

"Tracy!" Melody yelled. "I know that deep down, you know he's wrong! You can't let him do this! Please!"

"Open fire." Kane told his right hand man, expecting him to relay the command to the rest of the troops.

The new right hand man of Kane hesitated, and looked at the Major uneasily.

"But Sir, don't you think-"

Major Kane tightly clenched his left fist and the new right hand man found himself being lifted off the mountain slowly. He grasped at his throat desperately as his face turned blue, his legs flailing madly. Gradually, he stopped struggling and was released from mid-air, landing back on the mountain, his body motionless.

"Anyone else?" Kane bellowed. With a wave of his hand, Kane gave the command for his troops to attack, and turned to walk back into the cave. He heard the sounds of the weapons being cocked and raised, and anticipated the deafening blasts of musket fire. Silence. Kane narrowed his eyes and hurriedly walked back to the edge of the mountain, looking down at his mercenaries who were desperately trying to fire their weapons.

"I said open fire!" Major Kane roared at his mercenaries.

"We can't, Sir!"

"All our weapons aren't working!"

The Major turned and looked at Maui, who was still waiting for a command, oblivious to whatever was happening around him. He turned to Tracy, who was aiming both her hands at the mercenaries below, her brows knit together as she concentrated on manipulating the dark arts. "What are you doing?"

"I can't let you do this." Tracy looked at Kane with conviction. "I can't let you kill my friends." Quickly, she aimed her left hand at the Major, and black magic engulfed him, giving him no time to react at all. She then tossed him into the cave, and used her black magic to levitate herself off the mountain edge.

Tracy landed beside her former teammates and avoided eye contact with them. "I know. I'm an idiot, alright?"

"Welcome back, Tracy." Melody grinned.

"We're sorry," Moana added. "We should have trusted you."

"Yeah whatever. Let's just get this over with and get out of here. It's freezing."

"I think I can help with that." Elsa smiled and lifted a hand.

Droplets of ice materialised from the water in the air around Tracy, and a pink down jacket appeared on her shoulders and she winced. "Ugh. Pink?"

###

Incensed, Major Kane pulled himself out of the rubble from where Tracy had tossed him, and walked swiftly to his bag of belongings. "I'm surrounded by traitors." Kane fumed, pulling out the Lamp of Jafar, and he started to rub the sides of the Lamp furiously. He had run out of options and this was his last resort.

Jafar the Genie emerged from the spout of the Lamp. "What do you seek, my Master?"

"The last wish," Kane blurted out impatiently. "I want to use it now."

"But Master, you made a promise," Jafar reminded Kane. "You said that you would use your final wish to release me from my endless cycle of slavery so that I could return to exact revenge on Aladdin."

"Things have changed, Jafar!" Kane ignored the genie's plea, desperate to ensure that his quest would be completed at all costs. "I am your Master, and you will obey my command!"

###

"So what's the plan?" Tracy asked, continuing to use her black magic to jam the mercenaries' weapons.

"We fight." Moana replied.

"I mean, yeah, but you guys have gotta have an actual plan right?"

"Okay, you and Elsa stay here on the ground. Elsa's going to stop the ice from melting, and you watch her back." Melody said, and Elsa nodded. "Moana and I are going to get up there," she pointed to the cave where the Major was. "And we're going to take him out."

"Take him out?" Tracy looked at Melody with a skeptical look on her face. "I don't know if you guys noticed, but he's getting stronger! The longer he has that snake totem, the harder it's gonna be to fight him. Alright, just for fun, how are you and village girl gonna stop him?"

"With this." Moana showed Tracy her palm, and a ball of yellow energy lit up in the centre of her palm like fire, perfectly controlled and stable.

"Get out! You got a grip on your magic?"

"Don't sound too surprised." Moana tried to hide the fact that she was slightly offended by Tracy's underestimation of her.

"Guys?" Elsa pointed to the cave, drawing everyone's attention back to the Major who emerged from the cave with the trident in his right hand, and the snake totem on his left. He stood beside Maui, who was still waiting for a command. The genie followed at Kane's side reluctantly, unable to do anything but comply with his master's wishes.

"You disappoint me, witch!" Kane bellowed. "But you running back to your friends doesn't change anything. Even together, you can't stop what's about to happen!" Another earthquake broke out, shaking the earth and cracking the ice that the warriors and mercenaries were standing on, and the sound of another volcano erupting could be heard in the far distance. "And you can't stop what's already happening!" He turned to Jafar and nodded. "Do it."

Jafar sighed and reluctantly raised his right hand.

The ground started to shake again, and cold mist materialised from thin air, shielding the mountain and the mercenaries from sight. After a few moments, the mist dissipated to reveal magical ice monsters towering over the mercenaries and the five girls. The ice monsters had blue complexion, with spikes of ice protruding from their enormous frames. There were holes where their eyes should have been, and with each breath that they took, strong gusts of cold air were released from their mouths, blowing the hair of the heroines across their faces.

"Uh, what?" Tracy gaped at the ice monsters, wondering if she had made the right choice to betray the Major and stand with the warriors again.

"We stick to the plan," Melody looked around at her friends confidently. "Elsa, can you handle these ice monsters?"

Elsa nodded. They somewhat reminded her of the ice monster she had created to protect herself a month ago. "I think so."

"Then let's go!"

The four girls charged towards the mercenaries and the ice monsters that stood at the base of the mountain.

Major Kane lifted up his left fist to the sky, and the snake totem glowed bright red, casting an ominous red hue over the icy white landscape. The mercenaries saw Kane's signal, and advanced towards the warriors who were rapidly closing the gap and approaching the base of the mountain. The ice monsters followed the mercenaries mindlessly, their only purpose to create more destruction and mayhem.

Maui finally moved from his position, and lifted the fish hook in his hand. In a bright flash of light, he transformed into a brown hawk and catapulted himself off from the mountain, flying across the plain towards the warriors and mercenaries.

The four girls collided with the onslaught of mercenaries and ice monsters, beginning the battle for mankind's fate.

Kane walked back into the cave, trident still in hand, and came to a spot in the cave where there was a large hole in the ceiling of the cave. Light flooded into the cave, creating a spotlight on the icy ground. Stopping below the hole, he looked up. Yes, this was it. With great force, he jammed the trident into the ground, creating a hole the size of the trident's shaft. With the trident stuck in the ground, Kane placed both his hands on the magical weapon. Closing his eyes, he chanted an incantation under his breath. The trident lit up, and golden energy erupted from the tips of the fork, shooting up into the sky. Kane released the trident and stepped back, a smirk of satisfaction spreading across his face.

###

Melody blocked another attack from a mercenary, and used her bow as a blunt weapon to knock her opponent off balance. She inched closer to the base of the mountain, fighting off more mercenaries who had come her way. Suddenly, she could see a faint flow of golden covering the terrain. She looked up to see a golden blast of light shooting up into the sky. "Guys!" she shouted to her teammates, who were equally occupied with fending off mercenaries and ice monsters. "It's begun! Kane is melting the ice caps!"

"We got it down here!" Tracy raised her arm to shield herself, and as the mercenaries came into contact with her, black magic rippled out from the points of contact, and they were thrown a short distance from her.

"Go! We got this handled!" Elsa froze an ice monster to the ground, preventing him from moving another step.

"Moana!" Melody swiftly slid beneath the swing of an ice monster as it roared, and manoeuvred her way over to Moana, who was using her tribal spear to trip up a couple of mercenaries, knocking them off balance. "We got to get up there now!"

"How?" Moana asked, fending off another opponent by jabbing the back end of her spear at him.

Melody removed a grappling arrow from her quiver, and placed it in the nocking point of her bow. Drawing back her bow, she aimed high for the mountain cave and compensated for the gravitational pull's effect on her trajectory. No time for her to calm her breathing. They were in the middle of a battlefield, and she didn't have the luxury of time. She just had to shoot and pray that her years of training would pay off. She released the grappling arrow and it flew with a cable attached to it. It landed on the mountain's side near the opening of the cave, its hooks digging into the stone and ice and anchoring itself securely. "Hold on!" she beckoned to Moana, who placed an arm around Melody's shoulder securely. Melody tugged on her bow which was attached to the arrow's cable, and the bow became a pulley system, lifting the two girls up into the air towards the mouth of the cave.

Landing on the mountain, Melody removed the grappling arrow from the stone and released the cable. She quickly recoiled it and stuck in back into her quiver. "Come on," she said. The two girls walked past the second dead right hand man, and into the cave cautiously, armed and ready for a fight with Major Kane.

In the cave, the duo remained close to each other with weapons in hand, surveying their new surroundings. The ground was damp and stony, and the cave was dark and cold, with huge spikes of melting ice hanging dangerously from the ceiling of the cave. The trident had begun its work, and the ice throughout the entire North Pole had already started to melt faster than they had expected. They really didn't have much time left. The cave itself was large and had many crevices and blind spots, which made it a good turf for the Major. He had the element of surprise, and could jump them at any moment, and they made mental notes to be extra cautious.

"Look out!" Moana shrieked, dropping her spear and pushing Melody out of the way.