Sure, he could have just set the overgrown snowman on fire.

Lit him up like a giant bonfire and let him melt down into nothing but a gooey puddle.

But then, where would have been the fun in that?

And he had sure as hell been having fun, playing his little game of cat and mouse. Axel had almost grown fond of the big lug in just the few short minutes their fight had spanned. It would have been a shame to make a slushie out of him. Besides, generating that amount of heat would have been a huge waste of energy. Nothing short of a gargantuan column of fire would have engulfed the entire creature and that kind of stunt would have drained a whole lot out of him, which would have defeated the purpose. That purpose being, as previously stated, fun.

Not gonna lie, he had been enjoying his spar with Little Miss Freeze as well. Back in the Organization, he had tried to goad Vexen on many occasions into an epic clash of fire versus ice. But the so called Chilly Academic had always refused, stating it to be a waste of his valuable time that was better spent on his experiments or some other rot.

Vexen had always been such a wet blanket.

But now he had finally gotten what he wanted. True, it hadn't been quite as legendary as he had hoped for. His opponent had been unskilled and untrained in her command over her own element. And for an assassin such as himself doing what he did best, it had been no contest. Sure, she had gotten a couple lucky shots in here or there, but for the most part, he had just been toying with her.

Still, it had been undeniably cool.

But alas, all good things had to come to an end.

Radiant Garden hadn't been getting any warmer as the fight had worn on. He had needed to draw it to its inevitable finale. And seeing as Snowflake was the obvious source, taking her out was his best bet. So the second he had been able to give the overgrown yeti the slip, he had teleported in behind her, delivered a swift chop to the back of the neck and had her sleeping like a baby.

The blizzard had died down almost instantly. It hadn't vanished completely, but it just needed time. Nature would take its course and melt it all away, returning everything to normal.

However, something else had failed to vanish: friggin' Frosty the Anger Issues Snowman. Just Axel's luck. As soon as it turned and spotted him kneeling over the limp form of its unconscious mistress, it had been thrown into a terrifying fury as it unleashed another thunderous roar and charged at him. Scooping the woman up and cradling her in his arms, Axel had skipped back several steps, raising a wall of fire between himself and the beast. That had halted it in its tracks. The flames had lapped at the air, towering nearly as high as the snow giant itself. It'd glared at the crackling roadblock before bellowing again, as if its vocal rage alone could put out the fire. Fun fact: it couldn't.

"Settle down, Frosty," Axel had called up to it from the other side. The creature had stilled, narrowing its empty eye holes down at him. "If you stay put, no harm will come to her. Just sit tight and I'll be back before ya know it."

It'd made no move to indicate acknowledgment of his words, just continued to stare coldly at him.

Huh. Good enough, he'd supposed.

With that, he had turned and left, heading towards the edge of the blizzard where he had not been surprised to find Leon and Yuffie waiting for him. He had proceeded to give them the cliff notes version of everything that had gone down before they decided to bring her back to Merlin's house. There they had been met by the rest of the Restoration Committee.

"Oh!" Aerith had breathed in surprised when she saw Axel's cargo. Directing him to place her down on the bed, she'd then frowned. "I hope you didn't hurt her too badly."

Waving a dismissive hand, he'd responded, "Hardly touched her. She's just taking a snooze. She'll be fine."

That had been part of the reason he had only used his chakrams on her and not his keyblade. Well… that, and he still couldn't rely on the damn thing to show up half the time. But really, even if he had been sure he could summon it without issue, he wouldn't have. Using a keyblade on a living person who didn't know what they were getting into was a surefire way to give them a really bad day. One ill timed jab and it could be buh-bye, heart.

His chakrams, on the other hand, he could depend on like a couple of old friends. Worst came to worst, there was a non 0% chance of some bloody cuts or singed flesh, and even then only if he had really wanted to hurt her. But that had never really been his goal, he had just wanted to test her out, see what she could do and find out what they were really up against. Have a bit of sport while he was at it too, before he had finally decided that it was time for lights out.

He now stood off in one corner, arms crossed as he leaned back against a wall. The committee was on the opposite side of the room, huddled around the bed that Snowflake was passed out on. Aerith sat on the mattress beside her, checking for any serious injuries. Plus, when the woman inevitably woke up, wouldn't hurt having it be to a friendly face. And you'd be hard pressed to find a friendlier face than Aerith's. Merlin had returned by now from wherever it was he'd poofed off to earlier. He and the rest of the crew - Leon, Yuffie, and Cid - were discussing in low voices what their best course of action from here would be.

Axel was staying out of it. He sure as hell didn't know what the next step was, so he didn't envy the choice they had to make in the slightest.

Clearly, the chick was from another world, one that the Heartless had invaded. But anything beyond that was a mystery. From what little he had been able to glean from her words earlier, the Heartless had vamoosed with her sister. And given his all black attire when he had crossed paths with said chick, hadn't he just perfectly looked the part of kidnapper. He supposed looking at it that way, he didn't really blame her for her hostile attitude towards him. But the question remained… what was the committee going to do with her? How much were they going to tell her? It wasn't like maintaining the world order was a thing to worry about here, given she was no longer even on hers.

Maybe it was none of his business. His job was done and really at this point, he didn't need to stick around. But he was curious to see what would happen next. Merlin hadn't hauled his happy ass back off to the magic training pocket dimension yet, so Axel figured that was as good enough an invitation as he was ever gonna get to stay and watch how everything played out.

"Quiet everyone," Aerith said suddenly, causing a hush to fall over the room. "She's waking up."

The woman was stirring, her face scrunching slightly before her eyes slowly fluttered open. "Where…?" she groaned softly, taking in the unfamiliar walls around her.

"Mornin', sleeping beauty!" Cid grinned, leaning over Aerith's shoulder.

The woman yelped, her eyes wide as she shot up, threw her hands out in front of her and-

Nothing happened.

Blinking a couple times, she looked down at her hands. She flicked them a few times then thrust them out before her a second time. Again, nada.

Clearing his throat, Merlin spoke up, "Miss, if you're trying to freeze us into solid ice, that won't be happening." He stroked his long beard and added, "I've nullified your powers."

She stared up at the old wizard, her features twisting in confusion. "...nullified?"

He smiled kindly. "Just as a precaution, mind you. So we could talk."

"Hmph. Trying to ice me," Cid grumbled, thumbing his nose and tromping off to take a seat in front of the computer. "Ain't that just a fine how do ya do?"

Axel snorted. "Can you really blame her? Waking up to an ugly mug like yours."

Apparently their guest hadn't realized he was in the room. The moment Axel spoke up and drew her attention to him, she gasped and scrambled back, pressing herself against a wall and hugging her knees to her chest. "I-I don't know what you blackguards want with me, but stay back! Don't come any closer!"

Aerith hushed her gently, sympathetically reaching a hand out towards her. "It's okay. You have nothing to worry about."

"Yeah! We're the good guys!" Yuffie chimed in.

"Lies," she shook her head. Her hands were shaking as they gripped at the fabric of her dress, though she was doing her best to hide it. Axel understood. If he was the one waking up surrounded by strangers and cut off from his powers, he'd be feeling pretty vulnerable too. She pointed a finger at him, "You're with him. You're with the Heartless. Those shadow fiends that attacked my kingdom and kidnapped my sister. What do you want with her? What do you want with me?"

"Wait, you said Heartless. How do you know that word?" Leon asked quietly. "...have you made any new acquaintances lately? Particularly a boy with brown hair, blue eyes, and an irritatingly perky smile?"

The woman looked at him sharply. "You know Sora?"

Axel had to stifle a laugh, not only at the description but that it was enough for Snowflake to know exactly who Leon was talking about.

Leon nodded. "Kid has a habit of being at the right place, right time when Heartless are involved. He's a friend of ours."

She frowned at them dubiously. "Alright… let's say I believe that." She clearly didn't. "That still doesn't explain why you all kidnapped me and brought me here."

Shaking his head, Merlin said, "We didn't. We're not entirely sure who or what did." A crease formed between her eyebrows, but she remained silent, waiting for him to continue. He sighed, "Where to begin…" He then stretched one hand out to her, gesturing the other towards the computer. "Come, my dear. Step this way."

Her eyes darted from his face to his hand a couple times and she didn't move at first. But then a soft, "It's alright," from Aerith paired with an encouraging smile finally had her, albeit somewhat hesitantly, climbing off the bed to stand and follow Merlin. She eyed the machine and monitors warily. She probably didn't know what the thing was. Axel suspected she was from a low-tech world. Probably wouldn't have recognized a digital wristwatch if one came up and bit her.

"Cid, if you would, please," the magus said.

"Yep," he grunted, typing away at his computer. One of its many curved lenses glowed and started to project lights out into the room. But then it hissed and the lights immediately spluttered out and died. "Dang heap o' useless parts," Cid muttered, banging a fist against the giant terminal before furiously tapping at the keyboard again. The lens lit up again and beamed out a holographic projection of a Heartless hovering in the room.

The woman gasped and took several steps back. Merlin spoke up hastily, "No need for alarm, my dear. It is merely a visual aid. See?" He swept his hand through the hologram, which flickered but otherwise did not react. "It is not real."

She frowned, stepping closer to the image and tentatively sticking a finger through it. "...what magic is this?"

Yup. Total luddite.

"You hear that Cid?" Yuffie snickered. "You're a magic user now."

He snorted with contempt. "Don't insult me."

"If I may continue," Merlin interjected sternly, adjusting his spectacles. "As you've come to know by now, this is a Heartless. Or… shadow fiend, as you so eloquently put it. Beings of pure darkness that seek and devour hearts."

"Yes, Sora said as much too," she murmured, only seeming to listen with half an ear, still fascinated by the hologram. She tipped her head to one side, casting her gaze to each of their faces once more, but this time with more wonder than fear or suspicion. "Who… are you people?"

They went around the room, introducing themselves one by one, ending with, "And I am Merlin, a great and powerful wizard."

"Great and powerful windbag, more like," Cid scoffed.

Merlin turned to glare at the man, but before he could say anything, the woman spoke up, "A wizard?" She looked down at her hands, "Is… is that how you were able to take away my magic?"

"Why, yes! Precisely! Only temporarily, of course."

"Oh…" she muttered, eyes downcast. Axel would have almost sworn she sounded disappointed at the news that her lack of powers was only for the short term. But that couldn't be right… could it? Whatever it was she was feeling, she visibly shook it off.

"So, you're… a wizard. He can conjure illusions," she pointed to Cid, at the same time nodding towards the hologram, to which Cid rolled his eyes but said nothing. Next she gestured to Axel, "And he can summon and control fire. You all have magic at your command. It's… amazing. I've never met… well, there was Sora, but I thought… I never even imagined there could be so many who could…" She paused, her fingers absently toying with her braid. "...I believed myself to be alone... the only one burdened with such powers…"

Merlin stiffened at that, puffing out his mustache. "I say, I'd hardly call such a gift a burden! And yes, you'll find there is much more magic in the universe than you ever realized, Miss…" he trailed off, looking at her expectantly.

She blinked. "Oh! Pardon my manners." She stood straighter, squaring her shoulders and clasping her hands together in front of her waist, giving a slight bow. "I am Queen Elsa of Arendelle."

...a queen?

They were playing host to freaking royalty in this run down little hovel?

"Arendelle?" Leon questioned. "Is that your kingdom?"

She nodded, her brow furrowing. "Have you… not heard of it?"

"Well…" Yuffie stretched out the word, scratching her cheek.

"Sorry to say," Cid leaned back, "but you ain't in Kansas anymore, Dorothy."

The corner of Elsa's lips tugged down. "I don't understand."

Merlin gave Cid a nod, who typed some more into the keyboard. The image of the Heartless vanished, replaced with a miniaturized replica of the very city they were all standing in. "This," Merlin waved a hand towards the display, "is Radiant Garden. This is where you are right now."

"Radiant Garden?" she cocked her head. "I don't know of such a kingdom, and I know all domains bordering Arendelle. How is that possible? Just how far from home am I?"

"Try a whole 'nother planet," Cid shrugged.

"A whole-?!" Her head rocked back as her eyes grew round. Aerith placed a comforting hand on her arm, but she hardly seemed to notice. She spluttered, "I- But- What- How? How would such a thing even be possible?!"

"We're still trying to piece that one together, actually," Merlin said, running his fingers down his beard once again. "Could you possibly describe what happened when the Heartless struck?"

She worried her bottom lip between her teeth. "Well… they first attacked shortly after my coronation. That's when Sora showed up and defeated them all… or so we thought. A few scattered groups still lingered, but nothing I couldn't handle on my own. Sora left, but then… there was a ball…"

Wringing her hands together, Elsa sighed before continuing. "That's when the Heartless attacked again. It seems they had only gone into hiding, lying in wait for another opportunity to ambush. They were everywhere, and in such great numbers. I fought them off for a while, but they wouldn't stop coming. And then my sister… when I found her, she was pulled into a portal of shadows," she looked to Axel, a hint of distrust returning to her gaze, "much like the ones you use. I was about to go in after her, but then," she shook her head, "...I'm not sure. It was dark and I struggled against… something. It knocked me out, I suppose, but not before I was able to blast it with my magic. I think it lost its hold on me, but when I awoke, I was here, in Radiant Garden."

Merlin hummed thoughtfully at that. "Intriguing… very intriguing indeed. Well, we've established the Heartless seek out hearts, not just of humans, but the hearts of worlds as well."

"Worlds… have hearts?" Her fingers flew to her mouth. "Are you saying those monsters… devoured Arendelle?"

"Not necessarily, no. Firstly," he said, adjusting his spectacles, "a few years ago, our mutual friend Sora sealed away the heart of every world, making it impossible for Heartless to get at them anymore. Secondly, even if that was what had occurred, it's very rare for the inhabitants of the consumed world to make it out alive. The very lucky few that do are normally deposited into a place called Traverse Town."

"But… I didn't. I woke up here instead."

"Precisely, my dear, precisely. That leads me to suspect that something else spirited you away from your world. Though what exactly remains unseen at this time. Given it occurred during the Heartless raid however, there can be no doubt that darkness is at work here."

Though worry still etched the lines of her face, a bit of relief started seeping in as well. "So… Arendelle could be safe and whole and still out there."

Merlin nodded. "Absolutely, though we know not where. Cid here," he gestured his wand towards the man, who was once again clacking away at the keyboard, "is going to have our computer searching for it. Hopefully we'll have more information in the morning."

"What about Sora?" she pressed, looking to each of them. "Maybe he can tell us more about the current state of Arendelle. Do you have a way to contact him?"

Yuffie glanced up, putting a finger to one side of her chin. "Well, we do, but…"

A soft growl emitted from Leon. "Him and that damn phone he never answers. Don't get me started."

"Regardless," Merlin chimed in, "last time we spoke to him, he made no mention of you or your world. This is the first we're hearing of you, my dear. But as soon as we're in touch with him again, we'll get this matter all sorted."

She bowed her head in understanding, before looking up again a second later. "What about my sister, Anna?"

"It's possible she's safe and sound and, just like you, was teleported to a random world out there," Aerith suggested. "She might even be here, on Radiant Garden as well, and just hasn't made herself known yet. We'll let you know if anything turns up."

She didn't respond, instead just staring down at the floor, her eyes unfocused and her lips set in a grim line, seemingly lost in thought.

"We understand, this is a lot to absorb," Merlin said with care. "You've had a long day, your Majesty. A good night's rest should help. Things will look up in the morning."

"...alright," she murmured, her voice distant.

"I'll be releasing the bind on your powers as well, as I trust there will be no further incidents."

She bowed her head in acknowledgement, remaining quiet.

Leon caught Axel's eye. "Go show her where she'll be staying for the night."

He got it. Why he had been the one picked to play bellhop to her Royal Queenliness. Basically, they were kicking the kids out of the room so the grown-ups could talk in private. He simply nodded and pushed himself off the wall. Heading towards the door, he waved a hand over his shoulder. "Let's go, Snowflake."

She hesitated, staring after him uncertainly. "It's okay," Yuffie said brightly, giving her a light punch in the shoulder - a gesture that made Elsa blink a couple times. "He's good people. Er, once you get to know him."

She skeptically pursed her lips to one side before taking a deep breath, releasing it slowly, and following him out of the house.

With Radiant Garden continuing to be on the mend, a lot of families were still scattered out in the universe, having yet to find their way home. That meant there was a lot of empty residences that the committee used to house refugees, both natives and outsiders alike. So finding a place to put up Snowflake for the night wasn't going to be an issue. Axel even knew of an empty dwelling close to Merlin's home, which would probably be for the best.

They walked most of the short distance in silence, him in the lead, her trailing behind him. Hands clasped behind his head, he cast her a quick glance out of the corner of his eye. Hugging her arms around herself, her brow wrinkled as she squinted up at the night sky before releasing a sigh and hanging her head, staring at her feet as she trudged along. Looking forward once again, his eyelids drooped and he breathed out a quiet huff through his nose.

What a drag.

He almost liked her better when she was trying to murder him.

But he supposed he had to give her a break. That all had been a lot for her to take in back there.

"Your name," she spoke up from behind him suddenly, her voice so small, he almost hadn't heard it. When he looked back at her again, she said, "You said it was…" she paused, visibly struggling as she sifted through the jumble of new info filling her mind.

"I didn't." When everyone else had been doing introductions, he'd skipped his turn. For the most part, he'd stayed out of the entire discussion altogether. Wasn't like he had much to add that hadn't already been said. He walked a few more steps before coming to a halt and turning to fully face her. "It's Axel." Tapping a finger to his temple, he added, "Got it memorized?"

She stopped walking as well, looking up at him. "Axel," she repeated softly, trying out his name.

"Yup." He bent forward, bringing himself down to eye level with her. "As for you," he poked the tip of her nose, "don't expect any Highnesses or Majesties from me. You may have been a queen back on your world, but that don't mean squat here. Here, you're just like the rest of us."

Her eyes widened at his gesture and he wondered if anyone had ever dared to boop her High and Mightiness in the nose before. He wondered if she even knew what a boop was. Shaking her head, she said, "No, I wouldn't expect… that is to say I… I suppose you're right."

"Course I am," he straightened up once more, waving a hand towards the door they had stopped in front of. "Anyway, here we are. Home sweet home." He pointed back in the direction they had come from down the street. "You can still even see Merlin's place from here. If you need anything, check back in there. The committee uses it as sort of an unofficial headquarters, so you can usually find at least one of them hanging around there at any given point of the day."

He opened the door for them and walked inside. As she followed him in, curious eyes darting about, taking in every inch of the humble abode, she asked, "The committee?"

"Radiant Garden Restoration Committee," he clarified. "Those goodly folks you just had the pleasure of meeting." He then stretched his arms out wide, gesturing to their surroundings. "Your chateau. It's no palace or whatever you're used to, but it should have all the bare necessities."

"It's very nice. I'm sure it'll be more than adequate for my needs. Thank you."

Scratching a spot behind his ear, he shrugged, then jerked a thumb over his shoulder. "Kitchen's that way. Aerith or Yuffie'll stop by later with some grub for you. And through that door is the bedroom. Questions?"

She chewed her lower lip, twisting her braid and averting her gaze. It was clear she did want to ask something, but was uncomfortable and struggling with actually voicing it. Finally she cleared her throat and mumbled, "Is there a… tub? After today, I… think a warm bath would help."

"No bath, but there's a shower."

She stared at him, a complete lack of comprehension written across her face. "...a shower?"

He snerked. "Snowflake, prepare to have your mind blown."

"Excuse me?"

"Just follow me," he shook his head and made his way towards the door he had indicated a moment ago. He passed through it, through the bedroom on the other side towards a second door, pushing it open and making another sweeping hand gesture. "Behold! The future!" As she peeked inside the small adjoining bathroom, he started pointing at things. "Toilet - you can figure that one out on your own. Sink - for after you use the toilet. And shower - for washing away the grime and ick of any particularly nasty day."

He watched her step passed him and cautiously enter the restroom, looking remarkably out of place standing in it, dressed like she was as she glanced around warily. After giving her a few seconds to take it all in, he joined her, sliding open the glass door to the shower. "It's easy. Just step inside, slide this shut, twist those knobs and presto! Hot water will pour down on ya from that faucet. Soap and shampoo in that little shelf thing there. Simple stuff, yeah?"

She nodded slowly, "I suppose…"

"Great. I'll split and leave you to it then. Have fun discovering the wonders of modern technology!" He exited the bathroom, turning around just long enough to see her staring after him like a lost puppy. He snerked and closed the door to give her some privacy.

Big day for Snowflake. Kingdom overrun by Heartless. Sister kidnapped. New worlds. Indoor plumbing. It was all bound to be a bit overwhelming. She just needed to sleep on it and she'd probably bounce back tomorrow.

Right. Guess he couldn't procrastinate any longer. This little outing had been a blast, but it was time. Time to check back in with Merlin, time to head back to the hours and hours of strenuous keyblade practice awaiting his return, time to-

Snowflake cried out from within the bathroom, ripping him from his musings as his muscles instantly tensed.

Had a Heartless attacked her in there? Usually they wouldn't dare pop up so far inside the city. With no time to waste, he summoned his chakrams, kicked in the door and charged inside, skidding to an immediate stop.

"What the…?"

It looked like Jack Frost had friggin' exploded in here. Crystalized ice coated the floor, the walls, even the damn ceiling. A dense, chilly fog filled the room, making it impossible to see more than a few inches in front of his nose, though he could hear the shower running. With no threat readily apparent, he dismissed his weapons and used a hand to fan at the mist. "You all good in here, Snowflake?"

"Yes, I'm fine, I… just didn't realize how strong the spray of water would be, it surprised me and-"

At that instant, the clouds parted enough for him to spot her and make eye contact. She was standing in the shower stall, and while ice patches covered most of the glass door separating them, she was quite clearly…

...ahem, shall we say, in the buff.

They exchanged blank, wide-eyed stares for a few seconds where neither budged an inch.

Then she gasped and yelled, "Get out!"

"I- You- I didn't- This was-" he stammered awkwardly, feeling the blood rushing to his face. The ice snapped and crackled around him, growing thicker and expanding. "Right! Sure! Absolutely! S-Sorry!" he finally blurted before stumbling out of there and slamming the door shut behind him again.

Right. Okay. So… that happened.

And on that unexpected note, now it was time to get back to the nonstop drudgery of training.

Joy.

"Put me down this instant, you big oaf! This is no way to treat royalty!" Anna snapped, pounding her fists into her kidnapper's back.

He was covered head to toe in black by a long coat, complete with a large hood that hid his face. It had to be uncomfortably hot in that getup, what with the fact that he was currently lugging her over his shoulder while crossing a freaking desert! He ignored her assault on his spine as he continued to trudge forward.

A second figure sauntered along beside him, dressed in a similar cloak, also with the hood up. Judging by the considerably slimmer frame however, that one seemed to be female. And behind them, clinging to the ankle of Anna's captor and being dragged effortlessly along, was a little enchanted snowman beneath a tiny snowstorm.

"Don't worry, Anna, I'll rescue you!" Olaf called up to her as he dug his powdery heels in and leaned back, putting all his weight into it. Still the man did not slow and Olaf's round little feet merely scraped along the cracked, dirt encrusted ground. "I'm wearing him down! Weakening him! Soon he'll be too tired to go on and he'll have no choice but to let you go!"

"That's it, Olaf!" Anna cried back with a fierce grin, slamming her fist down again. "Get him! Bite him!"

"Yes Ma'am!" he saluted before chomping down on the back of the man's calf. No effect beyond a low, drawn out sigh coming from within the confines of the hood. Olaf pulled a face, drawing his head back and smacking his lips with a cringe. "So that's what evil tastes like. Kinda rubbery... with a hint of vinyl."

The two strangers in black came to an abrupt stop and Anna was suddenly and unceremoniously dropped onto the ground. Olaf scurried over to her as she stood up in a huff to her full height… which admittedly did not come anywhere close to either of her captors. Not deterred, she glared at them and struck up a finger, "Listen here, you clumsy brutes, I demand to speak to the person in charge here this instant! You hear me? This-"

"You're speaking to him," a voice announced behind her. She froze for a brief second, before whirling around to discover they'd been joined by a third stranger. A tan old man with a bald head, heavy stoop to his shoulders, and bright yellow eyes. His lips curled into a half-smirk. "Welcome, Princess of Heart."

She blinked a couple of times before mustering all her obstinance once more, angrily smoothing out her skirts. "Princess, yes, but of heart? Psh, of heart nothing!" She mimed rolling up her nonexistent sleeves, cracked her knuckles and then marched straight up to him, stabbing an index finger into his chest. "I don't know what you're getting at, Baldie, but you're gonna be calling me Princess of Pain by the time I'm through with you!"

He breathed out a soft snort, "You don't say."

"That's right! And if you think I'm scary, just wait until you meet my sister! Oh-ho, when she finds out where I am, boy oh boy, are you gonna get it! Do you even know who she is? Have any idea what she could do to you?"

"Actually, I know exactly who and what she is. I was even hoping our dear queen would be so kind as to join us for this little tête-à-tête. Her absence is..." Baldie's eyes shifted to his two apparent underlings, "...unexpected."

The hooded man harrumphed. "You have Larxene to thank for that."

A low growl emitted from the other figure before the hood was lowered to indeed reveal a woman, blonde with a couple of locks styled back into what looked like antennae. She crossed her arms and looked away, sticking her nose up high. "She got away. I didn't expect her to fight back," she scoffed.

"Girl, what's up with your hair?" Anna quirked an eyebrow at her.

Larxene glared back, lightning sparking around her form as she drew back an arm. However she was stilled by the old man interjecting cooly, "So what do you plan to do about it?"

She sneered before relaxing again. "I'll get your new toy back, don't worry," she rolled her eyes. "Someone like her won't be able to remain hidden for long."

"You leave Elsa alone!" Olaf went charging off towards the woman.

Larxene easily sidestepped him as he pounced and faceplanted into the dirt. Then she snerked, "Remind me, why do we need to keep this creepy thing around again?"

"We don't," the shrouded man said flatly, turning to Olaf and taking a step towards him.

"Stop!" Anna yelled, rushing towards Olaf, elbowing the man in the gut as she ran by. It was like striking a solid rock wall for all the good it seemed to do. She kneeled down upon reaching her cowering friend, protectively hugging him close and scowling up at those… those… jerks! "If you so much as lay a finger on one of his coal buttons, I'll-"

"Now, now, there's no need for all of this," Baldie said as he stepped up between the other two. He pointed down at Olaf, "Tell me, my fine snowman, what is that? Over your head there?"

He sniffled. "...my own personal flurry…?"

"Indeed? Fascinating," he chuckled. "I imagine this… personal flurry of yours is the only reason you're nothing more than a pitiful puddle on the ground right now. Such a shame it would be if a gust of wind were to come by and…" he casually swept a hand out, fingers undulating, "blow it away."

Olaf only snuggled in closer to Anna. She said nothing, just glared daggers at them all.

"Now that we've reached an understanding of sorts, I trust you'll be a bit more compliant going forward? Good." Stretching an arm out to one side, Baldie flexed his fingers and there was a flash of purple light. When it died down, in his hand he now held a weapon. It was obsidian and spiky, with intricate patterns twisting down the flat of the blade. Most notably, it was shaped like a key.

Anna gasped. "You have a weapon like Sora's?!"

He snorted, raising it high over his head. "Or perhaps Sora has a weapon like mine." The tip of the key began to glow and he slammed it down into the ground. Violet and black jets shot out of the ground in straight lines from the impact point, forming a large square around Anna and Olaf. Everything around them began to quake and from those lines, massive stone walls erupted from the ground and rose several stories high.

Anna squeezed her eyes shut and shielded her friend with her body, protecting him from the rocks and debris flying everywhere. Once all the shaking had stopped, Anna cautiously peeked one eye open and looked around. The four walls around them basically formed a makeshift room - one with no doors or windows, no openings whatsoever except for the lack of ceiling that was yards and yards above. Unreachable. They were trapped. Baldie and his two henchmen seemed to have caught a ride up from one of the newly formed barricades, for now they were all the way at the top and staring down at the two of them.

"Your new accommodations, Princess," he called down to her. "I hope you find them agreeable, for this is where you will be staying for the foreseeable future. It's a bit spacious for just the two of you, I know, but worry not. You'll have a few new roommates to keep you company before long." With a soft cackle, he turned and walked away, the other two following at his heels like obedient pets.

Anna slumped against one of the impenetrable stone walls, sliding down until she was sitting on the ground. Olaf was at her side, gently patting her arm. "Don't worry, Anna. Everything will work out fine in the end, you'll see."

She smiled at him, though it was weak. "I'm sure it will, Olaf. I hope Kristoff is okay." Hugging her knees to her chest, she stared up at the sky, which somehow seemed even further away now that she was surrounded by these high, dusty walls. She whispered, "Elsa… wherever you are… stay away. It's not safe for you here. It's not safe for either of us."

A/N: Yaaaaaay, info dump chapter to get Elsa up to speed! Hopefully it doesn't seem too off that they all haven't quite pieced together that the Organization was behind the kidnap attempt. As you might be able to gather from what Merlin said, they haven't spoken to Sora since he left Arendelle, so they don't know Elsa and Anna are Princesses of Hearts and so have no reason to think the Organization is after them. The Corridors of Darkness that snagged them might be a big clue, but then again, the Organization aren't the only ones who use those - they're just the ones who mainstreamed it and made it cool xD In any case, I have my reasons for wanting Elsa to stay on Radiant Garden for the next few chapters and the committee probably wouldn't let her do that if they figured out right away that she was a Princess of Heart! Don't worry, it'll get figured out soon enough... but not before we have a little more fun on this world first xD Also... sorry, not sorry for the shower scene xD I got weak and carried away and couldn't help myself! Allow me to indulge in my stupid trope-y moments, okay? xD

MUCH praise and MUCH worship to the spectacular and glorious Daughter of Kyne and ScarletEmperor for being outstanding betas for this chapter! Also, special thanks to Daughter of Kyne, Mad Oni, ScarletEmperor, Spiderfan626, and SoraKairiRikuNamine for being so generous as to take some time to leave their reviews! Your support really means the world to me, seriously guys, I'm dehydrating over here from all the tears of happiness! You're all so astounding, I'm not worthy!

Fun Fact: Anna's whole scene at the end of this chapter? Completely new! Was not there before the revisions! Before I played KH3 and found out that Elsa and Anna were new Princesses of Hearts, I hadn't quite come up with what had stolen the two of them from their world yet while writing this. I never dreamed in a million years they would be made into new Princesses of Hearts, so I couldn't quite decide on which nefarious entity (be it Organization, Maleficent, some new big bad in charge of the Heartless, or whatever) would steal them away and to what end. All I knew is I wanted Elsa out in the universe and with a good reason to want to explore other worlds - what better reason than a missing sister! That said, in the original I had not come to a decision yet on what exactly had happened to Anna or where she had ended up. Playing KH3 certainly answered those questions marks however and made all the pieces fall into place, and this final new scene added after revisions practically wrote itself! And Anna's always so fun to write, so it was nice to have an excuse to make her sass the Organization - and you all know she so would, that girl has no sense of self preservation, and that's why we adore her so much xD

Thanks again for reading, I super duper appreciate it! See you at the next update, lovelies, which will be coming at you real soon! Much love, peace out, word to your mothers, and other such phrases that shouldn't be coming out of the likes of lil ol' me!