~Chapter 46~

Noella

I honestly couldn't believe my eyes. Joel was here, technically against my wishes, but deep down I was glad to see he was alright. He hopped off the rocks joining the three of us on the ground.

"What are you doing back here?" I said glaring at him.

"So that's the greeting I get after taking care of those guards?" He replied.

"It's unexpected…" I muttered crossing my arms kicking my boot in the snow.

"But welcome all the same." Eugene continued for me, "It's good to have you back, Joel."

"How did you find us?" I asked.

"Did you forget I'm a huntsman and I'm good at tracking?" He questioned, "Anyway, who's the girl?" He asked pointing out Rapunzel who still seemed to be in a daze.

"Joel, this is Rapunzel." Eugene answered quickly.

"Nice to meet you." Rapunzel greeted and cocked her head looking at Joel curiously.

"What?" Joel said.

"I know I just got released from a spell of some sort, but I could swear, we've met before." Rapunzel said curiously.

"C'mon Blondie, now I know you're losing it." Eugene replied.

"No, I mean it, I never forget a face." She pressed.

"You just said you were under a spell of some kind...it must have recollected things that weren't really there." Joel replied with a nod patting her shoulder.

"Speaking of the spell…" Eugene added, "What do you remember happening to you when I last saw you?"

"Mind if we talk and walk?" I interrupted, "I gotta be somewhere. Anna, Kristoff, and Sven went ahead to find Elsa."

"Sure thing." Eugene agreed.

Rapunzel took two steps on her own, but she lost her footing and was a bit wobbly. It was clear she didn't have much strength right now, so Eugene opted to carry her. Then Rapunzel began to share with us all she remembered.

"Eugene, after I thought you died, I was so lost. Not knowing what I could do. I remember leaving the tower crying and picking up my mother's cloak from the base of the tower to keep warm. Shortly after that, I met a woman who had me work for her calling me her Nightingale...after that it's a bit fuzzy. I'm not too certain of what I did and that worries me."

"Well, you're better now." Eugene smiled kissing her forehead.

I had never seen Eugene so happy. It was nice to see him smiling so much. Rapunzel looked back at us and then at Joel.

"Most things are fuzzy except your face, though. So odd." She muttered.

Soon after, Rapunzel passed out in Eugene's arms probably due to extreme fatigue and he turned toward us.

"Even after the avalanche, we can still see that ice palace. Let's start making our way over there."

"Please and thank you." I replied.

"Lead the way." Joel nodded.

With some difficulty, we made our way up and through a few more levels of the mountain snow and Joel kindly helped me with some tricky parts of the climb. All the while, we talked things out between the two of us. I needed that.

"So what have you been doing since I last saw you?" I asked him.

"Oh I went back to Agrabah for a bit to resupply, but traversed the desert on my own and I have to say Noella, I didn't like it."

"I feel like I punched myself in the gut multiple times the last couple of days." I replied glumly.

"Noella…" Joel said softly.

"I didn't like how we parted ways...I love you Joel and I said some things I didn't mean."

Joel looked at me smiling warmly leaning toward me for a sudden kiss, but I backed away.

"But that doesn't change the fact of how you hurt me...forgiveness takes time, Joel." I said and I was crossing my arms tightly to hide the fact that my hands were shaking because of all the rush of feelings that came flooding back to me.

"Noella, I came back to finish the job and that's exactly what I'm going to do. I'm sorry for everything. I was a fool for hiding what I knew."

"Let's just find Elsa and the rest will follow." I pressed stepping ahead of him in the snow bank we were climbing. With a little teamwork, we all made it up to that final perch where the ice palace stood. Eugene and I stared at it in awe, Rapunzel was still out of it, and Joel didn't look like he cared much.

"What, Don't care about ice architecture?" I asked him.

"Let's just get inside." He replied taking the lead.

Just ahead of us was an icy staircase going across another wide gap, but it led right up to the doors of the palace. I think it was safe to say Anna, Kristoff, Olaf, and Sven were all inside. I approached the double doors and knocked politely, but didn't wait too long before I went inside with Joel and Eugene right behind me.

We entered into a large room with a big frozen fountain near the center space with a large rounding staircase going up to higher levels.

"This place is incredible." Eugene commented, "I give it a perfect score in architecture design."

"Hello? Elsa?" I called out, "Anna, Kristoff, Sven, Olaf?"

No answer came. What were these ice walls soundproof? Where was everyone? Soon I heard shoes clanking on the steps of ice.

"Welcome to my home." A voice greeted.

A tall woman with braided blonde hair and a very sparkly blue dress began descending the staircase toward us.

"Sorry to intrude…" I started to say.

"In all fairness, we knocked." Eugene continued.

'That's quite alright." The woman replied, "Who are you and why are you here?"

Joel stepped forward suddenly.

"We're looking for Elsa." He said.

"Well, you found her." She replied, "Hi, you must be Noella…" She said stepping off the last stair to greet us, " it's finally nice to put a face to the name."

"You know of me?" I questioned.

"My little sister was raving about you." Elsa replied.

"Yeah, where is she and everyone she was with?" I asked curiously.

"Oh, they're downstairs getting warmed up after that fiasco with an avalanche, I heard." She said.

"We could use a rest ourselves." Eugene yawned still holding the knocked out Rapunzel.

"Let's go find them." Joel pressed grabbing my arm, which I gently pulled away.

"No, I need to talk to Elsa before anything else happens." I pressed insistently.

"Well, I've been waiting for you, Noella. Shall we end this?" Elsa asked.

"Please," I replied, "It's be a long journey. This is my last stop."

"Indeed." Elsa replied, "Follow me."

She lead me up the rounding staircase, but not before I looked back at Joel.

"I'll meet you up there." He replied with a nod and then he and Eugene with Rapunzel went down a different set of stairs leaving Elsa and I alone.

At the top of the stairs was a large room. There was no furniture in it, but against the far north facing wall, there were seven mirrors in an arched curve on the wall, with a center mirror being the biggest so it stood out the most. The big mirror looked familiar to me.

"So Noella," Elsa spun around showing off her room, "Welcome to my hall of mirrors."

"It's actually perfect you took me here because I'm actually seeking a mirror."

"Oh?"

"Yes, to find my mom, Corissa. Sooner, I find her, the sooner I can go back home."

"Well, shall we go ask the mirror then?" Elsa said extending her hand to me.

I grabbed it politely and was surprised by how warm it was. For someone with ice powers, she had a good amount of warmth in her palms, which was pretty ironic considering.

"Do you know how to use them?" She asked.

"I'm pretty efficient." I replied stepping up to the first mirror. "Come forth." I beckoned.

A blast of wind blew in my face as I waited for the entity to appear, but to my surprise, the reflection showed me Snow White.

"What? That's weird." I commented looking back at Elsa confused.

"Try it again in the next mirror." Elsa urged waving her hand.

I did this six more times skipping the biggest mirror and seven unexpected reflections showed up in each of the smaller mirrors. Snow White, Aurora, Cinderella, Ariel, Belle, Jasmine, and Anna, but also Elsa to my surprise, who shared that seventh mirror.

"What is this?" I asked, "Glass portraits? Do you know all of them?"

"I know about the barriers you brought down Noella. It's perfect. I'm high queen over all the rest of them."

"Yes, I'm glad the provinces can intermingle, but what about my mother?" I pressed.

"Ask the middle mirror, your questions." Elsa replied.

I walked over to the middle mirror and beckoned it like I did all the others. This time I got an entity to greet me.

"Congratulations Noella, you've achieved your goal." The mirror spoke.

"I don't understand…" I muttered.

"Look harder in my reflection and soon you will see the deception." The mirror replied.

Elsa approached behind me looking at me as I looked in the mirror.

"Let's look again." She urged, "Mirror, mirror on the wall...reveal your secrets."

As I looked into the mirror, my heart was racing and I felt a knot in the pit of my stomach. The world around me seemed to fade into the background and there was pain I felt in my neck.

"Elsa?" I barely could speak.

I barely looked over at another mirror reflection and saw Elsa's hands around neck, but I peered back in the main mirrors reflection and Elsa was just standing there. I fought against it and quickly pulled away. Immediately I was snapped out of whatever trance I was just put under and I started coughing. I saw the strangulation evidence in the mirrors as Elsa stepped back looking angry.

"What are you doing?" I said as I coughed falling to my knees.

"You really are something aren't you?" She scoffed pacing around me, "Try as I might, Joel couldn't finish the job and neither can I because of her."

"What are you talking about?" I asked standing back up, "The mirror told me to find you."

"Yes, but it won't help you if I'm not her." She snapped.

She took at step toward me and conjured a long staff with an ornate glass orb set at the top and quickly tapped the ground at her feet. The blue dress darkened and reshaped itself into fitted black leather armor. The blonde hair faded into long brown hair pulled back in a tight high ponytail. Her appearance transformed into a shockingly familiar one. I slid my backpack off my back placing it at my feet.

"M-Mom?" I choked out.

AN: Noella and Corissa back together again. Noella's search is over, but the fight isn't over yet. Stay tuned readers! ;D