Memories and Voices

JACK'S BROWS stitched as his eyes trailed down the scroll, moving over the others in the room as he turned to Elsa. "A bloodless corpse? What does that even mean?"

"That's what the letter says – I don't even know if it's possible." Elsa crossed her legs.

"It could be an attack by the Red Lotus? Perhaps they've arrived in Arendelle." Balder raised his brow.

"It's highly unlikely." Hans stroked his chin. "Those men attacked relentlessly and were hunting after me – they're most likely after royals, so they wouldn't kill just one soldier."

"Then it must have something to do with Lamia – a sacrifice of some sorts that will lead to her reawakening. We have to go to Corona immediately." North frowned.

"Wait, wasn't Lamia's energy highest here in Arendelle? Why would they attack Corona instead?" Tooth turned to him.

"It means they don't know that she's here." Jack sifted his mind. "And we need to stop them before they figure it out."

"It's settled then, we leave for Corona immediately." Elsa rose from her feet.

"I'm coming too." Anna followed her as she and the others headed out the door.

"Don't forget me, lassie." Sephiroth marched as he tailed the princess, drawing a groan from Pam who hopped on Elsa's head.

THE WATERS moved calmly as they sailed the boat over the sea – Hans' hands clenched tightly over the guardrail as his eyes thinned in his aimless gaze through the deep. A gentle hand came over his, drawing him out of his thoughts as he turned and saw Elsa standing beside him, giving a reassuring smile. "You okay?"

"Yes." He cleared his throat.

"That didn't sound convincing." She leaned against the handrail. "You're afraid of boats or something?"

"No." He sighed. "I can't get over how I survived the attack on my ship." He frowned. "That woman killed all my men and sank my ship, so why'd I survive? How could I have ended up in Arendelle when we were a day away from the shore?"

"Maybe you did escape and you just forgot cuz you were knocked out – it could happen." She shrugged.

"And that woman ... there was something about the way she fought ... she didn't want to do what she was doing, like she was being forced."

"You're not falling for her, are you?" She smirked.

"That woman killed my men!"

"And you nearly killed my sister, but I'm still talking to you." She chuckled and noticed his face harden. "Look, you did what you did because you were desperate; I understand that and maybe it's the same with her."

"What happened was unforgivable." He turned away from her. "What I truly can't get over is the feeling that I was left alive for something else ... some other plan."

"Okay, now you're just being paranoid." She laughed.

"Perhaps." He shrugged.

"Look, just be happy you're still here." She placed her hand on his shoulder. "I mean, I'd be down a friend if you hadn't so be thankful."

"Now, come on, you don't wanna spend the whole boat ride staring out at the sea." She pulled him along.

"Okay, okay." He chuckled and she laughed.

SILENCE FILLED the morgue as Elsa, Balder, Anna, Kristoff, Hans, Rapunzel, Eugene, Merida and the Guardians stood around a gurney where the soldier's shrivelled corpse lay. "They say they just found him lying in his quarters on Saturday morning." Rapunzel's voice grew husky. "Nobody heard anything and he was just dead there."

"First the Red Lotus, then this? Whoever it is, they sure do scream evil." Merida huffed and sipped wine from a flask. "Bloody savages."

"No, it couldn't have been the Red Lotus; that was when the Southern Isles was attacked. " Elsa frowned.

"Is it the Nine Stars then?" Anna raised her brow.

"It can't be them – what would they gain from killing one man?" Balder turned to her.

"So, this means there's more going here than we thought." Jack crossed his arms.

"If Lamia isn't our only problem, what else would?" North sifted his mind.

"Whoever it is, now is the best time to strike." Merida pocketed her hands. "Any of our kingdoms could be next if we wait, so I say we go and take back the Southern Isles."

"She's right, now is the best time." North frowned.

"So, what's the plan?" Hans turned to Elsa.

BILLOWS OF smoke filled the sky as chaos took hold in the streets of the Southern Isles, houses ransacked and looted, people being murdered and raped as criminals ran wild. Niu, Xiaosi, Guozhi and Ai stood at a window in the palace, watching on in silence as the city went to hell.

"This is the true nature of mankind, chaos, malice; it's all they come to when you strip away their false hope and aspiration to better themselves." Guozhi crossed his arms. "This is the true order."

"You sure I can't go down there and have a lil fun?" Xiaosi stepped forward, his hungry eyes roaming over the fighting below. "I could be done in ten minutes flat."

"Knowing you, you'd need ten hours. No, no, we'll simply let them have their time in the light." Niu smiled as he placed his hands on the ledge. "The world will know this light when our mission is accomplished – we must be patient."

Ai sifted her mind and frowned, hesitating slightly as she approached him. "What is our goal exactly, Niu? How does releasing hordes of criminals into the city help us bring Lamia back? This-this is chaos."

"Chaos is exactly what we need; it's what she will spread throughout the world."

"To what end? It'll just destroy everything we've fought for? We were supposed to create order."

"Order comes from chaos, Ai, don't forget that." Niu gestured to the city "This is what the world is meant to be; what we've fought for. Clavis et Ianua, the two beings who will help us awaken Lamia, will help us finally achieve our goal. The prophecy will be fulfilled."

"This's insane."

Niu frowned and turned to Ai, seeing the anger in her eyes as he approached. He moved over to her and stopped, smiling as he held her shoulders. "Be patient, Ai; soon you will come to understand." He stepped back and shifted to the window. "Centuries ago, there were no kingdoms, no kings or oppressive rulers who subjugated their people and forced them into what they thought was order. Mankind was meant to be free and true freedom comes when you break down the boundaries. Laws, customs, tradition, taboos, all they do is hold us back. We will free the world and to do so, we need to show the world the true path; the path of chaos."

"What about the people being killed? Is that freedom when their lives are being taken away?"

"There will be sacrifices, Ai." Guozhi turned to her. "The world must die before it can be reborn; it's too rotten as it is."

"This isn't right – people are being murdered out here."

"The loss was inevitable from the beginning. Their lives were restricted and stagnant; they weren't truly alive."

"Be patient, Ai, it will make sense once Lamia is awakened. Only then will you see the beauty in anarchy."

Ai's brows stitched as she looked at him, glancing at Xiaosi as she headed for the door. "I'd like to take a walk."

"Good." Niu nodded. "Go and witness the world as it should be."

AI'S EYES sunk low as she walked down the damaged cobblestone, her hands filling her pockets as she saw people run around her in a panic. A man wielding an axe ran toward her and she huffed, raising her arm and drawing water out of the air and freezing his head solid. Walking away from him as he fell over she sifted her mind as she heard cries coming from all around her, seeing a woman screaming as she man cornered her in an alley.

Holding her arms above her head, the man pinned her against a wall and forced himself upon her, kissing her neck and causing her to cringe. She squirmed as she tried to break free; her legs parted as he jammed his knee between them and raised it up to her pelvis. She cried as he ripped her shirt off when he suddenly stopped, blood flowing from his mouth as he shuddered and fell back, drawing a surprised scream as she stepped back and watched him hit the ground.

Ai looked at the man coldly as she raised her arm and drew an icicle out of his back, letting him bleed out on the floor as the other woman whimpered. Looking at her calmly, she walked out of the alley and entered the streets, lowering her head to the ground as she saw corpses lying all over, littering over the road. A shrill cry met her hears as she turned to her left and saw a girl in a burning house trying to push a window open.

Running up to the window, she grabbed to the sill and pulled at it, breaking part of it off the wall though it remained stuck. She looked inside and saw the fire was inches away from the girl. "Step back." The girl nodded stiffly and moved back as she drew a strip of water and shattered the glass, reaching in for the child. "Come here."

The girl whimpered slightly and stepped up her, receiving her hand as Ai pulled her out of the house and set her on the floor, seeing her wince as she let go of her. She looked at her and saw a gash on her arm, drawing water and wrapping it around the wound, healing it as it glowed dimly.

"Hey, where're your parents?"

"They, they're inside." She sniffled.

"Where?" Ai stood and turned to the building.

"I don't know."

Ai's brows stitched as she looked inside, seeing nothing but fire as tried to see if anyone was inside. "Okay, come with me, we'll find them." She lifted the girl bad piggybacked her, moving over to the door and kicking it down.

A wave of heat hit her face as she moved toward the doorway, jerking back slightly as wood fell from the ceiling and hit the door. Raising her hand, she summoned a jet of water and sprayed it around, snuffing out the flames and creating a cloud of steam in the foyer as she entered the building. She shifted her arm and wove the vapour and spread it through the house, dousing the fire as she went further through the charred wooden house.

She glanced behind her and saw men massing around the house, shaking her head and drawing a wall of ice that blocked their path. She walked through the expanse slowly, her feet creaking against the floor as she squinted and made it through the smoky halls. The girl coughed as her eyes began to sting, drawing Ai's attention as she wove the smoke and moved onward.

"Hello? Is anyone here?" She looked around and frowned as no answer came, her step slowing as she proceeded.

She entered a corridor and walked onward apprehensively, looking into different empty rooms and seeing them slightly less burned than the living room. Moving up to a door to her left, she pushed it slowly and entered; hope lighting her face as she stepped forward. Her face hardened as she stopped in the doorway, a lump forming in her throat as she looked over the floor as her eyes landed on two burnt corpses.

"Mama!" The girl cried as she jumped off Ai's back, running onward and ignoring the pain as she moved over broken glass. "Mama!" She fell and scraped her knee, inching onward as tears flowed down her cheeks.

Her tiny hands shook as she reached out, stopping and hovering over as she choked up and failed to think clearly, her arms falling beside her as she wept. Ai stood silently as the child wailed and embraced her mother's corpse, her tears dampening the ashen dress as she clung to garment tightly. The woman's brows stitched as she tried to move forward, halting herself as the girl continued to mourn and stepped back.

The noise of the world around her muffled as Ai sunk into her own mind, the sounds of swords slicing through flesh and the roars of dragons echoed through her thoughts, her lips quivering as she wondered what to do. The girl sniffled and wiped her eyes as she looked at her parents, turning around and seeing that Ai had gone.

"Hello?" She searched the room and sniffled as a wave of pain hit her as she continued to cry.

ELSA, BALDER, Eugene, Rapunzel, Hans and Merida took their seats as the Corona generals exited the war room, leaving the royals to survey their plans to infiltrate the Southern Isles. Interlocking her fingers, Elsa huffed as she looked at the map before her, her eyes setting on Merida who sank back in her chair and drank her wine.

"Are you sure you don't want to bring your men in on this?" She raised her brow.

"They'd never get here in time and we can't wait around any longer."

"Well, why did you not come with them in the first place?" Balder turned to her. "It would aid us well to have more men on this attack."

"I didn't come here because of the attack on the Southern Isles; I came so that I could kill Erhard if he was behind it. I'll make him pay and kill him with my own hands."

"You would need an army if you wanted to attack him; he has countless dragons on his side." Elsa frowned.

"He'd see an army coming a mile away." Merida put her flask aside. "An arrow in the neck will kill him no matter how powerful he is."

"It'd be wise to heed her advice, Queen Merida; we saw his power first hand." Concern etched on Balder's face.

"It doesn't matter – I will kill him." Merida's face hardened.

Eugene glanced at the others as they taken aback by her rashness, turning to her and chuckling. "Just don't get yourself killed if he comes back."

"Yeah, let's just hope he forgot about us." Rapunzel laughed uneasily when a knock came at the door, drawing her attention. "Come in."

"Oh, hope I haven't interrupted anything." Jack smiled slightly as he entered the room.

"We were just finished actually." Elsa turned to him. "Is something wrong?"

"No, but could I talk to you in private."

"Why?" She raised her brow.

"I need to talk to you; it's important."

"Okay." She nodded and looked to the others. "Guys."

"Yeah, sure." Rapunzel rose to her feet.

Jack's eyes darted between the royals as they left the room, moving up to the table and sitting across from Elsa who crossed her legs. "So, what do you wanna talk about?"

"Well ... I know it's a lot to take in that the Guardians, myths children toss around, are actually real and are here to help ... save the world basically." He chuckled.

"Actually, not really, especially with what I went through last year." She laughed. "My life's kinda crazy, so I'm a lil more open-minded."

"The thing is you don't know the whole story."

"Okay, then, spill it." She sat back.

"Before we become Guardians, we were humans and each of us had lives before we assumed the role. Unlike the others who transformed while they were alive, I did when I was half dead."

"Wait, you were resurrected?"

"Sorta." He shrugged. "But before that, I had family and a sister who I saved from a frozen pond that I ended up sinking into three hundred years ago."

"Whoa." Her eyes dilated. "I-I'm sorry."

"Don't be; I had to protect her and I did – that's what's important ... that's always what's been important." He frowned.

"Always been? Is she still alive?"

"No ... I abandoned her ... all of them when ... when nobody could see me – before I knew I was a Guardian." His frown deepened and he cut her off before she could speak. "I left everything and I didn't know who I was ... I only remembered that a year ago and I blame myself for never being there. I've hid that from everyone."

"Even the Guardians?"

"There's nobody else I can talk to." He chuckled wistfully.

"Then ... why me?" Her brows stitched.

His eyes darted around as he'd been looking at his hands and he took a deep breath, looking up at her. "I ... In 2014 ..." He noticed confusion etch on her face. "Two years ago, a spirit came to me and offered me a chance to be with my family again – to be with my sister in return for some of my power. Since then, I could feel myself slowly lose control every time I used my powers and the spirit would tell me that'd use me to kill everyone around me ... I see myself destroying everything and nobody can stop me ... I see you there too."

"Me?"

"Yes. I've come here before, but I've never even known what to ask you to do or how you could help stop that from happening."

"Wait, you're the one I saw on the balcony on my wedding night."

"I didn't know what to ask you when I came then, but I do now." He frowned. "Elsa, if I lose control and the spirit takes over ... I need you to kill me."

NIU'S EYES moved down the page of a large book as he read in the archive room of the Southern Isles, his search for information on the kingdom and its ties to the Table proving fruitless as he burned through the records. A frown grew on his face as he reached the end of the book, his patience being tested until he found an account of the Great Winter of Arendelle.

"Queen Elsa." His eyes dilated.

NIU MOVED hastily through the courtyard, followed by Guozhi, Xiaosi and Ai as they moved toward an airship parked before the gate. "Are you sure it's them?" Guozhi raised his brow.

"The prophecy spoke of two icebenders, Clavem and Ianua, the key and the door who would awaken Lamia. We need to go to Arendelle at once."

AUTHOR'S NOTE: Welcome to the Universe!

For those who may be a little confused as to how this story fits into the present day, please check out the previous two books in the trilogy, the first: Kingdoms and Stars, and the second: The Blackest of Tidings. The reasons why is explained more in the first book.

We hope you've enjoyed the book so far and we hope you like where we're going in terms of dealing with more characters other than the leads. If you have any questions or anything in general to say, please leave a review and we'll answer them when we can. Thanks for reading.