Insurgence
"Seas of blood and ashen rain. Thousands will fall, yet you will know no pain. Your face will be seen by many, yet only I will know you."
Elsa's eyes opened slowly, the morning sun shining on her face and bringing a smile that radiated through her. There was no shame, no fear; not a care in the world. And no joy. Looking down at the road below her, she was filled with malice, lust and hatred as she walked over the cobblestone.
Vapour rose in strips from her hands; her cold blue eyes nearly matching her aqua dress that clung to her body with blood that stained it. Corpses lay all over the street, along with glass, ash and broken bones. Fires rose from the houses on either side of her and she looked up to the skies with a grin. Flames filled the heavens.
"And the devil will come ... the devil will come for you."
She breathed in the smell of fresh blood and smirked as she saw a woman whimpering on the ground behind her. The screams of people all around washed through the silence in her mind. She rose into the air, leaving a trail of snow that peppered the ground. The town went up in flames all around her and she enjoyed it, the sight of people burning and houses destroyed.
"You are the devil's bride."
ELSA WOKE with a start and looked around frantically. Exhaling with relief, she cast her gaze through the dim room, the smouldering fireplace, the wooden framing and design on the walls, the curtains on the bedposts, all creating a calm that washed over as she saw Balder lay asleep beside her. She touched her face and breathed haggardly, a film of sweat glinting in the faint morning light behind her as her eyes began to dart around in panic.
Terror moved through her tremulously and her lip quivered with fear. Tears flowed down her cheeks and she clung to her head in despair. Her frightened cries woke Balder who shifted slowly and saw her with surprise.
"Elsa." He quickly sat up and put his arm over her. "Elsa, what's wrong?"
The woman wrapped her hands around him, clinging tightly as she wept into his chest. Confusion etched itself into his face and he held her still, trying to console her. Fighting her tears in futility, Elsa's mind raced as her eyes were lost in the dark; her body manacled by dread.
Screams and shouts came from outside, drawing their attention and pulling them for their silent solace. The two turned to the window and quickly shot up as they were met with shock. Billows of smoke rose from town square.
ELSA RUSHED out of her room, hurriedly adjusting her gloves as she was clad in an aqua coat, navy blue shirt and trousers and a pair of black boots. Clamouring filled the castle halls in faint echoes, springing her forth as she scudded onward with Balder tailing her. A door swung open ahead of her, nearly hitting her as she skidded to a stop and saw Merida entered the corridor, draping her quiver over her shoulder.
"Merida, what's happening?"
"Prisoners have escaped from the dungeons – it's chaos out there." The redhead scowled.
ELSA PUSHED the heavy doors aside and walked into Rapunzel's office, followed by Merida, Balder, Anna, Kristoff, North, Tooth, Jack, Sandy and Bunny who all shared her tension as they filled the room. "Rapunzel, what's happening?" Elsa spat out, nearly shouting as ice snaked up her fingers.
"We just got word that all the criminals escaped the dungeons and killed the guards around dawn." Rapunzel turned to her, distress creased on her forehead.
"It's bad." Eugene shook his head, a frown crossing his face as he turned to the window and looked outside grimly. "The soldiers are out there, but there're so many of them."
"How'd they escape? There were guards down there, right?" Anna asked.
"We don't know what happened. They caught us off guard." Eugene sighed, defeat lingering in his voice as he shifted to her.
"We should've executed them when we had the chance." Rapunzel balled her fist in frustration, her head hung low as her thoughts plagued her.
"No, don't blame yourself; it wasn't an easy decision." Elsa walked toward her. "You showed mercy – that's a good thing." She grasped her shoulder, giving a smile of assurance.
"Well, look what mercy's gotten us." Merida held her bow to the outside, anger shown in the scowl on her face. "Those bastards are out there turning everything to shit! We need to take them down."
"She's right." North stepped forward, giving an affirming nod as he looked to Elsa. "The Guardians will aid you in this battle."
"Alright, let's move." Elsa leered, her confidence rising as she turned back to Rapunzel. "Stay in here and barricade yourselves in."
"I'll stay with them." Balder chipped as he moved up to her. Taking a hold of her nape, he laid a kiss on her forehead and looked her in the eye. "Be safe." He smiled as she nodded.
"I'll help the soldiers protect the palace; you guys should go and handle this." Kristoff spoke from the corner of the room
"Don't die out there." Anna came up to him, wrapping around in worry.
"I'll be fine." He smiled at her as he pulled back.
Merida groaned, disgusted at the displays of affection. "Will you guys stop jerking off? We've got work to do."
"She's right; let's move." Jack said, quickly heading for the door.
CLAMOURING AND the sounds of battle filled the air around them, the skies above darkening the palace grounds as Elsa, Merida, Anna, Kristoff and the Guardians ran out of the castle and moved up to the wall where soldiers manned the gates. "Commander, what's going on out there?" Elsa asked curtly.
"We have soldiers holding off the escaped prisoners around the fourth tier, a few districts away from the docks." A soldier turned to her, his pale face hardening in anxiety. "We're trying to keep them away from the boats or they'll escape."
"We will assist you then." She nodded and walked back to the others . "Alright, the plan is simple: contain the criminals and get the people out of harm's way. Jack, Tooth, Bunny, Anna, you're the fastest among us, so go help the soldiers in the city."
"You got it." Jack, Anna and Tooth with boom and Bunny tapped his foot on the ground, summoning a hole that he hopped into.
"North, Sandy, help the soldiers barricade the city and help evacuate." Elsa said.
"On it." North nodded. "Let's go, Sandman." He headed off with Sandy.
Elsa watched them leave and briskly shifted to Merida. "Okay, let's keep the convicts from getting to the palace – bet there're some who'd wanna attack it."
"Don't need to tell me twice." Merida picked an arrow from her quiver and aimed at the massive, grey palace wall. Shooting it against the structure, she reeled herself with the tethered arrow. She climbed on the wall and stepped forth, taking in the many houses that littered several hills descending to docks and stood in disarray. Scowling at the sight, she looked down and saw men in tattered clothing and black armour bombard the gate with boulders and battering rams.
She shot an arrow at the ground, right in the middle of the horde. The men lurched in surprise, looking at the barb curiously. Smoke rose from the arrowhead and it exploded, flinging the men and rocks around.
Looking onward, she huffed and fished a flask from her jacket. She took a sip and grimaced, hearing a sharp ringing that flooded her ears that gradually dissipated. Prying her eyes, she set her gaze forth. Everything slowed. The people. The birds. And the wind.
She drew an arrow and placed it on the bow, holding it up to her cheek. She narrowed her eyes and focussed on a mass of prisoners fighting soldiers in the middle of a street a few hundred feet away. Shutting the world around her, she took a deep breath and muttered to herself as she fixed her gaze.
She fired the arrow and it shot through the air, sailing over trees, houses and streets as it made its destination. Gliding over the cascading winds, the projectile descended as if led by a guiding hand and drove right into the spine of an insurgent. A gas exuded from the arrow as the wounded man writhed, suffusing the air and suffocating the convicts he stood with. Shocked by the sudden stroke of luck, the Corona soldiers attacked the men, killing them off.
"Works every time." Merida twirled an arrow as she sat on the wall and took aim, firing at a criminal who ran toward the palace.
Elsa watched the redhead from within the palace walls and looked around at the soldiers manning the yard in unease. Rubbing her hands, she mumbled to herself and clenched her fists at her sides. She fought the welling fear from her dream, the anger and worry knotting her forehead into a scowl that made veins bulge.
Calming her thoughts, she Snow Queen ascended, snowflakes peppering the concrete as wind gathered. Clouds darkened in the heavens above and Elsa breathed haggardly; her brow twitching as her face twisted. She rose above the wall, drawing Merida's attention as temperatures fell.
Elsa frowned and snapped her eyes open, the deep blue fading to near-white as she looked around. Raising her hands before her, she let out a puff of vapour in her breath and looked to the city up ahead. She lifted her left arm and released a jet of ice from her palm.
The strip flung over the palace grounds and landed in a street, covering the road in rime. Escapees battling soldiers nearby turned to the frost as a mist came from it. The ice cracked, disintegrating into flakes that whirled around. Out of the cloud glinted a pair of cold eyes, eyes that struck fear into the hearts of the men who stood around. The mist vanished, unveiling a knight of ice garbed in armour and wielding a spear.
The beast descended on the men, cleaving through their bodies like paperweights and shrugging off their swords that merely grazed its body. Elsa watched as she hovered over the palace grounds, looking to her hands as an aura exuded from them. Charging snow between her palms, she threw her arms apart and sprayed the snow outward, permeating the clouds and raining her army on the kingdom.
ANNA FLEW over a street and sent fireballs onto three convicts, speeding off with a sonic boom as Tooth entered the area and landed near a house. Phasing into the edifice, the fairy flew up to a man who pulled a knife on a woman in a kitchen, slicing him with her bladed wings and shifted through a nearby wall, easing into a packed road that Jack fought in. The Guardian smacked two convicts aside with his cane, jumped and dropkicked another than ran toward him and landed on with a knee to the ground, smashing his staff down and creating an ice explosion that engulfed the lane.
RAPUNZEL AND Eugene witnessed the distant battle from the palace, seeing Sandy forge a wall around the docks and Santa fly about. "How can this be happening again?" Eugene frowned and turned to Balder who sat on a chair behind him. "The criminals had no access to weapons of any kind."
"I have been thinking about it." The King of Arendelle rose to his feet. "There's only one conclusion."
"What is it?" Rapunzel asked. A knock came at the door. "Come in."
An advisor came into the room, a look of relief washing over his face. "Oh, thank goodness, you're safe."
"What is it, Andor?"Eugene inquired.
"The commander seeks audience with you over a recaptured convict that may know something about their escape." Andor answered.
Balder studied the man, noticing his eye twitch slightly. "Finally, some good news." Eugene sighed with relief. "Let's go." Balder frowned as Andor reached for a sheath on his belt.
"Get back!" Balder drew his sword and swung at the man who quickly blocked with his own.
"Balder, what're you doing?" Rapunzel gasped.
"You will not see the end of this day!" Andor kicked Balder back and slashed his arm. "The Phoenix is at hand." He raised his sword at Eugene who stood before Rapunzel.
Squirming in pain, Balder quickly tossed his sword to his free arm and drove it into the advisor's back. Rapunzel yelped in horror as the man before her spat out blood and tumbled over. Dislodging his sword, Balder turned to the couple. "What's happening?" Eugene's eyes dilated in shock.
"The prisoners were let out by the guards; that's the only reason this is happening." Balder grasped his hand and moved toward the door. "This is a rebellion." He looked into the hall. "We need to get out of here."
The king gestured to the fellow royals and they entered the corridor quietly. A soldier entered the hall on the opposite end and jogged toward them, seemingly to their aid when he drew his sword. Blocking the attack swiftly, Balder cut him down and pointed the couple to a path to his left. Looking around the corridor, he followed them as they made way to the stairs.
Moving into another hall, the trio raced desperately through the dimly lit expanse, looking around when a door opened up ahead. A hefty man, Gunther, entered the hall, his face washed white in worry. "Queen Rapunzel, what's happening?"
"Sir Gunther, we need to go now." The woman ran up to him.
"But, your majesty, you ordered for us to stay until those marauders have been dealt with."
"Wait, who else is with you?" Eugene asked.
"I'm in here with the other advisors." Gunther turned to the room he came from and gasped. "By the gods!"
Jolted by shock, Rapunzel and Eugene entered the room, joining the elderly man in frozen astonishment. Balder moved up to them and saw several corpses laying in the room, on the long table at the centre of the edifice, on the chairs, on the floor. It was a massacre. In the corner of the room was a royal guard removing his sword from a fellow soldier.
Balder covered Rapunzel's mouth, impeding a scream and quickly shut the door. Leading them down the hall, the four entered the main concourse of the palace and rushed to the door. Balder stopped at the centre of the room, frowning as footsteps echoed in the halls. Rapunzel, Eugene and Gunther slipped out of the edifice and Balder followed behind them. A sword swung at his arm.
"Balder!" Rapunzel screamed.
Balder deflected a slash from a guard and kicked the doors shut. "Go!" He looked to Eugene who nodded grimly and pulled his wife aside.
Making sure the royals were out of harm's way, Balder turned to the guard and locked blades with him. Engaging him with two slashes, the king cut down the insurgent and stood victorious when a pang hit his wounded arm. Clasping his arm over the gash, he inched toward the door when several guards massed into the hall from doors around the expanse.
Balder's heart fell to his stomach as he was surrounded, his breath quickening as the men drew their swords. Clenching the hilt of his sword, Balder readied himself for the inevitable. Blue strips of energy shot into the soldier's backs and they fell dead. Balder looked around in a panic and frowned as a cloaked man entered the room. He recognised the attire he wore, scowling as he tried to speak when the man chanted a spell. Shuddering in pain, Balder wobbled as a weight enveloped his body. With blurry vision, he stepped forward and fell to a knee, gasping for breath as he tried to get his bearings.
His arm turned black and scales formed down its length. Hitting the floor with a thud, he fell unconscious.
"COMMANDER GREGERS!" Rapunzel cried as she ran to the wall that encompassed the palace grounds.
"My Queen." The soldier turned, visibly tensing upon seeing her.
"Where's Queen Elsa?" She asked hastily.
"Her majesty and Queen Merida left to join the soldiers after securing the wall, Your Grace."
"Then bring your men; King Balder is being attacked!"
Nodding to the queen, the general rounded a group of eight men and followed her and Eugene to the palace. Breaking the door down, the throng entered the castle's foyer and looked around. Rapunzel walked into the building last, horror tightening her jaw as she took in the guard's corpses on the floor.
"Where is he?" She looked to Eugene.
A MASS OF soldiers and escapees cluttered a street in a brawl that decimated houses along a cobblestone road. The soldiers were losing. Cutting the last man down, the criminals eyed the homes on either side of their path, moving toward them when low clicks met their ears. Five arrows were stuck in the ground around them and released smoke that filled the air.
Merida sped into the street, her mouth covered with a neckerchief, and drew out a dagger. Picking the bewildered men off one by one, she snuck up to each of them and made quick work of them. Stabs to the back, stomach. Slitting necks. She killed them all with near assassin-level precision until she moved up to a large man who heard her coming.
Caught by the larger foe, Merida flipped back from his massive arm as he tried to punch her. The mist slowly cleared, her advantage of stealth was lost. With little ammo of which she didn't want to waste, the redhead held her dagger at her side and waited for her opponent. That is until he fell over in a heap at the wild strike of a horse's hoof.
"Whoa, there, easy Lincoln!" Pam smiled from atop the mare made of ice as she rode toward the queen in her humanoid form. "Merida! What're you doing here?"
"That's my question." The woman frowned and pulled her mask down. Shaking blood off the sword, she walked on and drew an arrow. "Don't follow me." She glanced at the feline woman. "Get back to Elsa or you'll get yourself killed."
"Pfft, I can hold my own." Pam crossed her arms.
"By me." Merida turned to her, her eyes dark with sincerity as she walked on.
"Whoa, who bit her ass?" Pam jerked in surprise.
"People are biting donkeys now?" Olaf poked his head above her shoulder.
"No, I didn't mean –,"
"Don't worry, butterfly, I'll protect you." The snowman stroked the horse's back.
Pam groaned and clucked her tongue. "Why am I stuck with this moron?"
"Moron is a matter of perspective, mija." Sephiroth hopped on her shoulder. "Now, attack that building!" He drew his sword and pointed at a house behind him. "It looked at me funny."
"No."
SHOOTING DOWN a convict attacking a soldier in a marketplace, Merida ran in and helped the injured man up. "Are you okay?" She asked.
"Yes, thank you." He grunted as he stood.
"Elsa and I just secured the palace grounds – what's the situation at the docks?"
"We're running low on men there." He shook his head.
"HOW MANY of them are there?" North cast his gaze around the pier and tossed a sword into an oncoming escapee. Sandy, who floated on a cloud above, gave a shrug and forged a whip, grabbing a convict who ran toward a boat and tossed him back to the city.
"It's like a never-ending army." North dislodged his blade and turned to the sea. A large sand wall enclosed the docks, cordoning the boats and blocking the bridge to his right. "You sure you can hold this up for long?" He looked up to his fellow guardian. Sandy huffed and gave a weak nod. North frowned and sheathed his weapons. "I just hope the others get the situation sorted out before it gets out of hand."
JACK LANDED in a cul-de-sac and cracked his staff at a convict in a backhand motion that sent the man flying onto a building. Joined by Tooth, Bunny and Anna, the princess and the Guardians looked around as escapees massed the dead end street. "Is this the last of them?" Jack raised his brow.
"Maybe – haven't been countin'." Bunny twirled a boomerang.
"Try to take it seriously; it's not a game." Tooth frowned.
Jack tapped his chin. "Nah, it kinda is."
The Guardian struck the earth with his cane, sending out a wave of ice that froze four men in his wake. Tooth ran out from his left as the group split up and she flew toward two men, slicing their sides with her wings and rose into the air, gathering wind and blew two convicts into a building. Bunny vaulted over to a group of men at the right side of the street, rolled to his feet and tossed out his boomerangs. Standing tall as the projectiles bounced off the heads of his targets, he fished out a ball and flicked it to a man running toward him, knocking him back with a green blast.
"See?" He caught his boomerangs. "It's just like a game ..." His mouth fell agape. "Crikey."
Jack kicked a man aside and twirled his staff, looking in the direction he and Tooth faced. "What the hell?" He frowned.
Blood coated the ground, a trail forming a gory mass of severed limbs and corpses that spread out before the Guardians. At the precipice stood Anna, dress coated in red and arms soaked in crimson as she held a limp convict's neck. Ignoring his pleas for mercy, she clenched her fist and squashed his neck, letting the battered corpse fall at her side.
"A... Anna?" Jack spurted as he moved toward her, confusion knotting his brows. The woman turned to him sharply, her blackening eyes darting between the trio as a low growl emanated from her throat. Jack jerked back at the horrid sight, trying his best to process what he saw; the cheerful princess now standing before him as a merciless monster.
"Whoa, what happened to you?" Bunny backed up.
Jack glanced at Tooth whose mouth moved wordlessly in confusion. He moved toward the princess. "Anna, try to calm down." The woman tossed a fireball at him.
"Hey, watch where you're throwing that!" Bunny jumped out of the way.
Anna roared and stepped back, retching as if she was about to vomit as she clawed at the ground. Clenching her fist tightly, she lunged at Jack and punched him, flinging him onto the road. Tooth and Bunny gasped in shock, unable to move in time as Anna stood between them. She held her hands up to their faces and shot fireballs at them point blank.
Letting the two fall on buildings on either side of the street, Anna launched toward Jack at high speeds who lay at the end of a trench and dove down with a punch. Jack saw the attack coming and rolled out of the way, letting the woman crash and skid against the dirt. He got to a knee and held his staff at his side, locking eyes with the dead, vicious ones of the princess before him. "Anna, don't make me do this – you need to stop –,"
Anna apparated up to him, grabbing his throat midsentence, and moved over the ground at blurring speeds, smashing his body against a wall. Digging her nails into his neck, the woman leaned forward, her bared teeth inching toward his flesh. In a split second, Jack threw himself back and cracked his forehead into hers, freeing himself from her vice.
Anna skidded against the ground, her feet upheaving rocks and dust, and she turned back to Jack, seeing him fly toward her. The Guardian swung his staff at her and she grabbed it, creating a concussive wave that cracked the tiles around them. Using his free hand, Jack gave Anna a punch to the jaw that hurled her back, causing her to bounce off the ground and crash onto a dead horse.
Anna scrambled to her feet, merely shaking her head at the attack, and grabbed the corpse, lifting it high above her head and chucked it at him. Jack froze and smashed the projectile to pieces, shifting to swing his staff when Anna flew up to him and kicked him in the head, hurling him onto a building to her right. The princess landed on the ground with a thud and balled herself up, her arms to her stomach as she growled. She threw herself back and roared loudly, a burst of fire exploding from her small frame and shooting up to the sky. Tooth, Bunny and Jack watched in shock along with the rest of the kingdom as Merida who stood atop a building and Elsa who hovered in the air witnessed the fury.
"Anna ..."
Jack pushed himself up and beheld the fires that littered the ground around the devilish figure before him. He clenched his cane and moved to strike when a purple fireball struck the ground between them. "Whoa, whoa, whoa, what's going on here?" Hiccup's voice came.
Jack looked up to his right, a curious look on his face as Hiccup and Astrid descended to the street on their dragons. "Came here when we heard of the bloodless corpse and you're having a party?" Astrid feigned anger.
"Who are you?" Jack asked, masking his anger as his fist tightened.
"Oh shit!" Hiccup's eyes dilated as he saw Anna, Toothless reacting the same as the dragon lurched back. "Anna, is that you?"
"What the hell are you –,"
Anna screamed, interrupting Astrid, and lunged at her when a thunderclap echoed, drawing her attention to Elsa who flew toward her. Breaking a sound barrier, the queen dove down and punched her sister in the face, driving her head into the concrete as she crashed onto the street; rocks spraying about around them. Slowing to a stop, Elsa stood and breathed heavily, studying the woman below and huffing in relief as she remained in a motionless heap.
"What's happening?" Astrid exclaimed as she got off Stormfly.
"I-it's a long story." Elsa took in the confused faces of the people around her.
"Shorten it then." Hiccup frowned as he dismounted Toothless.
"Well, you see, Anna –," Elsa and Jack winced, both grasping their left arms and looking at each other in confusion.
"What're you doing?" Bunny raised his brow.
"No, we ..." Jack and Elsa synchronised and looked at their arms. A blue aura exuded from their respective limbs, curving and forming a tattoo. Looking to each other, the two came together and put their arms close to each other, seeing the combined image to be that of a mermaid in a circle.
"... We ..." Jack and Elsa looked at each other as the others converged around them.
"Uh, guys." Tooth pointed to the horizon, drawing their attention.
NIU SMILED to himself as he stood in the main concourse of his airship. Joined by Ai, Xiaosi and Guozhi, the man looked at a stone plate before him that glowed dimly. "They are here, Clavis et Ianua." He stepped forward and peered through the glass overlooking the city of Corona. "The time has come."