Chapter Eighteen: Meeting Up With Old Friends

ELSA

The bodies of dead magicians strewn all over the deck caused a wave of nausea to overtake Elsa. Janine, Emmet and Byron climbed up through the trapdoor after her.

"The hydra is dead," Pearce told them.

"That creature was a hydra?" Elsa said. Pearce nodded. She looked around at the corpses. "Your people…" She covered her mouth and stammered, "W-what were the casualties? H-how many w-were killed?"

"Two hundred," said Whit.

Elsa wished she had heard him incorrectly, but she did not. She could barely get the words out. "T-two hundred?" she repeated.

Whit looked away. Elsa never hated herself more than she did now. She felt as if she was teetering on the edge of a black hole of guilt. "I'm really sorry for shouting at the two of you earlier," she apologized to Pearce and Whit. "I was distressed and scared and just so angry, I—"

"It wasn't your fault, it was mine," interrupted Pearce. "I am entirely to blame. I should have let you know about the soldiers when I spotted them at the port of Diffinus. If I had told you and if Whit and I had killed them, those magicians would still have been alive. You had every right to shout at me, Elsa."

"I had no right!" she said. "The hydra was here because of me. Hans wouldn't have sent it just to kill any army. It was me that he wanted to annihilate. Those witches and wizards were dead because of me."

"No, Elsa, they were dead because of us," Anna corrected. "We brought danger upon you all."

Elsa said, "Whit and Wisty, you guys have done so much for me and Anna, helping us to conquer Hans, and all I did to repay you was by pushing the blame on you. I deeply regret that. I was such a…a…"

"…an ungrateful bitch?" Wisty raised an eyebrow and filled in.

"Yes," Elsa confessed. "Yes, I was." She surveyed the sailing ship. The dragon figurehead had been badly burnt, the bow mast was fractured, one of the ballistas had been crushed, and three large gaps were knocked in the port bulwark. Elsa turned to the captain and said, "I apologize for the damage inflicted on your ship, and for the horrible death of one of your crew."

The captain said, "My sailors and I will be mourning for him. He was a good man. I liked him very much. There is no need for you to waste your concern on my ship. Nightwind can repair itself, though rather gradually."

Elsa began, "If there is anything I can do…"

"There isn't," the captain replied, not unkindly. "You and Anna need to accomplish your mission. You have a kingdom to take back, so quit punishing yourself. It won't do you any good. Be forgiven and cleansed of the troubles of your past and move on to the things ahead."

Anna was baffled. "You're letting us off? Just like that? We don't have to pay a price or suffer the consequences?"

"No." His answer could not be plainer.

Anna sighed in relief. "I thought you'd be furious."

"I have every reason to be, but somehow I am not, probably because your loss is greater than mine. It'd be silly of me to demand anything from you, Anna. I know you and Elsa have nothing to give. The medallion is the greatest gift. By the way, don't worry about the corpses. My crew and I will clean them up."

The ship came to a halt. Forests on green hills lined the distant shore, behind which were tall snow-capped mountains. Returning to familiar territory at last gave Elsa a sense of peace and comfort.

"Ah, there we are," said the captain. "This is as far as Nightwind would go. The sea ahead is too shallow for the dragon ship to dock. I do not have sufficient boats to take this many passengers to shore, so I am afraid you will have to find some other means of getting there. I have taken you to the mountains surrounding Arendelle like you requested. The journey ends here."

Anna threw her arms around the old man and hugged him. "Thank you so much for the voyage. You've been a big help."

"You are welcome, Princess Anna." He looked around at the rest of them. "It has been a pleasure meeting all of you. I wish you all the very best in what you have to do next. There is only one thing I must say: good luck."

Whit, Wisty and Pearce shook hands with him and bid their goodbyes.

Elsa shook his hand as well and said, "Thank you, captain. For everything."

The sun had almost set. The captain opened a door in the bulwark and a ladder was lowered to the bottom of the hull. Jeff, Edwin and a brown-haired boy called Sam used magic to create a flat wooden bridge that spanned the distance from the ship to the faraway shore, and Elsa, Anna, Whit, Wisty and the rest of their friends lead the magicians across it. When the last of the army had reached the land, the bridge vanished, and Nightwind changed course and sailed away from them.

Byron uttered angrily, "We've lost two hundred people and the battle hasn't even begun yet. This really does lift our spirits, doesn't it?"

"That's less than a tenth of our numbers. The loss is not that heavy, actually," said Elsa.

"Not that heavy? Are you kidding me? That is still a lot! Having an extra two hundred magicians in the army could make a huge difference!"

"We have seven thousand people, Byron."

"And Hans has eight thousand! What, just because our forces have got a size this great means you can afford to be a little wasteful, is that it? Titus and Cynthia, whose supernatural abilities are badass, are gone, but oh, never mind, they're only two wizards, it doesn't matter; we have plenty more, don't we?" He paused. "Every single individual's life counts!"

Byron must have contained his feelings for a while. It was only a matter of time before they'd boil to the surface. Elsa knew Byron needed to let his emotions out instead of keeping them in, so she resolved not to argue back.

"Elsa, you can't expect us to attack Arendelle tonight, can you?" he persisted. "Do you see the bereaved grieving for their family and loved ones? Or how exhausted my friends and Anna are? We need a proper rest to get our strengths back. Nobody is in the condition for a fight, and I don't think they will be for quite some time."

"They have to be," Elsa replied. "They must recover soon and be ready for battle."

"Didn't you hear what I just said?" Byron demanded harshly.

"Yes, I did!" retorted Elsa. "If you don't believe I have sympathy or care for the bereaved, Byron, then you're wrong. You think I don't know how it feels like to lose the people dearest to you? That I haven't been through the situation they are currently going through? For heaven's sake, Byron, Anna and I are orphans! Our parents died in a storm! So yes, I do understand your people's sadness and grief. Better than anyone. The hydra didn't just assault and kill them on Hans's orders, but it was because I caused it to. And I couldn't forgive myself. So please don't twist the knife and make me feel worse than I already do, OK?"

"Others are sharing your feeling," Byron muttered.

Elsa said coldly, "I thought you knew what you signed up for, Byron. If you are so perturbed by people dying, then why did you come? You might as well leave now." She addressed loudly to the rest. "Hans wasn't expecting me to return after I escaped. He never thought Anna and I would make it this far. The fact that he conjured a sea monster to finish us off could only mean one thing: he is scared. It didn't occur to him that it would come to a battle between his army and ours in the end. Don't you get it? Hans was hoping the hydra would be deadly enough to exterminate us. He is trying to avoid war at all costs."

"Like a coward," said Emmet.

Elsa emphasized, "We cannot give up, no matter how much we may wish it. We must have strength and faith. Like warriors, we march on."

"We march on," echoed Byron. He cleared his throat. "Uh, where exactly are we going?"

Wisty and Janine rolled their eyes while Anna guffawed. As Elsa watched, she couldn't help but smile. A hearty laugh was rare to come by these days.

Anna answered, "To the Valley of the Living Rock."

"The habitat of the mystical rock trolls?" said Byron.

"Precisely. On the night I accidentally injured Anna, my mother and father brought us there to meet them. They used their healing abilities to cure Anna," Elsa explained.

Anna asserted, "I reckon Kristoff's there. The rock trolls tried to wed us once. How awkward is that?"

Elsa said, "Hans doesn't know about the place. We'll stay there for a day. You want a proper rest, Byron? You'll get it."

"I know the area. Follow me!" Anna called.

The Valley of the Living Rock was a low area located within the Black Mountains. The rocky terrain was dotted with steam vents that were powered by volcanic activity. Vegetation, such as moss, was quite abundant, growing even on boulders. The land near the Black Mountains consisted mostly of lush woods and forests. Anna had been there more times than Elsa.

They arrived at nightfall.

Elsa saw Kristoff's pet reindeer Sven before seeing the man himself. The ice harvester was tall and muscular and had fair skin, light freckles, blonde hair and light brown eyes. He was twenty-one, the same age as Elsa. He rested on the ground beside his reindeer, his brand new sled nearby, and was singing a lullaby to Sven while playing music from his lute. The companions were about to call it a night and go to sleep.

Anna glanced at the snowman next to her and whispered, "Let's do it together, Olaf."

Olaf nodded happily. "OK." He waddled forward.

"Sssssshhh!" Anna pressed a finger to her lips and restrained him. "Quietly."

Elsa and the magicians crowded along the edge of the woods and watched as Anna and Olaf tiptoed into the clearing, light as feathers, and slowly approached the companions.

Olaf gave the signal, and then he and Anna both jumped on them and shouted, "BOO!"

"Ahhhhh!" Kristoff let out a startled yelp as Sven made a loud grunting noise in fright.

"Surprise, surprise! Look who's here!" Anna cried in a singsong voice.

Elsa and the witches and wizards stepped out onto the clearing as well.

"Anna!" Kristoff exclaimed, rushing forward. "Oh my God, it's you! You're here! You're alive!"

"I'm alive!" said Anna, and she and Kristoff embraced fiercely.

Kristoff's eyes drifted upwards to her sister. "Elsa."

"Hello Kristoff," Elsa smiled. They shared a nice hug.

Olaf and Sven were greeting each other cordially.

Kristoff exclaimed, "I haven't seen either of you since the night the usurper seized the kingdom. I thought you were dead! I thought Hans had killed you! I thought—"

"Hey, Kristoff, it's OK. We're right here," Anna broke in. "We're safe."

"It's so good to see you're safe and well too," Elsa said to Kristoff.

"Yeah, I'm—I'm fine." Kristoff was out of breath, but he hadn't been running.

Wisty pointed at the golden-brown stringed instrument and commented, "Nice lute."

"What? Oh yes! Yes, thank you. It was a present from Anna," Kristoff said.

Anna bubbled, "While Kristoff and I were travelling to the North Mountain to find Elsa, I used it as a makeshift weapon to defend Kristoff's sled from the attacking wolves. It actually proved to be pretty handy! But anyway, the lute was lost—"

"—ultimately—," Kristoff added.

"—when Kristoff, Sven and I were forced to abandon the sled upon encountering a gorge—"

"—mm-hmm—"

"—though I promised to replace everything he lost."

"She was true to her word."

"And in the end, I gave him a new lute along with his new sled," Anna finished. "Ta-da!"

Wisty was at a loss for words. She said, "Cool."

Janine bent down in front of the reindeer and touched him. Sven huffed and snorted amiably. "Can he talk like Olaf?" Janine asked.

"No, Sven just communicates with me in his reindeer sort of language," Kristoff said. "Don't worry, I understand him well enough."

Elsa took an unnecessary deep breath and said, "Wisty, Whit, you guys have met Kristoff, the royal ice master and deliverer. Kristoff, this is Whit and Wisty Allgood."

The Allgoods chorused, "Hi."

"Greetings," said Kristoff, politely shaking their hands. He scanned the magicians behind them. "Wow. My home is packed. I've never had so much company in my entire life. Since when did I get so popular all of a sudden?"

"Just now, I believe," said Whit with a backward glance at the army.

Anna giggled. Pulling Kristoff aside, she said, "Come on. We have a lot of catching up to do."

Anna and Olaf recounted to Kristoff everything that had happened to her and Elsa after Hans overthrew Arendelle. Anna talked so fast that Kristoff had to get her to slow down and repeat some of the stuff she said once in a while before letting her continue. Whit and Wisty sat down with them and listened. Meanwhile, Elsa wandered amongst the area with the others.

"So where are these rock trolls you told us about?" Emmet asked.

"They are all around you," Elsa replied.

Hundreds of big round stones rolled forward out of the shadows. When they came to a stop, they stood upright and took in the form of trolls, surrounding them. The small beings had stone skin, black eyes and abnormally large noses, and were clad in moss cloaks decorated in coloured crystals. Elsa remembered that the crystals the male trolls wore were blue and green, whereas those the female trolls wore were pink and red. The females also wore flowers in their hair.

"Welcome to the Valley of the Living Rock," the oldest and biggest troll announced in a deep voice. He was the only troll to wear yellow crystals.

Elsa introduced, "Everyone, this is Grand Pabbie, Bulda's father and Kristoff's adoptive maternal grandfather." She gestured to the other stones. "And here's Bulda, Cliff, Gothi, Brock, Pebble, Rockwell and…sorry, I can't recall all of their names."

"Remembering a few of us will do," Grand Pabbie said.

Emmet asked curiously, "Is it true that your magical crystals could channel the aurora borealis?"

"Indeed," Bulda said.

"See for yourself," said Cliff. He turned one of his blue-green jewels thrice in his fingers, the crystal glowed, and marvellous red, blue and green northern lights appeared in the night sky.

Byron was flabbergasted. "Incredible!" he said, gaping at the beautiful lights.

"Amazing!" remarked Janine.

Cliff let go of the jewel, and the aurora borealis faded and was gone.

Emmet said, "Wish I had a video camera. I could've recorded this."

"Queen Elsa," Grand Pabbie spoke again. "I have foreseen you and Princess Anna's return."

"You have?" said Elsa.

"Not all is lost. It is wise of you and the army to temporarily seek out our home. We'd be elated to provide you our protection. Hans will not discover this place. He will not be able to find you. Consider the valley as a haven. It is nice and warm here, and the place remains unaffected by weather conditions. I can tell that you look weary, Elsa. What you and the magicians must do is rest. You might not get another chance later on."

"Yes, Grand Pabbie."

"I sense a battle coming on. Sleep soon. My fellows and I will not disturb you for any longer. Goodnight to you all." He started to turn away.

"Wait!" Elsa called. "Will you fight for us?"

Grand Pabbie hesitated and then answered, "I don't see why not. We'd be happy to lend you, Kristoff and Anna a helping hand."

"Thank you," Elsa said in appreciation.

With a final nod, the rock trolls rolled away from them in different directions, transformed into stone, and were still.

The Valley of the Living Rock was huger than Elsa expected. The witches and wizards spread out over the clearing, settled down in the space, and made camp, cooking and eating the last of their food. A campfire had been set up somewhere in the midst of the crowd, and Kristoff, Elsa and Anna sat on the ground around it with Whit, Wisty, Byron, Janine, Ross, Emmet and Pearce. Olaf and Sven rested by a mountain rock a couple of feet away.

"I'm sorry about what happened to you during the voyage," said Kristoff. "The hydra…all those lives…" He sighed. "Hans must be really ticked."

Emmet guessed, "He must have been searching for you."

"He was hunting me. Sometimes I could hear their voices from far off."

"You're very lucky they haven't found you," Anna said.

"Well, if they did, I'd be dead. I would never support someone so vindictive and cruel."

"When Hans became King you've never set foot inside Arendelle?" Elsa asked.

"Never," Kristoff responded. "I've been in hiding the whole time. This place has been my sanctuary, it's my home."

Whit asked, "How's it like living here?"

"Why do you sound so grim and depressed? Life here is awesome! I've got Sven, the rock trolls, my pickaxe, my knife, my lute, my sled…I have everything I need. What more could I want?"

"Me," Anna said. "Did you miss me?"

Kristoff said genuinely, "Very much, Anna." He put an arm around her and squeezed her shoulder. "I cannot even begin to describe how blissful I am to see you again."

A sudden hush fell over them as Elsa held up her hand. She said, "Someone's coming." She strained her ears to hear the noise she just detected and, sure enough, there was the sound of leaves swishing, bushes rustling, and scurrying footsteps. Elsa got to her feet. "I'll go and take a look."

"I'm coming with you," Kristoff said, standing up as well.

"Me too," Anna volunteered.

Elsa edged into the forest in the direction of the source of the sound, Anna and Kristoff following behind her. It was drawing closer and closer, growing louder and louder…

"Wooomph!"

Elsa whirled around. A middle-aged brunette was scuttling through the woods while looking behind her and had bumped into Anna, knocking her to the grass. When Elsa saw who it was, she covered her mouth in shock.

"Gerda?"

"Oh my…my goodness!" Gerda sputtered. "Thank—thank the Lord I found you!" She pulled Elsa, Anna and Kristoff into a bone-crushing hug, causing Elsa to lose circulation.

Elsa asked, "Why were you in a rush? Who were you running from?"

"Hans," Gerda panted. "I-I absconded. From Arendelle. Made a q-quick getaway. I can't stand that tyrant anymore, I can't stand him! Had to flee. Couldn't believe how I managed it." She grabbed Elsa's arms. "The king will find out. He'll come looking for me. He's going to kill me—"

"I won't let that happen," Elsa reassured. "I will not let Hans get his hands on you."

Gerda stuttered, "W-where are we?"

Kristoff answered, "In the Black Mountains, the Valley of the Living Rock."

Elsa beckoned to her. "Come with us. You'll be safe here."

She led the way back to the clearing.

Gerda took in the army of magicians and said, "Whoa." She gave Elsa a loving smile. "I always knew you'd come back. My faith in you was not misplaced."

The others made room for Gerda around the campfire and the woman sat down.

"Gerda, I am so sorry I took so long. Anna and I had to train the witches and wizards in the City for combat, and that took nine weeks. How are my people?" Elsa dreaded the answer, but she had to know.

"The residents in the village are all fine and unharmed."

"And those in the castle?" Elsa pushed, holding her breath.

"Most of them are alive and well."

Elsa let out a huge sigh of relief. "Oh thank God!"

Gerda continued, "My queen, after your escape, Hans assembled everyone in the great hall the following morning to allow them to choose whether they would declare for their new king or not. Almost three-quarters of your people cried out to support him."

A mixture of anger and horror boiled within Elsa. The words 'traitors' and 'betrayal' formed on her lips.

"But it was all a ruse," Gerda hurried on. "Everyone was aware that you fled the castle to embark on your rescue mission, and somehow they all had strong faith that you and Anna would return to avenge the iniquities Hans had committed. Your people are only pretending to give Hans their obedience and loyalty, masking their detestation of the king deep in their hearts. Their true allegiance is pledged to you, Elsa, their fealty lies with you. Their fake, temporary defection is the only way for them to stay alive, long enough for them to instantly turn against Hans once you and Anna returned home."

"Hans bought all of that?" Elsa asked, feeling the horror building up inside her lifting.

Gerda nodded. "Your people played their parts well. Hans hired me and Kai as his personal servants in reward for our, what was it he said? 'Unimpeachable loyalty,' I believe that was it. But the amount of chores that were assigned us…oh, it was exhausting! I had to wash the king's clothes, polish his armour, change his bed—he took your father Agnarr's chamber for his own, by the way—clean his boots, attend to him during meals…I confess to you, Elsa, Anna, I hated every bit of it!"

Gerda was crying. Not from being upset, Elsa knew, but from anger.

She waited for the woman to calm down, and then asked, "Did you bring anybody else with you? Is Kai here too?"

Gerda wept even harder, causing Elsa to regret asking the question. Gerda stared into her eyes with terror. "Elsa…Kai is dead," she divulged.

Elsa's brain went fuzzy. Water seemed to clog her ears. She stammered, no longer coherent, "K-Kai? D-d-dead?"

"Hans must've suspected him for some reason. Gave him a push. Kai was unable to bottle up his fury and loathing for him. He showed his true colours. Hans nearly went berserk. He sentenced Kai to death and…and…"

Anna pressed, "And what, Gerda?"

"And hanged him," she finished.

Sobs racked Anna's body. She squeezed her eyes shut and buried her face in Kristoff's shoulder. Elsa was trembling.

"I was forced to watch it happen," said Gerda. "That was the reason I fled. I knew things weren't going to get better."

Elsa swallowed bile that rose in her throat and asked, "What was the fate of the people who defied Hans? Were they imprisoned?"

"Yes. Hans fed them just enough to keep them alive so he could drag on their suffering for as long as possible. At the start of every new week he'd take five of the prisoners out and put them to death. Occasionally he would torment one of his enemies with sorcery for his own amusement."

"No!" Elsa whispered in astonishment.

"Most are killed by beheading. The castle ramparts are decorated with their heads on spikes. There's more. The banners that hung in the great hall and from the lamps along the bridge leading to the village? They were being torn down and replaced by the crest of Hans and his men."

Elsa couldn't listen to any more of this. She stood up abruptly and mumbled, "I need a moment."

She walked away from the warmth of the fire. Once she was in the woods, she started running. She stumbled through and around the trees. She didn't have any idea where she was heading. All she wanted to do was to get away from the others, to be alone. Her best company right now was solitude. Even when the valley behind her had completely disappeared from view, she did not stop. Elsa tripped over a root and fell. Her kneecap ached, but she welcomed the pain and distraction. It was too much, all too much for her take in. She lost the ability to think, so she leaned against the trunk of a tree and just stared into the night. It was full moon. Somewhere in the distance a wolf howled. Elsa wished the animal would catch her scent and eat her, to free her from life's troubles and problems. Do you see me, Hans? Do you see how weak and vulnerable I am? She thought. Whatever you've longed to do to me, now would be the moment. She yearned for the serenity of her ice palace up on the North Mountain, wanting to stay in its halls forever and forget about Hans and Arendelle, about Anna, Olaf, Gerda, Sven and Kristoff…

But she couldn't. If she deserted everyone and left or ended her life, then Kai would've died in vain, and the lords and ladies in the castle would've resisted for nothing. What would Anna think of her if she did those things? Hadn't it been Elsa who told the magicians not to give in? To march on like warriors? What was the meaning of those words if she couldn't even keep them herself? She'd be a hypocrite.

Her sister needed her, and so did her people and her friends back there. Arendelle needed their queen. Elsa's eyelids drooped and grew heavy. She crumpled to the ground and fell asleep.

She woke with bright sunshine in her eyes, and blinked several times in order to focus better on her surroundings. She was still in the forest. And it was midday. She was much better rested. Elsa reminded herself she'd best head back before her friends started worrying about where she scuttled off to. She did not know which part of these woods she was at, and wasn't sure whether she could find her way back.

Elsa rose and strode in what she presumed to be the right direction when she heard a twig snap. She said, "Who's there?"

Pearce stepped out from behind a tree, looking as suave as ever. "Just me," he said. He crossed his arms and ankles and leaned against the trunk. "I couldn't find you, so I used magic to pinpoint your location."

"I thought I was going to get lost."

His eyebrows furrowed in concern. "Are you feeling OK?"

"Not really." Elsa shrugged. "But I feel better than last night. On a scale from one to ten, one being the least likely and ten being the most likely, what do you think are the odds of us beating Hans?" She had no idea where that came from. It just tumbled out of her mouth.

"Is one decimal place allowed?"

"No."

Maybe Elsa shouldn't have asked him. He was too confident and sure of himself and almost certainly would give her a biased number. It'd probably be better to ask Whit or Kristoff.

Pearce pondered this. "All right, well, the first thing we need to take into account is that our army consists mostly of teenagers whereas Hans's comrades are all adults, meaning that they will be physically stronger than us because they're older. Secondly, they can do just as great a variety of magic as we can; therefore we haven't got a clue precisely what kind of supernatural abilities they possess, which is unnerving, because it could be anything, with no limits or restrictions whatsoever. This indicates that the soldiers are very powerful and I'm guessing also pretty vicious. Thirdly, since they were trained in sword-fighting longer than we were they're bound to be more skilled and experienced at it than us. All this to keep in mind and we haven't even considered what King Hans himself has in store for us yet. Judging from the factors listed above, I figure our odds of beating him would be six."

It was a truthful and realistic answer. No bias involved.

"Sounds reasonable. Six," Elsa repeated. "For a moment I feared you were going to say four."

"The thing is, Elsa, none of that will matter if you've got a firmness of purpose and the willpower in you. You'll be surprised at what you could accomplish if you really set your mind to it. If your resolve to deliver your people from oppression and tyranny is stronger than Hans's determination to keep his throne, then the battle's already half won."

At these words, Elsa felt like the flames inside her had been rekindled when minutes before they had almost been extinguished.

"Did anyone ever tell you," she said, gazing at Pearce in awe, "how utterly brilliant you are at igniting hope in other people's hearts?"

"Everyone should carry it with them. It makes their days a little brighter and keeps the darkness a little farther," said Pearce. "When the opportunity comes for you to destroy Hans, do it straight away, without hesitation. You should've ended him back then when he wrongly accused you of killing Anna, but instead you gave him retribution for his crimes. You spared the man once. Do not spare him again." He inched closer to Elsa. He seemed to be made of glass, sharp and colourless. The gentleness in his face was gone and his expression was hard and cold. "Elsa, if it comes down to just you and Hans, you're going to look him in the eye and kill him. Do you understand? No remorse. No holding back. You must kill him."

Elsa said firmly, voicing her thoughts, "I will. I never abhorred Hans more than I do now." She paced anxiously and said through gritted teeth, "I hate him so much! I want to hold him in the palm of my hand and crush him. I want to reduce him into nothing."

Pearce's lips curled into a devilish smirk. "That's the spirit."

They walked back to the clearing in the Black Mountains.

Gerda said when she saw her, "Elsa, I am sorry for overwhelming you with what I said. I didn't mean to harrow you in that way."

Elsa replied, "Don't apologize, Gerda. I asked you to share the information. Thank you for telling me." She turned to the others. "We attack and commence battle tonight. Are you with us, Kristoff?"

Kristoff twirled his pickaxe in the air and caught it by the handle. "I am," he said.

"What about you, Gerda?" Anna said.

"I'm on your side," was Gerda's reply.

Elsa smiled, "Good."

Byron asked disbelievingly, "You know how to use a sword?"

Gerda looked a bit offended. "I may be a servant, but of course I can wield a sword."

The magicians packed up their cooking tripods and the rest of their stuff and changed into their leather armour. Swordsmen in silver, archers in white, and Whit, Wisty, Pearce and Elsa in gold. Whit produced replicas of the swordsmen's silver armour for Kristoff and Gerda, who put them on. It fitted them perfectly. Then Whit replicated a sword and shield for Gerda.

Whit reported, "I lifted the temporary enchantment Anna ordered me to cast on the weapons for training. Now they'll be able to inflict full damage on our opponents. I recommend the archers to bewitch their quiver so that it'll constantly fill up with arrows. In this way they'll never run out."

Wisty responded, "Yeah, we'll do that."

Janine said, "Whit, Pearce, Anna and Ross, since you guys were the ones who slew the hydra, wouldn't the blades of your weapons be coated in its venomous blood?"

"That hasn't crossed my mind, but now that I come to think of it, yes, it would," confirmed Pearce.

"In that case your weapons will be lethal to anyone who is wounded by it," Janine said. "They'll kill them instantly."

"All the better." Pearce grinned, and then added, "Just be careful not to touch the blades, or else…" He made a helpless face and drew a line across his neck with his finger.

Emmet said, "We'll leave our rucksacks here with our stuff."

Janine pointed out, "If Hans knows we're going to do battle with him, he has to be very well-prepared. His garrison must be stationed all over the fortress and in the village as well to defend the kingdom. I don't think it'll be a good idea to fight them on a single front. Hans has eight thousand men and they'll all be expecting us to attack from one direction. It will be more effective if we fight them on two fronts, one side coming in through the village and then across the bridge, and the other side charging in from the back."

"Janine's right," said Elsa. "It's better to divide our enemies' attentions than having them focused on one place."

Whit suggested, "We'll split our forces in two. A thousand of us, a mixture of archers and swordsmen, will enter the fortress from the back. In the meantime the main army will attack it from the front."

Emmet questioned, "Who's going to lead the one thousand?"

Pearce stepped up. "I'll do it."

After a slight pause in which nobody objected, Emmet agreed, "OK. You lead."

"But I'm going to need company. People I know," Pearce added. "Who's coming with me?"

Byron raised his hand. "I'll go."

Pearce inclined his head at him in thanks. He said, "I need one more. Who else?" His gaze swept over the people and lingered on Janine. "How about you, Janine? You were the one who made this proposal."

"All right," Janine said.

Whit said to Pearce, "Take a hundred archers with you."

Elsa piped up, "I want to go to the castle dungeons to liberate the prisoners. They are my people and I am responsible for taking care of them. They have been chained up and trapped down there for too long. I'm going to save them."

"You won't be fighting?" Anna asked, surprised.

"I will join you in battle after I have freed them."

"You're not thinking about doing this all by yourself, are you?" Whit protested.

Elsa shrugged nonchalantly. "I don't see a problem with it."

"No, you can't just go on your own. It's too dangerous. Let me accompany you," Whit offered. "Having a friend by your side won't hurt. Besides, everything's better with two."

"Fine. You win."

"Then it is settled," Wisty said, wrapping up the discussion.

Whit and Janine talked, hugged, kissed and then bid each other farewell. Byron, Pearce and Janine left with their army of a thousand a while later.

Elsa announced to Whit, "It's time."

She strapped the quiver around her back and retrieved her bow and arrows. Whit donned his helmet, buckled his sword belt, sheathed the sword in its scabbard and fetched his shield.

"This is where we part," Elsa said to Wisty and Anna. "See you guys in a bit."

Anna threw her arms around her. "Elsa, be careful."

"I will. You too, Anna. Don't die on me."

"I may be younger than you, but you know I'm tough as nails," Anna teased.

That lightened Elsa's queasiness up a bit.

Elsa waited for Whit to finish saying goodbye to Wisty. Then the two of them departed from the Valley of the Living Rock and headed off into the dark woods.

Author's Note:

The next few chapters will be the climax of the story, which will be made up of several parts. I actually considered writing the chapters first and then posting them together, but it might be too sudden, so I am just going to release them one by one like with the previous chapters. Stay tuned for more!