Keep the author's notes short and sweet. D'accord.
In other news, I'm dropping the chapter previews. However, like I've mentioned before to several of my reviewers, it is not necessarily out of demand, but because I can't make any out of the next chapters without something really major happening. So, just sit tight and wait every couple of weeks. I'll keep those updates coming.
Chapter 22
I Will Be Right Here
The chill air was deathly quiet as it floated through Arendelle's streets, interrupted only by the gentle sounds of tapping feet. The source of the noise paced back and forth incessantly, her typically cheerful expression now tainted with fear and worry. As she walked, she constantly flitted her bright blue eyes to the empty roads sprawling on one side, and then to the oppressively massive stone walls shadowing her on the other. Soldiers guarding the great iron doors stood in line with rigid postures, their hands firmly gripping their spears and flintlock rifles.
Anna shivered, rubbing her hands together in an attempt to warm them even as she stole yet another furtive glance at the faded streets. "…Don't worry Anna, everything will be just fine. Elsa said so…" the Princess muttered to herself. "She even promised… right?"
Of course, silence was the only one who responded back.
Anna bit the bottom of her lip; to say that not seeing a single soul in the faint haze frustrated the redhead would be a gross understatement, but she had no choice but to introspect in the silence...
"Princess Anna! Your Highness!" The sound of rushed, trotting feet slamming against the pavement grew louder as the Captain of the Guard faded into view upon his steed, both their breaths puffing out in rapid tempo like steam-powered engines. Anna pivoted on her heels to greet them, her bright blue eyes filled with hope.
"Captain Arvid! What's going on-" Anna stopped mid-sentence, and she squinted her at him. Or perhaps more specifically, the space behind him. "Wait, shouldn't Elsa be riding with you?"
"Your sister… she stayed back!" he gasped, wiping away sweat with his gloved hand. "I couldn't believe my eyes! She told me to warn everyone immediately! And-" he swallowed, "the last thing I saw before rode I off was this great big… thing in the distance. I've never seen anything like it in my life-… wait, where are you going!?"
"I'm going to go find Elsa!" Anna shouted behind her, already pedaling her legs down the paved road. She didn't make it far; two massive arms strapped themselves around her chest, immediately stopping her short.
"Get your hands off of me!" Anna protested, squirming with all of her might. She looked up, seeing her boyfriend's steady face staring back down at her. "Kristoff, you have to let me go!"
He shook his head, reaffirming his grip when Anna was just about to escape. "I'm not going to let you run off when you didn't even bother grabbing a horse."
Anna flailed her head from one side to the other. "Then go fetch mine!"
"A second used up is a second lost." Kristoff jabbed a thumb back at the gates behind him. "While I have Sven all prepped and ready any time, he can only carry two people on his back at most. The sled will only slow him down, and who knows what could happen by then?"
Anna looked off to the streets where she last saw her sister vanish in complete silence. She let the ice harvester's words sink in: He was right, they couldn't waste even a second in case the Queen of Arendelle was endangered. The truth hurt, but the redhead forced herself accept it, to closed her eyes and stop breaking herself free. "I-I'll… I'll stay."
Kristoff blinked. "What?"
"I'll stay here, Kristoff. It wouldn't do if all of the Royal Family ran out into the unknown, and…" she hesitated, "you're a better rider than me. But make it quick!"
The mountain man nodded, and kissed her on the brow before dashing back to the gates. Within a minute, he was already bolting out of town on bareback.
Anna's thoughts were rudely interrupted by a sudden shaking of the ground, rattling every window pane in Arendelle and causing posts to sway back and forth. It wasn't violent enough for Anna to trip over anything, but the effect was more than palpable; from behind the Palace Gates emerged a way of hushed gasps and whispers, where most of the population had been escorted in the prevailing danger.
"...What on Earth could that be?" One of the stationed soldiers asked to another. "Is it some kind of earthquake?"
"Hmph, unlikely." The uniformed man raised his head up to a watchtower, where one of the men was positioned as a lookout. "What'd you reckon, Wilheim?"
"Not too sure!" shouted yet another voice back from above. This fog isn't supposed to be thick, but I can barely see anything outside of town from here!"
Anna's eyebrows shot upwards. Breaking out of her contemplative stride, she bolted for the foot of the tower, raising her volume to where the voice originated. "Excuse me, Mister! Do you mind if you lend me a scope?"
"Uh… I don't see why not-" The soldier above paused. "Wait, aren't you the Princess?"
"Of course I am!" Anna chirped. Ignoring the strange looks she was getting from the other two armed men, she added, "As Princess of Arendelle, you should follow my orders! No questions!"
Silence followed shortly to stay, briefly convincing Anna that she might as well just drop the matter and continue her miserable waiting. Suddenly though, her ears picked up a little rustling sound at the very top, slowly growing closer and closer until a decorated head poked itself out one of the tower's lower windows. The uniformed man scanned his surroundings until his eyes fell upon Anna, and proceeded to pull out something long and thin, shaking it a little to catch her attention. With an acknowledging dip of his head he released the telescope, letting it descend down the wall and onto her outstretched hands.
The redhead fumbled a little as the telescope tumbled and bounced on her palms, but she was finally able to secure a firm grip before giving it a good look: It was a simple little thing, made of only two pieces of brass tubing and refracting lenses. Normally such a thing wouldn't be an issue for overlooking Arendelle from a good vantage point, but even a day as lightly misted as this would have screwed things up. Still, it would have to do.
The man sticking halfway out the window sighed in relief. "Ah, thought you were going to break it down there, Your Highness. Now, what exactly are you going to do-..." His jaw almost dropped all the way down to the ground as the little redhead immediately bolted down the streets with telescope on hand, a mischievous smile etched on her face while the other two soldiers failed to catch up to her. "H-Hey wait! You shouldn't be going out there!" he cried.
"I'm sorry, but I just have to find out what's going on!" Anna apologized. For the most part though, the Princess drowned out the man's shouts with the wind howling into her ears. As her twin plaits bobbled back and forth, she browsed for convenient shortcuts across town, spotting a high pile of boxes resting against the side of a building with a white tarp draped over them. Feeling an idea click in place, Anna doubled in pace, gaining speed until she kicked off with one foot to soar gracefully in the air, at least until her toes touched the edge of a crate. Without missing a beat, she kicked off with the other, using her years of experience exploring the ins and out of her Palace home to scale the stacks with alternating feet until she was running on rooftops, watching as the entire town unfold before her eyes. It was a marvelous sight, especially since the mist gave it a sort of ethereal appeal, but the redhead didn't allow herself to stop and admire the view - she jumped off the edge of one rooftop to the next, making a beeline for the western outskirts of town.
The Princess finally halted once her blue eyes caught the Arendelle wilderness spanning out into the faded horizon, using her arms to hug herself against a chimney before she could fall out of the roof. Bending down a little to catch her breath, she fidgeted with the telescope to extend it fully outwards; she peeked through the eyepiece and frowned, seeing nothing but a wildly gray and fuzzy mess.
"Ah, whoops. Gotta adjust it a little…" With a twist on the pipe, the steep cliffsides of the Arendelle's fjord was thrown into sharp relief, and then Anna could see the jagged outcroppings that would make up the mountain range, every individual, fluttering leaf on the forest canopies, the patch of trees in the distance shaking wildly from side to side like flowers in a hurricane, the...
Wait, what? Anna frowned as she scrutinized further: trees, especially the full-grown ones that populated the woods outside the kingdom, never jostled around as if they were simple bushes. There just wasn't a strong-enough wind in existence to shake them around so easily, never mind the logical conclusion that the rest of the forest should have been in on the act.
And then... the trees just stopped. No more shaking.
Instead, another small section of forest began to rustle, and then the one after that.
The source of the disturbances… it was getting closer.
"Could it possibly be … nah. That would be just silly." The redhead pocketed the telescope, and carefully lowered herself down the slanted rooftop. Upon feeling her feet dangle over the empty air, she let herself slide down more quickly until she was just free-falling for a little more than a second. Dropping into a roll to break her momentum, the redhead hid around the corner of a nearby shop, and waited.
Heavily-muted thumps vibrated the ground at regular beats, enough for Anna to feel it to her toes. This only confused the redhead: For her, only an absurdly heavy… thing could possibly be responsible for such a peculiar disturbance, especially if the source wasn't even in sight yet. In all honesty, the Princess did have a suspicion or two in light of these recent events, but she'd mostly written these thoughts off as mere products of an active imagination.
It was only when that tall figure emerged from the woods and out into the open, brushing the gray mist away from its wizened face in irritation as if it was a cloying smoke, did Anna seriously reconsider her viewpoint on reality: Initially, the redhead took it for some giant beast she'd read about in her books, or some elaborate statue; there just couldn't be any other reasonable explanation for its appearance, what with its beard made of crooked stones, spines made of what appeared to be pristine amethyst crystals, and a body shape that looked like a horribly misshapen doll crafted by a blind man with a less-than-sturdy concept of human anatomy. The closest thing she could compare the creature to was a hairless gorilla, but nothing alive could ever have such a ghastly and hateful expression, such malice in every crevice and scar on his face.
This must have been the creature the Guard Captain had been warning us about… Anna thought to herself. But… didn't he mention that Elsa stayed behind to confront it? Why would it be here instead then?-... Oh no.
The redhead shook her head furiously before her train of thought could continue running. No, it clearly must have slipped by her unnoticed. No one could have beaten my sister, she wouldn't allow it for anyone! Especially not this big, stupid, sneaky, giant piece of-
The Princess cut herself off for the second time in a row, and bit at her lips as she directed her sight back around the corner. Be cool about this, Anna. Keep calm, stay relaxed. You got to play it smarter, not harder.
The monster raised its bald head up, its wide nostrils flaring as it inhaled. It snorted almost immediately afterwards, grimacing as if it had tasted something very, very pungent. "This place utterly reeks of humans…" he complained, "Even stranger, I can smell disgusting, rotting fish. Why haven't I woken earlier from the sheer stench flowing downwind of this putrid town, I will never know."
Anna gingerly sniffed her hand and reeled back, forcing herself to blink the tears out of her eyes. Oof! Perhaps the monster had been unintentionally referring to me… Still, she forced herself to stay put, observing as the monster slowly walked up to one of the houses on the roadside. It raised its powerful-looking arm ponderously, and then - Anna was suddenly very thankful she didn't try to sneak closer to the thing - utterly bisected the building with a single chop, cutting out a thick and horizontal slice down the middle.
The monster reveled in this destruction, barely containing the laughter that was bubbling within as it plunged its hands into the newly-made crevice and tore it open it with all the ease and glee of a hyperactive child parting a dollhouse. "Heha! Hahaha! Gurahahahaha!... hm." The giant peered inside the rubble, its face suddenly pensive.
"You're not going to find anything there, uh… sir."
The beast froze mid-search. Slowly, it turned its head around until it faced the redhead whose hands were on her hips, its gaze zooming in on her with immediate interest. Anna's heart skipped a beat in response; the skin surrounding one of its eyes had disappeared, revealing a section of grotesque skull structure made entirely out of amethyst quartz.
"Ah, another one." The giant rumbled. "And an even worse-smelling one at that."
That casual statement by itself shouldn't have made Anna's skin crawl. It shouldn't have made her back suddenly erupt in pins and needles that made her sweat and itch uncontrollably. It shouldn't have made her scratch at her ears for pebbles, even as her instincts all but screamed at her to do just that. In light of all this though, the redhead gritted her teeth and pushed through. "Who are you, and what are you here for?"
The massive beast... blinked. This little reflex alone sent chills down Anna's spine; a milky-white film slid over his exposed eye twice in rapid succession, like something she'd seen lizards and certain kinds of fish do. "What is a little mouse like you standing here, in front of a mighty Bergrisi such as myself?" he asked, amusement touching the edge of his rumbling, grating voice.
"I'm here to talk to you about that, Mister!" Anna shouted, pointing a finger at the demolished destroyed building. "That used to be somebody's home! As Princess of Arendelle, I'm not going to just give you some slack over it!"
The Bergrisi's brows shot upwards at the redhead's introduction, looking nothing short of stunned. Then, he threw his head back in laughter. "It's just one royalty after the other with this town, just like that Elsa!"
The mere mention of the name was what made Anna's blood run ice-cold. If this Bergrisi fellow really met Elsa... Upon closer inspection, the monster's body was littered in bright crystals that didn't glow his native purple, but flashed a brilliant whitish blue.
In fact, she'd played with those ice shards just this morning.
"What… what did you do with her?" Anna asked, her voice lowering to barely audible levels.
"Gurahahaha! She must be family with you of course!"
"What did you do with her?" Anna repeated, growing hoarse.
"And what good will the information do for you? How does it changed whether or not I killed her-"
Something hit the monster smack dab in the face, bouncing away unceremoniously as brass made contact with pavement. The giant stared blankly at the telescope, and then shifted his gaze back at the redheaded Princess.
"Don't you… don't you dare say that…" Anna muttered, pointing at him with an accusatory finger.
The giant grinned maliciously, revealing the moss that was greening his tombstone teeth. "Oh… so that's how it is… Yeah, you can tell that I fought your dear little sister, didn't you?"
"She's my older sister! And shut up!"
"Obviously as a winter sorceress, she put up quite the fight. I have to thank her for providing quite the good warm-up after a good few centuries of dormancy!" The satisfied smile on his mouth widened even further, making Anna shiver - the edges of the Bergrisi's lips reached all the way around to his ears. "Of course, that all ended when I finally got my hands on her… you should have seen the absolute fear on Elsa's face when I gave her the tiniest squeeze, when I plucked that braid off from her head. The best part was when I got to hear how melodious her scream was when I pinched her hand like a berry! Ha! Popped like one, too!"
"You-... You liar!" Anna screamed. "She couldn't be beaten by some monster like you!"
The giant casually shrugged in light of the redhead's accusation. "I was never outstanding at deception. To be fair, I distinctly remember leaving her on the ground while she was still gasping for breath…" his mouth spread into a widened smile, a malicious glint in his eye. "Still doesn't change the fact that her face was so blue by then, though!"
Elsa... The Queen of Arendelle, the Lady of Ice and Snow... lost. Anna dropped down to her knees; the news utterly devastated the Princess, especially because her mind now attempted to picture her sister lying in the middle of the wilderness, afflicted with the most unspeakable injuries Anna's imagination could call forth.
Even worse for the younger sister, however, was the likely severe blow to Elsa's psyche: Though the Snow Queen was without question the most powerful person in Arendelle (in many senses of that word), she was the kind of person who would carry her faults too far, who would let her failings consume her. If what the giant said was true, and Elsa was left with the knowledge that what she'd done was for naught...
The giant tilted his head curiously at the silent lady, like a bird who was considering whether or not it was going to pluck at its disabled prey already. Circling around her despondent, kneeling body with a leer, he raised his arm up menacingly to hammer her down.
No reaction.
"Huh..." he muttered, lowering his hand. Next, he poked the despondent woman with a massive finger.
Anna's body was pushed backwards, but ultimately she still didn't respond.
"That was even easier than I thought, pitifully so... You humans really disappoint when it comes to bravado over performance." the Bergrisi sighed. "Guess I just have to straight to pulping you- hm?" He tried pulling his hand away, but it was met with unusual resistance that pulled back in retaliation. Craning his neck to investigate, his mismatched eyes fell upon a pair of lithe arms hugging desperately to his finger, their nails attempting to dig into the rock-hard flesh.
"Stop…" Anna whispered, pulling herself back to stop the giant from moving.
Ribbon muscles wrapped around the Bergrisi's exposed eye twitched sourly. "Get your filthy hands off of me, you rotting simian!" he snapped, flicking Anna away. Because of his phenomenal strength, the gesture alone sent the girl off her feet and spiraling into a wall with a solid smack. "Little mouse, why even bother fighting back? You knew that Elsa was your best hope, and she lost! Even I can tell that your heart has nothing in it anymore!"
"Still… I still can't let you run free…" Anna muttered, struggling to stand back up on weak knees. She sniffed a little, and wiped at her eyes and nose with the sleeve of her dress. "E-Elsa wouldn't be very happy if I just broke down into tears did nothing, would she?"
The giant's massive silhouette formed an ecstatic smile, and it l loomed over her like the impending fate of death itself as a single crystal eye stared down at her with blazing intensity. He leered, his aged expression turning manic with glee. "Gurahahahaha!" the Bergrisi laughed, his fingers twitching with anticipation. "Too many simians love to believe that they have it in themselves, but you may be one of the few I've ever seen in all my years who remain standing, even in full despair! More, give me more of what you pathetic humans call 'boundless resolve!'"
Anna ducked her head into a run as the giant's arm shot forward with the force of a cannon, ramming itself into the pavement. She didn't dare stop as the giant proceeded to slide it across the road, jumping in the air before she could be swept along. The giant snarled, and made a grab for the Princess with his other hand - she vanished out of sight as his fingers closed around her, clasping onto empty air instead.
"Fire!"
A long string of crackling thunder tore the world apart, immediately followed by an irritated bark of surprise by the giant. Out of the floating mist emerged the silhouettes of kneeling soldiers lined side-by-side in double ranks, their musket rifles and gleaming bayonets all converged on a single target. The uniformed men shouted to each other as they began reloading, while another line of soldiers standing behind let loose another chain of earsplitting fire.
The Bergrisi roared in anger, covering himself with his hands as bullets zoomed hit him by the dozens. The lead balls sent little clouds of dust in the air as they made contact, jostling the giant's body as they either bounced off or lodged themselves into his tough skin.
Anna, who in the chaos managed to tuck herself into a narrow space between two houses, covered her ears as she hid from the rapid-fire bullets chewing away at the surrounding walls. Like a cold knife to the stomach, the revelation of Elsa's current situation caused her eyes to sting, her chest to tighten in grief.
But… whispered a calm, soothing voice in the Princess' head, Elsa wouldn't want me to worry so much about her though, would she? And I have Kristoff to help... he wouldn't stop, and he wouldn't want me to stop either. If I just remained here and mope, all this work and effort would have been worth nothing.
It was all up to her now... The Princess inhaled a long breath through her nose to steel herself. "Act now, worry later." she muttered under her breath, peeking back out the alley.
"Fire! Fire! Keep them coming!"
"Don't let it fight back!"
"Buy some time for the Princess to escape!"
More of Arendelle's military continued shooting at the monster, going into a sort of clockwork routine with every round; men at the front would fire around the same intervals before passing their rifles behind them, while dozens of others at the back focused on reloading, re-applying the gunpowder and musket shots. When the guns were ready to fire once more, they were sent back to the front to provide the steady barrage of bullets.
Meanwhile, the Bergrisi was now on one knee, weathering the bullets as if they were intense blasts of hail with a scarred hand covering his face. This was taken as an encouraging sign by the soldiers, who redoubled their efforts by firing even faster, reducing the time in-between the usual reloads in an attempt to wear him down.
However, they weren't able to see what Anna saw, something that forewarned her that something was about to go terribly, terribly wrong. She tried to yell, but the message was lost in the din of battle.
Concealed behind his hand, the Bergrisi grinned like a madman.
"Ready-"
"Not yet!" One of the soldiers shouted back; like most of his comrades, he was still halfway through supplying another loaded rifle, delaying the bombardment.
The Bergrisi's amethyst eye sparked; that was the cue he'd been waiting for. The knee resting on the street pavement twitched, and the giant launched himself forward by the platform of his foot with explosive force, leaving behind a massive crater. Within a couple of seconds he easily surpassed the speed of a horse, charging towards the battalion of soldiers in a sprint too quick for the armed men to prepare themselves for; he laughed uproariously, full of scorn and vindication as he collided with those unfortunate enough to be positioned directly in front of him, sending them flying into the distance like thrown puppets with their strings cut, and scattered the rest with a wild swipe of his swollen forearms. Only then did he stop to admire the carnage; the effective, organized formation was completely eradicated, and the now-disjointed shots from soldiers hiding out of sight were nowhere near enough to faze him.
In the midst of marveling his own handiwork, the Bergrisi snapped his head to two particular soldiers lying among the sea of unconscious bodies; they were merely clipped by his attacks, moaning in pain from broken bones. The two huddled together and stared wide-eyed at the monster, who then proceeded to kick them into a shop window, knocking their daylights out as the glass cracked behind their backs. Snorting in satisfaction, he walked menacingly up to them, his fingers positively itching for the kill. One soldier somewhere blasted a well-aimed shot that hit the Bergrisi in the cranium, but the beast paid as much attention to it as one would to a flying grain of sand.
Anna had to do something... Spotting a chunk of twisted wood nearby, rubble from the Bergrisi's horrendous rampage, she bounced it on her palm to test its weight, and then proceeded to chuck it across the street - it smashed right into one of the few window panes left untouched. The Princess cringed, but it gave her the desired effects; the Bergrisi jerked his head instinctively to the sound of breaking glass, relaxing his hands in the process.
"Fire!"
The little moment Anna bought was enough for a small group of enterprising men to follow with the crack of several guns firing simultaneously, a combined blow that sent the giant staggering to the side and away from the injured as if it was a giant's punch. Anna immediately seized this chance to dash out of her hiding place, skidding to a stop before the unconscious men. Tucking her arms underneath both their bodies, the redhead dragged them on the other side of the street, taking great care to mind the giant as he held both his hands outwards to block future gunshots.
Unbelievable, bullets don't work on this guy at all. Anna looked out towards nooks and crannies of the town where soldiers undoubtedly hid themselves, taking as many desperate potshots at the giant as they could before running out of ammo. Then she glanced at the two men she was carrying to safety - some ugly and dark bruises were beginning to develop on the sides of their faces. One man's arm flopped in the wrong direction arms are normally supposed to flop. Sooner or later, that giant is going to either wise up and ignore the shots, or the soldiers will run out of things to distract him with. Without anything stronger, we-... Anna swallowed. ...We might have a slaughter on our hands.
"Princess… Princess Anna?" one of the men slurred.
"Shh... it's alright now, Mister." Anna assured, flicking another glance at the Bergrisi's enlarged forearms and hands. She was smiling now for some reason, and her spirits soared even as the situation grew more dire. "Actually, it's going to be better than alright. Can you guys walk?"
"Our weapons… they're totally useless on it. We can't do anything..." he rambled tiredly. Still, he managed to stand on both his legs with some effort.
"Great!" Anna exclaimed, clasping one of his hands in her own; his other just hung from his shoulder listlessly, like it was made of something along the line of gelatin. "Now listen soldier, there are too many people all over the place. Get all of them to retreat."
The soldier frowned. "But… how are we supposed to protect our homes, then?"
Anna pointed at herself. "I'll keep him distracted while you guys fall back. With a little bit of luck, I can buy enough time for some backup to finally arrive."
"But… you're the Princess! If anything happens to you, then-"
"He's not going to kill me!" Anna interjected. "...At least, not immediately. I have a feeling he's the type to, uh... play with his food."
"That just makes it even worse!" the man half-shouted, his face flushing red in anger. He winced as he accidentally triggered the muscles in his damaged arm, but pushed on through grounded teeth. "If anything happens to you or this town, we'll be held accountable for neglecting our duty-"
"Just look at around, soldier!" Anna cried in exasperation. She grabbed the man by the chin a little aggressively, and then pointed him directly at the unconscious mess that was his partner. "If this keeps going on for longer, your companions will end up unluckier than this guy! All of you have families, right?"
The man shakily nodded.
Anna closed her eyes; she knew she was hitting the subject right on the nose, but there just wasn't any other solution. "...Then let me buy you some time to retreat. Get better support. None of you guys will be of use to anyone at this rate."
The soldier gave her a hard stare that lasted for several seconds, with sweat rolling down the side of his face. Anna could clearly tell that he was deeply conflicted between varying senses of duty that should have worked in tandem on paper, but instead threw his mental gears out of place and forced him to choose between equally unpleasant options.
Finally though, he saluted her with a click of his heels. Slinging his partner over the shoulder, he gave her a thankful nod, and slipped away into the darkness of an alley, taking a route around the outskirts of town. His whistling calls for retreat carried themselves over the mist, followed by the sound of faint footsteps that were not of his own.
Anna looked on with a satisfied smile, proud for what she's done. Slowly though, her cheer faded from her face as horror dawned upon her, prompting her to vigorously shake her head in denial. "Oh jeez..." the Princess muttered, "I think I've been hanging around Kristoff and Elsa for too long."
Nevermind. Anna puffed up her chest, stepped back out in the open street with a straight posture, and cupped her mouth as she shouted at the top of her voice, "Hey! Over here, you big lug!"
The giant glanced at the redhead for the briefest of split-seconds, and then promptly ignored her in favor of flipping a storm drain over, uprooting the surrounding sidewalk in the process.
"It's no use, Mister, I've already called them off! Besides, I thought you wanted to play a game with me!" Anna began bouncing on the balls of her feet, pumping herself up with measured breaths while testing the weight of her steps. "You wanted a good fight, yeah? Then why don't you focus right here?"
The Bergrisi paused in his digging. "...Do you know that these little pellets they've been firing have been nothing but the most irritating and unpleasant things I've ever experienced in my life?" Turning around to face the redhead, he shook his body, letting hundreds of mottled, squashed pieces of lead fall from his skin like some demented form of perspiration. "The worst part is, these humans actually expect their little toy pipes to take me down. The apes think they can hunt the hunter!"
"Um… I'm not sure if you read a lot, but that was kinda the point in a lot of stories-"
"Quiet, little mouse!" The Bergrisi snapped, smashing a chunk off a nearby building with his backhand. "All of you have put me in a sour mood by leaving all of these empty homes around. Where's the panic? Where's the blood? Even if I were to kill you, tear you apart slowly until your wails become screams of mercy, it will only be just one person." He stood up on his legs, looming over Anna like the inevitability of death itself, his teeth bared in disdain. "I want them all."
Unfazed by the monster's towering height, Anna stared back up at him while crossing her arms. "Just get this started already. I'm sure you'll still have your fun."
"'Fun'?" the monster asked incredulously. "You aren't an enchantress. You aren't even a soldier. If the very forces of Winter and Metal aren't enough to stop me, what could a broken little girl like you have a chance at saving Arendelle?"
Anna assumed a stance, flicking her fingers at the beast in a "come forth" gesture. "Why don't you try to find out-"
The Bergrisi's massive hand blurred, and where the Princess stood was an indent in the road the size and depth of a bomb charge.
Someone nearby cleared her throat to grab his attention. "It's not very polite to interrupt people, Mister Bergrisi." Anna sweetly chided.
The giant frowned, and he flicked his head left, right, and all around in search of the redhead. Unfortunately for him, the mixture of the mist and smoke caused by burning gunpowder obscured the entire town so thickly, not even Arendelle's natural sea breezes could dissipate it fast enough. "Strange." he rumbled. "I thought you're temperament was much easier to deal with just a minute ago."
"Correct!" Anna's voice chirped. "Of course, that was only because I was such an idiot for believing you at the time."
The Bergrisi grunted. "I can't argue with you on that account, little mouse."
A silhouette faded into the monster's view, upon which he immediately kicked with a feral grin, expecting a bleeding pile of shattered bones to fly away. Instead though, it burst into splintered pieces of wood, merely remains of an empty barrel. "Show yourself!" the monster howled.
"Hey, give me some credit here! At least I'm not trying to get myself killed!"
"You are slowly but surely getting on my nerves, little mouse…" the Bergrisi growled. With a single swipe of his hand, he managed to blow away much of the smog surrounding him, easily improving definition and clarity of his surroundings. "In fact, I may choose to ignore you and just go straight to stomping this loathsome village to the ground."
"Waitwaitwait! Let me finish!" Anna exclaimed in a panicky tone now, since the Bergrisi was now literally fanning away her cover. "Look, we both know that no one here can really kill you. In fact, those deep-looking scars and icicles all over your body tells me that Elsa is the only one who could possibly take you in a fight."
The Bergrisi didn't bother seeking the Princess out, but neither did he move from his spot. "You're waiting for her to come and try again." he growled.
"Well, yeah."
The Bergrisi snorted derisively, wiping the last of the smog away with one final fan of his sinewy arms. "What makes you believe that she can prevail the second time around?"
As the mist finally cleared away from the street, a little silhouette faded into view behind the Bergrisi's legs, smiling cheerily as she strained to maintain a woodsman axe high above her head. "Because I'm going to fight as well!"
Grunting in effort, the Princess heaved the tool in a great overhead swing, feeling the wooden handle buck in her fingers as the steel axe head sank deep into the giant's calf. She was slightly puzzled when the wound immediately hissed, spewing an opaque gas outwards instead of the expected blood, but at least it was an actual reaction. Encouraged, Anna tugged hard on the handle to break the axe free and swing again.
It didn't budge.
The redhead frowned, and then pulled on the axe once more.
Still no movement.
Anna stared blankly at the tool lodged into the back a giant monster's leg for a short while, and then up at said monster. Neither of them moved as they locked eyes in complete silence, the seconds ticking by stretching into what felt like millennia. Eventually though, Anna took the initiative to bolt, ducking her head to avoid the Bergrisi's massive feet.
"Uncool, uncool! That was totally uncool!" Anna scolded to herself. She darted her bright blue eyes from right to left, taking inventory of her surroundings. "Um... so this part of town is full of resident homes and small businesses, mostly shops. Don't really know how useful that is to me yet, but I'm working on it."
From behind, Anna could hear sniffing noises too loud to have been cause by any familiar animal, followed by heavy footsteps that rapidly increased in pace and earth-shaking magnitude. "You reek of simian and rotting fish, little mouse! No matter where you hide, I'll always find you!"
Anna's spine tingled apprehensively, and she dove into a nearby alley moments before the Bergrisi could catch her. As a result, she had to brace herself against the air pressure threatening to tear her back out, which was when she caught a faint glimmer in her peripheral vision; military equipment lied all over the ground, including supply packages, trinkets, spent pistols and bayonet rifles, all discarded by owners who needed additional maneuverability. She scratched her chin in consideration, slinging a bag over her shoulder and picking up a flintlock rifle; they probably weren't any more useful to her than they were to the soldiers fighting the giant, but it was better than having nothing on hand.
Equipped with her new acquisitions, Anna poked her head out of the narrow space to make sure the path was clear. Sweat spontaneously broke out on her back - The Bergrisi's crystal eye locked onto her, glimmering like a malevolent star. With nothing else to do but run, she a mad dash for a building on the other side of the street, swinging the door open in haste just as the beast began to move.
With her heart pounding against the walls of her chest, the redhead slammed her back against the door only to be ambushed by a cloying fragrance, slightly burning the inside of her nose. She reacted by gagging a little and rubbing it with her sleeve, permitting her eyes to adjust to the dimmed lighting - she was currently in a liquor store, one that was just recently abandoned by its owner; a little lantern sitting on the counter still burned weakly. Wine bottles laid in broken scraps on the wooden floor with all their dark, sweet-smelling, alcoholic contents pooling everywhere, no doubt damages done by the chaos raging outside.
The redheaded Princess blinked at the mess, and then lifted her skirt to see how much of it got stained by the wine. "Huh..." she remarked, examining a nearby bottle. "Maybe they have one of those giant blocks of chocolates people serve booze with lying around here- no, bad! Bad Anna!"
"Where are you!" The monster bellowed from outside, his voice so loud it rattled even more glass bottles out of their shelves. With the amethyst crystals on his back glowing with excitement, he bent down and plunged his hand through the liquor store's glass display, scattering glass shards everywhere while he fished for Anna's body, very much akin to one trying to reach for a doll hidden beneath a drawer. He knocked over shelves of expensive booze, crushed furniture, and brushed aside rubble and debris, but he felt nothing that could match her description.
In response, the giant lowered himself to peek through the broken glass display, his exposed crystal eye twitching as he examined the completely darkened interior. "Run run, little mouse, run to your hole! Don't let the gray cat strip your skin whole!~" he chanted. The monster was so absorbed in seeking her from inside the liquor store, he didn't notice the pair of legs dangling from the attic window up above, where princess, hugging tightly onto her borrowed rifle for support, held as big a breath as she could like she was preparing to dive into an ocean. Inching herself forward bit by bit, she felt gravity starting to take its hold around her ankles until she proceeded to fall down a two-story building.
For a few seconds that seemed to stretch on for longer than it should, Anna reminisced about the time she and Kristoff fell down a huge cliffside three weeks ago, when they were being pursued by that giant Marshmallow. The memory felt strangely nostalgic as she dropped, but it was cut short the moment Anna's rear bounced off the Bergrisi's shoulder, before sliding the rest of the way down his arm.
Thinking on the spot, the Princess twisted around with the rifle on hand, and rammed the bayonet into the giant's arm, giving herself a support to hold on. "Maybe you should be considering who's the one skinning who!" Anna seethed; using all her strength, she pushed herself against the creature's muscles, feeling herself drop erratically as the blade ripped the tough skin at uneven intervals, spewing translucent gas everywhere. Feeling that she couldn't hold on, she promptly released her grip on the gun and scurried away, covering her ears to block out the giant's yowls. "Okay, okay. Note to self: That didn't work out as well as I thought." Anna muttered. She unclasped her bag to stick her hand inside, making clinking noises as she ruffled through it.
Meanwhile, the Bergrisi threw the rifle aside and began running towards the little redhead, rapidly gaining momentum. Anna remained unfazed, throwing a heavy bottle that smashed against the giant's chest while dodging to the side.
The Bergrisi, snarling at the Princess for not having the good grace to just get flattened already, gouged deep lines into the street pavement to slow himself down. He then stood up to his full height, and walked towards the lady as she chucked even more glass bottles from her sack.
"What do you think you are trying achieve with this, little mouse?" the giant roared, swatting a thrown bottle away with a flick of his wrist. When Anna groped inside the bag for more ammunition, he snapped his hands forward at incredible speeds, forcing Anna to sidestep once more. However, The Bergrisi had predicted her movements beforehand and countered by slapping her mid-lunge, rolling her a fair distance on the hard ground.
Anna gasped; the pain the bloomed across her entire chest was incredible… but not so much that the redhead couldn't focus herself and stand back on her feet.
"That's right, little mouse…" the Bergrisi leered. "Just keep standing up, see how far that foolish determination can take you until you're nothing! Nothing but an irregular spot on the dirt!"
Anna's head was still a little too preoccupied to give a decent comeback. Instead, she simply held up the small lantern she'd plucked from within the shop.
The Bergrisi's elation faded away, and he tilted his head at the Princess curiously. "I don't get it." he flatly stated.
Anna flashed the giant a devilish grin, and threw the lantern at him.
The giant's crystal eye twitched, irritated by the girl's silence. He batted the little lantern away…
...and was promptly combusted into flames.
"GWUAHHH! WARGHHH!" the monster screamed, wreathed in fire burning bright and hot - blue flames smothered his entire chest, hungrily licking at him with whiplike lashes as it spread even further to his arms and face. Staggering from the heat, he unintentionally crushed one of the few bottles on the ground that had remained intact, its faded label reading: Uncle Spruce's Locally-Burnt Whiskey - "Oh god, I'm seeing things!"
"Booyah!" Anna cheered, jumping and pumping both her fists into the air in celebration. "Woot! Consider yourself roasted, Mister!" In all honesty though, she wasn't sure how effective the fire would be to the Bergrisi; he treated everything else like a flimsy tickling session. At the very least, Anna didn't dare to stick around and find out - the redhead turned tail to run while the monster still panicked from burning, a fool's grin etched on her face.
Unfortunately, that prevented her from seeing the Bergrisi's flailing hand abruptly change direction, whipping around until it scored a direct hit that swept the Princess sharply to the side. She felt the pain most at the arm where the blow landed, where it felt as if it was splitting apart at the seams, followed by several smaller bruising spots all over her body as she tumbled to the floor. Completely taken by surprise, the only thing Anna could do was curl herself into a fetal position and clutch at her arm in agony. "Ow…" she moaned. "Owowowow…"
A massive shadow that seemed to encompass the entire town crawled over Anna as she writhed. In-between tears, she glanced upwards: The Bergrisi's body, which was covered in patches of discolored, ashen skin and soot, didn't move except for a callused hand snuffing out the last of the alcohol flames. He didn't seem much worse for the wear, and while the creature's face was emotionless, the exposed eye betrayed his mask by burning with utmost fury and hatred for the girl lying before him, hotter than any fire she could have set on him.
Anna, too incapacitated by the pain to move, could only curl tighter as the Bergrisi's fist blurred in its descent upon her.
Out of the gray emerged twin silver arcs of light, flinging sparks in all directions as they clashed against the giant's engorged forearm and shoved it aside so the impending crater was only centimeters away from where Anna's head would've been.
Another hand, human this time, plucked Anna with ease before smushing her body against something semisolid, carrying her off to safety with surprising agility. The savior's bounding and the somewhat rough handling did cause the Princess some discomfort, but enough of the agony had subsided enough for her to glance upwards to identify him... and promptly drop her jaw in amazement. "Mi-Mister Shirtless Sailor?"
The rhinoceros of a man looking back down at her, unamused by her alarm. "I would like to tell you that my name is really He XiongQiang, little lady. Mister He is acceptable too." His nostrils flared. "Also, you smell like wine and dead fish."
"Less chatting, more running, X!" demanded an exhausted, young-ish man wearing one too-many belts sprinting alongside them. Sheathing his gleaming dagger and sword, he flicked his sharp, hawkish eyes at the girl. "You know that little stunt of yours made him angry, right!?"
"He was already angry!" Anna snapped back.
The corsair grinned. "Still, gotta love your energy and drive though. How about you join my crew after this mess?"
"Wait, what-"
"In here, guys!" shouted different voice.
Anna's neck came close to snapping as Mr. He abruptly changed direction, bolting into a darkened house while being followed closely by the corsair. The same voice grunted, followed by the slam of what sounded like a heavy door. With time to stop and breathe, the big man gently lowered Anna back on her feet, examining her for any injuries. "Hm… some bruises and cuts here and there, but I don't see any broken bones. And, you're already standing back on your feet. A very lucky little lady you are, Miss…"
"Anna."
The giant of a man nodded to her, and craned his bare existence of a neck to the younger man. "She's safe and mostly healthy, Captain Himmel."
"Yeah yeah, just gimme a bit..." the privateer replied. He faced the newcomer with his arms crossed, raising an eyebrow in suspicion. "So… explain to me why we just walked ourselves into what is essentially a giant lunchbox?"
"Aw, don't worry so much about it." the voice replied. Stepping into view, Sigurd regarded everyone with a bright and enthusiastic expression, proudly patting the entrance door. "The lock system is of my design! That big guy couldn't bust in if he attached a battering ram to his fist!"
"Who cares about lock systems!? We're stuck inside, and that-... that thing just lurking out there doing who knows what!"
Mister He raised one overly-muscled hand while lightly knocking the back of his captain's head with the other. "Actually, I am rather interested in your craft. Please ignore this little stupid one here and tell me how this lock works-"
"Everyone, quiet!" Anna whispered harshly, cutting everyone else short. She shifted her gaze wildly between them, and pointed to each one in disbelief. "I thought all of you guys were escorted within the Palace walls with everyone else!"
The strapping corsair patted his First Mate on the shoulder with a wry smirk. "Us privateers don't do too well with enclosed spaces, love."
Anna turned towards Sigurd.
"...I just really wanted to see a giant monster." the blacksmith sheepishly admitted.
An ear-splitting noise sent the four leaping into the air as the walls besides them suddenly ripped open a fissure. Behind it the Bergrisi growled, thrusting his hand into the building in an attempt to grab at one of the runaways. Everyone immediately backed away from the predatory monster and gave Sigurd accusatory looks.
"Look, I'm a blacksmith, not an architect! How should I know the rest of this house wouldn't hold up!?"
The hand suddenly flipped around, lifting itself against the ceiling that left cracks spreading in all directions, causing the house to groan terrifyingly against its own weight. With a mighty heave, the Bergrisi completely separated everything above the first floor and catapulted the crumbling remains into the misted distance. He looming over all four, his teeth bared in a fearsome scowl.
"There. You. Are." the monster rasped, plucking Anna out of the group. The others tried to intervene, but he whipped his other hand at them without a second glance. XiongQiang was the first to react, wrapping his thick arms around the other two and taking the full brunt of the hit, sending all three into the choked dust clouds.
"Guys!" Anna screamed, desperately trying to pull herself out from the Bergrisi's grip. The fingers around her squeezed tighter as she struggled though, and she forced herself to stop lest she run out of breath.
"You... You have been nothing but a pain, little mouse." the Bergrisi muttered softly. "In fact, you were putting up such a struggle, it isn't fun chasing you anymore." The space between the giant's brow furrowed, and he threw Anna against a wall, knocking the wind out of her sails as she slid pitifully back down into a floating cloud of dust. "Die, knowing that everything that you have done, all the efforts you have expended, all the people who tried assisting you at the expense of their own lives, had been in vain." Then, he slammed his fist down where Anna lied.
Then, he did it again.
And again. And again, and again and again and again until he was just pulverizing the same spot over and over, reducing everything below into fine dust that shot upwards and congested everything, manic laughter bubbling forth from his frothing lips as his poundings increased in both frequency and frenzy. "Die!" he screamed, punctuating his words with every blow. "Die! Die, die die die die, you filthy ape! Die and have your bones ground into ashes, your flesh beaten into paste! Die! Gurahahahaha-"
Giant pillars burst forth from the piles of rubble before the Bergrisi could continue any further, interlocking around him in tightly angled patterns that formed massive stocks, holding him in place. The monster sputtered out of surprise; the thick columns were crystal-clear and gleamed as if they were made of… ice.
Tilting his head curiously, he then flicked his vision to his locked hand in search of whatever was left of the redhead, only to see wickedly sharp icicles jutting out of his hissing skin. In fact, now that he was (in a way) forced to take a breather, the Bergrisi saw rime everywhere, crawling in latticed and whorled paths down walls, over destroyed support beams, and even in the very air itself, which shimmered like diamonds due to minuscule ice particles kicked upwards by brute force.
Nonplussed, the giant puffed a heavy breath to blow the snow powder away, revealing a solid pristine barrier, its initially spiked surface pounded smooth by his frenzy. He could see a large man pressing himself on the other side, having used all of his strength to support the wall so it wouldn't collapse on a completely unharmed redhead behind him.
"K-Kristoff!" Anna stuttered out of relief. She let his large, gentle hands slip beneath her, and was hoisted up into a bridal carry by the ice harvester.
"Anna! Are you alright?" Kristoff asked frantically, bounding over what was left of a fireplace to flee the scene. "How badly are you hurt?"
"I'm fine! I'm fine!" Anna reassured. "I just- I just need a little rest, that's all."
"More of these simians just keep coming out of the bark, aren't they!? I'll crush them all!" The Bergrisi howled, rattling against his crystal prison while the amethyst spines on his back flashed in violet shades. Spidery imperfections formed within the structures with every violent shake, counting down how much closer he will be to breaking free and chasing the two down, torturing them for being so impudent in his wake before finally giving them the most humiliating death-
"Halt, Bergrisi!" trumpeted a voice, cutting through the cold mist with the efficiency of a knife's edge. The sound of a heel clicked once, and the entire frosted floor beneath the Bergrisi jerked counterclockwise before a pair of cold, glacial blue eyes, that of a Royal Lady staring down face-to-face with a prisoner - even dressed in damaged, civilian clothing did little to hide her aura. Behind her stood a great, hulking guardian who also glared down at him pitilessly, his clawed hands cradling the three men the Bergrisi blew away earlier.
"Ha!" The edge of the monster's lips reached all the way to his ears upon seeing their familiar faces. "I knew it was a good idea to leave you alive, Elsa!"
The Snow Queen stared hard back at him, a truly terrific sight of vibrant blue whose power gave color back to the dreary and partially-destroyed town. Her eyes flashed once, and the Bergrisi was blasted with a blast of wintry wind, smothering him in frost that coagulated into spikes and spirals across his joints - they combined to form petaled feathers, coating all but the beast's amethyst spines and their pulsing lights. Once again, tranquility has settled back into the streets of Arendelle.
"Elsa!" The redheaded Princess charged from the sidelines to tackle her elder sister in a hug, burying her face deep into her cool shoulders. At first, the Queen of Arendelle merely blinked from the dynamic entry, but she quickly broke out of her regal display to return the favor, absorbing herself in every passing moment of it.
"Y-you're safe…" Anna sniffled, dabbing her eyes on Elsa's borrowed vest before squeezing a little tighter. "Don't you-… don't you ever run off like that again, okay?"
"I won't. At least, not without a friend next time." Elsa soothed, flicking her eyes to a grinning Kristoff. She did her best to give Anna the warmest smile she could offer, not wanting to tell her how close she came to breaking into tears the entire trip all the way to Arendelle, especially when she and Kristoff had to combine efforts before it was too late for the Princess. The fact that Anna was right here, still miraculously no worse for the wear in spite of the Queen's failure, nearly overwhelmed her.
The redhead noisily wiped her nose with the back of her sleeve and nodded. Her bright eyes then drifted over to the giant golem standing nearby, who strangely enough seemed to be a little apprehensive of the Princess. Anna gawked at the massive creature edging away from her, and tentatively brushed a lock of hair behind her ear. "Uh… hello there." She coughed once, noticing everyone's stares. "Well. This is awkward."
"You… you tell me, love." One of the men in Marshmallow's arms pushed himself up to see the rest of them, his expression still a little dazed by what the Bergrisi dealt to him. "You…" Peter Himmel slurred, pointing at Elsa, "you've had me for a fool-"
"-Say another word about my sister, Mister Himmel, and we throw down." Anna warned. "You aren't the first pretty face I've punched."
The privateer captain blinked twice in rapid succession, and eyed the ice harvester standing close by.
"No, I wasn't the first." Kristoff responded. "Admittedly, I'm a little touched that you find my face pretty."
The ground shook with intensity, causing everyone except Marshmallow to stumble and cutting their conversations short. From within the tomb Elsa had encased the Bergrisi, they could see movements thrashing inside, knocking away tiny pieces of ice everywhere to the sound of harsh breathing. One particular patch of ice popped out, allowing an exposed, crystalline orb to stare at all of them in absolute hatred.
"He's…" Anna swallowed. "He's not going to give up, is he? I mean, I tried everything on this guy, and he just doesn't care! Guns don't work. Blades don't work, not even fire! What are we going to do?"
Elsa didn't say anything for a little while, only holding herself in contemplation as the creature within struggled. First, she look at Anna, her dear little sister who managed to hold her own against an ancient monster all by herself for this long, in spite of being but a girl whose bravery surpassed the sum of everyone else. Then, she looked at Kristoff, a man who'd been proving himself over and over again, using his skills, strength and level head to his full advantage.
Everyone else too… they do their best to provide support, keep each other alive. It's only the basic concept of teamwork after all, to work together and cover each other's weaknesses and failings so success becomes possible.
"I…" Elsa began quietly. "I can't beat him just by myself. Neither could you, Anna, and even Marshmallow cannot possibly match his strength and intelligence..." She closed her eyes, breathed in deeply to compose herself, and straightened her arms and posture as she faced her companions. "But that was because we were fighting alone, going by through sheer, dumb luck in the hopes no one else gets hurt..."
Her closest friends stared wide-eyed at Elsa, but quickly understood her intent with a nod of their heads. "We'll work together, then. Take down this big guy once and for all." Kristoff commented.
"Well, y-yes."
The mountain snorted. "As far as bad situations go, it's not like we have a better option, is there?"
Elsa smiled a little. "That too. Get Sigurd to send a message to Captain Arvid, have him tell everything we know so far. If what you said about the giant is true, Anna, then we're going to need something heavier for assistance." The Queen of Arendelle turned back to the Bergrisi's tomb, which to the uninitiated eye seemed remarkably intact of all things considered. However, the graying color and complete opacity in the ice was more than enough to tell the platinum-blonde that the giant was coming very, very close to freeing himself.
Showtime.
"Mister Bergrisi…" the platinum-blonde began.
Between heaving snorts, the crystal eye twitched and focused in on her.
"As Queen of Arendelle, I declare you officially responsible for attacking a member of the Royal Family, the destruction of private property, displacing hundreds of people from their homes and welfare, and for actively threatening to destroy this kingdom with the full intention of carrying them out!" Elsa proclaimed with swipe of her hand - a silvery gale inflected with diamond dust clamored its way through the streets, dropping the temperature even lower than it already was as well as painting rimed snowflake patterns on every flat surface it touched. As evidence of its magical nature, it had no effect on the Snow Queen or her allies, at best causing her cerulean cape to pop and snap dramatically. Instead, it crashed like a wave on the frozen Bergrisi itself, buffeting him with its viciously cold sting and power. "Either surrender unconditionally now, or be sentenced to death!"
In the face of all this, the Bergrisi laughed long and enthusiastically, the amethyst prisms adorning his back pulsing violet light with increasing frequency. Popping a vein on his gray and battle-scarred forehead, he blew free from his shell with the force of a bomb, letting loose ice shrapnel that was quickly blown away like paper in the wind. "Gurahahahaha!" he guffawed - every muscle in his body started to shiver and expand, pressing tightly against gray skin until every contour of sinew was easily visible. "Go and do your worst, humans! I won't be nearly so charitable the second time around!"
Play KILL7la切ル (Kill 7la Kiru) during the crazier parts for maximum effect.
Questions? Thoughts? Theories? You can either share them with me, or post them as a review below. Or we could just... you know, talk. I'm not a social media guy.
See you guys soon, fans of Frozen. Happy Frozen Fandom Month and Frohana Week.