Next morning, the sled was prepared; and soon Anna, Elsa, and Kristoff are once again on their way. This time Kristoff is handling the reins. While Elsa and Anna sit under a blanket behind him. Meanwhile, Mattias is perched on the backrest of the seat that Anna and Elsa are using.
For a few hours, everyone rides along in silence. This is because everybody understands the dangers that might be lying ahead of them. For the first hour or so, the air bits Anna and Kristoff with its bitter cold. However as they near the volcano, the air begins to warm due to the heat of the volcano. Also as they near, something was noticed in the air.
Kristoff was the first one to see something moving in the air. It was a blueish light. "What on earth?" says Kristoff, as he is puzzled by the strange sight.
"Kristoff, what is it?" asks Anna as she and Elsa hear Kristoff's puzzlement.
"There is an odd glow in the air near the volcano," replies Kristoff. "I'm not sure what it is."
Anna and Elsa then both stand up, and they grab the backrest of the driver's seat. "It's over there," says Kristoff as he points towards the light.
"I see it now," replies Elsa as she catches sight of the light. "It looks like some kind of magic."
"Do you think it is Tollak's magic?" asks Anna.
"It's possible, but the color seems to be wrong," replies Kristoff. "I would have thought Tollak's magic would look more like Kristian's."
"Wait a second, I think I can see another one," exclaims Anna as she points at another blueish light.
"And there is another one," adds Elsa.
Soon the air has several small blueish lights moving through the air. Their presence astonishes everyone. Anna and Elsa continue to watch the lights as Kristoff continues to drive the sled. In a short while, the sled comes to a stop a few hundred feet away from the side of the volcano.
As everyone climbs out of the sled, Anna says, "Those lights are beautiful in a sort of scary way."
"Yes, they are beautiful; but they have power," replies Elsa. "Any magic needs to be handled with care."
Suddenly, one of the magic lights passes close to Elsa and the others. It stops in the air and it begins to shake violently. Then the light rapidly accelerates towards Elsa and the others.
"Look out!" shouts Kristoff as he quickly grabs a hold of Anna and pulls her out of harm's way.
Meanwhile, Elsa raises a hand up; and she projects a snow blast at the light. However, this light easily passes through the snow. Elsa then pulls back from the blueish light, out of fear.
Anna responds to this event by crying out, "Elsa!" Then Anna begins to run to her sister's side.
However, before Anna is able to get to Elsa, Mattias quickly flies over to Elsa. Just about the time that the blueish light is about to hit Elsa, Mattias comes between it and Elsa. The firebird momentarily comes to a stop in the air as Mattias makes his fire surge. While Mattias surges, the blueish energy stops and quivers for a moment. Then the energy sails off to the sky to join the other magical energies. Once this happens, Mattias goes and lands on Elsa's raised arm.
"Thank you, Mattias," says Elsa as she strokes the head of the firebird.
"Elsa, are you all right?" asks a worried Anna.
"I'm fine, Anna; but I now know what those lights are," replies Elsa. "They are not the magic of fire but the magic of the cold. If it wasn't for Mattias, I would have someone's magic energy within me."
"Someone else's magic? You mean all these lights belong to someone with your kind of magic power?" asks Anna.
"Not exactly," says Elsa. "That one light belonged to just one person. I actually think each one of these lights is a single individual's magic. These must be the magic powers that Tollak has been collecting."
"But there seem to be over a hundred of these energies floating through the air here. I didn't think there were that many unique individuals in the whole world," replies Kristoff.
You are forgetting what Grand Pabbie said about Tollak," responds Elsa.
"Of course!" exclaims Anna. "Grand Pabbie said that Tollak found a way to make himself immortal. That means that Tollak could have been gathering these powers for millennia."
"So these powers could have been taken over a few hundred years," says Kristoff.
"Maybe even a few thousand years," adds Elsa.
"He definitely should not be a guy we should be messing around with," says Kristoff.
"Under normal circumstances, I would agree," replies Elsa. "However, Kristian is depending on us to help him; and I will try and do all that I can to relieve Kristian from the burden of Tollak's curse."
"And we will do what we can," adds Anna. "But first, we need to find a way inside this mountain."
"Finding a way in won't be too difficult," replies Kristoff. "I believe I see a way in already." With this, Kristoff points towards a cave in the side of the volcano. A red glow can be seen coming from this cave.
"I really don't like the look of that opening," says Anna as she gives a little shutter.
"At least it is a way in," replies Elsa. "Come on, we need to get this meeting with Tollak over with. The sooner we do, the sooner we will be able to leave this place."
So Elsa begins to lead the way towards the entrance of the cave. With Kristoff and Anna follow close behind her. As for Mattias, he decides to ride on Kristoff's shoulder as everyone approaches the cave.
In a little while, the trio enters the mouth of the cave. Once inside; Elsa, Anna, and Kristoff walk through a long tunnel. Eventually, Elsa leads the group cautiously into a large chamber in the center of the volcano. The chamber's floor was nearly all solid, except for a few spots where the molten core of the planet was emerging. Also in this chamber, over ten feet in the air, is a narrow ledge. A continuous fire is seen flaring away on the top of this ledge.
There is very little else in this chamber, except for something unusual right in the center. What everyone sees is a large stone thrown, and there seems to be a full size statue of a man sitting on this thrown. Another unusual thing about this apparent statue was that its eyes were closed.
As Elsa and the others walk into the chamber a ways, Mattias leaves Kristoff's shoulder and flies up to the flaming ledge. Once there, the firebird settles down to surveil the room. As Mattias was made of fire, the firebird nearly disappears into the flames.
"This Tollak guy certainly knows how to choose a place to live," says Kristoff. "He is in the middle of nowhere, living in the center of a mountain."
"He may have chosen this place to keep himself isolated from the rest of the world, maybe for the same reason that Kristian ended up living up on a mountain before he came to Arendelle," responds Elsa.
"Well if he is living here, then where is he?" asks Kristoff. "I don't see any place that he could be hiding, and the only thing of significance in this place is this statue." As Kristoff was talking, he had walked up next to the statue. Meanwhile, both Anna and Elsa continue to examine the room carefully.
"I don't know about you, but I have an uneasy feeling about this place," says Anna. "I have a feeling that we are not alone in here."
"Oh come on, there is nobody else here," replies Kristoff. "There is nothing here except this statue, and it can't do a thing." With that, Kristoff raps on the head of the statue. "See it is nothing but stone."
However, the next thing that Kristoff realizes is the fact that something hot has grabbed his hand. As Kristoff turns to look, he sees the statue had reached up and took a hold of his hand. In a few moments later, Kristoff's glove catches fire. In response, Kristoff cries out in fear and out of pain as the heat begins to penetrate his glove. Meanwhile Anna and Elsa turn and look at Kristoff as he cries out.
"Do you mind? You are disturbing me," replies the statue as he pushes Kristoff away.
After tumbling away from the statue, Kristoff quickly pulls off his burning glove and throws it down on the floor. "Kristoff! Are you all right?" asks a worried Anna as she comes running up to Kristoff.
"No, I'm not!" replies Kristoff. "I just lost my glove!"
"You're OK then," again inquires Anna with some relief.
"No physical harm, but I liked that pair of gloves," replies Kristoff. "Why is it that all my stuff always gets burned up?"
As Anna was assisting Kristoff, the statue begins to stand up. As the statue stands, the cracking and groaning of stone can be heard. Also in the cracks of the stone, a red glow can be seen. Once the statue is erect, it says, "What reason brings you to my home, to disturb me?" asks the statue.
"You're Tollak!" exclaims Anna as she stands next to Kristoff.
"You currently have an advantage over me, miss," replies Tollak. "You know who I am, but you two are a mystery."
"I'm Anna and this is Kristoff," says Anna as she warily watches the movements of Tollak.
"And I am Elsa," adds Elsa as she walks forward. "We are here to ask you to remove the curse that you currently have placed on Kristian."
"Now, why would I want to do that?" replies Tollak in almost a gloat. "I shall gain nothing by releasing Kristian from the curse."
"Perhaps there is something that you can gain by releasing Kristian," says Elsa. "I am not without means; and if I can, I will bring you items from other places, items that you cannot obtain here."
"There is nothing that you mere mortals can bring me that I need," says Tollak. "The only item that I require will be difficult to obtain. That item is the death of the ice witch. Do any of you think that you are able to deal with such a being?"
"That is an option that none of us will ever be doing," replies Elsa.
"As I suspected," says Tollak. "That is why, I will not be releasing Kristian from the curse. His role shall be to destroy all such beings, or he shall die in the attempt."
"And why do you want such beings destroyed anyway?" interjects Anna. "Surely none of them would be a threat to someone like you."
"You fail to understand the true nature of their magic and mine," replies Tollak. "All people's magic over the cold and the heat will continue to grow in strength their entire lives. Different outcomes will occur from this continued growth in power. Most of them will eventually die. The lucky ones will simply die of old age before their own powers overwhelm their bodies. The unfortunate ones will succumb to their own abilities. However, there are a few like myself, who will be able to use their magic to prolong their lives indefinitely."
"So you are going to destroy all those who have the power over the cold, to stop the few that might someday rival you in power?" inquires Kristoff.
Tollak begins to laugh. Then he replies, "You still don't comprehend. Look at me! This condition is caused by the continuing increase of my magic. Any being with the power over the cold will be affected similarly. Anyone who does not succumb to their power will literally become a prisoner in their own body. I do not destroy these beings for my own protection. I have them destroyed for my freedom."
"How will their deaths be able to free you?" asks a puzzled Elsa.
"I need their magic to counter my own magic. The magic that is petrifying my body," replies Tollak. "It is why I have chosen to live in this place. Every time one of these beings with the power over the cold dies an unnatural death, their magic will end up here. Especially, if their death is caused by a person cursed with my own power."
"If it is your freedom that you are seeking, maybe I could help," offers Elsa. "It might be possible to use the magic that you seek without harming another person. If I could find a way to do this, will you allow me to help you?"
"What you propose will not give me the freedom that I desire," replies Tollak. "I want the full magic of the ice witch, not a small fraction of her potential. "However Elsa, you still will be helping me; for I know who you are."
"What?! How could you know about me?" asks a surprised Elsa as her fear begins to escalate. "I have been careful to try and keep it hidden from you. How did you find out about my special…? "
"Elsa!" exclaims Kristoff as he interrupts Elsa. "I don't think he knows! If he did, he would have acted before now."
"On the contrary," interjects Tollak. "I know more about Elsa than you realize, and Elsa shall help me force Kristian into destroying the ice witch."
Elsa's fear recedes some as she realizes that Tollak does not know about her magic. However, tension still remains high as Tollak has suggested a different course of action. "I'm beginning to think that you truly don't know everything about me," replies Elsa.
"I know enough," responds Tollak. "I know that you are very important to Kristian, important enough for Kristian to share the secret of his magic with you. I would even say that Kristian's affection for you goes beyond that of mere friendship. Surely, Kristian thinks of you as his girl."
"You haven't said anything that a lot of people don't already know!" exclaims Anna. "Kristian lives freely in Arendelle, and he doesn't have to hide himself from the people there!"
"Yes, many people know about Kristian; but how do you know?" asks a concerned Elsa.
"I was able to enter his dreams, and Kristian would dream of you often," replies Tollak. "His behavior there indicated a great affection for you and a willingness on his part to act as your protector."
"You have been tormenting his dreams?" exclaims Elsa in surprise.
"I had been until some old troll decided to interfere," replies Tollak hotly. "The old fool damaged my mental link with Kristian. However, his curse continues to grow in strength. That is something that the old timer will not be able to stop."
Then Tollak raises his hand, and four humanoid fire creatures form around Elsa. Their surface area was smooth, but a person could see the flames swirl inside each of the creatures. Then with almost a gloat, Tollak says, "Now with what limited access that I have to Kristian's mind, I shall show you to him. Kristian already knows the threat that I have made against you if he does not do as I wish. So he will have no choice but to act against the ice witch in order to save your life."
As Tollak finishes talking, two of the fire creatures go and grab the arms of Elsa. "Elsa!" cries out Anna as she tries to move towards her sister. However, Tollak causes a firewall to form, and it separates Anna and Kristoff from Elsa.
"Yes, I think that is the perfect image for Kristian to see," says Tollak in almost a gloat. "Curious though, I would have thought that you would be in some discomfort from the heat of these beasts."
"They are a little warm, but they are going to be the ones hurting more than me," replies Elsa. With that, Elsa releases her magic in a strong burst. This burst quickly moves out in all directions. The fire beasts around Elsa scream as this energy hits them, before they are vaporized by the cold magic. Even Tollak's firewall is nearly extinguished.
"Elsa!" exclaims Anna as she quickly runs over to her sister. "Come on, we have to get out of here!"
"You go first!" replies Elsa. "I will make sure that you are able to get out safely!" With this said, Elsa quickly generates a thick ice wall between Tollak and herself.
"No!" harshly responds Anna. "You can't face him alone!"
"And you shouldn't face him at all!" replies Elsa. "There is no time to argue about this! Kristoff!"
"Right!" says Kristoff as he nears. "Anna, let's go!"
"Not without Elsa!" replies Anna.
As everyone was arguing, Tollak has gotten over his initial shock. Now Tollak quickly melts through the ice wall with a stream of fire. Everyone looks over at Tollak as the ice wall is vaporized.
"Sorry about this, Anna!" exclaims Kristoff as he bends over to pick Anna up on his shoulder.
"Hey!" exclaims Anna out of surprise, as she is quickly flung over Kristoff's shoulder. "No Kristoff, we can't leave without Elsa!"
"Sorry Anna, but I agree with Elsa," replies Kristoff as he begins to run towards the exit with Anna on his shoulder. "We can't go against Tollak's magic!"
As Kristoff runs, Tollak addresses Elsa. "You're the witch! That is why Kristian has been refusing to obey my demands!" says Tollak. "What is he, a fool? The contradicting forces of your magic surely would keep both of you apart. Yet, you are here to try and help him. That means you are just as big of a fool as he is!"
"Many people have thought that, but we have managed to make it work," replies Elsa as she stands with her hands stretched out in front of her.
As Elsa was talking, Tollak's attention was drawn to Kristoff and Anna as they just enter the tunnel that heads outside. "You are foolish to try and make associations with others," says Tollak as he raises a hand. A fire quickly forms over the stone hand of Tollak. "However, I'm not such a fool to not understand the advantage of allies; and I don't want yours to interfere with our interactions."
With this, Tollak directs a stream of fire off to the side. Four fire beasts quickly form, and they roar as they come to life. After this, the four beasts begin to run towards the tunnel where Kristoff and Anna had gone.
"No!" exclaims Elsa as she directs a magical strike at the four creatures.
However, Tollak responds to this by creating a fire barrier between the beasts and Elsa. This barrier absorbs Elsa's strike with only minor damage. Then Tollak turns towards Elsa and says, "A waste of energy but impressive. Now let's see what you can do against this."
With that, Tollak directs a fire strike straight at Elsa. In response Elsa directs her own energy at the strike. Her own magic diminishes Tollak's fire but it does not stop it. So Elsa has to dive to the ground to avoid the remaining fire.
While Elsa and Tollak were engaged with each other, there was another individual in the room. It was Mattias. In the split second after Tollak had blocked Elsa's attack against the four fire beast, Mattias took flight. However, before Mattias did, he absorbed some of the fire that he was perched in. By absorbing this fire, Mattias was able to grow in size. So when Mattias did take to the air, he was as big as the fire beasts that were running after Kristoff and Anna. Since Tollak and Elsa were busy with each other, they did not see Mattias swoop down and grab one of the fire beasts in his talons.
With the beast in his grasp, Mattias flies into the air; and he flies towards Tollak. With Elsa still on the ground, Mattias lets out a loud screech which catches the attention of Tollak and Elsa.
"What on earth?" exclaims Tollak, as he is surprised to see the large firebird coming at him.
With no time to think, Tollak responds by lifting his arm as quickly as he possible could. Being almost totally petrified, Tollak's movements are not that fast. Still Tollak manages to get his arm raised, and he fires a large burst of energy at Mattias.
However Mattias is swift. So he quickly alters his flight path, as Mattias flings the beast in his talons at Tollak. Thus Tollak destroys his own creation. However, the remnants of the beast flames continue to fly forward. This soon leads to Tollak being temporarily blinded by the bright light of the flames.
With Tollak distracted, Elsa gets to her feet. Then she turns towards Mattias. "Mattias, go help Anna and Kristoff!" exclaims Elsa.
With that, Mattias quickly flies towards the exit. However, by now Tollak is once able to see. His attention quickly zeros in on the departing firebird. So Tollak unleashes a fire blast at the firebird. However, Elsa was prepared for this. So in response Elsa creates an ice wall. This ice wall forms as Mattias flies over its base. So instead of hitting Mattias, Tollak's fire blast strikes the ice wall. This fire nearly totally vaporizes Elsa's wall, but the blasts energy is also totally wasted against it. With this interruption, Mattias is able to safely make it into the tunnel that leads outside.
"What was that you said about wasted energy?" says Elsa as she sternly looks over to Tollak.
"I'll grant you that one, witch," replies Tollak, who is displeased with Elsa's actions. "However, unlike you, I have the energy to waste. To fight me you are going to need all of your magic. Where, I only need a fraction of my power to compete with you."
"I think that you are over confident," replies Elsa. "Yes you are powerful, but can you fight with them. So far you have only relied on the strength of your magic."
"Granted, it has been some time since I actually had to face one of your kind, face to face. Most of my encounters lately have been through my surrogates," says Tollak. "Still, I am looking forward to this battle. To actually get my hands dirty for once will be quite enjoyable."
With that, Tollak unleashes an attack. However, due to the slow movements of Tollak, Elsa simple jumps off to the side. Then Elsa attacks with a tightly dense pack of ice daggers. These daggers strike Tollak in a burst of steam. Still the daggers deliver enough force to cause Tollak to take a step back.
"What?" exclaims Tollak. "My aim was dead on. How could you avoid my attack?"
"Your attack was strong, Tollak; but you are slow," replies Elsa. "The condition that your body is in is going to be a hindrance to you."
"Perhaps this fight won't be as easy for me, after all," responds Tollak. "Still, I can't complain about what an opportunity that this will be." With this said, Tollak allows his entire stone body to be covered in flames.