The Head That Wears the Crown

Chapter Fifteen

Chasm

"Excellent! Well done!"

Anna slowly opened her eyes, looking around groggily. Where am I? What's going on? The events of the previous day came back to her in a rush, waking her from her reverie.

"Incredible!"

Anna heard Elsa's voice whispering in astonishment. Pulling herself to her feet, Anna walked toward the remains of the campfire. Elsa was sitting next to it, holding something in her hand. Isarn stood above her, an expression of deepest pride on his face.

"Hey!" Anna said. Elsa and Isarn turned toward her.

"Hey yourself!" Elsa responded.

"Did you two stay up all night?" Anna asked.

"Indeed, we did," Isarn said.

Elsa opened her palm, revealing a perfectly-formed miniature replica of her ice palace. "This is . . . This is amazing! I never knew I could do this!"

Isarn placed his hand on Elsa's arm. "This is just the beginning, Elsa. If you continue to practice, there can be no limit to what you can do."

Anna watched their conversation, a strange feeling coming over her. He stayed up all night with her? But . . . that's my job! I'm supposed to be there for Elsa is she needs me. Not him!

Oh, shut up! the other half of her mind snapped. You're the one who encouraged him to try to get closer to Elsa in the first place. You should be happy things seem to be going well between the two of them!

Then, why do I feel so jealous?

Elsa noticed her sister seemed upset. "Anna? Is everything all right?"

Anna shook her head, clearing her mind. She forced a smile on her face. "Oh. Yeah. Of course! Couldn't be better!"

Elsa knew better. "Isarn, could you please go help Kristoff and Jansen get ready to depart? We'll be right there."

"Of course," Isarn said, going to join the two other men in securing their remaining provisions.

Anna turned away from Elsa, prepared to join the men. "Well, we'd better be going too!" she said.

"Anna, what's going on?"

Anna stopped, conflicted. This is so stupid! she thought. She's going to think you're pathetic!

Elsa gently placed her hand on Anna's shoulder. "It's Isarn, isn't it? You don't like how he's working with me on controlling . . . it, do you?"

"No, it's not that at all!" Anna lied. "I just . . . I mean . . ."

"Anna, remember our rule. No secrets. We agreed on that. Please. Tell me."

Anna turned to Elsa, fighting the tears that were trying to escape from her eyes. "You're going to think I'm so stupid," she whispered.

"No, I won't," Elsa said, stroking Anna's cheek. "Never."

"It's just . . . I'm the person you're supposed to stay up all night with! If something's wrong, I'm the one who should be there for you. Not someone you just met a few days ago who, until yesterday, wanted you dead. I don't care if he's your real father or not! It's not right! Not right at all . . .!"

Elsa smiled. "Oh, Anna!" She embraced her younger sister, holding her tightly to her chest. "No one's replacing you in my heart. You're the person I care about more than anything in the world, and nothing could ever change that!"

"Really?" Anna asked.

"Really." Elsa took Anna's hand. "Isarn was simply helping me learn to control my powers, so I can be with you and be relaxed and not have to worry about hurting you again."

"What . . . What sort of things have you been working on?"

"I'll show you." Elsa pulled Anna to a mark she had made on the ground. "Stand here."

Elsa walked twenty feet away and turned so her back faced Anna. "Now, I want you to throw your knife at me as hard as you can."

Anna was confused. "Elsa, you can't be serious!"

"It's all right, Anna. Just do it."

"No, Elsa! I'm not doing that! You're facing the wrong way! What if I hit you? I can't!"

"Anna," Elsa said, in a voice so calm, so self-confident that Anna was certain her sister had been replaced by someone else. "It's going to be fine. Throw your knife as hard as you can."

Trembling, Anna took her knife from her belt. She hesitated for a moment. "I can't!"

"DO IT!" Elsa commanded, the authority in her voice sending shivers down Anna's spine.

Anna cocked her arm, aimed, and threw the knife as hard as she could. The weapon was perfectly on target, speeding directly toward her sister's back. The seconds seemed like hours as Anna watched, waiting for Elsa to move out of the way of the oncoming blade.

But Elsa wasn't moving. Anna began to panic. Move! Move! MOVE! The knife was mere centimeters from Elsa's spine. Anna let out a choked gasp, bringing her hands to her mouth, expecting to see her sister impaled on the cold steel.

Suddenly, a large icicle erupted from the ground, immediately behind Elsa's back. The knife hit the icicle, ricocheting wildly to the side. Another icicle flew into its path. The weapon was redirected once more, now speeding directly toward Elsa once again. The snow queen brought her right arm out in a large arc, then stood perfectly still.

"Elsa?" Anna called, nervously. Her older sister didn't respond. No! Oh, no! What have I done?

"ELSA!" Anna rushed toward the queen, expecting her to turn around and show the knife protruding from her chest, blood streaming down her dress. Horrified, Anna reached Elsa and turned her so the two sisters were facing each other. "Elsa! NO! NO!"

What Anna saw astonished her. There was no blade buried in Elsa's flesh, no blood flowing freely from a deep, open wound. Rather, the knife rested perfectly in Elsa's right hand. The queen didn't have a scratch on her. Elsa's eyes were closed, as if she was in some type of deep meditation.

"Elsa?" Anna asked, shaking her sister. The queen opened her eyes, looked at the knife in her hand, and smiled.

"I told you it would be fine," Elsa said softly. She carefully handed the knife back to Anna, who took the blade and quickly replaced it on her belt.

"Elsa!" Anna yelled, her fear giving way to anger. "Don't you ever do that again! You scared me half to death! What if you missed? What if you were too slow? What do you think you just proved?!"

"I'm sorry for scaring you, Anna," Elsa said. "But I was in complete control the entire time."

"What are you talking about?" Anna asked. "I threw a knife at your back. You could have been killed!"

"I . . . I don't know how to describe it," Elsa said. "In my mind, I could see you. I could see you throw the knife. I could see it traveling toward me and I just . . . reacted accordingly."

Anna was dumbfounded. "I . . .I . . . I don't know what to say. That's . . . That's incredible!"

"I know," Elsa said, smiling. "I feel so much more . . . so much more confident now. I feel like I don't have to be afraid of myself anymore." She raised a hand and stroked Anna's hair. "Like I can do this now without having to be afraid of hurting you again."

The two sisters were startled by the sound of clapping. Isarn walked toward them, his face beaming with pride. "Excellent job, Elsa! Well done, indeed!"

Elsa turned to Isarn. "I was just telling Anna that I could see the knife in my mind, that I just knew how to react without having to see the blade."

"This is excellent progress," Isarn said. "We have much to work on, but already you are so much stronger."

He turned to Anna. "I apologize for scaring you, Anna. But we needed your help. It had to be you who gave Elsa the test. She needed the person she trusts most to participate in order for the test to truly be effective."

Anna head was still spinning from the emotional swing. "Glad I could help," she said.

Isarn returned his gaze to Elsa. "If you are ready, I suggest we make for the Chasm now. We have far to travel if we are to make it to Arendelle by tomorrow morning."

"Wait a minute!" Anna said. "I thought we were going around the Chasm. I thought we weren't crossing it!"

Elsa shrugged her shoulders. "There's been a . . . change of plan."

"Now, THAT is a long, long way down!"

Kristoff stood at the edge of the Chasm, staring down into its depths. Carefully, he lifted a nearby stone and dropped it into the abyss. He waited, listening for the telltale sign of the stone hitting the bottom of the drop. Five seconds went by . . . ten . . . fifteen . . . twenty.

"Wow!" he whispered. Kristoff turned to the rest of the group. "So, are we sure we want to do this? If we fall, we're going to have a very long time to think about what a bad idea this was."

Jansen was apprehensive as well. "Majesty? Are you certain you want to do this?"

Elsa turned to Isarn. "What do you think?"

"You know my position, Elsa," Isarn said. "This is the fastest way back into Arendelle. If we take the long path, it is highly unlikely we will arrive in time to stop my brothers from destroying the kingdom."

Elsa nodded. She turned to Anna, gingerly holding her hand. "And you? What about you?"

Anna sighed. "As much as I hate this, I don't think we have a choice. We only have one shot to stop the invasion, and we can't stop it if we're not there."

Elsa rubbed her temples, trying to clear her mind as Isarn had taught her. Calm, she said to herself. Be calm. At peace.

The queen turned to her companions. "If anyone does not wish to cross here, you are free to take the long path. No one will think any less of you. But I cannot waste time taking the safe route. I am crossing here."

Kristoff and Jansen looked at each other, then back at Elsa.

"As much as I think you're out of your mind," Kristoff said, "I'm not leaving you. I'm crossing with you."

"As am I," Jansen said.

Anna squeezed Elsa's hand. "You can do this, Elsa!" she said softly. "Make the bridge!"

Elsa smiled at Anna, squeezing her had in return. She turned to Isarn. "Are you ready?"

"Yes," Isarn said.

The two ice wielders moved to the edge of the Chasm, staring into the abyss.

"Remember," Isarn said. "Think of it in your mind first, then let the cold flow through you. Just like we practiced."

Elsa nodded. "Ready?"

"Now," Isarn said.

Elsa and Isarn closed their eyes, raising their hands.

Anna, Kristoff, and Jansen stood back, waiting anxiously. Nothing happened.

"Um . . ." Kristoff said. "What do we do now?"

"Shhh!" Anna shushed him. "Let them concentrate."

After several additional moments of inactivity, Jansen started. "Look!" he whispered, pointing.

From the depths of the abyss rose massive pillars of ice. Wind and ice swirled from Elsa and Isarn's hands, flowing across the Chasm. Slowly, precisely, the walkway formed across the pillars, stretching the width of the Chasm. With a final burst of energy, icy railings appeared on the edge of the newly-formed bridge.

Elsa and Isarn opened their eyes. "You did it!" Isarn said softly.

"We did it," Elsa corrected. "Together."

Anna clapped her hands in triumph. "It's beautiful!" she cried.

Jansen gingerly placed his foot on the bridge. "It seems sturdy enough," he reported.

"Then let us be off," Isarn said. "We don't have much time."

Crossing the Chasm was a slow, interminable process. Time seemed to stop as the party made their way methodically across the bridge.

"Please tell me we're almost there!" Anna said.

Elsa smiled. "You just said that five minutes ago."

"Well, are we?"

"We're getting closer," Isarn said. "Patience, Your Highness."

Anna groaned. "We're never going to get there, are we?"

"Hey," Kristoff said. "It's all right. I'm sure we're almost there."

"We can only hope," Jansen said. "I don't like the thought of remaining above this godforsaken pit any longer than necessary."

Suddenly, Isarn stopped, causing Elsa and Anna to nearly collide with him.

"Seriously?" Anna asked, exasperated. "What's wrong now?!"

"Quiet, Anna!" Elsa whispered. The queen turned to Isarn, who was now moving his eyes about the Chasm, his face clearly expressing his concern.

"What's wrong?" she whispered. "Why have we stopped?"

"Listen," Isarn commanded. "Can you hear it?"

Elsa concentrated, trying to hear what it was that had Isarn so worried. "I . . . I don't—"

And then she heard it. It sounded like a very faint buzzing, so soft it was almost imperceptible. Yet, as the companions stood perfectly still, Elsa could hear it growing louder and louder.

"What is it?" she whispered.

Isarn had bowed his head, eyes closed, slowly shaking his head, as if willing the noise to go away. "It is as I feared," he said softly. "The winds have shifted. They are getting stronger."

"What does that mean?" Elsa asked.

"Look above us," Isarn said.

Elsa glanced upwards and gasped. High above the Chasm were mountains stretching toward the heavens. At the top of the mountains, resting precariously, were giant boulders, the products of millennia of rain and wind. As Elsa watched, the boulders slowly began to shift, their motion increasing with the velocity of the wind.

"I knew they had reached their limits," Isarn whispered, "but I had hoped they might have waited just a while longer. It appears our luck has run out."

Isarn turned to the party. "Everyone move! NOW!"

Without question, the companions raced across the bridge. The wind increased in speed, its cold chill whipping into their faces.

"Faster!" roared Isarn. "FASTER!"

The wind was now roaring, making it almost impossible for the party members to hear anything but its oppressive screams. The boulders that had stood for centuries now began to lose their tethers to the mountaintops. Anna screamed as one of the giant rocks crashed behind them. The rear end of the bridge collapsed, plummeting into the bottomless void.

"Don't look back!" Elsa cried. "DON'T LOOK BACK!"

"You don't have to tell me twice!" Kristoff responded, feet flying across the bridge.

The companions could now see the other side of the Chasm. Their feet increased their tempi as they rushed to return to solid ground. Another boulder shattered the second third of the bridge, and the companions braced themselves as the remaining portion buckled and shook.

"We can't take another hit!" Jansen cried. "The bridge will collapse!"

"Keep moving!" cried Anna.

Finally, Isarn felt his feet touch solid rock. He turned, urging his companions onward. "Quickly! QUICKLY!"

Elsa reached the other side of the chasm and turned. Anna was right on her heels, tears of joy streaming down her cheeks as her feet left the bridge.

"Kristoff! Jansen! Hurry!" Elsa shouted.

Kristoff and Jansen closed the gap as quickly as they could. Kristoff let out a cry of triumph as he reached the Chasm's far side. "We made it, Jansen!"

Except Jansen wasn't behind him. Kristoff turned and gasped in horror.

Jansen had lost his footing ten feet from the edge of the bridge. He stood, limping, his ankle bent at an awkward angle.

"He's not going to make it!" Kristoff cried, lunging forward.

"NO!" Isarn cried. The older man grabbed Kristoff, pinning his arms behind him.

"Let me go!" Kristoff yelled, fighting to escape from Isarn's grasp. "LET GO!"

"JANSEN!" Elsa screamed. Desperately, she unleashed a barrage of ice upon the sides of the bridge, trying with all her might to keep the boulders from breaking through.

But her power wasn't strong enough. An enormous boulder broke through her barrier, the shock sending her flying backwards into the rock wall. What was left of the bridge erupted into thousands upon thousands of icy fragments.

The party members watched in horror as Jansen looked at them for the briefest of moments before he fell, plummeting head over heels, into the abyss. The wind ceased its howling, and silence descended upon the Chasm once more.

AN: More to come. Please review. Thanks to all for your positive feedback! It means so much to me!