How Deep Is Your Love

Chapter Twelve

While everyone was busy talking while trying to discuss a new plan they had come up with for their next confrontation against the Snow Queen, Elsa stepped away to make it look as though she was going to order something from Granny, who was currently dealing with passing around a few pints to the dwarfs sitting on the stools in front of her. When the Queen of Arenedelle saw everyone was distracted, she took the moment to slip away and left the diner because she felt she needed to be of more use to those trying to help her.

"You're going to try to find Hook, aren't you?" Henry asked when he suddenly came running up behind her after she had walked to the end of the town in the direction of the woods where Hook had last been seen, having followed her out of the diner. "I saw you disappear just now and I know that you don't believe he would do a complete one-eighty any more than I do."

"I'm not exactly sure what you mean," she stated when she turned around and looked at the boy with confusion.

The thirteen year old chortled and responded, "I meant that Hook would have had to have a complete reversal in his attitude overnight and even though he was a villain once, I know how he feels about my mom and that he wants to be a part of this town, our family. He's not the same person he was when he came here and one talk with this Snow Queen, or whatever might have happened, wouldn't have changed him that suddenly. Hook is my friend and if you're going to try to find him, then I'm coming with you."

Elsa shook her head as she answered worryingly, "Henry, you can't. I know you want to help, but your mother… both of them really, they would never forgive me if they knew I allowed you to put your life in danger. I doubt they'll be happy that I'm going against their wishes."

"Then why are you?" Henry asked again.

"Because my instinct is telling me that the Snow Queen has done something to Hook and after he risked his life to help me, I owe it to him to try to help him if I can," she replied stubbornly. "The only way I know how to do that, is to try to discover the truth and why, even if he has done as the others believe, why he wasn't in there with us to help formulate the new plan against this woman. It's like you said, he cares about Emma very much. He wouldn't just abandon her now even if he did change his mind about trying to fight for her. Kristoff never gave up on my sister. I see the same passion in Hook as I see in him."

The boy smiled as he responded, "So it's settled then. Let's go."

Elsa quickly reached out to pull him back by his shoulder as she answered, "I meant what I said, Henry. You can't come with me. Stay here with your mothers and the rest of your family where you'll be safe.

"Fine, but before you go, at least take one of these with you," Henry replied in frustration while he quickly pulled out one of the walkie talkies Emma and David kept with them at all times as part of their duties as sheriffs from his backpack, then handed one of them to her. "If you find Hook, or run into any trouble, call us on this. Mom and Grandpa said that yu already have had to use one."

"Yes I did," she responded. "Thank you, Henry. Don't worry, I'll be okay and hopefully so will Hook. Tell your family I'm sorry for disobeying them when they figure out that I've gone."

He started back towards Granny's as he called out to her, "I think they'll forgive you if you discover the truth behind all this!"

Once he was gone, she spoke again to herself, "I certainly hope so."

Meanwhile, within the woods…

A few more hours passed since Killian had continued to run and he was no closer to finding an exit that led into town than he was the night before. The Snow Queen was playing with him, changing the layout of the woods using her powers to do so, in order to keep him trapped as her prisoner. She was playing with him as a cat would play with a mouse and she had all the power in this game.

His fears were confirmed as he spun around to face the snow beast when it finally made an appearance again, while it stared at him from several feet in the distance. The snow leopard growled, slowly beginning to approach its prey as Killian cautiously backed away until it suddenly roared loudly and ran at him at full speed. The pirate immediately pulled his sword from its scabbard and thrust it through the monster when it jumped at him. The force of his blade entering its body was enough to knock the beast back, though it had managed to thrash its claw into his chest just beneath his left shoulder, causing Hook to fall to the ground on his knees as well.

While the leopard was stunned, Killian quickly pulled his hand back so he could look down at the wound upon feeling the tearing pain and saw that he was bleeding out from the large claw marks left behind, despite the creature being made purely out of snow and ice. Hook cursed when he turned back to the snow monster as it got back to its feet after it used it claw and teeth to pull his cutlass out of it body with ease, then began to move toward him again.

No longer having his blade to defend himself with, as the leopard had discarded it behind her, Killian stood weakly once more while he raised his hook out in front of him and then pulled out a small dagger he kept hidden within his boot in order to defend himself until he couldn't any longer.

When the snow beast roared and then suddenly charged at its prey again with all of her ferocity, Killian swiftly thrust his hook into its chest where its heart would be if the creature had one as the force of her attack knocked him back to the ground hard, causing him to cry out in anguish when her claws entered into his abdomen and leg. However, just as she landed against his body the beast suddenly dispelled back into the snow she had been conjured from through the Snow Queen's magic.

"It appears that your hook is more powerful than I believed it to be, Captain," she said as she stood over the man now writhing on the ground from the pain while he struggled to keep his eyes open, let alone on the villainess above him. "I didn't realize it possessed any kind of magic."

"And I did… didn't realize it had more… more than one use," Hook retorted defiantly and then finally managed to lay himself back against a tree behind him to try to pull himself out of the snow as much as was possible to keep from freezing to death, knowing that he wasn't going to be able to keep moving. "Magic given… to me by another powerful… being such as your… yourself to do… her bidding."

The Snow Queen knelt down before him as she reached out to gently caress his face until he swiftly pulled away from her weakly, then she answered, "You destroyed my creature despite how strong she was. I certainly underestimated your will to survive. I will just have to work that much harder to break your spirit. Fortunately for you, it appears you're going to get some reprieve, but I will be back. We aren't through yet, Captain."

She vanished again as Killian slowly lost consciousness, but not before seeing a blurred vision of someone else approaching him from the distance upon hearing a gentler, kinder voice crying out to him. He never had the chance to see as Elsa ran over to him, nor could he feel her gentle touch or the sound of her voice once more as she pulled out the talking device to call for help.

Elsa finished relaying her message to David, then looked down at her friend fearfully as she whispered, "You're going to be alright. Help is coming."

"Help is already here," Robin replied worryingly when he suddenly appeared behind the Queen from Arendelle, followed by John as the two of them knelt down to help Killian.

"I saw you leave Granny's, then ran into Henry," the archer continued when both men lifted Hook from off the ground as carefully as they could and held him between them as they carried him through the winter covered trees in order to get the pirate the help he needed, while the snow slowly began to melt away. "He asked me to come out here to look after you while we searched for Killian together. He's going to be alright. He's much too stubborn to die now. Did the Snow Queen do this?"

Elsa looked over at Robin as she responded sadly, "She must have. But what caused these wounds…?"

When she cut herself off, John looked at his friend as he answered, "So long as it has nothing to do with flying monkeys again, I can handle whatever this ice witch throws at us."

"I think it's safe to say that the flying monkeys are all gone now that Zelena is gone," the merry men's leader stated. "Are the others meeting us at the town line?"

"Yes of course," Elsa replied. "Thank you, Robin."