A HORSE nickered as its owner approached it, the dull sounds of hooves hitting the soft mud muffling in its ears as he placed a feeding bucket to its mouth. Balder manoeuvred through the cluster of soldiers that roamed the camp, his hand clutched to his sword hilt as he grew tense in their company. Frowning as he approached Kristoff who sat on a wood stump near a tent, he stomped hard on the ground, drawing his attention.
"Uh, did I do something?" Kristoff chuckled.
"Though my Queen is no longer present, I'm still sworn to do my duty to protect you." Balder huffed. "Dude, what're you doing here?"
"Isn't that what the guards are for?" Kristoff grazed a whetstone against the axe.
"How would I keep an eye on you when you're all the way here?" Balder lowered his eyelids.
"I'm just sharpening my axe, that a problem?" Kristoff raised his brow.
"Only if you plan to participate in this war."
"Why else would I be here?"
"Kristoff, we are going against the Order –,"
"And you think I don't know that?" Kristoff sat back. "I know what's going to happen here and I need to be prepared."
"You're a prince; you're not supposed to fight here."
"I'm not a prince."
"Well, you're betrothed to Anna, which means you'll become one." Balder shrugged.
"And you're sleeping with Queen Elsa, so I wonder why you're still acting like you work for her." Kristoff smirked.
"I –," A soldier interrupted Balder.
Kristoff chuckled as the soldier spoke to Balder, returning to sharpening his axe. Though he was afraid of what was to come, he was determined to do anything to ensure Anna's safety even if it meant sacrificing himself. Turning away from the soldier, Balder walked up to Kristoff who set the whetstone aside.
"The scouts have located the fortress in a mountain a few leagues away from here. We're heading out now."
"Great." Kristoff stood up. "I'll go get Sven ready." He began to leave.
"Kristoff." Balder held his shoulder, halting him. "You have to consider what you're getting yourself into." He removed his hand. "You're no warrior; you're a mountain man, you could get yourself killed."
"Well, you're just an advisor, so what's the difference?" Kristoff stitched his brows.
"I grew up in Westeros." Balder shrugged.
"But … okay, that's a good argument, but you're not stopping me. I can't just sit back while Anna's facing who knows what in the fortress." Kristoff frowned.
"Are you sure you're prepared." Balder's face hardened. "The chances of you losing your life are high whether they have dragons or not."
"I am." Kristoff sheathed his axe on his back. "I'm prepared for what's coming."
THE LIGHT of flames reflected in Elsa's eyes, fear and confusion exuding from them as she watched her sister apprehensively. Flames roared around them like a furnace, Anna standing in the middle of the sea of rubble with eyes wide and completely black and teeth gritted as fangs glared. Her hair hovered in its full length, elevated by the flames that exploded from her body. The strawberry blonde locks slowly changed in colour, blood red spreading from the root to the ends that moved upward.
"Anna …" Elsa's brows furrowed.
Erhard stood a few feet away from Anna, his hands clasped behind his back as he looked at the ruins of his once magnificent fortress. Cocking his neck, he turned to the princess who looked at him with immense hatred. The fires around them receded into the earth, smouldering into strips of smoke that rose to the air, leaving Anna as the only flame burning wildly.
The princess clenched her fists and frowned deeply, growling furiously as her teeth gritted. She screamed and lunged toward him; shooting forward at high speeds, sending rocks flying behind her. She hit him with a right hook, the force of the collision sending out a shockwave that spread across the ruins and sent Elsa flying.
Anna punched Erhard again, smacking him against the ground and digging him through the concrete. Rocks flew into the sky as she drilled his body through the floor, taking him underground. The earth shuddered as a crater formed from the collision and deepened into a chasm, causing Elsa to bounce off it as she fell and the two to disappear into the darkness.
Clutching her hands to a rock, Elsa slammed onto the ground, coughing deeply as she struggled to her knees. She looked around, seeing the rubble around her exude smoke and the large hole in the earth before her. She turned to her left, seeing the four dragons from before stalk toward her, their mouths slowly opening as they moved up to her.
ROCKS SPRAYED outward, falling into the waters below as Anna flew through the roof of an underground cave, Erhard's collar held tightly in her grasp. He grabbed her shoulders and spun in mid-air, flinging her onto the ground. She flipped over and landed the shallow water that floored the bottom of the cave, looking closely at him as he hovered in the air.
Her eyes widened in surprise, her fists clenching tighter as she watched him descend before her, drawing a low, angry growl from her. Flames exploded out of her body, forming into a shape of a large Fire Demon's body as she shot toward him and punched him, sending him flying to her right, grazing against a wall of the cave and sending rocks flying about.
She flew around him, lunging onto him and pounding him with balled fists, smashing him into the wall. She hit him repeatedly, her fists crashing against his face relentlessly as she dug him deeper into the underground cave. She flew back, letting him hurl further into the wall then shot back to him, smacking him aside with a swift kick to the head.
He flung through the rocks and onto a roof of a tunnel, bouncing off it and slamming onto the ground, slowly rising to his feet. Anna crashed before him, the force of her landing echoing throughout as she looked at him. She bent back, breathing in deeply and shot her head forward, spraying a torrent of fire out of her mouth, engulfing the walls of the tunnel.
The fires enveloped him, washing over like a sea of lava, burning everything in their path. She unloaded on him, screaming fiercely as she drowned him in the torrent of flame, incinerating some of the rocks that forged the cave. He shot towards her, flying through the attack unhindered and punched her mouth shut, hurling her backward.
Anna caught herself in mid-air, hovering with eyes wide in shock, her cheek bruised by the punch. Wiping her mouth, she gasped as she saw blood coating her hand and dripping on the ground. Clenching her fist, she frowned and turned to Erhard, seeing him walk toward her nonchalantly.
His body was bruised, but not burnt; his clothes coated in mud and small rocks. His expression was unfazed, emotionlessly looking at her as he approached, deepening her anger. A purple aura exuded gently from him, receding quickly as he walked up to her.
"I must admit that your attacks are quite impressive, but I've ascended too far for you to burn me." Erhard held his arms out. "I am a god and my followers have been battling magical creatures for a century. Your fire and your sister's ice cannot hurt us."
She screamed wildly and shot up to him with a punch, meeting rushing air as he held her wrist and halted her. He flipped her over with one arm and kicked her away, hurling her toward a wall. She balanced herself before she crashed and flew back to him, throwing a knee to his midsection that he blocked with his palms.
He skidded back and stopped in place, looking her blankly in the eye as her breath hitched fearfully. He elbowed her in the gut and chest, grabbing her arm and tossed her overhead, slamming her on the ground. He stomped on her face, crashing her against the rocks and kicked her away, causing her to roll over repeatedly.
He wiped blood from his chin and flicked it away, clasping his hands behind his back. She struggled to her knees, her body still ablaze though weakened by the counterattack. Locking eyes with him, she rose to her feet, shaken, but not defeated.
"Pursue me if you must, but you're already defeated." He looked at her blankly.
She flew up to him and punched him in the gut, sending out waves of fire that spread across the tunnel.
ELSA ROSE into the grey skies, her eyes darting around and apprehensive; fists clenched tightly. An icy aura exuded out of her body, glistening softly as it enveloped her from head to toe. The early morning's dim light made the dragons hard to see as their black skin nearly camouflaged with the darkness.
One of the beasts flew up behind her and bit at her leg, coming in contact with the aura that caked its teeth over with ice. The beast recoiled, shaking its head as she sent a barrage of icicles its way, smashing them on its head. The animal swerved around the attack and spat flames at her that she swiftly dodged.
Another beast flew at her and she sent jets of ice at its wings, futilely trying to freeze it as it smashed them to pieces. Holding her arm before her, she blocked a dragon that bit at her with an ice shield, shoving it into its mouth and smacking it away. She did a flip kick and two roundhouses, sending waves of ice onto the animals as they came from all sides.
She dove to the ground, landing with a loud thud and touched the earth hastily, spreading rime around her. Crossing her arms over her head, she forged a conical ice tent, sending out harpoons from its roof that shot towards the dragons. Two of the beasts swerved around, another sprayed fire on a weapon and the fourth received a blow to the chest, flung to the ground.
Three of the beasts landed around the tent, spitting fire from all sides, quickly melting it. She rose to her feet and shot her fists out thrice, dividing the structure into thirds and driving them towards the dragons. The animals incinerated the sheets, firing at her and she flew into the air, avoiding the attack.
A dragon shot up to her, bit at her arm and she moved out of the way swiftly, letting the beast fly above her. She grabbed its tail, coating it with ice as she spun around while using its body as a shield against the waves of fire the others below sent her way. Tossing the animal away, she dove toward the remaining three, blanketing them in a thick sheet of ice.
She landed nearby; trudging as she nearly crashed and fell on her knees, breathing heavily. Strained from the use of magic, she tried to calm her mind, slowly rising to her feet. A soft light came from behind her, turning to see the mound of ice quickly melting as a flare shone underneath it.
The ice shattered and the dragons broke out, spraying fire at her wildly while the fourth descended from the sky. She crossed her arms before her, raising a wall of ice that quickly melted as the flames hit it. The dragon shot down and swallowed her, leaving her legs dangling as its teeth grated against the ice aura that slowly coated its teeth.
Elsa panicked as the copious amounts of saliva coated her, her arms scrambling as she tried to find something to latch onto in the dark aperture. A source of light came as fires peaked from the dragon's gullet, fear dilating her eyes the orifice grew hot. She encased her head in ice, clasping her eyes shut as she braced herself.
The dragon shook its head repeatedly, slapping her legs around as it tried to bite through her ice aura. Fire seeped between its teeth as it gritted against her body, nearly breaking through the ice that frosted its teeth. Snow snaked out of the beast's mouth, spreading across its neck as its body froze solid from the inside out. She thrust her head back, shattering its body and flew away at great speed, creating a sonic boom that flung the ice back.
Ice shards sprayed around as Elsa flew through the air, her body spiralling as she lost control and crashed on the summit of a large hill. She groaned as she balanced herself on her elbows, a warmth radiating from her midsection up to her chest. Placing her hand on her stomach, she winced as she felt blood seep out of it, bite marks lining it across her body.
She forced herself to her knees, holding her gut gingerly as she slowly caked it in frost, hardening it into a thick casing that moved up to her breasts. Raising her head, her eyes widened in horror as she saw several black horses littered all over the ground below. Furrowing her brow, she inspected the area, seeing a large cellar door open a few metres from the fortress's ruins that had rubble heaping around it.
"Oh no." She frowned, looking around desperately as she worried about Anna. Looking forward, her face whitened in worry. "Oh my God."
A LARGE cliff stood over the fortress across from the hill that Elsa was on, several horses and banner men standing atop it. The monarchs of the Table were on their steeds, their closest guards at their sides as they saw the soldiers of the Order gather below. King Hans, Queen Rapunzel, Duke Eugene, Princess Snow White, Princess Cinderella, the princess and prince of Weselton, Kristoff and Balder and the rest of the royals watched as the war was about to happen.
"Why is there no fortress?" Hans' brows stitched in confusion.
"Maybe it's part of the design or something?" Snow White raised her brow.
"No, the fortress once stood there, but it was destroyed." A prince looked closely at the rubble. "Most likely a few moments before we arrived."
"By what?" Princess Cinderella clung to the reins of her horse.
"I don't know." The prince frowned.
Balder looked around the area, his eyes latching onto the forests surrounding the mountainous terrain where the Table's soldiers prepared to strike. Relieved, his frown died slightly when his mind moved to Elsa and Anna, wondering if they were okay. His eyes widened when he heard footsteps approaching, quickly turning as he and the others saw a man approach them.
"Sir Balder!" The man breathed heavily.
"Who are you?" A guard reached for his sword.
"Stand down." Balder turned to him. "He's one of my men."
"Sir Balder!" Arnljot panted. "You-you need to get out of here right now!"
"What's going on?" Kristoff frowned.
"I've been following Elsa and Anna as you requested and I found something!" Arnljot coughed. "You need to get out of here right away!"
"What's happening?" Balder listened to Arnljot speak. "What!?"
THE SOLDIERS of the Table rode out of the bushes, their sigils held up proudly by their banner men as they proceeded. The generals of Arendelle and Corona were on the frontlines amongst those of the other kingdoms, their hands clutched around the hilts of their swords. Drawing their weapons, they looked onward at the army of the Order who approached them.
"Attack!" The general of Arendelle held his sword before him.
The soldiers gave a unanimous battle cry and charged just as the army of the Order advanced, engaging them in the middle of the mountainous field. The men looked like ants from Elsa's point of view, but she could clearly see that the Order was completely outnumbered. From her estimate, there were roughly sixteen thousand soldiers of the Table against the Order's nine thousand. Though it was a source of relief, she wondered what would happen next as she looked around for the dragons she was fighting.
A sharp pain detoured her train of thought, drawing a shudder from her as she shut her eyes and held her stomach tightly. Lowering her head, she saw the blood seep through her icy coating, crimson spreading across her abdomen. Thawing the cast slowly, her breath hitched as she heard footsteps approach her, turning swiftly to see Torgeir approach her, his hand clasped around his sword hilt.
"Queen Elsa." He ran toward her.
"Oh, it's you." She sighed.
"What happened?" He knelt beside her.
"Dragons." She grunted. "Four of 'em." She gasped. "They were fierce."
"You're bleeding out."
"Kinda got the point."
"Lay down, we've got to clean the wound to prevent infection and stop it from flowing freely."
"Yeah." She strained.
Lying on her back with a struggle, she slowly thawed the ice cast on her abdomen, exposing the cuts that lined across it. Stitching his brows with worry, he quickly pulled out a cloth from his pocket and a small water flask from his jacket. Dampening the rag, he slowly dabbed her stomach, cleaning the blood that began to spread.
Gritting her teeth in pain, she watched him quickly clean the wound, his vigour bringing a smile to her face. Charitableness seemed to run in the family in her view as he was as quick to come to her aid as Balder was. Having cleaned her stomach, he stepped back, looking at the wound as he turned to her.
"Encase your stomach in the ice then turn over so I can clean the rest of the wound." Torgeir dampened the rag.
Elsa placed a hand on her stomach, snow slowly spreading from it and caking over the wound, covering up to the bottom of her breasts. She turned over slowly, struggling as the pain as she lay down. Torgeir dabbed the rug over the wound, cleaning the blood off the bite marks on her back while moving some of the burnt fabric of her jacket that stuck out of them.
"You can cover the rest of the wound now." Torgeir tossed the rag away, placing the water flask in his jacket.
"Thanks." Elsa slowly rose to her feet as the ice spread from her stomach and covered her back. With the wave of a hand, she created a crystal-blue 4/4 jacket over her wound.
"We need to get back to the others." Torgeir drew his sword. "With the war underway, they are definitely nearby."
"We have to warn them about the dragons." She began to leave.
"Where's Princess Anna?" He followed her.
"She can handle herself." Elsa frowned. "We need to warn them before it's too late."
ANNA SCREAMED as she flung through the air, bouncing off the rocks as she rolled over to a stop, blood trickling down her mouth. Erhard walked calmly towards her, a blue aura exuding from his body as he approached. Studying him closely as she rose to her feet, she saw his body in full view.
Brown metal bracelets wrapped around his forearms, glowing yellow orbs zigzagging on top of them as his arms were exposed because of his burnt cloak. Ripping the garment off, his upper body came to view. He was muscular with Norwegian Runic markings running across his arms and his clean shaven head. His eyes were cold and glowing, just as the vapour that escaped him in breaths as he exhaled heavily.
"I have tapped into the arcane Norn magic and I am beyond you." Erhard frowned. "From this day forth, I shall not be called Erhard Vinzenz. Behold, the Dragon God."
CANNON BALLS hurled through the air, crashing on different soldiers and setting their bodies ablaze as they sent dust flying around. Swords clashed, the intensity of the collisions creating sparks as the cacophony of the clanging meshed the screams of war. Soldiers' corpses strewn over the battlefield, the Order's army being pushed back as the Table advanced. Balder frowned as he watched the battle, his eyes trailing across the field as he saw the Table's soldiers defeat those of the Order.
"This is too easy." He stroked his chin. "I mean, I know we outnumber them, but this still should have been a harder fight."
"Come on, are you hearing yourself? We completely outnumber them! There's no way they could win!" Kristoff punched his shoulder. "Be excited, we're winning this."
"It still does not feel right." He turned to him. "I mean, first we uncover an century old conspiracy within minutes and now we're defeating an army known for defeating thousands of dragons? Don't you think that this is too good to be true? Where are the dragons they were speaking of?"
"Maybe your spy was wrong." Kristoff shrugged.
"He is never wrong about such things." Balder frowned.
"I think you're paranoid." Kristoff chuckled.
Elsa descended as she lifted Torgeir by his armpits, drawing the attention of the monarchs on the hill. Landing slowly, she set him down, a hand placed on her stomach as she winced in pain. Balder dismounted from his horse as the others turned to her, running as he embraced her excitedly.
"Elsa, I thought something happened to you." He hugged her tightly.
"Ah, ah, ah, ribs, ribs!" She winced.
"Oh, forgive me." He pulled away. "Are you alright?"
"Yeah, just a lil beat up." She smiled wistfully.
"What happened to you?" Hans dismounted his horse and approached her.
"Dragons attacked me, I found my parents' corpses, Erhard has magi –," Balder interrupted Elsa.
"Wait, calm down." Balder held her shoulders. "Speak slowly."
"There're dragons, I've come across four of them and there might be more." Elsa looked around worriedly.
"We already know about the dragons." Balder stepped back.
"How do you know about them?" She raised her brow.
"I had Arnljot follow you and he just told me what happened." Balder gestured to him.
"Wait, what –,"
"Where's Anna?" Rapunzel walked up to her.
A screeching roar echoed across the plain, its reverberation sending shivers up everyone's spines as they looked to the skies. The soldiers stopped their fighting, unison fear spreading through the atmosphere as everyone seized up in shock. The flapping of wings met their ears, silhouettes dragons coming to view in the horizon.
Several dragons littered the dim grey skies, five hundred of them, creating a small cloud as they ascended from the forests below. They sent a dark cloud over the soldiers who watched in fear, as the beasts soared over them. Amongst them were ten dragons in silver armour that plated their bodies with the Order's sigil it, the largest of them having heavy golden armour on it.
"By the gods." A soldier of Corona gulped.
"Odin help us." A soldier of Arendelle clung to his sword.
"You know, it's weird that we train with them every day and their roars still freak us out." An Order soldier turned to his compatriot.
The dragons sprayed fire upon the soldiers of the table, spreading out across the battlefield. Some of the beasts swooped down and bit the soldiers, others landing as they burnt others in their path. A dragon grabbed a soldier's horse with its front paws, taking the rider with it as it ascended. The soldier stabbed its paw, freeing himself as it let go of him, letting him plummet. Another dragon flew towards him and bit him whole before he hit the ground.
"Fall back!" A general shouted as he directed his horse to run off.
A dragon descended and bit his torso, gnashing its teeth against his body as it thrashed it about and tossed it away. The army of the Order began their attack, cutting down the militia of the Table who were overwhelmed by the beasts that soared above. A soldier of Arendelle blocked a sword slash, pushing the blade away when a dragon smacked him away with its paw.
The beast stalked toward him, its breath hot and heavy as it growled at him, embers rising as the seeped between its teeth. The soldier backed away on the ground, quickly getting to his feet as he flailed his blade around fearfully, failing to faze the beast. He shoved his sword at the dragon and it bit it in half, blanketing him in a torrent of flame.
A soldier of Corona drove a spear into the animal's side, quickly shoved aside as it turned to him and bit at him, meeting a shield that he quickly raised. The dragon crushed the weapon and scooped him up with its mouth, biting him in half. Four soldiers of Weselton fired arrows from crossbows from all sides, piercing its chest and front legs.
The animal roared and lunged at them, spreading its wings apart as it bit one of the soldiers and flung the other three into the air simultaneously. Two dragons flew past and ate the men as they fell, spreading out and pouring down tubes of flame. The soldiers of the Table were overwhelmed, fighting the army of the Order on the ground and evading the beasts that soared.
WITH HER hands clasped before her chest, Elsa watched in horror; the blood and gore terrifying her though she saw it from afar. Fear swam through her tremulously as she backed away, her heart washed over in panic as her fears were realized. Like a foretelling of the future, she always knew that the Table would surely fall if they challenged the Order.
"Oh my God." Rapunzel covered her mouth, her voice tremulous as tears stung her eyes.
"This can't be happening." The prince of Weselton frowned.
"We have to get out of here!" The princess of Weselton clasped her head, her eyes wide with fear.
"No, our men can handle this." Hans frowned.
"Are you seeing what's happening here? Our soldiers are getting slaughtered out there!" Kristoff glared at him.
"A retreat would be wise, my King." Han's general turned to him.
"We can't do that." Hans shook his head.
"Are you hearing yourself?" Snow White raised her brow.
"If we retreat, there's a greater chance that we'll lose all our men as they chase us." Hans turned to her. "We prepared for the dragon attack; we will not fail."
"Oh, God; I knew I shouldn't have brought my men here." Cinderella's eyes darted in a panic.
Balder frowned as he watched the war, his eyes darting around as he studied the situation; his thumbs rubbing against his fingers as he clenched his fists. He knew the danger of facing dragons, but still insisted that they should wage war on the Order. If he took the time to work out a better strategy, things would have worked out in his favour, but he cast all recourses aside. He knew better, but went against his own judgment. His thoughts plagued his mind.
It was indeed too easy. How could a century old secret be uncovered in less than half an hour? How did they come across a map leading to the Order's fortress after they sent only one spy? It has been a long discussed issue amongst the councilmen of the Table and none of their highly trained men had ever found a single clue pertaining to it. How could they discover it all so quickly?
It was too easy and as he watched the war, he began to understand why. It was all planned for; everything that had happened was strung together so that the Table would come into the hands of the Order. A whimper drew his attention and he turned to see Elsa close to tears, her lips curved as she held her shoulders in horror.
"Elsa, calm down." He walked up to her. "We will defeat the Order."
"No, we can't!" A tear ran down her cheek. "It's over!" Her voice quietened. "It's all over ..." She sniffled. "They're gonna kill us all and there's nothing we can do about it."
"No, we can." He held her shoulders. "Together; I'll go down there with you if you want me to."
"What?!" She backed away.
"We need you down there. With your powers –,"
"No, no, no! I'm not gonna fight those things!" She moved away from him. "I fought only four and look what they did to me?" She lifted her blouse, revealing the ice coating her wound.
"…" He frowned, studying the wound as a frown crossed his face. "The soldiers will be with you this time and I'm here."
"Balder, I not gonna fight them!" She breathed heavily. "I … don't want to do this." She wiped her tear. "I'm not a fighter; I don't wanna be. I can't help you."
"Elsa, if you don't help then we're all gonna die here." He frowned. "I don't want you to fight, I don't want to see you get hurt; not ever … but if you don't help them and fight those dragons, then they'll kill all of us."
Elsa's brows stitched as she lowered her head, thoughts racing in her mind as she sifted through it. She looked up at him to speak when a shadow cast over them, wind gathering as the golden armoured dragon descended upon them. Pushing Balder aside, Elsa flew toward the beast, creating a dome of ice that shielded the monarchs behind her and threw a left hook caked in ice, sending out a loud echo as her fist collided with its helmet.
THE ECHO resounded across the island, animals raising their heads at attention upon hearing it, others retreating from resonance. Several cloaked men moved in the bushes, sharing glances as the sound met their ears. Nodding in agreement, they split up, whispering instructions to each other as they proceeded through the forest toward the mountainous valley where the battle was underway.
ELSA SWERVED away from the torrent of flame the golden armoured dragon spat at her, coating her arms in ice as the icy aura exuded from her. The beast flew toward her, smashing its forehead against her midsection, sending her plummeting to the ground. Thrashing its head about, the dragon broke the ice that caked its head, diving down toward her as it shot fire at her.
Diving out of the way, Elsa collapsed on the ground, rolling to her feet as she bumped into another dragon that stalked towards her. The two beasts sprayed fire onto her and she launched into the sky, sending jets of ice on them and raising her arms up, forming icicles that littered the sky. She shot her arms down, pouring them onto the beasts, piercing some of them and others bouncing off the armoured dragons.
The golden armoured dragon spat fire at Elsa, meeting ice as she forged a shield before her and ascended into the air. An armoured dragon smacked its tail against her head, sending her crashing to the ground as the golden armoured dragon flew up, its mouth open wide. She balanced herself, sending a jet of ice into the golden armoured dragon's mouth and blanketing the other dragon with a wave of ice.
The golden armoured dragon shook its head and roared, summoning the remaining nine armoured dragons to its side. Breathing heavily, Elsa flew back, turning as she saw the beasts surround her and ready to attack. A boulder smashed against a dragon, hurling it to the ground.
Four large rocks flung at the armoured dragons, dispersing them as they swooped down to the soldiers below. Several Table militia manned catapults wheeled into the area, far from the others who fought off the Order's army. A soldier of Arendelle fired a cannon at a dragon, crushing its neck and crashing it to the ground.
The golden armoured dragon zigzagged through the air, avoiding hurling boulders and spears, swooping down and breaking the catapult to bits and biting the soldier who manned it whole. Elsa sent a jet of ice on the dragon, splintering to pieces as the beast smacked them away with its wing and flew up to her. She blanketed it in a shell, freezing it whole and backed away, letting it crash it to the ground. The armoured dragon exploded out of the shell before it hit the earth, engulfing her in a torrent of flame. Elsa swerved out of the way and hurled to the ground, landing on a rock.
Purple lights appeared on the summits of the hills encircling the battle field, littering them like candles and snuffing out instantly. Several cloaked men stood on the hills, looking down at the soldiers and raising their hands before them. Energy runic circles appeared before them, aimed at the Table's army.
"Regni tonitrui!" The cloaked men chanted.
Jolts of red lightning shot out of the runes, raining upon the Table's soldiers and turning their bodies to ash. A silence fell and a low rumbling sound came as a mist spread throughout the battlefield, drawing the attention of the soldiers. A cloaked man looked closely at the cloud that formed, seeing Elsa slowly rise from it into the air.
"What is this?"
Her eyes were an azure blue and glowing, her skin turning icy as it snaked up her arms and enveloped her face. Her hair changed colour, the platinum locks into a deep blue as they hovered in an immense aura that exuded from her body. Her breath fogged as she rose above the battlefield, her head turning to the ground as the mist that blanketed it subsided.
The soldiers backed away in shock, weapons at the ready as they saw several large, humanoid ice creatures stand amongst them. The giants were nine feet tall, their body encased in thick armour with Norn war markings that raced down their limbs and up their necks. Their helmets obscured their faces and covered their heads, the tallest and most built amongst them wearing on that had a series of small horns pointing straight upward.
Raising her arm, frost coated her hand, forging the shaft of a scythe with blades on both ends. She pointed the weapon forward, exhaling eerily and the giants let out a warrior's roar in unison. The ice army created bladed weapons of ice, charging on the Order's soldiers, engaging them in fierce battle.
The creatures overwhelmed the Order's foot soldiers, despite them being a hundred, overpowering them brutally. The horned giant walked amongst them, smacking men aside with his large shield and skewering some with a double-edged broadsword. Another ice creature jumped onto a soldier, ripping his body in half with its bare hands and launched into the air, blocking a magicians lightning bolt with its forearm.
The creature landed on a hill, kicking a cloaked man off it as it smashed another one's body into the earth with a mace. Smacking a lightning bolt with its shield, the giant charged bashing his skull in with the weapon and launched into the air, deflecting another magician's attack. With the swing of his mace, he crushed a man's ribs, flinging him into the air.
The golden armoured dragon roared, summoning the army of beasts upon Elsa's ice army, sending down torrents of blazing fury. Some giants fell to the attacks, but other retaliated, forging bows and arrows with which they shot down some of the flying beasts. The armoured dragons evaded the attacks, smashing some of the ice creatures to bits as they dove down and sprayed fire on the soldiers of the Table.
The horned giant smacked a dragon aside with his sword, raising his head as he heard the golden armoured dragon descend with a roar. Transforming the broadsword into a hammer, he charged at the beast as it sent a torrent of flame. Rolling out of the way, the giant ran up to it, smacking its head with the hammer, flinging it to the ground.
The beast scrambled to its feet and whipped his midsection with its tail, knocking him of its feet. The dragon pounced on him and bit at him, choking as he quickly grabbed its neck and tossed it aside. The beast rolled to its feet, growling as they circled each other, the giant brandishing his weapon at his side.
A fissure split the ground below them as they charged at each other, columns of fire spreading across the battlefield and swallowing several soldiers into the depths. A tube of flame shot out of the chasm, moving at high speeds toward Elsa who sent a jet of ice on a dragon. She turned and the fires washed over her, flinging her to the ground as they circled her and exploded outward, burning most of the soldiers and the giants. The flames gathered and formed into Berial who stalked toward Elsa who lay limply on the ground, her body stiff and sore as she tried to get to her feet.
"So, you come once again, insect? Have you not learned from our past encounter that you cannot defeat me?" He chuckled. "It seems my revelry is yet to begin. Come, insect."
Elsa shot toward him, spinning the scythe at her side, collecting snow into it, sending it in a torrent that washed over his body. Growling, Berial swung his sword down, dispersing the attack and projecting a wave of fire at her. Swerving out of the way, she flew up to him and pointed her weapon at the ground, erecting an iceberg that jutted out around him.
He burst through the ice and swung his sword at her, colliding with her scythe as he knocked her back. He swung at her again and she rolled out of the way, letting him hit the earth, creating a fissure across the ground that caught some soldiers. He swiped his sword thrice at her, meeting rushing air as she flew around carefully and evaded the attacks.
He roared and punched the ground, summoning pillars of lava that rose up in her direction. She took off, sending jets of ice at the molten earth, instantly turning to puffs of steam upon contact. He watched her as she flew and raised his arm at her when the horned ice giant smacked his hammer at his side, making him stumble.
Berial growled and spat fire at the giant, vaporising the creature. He shot a fireball out of his palm, knocking Elsa out of the sky and launched into the air, grabbing her and hurling her to the ground. She smacked against the earth and he landed nearby, stomping on her hand and shattering it and the scythe into shards.
She screamed in agony and he kicked her away, flinging her into a rock. He stalked toward her, ignoring boulders the soldiers of the Table catapulted at him that exploded on contact. Elsa clung to her shoulder and backed away from the monster, pain swimming through her body as she looked at her shattered wrist.
ANNA'S BODY rolled to a stop, smacking against the wall of the tunnel, covered in bruises. Erhard sauntered toward her, his hands clasped behind him as he studied her. She laid motionlessly, blood streaking from her mouth and the wounds on her stomach.
With a huff, he walked away, looking around the tunnel to get his bearings when he heard fire crackling behind him. A warm glow met his face as he turned, a frown crossing his face as he saw Anna stir. She got on all fours and growled as fire exploded from her body, illuminating the area.
"Impossible." He walked toward her. "You're unconscious."
Her head shot up and she hissed as she slowly rose to her feet. She pounced on him and punched him, sending out fissures in the earth, causing the entire tunnel to shudder and sand to fall from its roof. She hit him relentlessly, sending rocks flying as a crater began to form.
He kicked her off him and flew back, quickly pinned to a wall as she tackled him. She held his neck and looked him angrily in the eye as she stabbed his stomach with her hand. He spat out blood as she held onto his flesh tightly, trying to rip it out of his body.
He head butted her and she screamed, piercing his stomach with her other hand and gripped his flesh as she spun around and tossed him to the earth. Bouncing off the ground, he cringed as he got to his feet, seeing his blood trickle to the ground. She lunged at him and he frowned, giving her a swift uppercut that sent her through the roof of the tunnel.
ELSA LEANED against the rock, breathing heavily as she looked at her shattered wrist, seeing the ice slowly reform. Shivering as her body slowly turned back to normal, she kept her maimed arm in a frosted state as it regenerated, trying to stay conscious as pain overwhelmed her. Berial chuckled as he approached her, seeing the ice army she created crushed at the hands of the Ersyx, the ten armoured dragons.
The earth rumbled and Anna flung out of it, her blood spraying about as she rolled on the rocks. Erhard shot out of the chasm and landed before her, watching closely as she scrambled to her feet. Raising his hand before him, his eyes glinted and she froze as she lunged at him screaming wildly.
"Caelo ruenti dormiens gigas." He breathed calmly.
Blood spurted out of Anna's mouth and she plummeted, blood pooling around her as she went out cold. Erhard frowned and raised his hand to Elsa, flinging her forward telekinetically and slamming her on the ground beside Anna. Raising his arm, he ripped the chest away from Elsa's ice necklace, bringing it to him. He placed his hand on his stomach, a purple energy exuding from the wounds slowly healing them.
Cold winds swept around her, the unyielding fog giving nothing but vague grey and blue. Her dry lips quivered and her eyes fluttered opened, rime screeching under her fingernails as she sat up. A loud ringing in her ears gave way to screams and wails muffling with the sounds of steel clanging against each other.
Her platinum blonde hair shifted gently as she turned, a sense of deep worry and confusion enveloping her. Her sister lay unconscious across from her, strawberry blonde hair obscuring her face and soaking in crimson. Blood pooled around her, streaking up to her fingers.
"A… Anna?" She inched toward her sister, pain radiating in her right shoulder as she sobered slowly.
Berial parted the mist behind her, his colossal form towering over as he approached. He swung his sword down at her, its sheer girth emanating a muffled sound as it moved. He stopped when he felt a strong power envelop him.
A silence fell over the battlefield, all the soldiers, beasts, magicians and monarchs arrested in fear as they looked to the sky. Erhard's face whitened in terror, his body manacled by shock as he looked upward stiffly. Overwhelmed with pain, Elsa coughed and shifted her body, a gasp escaping her as she looked to the sky.
HIRO CHUCKLED as he sat back, his phone held in hand as he turned to Baymax, the robot's eyes blinking in confusion as he failed to get the joke. Wiping a tear, GoGo's laugh died down as she felt a cold sweep through her. The three looked to the sky, rising from their seats at the café table, shock and surprise enveloping them.
"What the hell?" Hiro frowned.
HIS EARS rose sharply and his nose twitched, his body stiffened as he turned to the globe. His old, hefty friend walked past him, his head shaking in surprise as he looked onward in horror. A black cloud moved across the globe, lights on the continents flickering as it passed them.
"What is that?" A woman in green walked past him. "Is it Pitch?"
"If only it was …"
GULPING THE last of his beer, a pink-haired man sat back and sighed gratefully, his blonde friend shaking her head as she watched him nearly fall over the bench. His feline friend walked across the sand, his ears twitching as he turned to the sky. A redhead looked up as well, her brows stitching in curiosity and fear.
"Uh, am I the only one seeing this?" The pink-haired man raised his brow.
"What in the world?" The blonde rose to her feet.
"I'm sensing very powerful magic at work here." The redhead shuddered. "It's hard to believe."
LAUGHS SPREAD through the atmosphere as the party reached its peak. Goku and Vegeta chowed down on the food, bringing a frown to Beerus as Weiss held him back. Chichi chuckled as she watched her husband gorge himself when a shadow came over her. Piccolo rose to his feet and looked up at the sky, filled with fear as everyone was gripped at attention.
"What is that?" Piccolo frowned.
"Can you feel that, Weiss?" Beerus turned to him.
"Yes, it's him." Weiss shuddered. "I never thought I'd feel this fear ever again."
HIS GOLDEN eyes glinted as he looked at the stars at the end of the large hall. Thor walked through the archway, frowning instantly as he felt a strong force overcome him. Running to Heimdall's side, the thunder god looked at the stars before him.
"Heimdall, what was that?" Thor turned to him.
"Our end." He turned to him. "Dark days are ahead of us, Odinson."
ELSA'S EYES dilated in surprise as she looked upward, her body shivering as she struggled to her feet. An enormous black streak moved across the sky, blocking out the sun and covering many clouds in its wake. It overshadowed everything and instilled a heavy darkness and fear in everyone who saw it. Erhard frowned and looked away, turning to Berial who stepped back fearfully.
"Is it him?" Erhard struggled.
"… If he is coming to earth, then I must replenish my powers." Berial walked away.
Berial held his hand before him and a portal appeared, its opening letting fire seep out into the area. The beast walked in and the gateway shut, sucking in the flames that came from it. Erhard raised his hand and the remaining dragons turned to him, the golden armoured dragon nodding as it flew up to him. Landing beside him, the beast bowed over, letting him mount it as he looked around the battlefield.
"This war is over." Erhard's voice boomed. "The Order has suffered heavy losses, but further violence is meaningless. This day is of great significance; the day mankind will forever remember for its insignificance. Humans are nothing and their end is at hand. To survive, we must ascend and I have gone far beyond anything you could ever imagine. Remember this day for I am no longer human for I am god, the Dragon god."
Grabbing the reins of his beast, Erhard flew off on the golden armoured dragon, leaving with fifty of the remaining army as they disappeared into the grey skies. The soldiers of the Table quickly subdued the remaining militia of the Order taking some prisoner and cutting down the resistant ones. Elsa sat up groggily and waved her arm, dismantling the ice army as she saw the battle die down.
Anna moaned in pain as she regained consciousness, her body numbed by the wounds that littered it as she sat up slowly. A scream of terror escaped her as she looked at her arms, fear swimming tremulously as she looked around in a panic. She lifted her shaky hands before her, stunned as she saw blood coat them and spread down to her elbows.
Elsa turned to her sister, worry enveloping her as she saw her hyperventilate and look around in horror. Fighting the agony that filled her joints, she moved quickly to her sister's side, embracing her as she consoled her. Tears flowed down Anna's cheeks as she held Elsa tightly, her eyes darting around in confusion.
MANY MONTHS had passed since the war between the Order and the Table of Eight and the monarchs had returned to their respective kingdoms. With Erhard having deserted his army, the Table won the day despite losing more than three quarters of their initial number of soldiers. There was no feast in celebration of their victory and the realm mourned for months.
Arendelle regained peace, though disgruntlement was still in the atmosphere amongst some of the citizens and Elsa was able to retake the throne. With the war behind them, the sisters decided that they deserved some happiness in their lives after the past year of turmoil even though they remained worried of the danger of Erhard who had an army of dragons and the Casket of Ancient Winters. The royal weddings were about to commence on the same day and the sisters spent hours preparing for it.
Dismissing her maids, Anna had the room to herself and walked up to a large mirror near the wall. Draping her hand in a glove, she looked at herself closely, studying the wedding dress as made a poses. She adjusted the glove on her right hand when she saw the white fabric slowly turn red.
Screaming, she stumbled back, nearly falling to the floor as she caught herself and looked at the glove. It turned back to normal and she sighed, looking around the room in case anyone heard her. She turned to her left and gasped, falling off her feet as she screamed in terror.
An apparition stalked toward, an identical clone clad in tattered clothes with red hair and black eyes. It moved limply and growled deeply, its fangs flaring as it approached her. Flailing her arms around, she tossed vases at it, smashing against the floor and walls.
"Stay back!" She breathed heavily.
"Anna?" Kristoff barged in. "Are you alright?"
She did not respond, looking around and hyperventilating as she clung to her shoulders fearfully. Kneeling beside her, he held her shoulders firmly and looked into her eyes. She saw him, but did not react, her expression completely dazed as if she did not see him at all.
"Anna!" His eyes dilated in worry.
"Huh?" She turned to him.
"What's going on?" His brows furrowed.
"N… nothing." She ran her fingers through her hair. "I just fell."
"You were screaming." He helped her up.
"I thought I saw a rat." She chuckled.
"A rat? This is a palace." He raised his brow.
"Ha, silly me." She laughed uneasily.
"Okay –,"
"Get outta here; you're not supposed to see me in the wedding dress before the ceremony starts." She pushed him toward the door.
"Haven't I seen more than that?" He chuckled.
"Well, it's bad luck." She blushed.
"I don't believe in that stuff." He turned to her in the hallway.
"Well, I do, so – bye!" She slammed the door in his face.
She leaned against the door and sighed, running her hand through her hair as she looked around the room. She looked at her hands and frowned, playing back what she saw and wondering whether it was real or not. Shrugging it off, she returned to the mirror, leaving the mess for the maids she would summon after the ceremony.
AN ORCHESTRA played music during the grand ball after the wedding ceremony and several dignitaries of the Table were attending. The festivities still made Anna feel alienated, but she did her best to fit in, much to the amusement of Kristoff and Elsa. The monarchs of Arendelle and Corona sat at the high table, overseeing the other dignitaries as they feasted at different tables.
The men, including Kristoff, Eugene, Hans, Balder and the royals of the other kingdoms were completely drunk and sung songs in their rowdy revelry. The women, including Anna, Elsa, Rapunzel and the princesses and queens of the other kingdoms watched the men in amusement at the tables walling the room. Elsa turned to her cousin, looking at her warmly as she saw her rounded belly.
"So, how's the baby doing?" Elsa placed a hand on Rapunzel's stomach.
"I'm managing." She chuckled. "It's kinda rough though."
"Really? How bad is it?" Anna raised her brow.
"Well, it's rough on Eugene anyway." Rapunzel laughed uneasily. "I can't understand myself with my mood swings and raging hormones, but it's funny when he tells me what I actually did."
The women laughed amongst themselves and talked about the unborn child, finding that Rapunzel was planning to name her Kristi. After sharing some advice on raising children from the older queens, Elsa excused herself from the table as she wanted some air. Moving past Balder, she pecked him on the cheek as she went out onto the balcony.
The sounds of the music muffled in her mind as she recollected her thoughts and looked back on the year gone past. Raising her head, she looked up at the full moon that shone over the kingdom. She sighed and leaned on the guardrail, enthralled by its beauty when she frowned and stepped back.
A man hovered in the air a few feet above her holding a staff, looking down at her as he descended slowly. His face was obscured by the blue hooded jacket he wore over close fitting brown trousers that wrapped around bare feet. She could see his silver hair faintly and saw his icy cold skin.
Snowflakes peppered off him as he got closer and he flew away, leaving a trail as he disappeared into the night sky.
"Uh, what was that?" She furrowed her brow.
THE HIGHLY decorated halls of Asgard brought a confident smile to the sly king, his step filled with purpose as he traversed the expanse. Unlocking the large doors to a vault, Loki Laufeyson walked onward and placed the Casket of Ancient Winters in a safe inscribed with Norn Runes. He made his leave when he felt a strange presence and turned around.
A black feather lay on the floor ahead from him, right before a large, cylindrical glass display case that reached the ceiling. He walked up to it, a deep frown crossing his face as he looked at him.
"Harbingers." He growled.
AUTHOR'S NOTE:
Thank you very much for reading the book and we appreciate all your support. For anyone confused as to what was occurring towards the end of the book where we had several cameos of characters from different series, please read the bio. Please note that there will be no direct sequel to this book for a long time, but the main cast will appear in different books shown in the Universe's timeline on the bio as the arcs unfold.
As always, Follow, Favourite and Review and Await the Awesomeness as we dive deeper into the universe. Thanks for reading.