Chapter XXXII: Elsa's Ordeal
Elsa and Lilith stood about seventy five meters away from each other.
Lilith aimed her crossbow at Elsa. One bolt was already inside of it. Te rest of the bolts were strapped to her belt in the back. She was only able to scavenge a few bolts off the body of the guard she knocked unconscious. She was originally planning to kill the guard, but in doing that, she would be leaving a messy red trail in the snow, making it easier for her presence to be known. Oh well. Her presence was known now for sure. Luckily, only Elsa knew she was here or else she would have been outnumbered by men. Still, Lilith would be able to hold her own against many men and Elsa. They had to take her skill into account when fighting her. It would be a mistake for a large group of people to assume that they could easily take out Lilith.
Lilith pulled the trigger on her crossbow and the arrow instantly flew towards Elsa. Though it went quicker than Elsa thought it would, she wasn't prepared to die to an arrow. She created an ice wall in front of her, just in time for the arrow to hit the wall and break upon impact. Elsa then lowered the wall until it disappeared and found that Lilith was already aiming the crossbow at her. There was no way. Lilith was able to reload her crossbow that fast. It usually took way longer than that, Elsa thought. Then, Elsa realized that it takes longer for a regular man to reload a crossbow. Lilith wasn't a man, nor was she regular.
Lilith shot her crossbow at Elsa, hoping for a different outcome than last time but she highly doubted that she was going to get that outcome. Elsa shot a blast of ice at the arrow, hitting it in midair and breaking it. Elsa then looked over at Lilith who was in the process of reloading the crossbow. Elsa knew the last thing she wanted was to let Lilith fire another shot. Elsa shot a blast of ice at Lilith, hoping Lilith wasn't paying attention. Unfortunately for Elsa, Lilith was always keeping an eye open. Lilith rolled to the side with her crossbow in her arms. Snow got on Lilith's head and back. Elsa then shot another blast of ice at Lilith, hoping she wasn't paying attention. But, Lilith shot her crossbow immediately after. The two projectiles flew towards each other and met in mid air. Elsa's ice blast dispersed completely and Lilith's arrow was destroyed.
"Where are they!?" Elsa asked.
"Who?" Lilith asked.
"You know who!" Elsa said. "The people you kidnapped!"
Elsa shot a wave of icicles towards Lilith in a blink of an eye. Elsa had feeling that the entire courtyard will be a mess by the end of this battle. Lilith quickly ran way to the side, escaping the wave. Lilith didn't stop there. She continued running through the courtyard, keeping herself near the overhangs. While she ran, she was reloading the crossbow, with both eyes on the crossbow rather than the way ahead. Elsa shot another wave of ice, this time, she shot it where Lilith was going to be rather than where Lilith was. As Lilith ran, the wave of ice instantly appeared about a few feet from her. She then easily dived over it and rolled on the ground, a skill Elsa expected her to have.
Lilith then knelt on one knee and pointed her crossbow at Elsa. When she pulled the trigger, Elsa created an ice shield around her right forearm. She raised it up in front of her chest where the arrow was heading. Elsa put her shield in the right place since the arrow stuck to he shield. Elsa then took the shield away from her chest and turned it into snowflakes which floated down to the ground swiftly. The arrow dropped to the ground as well. She stepped on the arrow to make sure Lilith wouldn't be able to reuse it.
Lilith was already in the middle of reloading the crossbow when Elsa turned back to look at her. Elsa raised her right arm up, focusing on Lilith. Then, next to Lilith, a large icicle grew diagonally quickly. Lilith wasn't counting on Elsa to do something like that. The icicle didn't go through Lilith as that would be killing and Elsa was not a killer. Instead, the icicle went through Lilith's crossbow which proved to be a pain in the ass for Elsa. The icicle grew diagonally by about six feet. The crossbow was instantly destroyed when the tip of the icicle went through it. Lilith walked past the icicle, facing Elsa. Lilith was now without a weapon to use.
"Not cool!" Lilith said.
Lilith remembered that she had a few more arrows in her belt. Lilith instantly grabbed an arrow from the back of her waist and threw it at Elsa like a throwing knife. It flew through the air slower than the crossbow could shoot. Elsa dodged the arrow by rolling to her right. Her body was then covered in snow just like Lilith's. Now, it was Elsa's turn to attack. Elsa shot a wave of icicles at Lilith who easily dodged it by running away from it. Yet again, Lilith kept running around the courtyard while Elsa shot projectiles at her. Elsa shot a blast of ice where Lilith's feet were going to be instead of where they were. Lilith made one long jump with her legs spread apart in order to avoid this. Then, Lilith threw an arrow at Elsa who created an ice wall to block herself in it. Elsa then put her wall down right after.
Elsa realized that she wasn't going to get anywhere in battle is she kept shooting at Lilith in vain. She had to end their little fight quick. If she didn't, they might be fighting until morning. Elsa raised her right arm up, and a large wall of ice was created directly in front of Lilith. The wall started from the outer wall of the castle which the gate out was connected to and the outside wall of the castle itself, covering about one hundred meters. Lilith wasn't going to keep running forward anymore. Lilith turned around and prepared to run the opposite direction; the direction which had no ice wall to stop her. But, Elsa instantly raised her left arm up and another large ice wall grew, blocking Lilith's path. Lilith was now trapped. Both Lilith and Elsa were in the inside of two ice walls with no way out. The walls were about fifty meters apart, giving both of them plenty of space.
"You're not going anywhere!" Elsa said. "Our game of cat and mouse is over. No more running."
Elsa then shot a blast of ice and snow at Lilith who dodged it by turning her body ninety degrees. The blast flew right in front of her, missing her by a few inches.
"I liked our little game." Lilith said. "I was obviously winning since you have trouble hitting a moving target!"
Lilith took out an arrow and threw it at Elsa. Elsa then created an ice shield in her right forearm. Before the arrow could do anything bad to Elsa, and when it was close enough, Elsa swung her shield upward, hitting the arrow and forcing it to stop moving.
"You're right about that." Elsa said. "But now, I don't need to worry about it. You're stuck here with me now."
"That's cute." Lilith said. "Actually, though, I'm pretty sure it's the opposite. I'm not stuck in here with you." Lilith threw her final arrow at Elsa, hoping to do some damage. Of course Elsa was expecting another arrow attack from Lilith. Elsa created a small ice wall to protect herself from the arrow, and after the arrow stuck to the wall, Elsa lowered it and it disappeared.
"You're stuck in here with me." Lilith said.
"Where are they?!" Elsa asked. She then shot a wave of icicles at Lilith. The wave was in the middle of both ice walls, lowering the amount of space available to them. Lilith jumped and flipped in the air to the side.
"They're alive... for now." Lilith answered. She then grabbed an icicle from the wave and broke it off, throwing it at Elsa. Immediately, Elsa created an ice sword in her right hand. She then swung the sword at the incoming icicle, both shattered upon impact.
"What do you mean by that?" Elsa asked. She raised her arm in the air. Icicles grew out of the ground and shot diagonally upward towards Lilith. They weren't aimed to stab her body. Only her clothes. But, Lilith quickly ducked and the icicles missed their target. Lilith then crawled in front of the icicles, now closer to Elsa.
"Cade and I want to see how long they could go without food." Lilith answered.
Lilith then started to run towards Elsa as fast as she could. Elsa shot a wave of icicles at Lilith where she was running. Lilith easily avoided that by moving to the right. Lilith ran diagonally to the right towards the ice wall to her right but to Elsa's left. Elsa then once again shot another wave of ice at Lilith. To dodge this one, Lilith jumped and kicked herself off of the ice wall to her right. Bouncing off the right wall, she landed on the ground, running through the middle. She was getting very close to Elsa now.
She was only about twenty five meters away from Elsa. Elsa then raised both of her arms and an ice wall like the ones Elsa used to defend herself from projectiles appeared two meters in front of Lilith. Elsa hoped that Lilith would crash into the wall, being instantly knocked out. But, Lilith seemed to have been expecting this. She jumped up before she crashed into the wall. She then turned her body as she was in mid air so her head was facing the ground. When her body was coming down, she used her hands to launch herself up from the top of the small ice wall, giving her more height. She was then dropping down above Elsa. Elsa was not expecting this at all.
Lilith landed on Elsa, knocking her on the ground. Lilith held Elsa's forearms down on the ground to make sure she doesn't use her powers while in her grasps. She stood crouched above Elsa with one foot on each side of Elsa's body.
"Got you." Lilith said, smiling.
"Congratulations." Elsa said. "What're you going to do to me? You're out of weapons."
"I'll think of something." Lilith answered. Lilith turned her head and looked at the waves of icicles behind her. She realized that was the sharpest thing she could find and she needed to use them in order to actually kill Elsa. "Wait here." Lilith ordered.
She then stood up and stomped on Elsa's stomach. This was probably the first time in Elsa's life that she was hurt like that. Elsa screamed in pain as Lilith ran away to grab an icicle. Lilith broke off an icicle and ran back to Elsa. She stood over Elsa's body, the icicle raised over her head.
"Nice knowing you." Lilith. "You'll just have to imagine Arendelle's destruction."
Lilith then brought the icicle down on Elsa. Luckily, Elsa had time to react. She created an ice dagger in her hand and when the the icicle got close to her body, she swiped up at it, destroying the icicle. Elsa then turned the dagger into snow and used her hands to create a stream of ice, pushing her forward so she was no longer under Lilith.
Elsa then jumped up and entered a battle stance. She then created another ice dagger in her hand, holding it backhand like Kai always does.
"Ever used one of those before?" Lilith asked.
"No." Elsa answered. "But I have a weapon and you don't. I have the advantage."
"What good is that dagger if you don't even know how to use it?" Lilith asked.
"Guess it's time to learn." Elsa said. Elsa didn't know how she was going to use the dagger without killing Lilith, but she did know that she couldn't just stand there and find a way. It was now or never. She just had to follow Kai's example.
Elsa ran up to Lilith and swiped her dagger. Lilith instantly jumped back, not ready to get hurt. Elsa once again did a swipe, followed by Lilith jumping. Then, Elsa jabbed at Lilith, followed by another jump. Before Elsa could attack again, Lilith kicked Elsa's knee forcing Elsa to fall on the ground and drop her dagger. Lilith quickly picked up the dagger and brought it down upon Elsa as fast as she could. Elsa then quickly rolled to the side and the dagger stabbed the snow. Elsa jumped up as fast as she could, and looked down at her dagger which was still in the snow.
Elsa kicked Lilith's wrist, forcing her to let go of the dagger. Elsa then, herself picked up the dagger and looked over at Lilith. She then jabbed her dagger at Lilith, but, Lilith was counting on that. While the dagger came her way, Lilith grabbed Elsa's wrist with her right hand and yanked it away so that the dagger when to the space next to Lilith's waist and didn't touch Lilith's body. Lilith then punched Elsa in the face hard so that Elsa let go of her dagger and staggered backwards, dropping on the ground by tripping on her dress. Lilith picked up the dagger and walked over Elsa.
Elsa now has a blood slowly trickling down her nose and the corner of her mouth. This time, Lilith sat on Elsa's body over Elsa's stomach. Her legs were stretched out like Elsa's arms were. She was holding down Elsa right forearm with her right hand and the dagger in her left hand, raised above her head.
"Any last words?" Lilith asked.
"This isn't going to end well for you." Elsa said.
"Cute." Lilith replied.
Lilith then jabbed downward at Elsa with her ice dagger. Then, as quick as possible, Elsa swung her left hand up so that it met Lilith's face. Elsa wasn't slapping her as Elsa just needed to touch her face. Lilith then stopped her attack on Elsa as her face was being covered by a large layer of ice. Elsa took her hand off as soon as Lilith stood up, trying to get the ice to stop growing on her head. Lilith dropped the dagger as she scratched her head in desperation. Lilith didn't show it as her expression was frozen, but she was scared. She thought Elsa was going to kill her.
Elsa stood up and angrily looked at Lilith.
"What's wrong Lilith?" Elsa asked. "You really need to chill out."
Lilith wasn't able to hear Elsa's pun as her ears were covered in ice. Elsa then raised her right hand toward Lilith.
"Where's Cade?" Elsa asked. "Obviously not spending time with his bitch."
"Freeze." Elsa said. Then, a blast of ice shot out of Elsa's hand and toward Lilith's body. When it made contact to Lilith's chest, a large layer of ice started to form around Lilith's body, starting with the chest. Lilith, knowing she was eventually going to be frozen completely, decided she needed to pose by putting her clenched fists down near her waist. Soon, her entire body was covered in a thick layer of ice, and with that, she was completely frozen.
Elsa decided another precaution needed to be made. She raised her arms at Lilith and more ice formed around Lilith. Lilith was then in the middle of a giant rectangular ice cube. That would keep her from moving for a while.
Elsa smiled. She had won.
By this point, Lilith had completely thawed out, thanks to Elsa. The morning sky was above them, though this morning was more dark than usual. Perhaps it knew what was coming later that day.
Lilith was in a metal cage with wheels in the courtyard, sitting down, unamused at being treated like a pet. Elsa had ordered her guards to keep a safe distance away from Lilith, an order which none dared to ignore. Elsa stood in front of the cage, facing the gates of the courtyard, waiting for the arrival of the people she had requested. Lilith didn't spend much time taunting as she was smart enough to know that it would be no use. Plus, she didn't want Elsa to freeze her mouth or something like that.
Elsa had time to clean up after her battle. She no longer looked like she had been through hell. She was wearing another dress since her previous dress became a little messy. Her hair was in the bun she had during her coronation.
Soon, Ander and Hans walked through the gate and into the courtyard. They both stood about five feet in front of Elsa.
"Why have you called us here?" Ander asked.
Elsa stepped to the side, giving both of them a clear view of a trapped Lilith who waved at them. Hans and Lilith looked at each other, acknowledging each other's presence.
"This is Lilith." Elsa said. "Is she the same woman that captured the monarchs, Hans?"
Hans nodded. "It appears so." He couldn't believe Lilith had been kidnapped. He thought that she would be able to handle herself in battle. If it only took one woman to beat her, she was now useless in Hans eyes. But, he couldn't see Cade anywhere, meaning he was still free. As long as Cade was there to watch over the kidnapped, Hans would be okay.
"How did you get her in this?" Ander asked.
"Last night..." Elsa said. "She attacked me in my study in an attempt to assassinate me. Obviously, that failed."
"Yeah," Lilith said, "no sh-"
Elsa looked back and gave Lilith a hostile glare. Lilith stuck her tongue out and stopped talking.
"Anyway." Elsa said. "I captured her."
"And you come to show us why?" Hans asked.
"I wanted to prove that Arendelle is not responsible to the kidnapping of those people." Elsa said. "She confessed to me last night and I'm sure she'll confess to you now." Elsa hoped that what she was about to say would be enough to stop Ander from destroying Arendelle. If she didn't, there was only one hope they had.
"Hans already knew who kidnapped them." Ander said. "We just had our suspicions that Arendelle orchestrated the entire thing."
Elsa nodded. "Here's your proof that it was not Arendelle. It was just a bunch of thugs."
"Thugs?" Lilith asked. "You're calling us thugs? I do what I have to in order to survive. Yes, those actions may be questionable, but are necessary. A thug is someone who hurts to get more than the plenty they have. I have nothing. Cade has nothing. The real thugs are the nobles who take all that they have for granted. The people who keep what they don't need and don't even give to those things to those who really need it. In my book, that is burglary. Be careful who you're calling thugs. Ask yourself who the true thug is."
"You deny the fact that you're a thug?" Elsa said. "What does kidnapping nobles accomplish?"
"Forgive me for wanting to take something back in life." Lilith said.
"Queen Elsa..." Ander said in an attempt to get her attention. He was done hearing Lilith's little speech. He didn't want her to force him to pity her. When in pity, one might do things that will come back to him in a negative way.
Elsa turned her head towards Ander, ignoring Lilith.
"Now, here's your proof Arendelle did not orchestrate the devious act." Elsa said. "Now, I request that you call of your navy."
"Why?" Hans asked. "This doesn't change anything."
Elsa expected Hans to be the one reluctant to listen to her. "What do you mean by that, Prince Hans?"
"The main reason we sent our navy here was because Kai assassinated our father. Capturing Lilith does not prove his innocence." Hans said.
"Kai is innocent." Elsa said. "How many times must I remind you of that?"
"You have yet to show proof of his innocence." Ander said. "The word of one person will not convince me."
"Both events must be connected." Elsa said.
"The assassination of my father and kidnapping of those nobles and my brothers are probably just timed conveniently." Ander said. "There is no proof of a link between them."
"Then ask Lilith!" Elsa suggested. "She just know something about the assassination."
The three looked over at Lilith who was still giving them an angry look.
"I had nothing to do with the assassination of poor King Westerguard." Lilith lied.
Hans wondered why Lilith wasn't just spoiling their entire plot and plan. She had no reason to hide their secret now that she was captured. Then, he realized that Lilith still wanted Arendelle to be reduced to rubble. She too wanted to see war break out. She would do anything to see it.
"You're lying!" Elsa said.
"Queen Elsa..." Ander said, getting Elsa's attention. "I doubt you're going to get anything from out of her."
"But-" Elsa was interrupted.
"There is still a way to save your kingdom." Ander said. "Give me Kai so he can face punishment in the Southern Isles."
"I can't." Elsa said. "He left for a task."
"The coward doesn't want to be here when hell breaks loose." Hans said.
"I wouldn't call him that." Elsa said, angrily.
"I'm sorry, Elsa." Ander said. "But I'm afraid you'll have to see your beloved Arendelle be destroyed."
Ander and Hans turned around and walked off to the gate. Their little conversation was over. Elsa had failed to make them change their minds. Now, Arendelle was doomed if they didn't prove their innocence by that afternoon. Elsa didn't know who to blame on all of this.
"King Ander!" Elsa said.
Ander stopped in his tracks and turned around.
"I ask permission to allow a small ship leave my docks so Lilith may be transported to Remotis Prison." Elsa said.
Ander was reluctant to let a ship leave, but knowing how bad Lilith was, he didn't want her to be kept around him.
"I give you permission." Ander said. With that, he turned around and walked off back to his ship.
Elsa turned around and faced Lilith.
"You are lucky I disapprove of violent behavior." Elsa said. "Or else-"
"I get it." Lilith said.
"Take her away." Elsa ordered her guards. The guards then grabbed a chain that was connected to the cage and started to walk away with Lilith, taking her to the stone bridge. They were heading towards a small transport ship in Arendelle's docks where Lilith would be taken away to Remotis Prison: a place most do not want to end up in.
As Lilith was being taken away, she looked at Elsa.
"Don't think this is over your majesty." Lilith said.
"I won't." Elsa replied.
As Lilith was being taken away, Elsa was thinking to herself. She hoped that Kai didn't find Anna or the others. The only hope Arendelle had now was to bring the kidnapped to Ander. That was the one and only way to prove their innocence. Elsa now had to completely rely on Anna and the others to get the job done. It would be their end if Kai came home with Anna and the others and they weren't able to finish their task.
Of course, Elsa didn't know that Anna and Rapunzel left earlier than the other guys. She also didn't know that Kai had joined the girls in their journey. It didn't matter though. All that mattered was that someone can finish the job.
Elsa couldn't shake this bad feeling off of her. She had a feeling that this wasn't the last time she saw Lilith. Maybe Lilith wasn't coming back today, or the next day, or the following week, or even the following year. But, Elsa still had a feeling that she was going to see Lilith again in her life.
Elsa just shrugged off that bad feeling. Now was no time to dwell on things such as that. Now was the time to worry about the future. It was early morning, and in a few hours, cannon fire will rain down upon Arendelle.
"Please bring them back, Anna." Elsa whispered. "You're our last hope."
Author's Note: First and foremost, R.I.P. Robin Williams who was found dead today. I mention this because he was in Aladdin.
This was supposed to be an epic chapter. So, please write a review for this epic chapter!
I will tell you guys this now... This is the last time you're going to see Lilith in this story, but it won't be the last time you're going to see Lilith. For those of you who don't know what that means, it means Lilith will return in A Sky of Shadows. Also, don't jump into a conclusion that everything is going to be alright at the end of this story. It may or may not be.
Now, after four chapters, you guys will finally know what happens to Kai and the girls in the next chapter. Their greatest obstacle awaits them. We're officially at the start of a long climax. Don't expect updates from me every other day anymore. School is starting again, and I won't have much time to make chapters that quickly. Sorry for the inconvenience.
Also, I saw Guardians of the Galaxy this weekend and I loved it. I now have a few knew favorite Disney movies. Guardians of the Galaxy is a tie for my favorite Disney movie along with Avengers, Frozen, and Captain America: The Winter Soldier.
I have four questions for you guys.
1. Do you think Ander is more of an antagonist or a neutral character? Yeah, he may be the reason for Arendelle's predicament with the navy, but he doesn't plot anything bad. So, what do you think?
2. What's your favorite Disney song? Choose your favorite Disney song that's not from Frozen, because let's face it, Let It Go is probably #1 on everyone's list. Tell me why it's your favorite song. My personal favorite is I'll Make a Man Out of You from Mulan because it has the greatest chorus of all time.
3. What's the most disappointing Disney movie you have ever seen? The movie doesn't necessarily have to be bad, but it just doesn't live up to your expectations. The most disappointing movie for me is Iron Man 3 because of the plot twist that ruined the Mandarin.
4. Which fic is better: Phoenix Fire or The Coming Storm? Writing wise, The Coming Storm was obviously better. The writing for Phoenix Fire was laughable when I compare it to this fic. Which fic was better story wise?
Write answers in the review section.
Ciao.
P.S. If I don't think of a good enough story after A Sky of Shadows, then A Sky of Shadows will be the epic, emotional conclusion to my Frozen trilogy. Also, I decided to call this trilogy the Frozen Phoenix trilogy.