Chapter XXXIV: Judgment Day Part I: The Freedom Of Men
Anna and Rapunzel stood on the mountain top in front of the icy staircase that led to Elsa's Ice Palace. A Stable full of horses was set up about one hundred meters away from the staircase on the mountain top. The stable itself was evidence of someone taking residence in Elsa's Ice Palace which was thought to have been abandoned a long time ago. Now, it seemed that someone was living in it without consent of the true landlord. There was no doubt that Cade and Lilith were in the castle, if not, then at least the monarchs would be in the castle. They refused to leave empty handed. Also, the horses may actually come into use. If they used the horses, they would get to Arendelle in no time at all. That solved their returning home problem.
Rapunzel whistled at the sight of the magnificent palace. Although some of it was slightly damaged from the last battle that was taken place in it, it still looked grand. They saw the balcony on the upper floor of the palace, and even though the railings were destroyed and there was no door to it, it was still holding up strong and well.
"Well..." Rapunzel said. "That's n-ice."
Anna turned toward Rapunzel and gave her an amused face, believing that this was not the time for ice puns of any sort, or rather, not a time to crack jokes at all. They still had a serious task ahead of them and so very little time. Now, since Kai wasn't with them, it seemed as if this would be so much harder to do now.
"Let's just get inside." Anna told Rapunzel. Rapunzel nodded in response.
Anna was the first one to start walking up the stairs. She had to watch her step as some of the railing of the stairs had gone, and if she slipped, she would fall into the abyss below. If she died before she could finish the mission, that would be pathetic of her to have gone so far. Rapunzel followed Anna's example as she walked up, being very careful where she stepped. Both girls were wearing boots with high heels, and the high heels weren't making things any easier for them to walk at all.
Both were thinking their own, different thoughts as they walked. Anna was wondering what exactly happened to the castle. A large battle seemed to have taken place. Elsa never really told Anna what happened after she used Marshmallow to kick her out. It was obvious that a struggle had taken place though. She also never really explained how she got back to Arendelle after. Those two were now questions Anna needed to ask her sister when she gets back home... assuming she gets back home.
Rapunzel was thinking about how the sun didn't melt the castle. The early morning sun that was currently out would've been enough to melt some forms of ice but the palace was resisting it's light and heat. Perhaps the ice of the palace was incredibly strong. That would explain why it was able to survive for so long.
Soon, they found themselves in front of the large, closed doors that led into the castle. Luckily, they were able to make it to the top of the stairs without slipping on the ice. Not slipping on ice was a skill essential for being around Elsa.
"What do you think is inside?" Rapunzel asked Anna.
"What we came here for." Anna answered.
"The probability of Cade and Lilith being in there are high." Rapunzel said.
"I know." Anna said.
"You know we won't be able to take either of them down." Rapunzel said.
"Aren't you the one who told me to think positive?" Anna asked. "Who knows? Maybe we'll get lucky. We always do."
"Yeah." Rapunzel said. "But we shouldn't always rely on luck. People say it tends to run out."
"Then hopefully we still have some." Anna said.
Anna knocked on the door with her right hand which was covered in a glove. She expected the door to magically open like it did the last time she was at the palace. Sure enough, the doors slowly and loudly opened up, leading to the inside of the palace. The girls gasped at what they saw inside. Most of it looked the same as it was the last time Anna was there. The stairs were still in the exact same position and there was still a frozen ice fountain in the room. The only thing that was different were the gagged nobles, chained to the icy walls. Their chains were made out of metal, and they were connected to the icy walls by giant nails. Cracks appeared all over the walls. Obviously, the walls weren't meant to be nailed on.
Rapunzel scanned the room to see who was there. There were between twenty and thirty people. Most of the people she couldn't recognize including Chistian and his brothers. The only two people Rapunzel recognized well were the King and Queen of Corona; her parents who were chained right next to each other. They all looked tired and half awake, but, they were all conscious enough to see the girls. Everyone made muffled sounds with their mouths to the girls, wanting their help.
"Mother! Father!" Rapunzel said, running to her parents who were chained to the wall on the right side. Anna stayed in her position. Rapunzel kneeled in front of them, checking their condition. They didn't look hurt at all, but they weren't in perfect shape. Bags were under their eyes as if they had not have a single moment of rest in a while. Rapunzel removed the gags from her parents' mouths.
"What are you doing here?" The King asked. "It's dangerous."
"I wasn't going to leave you in their hands." Rapunzel said.
"You were always so brave." The Queen said.
Rapunzel smiled, happy to hear the voices of their parents. She feared something bad was going to happen to these people, luckily most of them looked unharmed. Anna walked up behind her friend, checking up on her.
"Who is this?" The King asked.
"I'm Princess Anna of Arendelle." Anna answered. "I'm your daughter's partner in crime." Anna joked.
"Good to meet you, Princess." The Queen said. "I only wish we could've met in better circumstances."
"I as well." Anna said. "Let's get you out of here."
"Not on my watch." said a male's voice behind them.
Anna felt someone grab her neck from behind. The hand was large and strong, obviously belonging to a man. Anna was then thrown back from where she was, and her body slid through the room. She then found herself fifty meters away from where she used to be. Unfortunately for Anna, her head hit the icy ground. But, since Anna slipped on ice a lot because of being around Elsa a lot, she wasn't immediately knocked out. Instead, her vision blurred a little and the world became fuzzy. Her head was in so much pain. There was a cut on the corner of her forehead, and some blood started to run down it.
"Cade..." Anna said, still with a blurry vision.
Rapunzel had no time at all to react. Cade took out his dagger and hit Rapunzel's head with the end of his handle. She wasn't knocked out but sent into a state like Anna was. Rapunzel collapsed to the ground, much to the horror of her parents.
"Rapunzel!" Both the King and Queen said in distress.
Cade pulled out a small rope from his pocket and kneeled down over Rapunzel's body. The fazed Rapunzel's wrists were then tied up behind her back. Cade then took out another equally small rope and tied Rapunzel's ankles together. It seemed as though Cade's pocket was full of items because he then took out a rag and gagged Rapunzel by tying it around her mouth and the back of her head.
"Let my daughter go you-" The King was interrupted by Cade pulling his gag up over his mouth, leaving the King muffling. He then gave the Queen the same treatment as her husband.
Everyone else in the room then stopped their muffles. Now, since their two "saviors" were now incapacitated, and therefor, useless. All hope was lost for them. They assumed that the two princesses would become prisoners to Cade like they were already. But, there was still one hope left; Anna. Although she was a little fazed and had a minor concussion, she wasn't tied up like Rapunzel was. If she would only make one last move in an attempt to free them, they might have a chance. But, instead of getting up and helping, Anna was still trying to get herself together. Her vision was not yet clear.
Cade grabbed Rapunzel by the feet and dragged her in front of the frozen fountain. Rapunzel lay at the base of the fountain, dazed and weak. She wasn't going anywhere anytime soon.
Cade then looked at Anna who was still on the ground. "Find me upstairs." He said. "We have much to discuss."
Cade then walked away from Rapunzel and to the staircase on the right side of the room. As he walked, he grinned at his prisoners, being amused by the fact that they had their hopes up only for it to come crashing down. None of them were fond of Cade's arrogance. Everyone Cade passed gave him a dirty look with their eyes, trying to tell him how much they despised him. That wasn't necessary though. He already knew how much he was hated.
Cade walked up the stairs and out of sight as Anna got herself together. After a minute or two when Cade left, Anna's vision straightened itself and nothing was blurry. Other than the small pain she had on her head, she was fine. Anna ran to Rapunzel who was trying her best to get out of her fazed condition. Anna removed the gag on Rapunzel's mouth.
"That could've gone better." Anna said.
"Yeah..." Rapunzel said weakly. "Get me out of this."
Anna helped Rapunzel sit up and knelt behind her. Anna tried her best to untie the tied rope that was keeping Rapunzel's wrists together. Although she tried as hard as she could, it was no use. The knot was made so that it couldn't be taken apart. The only way one would be able to cut it was with a knife, and they were without a blade.
"No use." Anna said. "There's nothing I can do."
"That's alright..." Rapunzel said, weak yet again. "You should just go talk to him."
"Why?" Anna asked.
"He'a not crazy, Anna... I think." Rapunzel said. "I'm sure he can be reasoned with."
"What makes you think I can reason with him?" Anna asked.
Rapunzel looked over at a chained King Lyre who was looking at them both. He was living proof that evil can be changed into good. He is living proof that words can change a lot.
"You've done it before." Rapunzel said.
Anna nodded and stood up. "I'll be right back." Anna said. She wasn't going to let these people suffer anymore. And now, since Rapunzel had joined them, Anna was more determined than ever to save these people. She wasn't sure if there was a spec of light left inside of Cade's dark heart, but if there was, Anna knew it would be her job to appeal to it and save these people. She had done it before and she can do it again.
As Anna walked to the stairs on the right, she heard a muffled man make loud noises with his mouth. She turned to see that it was none other than Christian who was making those noises. He was the one who was chained up closest to the stairs on the right. Obviously, he desperately wanted Anna's attention. She kneeled down to his level and removed the tag on his mouth. It slid down below his chin and on his neck.
"Prince Christian." Anna said, acknowledging him.
"What do you think you're doing?!" Christian asked.
"I'm trying to save you guys." Anna answered.
"By reasoning with Cade? Cade is a wolf who wants nothing more than to taste a sheep's flesh. He cannot be reasoned with." Christian said.
"That reminds me of Ander." Anna said.
"What do you mean by that?" Christian asked, perplex and offended at the same time.
Then it clicked in Anna's head. Christian was completely oblivious to what was happening in Arendelle at the moment. She didn't know whether it was the time to tell him now or later as she had some business to take care of. Then, she realized that she may not be coming down those stairs after she talked with Cade. So, now was the time to tell him.
"Your father is dead." Anna said. Christian's eyes widened when he heard this. "Ander and Hans blames Kai for it, but we know better. If we don't bring you to Arendelle by this afternoon, the Southern Isles' navy will open fire upon Arendelle."
Anna told him the story rather quickly. She actually had to do it quickly or else she would be wasting time. She was honestly sorry for Christian to hear the news that way, other than another better way. Christian was speechless as he was taking some time processing all of the new information. Anna looked around and found that everyone else in the room had heard her little story as well. All of Christian's brothers had the same expression as Christian did.
"I'm sorry." Anna said.
"It doesn't matter." Christian said. "You better get us to Arendelle quickly in that case."
Anna nodded and smiled, glad that he was on her side. But first things first; talking Cade down was her priority. There was no other way to get the monarchs out if she didn't try to convince Cade and turn him into the good side.
Anna then started to walk up the stairs to confront Cade.
Anna walked into the room where she thought Cade was. Of course, there were only two rooms in the entire castle as far as Anna knew, meaning he couldn't be anywhere else. There was a large pile of snow in the middle of the room. It looked as though it was a giant rock covered in snow. Anna wondered how it got there, but she just shrugged it off. The snow pile wasn't important. Only one thing was important to her at the moment.
She walked past the snow pile and found Cade standing with his back turned on the balcony. He was looking at the horizon. From where he was, he was able to see so much. Anna wondered how he had time to admire the view in these circumstances. She then told herself that Cade thinks he has the upper hand currently. She hoped she was going to change that.
"Someone should've told me you were coming." Cade said. "I would've thrown a grand party to welcome you."
"Where's Lilith?" Anna asked. "Hiding in the shadows I presume?"
"She left a while ago." Cade said.
"Where?" Anna asked.
"To Arendelle of course." Cade answered. "To kill your beloved sister."
Anna's eyes showed worry. Luckily for her, Cade couldn't see the expression on her face. She couldn't show any forms of weakness in front of Cade. He will get more confident if Anna showed weakness. Anna desperately needed her strength right now. More than ever, she needed to be strong for her kingdom.
"Lilith is no match for Elsa." Anna said.
"Lilith is just as strong as me." Cade said. "And if I recall, I can take both Kai and Elsa."
"I'm sure my sister was prepared for a fight." Anna said.
"Lilith is nothing anyone was ever prepared for." Cade said. He then turned around, facing Anna. As Cade took a step forward, Anna took a step back. Cade then kept walking forward until he was completely out of the balcony. Anna kept walked backwards until she hit the pile of snow. The snow felt harder than she thought it would.
"Relax." Cade said.
"That's kind of hard considering you're armed." Anna said.
"Fair enough." Cade said.
Cade stopped walking toward Anna, satisfied with where he was standing. Although he had no weapons in his hand currently, Anna had a feeling he could whip out his sword in a moments notice. This time, Cade had two swords strapped to his waist as if one wasn't enough. She had a feeling that once he unsheathed them, it wasn't going to end well for her. She hoped her luck wasn't going to end yet.
"Why did you call me up here?" Anna asked. "You could've easily tied me up like Rapunzel."
"I just wanted to talk." Cade said. "I had a feeling that you would be more cooperative if you thought you were free."
"Am I not free?" Anna asked.
"Do you feel free?" Cade asked. "In a second, I can threaten your life with my sword. If you try to run, your head will drop to the ground quickly. You're in my domain which is under my control. So tell me, is this freedom?"
Anna stayed silent, believing whatever she was going to say can be countered by something Cade could say.
"You see, freedom is the world's greatest lie." Cade said. "People are allowed by the government to run around, pursuing any career or path they wish when they wish. They are led into believing that they are happy with what they have... But are they really? They're happy with what they had because they cannot have anything more. Anything better. They just accept it, keep quite, and go along with their lives. Is that freedom? Is freedom not being able to speak up about what they have? I know better than that. I know much better. I know what I have is nothing, and I know how to ask for more. Being able to ask for more is apart of freedom is it not? That's what people like you promised people like me, right? Wrong. When I ask for more, people turn me away. I ask and I don't receive. So many people suffer being turned away for help. So, why allow people to ask if they will never receive. That freedom is a lie. Freedom is a lie. Never will anyone be free. They will always be someone to pay. Someone who collects. Your civilians believe themselves to be free, but they still pay your taxes and buy your goods. They're left with what they can afford. Then, there are those who use freedom as an excuse to do whatever they please. They kill, rape, and steal in the name of freedom. After those deeds are done, they're put in a place where freedom is no longer a privilege. They have been robbed of the freedom they love so much. You see, no one will ever be free. People will always suffer someone. They're not free, and they will never be free. Freedom brings suffering."
Anna tried to block Cade's words out of her heads. She wondered what would ever make a man think these things. She didn't want Cade's words to get to her head. Of course, she could never see things the way Cade does. She didn't grow under bad influences like Cade. She never wanted anyone to grow under such influences.
"You're wrong about the world Cade." Anna said. "There are good people out there who are generous."
"Don't lie to yourself Anna." Cade said.
"I'me telling the truth." Anna said. "People like me and Elsa are more than happy to give to those who aren't as fortunate as us."
"So you say." Cade said. "I know people like you. They claim to be good, but in the inside, they're just as greedy as the rest."
"Cade, please." Anna said. "You must listen to reason."
"Reason?!" Cade said. "Reason does not come out of the mouth of a liar!"
"Don't make this any harder than it needs to be." Anna said. "Why are you doing this, Cade?"
"Because..." Cade said. "I want to show those who thought they had the freedom to look down upon me that freedom does not exist. Now, they will pay for it."
"Then why don't you just kill them now or earlier?" Anna asked.
"Because they had never had the feeling of starving almost to death." Cade said. "They will suffer as I have suffered."
Cade felt so strongly about his views. It was almost obvious to Anna that there was no reasoning with Cade. He wasn't born evil, no. He became evil as he grew, the darkness around his life shaping him. He was a built sociopath.
"When cannons rain down upon Arendelle, only then will people realize how false the freedom of life is. They believed themselves to be safe. They will never be safe." Cade said.
"You forget, Cade, that Kai was raised among those who raised you." Anna said. "Look at him. He is a good man, and you can be too."
"The difference between me and Kai is that he lives in a place where everything is handed to him." Cade said. "We may have had similar origins, but where we branched are completely different."
"That's because Kai gave himself a chance to change his life. The freedom to change oneself was available to him, and he took it. Freedom is not a lie." Anna said. "It's not a lie as long as you allow it not to be."
"I know what you're trying to do." Cade said. "You're trying to change me for the good. You're trying to make me see the good side of life. All you really want is for me to free the men down there. Unfortunately for you, I'm not movable."
Cade then used his right hand to reach for his sword strapped to the left side of his waist. He grabbed the handle and unsheathed it. The sound of the unsheathing was cringing in Anna's ears. Had she failed to get through to him. Him taking out his sword was a sign that she did fail. Now, she was going to pay for it. Like he said, if she tried to run, her head would drop to the floor as soon as possible. She didn't like her odds.
"Your words are poison." Cade said. "I guess we both know where this is heading. To be honest, I like to kill someone who can fight back, but oh well."
Cade then brought his sword up and swung down on Anna. Anna closed her eyes, believing this to have been the end. She wasn't ready to die which made things much more worse for her. Cade was going to enjoy the feeling of breaking through her flesh.
But, Anna was confused when the sword failed to touch her body. She was able to hear the sound of metal clashing metal. She opened her eyes to find another sword above her head, blocking Cade's sword from touching her. She turned to find Kai standing next to her, protecting her with his sword.
"Someone who can fight back, huh?" Kai asked.
Kai then kicked Cade as hard as he could in the gut, sending Cade launching back and onto the balcony. Cade's head hit the ground, and he closed his eyes, making Kai and Anna believe he had been knocked out.
"In that case, you're going to love me." Kai smirked.
To be continued in Chapter XXXV: Judgment Day Part II: Clash Of The Titans
Author's Note: I apologize if this chapter wasn't as action packed as you thought it would be. Trust me, the next few chapters will satisfy. Hope you liked this chapter nevertheless. I also apologize that this chapter was posted later than others. I've been so busy with schoolwork to focus on this. Please write a review/comment.
Also, did you know that Kristanna is an actual name rather than a ship? It also happens to be of Scandinavian origin.
Ciao.