Andy's mouth was agape, it seemed that that was all he could do. He couldn't believe it, he didn't want to. He felt paralyzed as the Ice Duchess stared them down.
"Another snowman from your childhood?" Krista whispered nervously, the creepy ice lady having their undivided attention. "Was she your psychotic nanny?"
Lucky for them, General Winter had his priorities straight and swooped right in front of them, riding the reindeer like it was actually a steed.
"Go to Elliott!" he ordered in a booming voice, like a real general. "I'll hold them back!"
"General-" Krista started to protest, but then Andy winced at her side, pressing his fingers against his temple. "Andy? Are you okay? What's wrong?"
Andy attempted to reply, but all he managed was another wince, this time more pain crossed his face. "A-A vision of..." he whimpered.
"Andy?" she said softly, shaking his shoulder.
"The Duchess," Andy said in a strained voice, pointing at the ice woman. Then he shut his eyes tightly and muttered, "Elliott showed me his magic when we were little—"
But he was cut off by the Duchess, who just stood there, surrounded by her small gang.
"Monster!" the Snow Duchess wailed, and instead of continuing to clench her hands at her sides she started to claw at her own face; leaving long, ugly scratch marks across her ice cheeks. The little snow minions at her side chattered loudly and occasionally taunted them, but didn't advance any further.
'Their two leaders are merciless and wicked', Krista remembered the General saying. She assumed this Duchess was one of those leaders. Krista felt a pang of dread. Where was the other one?
The... Meltlings were awaiting orders from the Snow Duchess, she realized. Andy's episode seemed to have ended, and he was blinking hard, disbelief all over his face. Krista wondered exactly what he'd seen... Elliott showed me his magic when we were little . Was he remembering the memories Grand Pabbie had altered by himself? Was that possible?
"Stop hesitating, damn it all! Go!" the General pulled out his sword, "En garde!"
The Snow Duchess screeched then, a high-pitched sound that made Krista's ears pop, and snow to fall from the branches of nearby trees. The Meltlings apparently spoke whatever language that was, because they screeched back at her and started to drag themselves towards them, their legs not entirely functional so they had to claw at the snowy ground with their twig arms.
"General, please don't—" Andy started, but the General held a hand up, silencing him.
"Enough. I will protect you," the steel in his words made it clear it was not up for debate.
The General jumped off from Suri and waved the reindeer away, telling her without words to go with Andy and Krista. He charged at the Meltlings. Krista did not want to leave him so outnumbered, and she was about to say so, but the snowman surprised her.
He struck like a viper.
He decapitated the first one in one quick blow, he hadn't even finished bringing his arm back and he was already elbowing another one's face. He then stomped on the remains, so they didn't assemble themselves back together.
"LEAVE!" the General yelled, stabbing a third one, "I'll be fine! I'll catch up as soon as I kill—all—the—Meltlings!" He punctuated every word by driving his sword into different sneering faces. He sliced through them like they were butter.
The Snow Duchess continued to scream, clawing at her own face. Krista dreaded she was calling the other leader the General had mentioned.
Krista glanced at Andy, silently asking.
Andy had his lips pressed together in a thin line— the reluctance clear on his face. But he nodded in the end, "We'll come back for you, General," his voice cracked.
"I don't need you coming back for me, m'boy, I'll go to you," the General laughed in delight as he smashed the butt of his sword against a cursing Meltling, "I'm free!"
"Andy," she said gently, hoisting herself up onto Suri's back. "Come on."
They rode away, Andy never taking his eyes off the brave little snowman.
• • •
"Suri, stop bouncing so much, I'm trying to read this—"
Andy had tried to distract himself by reading the History book, which was a bad idea with all the movement from riding up the mountain at top speed. They'd known the General for less than two hours and already his absence was noted. Andy had grown ridiculously attached to the snowman in a really short period of time.
Suri made a wheezing sound that might've been an apology or a scoff at the prince, either way, the words on the page were so jumbled together he couldn't read anything. He snapped the book shut and sighed. What he did manage to read was the beginning of some story about Arendelle's first ruler, Queen Adela (Adela— Arendelle, yeah?) who also happened to be the founder. It said some things about her being a loner and dangerous, but Andy didn't get to read much thanks to the bouncing of his ride.
Andy scooted closer to Krista's back, putting the book away. She'd insisted he had to grab her waist or else he'd fall off "and get trampled". Not that he was complaining, he didn't mind it one bit.
"Well, excuse her for trying to get us to see your brother as fast as possible," Krista immediately rose up to her reindeer's defense, "You should've done that when I was looking for the emergency kit."
"I know. I'm sorry, I just— I can't stop thinking about—" he swallowed hard, trying not to think about the General. How the little snowman technically was an extension of Elliott. He remembered the determination across the snowman's face when he'd said 'I will protect you.'
"What did you see in your... in your vision?" Krista changed the subject. Like him, she had not wanted to leave the snowman behind.
"It—It was weird. It's, like, the third time it has happened. I keep seeing things. And I feel like I've lived those things, yeah? I just can't place them..." he leaned his head against her shoulder, a feeling of despair suddenly settling on his chest. He could feel her breath hitching, but she didn't shove him away. "First it was the ballroom, and Elliott was there... and we were little. And snowflakes were falling indoors, and then when those Meltlings appeared..."
"What did you see?" she cocked her head to the side, trying to look at him.
"Elliott was trying to, like... teach me to use his powers."
He closed his eyes and the image came a lot easier than the others, because he kept replaying it in his mind, refusing to let it go.
They were in Andy's bedroom, well, their old bedroom, back when they shared it. With the two beds, one green and the other blue.
"No, lift your hand higher... higher... there, that's it," the younger version of his brother had said. Then he frowned in confusion, "Can't you feel it?"
"Nope," Andy said, equally confused. He must have been around 4, maybe. He was standing on his tiptoes, his little arm lifted high above his head. No streak of white on his hair.
"Like this," Elliott said, less patiently. He flicked his hand and a small flurry of snow shot out, flying past Andy and splashing against their bedroom door, creating what resembled a snowflake.
Andy dropped his awkward position and squealed happily. "Do the magic again!"
"No, you do it," Elliott said, "Go on, like I showed you. You arm has to go like-"
"Maybe I don't have magic," Andy had said quietly."It's never worked for me..."
"What? But... but we're brothers," Elliott said.
Andy shrugged and clasped his small hands together, "It's okay. I don't want a brother more like me. Your magic is pretty."
"Mama and Papa don't have it either," Elliott looked upset for some reason Andy did not understand. His brother had the coolest magic in the world! Why wasn't he happy?
"Who cares? Elliott, you're amazing!" Andy had insisted, and decided to inform his brother of his thoughts, "You have the coolest magic in the world!"
Elliott beamed at him so brightly Andy could not help but smile right back.
Krista was quiet for so long, Andy wondered if she'd heard him at all. Finally, she sighed deeply. "Andy... so...you... you didn't know about Elliott's magic." Her voice was strained, a nervous touch to it.
He couldn't tell if she was asking; she'd said it so quietly, but he decided to pretend she had, "Not until I took off his glove, I didn't. He never told me. But... but these pictures in my head, they're telling me otherwise..."
Again, the silence stretched for a little too long. Up to the point till it got suspicious. Andy frowned and leaned away from resting his head against her back, glaring at the back of her blonde head, "There's something you're not telling me."
Her silence was all he needed to hear—or well, not hear—whatever! "What are you not telling me, Krista? Is there something I need to know?"
"Andy, it's... it's complicated, I can't—"
"Back at Olga's T.T! You took one look at me and—and" he sputtered, "Stop this reindeer!"
Krista pulled at the reins and they stopped abruptly. Apparently it was good timing, they'd arrived anyway. Before them was the steep side of a mountain that went straight up, like a dead end. They were going to have to climb.
But that could wait. Right then, he wanted answers. He jumped off the reindeer and Krista followed him meekly. Now that he could finally get a look at her face he knew— she definitely was hiding something.
"You knew Elliott was responsible for the weather without me telling you," Andy said, trying to keep his voice from becoming shrill. He was tired, so so tired of people keeping things from him. "How do you— I didn't— just tell me."
"I wish I could, but... please, Andy, it's not my place to tell," she finally said. Her hazelnut eyes were wide, pleading, "Elliott has... he's got to tell you himself."
"Tell me what!"
"Andy, it doesn't matter right now. Calm down! The snow is getting deeper and deeper, and if Elliott doesn't stop it, everyone will freeze to death!"
"It matters to me," Andy said hotly, hating the fact that Krista was right.
"Okay, okay, how about a compromise? You go talk to Elliott, give him his glove so he can bring back summer. We get a nice ice box so General Winter doesn't die, and then I'll tell you whatever you wanna know, yeah?" Krista coaxed.
Andy folded his arms and pouted. He was cold, annoyed, and just done with secrets. But, like previously stated, Krista had a very good point. And did it really matter right then? She'd helped him all this way, she was a really nice girl, and he actually trusted her.
"Fine. The answers better be good though," he grumbled.
"Oh, they'll be worth your while alright," she started to dig through the satchel, her shoulders relaxing after Andy's agreement.
Krista pulled out a rope and an ice axe, "This is going to be a little difficult. It's really steep, and you don't know how to climb mountains."
Andy scoffed, "Says who?"
"Just a hunch," she smirked, tucking a loose strand of blonde hair behind her ear. She looked a lot less apprehensive, and he felt a lot calmer too, her promise to explain things was something he was really looking forward to.
"You're gonna have to stay here, girl," she told Suri, rubbing the back of the reindeer's ears, "Wait for us. And if you see the General—"
Suri tilted her head in confusion.
"—Um, the overly passionate man made of snow?" Suri clucked her tongue and nodded in understanding. Andy smiled. That reindeer was smarter than some Lords and Ladies he'd come across. "Yeah him. Just reassure him that we're not dead, not killed by Meltlings or anything. Yeah?"
"You know he's gonna try and climb that mountain himself," Andy said. "He's literally an unstoppable force. I love him."
"I know. I hope he's okay."
"I bet he's beheaded the Snow Duchess by now. Brining us the spoils of battle by now, I bet he is."
"...Yeah, speaking of, why did Elliott create her?"
"Ugh, it's just this obnoxious lady from Sandlane. I danced with her it was— well, my feet will never be the same. And I don't know why he created her," Andy shifted nervously, "I sure hope he didn't model any others after real people."
He wondered, was there an Ice Andy running around somewhere?
"Yeah, let's hope not," After leaving some food behind with Suri, Krista stretched the rope and pulled it taut, testing it, "Let's climb this thing."
• • •
They only came close to dying six or seven times, which Krista thought was pretty good, considering their serious lack in equipment and the fact that the Prince didn't climb mountains. Once, she lost her grip and found herself dangling by one hand from a ledge fifty feet above the frosty ground. But she found another handhold and kept climbing, careful to not let the Prince know so he wouldn't worry.
A minute later Andy hit a slippery rock and his foot slipped.
Fortunately, he found something else to put it against. Unfortunately, that something was her face.
"Sorry," he murmured.
"S'okay," She grunted, "Though I'd never really wanted to know what the bottom of your boot tasted like."
She'd been so close to telling him. Just— the truth. About Andy's memories, the trolls, Elliott—everything. But then she got cold feet (ha) and decided she'd prefer to have the King's support in the explanation. It was only right he be there.
Finally, when her fingers felt like molten lead and she was sure the exhausted Prince would topple on top of her, they reached the end of the cliff and hauled themselves over the top.
"I'm dead. This is how I die. Krista, bring the priest," Andy lay on his back, breathing so hard he might've been hyperventilating. Krista's laugh was hoarse, she was extremely tired too; she lay down next to the Prince like when they'd jumped that massive gorge hours ago.
"You sound like a mare giving birth, boy, get up!"
"General!" they said in unison, sitting up. "Did you stop the Duchess?" Andy asked anxiously.
"She has been... contained, for now." the General said carefully, comfortably sat on Suri's back, he approached them with a smug look. His hat was crooked, and if a snowman could look disheveled, this one did, but he looked relatively unharmed.
"It's not time for a nap!" the snowman said. "Elliott is right over there. So get up."
"But—but how?" Andy sputtered, gesturing at the ridiculously high cliff they'd just climbed. "Did you teleport?"
"Why didn't you just take the staircase?" the General said, cocking his head in confusion.
"Staircase? What stair— Oh," Krista covered her eyes with her hands, plopping back down to the snow, "...that sketchy structure to the side was a— ugh!"
"It's okay! It doesn't matter. We made it. I needed the exercise, anyway," He touched her arm lightly and turned his head to where the General had said Elliott was. He gasped. "Oh my—"
"What is it...?" Krista said sullenly, still mad that she hadn't considered that the path she'd seen before was actually a staircase. It would have made things so much easier—
She followed Andy's gaze and gasped as well.
Andy was right. They had died and they were in heaven.
• • •
Once second, Krista had been sulking right next to him.
The next, she was sprinting towards the most elegant and beautiful ice castle Andy had ever seen— not that he'd seen any others to compare it, but it was just wow. Elliott had built an ice castle on the side of the mountain, tall like the structure of a gothic one, it reminded him of those French architecture books in the library—oh, duh. Where else would Elliott have got the inspiration?
"Whoa," he said in awe, slowly joining Krista who looked like she was having the time of her life, she babbled on about detail and proportions and how it was the most perfect thing ever in the history of ever.
A grand staircase led to the arched ice door. The entrance.
"Oh my gods, oh my gods..." Krista ran a hand along the perfect rail of the stairs, "Now this... this is ice. I might cry."
Suri bounded to her side, licking the ice and getting her tongue stuck. Krista pulled her face away. "Wait for us here, yeah?"
Andy was already halfway up the stairs, with General Winter walking beside him. He glanced over the edge. It was a really long drop, if the stairs gave away...
They won't. Elliott made them, Andy reassured himself. They made it to the door, and Andy stopped, unsure of what to do. Knock? Kick it down? Behind him, Krista gasped again.
"Flawless," she said, a hand over her mouth. Andy smirked at her, raising an eyebrow. "What? Will nobody talk about this? It's a palace made of ice."
He laughed, "You're so cute."
They both froze.
"Wait, what? No, I meant— like— your reaction. Your reaction is cute, not you." he amended quickly.
"Um, thanks?" Krista said, looking pleased and a little insulted at the same time.
"That came our wrong— you're cute too! But—"
"M'boy," the General said, "Please stop talking."
"You are right, you are right my General! Enough talking, let's open this door," he swallowed his embarrassment and turned to face the door, but he stopped short. He hesitated, one hand raised.
For the first time since this whole journey had started, he wondered. What if Elliott didn't want to see him? What if this was just another door in his face? Like it had been for, what, 13 years now?
"Well, go on! Knock!" the General urged, tugging Andy's cloak. Krista stood next to him, clearing her throat with the her cheeks still colored.
"Why isn't he knocking?" the snowman said to Krista, but he said it loud enough for the whole mountain to hear. "Does he know how? Should I kick the door down? I think I shall—"
But before the General could lift his stubby little feet, Andy swallowed his fear. Screw it. Just do it.
He knocked quickly, three times, his signature knock. For a split second nothing happened, and his heart sank.
But then the mighty ice door swung open.
For the first time ever, Elliott's door had opened to his knocking.
"Okay, great! It opened. That's a first!"
Krista made as if to step forward, but Andy stopped her by the shoulder.
"You should probably wait out here," he said, as gently as he could.
"What? Why? You can't do this to me! Ice is my life! And this is a palace made of it," she whined, gesturing at the beautiful foyer area they could see thanks to the open door.
"Last time I introduced him to a girl, he froze everything, remember? Let's try to have that not happen again, yeah?" Andy said. Krista pouted, and Andy almost blurted out again, that's so cute. But he managed some self—control.
"Yes, m'girl, wait here while the grownups bring back summer," the General also made as if to step forward, but Andy grabbed him.
"You too, General. Just a minute. I need to—I need to talk to him."
The General visibly bristled, but he sat down in the ice steps, muttering things about petty Soldiers doing as they pleased. Krista sat down next to him, looking dejected.
Andy cast them one last look , taking a deep breath.
He stepped inside.
+++ ok i had to completely rewrite this chapter cos things took a turn i had not expected- still came out good, though, not as long as i had originally planned. and all things considered i think this one is better than the first draft
++ who's missed the ice king? up next, we'll see what elliott's been up to. things will go down alright
+ last chapter got a really amazing amount of reviews, so i posted this early as thanks! reviews make my day :)
thank u for reading :)!