CHAPTER 21-Morning Comes

From far off to the side came the patter of foots, a soft flutter of sharp wings, and a single loud applaud. "Well done everyone! Well, done," said North. His voice was filled with satisfaction when he spoke those words, and yet it wasn't boosting like his regular sound. His voice was calm, so soft but still deep, it made the Arendelle sisters and Lukas feel a sense of successfulness.

Tooth shot forward towards Elsa and Anna, embracing them both in a light hug while congratulating them. Bunny only made an approving smile at them, and nodded a congrat towards Lukas, while Sandy was clapping silently in excitement. "So how are all of you feeling?" Tooth asks, backing off to let the sisters get a breath of air.

"A bit tired," Elsa said, holding onto Anna, to help support her sister.

"And shaken," Added Anna, with her legs still quivering, "but we'll be fine. Just give us a minute."

Tooth smiled motherly at them, and then flutters over to Lukas. "And you?"

"An odd sensation of warmth and tingly," he responded. Lukas had the Promise Book claps under his left arm while looking over his free hand, where the sensation was the most strongest. "But overall, I feel fine; I'm just a bit worry about them." Lukas said pointing at the young Guardians. "When will they snap out of it?"

"Aaany second now," answered Bunny.

True to Bunny's prediction, the young Guardians opened their eyes with a blank expression on their faces. The magic that was surrounding them had subsided into their bodies, and now their skin was glowing ever so slightly. They each took their time inspecting their own bodies, feeling their skin, patting down their arms and legs for stability, clutching and opening their hands, wiggling their toes, massaging their muscles, and rubbing their heads.

"Alright there mates?" Ask Bunny, with a grin tugging at his lips. He and the older Guardians understood what the younger ones are feeling. It's a harmless trance, nevertheless it still makes one look silly, and it hits hard on newbies.

"Rapunzel?" called Anna. Both she and Elsa were growing worried for their cousin, but they still didn't have the strength to move yet.

"Rapunzel?" Anna called again.

"Rapunzel?" called Elsa.

"I'm fine," she finally replied. "I'm fine, but…I feel strange…Like, there's a strong force pulling at me."

"And it isn't gravity that's for sure," comment Jack.

North nodded, then he turns to Merida and Hiccup. "Do the rest of you feel the same way?" Both of them nodded. "Then that is good, the pull is what you're all supposed to feel. It is the sensation of the Pact, wanting you to keep your promises to your human partners. It'll start off as strong, but soon you won't notice it. Not unless you're doing something against your Pact.

"What about us? Why aren't we feeling the pull?" Elsa asks.

"Oh you will, if you're breaking one of your promises," answer Bunny. "Besides, the sensation is much stronger for Beings mate, especially if you're a Guardian. Don't forget, our original job is to protect people—children in general though."

"So what's the plan now North?" Lukas asks.

"Now, you all rest, and I mean all of you." North turn to each of the guardians, "You may not feel it now, but the Pact ceremony can be mentally draining. So all of you will now go and rest."

"Sorry North, but not me. I have to get back to Arendelle. But if I hurry, I may be able to get an hour of sleep in before breakfast time."

"Wait-wait-wait-wait-wait-wait!" called North rapidly. He managed to reach Rapunzel and turn her back towards the group. "I have something for you." Reaching deep into his pocket, he pulls out two clay dolls along with a thin ring. Despite the clays being just average hand size, they were finely crafted; they were perfect—realistic copies of Rapunzel, down to the very last details and colors. One was crafted to look like her in her human form, dress in her light pink dress with short sleeves, and the other to look like her Being form, with its long blond hair neatly braided, decorated with colorful tiny flowers.

Rapunzel smiled at the clay figures, impressed by North's workmanship. "They are flattering but, I don't play with dolls anymore."

"Ah but they're not for playing Rapunzel. Watch." North got down on one knee and held her human clay doll between his thumb and index finger. He raised a brow at Rapunzel, and then tapped the doll three times on the ground by its feet, before setting it down. North got up and took a step back. A few seconds after, the clay doll started to tremble, and then it started to grow steadily fast. Startled, Rapunzel stumbled back nearly tripping over her own hair; meanwhile the others couldn't take their eyes off the clay figure. They were curious, as well as excited to see what's going to happen next. The doll grew until it reached the exact same height as life size Rapunzel, and it stopped trembling. North chuckled, "That's not all!" he said happily. He took the thin ring and placed it on his index figure, "Now, clay Rapunzel, why don't you say hello to everyone?"

The clay doll started to move, turning itself to face the whole group, and waved in greeting. "Hello," it said simply.

"Wholly cow! Wholly cow!" cried Anna, "It looks and sounds just like you Rapunzel!"

"Interesting toy there North," said Hiccup, moving towards the clay doll to have a better inspection of it. "So how does it work?"

"And what did you say it was for?" added Rapunzel, who was also doing her own inspection.

North laughs again before going into the explanation. "This—or these clay figures are to help conceal your identity. Once Elsa and the others return to Arendelle, and brings back their new allies with them, you can't expect to be in two places at once right?"

Both Elsa and Anna's eyes widen in realization along with Lukas. None of them have thought about that particular problem if they were to have Rapunzel fight in her Being form, the potential of such an issue didn't even occur to them.

"Good point," agreed Rapunzel guiltily. She brought a hand up to her forehead, and smacked it against her palm. "Arrg, I was so busy going back and forth that I forgot to ask you about that."

"Don't go hogging all the blames yourself lass. You're not the only one who's forgotten that little detail," said Merida, who was now by the clay doll along with Jack, examining the clay for any flaws. "We haven't even thought about that problem till North mentioned it."

"Well there's no problem with that now," said Bunny, "It looks like North's fancy little contraption here is going to work."

"And how does it work again?" Hiccup repeats.

"Simple," North said smiling. "Whenever you have need of either figure, take them, and tap them on the ground three times by their foot. After they've grown to full size, you put on this ring. The ring is how you control them."

"Uhhh and how is that possible?"

"Less to do with logic and more with having to do with magic than you think Hiccup. I enchanted the ring to be a conductor of the user's imagination. If the user can imagine the clay dolls doing it, then they can do it, so long as it is in their capability. But it does take a great deal of focus and concentration. If the user think of something that wasn't intended for them to do or say, then well, you can imagine the unwanted attraction the user, or rather the clays will get."

"Sooo, does that mean clay Rapunzel also have similar powers to the real one?" asked Jack, indicating with his staff towards the Being version of Rapunzel.

"…Well no, but her hair does glow."

At that, Jack, Merida, and Hiccup started chuckling, but Rapunzel ignored them. "How do I get them back to normal size once I'm done using them?" she asks.

"Simply remove the ring." North removes the ring, and the clay doll instantly shrunk back to its original size, and fell on its back. Rapunzel went and collected her mini version, along with the other one, but looked at North uncertainly after see the ring. "Don't worry." North said in assuring, while handing her the ring. "I also enchanted the ring to resize itself to fit the finger of the user. Also, the clay figures will act like they're alive without you needing to imagine it, like breathing, blinking from time to time, and so on. The little details are taken care of. Just don't make them eat or drink anything, and they can only be use one at a time."

"Got it, and thank-you North, you saved me a lot of trouble with these."

North patted her on the shoulder, and said warmly. "You are very much welcome."

Rapunzel than walks over to her cousins and they embraced each other in a tight hug. "I'll see you two in twelve hours," she whispered into their ears.

"Please watch over Arendelle for just a little longer ok?" Elsa asks gently.

"And Kristoff," added Anna, "tell him I'll be back soon, and I'll gladly take an earful of him once we're together again—Although don't say it like you were with us, say it like it's a suggestion, like—"

"Will do," Rapunzel assured her, "Will do." Next she went over to Lukas and said a short good-bye to him, as well as gave him a quick updated report on the Southern Isle's preparation on the war. In return, he thanked her for the report, and also apologized once more for his behavior the other day. For her friends, she gave them a short good-bye wave before heading off in her last direction.

XxXxXx

That night, Elsa, Anna, and Lukas, all went to bed without having supper. What North said about the Pact ceremony being mentally draining was correct, even the young Guardians were all feeling sluggish as soon as Rapunzel was gone. It was hard for all of them to go to sleep; their minds were throbbing as though someone was purposefully squeezing their brains. However, their pain soon went away once Sandy used some of his dream sands on them.

Elsa, Anna, and Lukas all ended-up sleeping past morning, waking up an hour past twelve. Their heads were still somewhat in pain, but Tooth encouraged the three to go down and have something to eat, saying it will help, plus it will get their energy going. It was a slow wake for all of them as they struggle to make their way down, Bunny even had to help keep them from straying off the bridges. But as soon as they reached their usual dining table, they were quickly on high alert. There was five extra tables set-up, and occupying them were the sailors, and the guards. They were up casually having a late lunch, and they stood and greeted the royals when they saw them. But none of the men seems to be the slightest disturbed or afraid of Bunny. No question was asked, and none of the guards went to the sisters to form their usual protection formation. Instead, they return their attention back to their food as soon as Elsa permitted them to.

"What's going on here Bunny?" Lukas asks quietly after taking his seat. "Why are all the men up? And why are they acting so, calm?"

"Right?! Shouldn't they be, I don't know, panicking?" whispered Anna, while pouring herself some water from the jug. "I mean, they've been asleep this entire time, and they don't even know what has happen in the last two days."

"Don't worry mates. Sandy's been taking good care of your men, given them a good dream he did."

"But that doesn't explain why the men are acting so natural," Elsa comment.

"That's because they've been dreaming about us."

"Come again?" asked Anna, confused by Bunny's response.

Lowering himself down next to Anna, he began picking at a bowl of grapes, making it appear as if he was there to partake in eating. "You see mates," begin Bunny, loud enough for only the three royals to hear, "Sandy had them in such a deep sleep, they couldn't even tell the difference between a dream and reality. In other-word, for the last two days Sandy's been giving them a nice long dream and these blokes have yet realize it. Everything that has happen so far, Sandy had your men dream about it. The only changes in what they dreamt, was that they were in it, plus Rapunzel's identity as the Spirit of Spring and the Guardian of Life, is still only known between us and the three of you. To them, Rapunzel and the Spirit of Spring are two separate people."

"Well that's a relief," said Lukas, taking a sip of his tea. "Not only is Rapunzel's identity safe, but this saves us a long explanation to the crew and soldiers."

Bunny nodded, then ate his last grape and stood up. "Well here's the agenda for the day, just take your time and eat for now, but when all of you are done, Elsa, give the crew an order to head back to the ship and prepare it for departure. Don't worry about your luggage, Tooth is having them pack as we speak, and will load them on board for ya."

"But we still don't know where the ship is," said Anna.

"That's fine; just follow the crew they know where it is."

"—Oh, that's right!" said Anna loudly, which attracted the sailors' attention along with the soldiers for only a moment. "That's right," she said more quietly, with both her hands covering her mouth, "they dreamt about it."

As instructed, after everyone finish eating, Elsa ordered the men to return to the ship. The sailors took the lead while Elsa's group followed closely behind, with the guards back in their usual formation surrounding the sisters and Lukas. They followed the crew away from the stream till they reached a flat wide river, with its water flowing fast over a smooth surface of black pebbles. From there it was an up-stream walk, where it led them to one of the waterfalls in the cavern. Behind its heavy plunging water lies a tunnel, wide enough for two people to walk side-by-side through it, and it was as tall as a grizzly bear if it were to stand on its hind legs.

Elsa, Anna, and Lukas were hesitant to enter the tunnel, due to it being completely dark inside. But when one of the sailors approached the entrance, small patches of lights started appearing on the ceiling and also on the ground to the side of the tunnel's walls. The lights continued to appear the deeper they went into the tunnel. Upon closer inspection, the three royals saw that the patches of lights were small flowers, created by the pollens through their glow. For the first five minutes they continued going straight, but hit a descending spiral staircase that lasted for about seven minutes. At the bottom none of the small flowers bloom, for a brighter light could be visible, revealing a stone archway that was a sign to the end of the tunnel.

Once through, the party enters into a water cavern. The cavern was dome shaped but was still incredibly large, larger than any coliseum they have ever seen, with a massive wide opening far to their left. There was about a hundred feet of ground alongside the dorm cavern, before reaching the two-hundred feet of water. Moss was covering every inch of the place. From above, thick roots protruded from the ceiling, but were still tightly attached to their surface. Many of them have grown over the years twisting in leaf like patterns, that got thinner as they grow closer towards the walls, but they didn't stop growing till they reached either the ground, or touched the water.

Their ship was anchored in the center of the dome. Attached to their ship was a staircase made out of ice ending at the foot of the water; from there the ice was thick, acting as a long additional dock connecting the staircase to the actual one, which was smaller in comparison, and was only build twenty feet into the water. To the royals, they knew that this was Jack's work, but didn't make an open comment about it, for fear that the sailors and guards have dreamt otherwise.

At the tail of the dock, there were many barrels stack into a neat pile, while next to them there were also some small wooden cargos. Oddly though, on all of the cargos there were writings on them that resembled Arendelle's ancient runic letters, but the letters was unreadable to Elsa, Anna, and their men. Meanwhile on each of the barrels, there were three pictures painted in red: a two headed dragon, a flame, and lastly a skull.

Just when Elsa and the others were beginning to wonder where the Guardians were, they turned their heads towards the sound of Toothless' roar. The dragon came flying through the opening, clutching between his legs was another barrel. The men quickly scurry away to make room for the beast to land, but Toothless slowed to a stop, hovering near the cargos before adding his piece of wood to the rest. On top was no other then Hiccup. "Elsa, Anna, Lucas," he called over the sound of flapping wings, "not bad timing. Head on over to the ship, North and the others are waiting for you in the captain's quarter." It looked as though he has more to say, but was hesitating to say it. "And I'm sorry to ask you this Elsa but, can you have your crew load these onto the ship? I loaded most of them on this morning, but North made me put the rest of them on shore for the men."

"Now why would North do that?" questioned Elsa.

But Hiccup just helplessly shrugged, "He said he would like the men to be kept busy until our final meeting is over."

By the looks of the sailors they didn't look so pleased with the extra, unnecessary work. However, if there's one thing Elsa understands by now about some of North's actions, it's just part of his mysterious self. And if there's one good reason behind this, it's for privacy.

Politely, Elsa ordered the crew to start loading the barrels and cargos onto the ship. "Be extra careful with the barrels," Hiccup instructed, "don't place them anywhere near a fire."

"Are these there are to load?" asked one of the sailors.

"Yep, that's all of them" Hiccup replied. With that he and Toothless took off towards the ship.

XxXxXx

Out of consideration for the others, Elsa created railings on the ice dock for them to hold onto as they walk. In addition she tries to create friction on the flawless ice, by walking ahead and creating a new layer of ice that was rougher, and had tiny little bumps to lessen the chances of slipping. Though it took a bit of time for Anna, Lukas, and the guards to get to the ship, it was an easier walk once they made it to the staircase. Up on board they found Toothless lying next to the entrance of the captain's room. He was calm when the royals pass through the door, but started to growl when a guard made to follow them. Understanding what was wanted, Elsa asked the guards to stand-by outside, and there were some complaints but reluctantly they followed.

When all three are inside, Lukas closed the door. "Well, good timing mates," greeted Bunny. He was standing at the far right corner of the room, tossing his boomerang up in the air and catching it. "There's no need for this meeting really, but it's more like a final check-up. So if any of you have anything to ask before departure, better ask now."

"You know, you could have anchored the ship a bit closer towards the dock," comment Lukas. "There's no need to be so hard on the crew don't you think?"

"True," answered North. He was sitting in the captain's seat with a map laid before him, but he rolled it up when their guests entered. "And I am sorry for the unnecessary labor, but we need to buy time. Rapunzel is running a bit late."

"Speaking of Rapunzel," Elsa starts, "while in her Being form, how should we address her in front of the public from now on?"

"Bellflower," Tooth answers. "Address her as Bellflower." She was sitting on top of a large wooden chest next to the captain's desk. Elsa has never seen the chest before, so she assumes that it belonged to Hiccup.

To the very back of the room, Jack was lying with his back against the wooden frame of the massive window seating, with one leg tucked-in, while the other was dangled off the ledge. He didn't turn to greet Elsa or the others, but kept his eyes closed facing away. Merida was sitting at the opposite end of the ledge, now wearing a cloak that is a deep blue sea color. She was carving something onto her bow with a small knife, and her quiver was set leaning against the corner of the ledge. For Hiccup, he was sitting between his two friends cross-legged, writing something in his leather hand book. But he stopped writing and look up, smiling a sheepishly smile at the humans.

To Elsa, they look comfortable together, and just by looking at them alone, she can feel a strong silent bond that connected the young Guardians together. If Rapunzel was here, then Elsa was sure that the picture would be absolutely perfect, and completed.

Jack opens his eyes, lifting his head slowly, and then turned towards the entrance of the door. "Blonde's coming," Jack announce.

The royals turned their heads in the same direction, expecting the door to open with Rapunzel walking in. But the door was shaking ever so lightly; chips of the door's paint were peeling off, replace with a new coat of colors: blue for the framing, green for the panels, and purple for the tempered glass, with gold doorlites upon the glass in the shape of Arendelle's crocuses. Once the shaking stops, Elsa, Anna, and Lukas waited to see what will happen next. Following their original expectation, the door opened and Rapunzel walks in.

She had with her a rucksack. The bundle looks small, but Elsa couldn't be too sure on the actual number of items Rapunzel have. Only two are visible. One of them was wrapped delicately in a thick rag; shape appears to be rectangular, indicating it may just be a container for the actual item. The second one was a frying pan, strapped to the side of the rucksack. It was tempting to ask why she would have such a thing in her inventory, but Elsa resisted.

"Sorry for coming late," Rapunzel said, while pulling the rest of her hair into the room. "We couldn't finish evacuating everyone out today, so Kristoff and the others are hoping to get an early start before sunrise." Once every inch of her hair was pulled in, the door shut behind her, and instantly returned back to its original design.

"Rapunzel, how did you get here?!" asked Anna, "I mean we all saw you coming through a portal, a door—a magical door portal, but how? And what's with the frying pan?"

Rapunzel smiles at Anna. "For the frying pan, you'll find out soon enough. As for the portal, I promise I'll tell you how another time, but for now, let's get this check-up done with. There are still some things I need to prepare for as a Guardian before 'going' to Arendelle."

"Right, focus, this is the final stretch."

"Indeed," said Lukas. "Are there any other problems beside the evacuation going behind schedule?"

"No. But on the good news, the Southern Isle's military force arrived just a few hours ago."

"That's great!"

"What about your clay dolls, are they with you?" Elsa asks, noticing that the thin ring wasn't on her finger."

"Believe it or not, I decided it would be best for Eugene to be the one controlling the dolls. I am going to be too busy to do it myself." There was no verbal response from Elsa, but she only looked at her cousin in doubt. "I have faith in him Elsa, he can do it. They're easier to control then you think."

"It's not that. I'm more concern that he may abuse them as a joke."

"…There is a high possibility of that, but if there's anyone who would abuse those dolls, are those two over there…What's wrong with them? Jack, Merida, are the two of you all right?" she asks, while moving towards her friends.

"Don't worry about us lass," Merida responds with a weary smile. "It's just that cursed side-effect of the ceremony. We're still somewhat mentally drained."

"Didn't get much rest last night?"

"Not really," said Jack. "More like it wasn't enough."

"Oh, then, why not go and rest a bit longer? Have Sandy give you a bit of his dream sand. By the way, where is he?"

"He's off doing his Guardianship," replied Tooth, "and he's sorry to say that he won't be able to see you all off to Arendelle. But, he did leave a parting gift!" Tooth hopped off the chest and dragged it up front for everyone to see. Opening it, she reveals that the chest was filled to the brim with Sandy's dream sand. "He thought a bit of extra dream sand couldn't hurt, especially if it's for fighting against Pitch and his nightmares. There are five other cases of it down below deck."

"With a war involving the King of Nightmares, I can't think of a better weapon to replace bad dreams than with good ones," said Elsa. From what she'd seen and experience, it doesn't take much amount of Sandy's sand to give someone a good night sleep, and if they ration it carefully, Sandy's dream sand can last for months if needed.

"That reminds me," Hiccup starts, "if we're going to the human world, how will we be able to fight alongside the soldiers and help protect the citizens if they can't see us? Not everyone—and I doubt that there are many, who believe in the spirits of the four seasons."

"Not to worry Hiccup," said North. "Once a Being enters a Pact with a human, they will be visible to all, rather the humans around them believe in them or not."

Merida chucked. "Well after the war is over, everyone in Arendelle will start believing in us, and whatever Beings they can recall of hearing, or hear in the future." The other Guardians follow in suit, chuckling at the joke for its potential of coming true.

"Is there anything else that needs to be said, or asked before we prepare for departure?" questioned North.

"…What will the rest of you being doing?" Lukas asks hesitantly. "Surely you're not just going to sit by and do nothing."

"Sit and do nothing?! Ha! Never! As much as we would love to join you all in Arendelle, there is still another kingdom to watch over. While all of you are protecting Arendelle, we will be silently watching and protecting the Southern Isle. The first sign of any danger of it being attack; we will come and tell you. Much faster than any land, sea, or air messenger you can send."

"Thank-you North, my brothers and I will very much appreciate it, as well as the whole Southern Isle."

"You're very much welcome Lukas. But let us all hope there is no need for an intervention. We are exposing four Beings too many to the human eyes already. Now, if there are no further questions, the time has come for departure!"

XxXxXx

In the horizon, setting beyond the tall mountains, the sun's light have turned the sky to dark orange, coating the bottom layer in rose red. The air was cold, though there was little wind to carry its breezes. The ship had sailed out of the cavern, five miles down through the maze of mountains, while only turning in the direction Tooth points them to. Reaching an intersection, Tooth had Lukas order the crew to drop anchor while North prepares a special portal back to Arendelle.

"Now let's see," North said to himself. He had brought with him some rather large snow globs on board, each being the size of a man's head, and weighs about an average size watermelon.

"Can't we use the moon as our portal like the last time?" Lukas asked. After being the Binder for the Pack ceremony, he was confident that he can perform the portal summoning better this time. "I would like to give it another shot if I can."

"Maybe another time mate," Bunny answers. "The lighting right now is bad; Manny can't reflect the moon clear enough on the water to work."

"Will Hiccup and Merida be there by the time we return to Arendelle?" Anna ask, joining North by the ship's bow. It was decided that Hiccup and Merida should go on ahead, and rondevu with the group at the port. There wasn't enough room on deck or below for their beasts to sail with them, not to mention, the men are still uneasy having a dragon on board. Meanwhile, Jack and Rapunzel are still in the captain's room, deciding that it was best to remain hidden until Elsa and the others could introduce all four of them to the whole military force. There was no need to have the humans go spreading false alarms, misidentifying them as enemies instead of allies.

"If anything, they are probably already there now," said North, "though they may be hiding. Hopefully they'll remain unspotted until you all get there."

"Hopefully," said Elsa and Lukas in unison, imagining the panics people will have over the sight of Toothless, and the accusation directed at Merida and Hiccup.

With both hands, North brought one of the snow globes close to his face. He whispers the name Arendelle, and Arendelle's castle appeared inside the globe. With a heave, North tossed the glob into the center of the river's intersection. Without even touching the surface of the water, the globe vanished in the air, replaced by swirling northern lights.

"Whoa—what is that—we're going through a vortex?!" Anna asks, leaning far over the edge of the ship, trying to see if there is a back to the vortex.

North puffed a few laughs at Anna's assumption "Don't be silly, you are going through snow globe…hummm…One more should do." Repeating the same process, North quickly toss another globe in, making the existing large portal even bigger. In result of a second snow globe, the strength of the vortex became even stronger, turning the currents of the water towards its center, as well as pulling the ship along with it.

"Are you sure we should be going through the snow globe?! I think the moon's reflection will be safer," Lukas said, his voice on the break of hysterical and panic.

"Forget it mate. I tried suggesting my tunnel many times to this bloke, but he doesn't listen. Just hold on to something and you'll be fine," said Bunny. Without waiting for Lukas to make a commit, Bunny rushed over to the ship's capstan and begins spinning it with great speed, quickly pulling up the anchor, all the while shouting at the men to quickly get a hold of something sturdy.

"Now wait, shouldn't we rethink this?!" Elsa cry, reaching Anna and wrapping an arm around her waist, so then they wouldn't be separated.

"I second motion on that," agreed Anna. She also wrapped an arm around her sister, while griping tightly to the ship's edge.

"Too late!" laughs North, "Good luck; may you all find victory in this war, and be safe and sound with Manny's light still shining brightly!" When the anchor was secured, North rushes over to Bunny, and just in time as the Being tapped his foot twice, opening up a hole; the two jump through and the hole closes.

Tooth was still flying high over the ship. With a quick flutter of wings, she bounded towards the Arendelle sisters. Swiftly but gently, she had them sit down bracing themselves against the ship's head. "Guard yourself well against Pitch," she quickly advise, "he can get to you in more ways than just invading your dreams and giving you nightmares."

"We will," Elsa replies.

"Good luck and stay safe," was her last words. She hugs them, and then flutters out into the distance.

Without having to look the sisters could feel the ship nearly entering the portal. The sound of the vortex was becoming louder and louder like a hundred jingling bells. Four of their soldiers came kneeling down close to them, while the other three remain close to Lukas. They could hear the waters being drawn in; part of the ship has entered, and then they felt the ship suddenly being pulled, hard. There was a swirl of colors that lasted no more than a few seconds, before there was another hard pull, and then a rough sudden halt as the ship came into contact with the waves of the sea.

There were five naval ships anchored yards outside of Arendelle's port. Based on the crest upon their flags, Elsa, Anna, and Lukas recognize that they belonged to the Southern Isles kingdom. There were only a few men on board each of the vessels; just enough to keep watch over their ship, but there was no signs of a large crew on board, so Elsa assumes that the rest of the soldiers are already on land. There was also no sign of Hiccup or Merida nearby, but running towards the dock was Eugene, followed by Rapunzel's human form doll. "You've made it just in time!" Eugene cried as he run towards the dock.

"Has Hans come yet?!" Lukas hollers from the ship.

"Not yet, but it won't be long till daybreak!"

"Where is Kristoff?!" asked Anna, disappointed that he wasn't there with Eugene to greet them.

"He's with Lipso and Grill, they're currently evacuating the rest of the citizens!"

When the ship docked and the anchor was release, Elsa didn't wait for the sailors to tie the ship down, or waited for the brow to be brought forth. Immediately she created a new brow out of her ice and quickly descends it. She made her way to Eugene. "For now we'll head over to the castle and wait for Hans there."

"But what about—them?" Eugene asks in a hushed whisper. "Shouldn't one of them at least be close to you when you confirm the declaration of war?"

In the distance, Elsa could see the councilors are making their way towards them and fast. "Hiccup and Merida should be nearby, somewhere," she answers, also in hushed, "—they'll show themselves if must, but not until we have a chance to introduce them to the military and the rest of the people. Not everyone here are aware of the existence of Beings."

"Yeah, and how are we going to do that?"

Elsa didn't answer for the councilmen have reached them. "Your Majesty, where is Princess Anna?" one of them ask.

"She's right over there—"

"Were you successful in the recruitment of Beings?" another interrupted.

"Yes—"

"Well where are they? Hans will be coming soon—"

"Enough! I can answer questions later, we need to make our way to the castle now and meet Hans."

"Wait-wait, something, isn't right," said the Rapunzel doll in a malonic tone. In result, the council men look at the doll oddly.

Elsa's eyes widen in horror, and she glared at Eugene. He made the doll sound strange; Rapunzel wouldn't speak the way the doll did. Eugene gave a slight hint of grimace at his own mistake. Sending a quick apologetic look to Elsa, he resumes the role of talking to cover up the mess. "You're right Rapunzel that does look strange."

"What is it, what is wrong?" Elsa asks.

Eugene points to the horizon off the sea. There, a hint of light was beginning to show over the line of the water. "The sun, something is wrong with the sun…"

Elsa looks hard in the direction of the light. She saw the hint of light but couldn't understand what was wrong. If anything, this all the means they should hurry to the castle. But it than occur to her. She looks to the sky around but there was no change in the color—no stars can be seen though it was still dark out…Something black was blocking the sun…With minimum light, the sun casted a dark transparent red over the sea, that was clawing its way to Arendelle.

"Elsa…" Anna calls weakly. She, Lukas, and the other men have also noticed the strange lighting, and didn't like one bit of it. "What is happening? What's wrong with the sun?" She made her way to her sister, and wrapped an arm around hers for comfort.

"I-I don't know," Elsa answers.

Everyone stood, frozen in place, looking nowhere else but at the black object blocking the sun. Then he came. Rising out of the sea like a massive wave, he came on a storm of crying nightmares. His wave plunders forward, and in an instant without hesitation, his wave of sand came crashing down on the Southern Isles' ships. Not sinking them, but drowning them in his sand, then burying them under the sea water.

No one moved. He came closer but no one move—they couldn't move. He raised a hand, so casually signaling his army to halt, and then smirk at his witnesses, pleasuring over their sight of his power. On a single nightmare he closed the rest of two-hundred yard gap, stopping at the end of the dock.

"I beeelieeeve," said Hans stretching the word, "that this is the morning of the fourth day of our promise meeting, and as promise, I will now hear your answer. Your, Ma-jesty, Queen Elsa, your Highness, Princess Anna, will the two of you surrender Arendelle peacefully?"

We can't win, Elsa thought to herself. She could feel Anna's hands trembling, squeezing tighter around her arm. How could we possibly win against that?! As a habit, she raised her free hand and pressed it against her chest out of fright. "Hans…" she said quietly.

"Yesss Queen Elsa?"

"A-as, Queen of Arendelle…"

"Go on."

"…As Queen of Arendelle, I hereby…hereby…"

"—Go on Snow Queen," Hans hiss. "I won't wait forever, nor will my army."

She pressed her hand harder against her chest, and turned a gaze away. Her heart was pounding so hard, that she could feel it drumming at her flesh. She parted her lips to speak, but then she felt a pull. A strong pull that was so aggressive, it felt as though any second, she would be flying through the air. Then there was a loud cry, a horse's cry, so loud that it rang through the land, stretching far, possibly passing several mountains. Elsa snaps her head in the direction of the sound along with the rest of the people. High in the sky, near the darken horizon to the right, Angus stood on his hind legs on a cloud of fire. Merida was on his back, glaring at Elsa.

She said nothing, she didn't even urge her horse to go any closer towards the humans, nor did she engage the enemy. Angus was getting more and more riled up; it was amazing how the spirit can maintain her control over him, while not being thrown off. After a moment, Merida quickly shot a flight of arrows high over her head. Instead of bursting into flames, each ones exploded into bright lights that didn't hurt the eyes when looked upon. Else stared at them, mesmerize. They emitted no heat, and yet she felt warm just looking at them, slowly building up a strange but not unfamiliar strength within her chest with each breath she took.

"You there!" Hans shouts, "Who are you—what are you?!"

That outburst brought Elsa back to the current situation. She felt the pull once again but not so aggressive this time. She knew what she needed to do. "Hans," she calls with a new compose acid in her tone. He returns his attention back to her. "As Queen of Arendelle I refuse to surrender this kingdom to you. I accept your declaration of war and I promise you, you will lose…"

His brows were brought together furiously. His face was contorted with contained rage mix with disbelief, an alien expression to his usual composed self. Leaning forward, Hans spoke with breathless words, yet his voice gain seven pounds with pressure, "…Youuu, are making a grave mistake."

"Turn your army around Hans," said Anna, finally regaining her courage. "Leave Arendelle and return to your kingdom; return the book you've stolen and prepare to face judgment."

Hans gritted his teeth. "You two will regret this!"

"No we won't, but you will," said Elsa. Speedily she brought both her hands forward shooting a blast of ice at Hans. However, he reacted in time creating a shield that covered himself and his nightmare, but it was a weak one. It shattered after a few seconds and they was pushed back a few trots.

"How dare you!" He raised a hand to signal the attack, only to stop after hearing another shattering sound. At the back of the ship, large chunks of glass were falling into the water, while something, or rather someone was charging forward, heading straight into the army of nightmares. "What the?!—" Hans stop when something gold wrapped around his wrist. With a tight snap of the gold tightening its hold on him, Hans was suddenly pulled off his nightmare, whip over the ship, and what Elsa assume, slammed against the ship's mass. She could hear there was a struggle happening on board, though most of the sailors have scattered and ran off the ship, leaving Rapunzel to fight alone. But from the sound of it, it is a one-sided fight, with Hans still being whip around. He was visible again when thrown to the side of the ship. Without a chance to recover, Hans lifted his head in the direction of his opponent, only to be met with a frying pan to his face. With a loud clank, he was knocked overboard into the water.

Elsa and Anna look back to the ship, seeing Rapunzel taking a big breath and tucking her hair behind her. She looks back at them and smiles, twirling her frying pan with ease by its handle with her fingers. "This, Anna, is what the frying pan is for."