Chapter 23-Gleam and Glow

"Elsa!" Anna calls, "Elsa!" Anna was making her way through the crowd while helping Kristoff along the way. There was a bit of dirt smeared over her face, while her clothes were bathed all over it. She has in her hand a sword, which Elsa assumes she must have picked it up or a soldier gave it to her for protection. Meanwhile, there was a big bruise on Kristoff's left eye resembling the color of a rotten purple grape, that stretches out into a dark spoiled strawberry; but Elsa suspects that's not the only bruise he has on his body. Kristoff was slightly limping as he walks, his right sleeve was torn, and he held a weak grip to his weapon as he drags it along.

Elsa runs to the pair. She gives Kristoff a quick hug—but lightly, not wanting to cause him anymore pain. She turns towards her sister and touches her cheek. "Anna, are you hurt?"

"Not really, just got knocked down a few times—but what about you? We saw you getting swarm but couldn't get to you."

"I'm fine."

"You don't have to act tough if you're in pain, I saw how hard you got slam back there," said Kristoff. He tilts his head to try to see the back of her arm, where there is a tare to the fabric, and looks to be slightly stained with red.

"You should worry more about yourself; you're worst off then the two of us."

"Queen Elsa!" Lipso calls. He and Grill was making their way towards the group, and they were in bad shape as much as Kristoff was, with Grill pressing a hand to his right arm, while the side of Lipso's head was bleeding. Upon reaching them, he didn't waste any time asking questions. "Queen Elsa, who's that girl over there, is she a Being?"

"Yes, she is," she answers.

"Then this must mean a Pact was made?"

"Pacts," corrected Anna.

"Now that's a bit of good news for a change," said Grill. He was breathing heavily, and looks as though he's ready to faint at any moment. "So, where's the rest of them."

"Fighting back at the port, we had a bit of a welcoming there by Hans."

Both brothers made to ask more questions about what had happen, but Kristoff intervenes. "So what do we do now? We can't continue the evacuation like this; too many are hurt to be move."

Elsa took a good look around. Many of the lanterns had been forcibly extinguished, leaving little light for visibility, but Elsa could still see under the condition they are in. Now that the fight was over, people are finding pains that they've been ignoring too much to bare. Fatigue and exhaustion overpowered them instantly, many were straggling to stand, let alone move. "You're right," Elsa reply, rubbing the back of her left arm. She could feel there was a tare there with a touch of liquid. When she moved her hand a bit higher, she felt a sharp sting to her flesh. Elsa didn't make any expression of the pain, but removed her hand from that spot quickly. "But we can't have them rest here, it isn't safe."

"Then what do we do?" Grill asks.

"Not us, but her." Taking Kristoff by his other arm, both the sisters combined their strengths to support his weight while walking, making their way slowly towards Rapunzel.

Eugene was now beside Rapunzel again with the frying pan in hand, the rucksack on his back, but the doll was gone. He didn't look too bad compared to Kristoff and the two Southern Isle brothers, but his clothes were more torn then the rest, and his nose looks to be broken.

"Eugene, where's Rapunzel?" Elsa asks, wanting to know what he has done to the doll. "Is she alright?"

"I made her return to the castle as soon as we left port." Eugene lets the pan hit lightly on the side of his pocket pants, and it produce a small cling, indicating there's something there.

"By herself?!" Kistoff ask, astonished by Eugene's choice to let her go alone during such a time.

"She's a more capable woman than you think. So much so, that she gave me this fry pan here to defend myself with." Elsa saw a smile tugging at the corners of Rapunzel's mouth, threatening to betray her.

Kristoff looks at the pan in disbelief, but Rapunzel intervenes before he could ask anymore. "Elsa, Anna, are the two of you alright?"

"Something tells me this will be the best state we'll ever be in for a while," Anna answers.

Rapunzel smiles apologetically, understanding how unfair it is that in their first battle, she made it out without a single scratch, while everyone else was in their own state of misery. "Well, hopefully our future battles will be in better shape than this sudden attack. Now, who are these three gentlemen?" she asks, continuing to play foreigner for security of her identity.

Starting from her right, Elsa made to introduce the men. "This here is Kristoff, Anna's husband, and these two are Lukas' brothers: Lipso, and Grill. Kristoff, Lipso, Grill, this is Bellflower; The Spirit of Spring, and the Guardian of Life."

"Guardian of Life?" Grill asks, confuse by the Being's title.

"Questions and explanations later, for now, I need to perform my Pact," the Being replied. "Eugene, may I have my rucksack back?"

"Sure thing." He gently slips the rucksack off of his shoulder, and then hands it to Rapunzel.

Rapunzel placed her violin neatly on the ground with the bow before digging into her rucksack. She quickly pulls out a comb; it was a simple looking comb made from wood, with thick long teeth, and it was curve with an elegant flower design carved onto the handle. Surprisingly, Rapunzel started to comb her with it.

"Pardon me Bellflower," said Lipso, not amused by her action, "I can understand that all of us can use a moment of personal grooming, but this isn't the time for—"

"Just a moment Sir Lipso, and you'll see what I'm really doing." Soon afterward, the teeth of the comb began to grow, becoming softer and more flexible—magically moving on their own. When they have reached their satisfying length, the teeth began to undo Rapunzel's hair from its massive braid with speed and efficiency, leaving the hair in a neat pile next to its user. When it was done unbraiding, the teeth returned to its original form. "A gift from Mother Nature," Rapunzel explains, as if everyone would understand her relationship with Mother Nature, "A convenient item to have if you know what I mean."

"Indeed it is," comment Grill in awe, amazed with the length of Rapunzel's hair.

"Now take my hair" she said suddenly, handing everyone two hands-full of her hair, excluding Kristoff because of his leg. "Take my hair and spread it among the people. Make sure that everyone is in contact with it and remains in contact, even a single strand will do. But if we miss someone during the first round of healing, then I can do a second round."

Eugene didn't hesitate to proceed with the task at hand, and went on a-head following the instruction. Kristoff, Lipso, and Grill, all took a look at the hair, then at Rapunzel, and then at each other in disbelief. "You're serious aren't you?" Kistoff asks.

"O-come now," said Anna, "don't start having doubts now. Especially since we went to great lengths just to get a Being here." She then took off along with Elsa, leaving the Southern Isle brothers with only one choice, but to follow in their example.

In the distance, the people could hear the fighting continuing in town. Clashes and screams were clear as a bell in their ear. Occasionally, they could hear what sounded like thunder striking in the direction of the port, and they would see faint lights bursting in the sky in the same direction. The group tries to spread Rapunzel's hair as fast as they could, for fear that more Nightmares would be coming soon, and that was the last thing they needed, to enter into another battle so soon after barely winning their first one. But it was easier said than done. It was too dark to see, considering the loss of the moon's ray and the remaining oil lanterns prove mostly unreliable, and there are too many obstacles to maneuver the hair around.

Getting people to take the hair was somewhat of a difficulty in itself. Many were confused as to why they should take the hair; while the others were too weak to hold it, let along refuse, so the strands had to be wrapped once around their limb. Once it was done, they each made their way back to Rapunzel and Kristoff. Kristoff was forced to sit on a nearby tree trunk, as to not put any weight upon his injured leg. Rapunzel was facing her back towards the group while griping the back of her hair, that way there would be some hair left for head to move freely. When she saw everyone returning, she releases her hold on her hair.

"Alright," said Lipso, "Now what?"

"Take a strand yourself," she replies. They each did as they were told. "Remember, don't let go until I'm done performing my magic, not unless you want a complete healing done." With that, she turns her head way and closed her eyes. Rapunzel took in a few breaths of air, and softly, she begins to sing.

Flower, gleam and glow / Let your power shine / Make the clock reverse / Bring back what once was mine.

The moment she started to sing, the roots of her hair began to glow in gold, and slowly travel down towards their end. Lispo, Grill, and Kristoff, all felt the urge to move away from the light but reframed from doing so, fearing they might insult Bellflower by if the did, and encourage fear for the people who are watching them. Meanwhile, the people watch in fright as the light slowly flow towards them. Some were too scared to break contact of the hair, while the others had no strength to remove themselves from their strand. But when the light touches them, there was nothing to feel, with the exception of slight warmth.

Heal what has been hurt / Change the fates' design / Save what has been lost / Bring back what once was mine… / What once was mine.

When Rapunzel reaches the end of her song, she continues to hum it to prolong its magic. Only after she felt a decant amount of time had gone did she cease her humming. All around, the people felt no more aches or pains, they were all gone. They felt their legs, their arms, their back, their sides, their neck, their head, giving their body a detail inspection—expecting to feel something. But the cuts and bruises, the sore muscles and broken bones, were no longer there. They were all gone

"Amazing…" said Grill, testing his arm and finding it easy to move as ever.

"Indeed…" agreed Lipso. He had taken a hand and brushed it through his hair, but felt no clotting or scar, and when he looked at it, there was no fresh stain on his glove.

Meanwhile, Kristoff was touching around his left eye, but found it free of the bruise. Next he stood up leaning all his weight onto his left leg. To test it even further, he stomp with it but didn't lose any strength when he did.

"Oh gentlemen," said Rapunzel, which was received with immediate attention. "I may have healed your wounds but I can't replenish used energy. So on whatever strength you and your people have left, I advise you all to continue on to the safe camp."

"We'll take your advice," said Grill gratefully. Just when he was about to give out orders to the soldiers, Rapunzel stopped him.

"—But first, may I have my hair back please." As a demonstration, she tugs at her hair but not even an inch of its length was retrieve. "I really want to avoid having my hair pulled unnecessarily, if you know what I mean."

"Don't worry Bellflower," assured Kristoff, "we'll collect your hair in no time."

"And if there are still some injured people, send them my way."

"Alright then," express Lipso, "we all have our jobs now, so let's get a move on."

However, there was loud thundering in the sky—much different from all the others before it. It sounded as though they sky was shattering itself, halting everyone in their tracks. What happen next happened all within an instant. The darkness suddenly vanished, replace by colors once more. The sky was a welcome solemn blue, and white dull patches of clouds could be seen. The trees, the grasses, and the moss have returned to lushes green; the soil and wood are brown; the rocks are in many shades of grey. "Over there—look!" a man shouted, pointing towards the direction of the port. Over the treetops where the faint lights have been bursting in the distant sky, came a bright shine. The people continue to watch, and watch, until the shining object peeked over the treetops, draping its warm rays upon the evacuation group. Almost simultaneously, the people: citizens and soldiers erupted in cheers, embracing their nearest neighbors, or clasping them by their arms in celebration. The sun has finally risen.