"Kai!" a distressed Elsa yelled.
Elsa rushed towards the frozen Kai. She was distressed. She was distraught. She couldn't believe the ice finally got to him. She didn't want this to be the end between the two. She felt the same way she felt when she saw Anna frozen. Elsa sobbed and hugged Kai as the others walked slowly to it.
"Is that... Kai?" Anna asked.
Kristoff slowly nodded, and looked down at his feet. He considered Kai a friend, despite him ruining his wedding. Kristoff knew Kai has been through a lot. This wasn't the fate Kai deserved. Sure Kai was a rogue some time ago, but he reformed for the better. Kristoff turned his head to look at the other ice statue, Deren. Kristoff never formally knew Deren, but he assumed Deren didn't deserve this fate. If only Kristoff knew the things Deren has done.
Anna didn't know what to think of Kai, but she knew one thing; Elsa cared a lot about him. Anna wondered if Elsa had a romantic interest in Kai. Anna looked over at Deren. She knew him as Strife. She recognized him even without the mask on. Good riddance, Anna thought.
Elsa was sure about her feelings about Kai now. She loved him, and she was sure of it. She had almost lost faith in him, but when he returned to save her, the faith returned. Elsa wished she had more time with Kai. She was sure that Kai felt the same way.
Anna walked up behind a sobbing Elsa, and put her hand on her shoulder. It didn't comfort Elsa much. Elsa was too sad to feel anything else but the pain on the inside.
Olaf was almost as distraught as Elsa. Olaf shed small tears as he looked at his friend's ice form. He waddled over to Kai's leg, and hugged it.
"I'm going to miss him..." Olaf said.
"Yea..." Elsa agreed.
Something snapped in Elsa's mind. An act of true love can thaw a frozen heart. She had a chance to save Kai's life.
"An act of true love..." Elsa whispered.
"What are you suggesting?" Kristoff asked.
Elsa ignored Kristoff's question. Elsa leaned in closer to Kai's mouth. She pressed her lips against his frozen ones. Elsa felt the cold of ice on her lips. Elsa stopped sobbing. She stood there for a few seconds, hoping and waiting for something to happen. She expected him to thaw, but nothing happened.
Her eyes started to water again.
"Please work!" Elsa screamed.
Elsa hugged Kai's body once again, and continued kissing Kai's lips. She tried and tried again but to no avail. It ate Anna up seeing her sister like this.
Elsa stood back, and pointed her arms at Kai. She tried to thaw him manually. She flailed her arms in the air, desperately trying to thaw him. Elsa's powers weren't able to thaw him. It seemed her powers were useless when someone's heart was frozen. Elsa fell to her knees, put her head in her hands, and sobbed furiously.
Anna sat next to Elsa, and rubbed her hand around Elsa's back.
"I'm sorry." Anna said. "I know how you feel."
"Do you?!" Elsa yelled angrily. "Have you ever lost someone you loved!"
Elsa realized that Anna has. They experienced it together when their parents perished.
"I'm sorry." Elsa apologized. "It's just that... I... I love him. I loved him."
"I know." Anna said.
Elsa lost all hope. There was no way to revive Kai. He was gone now... forever. Elsa wished that she could apologize to him. This was her fault. He was dead because of her. She would have to accept that. Her true love was gone because of her.
"Who's that?" Kristoff pointed to Deren.
"That must be Strife." Anna answered.
"Good or bad?"
"Bad. Very bad."
Elsa sat their crying for another few minutes, while Olaf, Anna, and Kristoff watched. They wanted to respect Elsa's personal feelings towards this.
"We should go." Anna said.
"Yeah..." Elsa agreed in between tears.
"There is another way." said Lyre's voice behind them.
They all turned around to see Lyre standing there.
"We can still save him." Lyre continued.
Elsa stopped crying, and her eyes widened. She stood up, and rushed in front of Lyre. She grabbed onto Lyre's wrist. She was desperate for a solution.
"How?" Elsa asked.
Lyre pulled out the Conduit from his pocket.
"When you struck him, your ice powers were in his heart. Your ice powers are within him now. The Conduit absorbs power like that. Which means-"
Kristoff butted in. "Which means we can thaw Kai by getting your powers out of him."
Elsa smiled. "Earlier, you were so bent on defeating him. Why the change of heart?"
"Princess Anja changed me." Lyre answered. "And, Kai was the closest thing I ever had to a son."
Lyre walked up to Kai, with the Conduit in his hand. Lyre put the Conduit over Kai's heart, and it stuck. The group waited for something to happen. Then, the Conduit started to glow light blue. Blue streams of energy from Kai started to go into the Conduit. Soon, the Conduit was shining with blue energy, though Kai was still ice. The Conduit fell from Kai's heart to the ground, shattering on impact.
The group looked at Kai, who was still ice.
"Did it work?" Olaf asked.
Then, Kai's chest started to regain his color. The ice faded away from his entire body. Soon, he was thawed. His hair returned to its original black color. Kai collapsed to the ground, and Elsa knelt next to him. Kai got up with the help of Elsa.
Elsa squeezed Kai with a hug, her arms around his neck.
"Elsa? What happened?" Kai asked.
"Don't worry about it." Elsa assured him.
Kai broke their hug, and looked her in the eyes.
"I have a lot to explain, and a lot to apologize for." He said.
Before Kai could speak again, Elsa grabbed his head, brought it closer and kissed him. Kai closed his eyes and forgot what he was going to say. He put his arms around her back as they kissed. He didn't want to let go.
Anna inched closer to Kristoff as they watched then kiss. Anna put her hand around Kristoff's.
"What the hay?" Kristoff said.
Kristoff spun Anna around him, and kissed her, and she put her arms around his neck.
Olaf looked up at Lyre.
"I'm not kissing you." Lyre said.
Kai and Elsa stared into each other's eyes when they finally let go of the kiss.
"What was that?" Kai asked, smiling.
"An apology." Elsa answered.
"For?"
"Almost killing you."
They were happy. They were together. They had so much they wanted to say to each other, so much to explain, but they decided to wait. They didn't want to ruin this perfect moment. But, that would be hard. Kai noticed Lyre standing near them. Kai stood back from Elsa, and summoned fire in his hands.
"What's he doing here?" Kai asked.
"Relax, Kai, I'm a different man." Lyre assured.
"You expect me to just believe you? After all you've done?" Kai countered.
"I'm not asking you to forgive me."
Elsa walked in front of Kai, blocking the line between him and Lyre. Elsa put her hand on Kai's chest.
"It's okay." Elsa told Kai.
"But-"
"He saved your life, Kai."
Kai would stop arguing with Elsa. He nodded backed down.
"What about him?" Kristoff asked. Kristoff was pointing at a frozen Deren. The group focused their attention at Deren.
"I say we leave Strife like that." Lyre suggested.
"As if you don't deserve the same?" Kai countered. "His real name is Deren, by the way."
Lyre frowned, but he wouldn't let Kai get to him. Lyre knew Kai was just upset with him, and he understood it. Lyre knew Kai would get over it. Eventually.
"I agree." Anna said. "Let him stay that way."
"Anna!" Kristoff said. This was a side of her he had never seen before. Anna looked at Kristoff.
"He deserves it." Anna said.
Elsa looked at Kai's thinking face.
"What do you think?" Elsa asked.
Kai walked closer to Deren. "I say we save him."
"After all he's done to you?" Lyre asked.
"No one deserves this fate. No matter what they've done. No one. He may have taken my mother. My home. But I understand his mentality. I've taken so much from him as well." Kai continued.
"Then how'll we save him?" Olaf asked. "Elsa's powers won't work on him, and the Conduit, somehow, broke."
Kai looked at his hands. "I can thaw his heart." Kai said.
"How?" Olaf asked. "You tried to thaw your own but that didn't work. What makes you think it'll work this time."
Kai turned toward the group. "All my life, I thought that fire could only destroy. Reduce. But, now... I realize that it does more. Fire fuels. Fire warms. Fire thaws." Kai looked back at Deren. "I couldn't thaw my heart because I didn't believe I could. Without belief... what's the point. But now..."
Kai put his hand over Deren's chest. He transferred heat from his hand into Deren. An orange ring, starting from Deren's chest, spread through Deren's body. Soon, Deren started to glow a bright orange, shining in everyone's eyes. When the shining stopped, they saw Deren kneeling on the ground, alive.
Deren looked up to see the group looking down at him. When Deren saw Kai, he jumped up and threw a punch at Kai. Kai stopped the punch by grabbing his hand, and squeezed. Deren's hand started to hurt.
"You froze." Kai said. "I saved your life. Be a little bit more respectful please."
Kai threw Deren's hand back at him, and Deren didn't attack. Deren looked at Kai's friends. Deren then looked at the sky and he noticed that the snow stopped. The city had been thawed.
"It's obvious who won." Deren said. "Go ahead, take me in."
"What's the point?" Kai asked.
"Kai?" Elsa asked. She didn't know what Kai was thinking.
Kai continued talking. "You'll just break out of prison, and cause more havoc."
"You know me well." Deren smiled.
"I'm letting you go-" Kai was interrupted.
"Are you sure?" Elsa asked. "This man killed all of those people. You're going to let him go after that?"
Kai nodded. "He won't do it again, because next time, I'll be there before it happens. I'll prepare. Plus, he used to be my friend. He supported me all of those years. I owe him."
No one else agreed with Kai's decision. Those people who suffered deserved justice. But, they trusted Kai's decision. They would trust his word.
"Deren, you can go. Under some conditions." Kai continued.
"These are?" Deren asked.
"Do not show your face in Arendelle or Teranhall. Do not cause havoc to anyone. Simple conditions."
"And if I say no?"
Kai summoned fire in his hand. "Make your choice."
Deren turned around to walk away. He took Kai's offer. As Deren walked to the edge of the roof, Kai yelled "Wait!" Deren turned around to look at Kai.
"If I ever see your face again, it won't end well." Kai threatened.
Deren nodded. "You've changed, Kai."
Kai looked at Elsa, who smiled at him. "I know."
Deren jumped off the roof, landed on another building, jumped off that, and landed on the ground. Deren walked away with his hands in his pockets.
No one trusted Deren to keep his word, but they let him go anyway.
Things ended up well for Teranhall. Lyre would remain king, and no citizen would no that he was the one who created the eternal winter. Elsa taught Lyre how to be a better king, and Lyre took the advice. Lyre took control of his kingdom, and this time didn't try to rule with an iron fist. The people now looked up to Lyre. No one would know about Lyre's dark past. Teranhall would enter a golden age.
Things also ended up well for everyone else. Anna and Kristoff stood in the middle of a forest clearing. They were surrounded by many people. Mostly trolls. Kristoff's entire family of trolls were in front of everyone else, and surrounded Kristoff and Anna. Nobles and citizens surrounded the outside of the clearing, behind the trolls. Anna was wearing a beautiful dress while Kristoff was wearing a suit. It was their second attempt at a wedding. This time, Kristoff's family was invited.
Kai, Olaf, and Sven stood next to Kristoff while Elsa stood next to Anna. Kristoff and Anna stood facing each other, holding hands. A troll acted as a priest for the wedding. Kristoff and Anna stared at each other's eyes.
The troll spoke. "Do you, Anna, take Kristoff to be your troll-fully wedded husband."
"I do." Anna answered
"And do you, Kristoff," the troll continued, "take Anna to be your troll-fully wedded wife."
"I do." Kristoff answered.
"By the power vested in me, I pronounce you man and wife." The troll finished. "You may kiss the bride."
Kristoff dipped Anna, and kissed her. She put her hands on his cheeks. The crowd cheered. The trolls jumped and rolled around. The human guests clapped their hands together. When Kristoff finished his kiss, Sven licked his cheek. Elsa hugged Anna.
Everyone was happy.
"This is the new best day of my life!" Olaf exclaimed.
Kai walked next to Elsa, who broke her hug and paid attention to Kai.
"Is this your first wedding?" Elsa asked.
"If you don't count the time I crashed that other wedding, then yeah. I've never this many people so... happy." Kai answered.
During this time, the guests were allowed to walk up and congratulate the happy couple. Kai looked over and Anna and Kristoff who were talking to a young princess with short brown hair wearing a pink dress and what looked like her husband who was a taller man with dark brown hair and a small beard.
"I'm happy for them." Kai said.
"Yeah..." Elsa said. Elsa shed a tear. "I never thought I would see the day."
Kai wiped the tear from her cheek. "Come on, there's still a reception party later. Let's hope that doesn't get ruined."
Later that day, they had a grand party. Bigger than the one they had before. It took place in the ballroom once again. They hoped that there would be no trespassers this time. The trolls were invited to this party. They ran around the castle, accidentally breaking valuable things.
Elsa sat on her grand chair, overlooking the party. She looked around to see everyone having a swell time. Kristoff and Anna were dancing on the dance floor, everyone watching the couple. Sven was enjoying the food, as usual. Olaf was enjoying playing with the troll children.
Elsa looked around to see if she could find Kai, but he was nowhere to be seen.
"Where is he?" Elsa asked herself.
"Who?" asked a voice next to Elsa.
Elsa turned her head to find the girl in the pink dress and her husband.
"Hello, er... Rapunzel was it? And Eugene?" Elsa said.
Rapunzel and Eugene bowed.
"It's an honor to meet the Snow Queen of Arendelle." Repunzel said.
"Likewise." Elsa said.
When Olaf walked by Elsa, Rapunzel and Eugene walked away. Elsa stopped Olaf.
"Do you know where Kai is?" Elsa asked.
Olaf nodded. "He went outside. He said something about a ship."
Elsa's eyes widened. She rushed outside, past the guests, and ran toward Arendelle docks. The sky was orange, and the sun was setting. Elsa ignored and ran past citizens who said hi.
Kai was standing on the docks, looking at his ticket on a ship. He looked at the ship and then at the beautiful sunset. He heard Elsa's voice just before he took a step closer to the boat.
"You're leaving, aren't you?" Elsa asked.
Kai turned around to see his love standing behind him. Kai nodded.
"I need to find my place. Where I belong." Kai said.
"You belong here. With Anna, Kristoff, Olaf, and Sven. You belong here with me." Elsa said.
Kai took Elsa's hands, and looked her in the eyes. "I don't belong here. I'll just cause trouble. Royalty isn't where I belong. I belong out there." Kai pointed to the horizon. "Where the adventure is."
Elsa shook Kai's hands. "Please, stay. You belong here. We accept you. Stay with me. Kai, you might not believe it, but I need you. I love you."
Kai kissed Elsa, and she closed her eyes. He let go, but he leaned his forehead against hers. He kept their lips a close distance.
"I know. I love you too." Kai said. Kai let go of Elsa's hands and looked at his ticket. He burned it in his hands, and dropped the ashes. "I'm here to stay." Kai said. He leaned in and kissed Elsa one more time. This time it was longer. Probably the longest kiss they've ever shared.
"Am I interrupting something?" Anna asked from behind Elsa.
They broke their kiss, and looked at Anna. Anna, Kristoff, Olaf, and Sven stood there. Kai started to chuckle when he saw Elsa blush.
"Embarrassed, Elsa?" Kai asked.
Elsa punched Kai's arm.
"Ow!"
"I thought we were big love-birds." Kristoff said.
"This has been a day full of romance!" Olaf exclaimed.
"I guess." Kai said.
They all stood there staring at each other.
"What now?" Anna asked.
Elsa walked to the edge of the dock to see the sun set. Kai followed her, and the others followed his example. Elsa sat down at the edge of the dock, leaning back with her arms supporting her. Kai did the same and put his hand over hers. They looked at each other and smiled. Anna fell into Kristoff's arms, and he kissed her head. Olaf got on Sven who stood next to the newly weds.
"Now, we have a new start." Elsa said.
They watched the sunset to night, and didn't leave until then.
"Come on." Anna said. "There's still a party, and a bunch of guests wondering where we are."
Elsa and Kai stood up and followed Anna and Kristoff to the party. Elsa and Anna were talking to each other and giggling while Kristoff was petting Sven who Olaf was still riding. Kai was behind the group thinking about the future.
For the first time in forever, Kai was happy.
Author's Note: This is the true end to the story, although I will have a short epilogue up soon. Thank you all for your support and positive comments, it really means that much to me. Ciao.