The Six Stones of Karabraxos

By MySoapBox

xxooOOooxx

Kristoff

Kristoff had never known this tunnel and cave existed. As a child he had heard stories of caves and had played in the mountains around this valley but he had never seen this one. He could only guess it was leading them to where the trolls had gone. He was happy when the cave opened up and he could stand, and he was even more happy when he saw what looked like some sort of light up a head of them. Elsa must have seen it too because she hurried her step and started to move towards the front. Kristoff saw Ismund put up his arm to block her way.

"We need to proceed with caution?" he said to her.

"Of course," Elsa answered. "There's something up there and it could be dangerous."

"Exactly why you should step back and let me continue to lead."

"We don't know what's ahead Captain. I should take the risk."

"With all due respect, My Queen. " His voice was lower now, but because they were all so close Kristoff still heard every word. "I am your guard. It's my responsibility to keep you safe. Please let me do my job."

A beat passed in the stalemate and then Kristoff was surprised when Elsa backed down and stepped back.

"Thank you," Ismund said and then raised his voice so all could hear, "Anders, Kristoff, stay with the Queen, Moris and I…"

He was interrupted by a low rumble and the sound of rock scraping against rock. Kristoff looked up and saw two round rocks rolling towards them down the tunnel, followed by another three and before the group could react the two rocks popped open, revealing fearsome round trolls with blackened faces and sharp spears with glowing crystalline tips. The other three rocks popped behind them, making five similarly outfitted warriors.

"Who are you!" the little warrior demanded. "How did you get in this place?" The other warrior jabbed his spear at Ismund's belly menacingly.

Kristoff rushed forward. "Ignus?"

The little blackened faced warrior turned his face. "Who said that?"

Kristoff stepped to the front. "Ignus is that you? And Granit?"

The second one lowered his spear, "Kristoff? Hey everyone! It's Kristoff?"

A murmur of "Kristoff" rippled through the group and soon the troll warriors were gathered around him.

"And the Queen!" another shouted. All the blackened faces turned to Elsa.

"Your Majesty" Ignus said, and bowed. "We didn't see you there."

Elsa approached him and reaching out, smudged some of the coal dust from his cheeks. "Good to see you again Ignus, I hardly recognized you either."

Ignus patted his cheek and filling the air with a black cloud. "It's part of our new protection protocol."

Elsa smiled, "Very ingenious."

Kristoff turned to Ismund, "Captain, let me introduce Ignus. You have a lot in common, Ignus is the leader of the troll guard."

"It isn't exactly like that," Ignus replied, "but any friend of Kristoff and the Queen's is a friend of ours."

The other trolls whooped and hollered, and pounded their spears into the dusty cave floor.

"Pabbie will be so glad you have come," Ignus said to Kristoff. "He's been so worried."

"We're glad to talk to him," Kristoff said. "We need your help."

The trolls grabbed all the humans by the hands, even Anders who looked as if he didn't want to touch the things, and led them down the cave corridor towards the light.

Even though Kristoff had been raised by the trolls and many times had witnessed their magic, he wasn't prepared for what met his eyes as he walked through the small entryway to a large underground cavern. The rock twisted and flowed all around them, while glowing colored crystals dripped from the ceilings, casting off rainbows of light that filled the room. The colors collided in the center to form a warm white glow in the center.

All eyes turned to them as they entered and one troll shouted from the back, "Kristoff's home!" Soon all the trolls were pulling them by their hands, singing and dancing and Kristoff dropped to his knees with the weight of the little trolls that were climbing on him and hugging him. As he was smothered with their affection he wondered why he had waited so long to come home.

"Let me through, let me see my boy!" Bulda pushed through the crowd. "Shoo! Shoo! You can play with Kristoff later." The children scampered away and Bulda came up to Kristoff. With him on his knees they were almost eye to eye. A deep look of sadness crossed the old trolls face, and tears puddled in her eyes. "I am so sorry, Kristoff," she said, and then threw herself at him, nearly knocking him down with the power of her embrace.

"You know?" he asked. "How?"

"We saw it in the crystals." The crowd parted and Grand Pabbie approached, leaning heavily on a cane. He looked much paler than last time Kristoff had seen him and he had deep lines etched into his face. "My deepest condolences on the loss of your wife, Kristoff." Grand Pabbie bowed. "And to you Queen Elsa, on the loss of your sister."

Elsa lowered her head in acknowledgment.

"She was a fine princess, and a good friend," Pabbie continued. "She will be very missed."

Bulda wiped large tears from her eyes. "And how are the children? The princess and little princess."

"Fine. Just fine. They are safe in the castle," Kristoff answered.

Elsa spoke up. "We need to council with you Grand Pabbie. We need your help."

The ancient troll nodded. "I thought you might come. That is why I left a way for Kristoff to find our hiding place. This has been a sacred place to us." He looked longingly around the magnificent glowing room. "The source of our crystal magic, but now, out of necessity, it is our refuge." He looked deeply sad and troubled for a moment but then focused back to the group. "But enough of that. Come. Eat. Rest. You are tired from your journey. Then we will talk."

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Elsa

"The dogs are Garm."

Elsa was sitting on a rug in a circle on the floor of Pabbie's small tent, along with the Captain and Kristoff. Pabbie waved his hands and an image of the death dogs appeared, howling and yapping, fur fallen away in places exposing the bone and sinew.

"Garm?" Elsa said, "They can't be."

"The evidence of their reality is right before you," Pabbie answered.

"What's a Garm?" Kristoff asked.

"Dogs from hell," the Captain said darkly. "Sounds about right."

"Not hell exactly," Pabbie said, "but from an underworld, an unearthly kingdom, if you'd rather. Tradition says that the Garm protect the throne of Hel."

"Hel? The god of the dead?" Kristoff asked. "I thought those were just myths, fairy stories to make kids go to sleep and obey their parents."

"Ah, but don't forget Kristoff, most stories and myths have a foundation in truth. Hel wasn't a god or the ruler of the dead, but a sorceress that lived hundreds of years ago. She was an elemental sorceress," he looked to Elsa, "much as you are Elsa. One day there was an accident and she killed her only child, a son. She was grief stricken, and became obsessed with bringing him back from the dead."

"Didn't you just tell us that she wasn't the god of the dead?" the Captain asked.

"That's right, there is no such thing as a god over dead spirits, but there are relics left on earth from ancient times, old, old magic, that can have some power over the dead, or at least Hel thought so. She sought out these relics, in an attempt to raise her child from the dead, but with each new relic she obtained she lost more of herself. When the other workers of magic saw what was happening, what she was becoming with her new powers, they tried to stop her. She created the Garm as a weapon, not quite alive, not quite dead, they were nearly impossible to stop."

"And that's what you think has invaded Arendelle? These Garm?"

Pabbie folded his hand together and leaned back. "As unlikely as it seems, it appears to be so."

The group erupted in talking and murmuring but Elsa raised her hand to quiet them.

"Has this sorceress Hel returned then?" Elsa asked, "to our day? You said she lived years ago."

"This I do not know," Pabbie answered.

The Captain asked, "How do we stop them, the Garm?"

"As for stopping them all together, I don't know. My feeling is that in time the Garm will leave our land. It's just a matter of holding out until they do. Whoever is creating this magic can't keep it up forever. Eventually they will tire."

"Do you really think that whoever or whatever is doing this will just go away?" There was skepticism in the Captain's voice.

Grand Pabbie sighed, all his age and exhaustion showing on his face. "What other choice do we have? This too will pass. We have survived many things, we will survive this as well."

The Captain took a breath ready to protest but Elsa put a hand on his knee to silence him. She leaned forward and addressed the ancient troll. "Pabbie, most of the citizens of Arendelle are taking refuge in the castle. The farmers are afraid to harvest their fields. Ships have started to refuse to dock at our ports. If the Garm are allowed to remain, I fear that Arendelle will be unable to survive the coming winter."

"I think I can help you with that," Pabbie said. He reached under the grass collar he wore to the glowing crystals; he sorted through them, until he wrapped his hands around one and pulled. There was a soft snapping of twine and something pulled free. Pabbie reached out his hand towards Elsa and she opened her hand to receive.

She had expected one of his crystal, and let out a little gasp when a small black stone dropped into her hand. It was flat, round and inky black. It almost looked liquid, but it was hard and smooth, and cool to the touch, but not uncomfortably so. Elsa felt a little uneasy shiver as she felt it in her palm.

"What is it?" she asked, feeling like she should whisper.

"A stone of Karabraxos."

"A what?" Kristoff asked.

"A stone of Karabraxos," Pabbie repeated. "You remember I told you that Hel sought out relics to help her have power over death. The relics were six stones. This is one of them."

Elsa turned over the stone in her fingers. "This stone has power over death?" she said in wonder.

"Well, no," Pabbie answered, "but it is powerful enough to keep away the Garm, at least ones that are close by."

"Does it do anything else?" the Captain asked.

"No," Pabbie answered quickly. "It is a little thing really, of little use. But it will keep the Garm a safe distance away. You could use it to escort your farmers to their fields or seamen from the docks to the castle. It is how we protected our valley when the Garm first came."

Elsa held the rock up to Pabbie, offering it back to him. "Take it, please. You need it to protect your own people."

Pabbie pushed her hand away. "We are protected. We are here in this sacred place. We are safe and have plenty to get us through the winter. Your situation is much more direr."

Kristoff asked, "How did you get the stone, Pabbie?"

"The stone has come down through many generations of the trolls. It is said that when Hal was finally defeated, and her reign of hate and darkness ended, that the stones were separated between magic people to care for and protect. This one was given to the trolls."

Elsa pulled it back and clutched it tightly with both hands. "Thank you. I don't know how to repay you."

"There is one thing; remember the price of magic. There are consequences when magic is used selfishly. Hel used her magic selfishly and it led to her destruction."

"I'll remember, Pabbie. How does it work?" Elsa asked.

"It is much like your own magic, it is a matter of will," Pabbie answered. "Whoever is in possession of the stone need only will and it will obey."

"You can trust me," Elsa responded.

Pabbie smiled, "I know I can, child. You have proven yourself time and time again."

The Captain interjected. "Is there anymore that you can tell us? Like who might be controlling these Garm and where we can find them?"

Pabbie sighed and scratched at the dirt with his finger. Finally he looked up and said. "I'm sorry, Captain. That is all that I can do."

"Pabbie," Kristoff asked, "you never said what happened to Hel, was she able to bring her child back from the dead."

"The stores are unclear. Some say that he child came back in the form of a ghostly spirit that haunted Hel until she went mad, other's say that she was successful."

"Are you saying that Hel maybe did use these stones to bring her child back to life?" Elsa stared at the stone in wonder.

"They are just stories, Elsa," Pabbie said.

"But this magic is real, I can feel it."

"Yes, the magic is very small, but it is real. And you are now the keeper of it. Use it well."