27- Shellfire

Anna and Kristoff came out of their tent to discover soldiers running in every direction, Captains screaming orders, sleepy-looking medical staff emerging from a nearby hospital and torches everywhere illuminating the dark and frozen night.

"Abandon the trenches!" Alistair yelled, running around with a sword in his hand- "To the bunkers, everyone! To the bunkers, and take the Crackers with you!"

At that moment three more explosions took place somewhere in the valley, devastating blasts caused by enemy shells impacting not far from the Arendellian trenches… the ground was shaking with every detonation, and there were countless particles of ice and snow falling on the campsites.

Anna could see the flashes of white light coming from the enemy guns across the valley, it seemed to her that they were looking for the perfect angle to shoot at the Sammel Line and she realized that they would receive the first hit any moment…

"General Alistair!" Anna called, advancing slowly through the snowy campsite as she was supported by Kristoff- "Return the fire!"

Alistair turned around with surprise, a soldier nearby dashed to give him a torch and then he hurried to join Anna and Kristoff. The proud General looked sleepy but alert, totally furious at this cowardly attack in the middle of the night…

"Your Highness, we cannot hit them! They are too far, our guns are not strong enough… Now, get to your personal bunker!"

"There must be something we can do!"

Kristoff decided to lift Anna and carry her in his arms, since the Princess remained unable to run, walk or even stand by herself. She moaned because of the pain from her injured arm and leg, but compared to her safety any discomfort was unimportant for now.

"We thought that this could happen" Alistair explained, guiding Kristoff towards the nearby bunker- "We have no option but to take refuge underground and wait for the shellfire to end… Hey, Alice!"

"Father!"

Alice came running between the terrified soldiers, carrying a musket in her hands and a saber hanging from her waist just in case of battle. She was wearing a purple coat on top of her night clothing, and she looked just as sleepy and shocked as everyone else.

"Go with Anna and Kristoff, to the Royal bunker… I'll see you there!"

Alistair abandoned the group, dashing to coordinate the evacuation of that part of the Line. Hundreds of sleepy soldiers looked confused as they tried to find the nearest bunker, and all of them were shivering in the terrible cold of that night.

Anna witnessed as the medical staff began to evacuate injured men from the field hospitals, and she wondered whether they would be able to provide a good treatment in the depths and darkness of the bunkers…

"I cannot believe this!" Alice cried out, furious at the situation- "They wanted to hit us while we sleep! I hate the Southern Isles!"

Alice helped to wrap Anna in the warm sheets as Kristoff carried her with great care, even more artillery explosions illuminated the dark sky and now the characteristic smell of smoke and high explosives filled the air.

The impacts were getting closer, and finally the first shell reached the Sammel Line and its terrible explosion devastated a field hospital completely…

"Anna, we are almost there!" Kristoff said, particles of snow and ice raining all around them.

"Kristoff, my backpack!"

"I have it here, with the ice mirror and everything" Kristoff replied- "Close your eyes! The bunkers are strong, we shall be safe down there…"

The last thing that Anna could see before closing her eyes was a group of soldiers emerging from a trench, all of them making a great effort to lift a Cracker and take it to the safety of a bunker nearby…

She could hear nearby explosions as even more shells began to arrive, and hoped that by now most of her men were already safe very deep underground.

Would the bunkers turn out to be strong enough?

"Here we are!" Alice said, and an instant later Anna, not very surprised, could feel how they were descending a steep staircase very fast- "We have water, supplies, everything…"

Anna opened her eyes a minute later, discovering a rather small and circular room with a high ceiling and walls made of rock. It was dark, cold and the floor was nothing but wild ground, everything illuminated only by the light of a few candles…

"T-thank you, Kristoff…" Anna said, now lying on a straw bed- "Where is Alistair?"

"I don't know..."

The red-haired General finally showed up some time after that, he was coughing because of the acrid smoke that was everywhere outside and then the royal bunker was shaken as a heavy shell impacted nearby.

"You have to calm down" Anna whispered to herself, cuddled under her purple sheet at the middle of the straw bed- "We shall be fine, we shall survive…"

Kristoff sat on the ground and caressed her hair, realizing that Anna had started to shake.

"Anna..."

The candles eventually burned out, awful explosions continued in the world above and the royal bunker was plunged into the darkness…