Chapter Twenty Three

Fallen Snow Queen

Author's Commentary:

Trigger alert: There is a brief scene involving drugs in the early part of the chapter. Please skip over that segment if you feel uncomfortable. Also on a side note, a big thank you to the reader who pointed out my mistake of uploading the same chapter twice.

ELSA

I have to beat him. Elsa struck the ground with all her might, ice shooting across the cracked tiles of the throne room towards Hans. The force of her attack stumbled the man for a brief second, and that was all she needed. Charging forward, she slammed her palms against his chest, ice surging out as she did so. This time, she sent Hans flying, but merely a few feet backward.

His feet dug into the ground, cracking the tiles. A wolfish grin crossed his face. "At this rate, you'll never beat me."

Desperation mounting, she shot her hands out again, feeling the exertion of sorcery begin to take its toll. It was like keeping a muscle tensed for longer than it should be, only this felt like all her muscles were being tensed at the same time. She felt sick, horrible, sweat poured down her face, but she still pressed the attack.

Shards of ice formed out of the air's moisture, and she hurled her hand towards Hans. The shards flew at him and Elsa furrowed her brows in concentration, manipulating the trajectory and the force of her ice. The shards grew closer to one another as they flew, forming a tight grouping the same way Melody would fire her arrows. Another burst of sorcery gave the shards of ice an extra boost of speed and power, and they embedded themselves into Han's chest.

Elsa's knees buckled beneath her and she sagged, watching blood seep through his white shirt. Her heart sank as he looked at her in amusement.

"What part of immortal do you not understand?" Hans clicked his tongue as he strode towards her, snapping the icicles out of his chest as though they were nothing but mild annoyances. "I'd have thought you would have put up more of a fight. I'm a little disappointed."

With gritted teeth, Elsa tried to stand but her body wouldn't allow it. She'd never pushed her sorcery this hard before, and it had clearly broken her. Her heart hammered loudly in her chest, reverberating through her head even as the splitting headache continued to plague her.

Hans grabbed her by the collar of her blouse and lifted her to eye level. "You've lost." He smirked. "As you always do. Haven't you learnt by now? You can't win."

Suddenly, Elsa got the feeling she'd been here before. Many times. She stared at the gloating face of her enemy, unable to even lift her arms to break free of his grip. She opened her mouth to speak but no words came out.

"It's time to stop fighting. Give up. Succumb to the dark. Surrender to me."

Her throat tightening, all she could do was glare at him in defiance.

He sighed. "You leave me no choice." Hans dragged her across the throne room towards the balcony.

Futilely, Elsa tried to struggle to break his grip. She mustered up the strength to summon a sliver of her sorcery, for all the good that would do. Slamming her hand against Hans, his arm began to grow blue as it froze.

Hans only seemed to notice it when he'd dragged her out onto the balcony overlooking the Empire. Glancing down in annoyance, he swatted her across the cheek.

Her skin stinging, she couldn't even find her voice to cry out. Instead, her eyes just watered as every ounce of strength left her body. She was lifted off the ground and into the air above Hans' head. Below them stretched a yawning abyss.

"Goodbye, Elsa." He said as he dropped her from the balcony.

Her heart leapt into her throat as she fell, but she couldn't scream. Her arms and legs possessed no strength to flail either. All she could do was fall. And fall. Deeper into the depths below, her surroundings growing darker as she descended into the bottomless pit.

As Elsa fell, she heard whispers. The whispers of familiar voices. The voices of Anna, Tracy, Kristoff, Jade and the rest. Their voices overlapped one another, creating a cacophony of whispers that grew into screams of terror and pain. Down here in the dark, she wasn't alone. She was plagued by the voices of those she'd failed.

"Why couldn't you stop him?" Anna's voice rung like a bell in her head.

"You could've saved me!" Jade screamed. "But you let them take me!"

No, I'm sorry! Elsa wanted to shout, but her throat had been sealed.

"They slaughtered us all," Janus' deep mechanical voice behind his mask sounded like a menacing snarl. "Because you weren't there to help us!"

"You let them tear me apart!" Tracy shrieked. "You dragged me into your mad quest, only to get me killed!"

No, no, no, no. Elsa tried to scream and failed again. The darkness grew more ominous as she fell, and every bit of her consciousness began to fade away into oblivion.

Cold water splashed against her face, jolting her from her slumber. Eyes shooting open abruptly, Elsa gasped sharply for air, finally able to hear herself again. Her matted hair dripped with cold water, mingling with the sweat on her skin. The water soaked her week-old blouse and ran down her leggings, dripping from her bare feet. Someone loosened the shackles on her wrists and she fell to the ground in a heap, soaking wet and in shock.

Breathing hard and fast, Elsa tried to think but her mind felt fuzzy. The splitting headache from her nightmare wasn't a figment of her imagination. It was real. Her head pounded excruciatingly, her entire body wrecked with exhaustion and fatigue even though she'd been sleeping.

Glancing around lethargically, she tried to make sense of her reality. She was still in the dungeons beneath the depths of Exon's capital, a prisoner of the Crimson Order. And by extension, a prisoner of Hans, who had declared himself as Emperor of Exon and made himself an immortal by becoming the host of the Eternal King.

The cell she was in felt depressingly familiar. After all, she'd already been stuck here for more than a week, with nothing but daily morning visits from Lord Magnus who would throw a bucket of water over her to "rehydrate" her and force her to use her sorcery to conjure up blizzards to slow down the Coalition, on orders from the Emperor himself. With very little food and water, the exertion from using her sorcery on such a large scale drained her considerably and on several occasions she felt like she was on the verge of death. Not that Magnus seemed to care.

Her eyes coming into focus, she saw the High Priest in the corner of her small cell, setting down a pail of water.

"Magnus." she rasped, finding her throat unbearably dry. Her own voice was so hoarse that it alarmed her.

The High Priest crossed the cell and knelt down beside her, a beaker of murky contents in his hand. "Drink."

She had no choice. The potion, drugs or whatever he forced her to drink daily was the only thing that kept her hydrated and alive. It didn't matter that it put her in a constant state of drowsiness, she just needed something to quench her thirst. She drank from the beaker greedily, feeling the bitter liquid course down her throat and fill her mouth with a horrible aftertaste. But she didn't care. Breathing hard, she dropped her head as the overwhelming effects of the potion swept over her, and she curled into a ball, shivering as her body grew even more lethargic than before.

Producing a key, Magnus began to undo the magic dampening collar around her neck and unlocked it. "You know the drill, witch." he said with disdain, taking a step away from her. "Conjure the storm."

"I-I can't."

"We've been over this before. The serum should rehydrate you and restore your witchcraft just enough for you to do it." Magnus' tone was plain and simple. "Conjure the storm."

As she struggled into a seated position, Elsa could feel a small trickle of strength returning to her. "I won't."

"We've been over that too." Magnus towered over her. "You know what Hans threatened to do if you don't do it."

Kill Tracy. Elsa glared up at Lord Magnus.

"Frankly, I don't really care if you do it or not. Not that it matters anymore." The old man said, his tone turning into a growl. "With that cunning bastard playing host to the Eternal King, the Crimson Order's existence is at his mercy."

"You should've known better before you made a deal with the devil." She managed to croak, the words paining her dry throat.

"I could say the same about you." Lord Magnus eyed her. "Walked yourself right into his trap and now, you're nothing but his little magic weapon to destroy the Coalition. Look," he shook his head. "If its any consolation, I would've just killed you quickly and painlessly if it were up to me. But he has plans for you. Whether you like it or not, you belong to the Emperor now. If you don't want your friend to die, conjure the blizzard."

Elsa propped herself up against the wall of the cell, resting her heavy head against the stone ridges. Rubbing her red and chafed wrists, she slowly lifted her arms and with much effort, dug down deep into the wells of her sorcery. Ice began to form on the palms of her hand and she lifted them towards the sky.

Her arms screamed for mercy but she held them up with every ounce of energy left in her. Heart hammering in her chest and head pounding, she grunted and pushed sorcery out of her. Ice crusted over her palms and magic began to flow more freely, creating a miniature storm inside the very cell she was in. Snow particles hovered and the crevices in the stone wall began to fill up with ice. The air grew bitterly cold and cold winds howled. The effort wrecked her entire body with agonising pain and she groaned. It hurt so badly that her eyes watered involuntarily, sweat pouring down her face.

Finally, amassing enough sorcery, Elsa pushed the storm up into the air, releasing the blizzard up into the land above where it would continue to plague the Coalition and the Imperial Horde alike. The winds died down instantly and all signs of sorcery faded from the cell as her arms fell limply to her sides.

Sweat trickled down her neck and arms, her eyes drooping shut. Breath heavy and pained, Elsa tried to ignore the pain spreading through her already exhausted body. The compounded effect of unleashing that kind of sorcery every day was taking a real toll on her body, and she knew she wouldn't be able to take much more of it. Sooner or later, her heart would give out.

"Good girl. The Emperor will see you now." Lord Magnus said impassively.

Elsa forced herself to open her eyes and raise her head.

Hans had appeared so silently that she hadn't heard him approach. He nodded to the High Priest. "That will be all, Lord Magnus." He said politely, his blood-curdling voice echoing in her ears.

Magnus narrowed his eyes, but obeyed, leaving Elsa behind with Hans. He stepped into the cell and towered over her. As usual, he was dressed in his new royal regalia, draped in the muddy red colours of the Empire, with golden epaulettes on his shoulders.

"I must say, you've certainly looked better." Hans looked down at her with mocking eyes. "Oh how the mighty Snow Queen has fallen."

The pain and exhaustion negated her ability to reply, and she just stared up at him with glassy eyes, her mind fuzzy and head throbbing.

"I would sap the life force and magic from you to feed the Eternal King, but you don't seem to have much of it left." Hans shook his head in feigned sympathy. "Aren't you even wondering why I'm here?"

When she didn't reply, he went on. "I came to tell you that your precious Coalition is now on the run. My Imperial Horde is closing in and they will crush the Coalition once and for all. And I'll be there when it happens." He stooped down to the ground, magic dampening collar in hand. He stroked her cheek gently with the back of a gloved hand. "Believe me. It pains me to see you broken like this. But just a couple more days of the blizzards and the Coalition will finally be crushed. And then you can rest. I promise."

"You won't win." Elsa managed to whisper.

He smiled. "Oh, but I already have. You've been beaten. Your friends have fallen. The Coalition is no longer a threat. Very soon, I will establish Pax Exon and the world will have a ruler like none other."

"Anna will stop you." She growled softly as Hans hauled her up. "If anyone can, it's her."

"I'll make sure she dies by my hand. That I can promise you. And then I'll come back here and see the despair in your eyes when you realise that your flesh and blood is gone."

Rage coursed through Elsa's veins and she allowed it to take hold of her. Crying out in desperate anger, a sudden reserve of sorcery seemed to spring up within her and she gripped Hans' arm with all the strength she could muster, channeling whatever magic remained in her in spite of the throbbing in her head and the pain overwhelming her body.

Ice began to form on Hans' arm, slowly turning his skin blue. But to her dismay, he just chuckled.

"Still some fight left in you. I admire that. You're stronger than I gave you credit for, but it won't matter." With great force, he slammed his palm against her collarbone and shoved her against the stone wall, breaking her hold on his arm.

The air was knocked out of Elsa as she collided with the wall, whatever fight that remained leaving her. The magic faded and her arm slumped back to her side. The exertion of sorcery left her feeling worse off than before, but it had barely done anything to the fiend.

"And what did that accomplish?" Hans clicked his tongue in disappointment. "Please don't make me hurt you again." He bent down and began loosening the chains on her ankles, then picked up a pair of heavy irons from the ground. Gripping her arm tightly, he pulled her away from the wall and began fastening the heavy irons around her wrists, chaining them together. He clapped the magic dampening collar around her neck with a loud click. "I want to show you something." He whispered into her ear as he ran a hand through her damp hair.

Elsa didn't have the energy to resist or ask where he was taking her as he led her to the door and out of the cell. It was the first time she was out of her cell in a week, or maybe even longer. In the fuzziness of her mind, she'd lost count. Her knees suddenly buckled and gave way beneath her and she stumbled. If it weren't for Hans holding onto her, she would've sprawled with the side of her face against the dusty stones that made up the dungeon floor.

He sighed sympathetically. "Poor Elsa. Magnus is a little extreme with torture, isn't he? Drugging you with that potion of his and forcing you to conjure the blizzards day after day without any regard for your health or wellbeing."

"You control him. You did this to me." She managed to snarl as he roughly hauled her back to her feet. His arm looped around her and gripped her side, propping her up. All she wanted to do was push him away with as much animosity as she could muster and incapacitate him in a human-sized block of ice that would trap him for all of his miserable eternity. But she couldn't. Her mind was willing but her body was broken.

Drifting in and out of consciousness, she felt herself being half-dragged, half carried through the tunnels. Her feet scraped along bedrock painfully, skin cut by the sharp fragments that jutted from the ground. Lights from the oil lamps flashed about her as the two of them passed by. The blurry figures of brown cloaks and shadowy figured flitted about her vision, whispering and chanting.

Ignahon Malkovtoh. The cursed incantation echoed in her head as the fabrics of the brown cloaks flowed past.

Finally, she could feel herself climbing. Her legs worked lethargically without her knowledge, Hans surprisingly patient with the deadening pace they were moving at. One step at a time, Elsa found herself ascending the steps to a fairly bright, warm light at the top of the stairs. The next thing she knew, she was in the vast corridors, her feet dragging against a thick red wool carpet instead of rock.

"Almost there, Elsa. Just a little further." Hans whispered beside her in a mockingly encouraging tone. "Trust me, you won't want to miss this."

She must have passed out momentarily, for when she opened her eyes, she saw an arena, a round pit in the ground, and an arc of wedge-shaped stone seats elevated above the pit. Shaking her head languidly, she forced her eyes to focus. The blurred vision gave way to clear sight, and she saw the resemblance of a colosseum, though halved and scaled down to fit into an indoor environment. Men in brown cloaks were seated in the arc above the pit. A couple of the Mage Slayers flanked the Emperor's seat box that took centre stage on the opposite side of the arc, also safely elevated above the danger of the pit below.

Hans let go of her, and she tried her best to keep her balance on her own. Failing, she staggered and fell on her knees, exhaustion and the throbbing in her skull threatening to overwhelm her. Two Mage Slayers put her ankles in chains, preventing her from getting up of her own accord.

"Why?" She managed. "Why all this?"

"Being the benevolent ruler I am, I thought you deserved a night of entertainment after the torture Magnus put you through." He spread his hands as he glanced sidelong at her, taking his seat in the Emperor's seat box. "Though I apologise I didn't have a seat prepared for you."

Elsa eyed the Mage Slayers taking their places around their Emperor. Beneath their hoods, they watched her with eagle eyes. Judging by their stance, they obviously had orders to incapacitate her should she try something brash.

"It's beautiful, isn't it? A colosseum in the castle itself." He sighed in contentment. "I wish I could take the credit for it, but no. This was Eleanor's doing. Or perhaps even her predecessors, I'm not sure. It was here when I first arrived, but no one was using it. I thought now would be a good time to revive it for the sake of entertainment. You know as well as I do that we could all use a bit of lightening up in these stressful times." He turned to the arena below and smiled. "Just in time I see. Here comes tonight's gladiator."

Groggily, Elsa looked down into the arena below. At the opposite end of the pit, the iron gate was slowly being vertically lifted by a pulley system manned by two soldiers on both sides. To her dismay, a familiar figure walked into the arena.

As Hans began chuckling, her eyes widened and her heart sank. No. Elsa's blood curdled as her hands and feet grew clammy with sweat.