I don't own Batman or Kingdom Hearts. They belong to DC Comics, Square Enix, and Disney. And here we are the first part of the first Disney World visit from the Red Hood. Not a lot of action in this one, but I promise there will be more in the next chapter. In case you haven't figured it out from the pairing in the summary, the first Disney World is Frozen. Now then, before we begin, let's reply to some reviews...
the mysterious Mr.E: Thanks!
Gamelover41592: Thank you!
VaderSkywalker: I already explained this within the last chapter but remember in Season 4 where Ezra entered the World between Worlds? You know, it's how he was able to save Ashoka from Darth Vader. He attempted to destroy it in the season finale so the Emperor wouldn't get his hands on it. In this timeline, he narrowly succeeded damaging it, but Thrawn found a way to fix it... mostly.
At the moment, he can't use it to travel to the past, just all worlds in either the present time or ones that exist 12 years into the future. Despite this, it's an essential part of "Operation Kingdom" and to gain full access to it, they need a "key." And since Sora is destined to wield the Keyblade... he's the final piece in Thrawn's plans.
Until they have him though, the Remmant of the Empire have been building up their forces on other worlds the New Republic can't reach them. Throughout time and space. As for how Thrawn was able to fix it and what Operation Kingdom is... that's still the mystery. Let's just say, it makes Protical 10 look like a surprise party in comparison. Hope this clears things up and I'm glad you're enjoying this nonetheless. Oh, and the Destiny Islands is at the same time period as Jason. The other worlds, will mostly be worlds that Sora will one day travel to, for example, Arendelle.
Heart of Shepard: Thank you! Hope this one was worth the wait.
twilightnite13: Yeah, I wanted this story to be more unique to some of my other stories, so I'm glad you like were this is going.
And with that out of the way, let's start the chapter. Enjoy!
Chapter 2: Meeting Royalties
Red Hood landed on the earth beneath them with the boy in his arms as Ace landed by his side. Jason then turned his gun back to the portal in case anyone followed them through. Thankfully the portal closed on itself, with no one else coming through it. With the threat passed, even for a moment, Jason placed his pistol back into his holster. Setting the boy down, the former Robin reached for his coms, "Bridger, we made it through. Where are you?"
"Well..." Ezra's voice hesitated, "It doesn't look like you're on the same world as I am. Not even the same time era."
"Really?" Jason glanced at the confused boy, who tilted his head, "How are the coms working then?"
"The Empire must have found a way to stay in contact throw the World Between Worlds," The rebel admitted, "Guess ours works as an extension. Looks like your in a world that's twelve years from now. The Empire does have a base somewhere nearby. I suggest keeping your heads low while I figure out how to bring you to Lothal." He then asked, "Speaking of, how did you get through? I wasn't having any luck on my end."
"Kid's a meta," He glanced at Sora, "Looks like he can summon a key that can stabilize the portal."
"Still don't know what a meta is," Ezra muttered, "But summoning a key? Never heard of it but I might know someone who might. Although, it could take some time. Some time has passed since I was stuck in carbonite longer than I thought."
"How long are we talking about?" Jason asked with an eyebrow raised.
"10 years," Ezra answered.
"Damn," Jason blinked, "That's a long of time."
"I did learn quite a few things happened," Ezra admitted, "In short, the Empire lost the war. Their Emperor is dead and the Sith perished along with it."
Jason didn't know what a Sith was, but he understood the other two-thirds of the conversation. Their so-called 'Empire' has fallen. These Imperials lost their leader. If he had to guess, Project Kingdom was a fail-safe should something like that should their Emperor have fallen. The only question was what was it? He decided to share his thoughts with his new ally, "So, Project Kingdom... it sounds like a fail-safe in case this Empire has lost the War."
"You may be on to something," The Rebel admitted, "It looks like they tried something called Operation Cinder a while back but that failed. And if the boy you found can stabilize the portals..."
"...they could use him to take them anywhere and anywhen in time," Jason stated.
"They could save their Emperor, just before he was killed," Ezra gasped in horror
"Something tells me Thrawn has something much bigger in mind," The Red Hood deduced, "I'm going find a safe place to hide the kid then I'll find out what the Empire knows here about Project Kingdom. Keep me posted if you find anything else on your end."
Ending the call, Sora tilted his head, "What was that about? Who were you talking to?"
"An ally," Jason answered as he turned to the boy, "The rest is grown-up stuff." Sora frowned at that before the Red Hood stated, "Now, come on. We should keep moving before the Empire realizes you're here."
Hearing the sounds of cheers and music within the distance, Jason turned and quietly walked toward the source of the noise. Ace did the same as a curious islander followed them. Taking a look at the village below, Sora stared in amazement, "Wow..."
Jason went for his coms, "Bridger? When did you say we were in the time frame of time?"
"12 years in the future," Ezra admitted, "Why do you ask?"
"Because it feels like we went further back in time," Red Hood admitted. In fairness, compared to the worlds he's been to so far, were modern compared to this place. Ships look like their from a period when knights in shining armor were a thing. The village by the fjord below looked heavily populated with civilians and visitors gathering for a celebration of some kind...
Arendelle
Ezra hummed in thought, "Hmmm... interesting. I don't recognize a lot of these worlds that the Empire set up bases on. If I had to guess, most of them haven't discovered that there's life on other worlds outside their own."
"If they lost the war, they'd be wanted criminals in the worlds you know," Jason realized, "They could have thought it would best if they set up bases and planned on worlds that never heard of them."
"That doesn't make them less dangerous," The Rebel cautioned him, "Don't do anything too risky."
As their conversation ended, Jason did a scan of the village, "Don't see any bucket heads... an Imp could have ditched their uniform. Still, with the celebration, they'd have difficulty finding us within the village. Could be a good place to lay low." He glanced at Sora, "And keep you safe while I investigate what Project Kingdom?"
"Project Kingdom?" Sora repeated as he tilted his head, "What's that?"
"That's what I'm going to find out," Jason declared before figuring out their next move. He thought, "Now, I doubt they'll accept American Currency, so how are we going to a place to stay for a night?"
Suddenly, they heard horse steps racing toward them. Soon enough, they were surrounded by five bandits as they unsheathed their swords. One aimed his weapon toward the Red Hood, "Give us your gold and valuables and we won't harm you."
Jason merely smirked underneath his helmet. He didn't even need his guns or gadgets to take out these punks. Red Hood merely cracked his knuckles, "Bring it..."
Jason defeated all five of the thieves with ease. As well as strip them of any valuables they had on them. Now, he and the islander road to the village on one of the horses while Ace followed them. Sora glanced at the Red Hood, "Ummm..."
"Something you want to say, kid," Jason, now removing his helmet, glanced at the boy, "Sorry, I never actually got your name."
"It's Sora," The boy finally introduced himself, "And I know those bad guys tried to hurt us but did you have to steal from them."
"Well, Sora, in many cases, yes, stealing would be wrong," Jason nodded, "The gold they did have was probably stolen from other people, same with the horses, as soon as we're in the village, I'll let the proper authorities know where to pick them up and help find the horses get back to their proper owners. The gold... I'm going to borrow until we leave this world."
"Oh, borrowing is good," Sora admitted as they approached the town, "So, Mr...?"
"Jason Todd," Red Hood introduced himself, "But when I wearing my helmet call me the Red Hood."
"Okay, Mr. Todd." The boy nodded before asking, "So, can you teach me to do what you did back there?"
Jason sighed as he had a feeling this conversation was going to come up sooner or later. Heck, he pondered those thoughts when Bruce took him in before offering the role of Robin to him.
However, Sora was even younger than he was when he first became Robin. He doubted he'd be able to handle that kind of training at his age. Still, the kid, whether he knew what it was or not, was a meta. The chances of a normal life at this point were pretty much zip at this point. Jason sighed, "Sora... this life isn't an easy one. And you're a little young to start learning what I know..." Sora frowned at that until Jason spoke up again, "...but you do have a gift." Looking back up at him as they approached the town, "As you grow, people like us are supposed to use our gifts to help others. Fight for those who can't fight for themselves. So, when you get old enough, I can help you figure out how to control that gift and teach you how to defend yourself and others. For now, though, the goal is to get you back to my world, then I'll deal with the bad guys who took your parents away from you."
"Oh, okay," Sora perked up a little before wondering, "So, is there anything you can teach me right now?"
Jason chuckled to himself, he had to give the boy points for persistence, as he shrugged, "Well, it won't be any fight skills but I can give some survival tips you can always use." As they continued to ride to the kingdom, Jason gestured to the kingdom, "It's always a good idea to be observant around, take this place for example... take a good look at the people around you..."
Sora did as instructed as he spotted a mother getting her son in a suit, he could hear the boy complain, "Mom, why do I have to wear this?"
"Because the Queen has come to age," The mother told the boy, "It's Coronation Day!"
"But that's not my fault!"
Sora turned to another group seeing an all-dressed elder man following alongside two guards, as he observed the castle in awe, "Ah, Arendelle, our mysterious trading partner..." His eyes narrowed greedily, "Unlock those gates so I may expose your secrets and exploit your riches." He then froze before turning to his bodyguards, "Did I say that out loud?"
Sora noticed there were all sorts of talks about a Queen and Princess except for that one guy who shared a carrot with a reindeer, "Ewwwwww!"
"So, what have you gathered?" Jason asked the boy, only causing him to tilt his head in confusion, "What did you learn about what's happening here today?"
"Oh, um, the castle gates are opening," Sora tried to piece together what he heard people talking about, "Because... some big holiday is today... something about the Queen and Princess. It's... ummm... Cornynation Day."
"Coronation Day," Jason nodded in approval, "Good. Not bad for a first try." Sora at that as the Red Hood continued, "When doing this job, you have to learn as much as you can in order to help others and stop bad guys. With enough info, you can be ready for anything."
"Got it," The spiky hair boy nodded, before wondering, "But... what I don't get is what is a Cornynation Day? And why is everyone so hyped up about the gates being opened?"
"Well, a Coronation is when the eldest child of the King and Queen is old enough to rule in their stead and become officially the new King or Queen of a Kingdom such as this one," Jason explained, "As for your second question... is actually a pretty good one..."
Why was everyone so hyped about the gates being opened? Did they not often want visitors... or are they hiding something... something the Empire would be interested in. At least, enough to build a base somewhere on this planet. He spotted a well-dressed man, around his age, as walking over to the castle, he called out to him, "Excuse me..."
The man turned to him revealing the sideburns on his face, "Yes?"
"My... nephew and I like to travel around but this is the first time we've come to visit this Kingdom," Jason told the man a half-truth, "We couldn't help noticing the excitement, what makes this one special above all others."
"You mean you never heard?" The man asked in shock, he then revealed, "Well, when I was a boy, the Kingdom of Arendelle was open to all then one day, the former King ordered the gates to be shut and no one knows why. Then three years ago he and the former Queen were lost at sea, and now that Queen has come of age, this is the one day that the gates of Arendelle will be opened again."
"Interesting," Jason rubbed his chin.
"How come you never heard?" The man asked the secret vigilante, "It's pretty common knowledge."
"Well," Jason turned back to the man, "We live pretty far away."
"How far are we talking about?" He asked.
"As far as you can imagine," He admitted without revealing the fact both he, Sora, or Ace were from other worlds and times.
"I'll take your word for it, Mr..." The man shrugged.
"Todd. Jason Todd," He introduced himself, "Thanks for the info."
"Prince Hans of the Southern Isles," The man introduced himself, "And no problem. Have to say, you choose quite a time to visit Arendelle with your nephew."
"Yeah, no kidding," Jason forced a smile.
"...For the first time in forever~ For the first time in forever~ Nothing's in my way~" The heard the voice of a young woman sing until she ran into the Prince's horse causing her to fall into a row boat which was going to fall over the edge into the fjord. Jason reached for his grappling hook in order to stop the young woman from falling in, however, Hans moved his horse in order to balance out the boat.
The young woman sat up with her eyes narrowed at the man who ran into her, "HEY!"
Hans turned to her with an apologetic smile on his face, "I'm so sorry. Are you hurt?"
"Hey. I-ya, no. No. I'm okay." Seeing how handsome the Prince was she smiled.
The Prince hopped off his horse, "Are you sure?"
"Yeah, I just wasn't looking where I was going. But I'm okay. I'm great, actually." Anna admitted.
He sighed in relief as he offers her a hand and their eyes meet, "Oh, thank goodness."
Jason merely stared at the chain of events, his hand moved away from his grappling hook, as Sora looked between the two natives of this world, as the former hopped off the horse he was borrowing, before helping the boy down. He whispered to the boy, "Follow my lead."
Sora nodded as the Prince helps her to her feet, he gave a small bow as he introduced himself, "Oh... um... Prince Hans of the Southern Isles."
"Princess Anna of Arendelle." The young woman introduced herself with a curtsy.
Considering how fancy she was, Jason deduced easily that she was royalty, although, he couldn't say for certain that she was of this Kingdom until she confirmed it. The Prince, however, eyes widened in shock, "Princess?" He quickly dropped to his knees, head bowed, "My lady."
Jason, Ace, and Sora approached the Princess as the two natives of Gotham City bowed to the Princess greeting her, as Sora awkwardly bow to her. Han's horse also proceeded to bow to her, curling his hoof up and out of the boat causing the boat to tip. Hans tumbles on top of Anna. She smiled sheepishly, "Hi... again."
The horse slams his foot back into the boat to stabilize it. Anna and Hans tumble the other way. Anna lands on top of him. Hans stated, "Oh boy."
"Ha. This is awkward. Not that you're awkward, but just because we're..." She laughed nervously as they got back up, "I'm awkward. You're gorgeous. Wait, what?"
Jason chuckled in amusement getting the attention of the Princess, "Yeah, super subtle, your highness."
"Who's this?" Anna asked Hans, "Is he with you?"
"Oh, no," The Prince shook his head, "Mr. Todd here, was just visiting your Kingdom with his nephew."
"Nephew?" The Princess blinked before finally noticing Sora's presence with a large gasp of joy, "OH MY GOSH! HE'S ADORABLE!" She knelt down, "Hello there, sweetie! What's your name?"
Sora nervously waved to her, "Hi... My name is Sora."
"Well, it's nice to meet you, Sora," Anna smiled, "How old are you?" The islander slowly raised up four fingers as Anna beamed, "Four! That's almost a full-finger set! Soon, you'll have to count your age with two hands!"
Sora smiled at her as she turned to Jason, "You've got a sweet nephew."
"Thanks," Jason nodded.
The Prince of the Southern Isles cleared his throat getting Anna's attention as he apologized, "I'd like to formally apologize for hitting the Princess of Arendelle with my horse... and for every moment after."
"No. No. No. It's fine." Anna reassured him, "I'm not THAT Princess. I mean, if you'd hit my sister, Elsa, that would be- yeash! Cuz, you know..." She then started petting his horse, "Hello." The horse neighed before she turned back to Hans, "But, lucky you, it's... it's just me."
"Just you?" Hans smiled showing he was amused.
She smiles back as the bells began to ring. She doesn't notice at first when finally, "The bells. The coronation. I-I-I better go. I have to...I better go." She was about to pass the visitors from other worlds before turning to them, "Oh, are you here for the coronation, too?"
"Actually," Jason admitted, "We live so far away, we weren't aware there was a coronation today. We just wanted to get out of town after going through some rough events."
"Rough events?" The Princess questioned.
Jason glanced around before gesturing over to her to whisper something to her. Leaning over, he whispered, "Sora's parents were murdered not that long ago." This new info caused Anna to gasp in horror quietly as he continued, "I wanted to take Sora's mind off things and two what I can to help him move forward, hence this vacation."
Filled with compassion, she turned to Sora as Ace walked over beside him. She turned back to Jason, "Theropy dog?" The former Robin, figuring it's the perfect cover story for the Bathound, nodded in confirmation. Now, speaking aloud, "You know what, since you're all the way here, why don't you, your nephew, and dog come to the coronation and after party."
This was perfect, if there were any political Imperial supporters here, he could get them all in one room. Maybe he can get more information about Operation Kingdom from a little... chat. Since the gates have been closed to the general public for years, he could cross off Princess Anna and the Queen from said list but at least get some allies in this world. Still, to avoid suspicion from anyone overhearing, he politely tried to decline, "Oh, you don't have to..."
"Oh, it's no trouble at all," Anna reassured him, "My sister certainly won't mind, and I'm sure no one else will." She turned to Hans, "You don't mind do you?"
"Not at all," Hans shook his head, "Let the kid have a once-in-a-lifetime experience."
"See? Perfectly fine," Anna smiled, "I'll ensure to let both my guard and my sister know that you're invited... as well as your nephew's..." She glanced at the boy before back at Jason, "...situation. I'm sure they'll understand having your therapy dog being there too."
"Well, I guess it would be considered rude not to accept a gift from a Princess," Jason shrugged before glancing at Sora and Ace, "Guess, we should get some fancy clothes for the big day." He turned back to Anna with a respective bow, "Thank you, your Highness."
"Again," Anna reassured him, "It's no problem, Mr. Todd." She knelt to Sora and Ace as she rubbed the former's head, earning some giggles from him, before moving on to Ace with another head rub, "See you all inside."
She stood up to return to the castle, but not before giving the Prince a wave, "Bye."
As she rushed off again, Hans waves back. The horse waves too, once again taking his hoof out of the boat, Hans's eyes widened as he realized what came next, "Oh no."
Both the boat and himself fell into the water causing Sora to burst out laughing as Jason grabbed the reigns of his borrowed horse, and picked the boy up, "Come on... Let's see if there are any clothing stores still open..."
Thankfully, he was able to find one and they were able to get some suits for himself and the boy. He had to guess the boy's size, but being raised by the world's greatest detective had some benefits. The only real problem was tying the tie causing him to mutter to himself, "How does Alfred do this?"
Thankfully, he was able to convince the shop owner to lend them a hand. Once they were suited, Jason left most of his weapons, gadgets, and gear with the other weapons by the guard, earning some looks from the guard as they had never seen weapons like his before, minus the daggers, he did keep a few on his person to be safe. If Bruce taught him one thing, it was to prepare for anything to happen... although, he did admit he didn't see the Princess singing like she was in a musical coming.
Anyways, as he entered the Cathedral with Sora and Ace by his side, the former asked, "Umm... are you really my Uncle?"
That's when it occurred to him, he never explained the little white lie to Sora. He shook his head, "No, I'm not your Uncle. But we need to let everyone else believe that I am."
"Why?" The young Islander tilted his head, "Isn't lying supposed to be wrong?"
"Well, yes, you're not supposed to lie," Jason admitted, "But remember, those bad men that are after you..." Sora nervously nodded, "Well, I can't say for certain, they haven't already made spies on this world, and they might know how important you are to their plans. But we are going to find them first..."
Sora blinked, "But how?"
"By beating them at their own game," Jason smirked, "The three of us are going undercover."
Sora beamed at that thought. He was going to be a spy. Find the bad guys and stop them before they could hurt anyone else. He and Riku would sometimes play spy with their other friends like Tidus, Wakka, and Selphie, but he'd never thought he would be able to get to do it in real life. The boy whispered to himself, "I get to be a spy?" He then turned to Jason, "What do I do?"
"You going to pretend that I am your uncle," Jason instructed, "Don't mention anything about being from another world or anything about the Empire to anyone except me and Ace. I give your further instructions later." He then advised, "Don't just play the nephew, BE the nephew."
Sora saluted him, "Yes, sir."
"Yes..." The former Robin tested Sora."
"Yes, Uncle Jason, sir," The Islander nodded.
"Good," Jason nodded as they entered the cathedral, "Now, let's get to that Coronation."
The boy nodded as they found some available seats. Not long after, he spotted Prince Hans taking a few seats ahead of them. Hans took a seat in the middle of the crowd, while he exchanged a smile with Anna, who was standing at the altar. The Red Hood rolled his eyes before everyone turned to the back of the church as the Queen head toward the altar.
Jason was stunned as he noticed the Queen's beauty, as the elder sister of Princess Anna nervously walked her way to the front and center of the church. Her long, shiny platinum blond hair was in a bun. The flawless features of her angelic face, her glistening crystal blue eyes. Peter felt like had fallen into a trance as he saw this beauty walking gracefully and majestically towards the altar. Sure, her sister was also good-looking, but this woman was easily on par with some of the heroines he had seen in the Justice League. Wonder Woman including.
He wasn't sure why she looked nervous though. Perhaps it was pre-jitters? Or was it something else? Gemaphobia? She was wearing gloves. He couldn't help but feel that there was something else going on. Something that would cause the gates to be closed for years.
He lost his thoughts as Sora tugged on Jason's pants, he turned to the boy. The orphan whispered, "I can't see."
Jason shook his head in amusement before picking up the boy and placing him on his shoulders. As soon as they paid back their attention to the coronation, Anna spotted the boy and gave him an excited wave. Sora waved back as the bishop placed the crown on the new Queen's head. He then proceeded to hand her the scepter and the Crown Jewels. He was about to take them when the bishop reminded her, "You're Majesty, the gloves."
The Queen hesitated for a moment before looking down at her gloved hands. Slowly, she removed both gloves and set them down to the side before taking the crown jewels into her bare hands. She then turned to the crowd as they all rose to their feet. The bishop started a speech in Latin and as he did so Jason noticed something crawled up the jewels. His eyes narrowed before confirming it was ice.
"Well, what do you know, the Queen's a meta-human too," Jason realized, "And at a time when it would seem like witchcraft and they would kill her with fire if anyone found out. Man, that's rough."
Thankfully, the only ones that seemed to notice were himself and the Queen. Although, if this was finished soon, everyone would know. Thankfully, the bishop reached the end of his speech and then officially declared, "Queen Elsa of Arendelle."
As he finished, Elsa immediately reached for her gloves and slid them back onto her hands. It was over. From this moment she was officially the Queen of Arendelle. She would have liked to let out a relieved sigh, but she put on a relaxed smile. As the little boy clapped as well. Jason began to think to himself, her powers might be the reason her parents closed the gates, to protect their daughter.
Still, something else told him there was something she feared more about people discovering what she was. He had to do some more investigating, but he'd figure it out. Still, either way, if he could have a moment with the Queen if he let her know that Sora was also a meta, she might be inclined to help. At least protect him long enough to find the Imperial Base, find out who the head honcho was, and find out anything he could about Operation Kingdom from him or her.
He just needed to figure out how...
Later that afternoon, Jason, Sora, and Ace stood just near the walls of the ballroom. When the music stopped, one of the butlers announced, "Queen Elsa of Arendelle."
Elsa walked to her throne as everyone clapped. Then the servant gestured to Anna as she entered the room, "Princess Anna of Arendelle."
Anna quickly ran into the room. She stopped to wave at the people. One young woman waved back as Kai moved Anna next to her big sister making her ask him, "Oh, here? Are you sure? Because I don't think I'm supposed to..." When finally, placed next to her sister, she shrugged, "Oh. Okay."
Everyone clapped for the New Queen and her sister, Jason and Sora clapped for them as well. So far, no sign of anything out of the ordinary. If there was an Imperial Spy or politician here, he'd find them. Chances were they had an idea that he had the 'key' and knew what the boy looked like. They would slip something up and if they didn't, he was certain to get one of their Stormtroopers talking.
"So, how are we going to figure out who's the bad guy?" Sora asked the Red Hood.
He quietly shushed him as most people in the room began dancing, Jason explained, "We don't want them to know we're looking for them?" Sora quickly clapped his mouth shut, as he continued, "Right now, our objective is to get to her."
He gestured to the other end of the room as Sora spotted the two royal sisters speaking to one another, he then turned to Jason, "The Queen?" Jason nodded as he took a glass of wine from one of the servers, as he took a sip, the boy asked, "How are we going to talk to her? Only those fancy people can get close enough to talk to her."
"Unless she comes to us," Jason thought aloud, brainstorming ideas on how to get that to happen. Just then, they spotted the elder man from before dancing with Princess Anna, he winced, "Oh, I hate to think how she ended up in that situation."
Soon enough, Hans walked in with his own glass of wine in his hand, "Ah, Mr. Todd, funny how we keep running into each other. You enjoying the party?"
"It's alright," Jason shrugged, he had seen these kinds of parties before when he lived in Wayne Manor, heck, he's been in these kinds of parties when he and Bruce where performing an albi to their lives of crimefighting. He then glanced at Sora, "I do feel bad for my nephew though. I haven't seen any other children around."
"Yeah," Hans admitted, "That's a pity. I'm sure Princess Anna thought they would be children would be here as well."
"I don't blame her, she was trying to do something nice for Sora," Jason admitted taking another sip of his alcoholic beverage, "I don't believe it was anyone's fault. These things happen."
Hans nodded in agreement, "True." Deciding to change the subject, "So, you have any other family other than the kid?"
"Yeah, couple brothers, and my father," Jason admitted, "Not directly related. We were adopted. But we see each other as family."
"Any of them give you a hard time?" Hans wondered.
"Dick can be annoying at times," Jason admitted, "And Tim... well... I've yet to meet him in person, he just joined the family."
"If you think two are bad," The Prince stated, "They dealing with twelve older brothers."
The Red Hood winced, "Oh... that's rough." He then glanced to the royal who stared at his own drink, "No chance of inheriting your old man's job."
"Not a chance," Hans admitted, "Guess it's just not in the cards for me."
"...unless you marry a Princess from another Kingdom." Jason thought to himself. And this Kingdom just so happened to only have two single young royal women. He doubted he'd get close to the Queen considering how much she tried to hide herself from others, but Princess Anna seemed head over heels for the Prince. Now while that didn't make him Imperial, or he could in fact actually be humble as he was trying to be, it was best to keep an eye on him. Just in case.
Soon enough, the two saw the Princess tumbling their way, only to be caught by Hans, who gave her a friendly smile, "Glad I caught you."
"Hans," Anna beamed as she also turned to the former Robin, "Mr. Todd." She then turned to the boy, who was currently petting the Bat-Hound, "Sora."
She looked at the boy with sympathy, "I'm really sorry. I thought there would be more children here."
"It's okay," Sora nodded as he continued to pet Ace.
Anna still felt bad for Sora, she wish she could cheer him up. She turned to Sora's "Uncle," "Is there anything I can do for him?"
"You are helping him," Jason reassured her, "More than you really know."
While Jason's statement was true, Anna wasn't convinced, as she told him, "Help yourself to some cake and... maybe I can whip up a basket of toys for you before the gates close again."
"How generous of you," Hans smiled at her as he set his drink down. The two royals then proceeded to dance with each other.
Jason gave his own sympathy for the Princess, for her own sake, he hoped he was wrong about the Prince of the Southern Isles. He then turned back to the Queen smiling at the other royals. It was an act though. Same act Bruce has pulled outside the mask. He doubted she even knew that there were others like her out here.
Suddenly, he felt a slight pain in his head. Sora turned to him in concern, "Er... Uncle Jason? Are you okay?"
The Red Hood shook off the pain as he reassured the boy, "Just a headache. Probably should lay off the alcohol." He then glanced to the dessert table, where an idea struck, "Hey, Sora? You want to learn another survival tip?"
Sora nodded his head eagerly, as Jason told him, "Well, a huge part in that is stealth."
"Stealth?" Sora tilted his head.
"Yeah, there are times you need to be as quiet and sneaky as possible," Jason told the boy, "To get information without anyone knowing, defeating your enemies without letting them know you're there, freighting them, or just to make a cool entrance and exit."
"Will I be able to use smoke bombs too?" Sora wondered.
"Eventually," Jason confirmed, causing the boy to pump a fist, "But before we get to that, I want to see how well you do without one." He gestured to the dessert table, "Try getting some cake without anyone seeing you, Ace will accompany you for support," The Red Hood also thought to himself, "And make sure no Imperials try anything."
Sora could hardly contain his giggles and prepared to make his move before Jason added, "Oh, and Sora." The boy turned to him, "If you do get seen, just say you're playing hide and seek with your Uncle Jason."
The boy nodded before hiding between the legs of the ballroom, most didn't seem to notice, and the ones that did, ended up laughing in amusement. As Sora approached the dessert table, Jason watched from a close distance, before glancing to the Queen, "Here's hoping the Queen also has a soft spot for children."
After many years, Elsa finally got to see her sister, face-to-face again. She missed her. She missed her every day as they grew up. She missed her when their parents were lost at sea. She wanted to hang out with her, just like they did when they were kids. She even admitted that to her... but she couldn't not after what she almost did to her. She can't control the curse. For everyone's shake, she had to conceal her power. Don't feel it. Don't let it show.
As long as she did, everyone would be safe from her. Even Anna. She wished things could be different, but they couldn't. It just wasn't possible. All she could do was put on a show for today, but this could be the last time she could speak to her. Maybe she should tell her... no it would be safer if she never knew. She thought to herself, "Conceal, don't feel. Conceal, don't..." She then heard the laughs of some of the guests, turning to see what they were laughing at, "...feel... wha...?"
Moving from the behinds of the other guests, she spotted a little boy with spiky brown hair, trying to be sneaky as he walked his way through the room, with a dog walking just behind him. Elsa saw the boy dash underneath the dessert table, peaking his head to look through the desserts. Elsa had a hard time holding back her giggles, he was just too cute. It actually reminded her of times when both herself and Anna, mostly Anna, tried to sneak some dessert or play together in the evenings.
When he reached the cakes, a tiny hand tried to reach out for one of the slices of cakes, without being seen. Deciding to lend a hand, Elsa walked over to the table. Pretending he wasn't there, she used a free hand to move a slice of cake near the boy's hand. When he felt the plate, another hand took the plate from the table and retreated underneath the table.
The Queen of Arendelle knelt down and moved the table sheet, to see the boy with his dog underneath. The former looked like he was about able to eat the slice of cake without silverware, when she handed him a fork, "You might want to use one of these?"
"Oh, thank you," Sora smiled happily accepted the fork.
"You're welcome," She smiled as the boy fully acknowledged that he had been spotted, and turned to the Queen with a smile, "Hello there."
"Hi," The boy waved at her, as the dog bowed.
The dog had obviously been trained. Definitely, not by the boy. She asked him, "What are you doing under there?"
He answered her, "Playing hide and seek with Uncle Jason."
Ah, it would appear one of her guests decided to bring his nephew along for the day. She recalled Anna mentioning inviting someone to take his nephew for a small vacation to help cope with a recent loss. Could it be...?
"Excess me? You're Majesty?" A new voice spoke up. She stood up and turned around to see a man around her age, she was briefly stunned by his appearance. She didn't hear him coming. Even more so the man was... well built. Stunning even. He was wondering, "Did you lose something or...?"
"Oh, umm..." She shook her head, snapping out of her own thoughts, "Oh, no. Thank you. I was just..." Shaking her head, "...never mind. Is there something I can do for you?"
"Yeah, I was wondering if you have seen my nephew," The dark hair man asked her.
Blinking a moment, she asked him, "He wouldn't by any chance of brown spiky hair..." She gestured to the boy's height, "This tall..." She finished, "...usually with a dog?"
"That would be him," The man nodded.
Not wanting to spoil the game for the boy, she quickly shook her head, "Oh, no! No. I haven't seen him." She quickly added, "But on an unrelated note, was he allowed to have sweets?"
"Yeah, as long as he doesn't eat too much," The boy's Uncle Jason admitted, "Why do you ask?"
"No reason," She sighed quietly.
After a minute, he realized, "He's underneath the desert table, eating a slice of cake as we speak, isn't he?"
Elsa looked back at the table and then back at Jason, "No."
"You hesitated," Jason pointed out.
"No, I didn't," She denied as the man gave her an amused smirk. She sighed, "Yeah, he's there."
Sora peeked underneath the table with the dog, "Does this mean I lose?"
"I give you an A for effort," Jason reassured the boy.
That's when Elsa realized, she pointed to Jason, "You must be Mr. Todd then?"
"Jason Todd," He bowed to her again, "It's an honor to meet you."
She then looked at the boy with sympathy, "Then you must be Sora." The boy nodded, as knelt down to his level, "Anna told me what happened, I am so sorry for your loss."
Sora frowned as he petted the dog as she turned back to Jason, "As to you as well."
Jason admitted, "Thank you. You don't mind us being here? Your sister invited us last minute..."
"It's fine," She reassured him, "He's been through a lot. He needs this." Elsa turned to him, "Has the culprit been caught?"
Jason's eyes narrowed with determination, "He will be soon." Elsa gave him a concerned look, he quickly apologized, "Sorry, gotta a little dark there for a second."
"It's alright," The Queen nodded, "You and Sora went through a terrible loss. It's okay to be angry at that." She then proceeded to ask, "Is there anything I can do to give you or the boy closer."
"It's fine, really," Jason played it off before whispering to her quite, "Don't look now but I believe one of your guests is in league with the murderer."
Elsa's eyes widened at this sudden information but did as he continued to whisper, "I know you have questions. Is there anywhere we can discuss this without letting the suspect know where on to them."
Elsa thought for a moment, if this was true, the lives of her people and her sister could be in jeopardy. She also didn't want anything to happen to Sora either. She whispered back, "Follow my lead."
She turned to Sora, "Listen, I have some old toys back in my study, maybe your nephew can play with them since there's no one else around."
"I appreciate that, and I'm sure Sora does as well," The former Robin nodded, "Still I'd like to keep an eye on him, you know, after everything."
"Of course," Elsa nodded as she lead Jason to the room, "I wouldn't have it any other way. I would like to personally show them and discuss some business with you."
The Red Hood gestured for Sora and Ace to follow along. The former quickly picked up his cake as the two followed the Queen of Arrendle and Gotham's vitiating to her study, as the former asked, "So does your dog have a name?"
"Ace," Sora answered.
"Oh, that's a good name," Elsa smiled, earning a chuckle from Jason, eventually, they entered the room of the Queen's study as she whispered to the guards, "See to it that we're not interrupted."
"Yes, you're Majesty," The guard nodded.
When Elsa closed the doors, she turned back to visitors, "I wasn't lying about the toys, I have them just up here."
She quickly went to the closet before grabbing a stool where she pulled out a stool and stepped on it to grab the bin of toys from the top shelf. She was about to climb back down when she lost her balance and was about to fall when, Jason caught her by her waist, "You okay?"
"Uh... y-yes," Elsa blushed as she couldn't help but notice how strong he was. She thought to herself, "Concel, don't feel. Don't feel it. Don't feel... WHY IS SO HOT IN HERE?!" As Jason set her down, she tried to shake it off, "Just a little hot in here."
Sora looked in the evening sky, before stating, "It's not that hot in here." He then gestured to the open deck, "And the doors to the deck are open."
Blushing a little bit of embarrassment, she cleared her throat as she handed to toys to Sora, "I know some of the toys are a bit on the girl's side but I'm sure there are things you'll enjoy."
Finding some stuffed toys, Sora thanked the Queen, "Thanks..."
"Should keep him busy while we discuss...," Elsa turned to Jason as she glanced to the islander for a moment before back to him, "...other things."
Jason nodded before instructing the hound, "Ace, stay with Sora."
Ace immediately sat beside Sora as the boy began to hug the stuffed bear. Jason and the Queen approached the out balcony, as the latter turned to the former, "Okay, what makes you think one of my guesses is involved with a killer?"
"I should start from the beginning," He nodded, "Listen, back home, I'm a detective."
The Queen's eyes widened with immediate interest, "Really?" He nodded in confirmation, "So, you've solved cases before?"
"That's right," Jason nodded.
"Okay, prove it," She crossed her arms crossed, not entirely convinced. He could be just paranoid over the loss of loved ones, she hoped he was dragging the child into this. What came next, she certainly didn't expect.
"You trying to hide the fact that you have the ability to control ice from everyone due to an accident that hurt your sister when the two of you were young," Jason answered bluntly.
Elsa froze in shock and horror at that, she stuttered, "H-h-how do you... How could you possibly?"
"I figured Arendelle closed its case for a reason, wasn't sure until your big moment. It was faint, but I noticed the ice crawling up the crown jewels on a warm summer day," Jason explained as he turned to the dumbfounded Queen, "Can't control it without the gloves for over a few seconds, am I right?"
Elsa couldn't believe it, she had kept these powers hidden her whole life. Only a few of the staff truly knew of her power, not even her own sister knew of her power... anymore at least. This man figured it out not even after 12 hours of being in the castle. She then shook her head, "Hold on... that doesn't explain how you know about the accident."
"That's true, I could've just assumed your parents closed the gates in fear of what will happen to you, and you share that fear," Jason nodded, "But that's not what you're afraid of." He then admitted, "I have to admit, the answer didn't come to me until we entered the room together, or more accurately your family portrait."
Elsa turned to it. It was painted when they were children, weeks before the accident, as Jason continued, "I can tell it was painted before the accident, you weren't wearing the gloves by the time it was painted, but I can tell the white streak in your sister's hair was added later, like it didn't happen until afterward," He then turned to the Queen, "She has no idea what really happened that night, does she?"
Well, any doubts she had about Jason being a detective, were gone now, he knew just about everything. She sighed, "No, she doesn't. What we did to save her, resulted in her not remembering I ever had powers." She glanced at Jason, "Are you going to tell anyone?"
"No, I have no reason to," He reassured her, "I can tell the difference between an innocent and guilty. And I'm not blinded by the hate that someone has powers before getting to know them. You're secret won't leave this room."
Blinking for a moment, she asked, "You promise?"
"I promise on my mother's grave," The dark hair man promised, "I will never tell another soul without your permission."
After looking into his eyes, she was sure that he was telling the truth, making her sigh in relief, she whispered, "Thank you..." She then pointed out, "That still doesn't explain why you believe that one of my guests is involved with a murder."
"I should start from the beginning," Jason looked up to the evening sky, "I received a... tip that heavily armored and weaponized men were in the midst of robbing Gotham's National Museum. My first thoughts were Intergang..."
"Intergang?" Elsa blinked in confusion.
"A criminal organization that uses alien tech to commit robberies," Jason clarified only confusing the Queen. He sighed, "It's a long story, but the point is, robbing museums wasn't their MO, so I decided to take a closer look at things, and find out what was really going on."
"Did you learn anything?" Elsa wondered.
"Yeah," Jason nodded, "As it turns out, they were remnants of a fallen dictatorial Empire. They were experimenting with some sort of magical artificial that supposedly could take them anywhere and anytime."
The Queen of Arrendelle blinked for a moment, "You're joking, right?"
"Trust me, when you have my job you tend to see some sh..." Jason started before getting a disapproval look from the Queen before realizing he probably shouldn't use foul language in front of a Queen or a child for that matter, "...stuff. Sorry, grew up in Gotham, they don't tend to teach you good manners over there."
Elsa never heard of a place called Gotham. Was it a country? A city? She shook her head, "Okay, back to the topic, you mentioned they could use this artifact anytime travel any time?"
"Thankfully, that's the part they were stuck on," Jason stated, "When I was there prisoner, I broke out myself, Ace, and another, who told me that he previously attempted to destroy it so it couldn't be used by anyone. However, they could still use it to travel anywhere. They have been building bases all over, planning something called Operation Kingdom."
"Operation Kingdom..." Elsa's voice trailed off in thought. She turned to Jason, "What is it?"
"Not sure myself, yet," The detective admitted, "But their leader, Thrawn, believes he can use it to take over the world. He orchestrated Sora's parents' deaths so he could take him."
Elsa looked horrified at that new information, if this was true, everyone Arrendelle and beyond could be in grave danger, but something wasn't adding up, "I still don't get it. Why would someone do all of this to kidnap an innocent child for their nefarious purposes?"
Jason glanced at her, "Sora's... special."
"Special how?" The Queen inquired.
"The same reason why your special," He clarified.
The Queen thought to herself, the boy didn't seem of royal blood, he certainly wasn't dressed like one... that's when it hit her, looking to the boy before back to Jason, "Hold on... are you saying..." Her voice trailed off, "...he's like me?"
"Yeah," The detective confirmed, "He has powers."
Elsa couldn't believe it. She never thought anyone... other than her... actually had powers. It was unbelievable but she believed Jason was telling the truth, she wasn't the only one out there. She asked him, "What can he do?"
"Honestly, not sure myself," He turned back to Sora, "After I rescued him, he managed to summon a giant floating key that took us from his home, all the way to just outside of Arrendele." Elsa blinked in shock as Jason continued, "But I have a feeling that's just the tip of the ice burg, Thrawn believes he's the key to Operation Kingdom. I have a feeling they won't stop coming until they have him."
"Okay, okay," Elsa nodded as she wrapped her head around this information, before wondering, "Is... that why your okay... with people with powers? Because your nephew has them?"
"Oh, no," He shook his head, "He's hardly the first I've known to have powers." Elsa looked dumbfounded, "I have both friends and heroes that I looked up to that have powers like the two of you."
Elsa began to stutter, "H-how... many are out there?"
"I don't know, count think of a round number but maybe hundreds," Jason guessed at the top of his head, "Maybe thousands."
Elsa could feel her legs begin to wobble, she needed to sit down. She was about to fall over, when Jason caught her, "Whoa, whoa, easy... maybe I gave you too much information to process..."
Helping the Queen to a chair, she shook her head, "No, no... it's okay... actually, it's relieving..." She admitted, "I honestly didn't think they were anyone out there like me..." She shook her head, "Back to the topic at hand, this does explain how you ended up in Arendelle, but not how one of my guests is an accomplice in all of this."
"I said how they've been building bases all over, right?" Jason asked which Elsa confirmed with a nod, "Well, they would still need support from someone in power, understanding of the land they conquer. The promise of high advantage technology and the promise of power and wealth would be tempting for any corrupt politician and since Arrendelle closed its doors..."
"...that would cross off myself, Anna, and anyone living inside the castle, and I can say for certain " The Queen realized, starting to realize what Jason was saying, "You're right, it would have had to be one of the guests." She looked up at him, "You have any suspects?"
"A few but unfortunately, I don't have enough proof yet," Jason stated, "If I can find their base nearby, get one of the tops in charge to talk, maybe I can figure out who's the accomplice, and hopefully figure out what Operation Kingdom is."
"All by yourself?" The Queen asked.
"Of course not," Jason shook his head, "Ace would be my backup."
She then decided to point out the elephant in the room, "And what about Sora?"
"Yeah, I'm going to need a favor on that," He rubbed the back of his head, "Look, he doesn't have anywhere else to go, and he's safer in here than anywhere else out there."
"You want Sora to stay in the castle while you and Ace take on this fallen Empire," Elsa began to realize, "Look, it's a bad idea, I'm a danger to everyone, and I'm not sure how everyone will react to... well... I'm sure if Anna would love it if Sora stayed with us but..."
"You're Majesty," Jason looked directly into the Queen's eyes, "Until I find a way for Sora to get us back home, you are the only one that understands what Sora's going through."
Elsa looked at her gloved hands before back to Sora, who was playing with the stuffed animals as Ace watched over him. To see a poor sweet little boy hunted down because what he can do, isn't something she would wish for anyone. She sighed, "Fine... he can stay with us for the time being, but I do have some conditions, Mr. Todd."
"Of course," The detective nodded, "And please, call me Jason."
"Okay, Jason," The Queen nodded, "I admit your detective skills are unparalleled but you don't know my kingdom and I know very little of well you can handle yourself."
"Trust me," Jason tried to reassure her, "I've been trained by the best, there a very few that can hold their own against me."
"Still, from what you told me, they are very resourceful and still have enough soldiers to be a major threat," The Queen stated, "I can offer you a few of my knights to help you find the base, and subdue these war criminals."
"They won't stand a chance, they have too much firepower," The detective warned her, "But I wouldn't deny a guide to at least find the base, after that, I can destroy it without risking any more lives, and you're knights can subdue whatever Imperials that are still breathing afterward."
The Queen stared at him in disbelief, "...You really think you and Ace can take on a small army on your own."
"Clearly, you've never been to Gotham," Jason half-joked, "But yeah, I can. What are your other conditions?"
"When it's all over," Elsa stated, "If we stop this threat... I trust the... others... like Sora and myself... can control their abilities."
"They do...," Jason confirmed as he raised an eyebrow before realizing, "You want me to ask if I get in contact with any of the metahumans? Hoping they can teach you how to control your powers."
"So, that's what we're called..." The Queen whispered to herself before clearing her throat, "I would most certainly appreciate it, yes," Elsa nodded before giving him a pleading look, "Please, I'm a danger to everyone as long as I don't know how to control these powers. You're my only hope to get the word out there to the right people to know my situation and can teach me to control my curse. Do we have a deal or not?"
The former Robin rubbed the back of his head, the condition wasn't as easy as the Queen thought it was. He didn't mention he wasn't from her world, let alone time-period. Not to mention, the fact he had been dead until Ra's put him in the Lazarus Pits, even then he had been incognito until he reappeared in Gotham as the Red Hood. He didn't have any real connection to the Justice League and most likely the Teen Titans still thought he was dead. Even if Dick told them, chances were they'd hunt him down because they wouldn't agree with his methods.
If he tried explaining that to the desperate Queen... well, he told enough without trying to sound too crazy, world traveling and time travel would probably be too much for anyone. However, Sora needed a safe place to stay while he dealt with the Imperial Forces on this planet and deal with their supporters. Maybe in his own time, he can find a way to get in contact with the Green Lantern Corps and send 'em to Arendele to help, it just be way earlier than the Queen asked for. Suddenly, he felt a sight pain in his head again. The Queen asked in concern, "Jason... Are you alright?"
"I'm fine..." He told her as the pain left. He had been receiving these slight headaches since being brought back. Deciding to get back on the topic, "Listen, I can't make any promises, but I will see what I can do when I get back to Gotham."
"Thank you," The Queen sounded so relieved at the thought. Too bad those hopes might be dashed but this was for the greater good. She then told him, "I'll arrange a room for Sora, and see to it that my guard will help you find this base, but I can't help with finding their supporter unless you're certain who they are."
"I'll head out after the party," Jason stated, "I don't want the Imperial Senator to know I'm on to them."
"And what if they leave before you get a chance to figure out what this 'Operation Kingdom' is," The Queen wondered.
"Then I'll find them," The Red Hood's eyes narrowed in determination, "One way or another, I will find them, your Majesty."
"I'll guess I'll have to take your word for it," The Queen replied before a small smile showed, "And please, call me, Elsa."
"You sure?" Jason raised an eyebrow, "I mean... are you supposed to be called the grand titles?"
"It's fine," She reassured him, "Please..."
Unaware that their hands were getting a little closer, Jason smiled back, "Alright then... Elsa..."
After a moment of staring into each other's eyes, they could hear the young Princess of Arendele and Prince of the Southern Isles sing, "Love is an open door~ Love is an open door~"
Jason glanced at the love birds, and wondered, "Is... is that normal around here?"
Elsa asked in confusion, "What do you mean?"
"You know... the singing like we were in a musical..." The former Robin gestured at the obvious, "And where was that music coming from?"
"Wait, you're saying people don't start singing whenever music starts playing at random?" The Snow Queen blinked in confusion, "This Gotham of yours sounds like a strange place." She then quickly added, "No offense."
"No, no, you're not wrong there," Jason chuckled before thinking to himself, "Although, the singing is high up there somewhere in the strange level." He then cleared his throat, "We should probably check on the kid and let him know what's going to happen."
"Right, we should," Elsa nodded in agreement as they turned back to check on the boy. Little did they know, this was the start of something bigger than they ever knew...
And that will include today's chapter, Jason, Sora, and Ace met some of our main Frozen cast and he's already figured out Elsa has powers and why she's hiding them. I'm mean, I sure he'd figure it out, after all, he was trained by the World's Greatest Detective. The question is, how is Jason going to explain the idea of other worlds and time travel to the Queen, he may have mentioned it to Elsa through Intergang but he hasn't dived into the idea.
Anyways, next time, Elsa wants to explain to her sister the situation with Sora but is cut off by the biggest shock of her lifetime. Not to mention soon after, the Empire comes for Sora and Jason is forced to defend him and everyone from the Imperial Forces. Can he succeed? Will the Enteral Winter still happen? Stay tuned and find out!
I hope you enjoyed the chapter, be sure to leave a review, also don't forget to leave a follow and fav. as well. Okay, see ya next time!