Elsa's POV
The 'mother' figure landed with me in her arms on the floor. Her body was that of a spirit; glowing light blue, including her garment which looked very much Northuldran. However, the most shocking part was her facial features. She may have left the world, but I was sure that nobody else other than my sister looked like her. She looked exactly like my mother!
"Mother, you called me?" Mother let go of me, looking confused.
"Y-You are, aren't you?" I asked back, my voice trembling.
"...Ah, you see–DUCK!"
I did not even duck by myself as mother pulled my weight down by grabbing my shoulders. In a fraction of a second, a beam of electricity shot past us.
I totally forgot that we were still in combat.
"Don't forget me, you two!" The lightning witch warned from a distance. When I turned to her, her right arm was coated in electricity.
"We'll talk after this. For now, help me out, Elsa. She's a danger to this place," Mother warned. She 'charged' her arms with flurries of ice, reminiscing that of mine very well.
"You can control ice, too?" I asked out of amusement, while putting up my shield and coating it with ice.
"Yes, I can," She spoke and leaped forward to our opponent. That was yet another brand new knowledge that I put aside as I followed my ally for now.
While running towards the Therondian witch, I made myself an ice sword to complement my shield. Mother was charging with no weapons except her magic. Midway, she cast ice beams at the Therondian, which were evaded with acrobatic leaps. To counter us, the Therondian shot her electricity beams at mother. Instinctively, I pierced my sword to the floor and shot up a wall of ice between mother and the Therondian witch. Right in time, the wall ate the incoming attack.
"Oh you little–" The Therondian did not finish her curse as she stomped the ground to send electricity through it. The energy flowed fast on the floor like a torrential river. Unfortunately, I had no time to react.
"Hrahh!"
In the middle of the electricity current, towered yet another ice wall. This time, mother summoned it!
"Get away from there!" She shouted. I understood the assignment and took steps backward to gain some distance.
Zip zap!
"Elsa, on your left!"
I looked to my left and saw the witch leap right at me, fist ready. For that, I raised my shield to protect my upper half body. Within a fraction of a second, we made contact and the shield emitted a loud clang!
My entire weight was pushed back a few meter, but I held my stance. Once she lost momentum, I swung my blade at her. Swiftly, she evaded my swing with a backward leap.
Right in the middle of her leap, another beam of ice was shot by mother. This time, the attack caught the Therondian by surprise and landed on her shoulder.
"GAh!"
The frost mark on her shoulder covered her entire left shoulder and was growing larger. The witch was struggling to move.
Mother hollered, "Now's our chance, slow her down even more!"
In response to her command, I stomped on the ground and summoned ice around her feet to immobilise her completely.
"Oh no you don't!" The witch said, as she hit her own shoulder with her free fist. The ice shattered and she charged her entire body with electricity. "You guys wanna play fair? Let's play fair!" She exclaimed.
Our combat resumed once again. Mother and I used everything within our abilities to fend off our opponent. We gave each other warnings, shielded each other, and created windows for offensive opportunities. Adrenaline pumped fast within me to ensure I was keeping up. However, it had its limit. The witch was so fast that even two pairs of eyes could not keep up.
Well, at least, it was I who struggled to keep up. Mother seemed to be capable on her own. Besides, she did defend herself for God knows how long before I arrived at the scene.
It soon grew apparent who was more superior in combat. Not me. I was panting and losing energy. My shield was dented after receiving the witch's punches. My sword had not landed a single slash on her. My magic could not land a blow either due to how swift the Therondian was.
"Tired, already? It hasn't even been more than TEN minutes," the Therondian mocked.
"Elsa, focus!" Mother warned. "We just need to find an opening to land a good blow!"
"Heh, good luck with that! 'Cause here's mine!" The witch replied. I learnt sooner than expected what she meant by that. When I looked up, the witch already made another leap at me.
"ELSA!"
NEIGHHHH!
"CACK–"
That neigh… Nokk?
I was right. Nokk shielded me by landing exactly right in front of me.
"Nokk!" I called.
"Gahh… y-you again?" The witch said, her voice sounding hurt. I looked over to the Therondian to see her grabbing her stomach, lying on the floor. My guess was that Nokk kicked the witch with his hind legs dead on.
Before we even knew it, more joined the scene. Bruni landed on my shoulder out of nowhere. I sensed a breeze of gentle wind caressing my skin. The gentle wind then whistled. Gale.
"Hahh… Everyone's here, huh… Hahah…" The witch mockingly laughed. She rose on her feet slowly, still suffering from the kick Nokk gave. I was sure that I saw a stream of blood escaping her mouth.
I was about to step forward to attack the injured witch when mother landed right behind her. With a fist coated in ice, she punched the Therondian's head. The witch did not even have time to react as she collapsed on the floor.
"Finally…" Mother spoke. Her icy fist was now stained in blood.
I approached mother slowly, eyes staring at the unconscious Therondian witch. My companions followed me along.
"So do you know who she is?" Mother asked ever so casually.
"She… should be the Therondian witch that I heard of. I heard that she wields lightning and she fits the description perfectly," I answered.
"Therondia?" Mother asked, defrosting her fist. "Is that our guest today?"
"Yes… It's quite a long story, mother–wait, so are you mother?" I circled around the witch to approach the spirit. Despite being exhausted, the thought that this spirit could be my mother made me smile.
"Elsa… I am not…" She responded. My smile dropped. "We simply possess the same… facial features. Elsa, I am Ahtohallan. I was the one who granted you the ice power you have."
"H-Huh?" Once again, the sudden information was sudden. "You… are Ahtohallan? Ahtohallan is an… entity?"
Ahtohallan did not reply. Instead, she stared down at our defeated foe. I looked down to see what was catching her attention. The witch. She now had black hair.
"Wait… She had light blue hair. Right?" I looked up to Ahtohallan.
"Yes…" Ahtohallan knelt down and flipped the witch to see her face. Her entire hair had turned black.
Ahtohallan knelt down and used a finger to fiddle with a streak of hair that covered the witch's eye. "This girl… the magic within her is so strong… but I sense something stronger."
"Within her?" I asked.
"Yes…"
Then the witch opened her eyes, a gasp escaping her mouth. Her hair immediately turned light blue as she slammed her fists on the floor.
KER-SHAK!
Lightning shot up from her chest, blowing us away to a distance. By the time I was able to look up to assess the situation, the witch was already on her feet and became one with a beam of lightning that made its way up the cliff and over it. She escaped.
"Darn it…" I punched the floor, slowly getting up. While doing so, a foot stepped in front of me. Mother–no, Ahtohallan, lent me a hand, which I gratefully accepted.
"Fear not. That was an escape out of fear. Fear for her dear life," Ahtohallan smiled. She then looked over to her left and right where the remaining spirits gathered. Nokk, Bruni, and Gale. "You have my thanks. You've saved me and the spirits."
"What was that?"
"Something just shot past us. Like lightning!"
"Oh my god, that was deafening!"
There were chatterings sounding from the cliff up above. They sounded faint at first, but with each second, more and more sounded.
"It appears that your people have arrived here," Ahtohallan informed. "I would not want to show my true form to them, I'm afraid. So, if you'll excuse me…"
I immediately grabbed Ahtohallan by the hand. "No, please. I-I have so many questions."
"I will gladly answer them. Later. But, none of your men and women can be allowed to see me. Besides, you still have some cleaning up to do. Take care of that and return to me here. I will be here."
Hearing so, I gulped and let go of her nervously. "Okay…"
Ahtohallan smiled. Beautifully. "I'll see you later."
With a stomp of her foot, Ahtohallan summoned a towering ice pillar right beneath me. It caught me slightly off guard as it ascended slowly to the cliff. The other spirits kept up with the help from Gale who 'carried' both Nokk and Bruni. I looked down to see Ahtohallan casually waving me goodbye. After a moment, she disappeared into the thin air.
"I hope that's not the last time I'll see her…" I spoke to myself.
Soon enough, the pillar reached the cliff where my men and women were waiting. Leading them was Anna, accompanied with Hiccup and Mattias.
"Elsa! Are you okay?" She asked, worry sounding in her tone.
I hopped on to the cliff, and so did the other spirits. "I'm fine."
Despite that, Anna still checked all over me. While doing so, my men and women gave me looks of worry, too.
"You seem to have fought someone," Hiccup pointed out. "Have you?"
Hiccup read me well. "Yes. It was the Therondian witch that we spoke about. She wields lightning."
"Ah… That explains the bolt of lightning flying past us," Mattias added. "Did you defeat her?"
I looked up to the spirits and briefly glanced down the cliff. "With the help of others, of course."
"So that's it!" Anna exclaimed out of the blue. "That confirms our victory! We saved Ahtohallan!"
"Yeah… that's true!"
"Oh my god, WOOHOO!"
Everyone cheered with great energy. All clapped their hands, hugged one another, exchanged handshakes, and most importantly, spread smiles. The thought that I managed to defeat that Witch apparently fueled their vigour. This was much needed, although I was silently hoping our cheering was not disturbing Ahtohallan.
Despite the uproar, my eyes spotted one person who was not happy at all. Xavier. He was cuffed and held by two guards of mine. This reminded me.
I waved my hands to gesture to my people to calm down. Soon enough, they stopped cheering.
"Alright… now we have some cleaning up to do. And a discussion. Let's return to the previous chamber," I announced.
Anna's POV
This victory tasted ever so sweet. After blood, sweat, and tears, we defeated the Therondians with no deaths on our side. It was all thanks to Elsa and the elemental spirits who helped us. On our end, we still scored kills with our experience and skills, but having the spirits and my sister really turned the tide to our favour.
However, it was not all sweet. There was a reason why I did not kill any Therondian at all back then. There was a reason why I merely assisted and let others take the kill. Others must have noticed it because I was sure I seemed like the only chicken in the battlefield.
I simply could not do it. I could not pierce my blade to a heart to stop it from beating. I could not cut a throat to cause suffocation. I could not land a killing blow when I had the chance. All of the spars in the past had led me to merely assist, not kill. I was ashamed.
We returned to the chamber where the battle between Arendelle and Therondia took place. Elsa said that this was a sacred place and insisted that no dead bodies should be inside Ahtohallan. As for where to throw the bodies away, we decided to use one of their ships. Each of us, with the help from the spirits, carried the dead bodies and placed them on the ship. We used only one of their ships so that we could man the other one and bring them back to Arendelle.
This time, I braved myself and carried the dead bodies. I carried two in total, one with a stabbed neck and the other with a missing arm. It was gruesome but I was determined to get used to the bloodbath.
As we were cleaning up, we noticed that a storm was brewing up out on the dark sea. The wind was harsh and a light drizzle was dropping. Thus, we hurried ourselves.
By the time we loaded the ship with the bodies, my men set some things up. We hoisted the sails fully and placed barrels of anything flammable onboard. Gunpowder, oil, even the rum. We were going to burn the ship. This was Hiccup's idea. Viking funeral. As much as they were our enemies, we would have no need to disrespect them further after their deaths.
Once the sails and the flammable were set up, Gale blew the ship back with a gust of wind. The storm helped the process and pushed the ship farther into the open water. After the ship was far enough, Bruni, who was onboard the ship, ignited the flammable and hopped overboard. Nokk was there to pick his friend up. The duo returned to the shore safely as all of us watched the flame ignite and consume the ship slowly.
Even with the rain and the wind, the flame was strong enough to withstand them. With no source of light from the stars above, the flaming ship lit the water around it. I found myself staring at it without blinking until my sister pulled me away back into the cave as the storm was picking up again.
To wait for the storm to subside, we decided to call it a day in Ahtohallan. It was indeed a cold environment to sleep, but it was nothing a few blankets and tents could not handle. With the help from Bruni, too, we lit several bonfires on several spots and rounded up. Some men and women slept right away, some chatted to each other, and some enjoyed a hot drink by the fire. After hours of battling, this peacefulness was beautiful.
I placed my tent right next to Hiccup's and was eager to end the day. Hiccup even fell asleep right away once his tent was up. Seeing so, I hurried setting up my tent and left a spot for my sister to sleep, who was elsewhere. I shut my eyes and tried to sleep.
What was only several minutes turned into several tens. My body was tired but my brain would not proceed to sleep. The memory of the battle kept flashing by, no matter how hard I tried to remember something else. Something nicer.
"God…" I groaned.
"Anna?"
A voice called from outside the tent. I opened the curtain with one hand to see my sister standing outside.
"Hey," I greeted.
"What's wrong? You sounded miserable," She commented.
I lifted my upper half to sit. "I can't sleep."
Elsa merely smiled. "Figures. I want to show you something."
I furrowed my brows. "What?"
"Follow me."
With that, my sister left to a certain direction. I soon got up and out of the tent to follow her. With a quick glance, she checked whether or not I followed and waved at me to keep up.
Elsa led me back deeper into the cavern. We entered the passageway that led to the chamber with the cliff. I grew curious about what my sister's intention was as we proceeded farther.
"Elsa, where are you taking me?" I asked, my voice echoing in the passageway.
"Well, deeper, into Ahtohallan," She explained and added a snicker at the end.
"Are you about to show me something magical?" I asked again.
Elsa hummed a bit. "Something like that."
"Huh… alright. I hope this magical thing can put me to sleep," I replied.
"Heh, you'll see. You wouldn't want to sleep after I show you this."
The air became silent for a moment as we walked more. Then something hit me mentally.
"Speaking of which," I started, "You haven't told me how you defeated that witch. Who was her name again?"
"Uhh… I forgot. But! I think I can show you how I did it instead," Elsa said, excitement toning her voice.
"How?" I asked.
She turned to me. "Anna, did you forget that we're in Ahtohallan?"
My mouth rounded in realisation. "Oh yeah… Right. Still, I don't know how you're gonna show it to me, but I'm intrigued."
We eventually made it to the chamber with the cliff. Inside, there was minimum lighting. Over the cliff I saw the same view: piano black floor with lights reminiscent of trees. The previous pillar of ice that Elsa used to ascend was still there.
"So… What is it?" I asked Elsa.
"Wait here," she responded, walking ahead to place herself on top of the ice pillar again. "I'll come back in a sec."
I nervously gulped. "Alright."
With that, Elsa tapped her foot and made the pillar descend like an elevator. Once she was out of view, I sat down on the ground and waited.
Minutes later, Elsa emerged from the edge of the cliff, smiling. "Come here."
I stood up and joined her on the platform. With another foot tap, the pillar descended. While going down, I looked at the trees. It was by then when I noticed they had no leaves.
"Pretty lifeless around here, isn't it?" I commented.
"It's… it is what it is," Elsa replied. "But that's not what I wanted to show you." She turned around, "That's who I wanted to show!"
I turned around and gasped. Mother!
"M-Mo–" before the platform was just about to touch down, I made a leap and opened my arms to catch my mother. She did the same and embraced me. It did not take long for me to grow teary.
"I-I-I've missed you so much!" I tightened my grasp. "H-How are you here?" I pulled away slightly to see her soft smiling face.
"Anna…" she said. "I am… not Iduna."
She addresed mother's name and shattered me. Slowly, I let go of her. I began to see it too that she was not my mother. Her voice did sound the same, but the tone was not. She was someone else. Her looks resembled a spirit: she was entirely blue and glowing, her eyes shining the brightest. Her attire was Northuldran. But she was not a human, I suspected.
"...You're not?" I asked.
She shook her head. "No. Elsa, I thought you would at least warn Anna beforehand bringing her here."
I turned to my sister who was scratching her head sheepishly. "Yeah… I should've done that. Sorry."
A sigh escaped my mouth. I truly wished otherwise. "Okay…" I turned back to the woman who looked like mother. "So… who are you?"
"I am Ahtohallan."
I could not believe my ears initially. Thus, "Come again?"
Ahtohallan chuckled. "You heard me right the first time."
"In the flesh?"
Ahtohallan briefly looked at herself, "If there's even any flesh, but yes."
Ahtohallan. Was an entity. Who was sentient. My brain was unable to process that. "S-Should I bow or–"
"Oh no no," She waved her hands. "Please don't. In fact, I am pretty fond of you, Anna. The current Queen of Arendelle."
"You do?"
Elsa softly bumped my shoulder. "Ahtohallan is the 'river full of memory,' Anna."
My mouth rounded in realisation. "Oh yesss! You're right! So you're all… knowing!"
Ahtohallan glanced slightly to the side. "There are still gaps to my knowledge. I do not know what you had for breakfast. But I do possess knowledge of many. I still could recall the time when winter lasted for ten thousand years. Millions of years ago."
After my mouth rounded, it was now my eyes. Elsa's, too. I could not fathom a period like that.
"I am also the one behind Elsa's power," Ahtohallan informed. "I granted her her power."
"Whoa–" I reacted.
"And you two will learn much more from me," Ahtohallan proudly smiled, but then she raised her index finger. "But. It is not without 'but.' I will not allow you to dig about the past for indulgence. You must have a great reason behind your request. And I will be the judge of that."
Her warning immediately put my mind to think wisely.
"Right…" I responded. "I guess we still need to know why the Therondian witch came here," I turned to Elsa, who nodded in agreement.
"Lady Cassandra," Ahtohallan caressed her palm. "She is after a certain knowledge. From me. However, seeing that I was not willing to share due to her motivation, she turned to a violent method."
"What is it that she wanted to know?" I asked.
"The map of an island far in the North where her people are… 'exploring.' Mind you, I am sugarcoating it a bit. But it's not just any map, it's the underground map of that island," Ahtohallan explained.
My brain processed that for a moment. "New Berk?"
"Yes. Ah, so that island has been named, after all," Ahtohallan responded.
"Underground map?" Elsa asked. "Why would they need to go underground?"
Then it hit me. "Underground–YES! Hiccup mentioned a… labyrinth underground. A very vast one that they haven't even finished mapping yet! That's why Cassandra is after that knowledge! To find out its content and find the rest of the Berkians!"
"Oh my… you're right. Then that means…" Elsa continued, "Some Berkians are still alive. And using the labyrinth to survive!"
I snapped a finger. "We still have hope. There are some people that can be rescued after all."
"While we're at it…" Elsa added again. "Could we… have the map? Not even the Berkians have fully mapped the place, so we can benefit from it."
"Oh yes… We can definitely use the map to find these people." I turned to Ahtohallan. "Could we?"
"Now this is a noble cause. Arendelle and Berk, side by side, on a conquest to vanquish Therondia," Ahtohallan remarked. "Oh. Hold on. It wouldn't be so noble if you were to vanquish them, would it? Two nations killing a killer nation; that produces two new killer nations. You will have blood on your hands."
Ahtohallan's sternness was something I did not anticipate. I briefly exchanged glances with my sister, who seemed to be processing the idea. While she was doing so, I turned back to Ahtohallan.
"We… are not doing this out of revenge. It is out of compassion for our fellow Berkians. Our mission is to get there and extract the Berkians, that's all," I explained.
"Is that what the chief thinks, though? Are you and him on the same page? Besides, the Berkians did find that island. They are the first inhabitants of that island. They would think they have all the rights to claim that land as theirs." Ahtohallan reminded. She was right yet again. I was still unaware of what Hiccup truly wanted. Was it justice? Was it revenge?
"I…" I wanted to retort back, but I did not have anything. Elsa did not seem to have anything to say either.
"Maybe the Chief of Berk himself can explain?" Ahtohallan advised.
I pointed upward to the cliff. "You… want me to summon him?"
"No need. He's been eavesdropping on the conversation for quite a while now," Ahtohallan answered. That surprised me a little. Where could he be hiding?
"Come down now! No need to be afraid!" Ahtohallan exclaimed and tapped her foot on the floor. Right away, the previous ice pillar made its way up to the edge of the cliff again. We watched it rise and spotted a certain figure on the cliff. I could not make it at first. However, once the figure stepped on the platform and descended with it, we realised that it was Hiccup.
"You could hear us from up there?" Elsa asked.
Hiccup shrugged, smiling slyly. "Your voices echo through the chamber. It's pretty faint, but it's enough."
Hiccup stepped off the platform and joined us to face Ahtohallan. He began with a bow to pay respect to her.
"It's an honor to meet you, Oh Great Ahtohallan," Hiccup greeted.
"Likewise. Quite the respect, Chief. But no need," Ahtohallan excused, waving a hand.
"You'd think that an entity that has witnessed millions of years ago and is still here with us is someone worthy of praise and respect. You've lived a long life. Your experience must be vast," Hiccup excused himself.
Ahtohallan raised a brow. "Very well. You may do whatever floats your boat. So. You were up there for quite a while."
Hiccup scratched his hair, briefly glancing at me and my sister. "I was…"
Ahtohallan crossed her arms. "So what's your endgame? By the time you arrive at New Berk, what will drive you? Thirst for revenge? Or justice?"
Hiccup was silent for a moment. "...I will fight for my land. My tribe has never initiated an attack. We've only defended ourselves, and I'd like to keep it that way. Even if… our latest defensive attempt was not so successful. But. I am still alive. I will fight, even if I will fight on a wheelchair. A chief protects his own."
Both Hiccup and Ahtohallan stared at each other intensely. It almost seemed that Ahtohallan was looking straight into Hiccup's soul.
Then… Ahtohallan smiled.
"I see a lot of Stoick in you, Hiccup," She commented. "If you please excuse me…"
Ahtohallan stepped forward, closing the gap between her and Hiccup. She landed a hand on Hiccup's chest, right where his heart was. I was confused about what she wanted to do. Hiccup, too.
After a few seconds, she let go of Hiccup's chest.
"Very well… I will grant you the map."
Smiles formed on our lips simultaneously.
"Thank you!"
"Thank you so much!"
"Here is the map," Ahtohallan said and suddenly grabbed Hiccup's head. Her hands glowed as Hiccup hissed.
"A-Ahh!"
"A-Ahtohallan, what are you–" I was about to reach for the spirit when she let go of Hiccup's head, which dropped immediately as if he was hit by something. I went over to Hiccup's side and grabbed his shoulders to ensure he was on his feet.
"The… labyrinth…" Hiccup softly said. "I know it. I know it all!" He began to laugh in disbelief. "All the paths, crosspaths, the levels, the chambers, everything!"
I furrowed my brows. "How do you know?"
"I simply bestowed upon him the knowledge," Ahtohallan replied, smiling proudly. She continued, "Now… Make sure you don't hit your head and lose memory. Take some papers and draw the map. Make copies, too."
"That's the best advice we could receive and do," Elsa commented. "Hiccup."
The Viking snapped a finger. "Way ahead of you."
"And should you ever be captured by the Therondians, do not crack under pressure. Knowing that you're the chief, they will surely ask you for directions underground," Ahtohallan reminded. "That piece of knowledge is, after all, the intel that Lady Cassandra previously seeked for."
"Huh… that begs the question," I crossed my arms. "How was she going to get it, anyway? Let's say she does defeat you, what then?"
Ahtohallan looked down. Her hand crawled up her chest and… dug it. All of us gasped at the sight, and it was even weirder that no blood was seen. After a moment, Ahtohallan pulled out something with her palmed fist. It was a snowflake, shining brightly.
"If she does defeat me… Then I will be reduced to this. And I will be under her possession. The countless knowledge of the world, inside her palm," She explained. Shortly after, she returned the snowflake inside her chest. "But worry not. I fared quite well with her in a duel."
"That's good to hear," I said. "Add the other spirits to the equation, there's no way she'll stand a chance."
Ahtohallan placed a finger on her chin. "The other spirits might be… a problem though…"
All of us were silent in confusion. Ahtohallan noticed that.
"Let me show you what happened instead," Ahtohallan added. With that, she turned around and her right arm glowed bright. With a snap of a finger, she cast a magic spell that spread around the room. Clouds materialized all around us. Once it was all cleared, a figure was seen a couple meters away from us. It was another Ahtohallan, but… this one seemed to be made out of snow.
Not long after spotting that one, one figure materialized itself right in front of the other Ahtohallan. This time, it was Lady Cassandra. She also seemed to be made purely out of snow.
"With the memory recorded in the water, I'm showing you three how our encounter went down," Ahtohallan explained. It was only by then when I realised what this really was.
"Ahh… Right, right…" I said.
"So… This is like a… Play performance of that encounter?" Hiccup asked curiously.
Elsa, Ahtohallan, and myself shared a simultaneous chuckle. "You can say that. But with flawless acting," I replied.
We proceeded to watch the said 'play performance.' Ahtohallan and Cassandra seemed to be having a verbal confrontation, judging from the body language. Since neither of us could hear them well, we approached the figures to hear better.
When we were doing so, Cassandra shot a lightning beam right at Ahtohallan. That surprised and halted us on our track. Before we even knew, Past Ahtohallan made a safe distance and the duel began.
We continued watching the spectacle in awe. I had seen Elsa fight but never against another person who was capable of elemental magic. So this was the first time for me to witness two magically gifted people duel. Past Ahtohallan and Past Cassandra exchanged shots here and there but neither could land a single hit.
The battle shifted to close combat after a while. And that happened when Past Ahtohallan summoned herself an ice sword. In response to that, Cassandra made a lighting polearm. It was at this moment that we finally could see our heroes harm each other. First blood was earned by Ahtohallan first! As she managed to use an opening to slice Cassandra's thigh. However, not long after, Ahtohallan took a strike on her chest. It seemed fatal, but the entity tanked it.
What we did not realise was that we were cheering for our hero to win, despite the already known outcome.
"Come on! That's an opening!" Hiccup said, palms closed and sweating.
"Ohh… Oh wow, no way she did that…" Elsa commented.
Ahtohallan merely scoffed at us like the children we were.
After quite a while, we heard roaring from up above the cliff. When we looked up, Nokk, Bruni, and Gale were there, all in their snowy form. They all leaped down to join the fight.
"OH? The spirits did show up before I did?" Elsa asked, turning to Ahtohallan.
"They did," Ahtohallan nodded. "But… this is the part where I failed in this fight."
Once the spirits joined, the battler grew fiercer. Cassandra now had to deal with more opponents. She had to dodge multiple attacks in one go and counter more efficiently. At this point, she began to adapt. She became faster, more receptive. Basically lightning quick!
At one point, Cassandra jumped to avoid an incoming ramming attack from Nokk. Mid air, she charged some power in her hands to presumably shoot. However, she remained midair for quite a while, and that was when we noticed that Gale was holding her up.
"Ah you fucking–"
"Bruni, now's our shot!" Ahtohallan commanded. The two cast balls of ice and fire right into the floating Cassandra. To counteract, Cassandra charged the air around her instead.
BOOM! BOOM!
By the time Bruni's and Ahtohallan's magic hit, a large explosion occurred. After several seconds, Gale fled out of the smoke with whistling that sounded as if she was scared for her life.
Not long after, Cassandra landed from the smoke with a sly smile on her lips. "Talk about friendly fire…" She said.
"What?" Ahtohallan responded.
Not continuing the conversation, Cassandra continued her attack on her opponents. With her swift zig-zag maneuver, she dodged it all. It almost seemed that she was intentionally dodging and never attacking to tire out Ahtohallan and the remaining spirits.
However, that tactic came to a stop soon enough. With a leap, Cassandra went for Bruni. Instead of attacking him with her magic, Cassandra grabbed the spirit tightly with her hand. She then showed it to her remaining foes to use as a meat shield.
"You don't want to see what happens when fire makes contact with electricity!" Cassandra warned.
"Ah, Bruni! Don't use your magic–" Ahtohallan warned, but it was too late. Bruni lit himself on fire and a large explosion took place. Out of the smoke came flying Cassandra, who landed on her feet. Bruni, on the other hand, flew in another direction. When we got a close look at him, he was unconscious.
"AHAHAH! You gotta train 'em better, I'd say," Cassandra mocked.
I looked at Ahtohallan to see her response. She was pissed. "Guh… Nokk, take Bruni out! Call for the Earth Giants!"
Nokk hesitated for a second.
"GO!"
With that exclamation from Ahtohallan, Nokk took Bruni up to his back and escaped the scene, leaving Ahtohallan and Cassandra alone once again.
"Back to the two of us…" Cassandra smiled, cracking her knuckles.
Right after, the two figures disintegrated into snow. It appeared that the 'Play Performance' of the past was over. All of us turned to Ahtohallan, who did not seem so proud.
She sighed and explained, "I could not protect others in combat. I am ashamed to say that. First, Gale, and then Bruni. And I guess, you could say that I lied. I did not put up a good fight. I might be knowledgeable, but combat is something I know very little of. That's why I preferred to have Nokk take Bruni to safety and call for backup. However, instead of returning with the Earth Giants, they returned with you guys instead."
"So, thank you Elsa," Ahtohallan looked up to my sister. "And the rest of you. For protecting me. And this place."
All of us merely smiled and bowed. Then, silence.
I decided to strike up a random topic. "So… Ahtohallan. That was a… cool ability of yours to… reveal the past."
"Thank you, Queen Anna," she replied. I was a bit caught when she addressed my title, but I brushed it off. "As long as I deem it wise, I can show it to you. Do you wish to show me something?"
Whoa, that gave me an idea right away. It was about to roll off my tongue when I remembered that Hiccup was here. I looked at him and he returned it with a curious expression.
"You want me to do it?" Hiccup asked.
I shook my head. "No… Um… There's something I want to find out, but… You can't see it."
I covered my mouth to hide my blush, because I felt my face getting hotter. Thankfully, Hiccup seemed to get the idea.
"Right… I'll return to the camp for now," He said and pointed a finger at his temple. "Besides, I have a map to write."
I smiled. "I'll see you in a bit."
With that, Hiccup to the platform and headed off. Once he was gone, I sighed in relief. Ahtohallan and Elsa seemed curious about what my request could be.
"What is it then?" Ahtohallan asked, opening her crossed arms.
"I wish to see the time… I think…six years ago? It was when Berk made another visit to Arendelle."
Six years ago…
"Where is it…"
"I swear I put it here last year…"
After looking under my bed and not finding it, I rose back on my feet and scanned my room. Every drawer, every corner, every cabinet; all had been checked and I could not find it. Unless there was a secret compartment under the floor that my parents never told me, I could not tell where that thing was stored.
"Maybe… in the library?" I asked myself. Right away, I headed off to the said room.
Once there, I scanned the room thoroughly from my point of view. Immediately, I spotted it, sitting on a corner next to a glass compartment. The camera!
"There you are!"
I headed to the object. Its shape was boxy with a three-point stand to help support the weight. It was a gift from a fellow Frenchman that visited our kingdom two years ago. We first believed that it was magic, but it was pure science. Magical science.
Since it was sitting untouched for a couple of weeks, I dusted off the surfaces. The guide book was neatly tucked on a belt of one of the legs of the stand. I took it out to remember the steps of taking a shot, since I was planning to take one.
"Right… Make sure the photo paper is in… adjust focus… ensure adequate lighting… blablabla…" I mumbled through the steps as I carried the device to the balcony. After so, I prepped it up and aimed the lens at the view of Arendelle to test it.
Since the view was far away, I had to adjust the focus. The lens had to be rotated a lot to adjust the focus, so it took me a while.
While doing so, somebody or something landed in front of me.
"Anna!"
"AH!"
SNAP!
Out of shock, I accidentally took the shot. I looked up ahead to see who it was. Hiccup!
"Hiccup! Don't surprise me like that!" I warned with sternness. Right away, he scratched his hair and showed a sorry look.
But then a smirk quickly curled up on his face. "I had to. Hehe. Sorry."
That smile. That damned smile. He knew he was attractive and used it for his advantage.
"Ugh… How did you get up here, anyway?" I asked.
"Grooaar!"
I looked up to see Toothless on the roof, resting his head on a chimney.
"Of course," I said, putting my hands on my hips.
"Sorry. I'll get him off the roof. He was looking for a spot to bask. What's this thing?" Hiccup asked, circling the camera. Then I realised what I just did. I took a picture!
"Uhh, it's called a camera. It takes pictures," I answered.
His green eyes locked onto the different parts of the gadget. "Neat. How does it work?"
Ka-thunk!
The noise emitted by the camera indicated that it had just finished processing the shot. From the hole, a piece of paper was rolled out. I took it and looked at it.
I blushed in an instant.
"Is that an example of a shot?" Hiccup asked. "Let me see–"
"NO!" I put the shot behind my back, shaking my head. "This is mine alone!"
Hiccup looked confused. "Why?"
I smiled with a sly intention. "Just because I can. You stay here. I'll come back in a sec."
With haste, I hurried back to my room to store the shot. I randomly chose a spot and the selected one was the bottom drawer of my cabinet. Before putting it away, I gave the shot one last look.
It was the perfect shot of Hiccup and his playful side. The focus was still adjusted to close range, so it captured his upper half sharply. Since he had just landed presumably from the roof, his hair was a bit messy. If anything, it added more flair to it. Not to mention that he was smiling, since he was intending to surprise me. He looked really handsome for a split second and I apparently took the shot in that split second, too.
Once satisfied, I put the paper in the drawer and left the room.
"Oh so that's where I put that shot," I said, snapping a finger.
I turned to Ahtohallan and Elsa, who both seemed unamused.
"Really, Anna? You used the divine power of Ahtohallan to remember where you left your stuff?" Elsa asked. I immediately frowned at that comment.
"There's no harm in it, is there?" I crossed my arms. "Besides, it's convenient!"
Ahtohallan finally cracked and let out a chuckle. "Indeed, there isn't any. Elsa, in case you forgot where you put your wallet today, I can reveal it to you."
Elsa sighed. "I'm good. Thank you."
I smiled proudly, knowing I had the approval from Ahtohallan. It indeed was a harmless thing to do. Elsa noticed that and sighed for the second time before looking up to the figures summoned by Ahtohallan to play this memory of mine.
"This was… six years ago. So a year before my coronation?" She asked.
"Yeap," I confirmed. "I actually went for a joy flight with Hiccup not long after."
My sister rolled her eyes away. "Joy flight, huh? Can't exactly say that my experience was any joyful."
Ahtohallan raised a brow. "Suddenly I'm curious to see that."
That gave me an idea again. "Let's replay that experience then! I never got to hear your reaction since we were still distant!"
Ahtohallan and I stared at Elsa to wait for her approval. With a third sigh, she dropped her shoulders and nodded. "Sure. But let's see your joy flight first."
The continuation of the previous flashback
Once I returned to the balcony, Hiccup was seen sitting on the floor next to his sleeping Night Fury. It always brought me awe to see Toothless in the flesh. A fire breathing dragon, and it was a rare kind!
Hiccup noticed my presence and stood up. "You're back."
"Hiccup, erhm!" I cleared my throat and prepped the camera for another shot. "To commemorate our… allegiance for the past years, I thought it'd be nice to hand you something to… commemorate," I spoke sheepishly, and, oddly, stiffly.
Hiccup may have noticed that. "Why do you sound so stiff?"
I shook my head. "I don't know." I did know; it was because I was embarrassed to do this. "But anyway, I would like to give you a photograph of ours!"
"Photograph?" He asked.
"It's that previous piece of paper that I took away for myself. I want to give you the same thing," I smiled and analysed the spot to shoot. Since he was standing by the balcony and Toothless was simply napping, I deemed the angle good to shoot.
"Stay where you are! And wake Toothless up!" I instructed while preparing the camera.
"He wouldn't wake up," Hiccup complained, kicking his best friend gently on the foot. "He's being the useless reptile he is."
Hiccup's sarcasm never got old. "Well try harder," I said. "Come on, Toothless! Wake up."
I looked into the lens and found out Toothless listened to my command and had just woken up.
"Oh now you listen to girls, do ya?" Hiccup crossed his arms.
I chuckled. The dragon did, too. Or so I'd like to believe.
Once prepped, I rushed over to Hiccup's side. "Right. I set the timer to ten seconds! Strike a pose!"
"Timer?" Hiccup asked.
"The camera will shoot in less than ten seconds! Be ready!"
I went for a neutral pose by gesturing 'peace' with my fingers and slightly leaning towards Hiccup. Hiccup, on the other hand, was confused. "Umm… umm…"
"Just a smile will do, Hiccup," I spoke through my gritted teeth while smiling.
"Um…"
Out of nowhere, Hiccup brought Toothless and I closer with his arms. Of course, I blushed.
Snap!
Oh god, did it capture my blush?
To find out, I rushed to the camera and waited for the shot to come out of it. Hiccup, on the other hand, walked ever so casually to my side.
"So? How is it?" He asked.
Right about a second later after he asked, the camera released the photograph. There it was, a shot of us together. It looked so good! The best part was that it did not capture my blush!
"Ohh… so that's how it works…" Hiccup said as he retrieved the photograph. "I can take this home?"
I nodded. "Of course! We usually put it on the wall, or in an album. Not that I'm telling you to do that… but… you know…"
"Sounds like a good idea. I will make a frame for it and hang it in my bedroom," Hiccup informed, showing the photograph to Toothless, who observed it for a while.
"Thank you, Anna. This is great!" Hiccup said, smiling earnestly.
I put my hands on my hips proudly. "It's nothing."
"How can I pay you back?" He asked out of the blue. This immediately wiped the smug away from my face.
"N-No need! Geez, it's just a photograph," I replied. "In fact, we can take more shots, if you want!"
"Nah, this one will do for now," He said as he tucked it away in his notebook. "I just felt that this one is very special. Besides, this gadget must be rare, right?"
"I mean… I guess…" I shrugged. "But really, it's nothing."
Grumble…
That was the sound of an empty stomach bellowing and demanding for food. Whose stomach? Toothless. The dragon then nudged his Viking by the food, clearly demanding to go out for food.
"Well, Toothless needs to be fed," Hiccup said. "Princess Anna. Permission to fish in the local water to feed this guy."
I hummed at the proposal and came up with an idea. "Only if you take me up for a flight as well. Consider that payback for the photograph."
Hiccup nodded. "Very well."
With that, Hiccup and I geared ourselves. I hopped on behind Hiccup and held onto the seat itself.
"Anna, um, it's not that I want to… you know…" Hiccup said in fragments.
"What?" I asked.
"It's b-better if you hold onto me when we take off. You'll get more leverage to keep yourself seated," Hiccup explained.
"Ooohhh…" I rounded my mouth and looked down at his hips. My face heated at the idea but since it was for safety, I gently wrapped my arms around them.
"I'm ready," I said, gulping nervously.
Without a word, Hiccup switched the gear on Toothless' tail wing. With a strong push, Toothless leaped vertically up into the air! It was at this moment I grabbed onto Hiccup more intensely. I thought after several flights with Toothless, I was going to be more used to it. But nope! Toothless continued to impress.
"Ohh–WOOHOOO!" I hollered, my voice echoing through the air.
I looked down to the castle that was getting smaller by the second. Soon enough, the view of the entire Arendelle came to sight. This amount of freedom was intoxicating. The world from up above was so beautiful!
But then I noticed we were still climbing.
"Hiccup!" I called. "I don't suppose fish swim up in the air, do they?"
"Haha! Nope! I think Toothless is not in a hurry," He answered, patting his buddy on the head.
I accepted the answer and proceeded to enjoy the experience. The breeze, the altitude, the clouds, even the cold! Combine all of them and you are bound to get the best experience of freedom to ever exist.
Once Toothless levelled himself and stayed gliding just a tad above the clouds, I let go of Hiccup and opened my arms to pretend they were wings. There was very little that could top today's flight. Or so I thought.
"How about we pull some acrobatics?" Hiccup suggested.
I took a moment to process that. "As long as you keep me alive, Hiccup! Or else there will be war!"
"Haha! Sure thing," Hiccup switched the flight gear and grabbed his handle. "Hold on!"
I obeyed his command and we took a gentle dive. However, gentle is only to describe the first part of it. As we descended more and more, Toothless tilted his nose farther down. It took not long until we were completely nosediving.
"WhooaAAHH–" I yelled as the view of the fjord came to sight within seconds. We were descending so fast.
As we were closing to the water, Toothless pulled up gradually. With the momentum built up from the nosedive, we finally flew just a meter or so from water. Toothless' wings occasionally 'licked' the water, spraying it all over.
Over high speed, Toothless 'bit' the water very quickly and pulled up a large salmon!
"Wow!" I cheered. "Nice one!"
"Buddy, I think there's one more dead ahead!" Hiccup warned and Toothless seemed to get the idea. With the salmon still in his mouth, the dragon 'bit' the water again and pulled up yet another large salmon!
"HAHA! Nice one!" Hiccup complimented this time. With two large salmon captured, Toothless banked to the left to land us on the shore. We hopped off the Night Fury and let him enjoy his meal.
"Oh wow…" I placed a hand on my chest. "That was amazing."
Hiccup dusted himself off. "You're welcome," he said with a proud smile.
"Anna?"
We turned to the foreign source of voice that oddly did not sound foreign. Elsa was there, with a guard and a horse.
"Hiccup?" She called, removing her veil that had covered her face and handed it to her guard.
"Sis! Hey!... You're out of the castle?" I asked.
She pointed a thumb to her back. "For a good reason. I visited our parents' grave stones."
"Oh…"
For a reason, she sounded ever so cold and stern. As if she was upset about something. Soon enough, I discovered what was bugging her.
"Hiccup. I know that we've been friends for years, but taking Anna up for a flight?" Elsa questioned. "You're aware there are risks, right?"
"Risks that I have taken into account. But I am experienced, Elsa," Hiccup addressed. "Besides, Berk is the first people to ride dragons."
"You need not to remind me about that. Please don't do that again, please," Elsa pleaded. I immediately rejected the idea mentally.
I raised my hands. "Calm down, Elsa. You don't get to decide that for me. This isn't the first time either–"
Elsa cut, "This isn't the first time?"
I crossed my arms. "Yes. And it's safe! I have a safety gear buckled to Toothless."
"No amount of safety gear will guarantee you freedom from misfortunes up there, Anna," Elsa pressed. This time, she, too, crossed her arms.
"What if the safety gear fails? What if you hit a bird up there? What if one of the flight gears fails?" Elsa suggested more what if's. "I won't allow you to take Anna, or any Arendellian for that matter, for a flight. Or else I'll cut our alliance."
I gasped at the statement. As much as I'd missed seeing her, her stubbornness was irritating to deal with.
"Elsa!" I yelled.
"Look at him, Anna! He's lost a leg, for pete's sake–" Elsa cut herself, though I clearly heard what she said.
"You did not say that…" I shook my head and covered my mouth in disbelief. Soon enough, guilt surfaced on Elsa's face. Even for Elsa, that was very low. She was about to say something but Hiccup halted her.
"Tell you what," Hiccup raised his index finger. "Elsa. I will obey your command if you… take a flight yourself. On Toothless," he gestured at his Night Fury, who was taking finishing bites on his catch. "Only by then will I no longer take Anna and others on a flight."
The two exchanged a look. The guard, who was awkwardly standing with his horse, intervened a bit, "Princess Elsa… I think it's dangerous to…"
"Oh I am no coward," Elsa said, voice confident. She cracked her knuckles and approached the dragon. I was surprised at this reaction.
"Thank you," Hiccup said and hopped on Toothless. Elsa followed afterwards and was given the safety buckle. She wrapped it around her hips and held onto the seat.
They were ready.
"Toothless, let's go. But gently now," Hiccup commanded.
The dragon expanded his wings, engaged his muscles, and leaped forward in a gentle manner.
However, Hiccup hopped off! Leaving my sister alone!
"Huh–HICCUP!" Elsa exclaimed, trying to reach for the Viking but to no avail. He landed right back on the shore, leaving her and the dragon alone.
"Don't leave me hereeee–" Elsa's voice called from a distance, which grew fainter as Toothless carried her farther and farther.
I burst into laughter.
"BAHAHAH–that was your plan?" I asked, holding onto my stomach and Hiccup's shoulder.
"Indeed, it was," Hiccup shared with a laugh. However, it was cut short when we heard a drawn blade from behind. The previous guard.
"Mister Haddock, you!" The guard called out, but I put my hand up to signal him to stand down.
"No need, sir. She'll be fine," I said.
Elsa's POV
Even at a gentle speed, I was having a mental breakdown. Ever so carefully, I climbed to take Hiccup's spot and held onto the handle of the saddle. While doing so, Toothless looked up to me. His stare seemed curious of how I was doing.
"T-T-Toothless… you understand me, right? Please, l-land. Anywhere you feel like landing," I begged.
Toothless rolled his eyes forward instead. He flapped his wings several times and that increased our altitude slowly.
"Nonononooo–please!"
I shut my eyes and covered my face, back arching forward. From the movement I felt, Toothless was still climbing. My eyes remained closed for a good minute or two until I felt that Toothless was no longer gaining altitude.
With the smallest gap possible, I opened my left eye and peeked through my fingers.
The view of Arendelle from up above immediately took my breath. So much that I unconsciously opened my eyes fully to take in the view entirely.
Arendelle was so beautiful. The castle, the town, the mountains, the fjord. I could finally see that shape that we'd drawn on the map: the true shape of Arendelle! And she was beautiful!
"Wow…"
It was when I was about to look up to the north when I noticed the cloud just right above my head. Instinctively, I raised my hand to reach it. Right away, I sensed the coldness. A familiar feeling that I'd always had in my hands. But this cold screamed… freedom. I'd never felt any more free than this moment. And it was so true! Considering that I was God knows how far away from the ground surface.
A moment later, Toothless tilted upward to take us up into the clouds. I shielded myself with my arms to protect myself, but then again, it was just clouds. The cold was now all over my body. I somehow felt more free than before, knowing I was now in the clouds!
We climbed and climbed until we reached a point above the clouds. The view was once again breathtaking. The horizon was nothing but a sea of clouds and giant ones far away. Up on the west end was the sun about to reach the end of day.
My world was only my room and my castle. Occasionally, my world would expand to my kingdom. However, today, my world just got a whole lot bigger.
Father and mother would always warn about how dangerous the world was. However, today, I learnt its beauty.
It was safe to say that I fell in love with the world.
We remained flying for an amount of time I was not keeping a track of. However, soon enough…
Grumble…
"Oooh~ Is someone still hungry?" I asked, caressing the dragon on the head.
Toothless grumbled in response.
"Alright, we can land now. You may fish after I land."
With that, Toothless slowly descended back to Earth. After several circles, we landed back on the previous spot, where Hiccup, Anna, and my guard were standing.
I hopped off the Night Fury and he immediately flew away to catch more fish on his own. Right away, I was greeted with hopeful smiles.
"Well?" Hiccup asked with open arms. "How was it?"
I stared at his eyes then to Anna's. Those eyes are ones that had witnessed the world from a perspective very few people on this world could get to. After flying with Toothless, I could finally understand now.
However, me being shy, I answered, "L-Let me think about it again."
Hiccup snapped a finger. "I'll take it," he said, sounding a bit smug. But he deserved to be a bit smug, if anything.
"Anna, let's return to the castle," I commanded, taking my veil back from my guard. "Hiccup, you too."
"Aye aye, boss," Anna playfully replied.
We began to march back to the castle in silence. Then I realised something.
"Hiccup," I called. He perked up and replied with an 'hmm.'
"I'm… sorry for mentioning you losing your leg."
I looked away in shame.
"Eh… It's fine."