Chapter 36

~ Wrath of the Snow Queen ~

"Hold!" came Oddmund's warning.

Anna's heart leapt to her throat. She yanked her reins back, and her borrowed horse squealed in protest. Beside her, the commander raised a hand, and her escorts formed up around her, nocking their crossbows.

Steel rattled and warhorses snorted from somewhere ahead. Then suddenly, their enemies appeared.

The shadows of giant men on horseback loomed in the white of the blizzard before them, waving swords and spears, their great banners rippling in the wind. Barbarians! Barbarians from the North! Anna thought.

She counted at least ten riders, but a hundred more could be hidden in the swirling snow and they'd be none the wiser.

"This was a mistake." Sorby raised the Arendelle banner high. "We should've brought more men."

Anna's pulse thundered, half from dread and half from anger at herself. How many men did she have? Twelve guards from the Eternity, and twelve of Oddmund's marines. He'd argued for two hundred at least to see her safely to Elsa and Vigard, but she'd been far too stubborn; the need for speed was pressing, and she reasoned that a smaller group was stealthier.

She was fully aware of the value she held as a hostage. They'd come this far unchallenged, but now the sheer stupidity of her decision dawned on her.

"Stay back." Oddmund strode forward, his gaze fixed at the horde before them. He was a lean man, nowhere as muscular as Kristoff, and his sword almost seemed too big for him.

Anna thought she'd never seen a braver man.

For a moment, she feared he'd charge at their foes like her storybook heroes doomed to a glorious death, shouting at them to save themselves. He lowered his weapon instead. "Admiral Vigard?"

The column of riders rode out of the fog. Anna released her breath upon seeing their purple-and-green flags. The tallest among them approached, an officer with a scar that mutilated half his face. "Oddmund, has something happened at town? Or–" His eyes widened. "Your Highness?"

Anna kicked her steed forward. "Where's my sister?"

"Her Majesty left four hours ago."

I missed her again. Anna gnashed her teeth, fighting the urge to scream; it wouldn't do to lose composure before her men. She had to be a leader of steel, not the eighteen year-old girl she really was.

"This one begs your pardon." Vigard stared as if he still couldn't quite believe his princess was here. "But she ordered my vanguard to stay put, and to stop anyone else from Arendelle following."

"I must get to her. At once." Anna tested each word carefully, feeling the weight of his eyes. Did he share the same blind loyalty to his queen as his cousin, Eirik, did? She'd never been fond of the admiral. His scar unnerved her, and stories of his past exploits often made her ponder the wisdom in letting a warlord command the Arendelle navy.

"Your Highness, what do you plan to do?" Vigard said.

"I plan to stop this invasion."

"Good." The hint of a smile crossed his lips, and suddenly he did not look quite so menacing. "Perhaps you can convince Her Majesty where this one has failed."

Anna held his gaze. "There is no 'perhaps'. I must stop her."

"No doubt. Come, we must make haste if we are to find her." He twisted his horse around and his men followed without a word, much to her surprise. Her group rode up to his, and they merged seamlessly into a triple column. Vigard and Oddmund positioned themselves on her left and right, while Sorby fell in behind her. The thick snow made galloping all but impossible, so they could only trot.

"Are you well, Your Highness?" the admiral said.

"Well enough," she said.

"Sir, Princess Anna arrived with the Eternity this morning. I took it upon myself to escort her here," Oddmund said.

The harbour, or rather what was left of it, had been ringed with ice and stalactites. Anna dared not even imagine what was within the ruins. Her only reprieve in this waking nightmare was finding the nearby town where she'd once stayed left intact. It was there the commander received her… along with eight hundred marines prepped for war.

Vigard nodded. "What of the envoys?"

"They've not returned with counter terms," Oddmund said, earning a grimace from the older man.

"Counter terms? From who?" Anna glanced at them both.

"Your Highness, after their harbour fell, Weselton's crown family sent envoys to treat with Her Majesty. She sent them back with one demand: The total disarmament of this country, and for it to serve as a vassal state to Arendelle from henceforth," Vigard said.

"That's–that's ridiculous! They would never agree to this!" she said. Most kingdoms faced with annihilation at the hands of a vengeful snow queen might've negotiated at least, but her time spent here had taught her Weseltoners were a proud people, and they loathed magic down to their bones.

"Why didn't you say anything when we were riding here?" Anna gave Oddmund a hard look.

He ignored her. "Sir, Princess Anna sent pigeons to our ships with orders to stand down."

"Yes, I certainly did." Anna's voice was thick with anger.

"They will suspect it an enemy trick," Vigard said.

"Wait, what?"

"I warned you, Princess Anna." Oddmund inclined his head. "Our victory is all but assured. Why would any army in its right mind retreat just like that?"

She turned her glare to Vigard. "If only you were at Harbourtown, Admiral. You could have debriefed the marines and sent them back to Arendelle."

"This one means no offense, but our orders came from Her Majesty. Neither of us may supersede her authority."

"Even with my royal seal on the letters?"

Vigard's face was grim. "Royal seals can be forged. Remember the third sacking of Litera City? Manbul spies diverted Litera reinforcements with false letters."

The panic welled up within Anna again, and it was all she could do not to curse aloud. "I would've gone to each ship myself, but…" She sighed. "Look, it took too long to detour around the ice, okay? I don't even know if telling them to stand down was the right move."

"Why wouldn't it?" someone riding behind said.

"We brought the war to Weselton," Vigard said. "Any weakness in our defence now will be returned with a brutal counterattack. And they would be wise to do so. We destroyed their harbour, froze their entire fleet, and now Her Majesty has conjured up this winter. Cornered beasts are the most dangerous of all."

"I brought two Weseltoners from Arendelle. They are on their way to the capital city to explain everything."

The admiral shook his head. "Unless Her Majesty ends this winter, talk changes nothing."

"It will end with Weselton's defeat," Oddmund said.

With that, Anna had no more words to give. For an instant, she nearly revealed the truth of Elsa's possession, but she guarded her tongue. This close to their reunion, she dared not escalate the situation. All it'd take is for one loose mouth to confront the queen and she could very well turn on Arendelle too.

How long they rode on she couldn't say. The only sound was the crunch of snow beneath their hooves. Here and there she saw carts and fences half-embedded in ice, and old ruins blanketed by snow. The wind lashed at exposed skin, the cold biting through every last piece of fabric. Anna had to flex her fingers and toes every minute lest they get frostbitten. She felt even sorrier for the horses which had nothing to wear.

Lovely. Here you are whining about your discomfort, while the rest of Weselton dies.

She shook her head. Winter had come a month earlier than anyone expected, but surely they had begun stocking up on food, timber and clothes. As long as they stayed indoors, they'd be fine.

They have to. Anna hoped, but she couldn't help but wonder if she was fooling herself once again.

They pressed on through the white as snow battered them. The roads had long disappeared, but she needed neither landmarks nor the guidance of Kristoff to lead the way; even this blizzard couldn't hide the trail of an angry snow queen.

The great forest before them would've barred even the most determined of riders. Now, a clearing wide enough for two carriages yawned at them, as if a herd of elephants had stampeded through, leaving broken trunks and ice-crusted branches on either side.

They cleared the woods, and there it was, looming before them. The Belly of the Beast.

What are you after, Freya? You came back for a reason, here where it all began.

Anna was still staring at the mountaintop when it happened.

A pillar of blue stabbed through the clouds, warping the very sky itself. Waves of snowy dust bellowed from the peak, scraping down the side of the mountain. Anna raised her hand as the shockwave rushed towards them, roaring past her ears and tugging her cape. Marines and guards were yelling curses, prayers and even cheers. The heavens crackled as if wounded, as feral magic churned snow and cloud into a gaping vortex far above. Static prickled Anna's extremities. It was all she could do to keep her horse from bolting.

"Weselton."

A voice, carried by the wind, rang in her ears. By the looks of everyone else, they heard it too.

"I have seen your true face. I have seen the corruption that seeps within your mockery of a kingdom. Your lords and leaders tried to tear my home apart, to steal away everything I love. But I survived, and now I have come for you.

"Lay down your weapons. Submit to the will of Arendelle, and I will show you mercy. Resist, and I will turn each and every one of you into a cold corpse." A pause. "But I know your people too well. You only trust power when you taste it, so I will start with Belking. Let its demise be a lesson to you."

"Stop!" Anna cried into the blizzard. "You don't need to do this! Stop! Stop, please–!"

"I am Queen Elsa of Arendelle, firstborn of King Agdar and Queen Idunn. I am your reckoning."

Elsa's voice faded, leaving the howling wind in its wake. Anna huddled into her cape, fighting back the tears that were coming. She was tired. Tired of failing again and again. Tired of watching her soulmate be reduced to this.

The men exchanged hard looks. The confusion was thick on their faces, yet none dared speak as though it'd invite the wrath of their queen upon them.

Vigard's voice broke the silence. "We must hurry. All of Weselton's armies would be coming for this mountain now."

Anna shivered. Elsa's spell was nothing more than a show of power… an invitation for any foolish enough to challenge her. Even this winter was but a brief taste of her true power. Were she so inclined, she could have frozen the entire land as she did the harbour.

But she would take her time, ravaging one town at a time as a cat toys with its prey.

"They can't stop her," Sorby said. "Only we can."

"Do you mean to harm Her Majesty, sailor?" Vigard said. Sorby did not reply.

"Leave Weselton to its fate," Oddmund said. "It's what Queen Elsa wishes."

"No one can stand against our queen. She will lead us to victory!" came a voice from behind. One of the marines. To Anna's horror, several more pumped their fists in approval.

"Are all of you insane?" Sorby spun around, his gaze like fire. "Do you really believe this is what Arendelle stands for? To rob and plunder like pirates? IS IT?!"

The few marines at least had the decency to look embarrassed, but one jabbed at the mountain with a sword. "Between us and there stands a thousand Yindu mercenary. What chance have we?"

Anna felt like she'd been punched in the gut. She had no illusion of the fate of any foolhardy enough to stand against Elsa.

"If they were smart, they would have fled." The hard look on Vigard's face betrayed his true thoughts.

"Then let's find out." Anna gave her horse a tug, leaving them no choice but to follow or be left behind.

They rode in grim silence, as if marching towards a funeral. This close the blizzard seemed to relent; the wind no longer stung their eyes, and the snowfall was almost pleasant. Yet, the magic was so thickly saturated in the air that Anna found it hard to breathe.

When they fell into the shadow of the mountain, she couldn't help but pause. This place had grown utterly unrecognizable. The image of the desolate plains, the spiky mountainside, and its sentries was burnt into her mind. Now, all that was left were bits of rock peeking through the white.

The burst of magic earlier had brought an avalanche crashing down, the snow pile so thick that Anna couldn't even guess at the location of the ship-sized cave that was the entrance to the Belly of the Beast.

Or was that always your plan, Freya? To bury your prison forever?

They were cresting a snowdrift when Oddmund flung his hand out, whispering, "Hold!"

His warning came too late. The fog cleared, exposing an army spread over the snow field, less than a hundred meters away. Gasps came up around Anna, and for a moment, everyone froze.

The soldiers before them stood in fighting positions, weapons raised, some on horseback, others manning cannons. But none moved.

Only then did Anna realize they were blue from head to toe.

"An army of ice," Sorby said. "God help us."

One sweep of her glance revealed they were hopelessly outnumbered. There were hundreds to the left and right, and so many more clustered in the middle Anna couldn't even begin to guess at their numbers. Little wonder the Weselton troops had failed to stop Elsa: even the stoutest of men would've given way before this onslaught.

Anna had always thought Olaf a marvel of creation– for what else could one call snow given life? It was the purest and most beautiful form of magic Elsa possessed. Yet, Freya had twisted even that power for her own ends.

The horses whickered nervously, and the marines nocked their crossbows. Even Vigard's face had gone stiff. The figures stayed motionless however. Their battle standards were slabs of ice, unmoving in the wind.

"I… I've seen this," Anna said. "A giant snowman, Marshmallow, guards Elsa's castle. He's usually dormant when there's nobody around. We should be safe if we keep our distance."

"There." Oddmund pointed past the ice army. "That slope should lead us to the peak where Queen Elsa is."

"We are not going through this. It's suicide," said Roy.

"We serve Her Majesty. Surely, she wouldn't turn on us," said another.

"She turned on her own sister." Roy gestured. "What if we walk into the midst of those… things, only to have them come alive and tear us apart? It's a fool's gamble, I tell you."

Murmurs of agreement fanned through them. They were scared, and rightfully so. Their hearts had never been set on this quest anyway, for they still believed their rightful queen ordered this invasion. If an army of a thousand would so easily fall, what hope have they to pass?

Anna arched her head up. The blue light on the mountaintop expanded and contracted like a barely-contained flame. She imagined her sister in the epicentre of it, channelling her magic into the heavens.

She slid off her horse. "I'm going in."

For the initial few seconds her words did not register. They simply stared at her blankly as though she'd been joking. Sorby broke out of the stupor. "Absolutely not."

"That's not for debate."

"Hold on, please! Can't we just find another way around?"

"There's no time," she said. Elsa's life ebbed away with every passing second. They couldn't afford to circle around the vast mountain seeking another path that might not even exist. Ice army or not, the only way was forward. They had brought Anna here safely, and that was more than she could ask for.

Nothing else matter now. Nothing but Elsa.

"The rest of Weselton could be coming. If you stay here any longer, you will all be caught in the fight." Anna slapped her chest. "I should have stopped her in Arendelle, but I failed. So let me make amends now. This is between the two of us."

Her words struck each man like a slap. Not a single one approved. With new-found bravado, guard and marine alike trotted towards her, shouting over one another, pledging to accompany her even if it meant their death.

"Are my marines so eager to commit treason?" Vigard's voice was soft, yet he seized everyone's attention. "Imagine now, the whole lot of you charging in with swords. You would surely die, and bring death upon your princess as well." His eyes found hers, and there was something in there resembling admiration. "Your Highness, must you go?"

"She's waiting for me," Anna said. "I am the only one who can stop her."

"Then bring me with you at least." Sorby jumped off his horse.

"No. None of you are coming. That's an order."

Sorby gritted his teeth. "But you don't stand a chance against those things!"

"They won't hurt me."

"You don't know that," Sorby said. "I didn't bring you here from Arendelle just to watch you die. She nearly killed you once already."

"I know my sister. I know her magic." And now for the final touch. "One person alone could more easily sneak through them. This is the only way."

The stricken looks on their faces were all Anna needed. She plastered on a brave smile, perhaps her last, just for them. "I will bring back Elsa, I promise. She's my sister, she would never hurt me." Anna raised a hand before Sorby could protest. "Earlier on the ship, you said you trust me. Now I'm asking for that trust. Please." She turned her gaze to them all. "I am Princess Anna, secondborn of King Agdar and Queen Idunn. If you still honour your vows, then let me go to her."

"Your Highness." Vigard removed his hat and bowed deeply. "This one will make haste for the harbour and pull out whatever men are left." The others mirrored him, even Oddmund. Their displeasure was obvious, but Anna knew better than to offer half-apologies. She returned a heartfelt salute to them.

"Just remember what Lars died for. Remember the people dead thanks to her actions, and all the rest who'd surely suffer if you fail to do what's necessary." Sorby's voice was cutting. "If we lose you, we lose everything." Before Anna could reply, he clambered onto his horse.

"Do you have a better idea?" she whispered, but he'd trotted off. She abandoned all caution and yelled to her men, "Do any of you have a better idea?!"

Anna granted them ten seconds. When none replied, she spun on her heels and strode towards the field of immortal soldiers. She no longer dared to look back, lest she lose her resolve.

Don't follow. Don't follow. I must do this alone.

One foot after another, she walked on, focusing on the ground before her as she left the company of sword and steel.

They aren't following. Anna's smile was a bittersweet one. Absurdly, she found herself wishing one or two would disobey her. But the more steps she took, the more she came to realize she truly was alone. The men were loyal to her orders at least.

She would miss them.

As Anna approached the first of the ice soldiers, she was startled by how lifelike they seemed. Sapphire eyes glared at her, jaws contorted in rage, and crystal weapons were raised to strike. As she passed them however, their heads never turned.

Not a single one of Elsa's minions so much as acknowledged her presence.

She hesitated for a moment before stepping between a pair of spearmen. They were still. She knew they wouldn't harm her, but still her heart pounded. She picked her way through the maze of ice statues; sometimes stepping so close she could've touched them if she stretched out. Wisps of fog wafted around Anna, and she could feel the chill in her bones. Would they suddenly come alive if intruders other than her encroached?

Anna decided she didn't want to know as she picked up her pace. She edged between several foot soldiers, then did a double take.

They held crossbows. Freya's hated weapons.

Anna spun on the balls of her heel. Past the eerily beautiful amalgam of crystal and ice that was the figures all around, there was something about them she couldn't quite place… Olaf and Marshmallow were different as day to night, but they were just two. Here, every man was intricately crafted, with individual battle uniform, weapon, hair and unique faces even. It didn't make any sense for Freya to be this meticulous.

Anna's hair stood on ends. If this army had drove off the Weselton soldiers, then where's the sign of battle? Where's the blood or the torn up dirt?

Beside her, a crystalline horse reared up from fright, his rider gripping the reins for dear life. Were they not ice, Anna could have mistook them for actual–

Horror clogged her throat. Her fingers grazed the statues before jerking away. She dashed forward, inspecting each one. Barely visible against the azure shade of their long coat uniforms were buttons embossed with the bear-and-wolf mark of Weselton.

Anna half laughed and half cried. Of course they wouldn't hurt her. They couldn't. This was no icy abomination raised by Elsa.

This was the mercenary army. A thousand men, frozen in eternal vigil.

She'd read it a hundred times in the libraries – the clap of galloping warhorses; the thunder of armies clashing in a dance of iron and flesh. War was glorious. Men screaming war cries as steel rang on steel; arrows whistling through the air; cannons blasting with such force it deafened those nearby. And war was brutal.

There was none of that here. Only the quietness of death greeted Anna. The only heartbeat here her own. She palmed her eyes, blinking hard. No, it wasn't her imagination… these really were people once.

She pressed her hand on the nearest. A man whose hands were raised in a doomed attempt to shield himself. She could even see his freckles, his flat nose, his mouth gaping in mid-cry.

Please, this was me once. Magic thawed me. Please let there be magic in me still, to save these people. Please! Please–!

She held her breath. Anytime now, the frost would recede, the ice would become pink flesh again, and he would gasp with renewed life. Elsa had described the process so many times that Anna could almost picture it. It'd take some time, but she would save this man first, then they would both thaw four men, then eight, and she would be on her way to the peak while they continued helping everyone else.

Only well after her hand had gone numb did Anna step back. She sunk to her knees, clutching her head. Why did this happen?

He and all his comrades were truly dead and gone. They would never again see their families, wives, or children.

Elsa had fought against fear her entire life, and now she herself had become nothing more than a creature of vengeance.

The woman she loved didn't deserve this.

Anna reached under her cape– yes, it was still there, nestled safely under the fabric. Please be right, Grandpabbie. This is our last weapon. Our last hope. If it fails, I have nothing left to bring her back.

Anna pushed herself up.

I gave everything up. Arendelle… Kristoff… everyone I ever loved. Now I must save Elsa, or there's no point returning at all.

She wedged her lips tight and trudged through the field of death, her cheeks running wet and cold. The path to the top lied bare before her.

There at the heart of the blizzard, her sister awaited her. Elsa's body. Freya's soul. The most powerful creature in the world.

Anna began her climb up the mountain.

It ends here.