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theworldwithoutmagic · 4 years

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The Lost Waterbender - Ch 3 - “Don’t Run Into Fire”

The Fire Nation celebrated its victory over the Avatar cycle when they killed the very last Waterbender. With no host to be reborn into, the Avatar cycle ended.

Until 100 years later, when Elsa found that Ahtohallen was more than just memories.

Elsa must now master all 4 elements and the Avatar state if she ever wants to see Arendelle again.

Rating - Soft M

Ao3 Link

Yall know why Im writing this. Elsa is clearly the Avatar after F2! This is going to be eventually femslash. I hope you guys like this chapter!

Aang and Sokka to the rescue. Heh.

Elsa only made it an hour before she noticed a ship in distance. She nearly fell through her own ice in relief. She had felt confident until she started to walk. She wasn't even sure she was still in the Dark Sea at this point. Things were... odd. A ship would at least have navigation equipment, knowledge of the surrounding seas, and could actually help her get home.

She was so happy to see the ship she almost missed the smoke. A pillar of dark smoke rose in the air above the ship, which as she got closer she could now see was massive, black, and seemingly made of metal. She had heard of nothing like this from the castle advisors and she was certain no ships of this build ever visited Arendelle's port. It was even coming right towards her now. She didn't want to assume the worst, but the appearance of the ship put caution into her approach. She considered leaving it alone since it was unlikely to have ever visited Arendelle if she was so unfamiliar with it. And it was rather foreboding, all harsh angles and belching fire.

She deliberated for a while, weighing her options. Ultimately, she decided she would still approach them. She was the Snow Queen and she could protect herself from whatever threat they may pose even if they prove to be hostile in the worst-case scenario. Pirates or a foreign enemy included. Arendelle was famous in this region even before the eternal winter incident and the chances of them knowing of its location or at least the general direction was high. Hopefully they could clear up where she is now, if nothing else.

When it got close enough, she could see people on board in striking red armor. The flame insignia flag it flew was wholly unfamiliar to her. A flick of her wrist and the ice she stood on solidified into a larger, starburst platform. There could be no mistaking who they would be dealing with if they knew anything about this region at all. The Queen of Arendelle was quite intimidating when she wanted to be and had a reputation. The ship was slowing in front of her.

Elsa chose to speak first as soon as they were within earshot. "I am Queen Elsa of Arendelle. I would like to speak to the captain of this ship." She stood tall, her voice ringing out over the ice. She could see the people on the ship squinting down at her with wary expressions. They didn't react to her title except to mutter amongst themselves.

Eventually, a man called out, "We would be delighted to receive you, your ah, majesty. We will send a boat."

"No need." She stepped forward, an icy bridge forming to the deck of the ship. The shocked gasps of the crew weren't unexpected. She only hoped they wouldn't react violently. If so, would leave the same way and escape if things did not go well. Elsa tried to tell herself not to be so paranoid, this was just covering all her options. It was only the smart thing to do. She had lost her head when the spirit called her and she refused to let it happen again.

When her feet touched the deck, she let the bridge dissolve behind her. The crew had schooled their expressions. They were obviously trained soldiers now that she could see them clearly. This was a warship. With a very distinctly flame motif. Elsa narrowed her eyes.

"What kingdom are you from?" She began, noticing the metal ship lacked even a sail to propel itself.

"The real question is where have you been hiding, waterbender?" A man in a more decorated suit of armor said from across the deck. One look at his shining metal hairpiece and medals adorning his uniform indicated this was the captain. Or at least someone in charge.

Waterbender is what he called her. She knew that term only because of the spirit in the glacier and she was shocked to hear it from the captain. She steeled herself. "I am the reagent of Arendelle. Located on the southern fjords. Perhaps you know of me as the Snow Queen."

The captain's lips were tight as he considered her. His arms crossed. "Arendelle." He tasted the word. "And how many other waterbenders are you harboring, Queen Elsa?" His mouth tugged into a smile as he used her title. Elsa didn't like it.

"If you are referring to my ice, I am the only one I have ever met with this ability." Elsa swallowed. "What kingdom are you from, Captain? I didn't catch it the first time." She felt she might need the escape plan after all. The hostility was overwhelming.

"This ship, like all others, is from the Fire Nation," he said as if that explained everything. He was pacing around her. "I have one more question for you. Where is the Avatar?"

Elsa couldn't stop her eyes from widening. This was too much to be a coincidence. The captain was grinning widely in front of her now, watching her expression. "I'm afraid I don't know what you mean." She saw him glance over her shoulder and nod infinitesimally to someone. She made to turn back to the railing but was blocked by a ring of soldiers.

"Unfortunately, I can't let you leave," the captain said behind her. "I am under orders directly from the Fire Lord to detain all waterbenders and bring them to him. Especially those I suspect to be the avatar. Bind her."

Elsa didn't wait for the soldiers to move. A quick wave of her hand brought up a thick wall of ice between herself and the soldiers, and swept the five closest to the railing to the side, clearing the path for her easy escape.

"Don't let her off this ship! This has to be the avatar! We need to get her quickly before she can access the avatar state." She heard someone shouting. The men were lining up.

Then, her world changed.

Jets of yellow fire, hot and directed, blasted her ice away in an instant and blocked her escape route. Elsa traced the stream with her eyes and saw it was being produced from the hands of every soldier on the deck. Fire magic. All of them. It was almost a relief to see other people like her, and Elsa felt frozen. Her entire life she had been the only one. But everyone on this ship... they have fire. Then, the first hot jet caught her in the side and she cried out, trance broken. These people were attacking her. She was outnumbered 100 to 1. She could actually lose.

Elsa whipped into action. The air dropped 40 degrees. Ice covered the feet of every man she could see. She raised her hands and great icy beams gripped the sides of the ship, sending its nose into the air to knock the remaining soldiers off-balance, including the Captain who had somehow already melted his feet free. It didn't work, and they moved fluidly into a martial arts stance she had only seen in paintings from far away before more fire shot from their hands directly towards her.

Her heart lurched. She had only a second to raise an ice wall, feeling like she was back in front of Han's men in her castle. The fire broke through her ice again. It was seemingly explosive in its destruction. She shot a beam towards the captain, hoping to pin him to the deck. He lept to the side like a dancer and dodged easily, sending more fire spinning from his feet this time. Elsa backed up squinting against the heat, throwing more walls up to protect her front. That's when she felt someone grab her from behind.

She was panicking enough that it had begun to snow over the ship, frost creeping over the deck. But the fire users behind her seemed to produce their own heat and had wrested her hands behind her. Their hot touch burned her arms and she was rapidly overpowered. She cried out and tried to pull away, but there were at least three holding her now, keeping her hands immobilized. They had shackles and were just about to click them onto her when a blast of wind knocked them off balance for a moment, and one released their grip on a hand.

She didn't waste a moment and encased them in ice up their chests this time. She made a break for the railing. More men blocked her. Before she could even call her ice, they were swept completely off the side of the ship by another powerful gust of wind.

This time, Elsa saw the source. A young man, a teenager even, covered in blue arrow tattoos was whipping up a windstorm on the deck. He blocked their fire easily with concentrated gusts of unnatural wind that could only be more magic. He was barely touching the ground between each blast. He caught her eyes after he forced another few men over the side with a spin of his staff.

"Avatar! I'm here to help! Just- Iv been looking for you." He was working his way towards her. "I can explain after we get off this ship. I can get you away from the firebenders. You have to trust me."

She pulled more ice up to grip the ship, hearing the metal groan. "Thanks for the rescue." she ground out, "but I just want to get home."

"I have a flying bison! I can take you there, anywhere. Please, just come with me." He was nearly at her side, face all earnest concentration. The whole deck was covered in ice and the captain still stood shooting flames. She was ready to dispute the boy's outlandish claim when a great roar came from above. A shaggy, six-legged creature ridden by a tan-skinned man in a ponytail came from the sky. It had a saddle like a common beast and swept from the sky to hover over the battle. Great balls of fire from the upper deck were already being directed towards it. Elsa forced another swath of ice towards the men firing them.

She was now near enough to the railing now that she could jump into the ocean below and escape. The ice gripping the ship would keep them there long enough she could get a head start. Elsa considered leaving all of them behind. But she realized she still wasn't sure precisely which direction Arendelle was in. The sun was still up and she had little frame of reference. And well.. this kid had risked his own life to free her. Watching him fight the man in front of her she noticed his face was earnest and his strikes were all non-lethal deflections. That decided it for her, in the end.

"Alright, let's go." At the end of the day, he was acting friendly towards her. She had no reason to distrust him and he had a rather convenient method of transportation. Elsa had a horrible feeling she was not anywhere near Arendelle anymore and she wanted desperately to speak to another person, especially another magic user, who knew about this avatar business.

He grinned ear to ear, finally reaching her side. "Hold on!" He grabbed her hand and put one arm around her waist and then a tight blast of air shot them both skyward. She yelped in a very undignified way and had only a moment to feel the weightlessness before they both landed in the saddle of the beast.

"Sokka, get us out of here," the boy called.

"Holy shit Aang you actually got her! And look at this fire nation ship, that's a LOT of ice, they won't be moving for a while." Sokka said. The flying bison rapidly gained altitude, zig-zagging through the sky above the ship. She could still see the ship, completely lifted from the water by her massive pillars. The water surrounding the ship was frozen entirely for a hundred paces out. She allowed herself to feel a bit of pride.

"I know!" The boy cut him off, deflecting another fireball. "It was close. They had her nearly in cuffs." They were already so high the attacks were sparse. She thinks they were almost out of range.

"Well, at least the monks won't kill us now. They can't punish us if we bring them the avatar."

Elsa's mind finally caught up with what they were talking about. "I am not going anywhere except Arendelle. You will take me there, not to any monks." She interjected, with as much queenly majesty as was possible sitting cross-legged in the saddle of the beast. "And will someone please explain this Avatar business to me?"

#frozen #frozen 2 #atla #frozen fanfic #Elsa #my writing

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stcrmwxrning-groupsaa · 5 years

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New Beginnings — Locations

19 Regions of the United Realms: There is a total of 19 regions in the United Realms, the main region being Storybrooke.

1. Agrabah

Capital of Agrabah

Cave of Wonders

Lower Agrabah

Marketplaces

Taverns

Well of Wonders

2. Arendelle

Marketplaces

North Valley

Rock Trolls Valley

3. Camelot

Brocéliande (Forest of Eternal Night)

Caledonian Forest

Middlemist Field

Oxleigh

4. DunBroch

Ivory Sea

Southern Moor

Taverns

5. Enchanted Forest

Bald Mountain

Beanstalk

Bottomless Sea

Demon’s Bluff

Dwarf Mines

Firefly Hill

Forest Hideaway

Forest of the Dead

Frontlands

Hamelin

Hill of Stones

Infinite Forest

Lake Nostos

Lake Onondaga

Leviathan Shoals

Longbourn

Marketplaces

Pleasure Island

Poseidon’s Boneyard

Safe Haven

Sherwood Forest

Taverns

Temple of Prometheus

Troll Bridge

Vault of the Dark One

6. Land of Untold Stories

Marketplaces

Mr. Hyde’s Hospital

7. Neverland

Dark Hollow

Dead Man’s Peak

Echo Caves

Pixie Woods

Skull Rock

Spring of Neverland

8. New Agrabah

9. New Enchanted Forest

Cave of the Departed

Memento Mori

Resistance Camp

Taverns

10. New Wonderland

11. Oz

12. Mount Olympus

13. Wish Realm

Marketplaces

Taverns

14. Wonderland

Boiling Sea

Boro Grave

Great Divide

Taverns

Underland

Well of Wonders

Wonderland Maze

Wonderland Vault

15. Victorian England

Bethlem Asylum

16. Storybrooke

Æsop’s Tables

Any Given Sundae

Bean Fields

Castle Playground

Convent of the Sisters of Saint Meissa

Dark Star Pharmacy

Game of Thorns

Granny’s Bed and Breakfast

Granny’s Diner

Hopper Psychiatry Office

Marco’s Handyman & Woodworking Services

Marine Garage (Seppo’s Automative)

Mills Mausoleum

Mr. Gold Pawnbroker & Antiquities Dealer

Snow Lair

Storybrooke Cannery

Storybrooke Free Public Library

Storybrooke General Hospital

Storybrooke Graveyard

Storybrooke Harbor

Storybrooke Heritage Park

Storybrooke Mines

Storybrooke Pet Shelter

Storybrooke Power Inc.

Storybrooke Pumpkin Farm

Storybrooke Schools

Storybrooke Sheriff’s Department

Storybrooke Shipyard

Storybrooke Town Hall

Storybrooke Town Line

Storybrooke Wilderness Park

Storybrooke Wishing Well

The Rabbit Hole

The Toll Bridge

17. Hyperion Heights (Seattle, Washington)

Aurora Bridge

Community Gardens

Flynn’s Barcade

Hyperion Heights 42nd Precinct Police Station

Hyperion Heights Cemetery

Hyperion Heights Community Center

Hyperion Heights Greenhouse

Mr. Cluck’s Chicken Shack

Roni’s

Samdi Holdings

The Bakery @ Hyperion Heights

The Hyperion

The Vault

Hyperion Heights Hospital

18. Underworld (Underbrooke)

Acheron (River of Lost Souls)

Ambrosia Temple

Fiery Cave

Lethe (River of Forgetfulness)

Mordred’s Bar

Underbrooke Diner

Underbrooke Harbor

Underbrooke Library

Underbrooke Mills Mausoleum

Underbrooke Pawnshop

Underbrooke Town Hall

Underbrooke Woods

Underbrooke Sheriff’s Department

Underbrooke Cemetery

19. Edge of Realms

#new beginnings gv

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zeroviraluniverse-blog · 6 years

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Movie smash 'Frozen' heats up Broadway

Visit Now - http://zeroviral.com/movie-smash-frozen-heats-up-broadway/

Movie smash 'Frozen' heats up Broadway

Broadway veteran Caissie Levy sings the signature tune “Let It Go” as Elsa in “Frozen.”(Photo: Andrew Eccles)

NEW YORK – The curtain goes up and the opening number of the new Broadway musical Frozen kicks off with little Disney princesses Anna and Elsa on stage in front of a packed house. Backstage at the St. James Theatre, their grown-up counterparts are letting loose for an audience of two.

The second-floor dressing room of Caissie Levy, who plays ice queen Elsa (she of the empowerment anthem Let It Go), is the location of a nightly dance party co-starring her theatrical partner Patti Murin, aka Elsa’s vivacious, loving younger sister, Anna. Since they don’t have to come out right away, the two use the first 10 minutes of Frozen to bust a few moves to the downstairs show tune.

“Sometimes there’s some jumping on the couch, sometimes there are some ballet moves that are truly heinous that no one should ever witness,” Levy says, laughing. “It’s always done in our nude undergarments, which are really unattractive: a whole lot of Spanx and tights, and we don’t look cute at all.”

Patti Murin connected with Anna after seeing the movie “Frozen” for the first time. (Photo: Andrew Eccles)

It’s all business and belting once the Broadway veterans inhabit their characters in Disney’s next big musical extravaganza, now in previews (the show opens March 22). Producers could have done a note-for-note staging of the 2013 Oscar-winning animated movie and been just fine, financially: The film spawned a cultural phenomenon that continues to this day.

Fans at Disney World wait hours to meet Anna and Elsa or to get on the Frozen Ever After ride. They can buy a litany of stuff — from hoodies to toothbrushes — featuring the sisters or that lovable goofball snowman, Olaf, and they’re probably already planning to visit their nearest cinemas on Nov. 27, 2019, for Frozen 2.

The movie’s creative team has devised a musical that honors and also adds to Frozen‘s legacy while making it more socially relevant than ever. Songwriting couple Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez crafted 12 new tunes for the show, and movie director Jennifer Lee wrote the book, which expands Anna and Elsa’s backstory.

Add theatrical director Michael Grandage, who “has taken this story that people think is for little kids because of the branding, and he’s made it this very rich, Shakespearean, lush adult story,” says Anderson-Lopez. “There are some stunningly beautiful, sophisticated things going on on that stage.”

Elsa (Caissie Levy) deals with inner turmoil as she’s crowned queen of Arendelle in “Frozen.'” (Photo: Deen van Meer)

Inspired by Hans Christian Andersen’s The Snow Queen, Frozen at its warm heart is about a pair of sisters who grow up in isolation and find their way back to each other. Due to an accident involving Elsa’s ice powers, she’s kept apart from her sibling for much of their childhood, even as they each harbor a yearning to be close to one another.

After their parents die, Elsa is crowned queen of the kingdom of Arendelle. And after a lifetime of keeping her snowy abilities bottled up, she accidentally lets them loose and turns Arendelle into an icicle. Elsa leaves Arendelle on a mission of self-discovery, while Anna hooks up with hunky ice deliveryman Kristoff (played in the musical by Jelani Alladin) and Olaf (singing puppeteer Greg Hildreth) to find her sister.

Murin, a New York native who’s done Xanadu and Lysistrata Jones on Broadway, is a “Disney kid” who connected with Anna when she saw Frozen in a movie theater five years ago.

“Anna was the first one where I was like, ‘Oh, that’s totally my princess,’ ” Murin says. “She doesn’t quite have the poise that a lot of the other Disney heroines have. She is a true heroine. With others, it’s a lot of women waiting around for men to come and kiss them. And she doesn’t.”

Levy says she was also an early adopter of the Frozen franchise, taking in a screening with her girlfriends and thinking it would be “a perfect musical.”

The most glaring difference between Frozen and many of Levy’s other Broadway productions, including Hairspray, Hair, Les Miserables and Ghost the Musical, is the lack of a romantic love interest. “It’s colored the entire experience in a different shade,” Levy says. “It’s been a really cool thing to explore as a woman and as an actor to be doing a show that centers around the love of two sisters. My love interest in the show is Patti, my sister, and what that tells the world is it’s a really exciting time to be doing a show that’s not about a man.”

That non-romantic take on true love hit a nerve with women when the movie came out, Murin adds, and now with the Me Too and Time’s Up movements, “it’s re-establishing that, but it also explores the complex relationships of sisters and women with each other. It’s not the easiest relationship. We have not been raised as of yet in society to fully support other women, so we’re figuring it out how to do it ourselves.”

Disney is showing its progressive side with another of Frozen‘s core dynamics: In the movie, Kristoff is a blond white guy who falls for Anna (and vice versa), and in the musical it’s Broadway rookie Alladin, an African-American Brooklynite.

Patti Murin and Jelani Alladin share a laugh doing rehearsals of the musical “Frozen.” (Photo: Marc Brenner)

Alladin wanted to bring an emotional quality to Kristoff. “Someone called me an action figure the other day (but) to then have these moments in Act 2 where he opens up — you see the warmth, the tenderness, the heart. He’s not afraid to go there and be that vulnerable person for Anna.”

Not everybody was a fan at first. During a pre-Broadway run in Denver last year, Alladin received hate mail regarding his race and the on-stage interracial romance. (African-American actor James Brown III plays Anna and Elsa’s father in the Broadway production, while Asian-American actress Ann Sanders is their mother.)

“I had to take a moment to say, ‘You know what, if this is what being a pioneer in this type of thing has to be and what I have to deal with, I will deal with it,’ ” Alladin says. But toward the end of their Denver days, he says, “People didn’t say, ‘Oh, there’s a black man playing Kristoff.’ When I came on stage, they just saw Kristoff.”

Greg Hildreth sings and mans the Olaf puppet, playing the lovable snowman in “Frozen” on Broadway. (Photo: Andrew Eccles)

Kristoff and Anna get a new duet, What Do You Know About Love?, and Elsa sings both the interior monologue Dangerous to Dream in the first act and another pop anthem, Monster, in the second. Some other new tunes raise the status of supporting players.

Hans of the Southern Isles is sung by Hans (John Riddle), the handsome prince who catches Anna’s eye early in the show. (The tune “really establishes him as a hero,” Lopez says, though anybody who’s seen the movie knows that’s not quite the case.)

The Lopezes, meanwhile, are hard at work on the soundtrack for Frozen 2. “Yeah, it’s Frozen for breakfast, Frozen for lunch, Frozen for dinner,” Lopez chuckles. “We’re pretty excited and love where the story’s going.”

Anna (Patti Murin) falls hard for Hans (John Riddle) in the musical “Frozen.” (Photo: Deen van Meer)

They just won their second original-song Oscar for Remember Me from Pixar’s Coco, but they’ll be hard-pressed to top the cultural impact of Let It Go. The Oscar-winning Elsa anthem is, unsurprisingly, the biggest in the musical as it ends the first act.

At a recent industry performance, with the Broadway casts of Aladdin and The Lion King in the house, a buzz starts as soon as the familiar opening piano notes signal Elsa’s appearance. Little girls shush each other so they can hear, then everybody erupts in cheers once Elsa literally lets her hair down and closes with the iconic line, “The cold never bothered me anyway.”

It’s Levy’s favorite part of the show. “It’s such a nice turn for the character to go from spending most of the first act in fear and anxiety to then just letting herself be who she is and celebrating it,” says the actress.

“Frozen” actresses Caissie Levy (left) and Patti Murin play sisters in the musical and have grown close off stage as well. (Photo: Jenny Anderson)

Levy finishes the first act alone, but at curtain call her stage sister is back to give her a hug.

“It’s our moment to be like, ‘OK, another one down. We survived,’ ” Murin says. “It’s not an easy show for either of us. … She has a lot of the expectation put upon her for people who loved the film. When we both get to the end of it and we’re in one piece and no one’s been injured, it’s a daily celebration.”

Read or Share this story: https://usat.ly/2pjgt54

#Broadway #frozen #heats #movie #smash #News #Random News

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ericjuneau · 7 years

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Reprise (Chapter 34) [Frozen/Tangled/The Little Mermaid]

CHAPTER 34: The Will to Thrive

Under the shroud of night, a black shape floated across the fjord. One figure rowed with a single pole. The other sat cross-legged.

"Ariel, I love you. But this seems like a stupid plan," Rapunzel whispered.

"I know. But it's the best I came up with. But I think it'll work," she said.

Ariel oared toward the embankment of sharp rocks. They could have moved faster with the trident, but she didn't want to risk losing it in capture. The last thing Ansel needed was more power on his side.

So far it looked like the resistance's reconnaissance had been correct. Guards were looking for fleets, not small rafts. As a result, no one sounded the alarm.

The flat wood bumped against the shore, right in front of Elsa's cell. New rocks and mortar lay in the point of ingress.

They stepped gingerly onto the shoals. "Still got the stuff?" Ariel asked.

Rapunzel pulled two vials out of her pocket. One was purple, the other a dark buttermilk. When combined, they would create a chemical, volatile but reliable, that could dissolve iron.

Flynn had given them to her before she left. They were expensive and rare, but he always kept them on his person because "a thief always stayed prepared" "Maximus doesn't even know they exist. I was going to use them if I ever got couldn't solve one of his scenarios. Would've thrown him for a loop."

Rapunzel uncapped both vials, kissed the tops to each other, and shook. Something inside fizzed. She poured the mixture on the window bars. The liquid expanded into foam, hungrily hissing and smoking.

After a few pulls, Ariel tugged the bars out with a stoney pop. She tossed them in the water.

Rapunzel waited for the remnants of the chemical to dissolve, then boosted Ariel through. She landed soft-footed on the cold stone floor. The cell door was closed, but not locked. Ariel waited.

A ribbon of yellow hair flopped over the window's ledge. It lowered inch by inch until Ariel could jump for it. The golden hair spooled around her as she pulled it in, end over end. Then it tensed. Ariel continued to pull until two hands grabbed the sill.

"Ow," Rapunzel said. "Usually that goes the other way." She hoisted herself in and landed.

Ariel flattened against the wall and looked through the eyeslit. One corridor was a dead end, the other ended in a locked door.

They took a deep breath and proceeded down the hall. Another door, this one well lit, lay in front of the guard's desk.

"You cannot hold out forever," said the voice behind the door.

Ariel froze and pressed herself and Rapunzel into the wall. "Ansel," whispered Rapunzel.

"You either you tell us everything you can, or we will destroy you. Believe me, I will find a way," Ansel said.

"He's got Pabbie in there," Ariel said.

Pabbie must have said something, because Ansel responded "Magic no longer has a place in this kingdom. Arendelle has become a city of structure, order, and stability. There are tortures that don't require us to penetrate your hide. Blackmail. Sleep deprivation. Solitary confinement. Everyone has fears. We will find yours in time."

Pabbie's raspy voice murmured something.

"Time is something we have plenty of. Think about that."

The door clicked. Ariel and Rapunzel seized their breath.

Ansel opened the door and turned. They waited for the door at the end of the hallway to click shut. Then they waited a minute more before emerging around the corner.

Hands on the handle, Ariel said "He didn't even lock it." Afraid of what she'd see, she opened the door.

Rats scattered at the sound of their entrance. Pabbie hung against the wall by his shackled arms. He was too short for ankle cuffs.

"Rapunzel?"

"Shh," she said. "We're getting you out."

"I am most grateful to you," he whispered. "And your friend."

Ariel was so fascinated by the troll's appearance--a bulbous nose, grassy hair, and mossy eyebrows--that she almost forgot her manners. "I'm Ariel."

"But you should not have come. This is too dangerous."

"We can talk about that later." She reached on tiptoes and examined the shackles.

"The key is on the desk outside," Pabbie said. "I heard it clink when they locked me here."

Ariel left the room and searched the desk. The keys were right next to an empty dinner tray. She snatched them up and tossed them to Rapunzel.

Upon undoing the first lock, Pabbie swung like a ball on a chain. After the other, he dropped to the ground. The floor vibrated when he landed.

"Now we just need to get..." Rapunzel took Pabbie's hand to the cell they had come from. But when she tried the door, it was shut and locked.

"Did you close this?" Rapunzel asked.

"I... I don't think so. I don't remember."

Rapunzel stood on tip-toes, staring through the eyeslit at the window, and their path to freedom.

"Did you see any other keys in that drawer?"

"Just the one."

"The guards must have the others," Pabbie said. "This is why I said not to attempt a rescue. It's too much risk. You could still escape without me."

"No way. We are getting you out of here. I promise," Rapunzel said. "Kristoff's waiting for us at the backup meeting point in the town's square. If we can just get out of the castle..."

Rapunzel scanned the room, looking for some kind of helpful tool. Her eye fell on the reflective silver dinner tray.

"What was it Flynn said?" Rapunzel said. "No one ever questions the cook."

The kitchen staff was so busy preparing food they didn't notice the door open. Ariel grabbed the two chef uniforms from the hook.

"Nice," Rapunzel said after she returned to the closet. The two of them pulled on the uniforms. Ariel could stuff her hair under her toque blanche, but Rapunzel had to wind the rest under her clothes. Now all anyone could see was their faces--lovely, but generic.

"Ready?" Ariel asked.

"If you think this will work," Pabbie said. He rolled onto the silver platter and bundled up into a rock. Now all they needed to do was leave while trying not to look like they were struggling.

Just as before, no one paid attention when they re-entered the kitchen. Even when passing through the tight spaces between ovens. One of them bumped into Ariel. "Excuse me," she said.

In the hallway, two guards walked past them. Ariel and Rapunzel grinned at each other. This was going to work.

"You there," someone shouted.

Ariel and Rapunzel turned around, mindful of the tray. One of the castle's servants poked his head out of the kitchen.

"Where are you going with that?" the servant asked.

"Um... out?" Ariel said. "To the... guard posts. With... food."

"They'll have to wait. Take it to the dining hall. The first course still isn't ready and there's no one providing table service."

He stared at them until they marched the other way. No chance of ignoring his order and running out.

The corner turned into the dining hall. Four elite guards stood in the corners, watching over a long table of dinner guests, including Commander Ansel at the head. Rapunzel recognized some of them as former council members of Arendelle. Others were lieutenants, new allies, or potential ones.

"About time," one of the portly guests at the end said. He gestured for them to come over. Rapunzel and Ariel slid the platter onto the table. "What is that?"

"Bread," Ariel said.

He poked it with his knife. "It's hard as a rock," he said astonished.

"It's made from iron wheat," Rapunzel added. "Stone-ground. An Arendelle specialty."

"Bleh. I've had enough bread," said the emaciated lady across from him. "Fetch some of the smoked salmon. I think everyone here's wanting some."

"Sliced very thin for me," said the portly man.

Rapunzel and Ariel gathered utensils from around the room and began preparing appetizers, using whatever food they found. They tried to stay away from Ansel. Fortunately, he was so engrossed in conversation, he wouldn't have noticed them.

"Weselton's on the run. The Southern Isles followed," Ansel said. "And they've no intention of coming back."

"But you said you don't know where they've gone," said a man in a decorated military uniform. "How do you know they aren't gathering stronger forces?"

"You're right. We haven't been able to locate them. But we've also got spies in all major harbors and countries. And their forces haven't arrived in any. Wherever they are, it's far from here. I believe they've dissolved their alliance and gone their separate ways."

"But you've sent battle fleets to search ships," said one of the councilwoman. Tora, if Rapunzel remembered right. "You've forced them to make alliances just to defend themselves."

"I promised the Princess of Corona that I would make sure no one thinks of attacking Arendelle again. And I always keep my promises."

Rapunzel gritted her teeth as she sliced the cold-smoked ham.

"And the result is a prolonged war," the councilwoman answered.

"Come off it now," said Lord Bjorn, another old member of council. "The best thing Corona ever did was appoint him acting regent. Everything we've done has been to Arendelle's gain. Our economy's improved. Kingdoms are begging for diplomatic relations. Why, people have nearly forgotten our cloudy conditions."

"Other nations believe we're cursed," said a thin man with glasses.

"Let them," Ansel said, holding up his wine glass. "A blend of superstition and force will go a long way towards proving Arendelle's might."

"And just why do we need to prove ourselves?" asked Tora. "The country was quite content before you arrived."

"You say 'content," Ansel answered. "I say 'lacking drive'. 'Unambitious'. Without a will to thrive."

Bjorn added, "Do you seriously think Arendelle had any military influence under the old regime? A couple of young women? One was a sorceress, the other a capricious rattlebrain."

"A capricious rattlebrain that's throwing your domestic situation for a loop," Councilor Tora said. She looked only too delighted to add that in. "It's only a matter of time before everyone realizes the princess has left the castle. And by then, they'll realize what kind of government you're providing."

"By then, they will be used to the benefits I am providing." He offered up his wine glass. Rapunzel had to walk over and fill his goblet without wringing his neck.

"With all the soldiers on the streets, you'd think you would have caught her by now," Toula said.

"It's only a matter of time," Ansel smirked. He swirled his wine. "Besides, have you ever heard of a resistance faction upending the status quo?"

A man who hadn't spoken so far piped up. "I think North America's had some success so far. Great Britain's given up on trying to retain the colonies, haven't they? And Mexico's been having its share against the Spaniards."

"Feh. That's on the other side of the world. Think of France, Serbia, the Ottoman Empire. The more things change, the more they stay the same. But this," he gestured to the castle around him, "is a remarkable fortress. I dare say it's the only reason Arendelle hasn't experienced a true subjugation yet. Surrounded by water, only a single bridgeway to enter. How could anyone get in or out?"

"The snow queen has," Tora said.

"And where is she now, I ask." He leaned into Tora, staring her down from the bridge of his hawk nose. "I think she's adopted the same lack of accountability as her sister." He tipped back his wine with satisfaction.

"When she returns, do you think she will be pleased with her actions?"

Ansel grimaced in mid-sip. Tora smirked.

"I remind you, madam, I did not come here with the intention to rule. But when I saw the state of Arendelle's regimentation, I had to intervene. If she returns, I believe she should answer to what she left behind." He turned to address the entire table. "I am only doing what is necessary to maintain the state. A state which has undergone two cataclysms in one year. If Arendelle falls, its neighbors will fall. Its allies will fall. And we can't afford to let it be ruled by silly little girls."

Lord Bjorn interjected. "Soon the Southern Isles will send terms for surrender. Whether the snow queen reappears or not. The resistance will peter out once people realize how toothless it is."

"And that we do not intend harm," Ansel said. "My goal is not to conquer. It is to reconstruct. Once that is done, everything will be fine."

Two servants appeared from a side door, rolling an covered art easel. "Sir, the portrait you commissioned is finished. Would you like to look at it?"

"Dadblastit," Ansel said. "We are in the middle of the evening meal. Is a painting so important? You make me out to be a narcissist."

"Ansel, don't be so modest. I'd be thrilled to see it," Bjorn said.

"It is art. It will exist later as it is now," Ansel countered.

"Oh, Ansel, it won't take but a moment. I can't stand the thought of leaving it in the room unbidden. I would not be able to enjoy the rest of the night," said the emaciated woman.

"Very well." Ansel gestured to the two servants.

They positioned the easel at the foot of the table and swiped away the dropcloth. It was Lord Protector Ansel looking as regal as ever. His face as stern and dour as any headmaster, even down to the book he held in his hand.

"Interesting choice," Tora said. "I had expected you to be holding a sword or a scepter."

"Yes, I took care to feature that in my legacy. That there is no knowledge that is not power. It is the conqueror of all fear," Ansel replied.

A woman in the middle of the table pinched something on her plate. "Eugh, there's a hair in this fishcake." With her tweezer like fingers she pulled it out.

The hair kept going, even with her arm outstretched. With her other hand, she strung it out as if pulling a thread.

"What th'?" she said. The guest next to her goggled as, hand over hand, she pulled out more.

"What kind of hair is this?" It grew taut, catching a yellow glint from the candlelight chandelier. The thread led to the other end of the room, to one of the servant-girls cutting leeks. The guests fell silent, staring at her.

Rapunzel noticed the silence. She looked up.

"Princess Rapunzel?" Lord Bjorn asked. "Why are you here? Why are you dressed like that?"

Rapunzel's mouth opened and closed, in search of an answer.

"So much for 'no one questions the cook'," Ariel whispered in her ear.

Ansel stood, throwing down his napkin. "Guards!"

The loaf of bread at the far end of the table stood up and unrolled its limbs. The guests gasped as it unfolded into a troll-man. The surprised woman next to him caught his eye.

He put up his hands, stuck out his tongue, and said "nyah-nyah-nyah!"

The woman screamed and fell over in her chair.

Pabbie rolled down the table, upsetting candles, napkins, garlands. Plates and silverware clanked and cracked as he whirled toward Ansel, who sat motionless. The rock gutted him in the stomach, then switched direction to the door. Ariel and Rapunzel followed.

Ansel coughed--the wind knocked out of him--as the guards rushed from the other end of the room. "After them!" he said, after several seconds.

The guards rushed out the door, passing a portly man who commented, "I told them that bread was bad."

Pabbie waddled as fast as he could. Ariel and Rapunzel ran behind him, pumping their arms and legs. Each of them ripped off their uniforms in transit. A company of guards chased them, spears rattling with each step.

"We've got to get to the main gates," Ariel said, tossing her hat aside.

"They'll be closed," Rapunzel said.

"What was closed can be reopened," Pabbie said.

"Eek!"

Two armored soldiers jumped out, spears pointed ready.

Pabbie tucked himself into a ball. He rolled forward, knocking the left guard off his feet, then double-backed and took out the other, zipping in a straight line. Without a pause, he unrolled. "Come on," he said.

"Nice work," Rapunzel said.

"Guess there's still a few good centuries left in me after all," Pabbie said.

The hallways grew wider, which told them they were heading the right direction. Through the windows, they could tell which direction to go to move toward the town. They came to the two giant doors marked with tan chevrons.

The three of them pushed against the door with all their might. "It's locked. There's got to be a key."

Pabbie pressed his meaty hand to the door. "Too thick to roll through."

But it was too late. Eight guards emerged from the hallways and surrounded the three of them. Ariel, Rapunzel, and Pabbie backed up against the doors. The guards closed in.

In a few moments, Ansel strolled into the entrance hall, adjusting the fingers of his white gloves.

"Clever, quite clever," he said. "Frankly, I didn't know what I would do if either of you came back. But thanks to your actions, we now have charges of criminal facilitation, trespassing, burglary, and, if we find you have ties to the resistance, treason. Which, as you know, is a capital offense." He grinned at Rapunzel. "Maybe I'll hang you by your own hair."

Ariel could tell by his eyes he was serious. He might even order their execution now. She resisted the urge to shiver from the chill of fear running up her spine.

No, it wasn't fear. The door had grown cold under her fingers. "What is-"

The gates burst open. Ariel and Rapunzel flew forward thirty feet into the hall into Ansel and the guards. Everyone lay prone or supine, struggling to get up.

A cold and biting wind howled through the hall. Stinging ice flakes pelted their skin like tiny sling-stones. Ariel and Rapunzel looked back at the doorway, squinting into the wind.

She stood in silhouette, then stepped into the room. Her pale blue dress had become paler, and now had shoulder pads of ice spikes. Hair that was once ashen white had darkened to deep blonde. Most noticeable was the popping violet of her eyeshadow and lipstick. But her eyes--arctic blue with pinhole pupils--stared into their souls with unfeeling antipathy.

"Elsa?" Rapunzel asked.

Ansel stood up. She turned her gaze to him.

"I am here to take back my kingdom," Elsa said.

#Elsa #Ariel #Rapunzel #Tangled #Frozen #The Little Mermaid #fanfic #fan fic #fanfiction #fan fiction #Disney #princesses #Disney Princesses #crossover #Reprise

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