Other Fan Fiction ❯ Reprise ❯ What You Did In the Dark ( Chapter 38 )

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CHAPTER 38: What You Did in the Dark

The restoration of Arendelle's proper regime would take days. But the first priority was dismantling the resistance, which offered resources they could use. Plus all the men and women involved were eager to get the kingdom back on its feet. It was what they had worked for, after all.

That meant many trips back and forth between the ice palace and the castle. Thankfully, they didn't have to use the secret tunnels anymore. Thanks to Sven, the ice harvesters, and many other volunteers, plenty of vehicles were available to take them up and down the mountain.

The first room they cleared out was the command center. And this was purely Elsa's request. The maps, books, and weapons were no use to citizens who needed food, clothing, and reassurance that Arendelle was no longer under martial law. But Elsa insisted and Elsa was queen. Once the room cleared, Elsa sat upon her throne. And had been there ever since.

But the door was not locked. Elsa and Ariel pulled open the door and peeked in. She was sitting, propping up her chin with her fist.

"Elsa?" Rapunzel said. "Can we come in?"

"Sure," she said.

Ariel and Rapunzel approached the throne. "What are you doing?"

"Just thinking."

Ariel grimaced. Why did she need to spend so much time alone? And what was there to think about? There was so much to do now that Arendelle was free.

"You've been thinking a while," Ariel said. "Why are you here? You helping out at the beginning. Then Anna told me that you went in here."

Specifically, Anna had said that "She does this sometimes. She says she wants to be alone, but she really doesn't. I have to go in and pull her out of her funk."

"I know," Elsa said. "I was going to help more, but... I was afraid they'd ask me to use my ice powers. And I didn't want to. Not yet. I don't... I don't think that would be appropriate."

"Elsa, we forgive you. We already said that. You weren't your right self. But you're back now," Rapunzel said.

"But for how long? The same things keep happening. Winter keeps coming back, because of me. I can't seem to use my powers without people getting hurt. I keep losing control. And men keep using that as a chance to seize power."

"There's always people like that," Rapunzel said. "And you're not crazy. If anything, you should be crazy after everything we've gone through. Ancient sorcerers and bandits and gypsies and pirates. We literally became mermaids and lived under the sea. And we just ended a war we accidentally started. I think you're allowed to be a little bit crazy."

Elsa made a slight smile. "But still, I keep alienating people."

"We're still here. We came in without being asked," Ariel said.

"Everyone else then," Elsa said, her tone rising. "The whole kingdom. How can I be queen if the same things are going to keep happening?"

Rapunzel pointed at her. "You didn't cause this winter. Arcius did."

"Arcius wouldn't have caused it if I wasn't here. Just my presence causes trouble."

"Is that why you never tore down this ice castle?" Ariel asked. "I mean, it was good for us. But there didn't seem to be a reason after you opened the gates."

Elsa nodded. "I kept it in case I needed somewhere to escape to. If things went wrong for me again, like they did on coronation day. But all I did was trade one prison for another. As long as I'm alive, Arendelle is doomed."

"Elsa," Rapunzel said. "You say you keep alienating people. Then why are they all helping return you to your castle? Why are they excited to have you back? Not me, not Anna--you. They're not doing it because they expect it, or because they're your friends. They want you to be queen."

Ariel said "As long as you recognize that you're making mistakes, you can fix them. You can learn from them. It's the people who don't believe they're doing anything wrong that can't be helped."

"People like Arcius," Rapunzel added.

Elsa paused. "I guess so. But we haven't seen anything of him so far."

"He's not going to stop, no matter what," Ariel said. "It's only a matter of time until he finds us again. Or finds someone else to give him the power he needs."

"Which is why we came in. Pabbie and the trolls have been talking about the grain of time, seeing if anyone knows how to deal with it."

Elsa stood up, her dress swishing around her ankles. "Then let us go," a few seconds passed, "and see what he knows."

Rapunzel furrowed her brows. That was weird.

The three of them exited the throne room. Kristoff, Flynn, and Pabbie were standing by the frozen fountain in the main entrance hall.

Flynn said, "Queen Elsa. Don't you have any snow-heralds to announce your presence?"

Elsa smiled. "There's no need for formalities like that here." She frowned at Kristoff. "When did you get a beard?"

Kristoff looked confused. "I've always had a beard. Keeps my chin warm." He brushed at the yellow fuzz. Elsa shrugged it off.

"Pabbie, did you find out anything?" Rapunzel asked.

"I believe so, child. I am old, but there are many antiquities of the Earth more ancient than me. Still, based on what you told me, there may be a way to defeat your sorcerer."

"Really?" Rapunzel's eyes widened. "Then can we destroy the grain of time?"

"Ehhh," Pabbie wavered. "We're talking about an relic that existed before anything existed. Nevertheless, it can be sapped of energy."

"That's why Arcius wants us. Is there a way to..." Ariel paused. She stared blankly at Pabbie for several seconds, as if finding the right words. "Know how much he has left?"

"I'm afraid not. Even so, there is a basic principle that any action can be foiled by its opposite. The way to conquer your fear was with love," Pabbie said to Elsa. "Each of your powers originated in divine magicks. Perhaps as old as the Earth. The sun drop," he said to Rapunzel. "An ancient curse," to Elsa. "And the might of the sea god," to Ariel.

"So there's a way to counter his magic?" Rapunzel asked.

"Maybe," Pabbie said.

"What about the morimema? Any way you can use that?" Ariel asked.

Pabbie brought out the sapphire eighteen-pointed crystal.

"The mor... the whaty-whata?" Flynn asked.

"I saved it from Lowther's castle. It's the thing that stopped anyone from knowing where he was."

"It is ancient, but I know this kind of power," Pabbie said. "Right now, it has no focus, hence the color change. But whatever that focus is, the crystal renders memories of it unable to form."

"So it's like being invisible?" Flynn asked, eyes sparkling.

"Not invisible, but unable to be recognized. It could be standing right in front of you and you couldn't perceive it. No memories would set in the mind. Like how water cannot be absorbed by a rock."

"And it affects everyone. Worldwide. It might be the most powerful magic we have right now. At least for stopping Arcius," Ariel said.

"You may be right, child. But I haven't convinced myself of a way to use it. Arcius's magic is more powerful than anyone's. It's no doubt he can see through this illusion."

"Oh... right." Ariel's eyes dropped. "If he was able to send that message to Lowther, it won't affect him."

"How are we supposed to defeat him if he has no limits. We might as well be trying to stop a god," Elsa said.

"Arcius, for all his power, is still a human. And you were able to defeat one of the sorcerers using only your talents."

"I think I know what Pabbie is saying," Rapunzel said. "Maybe we can get him to believe that we're there to help? Even if it's just to get close to the grain?"

Everyone looked at her strangely.

"What?"

"You stopped," Ariel said. "Just now."

"Like, you paused in the middle of a word," Flynn said.

"No, I didn't," Rapunzel said.

"Yes, you did," Flynn said. "You said 'Maybe we can get...' and then you stopped moving for like five seconds."

"Something weird's going on," Rapunzel said. "I thought I saw Elsa do the same thing."

"I knew it. Kristoff doesn't have a beard," Elsa said. "He never had one. And Anna hates facial hair. She says it tickles her."

Pabbie glanced between all of them. "Girls, hold each other's hands."

Ariel, Rapunzel, and Elsa did so, looking at each other nervously.

"Pabbie, what are they talking about?" Kristoff asked. "Who's Anna?"

Elsa's eyes widened.

"Calm down," Pabbie said. "I think... what's happening... is..."

Pabbie's voice deepened like a gramophone unwound. He closed his eyes very slowly, then opened them again. A blink.

Then all time stopped. The room was still. Not like the calm of winter--even frozen air still moved. This was static. Lifeless. Like a desert, but without color.

"Elsa," Ariel whispered, gripping her hand tightly. "What happened?"

"I don't know," Elsa whispered back. "But don't let go."

Suddenly, the world around them dropped out. The ice palace deliquesced like a melting painting. Azure blended into nothingness. The floor disintegrated like paper, until they stood in a black void.

The sensation of falling gripped them. They screamed and lost each other's hands. Terrified, they tumbled into nothingness. The blackness became a mix of orange and teal. Giant bright globules passed by like bubbles.

In each of them, they could see still images--a beach, the ice castle, the cliffs and forest where Rapunzel's tower stood, a glowing seashell necklace, the giant snowflake over Arendelle, the light festival over Corona's waters, a bright pink dress, the ochre chandelier dropping straight towards her, a set of cutlery in a candelabra, a puzzle on an old pink rug, a brass orb and scepter with a patina of frost, the seven-person vanity where Ariel's sisters made themselves up every day, sunflowers everywhere, laser light bursting through a statue of Eric, Corona's castle's balcony, a boulder by the shore.

As the world lightened, a surface above was closing in, like a falling ceiling. It undulated and the bubbles spread away as they neared. The three ducked their heads as they burst through the other side. It was the ocean. They had fallen up through the ocean. And were still falling. Or rising?

The ocean faded away, too far to see, and all around was marigold sky. Orange swirled into the dark void. A portal. All was weightlessness. They flew through a swirl of prismatic clouds, every glint flashing red or green or blue. The tunnel ended in a black and red vortex. They punched through into nothing.

Something touched their feet. The weight settled--they were standing on something again. And though there was no light, they could see each other.

An apparition walked toward them, blurred and devoid of any color but white. Greys and blacks filtered in, giving depth. The other colors after that, giving definition. He clapped his hands.

"Well done on that rebellion," Arcius said. "Good decision-making on your part."

"You," Ariel hissed. "You did this?"

"I knew one of you would return to your point of formation. I apologize for everything that had to happen to get you there though. Quite a sudden war. I do hope the casualties were minimal."

"You need to leave us alone," Elsa said. "We're coming to get you."

Arcius snickered. "How are you going to do that? You can't even control where you are right now."

Rapunzel stepped in. "We're not anywhere. And you're not either. Otherwise, you'd be trying to capture us. This is all some kind of mirage."

She approached Arcius and passed her hand through his head.

"Reality and energy turn out to be less manifested under the power of time," Arcius said. "This is the power you keep rejecting. This is why I'm here. I don't think you quite realize what it is you're denying."

The blackness lifted. They were in Elsa's castle. It was wintertime, but a natural winter. And at Christmastime, with candles and small paper baskets. The room smelled of roast mutton and vinegar cabbage. Elsa's brain sizzled as the emotions came back to her. But this wasn't a past, this was a future.

Anna was kneeling by the Christmas tree. So was Kristoff. They had a baby wrapped in a blanket. All three of them had red noses and cheeks.

"They just showed him his first winter," Arcius said. "He giggled when snowflakes landed on his nose."

"If you're going to show us a bleak vision of our futures, it's not working," Elsa said.

"Who said it was bleak?" Arcius said. "Arendelle is prosperous. You are a fine queen, and an aunt. And Anna has everything you ever wanted while you stand on the sidelines. You have the people's allegiance but not their respect. And you spend the rest of your life trying to get it back. Days upon days in council meetings and document readings, neglecting your sister and friends. You slave and toil for a kingdom in perpetual terror. A kingdom waiting for the day you perish so they can sleep peacefully again. She moves on and marries. Oh, you pop in once in a while to their lives. But you are forever off to the side, watching her get everything you ever wanted--a close loving family."

"You're undermining your own point. By telling us the future, it can be changed," Elsa said.

"Kid, I OWN the future." Arcius stepped back, letting the temper fade away again. "Sorry. I didn't mean to erupt like that. But this is not some premonition. This is real. You are seeing the power I'm talking about. This is the fate that is written. And yours is the most comforting of the three of you."

The lights went down to pitch. Like a theater, they rose up on a castle balcony. Corona's castle. The sky was on fire, sunset orange and charcoal gray. The ocean roiled like a sea of blood. Hissing explosions popped with balls of smoke.

And overlooking it all was Queen Rapunzel. She was older. Her eyes were sunken in and rimmed with sickly mauve. She wore a drab mulberry dress with thick cuffs. Her gray hair was tied in a bun, except for the wispy strands that had gotten loose.

"What happened to me?" Rapunzel asked.

"What happens," Arcius said, "is that you are a conqueror. Corona became mighty attractive to your neighboring countries, with an inexperienced ruler and singular access to water. They try to take the kingdom of the sun. First through politics, then by deception, and finally by force. The years of war harden you, Rapunzel."

Her breath caught in her throat at the mention of her name.

"Though you are inexperienced, Corona does not fall. The lessons you learn discipline you. The betrayals you have to make, the games for power, sacrifices and under-the-table deals. And your kingdom goes from defender to attacker. Never again will Corona be taken advantage of, that's for certain."

"No," Rapunzel whispered.

"Still," Arcius said, turning to Ariel. "It's a better fate than what happens to your kingdom."

The light faded again. When it returned, they were on a beach. Ariel's beach. She turned to face the castle.

The roof of the tallest tower had been ripped away. Ivy covered the walls near the land. Near the sea, whole partitions had fallen away. Barnacles stuck to the pock-marked walls.

"Your land simply deteriorates. A slow, gradual decline. Very painful for the people. Those who stayed that is. Everyone fled once they saw which way the wind was blowing."

"What... what did this?" Ariel asked.

"A weak queen. Indecisive. Never there when needed. Avoiding accords that would have impact. Her husband works himself into an early grave trying to compensate. And once she takes power, she instantiates silly rules, ratifies all requests, ignores the consequences."

"No, that's not going to happen," Ariel said. "I've already learned that lesson. This is not what my life turns out to be. For any of us."

"Don't you get it? This is exactly what happens. I know it because I've seen it. That's the power of the grain of time." Arcius sighed. "I would think you'd be a little more appreciative of what I'm demonstrating. I offer these images freely, using the last of the grain of time's power. You cannot let it die, it's too important to let it fade into the aether. You can change deserts into forests by planting a single seed. Have the childr- the life you were meant to have."

"Wait, what?" Elsa stood up. "What did you say?"

"You didn't show any of us with children," Ariel said. "How do you know what we're meant to have?" She paused. "Our fates used to be different, weren't they? Something changed."

Arcius's voice thinned. "You must understand. It's the only way I can interact with the world anymore. I cannot simply leave my lair. The grain of time is too precious to leave alone."

Rapunzel wiped her eyes. "But you have changed things. Just how much have you changed?"

"It's nothing devastating. Like I said, plant a tiny seed here and a whole forest grows."

"Or remove a seed and a wasteland appears," Elsa said angrily. "You've already been altering our lives, haven't you? Messing with our past to... to what? Just how much can you change? Did my parents die so you could have-"

"No." Arcius held out his hand. "I assure you, I've done nothing to affect your lives beyond the past year. And even then, only in the smallest of ways. Little changes, nudges in a certain direction. The most difficult part is revising the mistakes. And maintaining the minimal amount of reform possible. Humans are so unpredictable. It took so many corrections until you would find your way to me. And I'm still not happy with how events turned out. Not to mention each reduced the potential of the grain of time. Now you see why I need your power?"

"The birds," Elsa said. "You did that."

"What birds?" Rapunzel asked. At the same time, Ariel gasped.

"When my ship wrecked, Ariel dragged me to a shoal. This was before I knew who she was. We started fighting, but a bunch of birds attacked us and drove us to shore."

"You see how hard it is?" Arcius asked. "It is an easy thing to join two diametrical parties against a common foe. But one must make preparations. To train and breed those birds to be territorial, relocate their home to that specific rock, mend their behavior for the right circumstances."

"Hans's armada. You arranged that," Elsa said. "And the three messages for us."

"And the guy who attacked me in the night," Rapunzel said. "The one using Ravir's name. He was sent by you!"

Arcius said "I needed to get you to Arendelle. I needed you alone, without any spouses to affect your decision or armies backing you up. Any one of you could serve as a source, but it was easier if all three of you arrived together."

"And Ansel. Somehow you made it so he rose through the ranks and became the commander. And-" Rapunzel gasped. "The library! The explosion! You did that!"

"You should have seen yourselves, squabbling over such petty contrivances. Only a significant distraction could have reunited you. Do you know how many tries it took to get that right? Too many people kept dying and left you too demoralized to continue. You kept splitting away to reinforce your kingdoms. I had to create a disaster with enough sentimental impact but no casualties. Do you know how hard that is?"

"You've been changing events this whole time," Ariel said. "So that circumstances would be perfect for all of us to find each other. Do you know how much we suffered? What about that?"

"Do you think this is the first time we've had this conversation?" Arcius let a moment pass for that to sink in. "We've met dozens of times. The reason you don't remember is because I've adjusted events that erase it.

"How could you?" Elsa growled. "These are our lives. You don't get to maneuver them to serve your own goals."

"At any point, did you have a clue that your life's path had been diverted? No. You stayed in blissful ignorance, continuing a single unbroken track. And what worse were you for it?""

"You don't have the right-"

"I have EVERY right." The girls drew back. "Don't you get it yet? I have the power. The person with the power gets the right. That's why he has the power. He earned it. He deserved it." Arcius's chest and shoulders heaved with each breath.

"Which one of us?" Ariel asked quietly.

"What?" Arcius answered.

"Which one of us has the child? Me? Rapunzel?"

Arcius paused before answering. "You did. A daughter. Named Melody. She looked like her father."

Ariel nodded. "But that's not going to come to pass, is it? Now that you've changed things. It's so far gone it's never going to happen."

Arcius stiffened. "My patience has worn thin. You have forced me from persuasion to threat. Either join me or I will manipulate your lives so you will have no choice."

"We said no. And we mean no," Rapunzel said.

"You must think carefully about your words, young one," Arcius growled. "The magic must be of free will. But free will can be manipulated."

"What free will do we have when you've been tearing our lives apart?" Elsa asked. "We're coming for you. And we're going to stop you."

"My power is not unlimited, but I will use what I have to bend you to my will. Perhaps it will be such a diversion that none of you would know you had lives to begin with. If you do not come to me, I will come to you."

Arcius stepped back. Darkness swallowed his body.

Though they couldn't see it, something pulled them away. The world stretched, contorted towards a single focal point. Vertigo made their eyes shut. When they opened them, they were in the ice castle, still holding hands. Pabbie, Flynn, and Kristoff were staring at them, slack-jawed. Kristoff was beardless again.

Flynn leaned into Pabbie. "What are we waiting for?" he whispered.

"You didn't see anything happen?" Rapunzel asked.

"How long we were gone?" Elsa asked.

"Gone?" Kristoff asked. "Gone where?"

"You didn't see us leave?" Elsa asked.

"Did time stop? Did we pass out?" Ariel asked.

"What are you talking about? Pabbie said you should hold hands, like something was going to happen." Flynn's eyebrows shot up. "Did something happen?"

"It's Arcius. His magic's unstable because the grain of time's losing power. That explains why you saw Kristoff with a beard," Rapunzel said.

"I had a beard?" Kristoff asked.

Ariel nodded. "A big bushy lumberjack one. It didn't look good."

"Anna! Where's Anna? Where is she?" Elsa yelled.

Kristoff reared back, afraid of Elsa's intensity. "B-back at the castle. Helping with the restoration. Did something happen to her?"

"I don't know. Arcius is messing with time. He could have done anything. He could make it so she was never born." Elsa turned on her heel. "We need to get back to the castle NOW!"

Flynn, Kristoff, and Pabbie froze with alarm. "Sven's outside, all hooked up," Flynn said.

"Let's go," Elsa said.

She was out of the castle and in the sleigh before anyone else. Kristoff jumped in before she could whip the reins and take off. He waited for the others to rush in before calling for Sven to take off.

Blustery snow pelted their faces, like a thousand tiny bullets. All but Elsa pulled up their collars, tucking in against the snow. But the queen leaned forward on the rail, as if she could will them faster. Every passing minute ate at her.

They reached the outskirts by evening and the castle at sunset. Kristoff pulled Sven to a stop at the castle gates. Elsa leapt out before the sleigh fully stopped.

"Anna! Anna!" she yelled. "Anna! Where are you?"

Her voice echoed in the empty entrance hall. Elsa ran through the corridors with madcap fervor. The occasional servant or maid looked up, confused. But Elsa would be past them before they could ask. "Anna!"

"Elsa?"

Anna stood outside the gallery, holding a portrait under her arm.

Elsa rushed and embraced her, nearly making her drop the painting.

"What's going on?" Anna said, bewildered. "Am I in trouble?"

"No. I'm just... so glad... you're my sister," Elsa panted.

"Me too," Anna said. She patted her back.

Elsa stood up. "Has anything happened? Anything strange?"

"I don't think so. Except Ansel replaced all the curtains in the study with green and yellow. Is that weird enough? I mean, green and yellow? Yuck."

Ariel and Rapunzel, who had been pursuing Elsa through the palace, finally caught up with them. "Phew, she's all right," Rapunzel said.

"All right? What do you mean 'all right'? What's going on?"

"Nothing," Ariel said. "And even if there was, you wouldn't have known it."

Anna's eyes opened even wider. Rapunzel elbowed Ariel in the ribs.

"Everything's fine." Elsa caressed Anna's shoulders. "I just wanted to make sure you were fine too. What have you been doing?"

"We're taking out all the changes Ansel made to the castle. I've been looking through the gallery. Look at this portrait he put up of himself. Bleh."

She held up the framed canvas. It was the portrait Ariel and Rapunzel had seen during Ansel's dinner. His austere visage gazed at them, reprimanding any action that did not encourage downfall of the monarchy. He held his hands in front of his snap blue uniform, not a wrinkle on it.

"Where's his book?" Rapunzel asked.

Anna peered over the top of the portrait. "What book?"

"He had a book in his hands. A big blue one with a gold symbol on it. He said he made a special point to include it in the painting. For his 'legacy'."

"What are you talking about? It always looked like this. Unless he had it painted over," Flynn said.

"Not that quick," Elsa said.

Anna chuckled. "Are you saying this isn't the same painting you saw? What do you think he did? Grab a different painting from another world?"

Anna, Rapunzel, and Elsa looked at each other.

"Where is Ansel?" Elsa asked.

Ansel was in the dungeon, nowhere near where Rapunzel and Ariel had broken in. He sat under the window on the bench opposite the bars. He clasped his hands, as if in prayer, when the three girls approached.

Ariel held up the painting.

"Explain this," Rapunzel said.

"It's me," Ansel said.

"It's you, missing one key detail," Elsa said.

Ansel, to his credit, studied the painting. He shrugged. "One of my lieutenants commissioned it. I posed for it, far longer than I would have liked. The last I saw of it was when it was to be hung in the castle gallery. Is there anything I missed?"

"The book," Elsa said. "What about the book?"

"What book?"

"When we saw this before, there was a book in this painting. It had a teal cover and a gold symbol on the cover. Like this." She pointed her forefinger in the air and made a design like an hourglass.

Ansel sat back against the wall. He said nothing.

"Why don't we see it now? Were there two paintings? Was there something special about it?" Rapunzel asked.

"There is no book in that painting because I did not pose with such a book," Ansel said.

"There's more to it than that," Ariel said. "I can see it in your eyes."

"You'd better tell us," Rapunzel said. "Or else Bad Elsa will come out again."

His eyes momentarily glanced her way.

"How do you know about that book?" Ansel asked.

"What is it?" Rapunzel asked.

Ansel stood up. He took a deep breath. "The first time I saw it was in my ship's cabin, heading from Corona to Arendelle. No one on my ship knew where it came from, who had placed it, who wrote it. As if it appeared out of thin air."

Rapunzel, Elsa, and Ariel looked at each other.

He continued, "It alarmed me. My cabin had been encroached. Posted security avoided, which is always present on my flagship. Yet, whoever penned this journal had done so."

"Journal?" Ariel asked.

"A handwritten account describing, in detail, how dangerous Arendelle's queen is." He kept eye contact with Elsa as he said this. Elsa scowled at him, a reminder that "Bad Elsa" could still come out. "All her past transgressions. Potential future ones. Detailed descriptions on how far her power could go. Her friends and allies. Strengths and weaknesses. In addition, her policies, her actions within the state. The condition of the Arendelle citizenry I would be sailing into. And how to manipulate the populace into renouncing her and accepting me as leader."

"The whole book told you how to do that?" Rapunzel asked. "Like a guide?"

Ansel nodded. "What to do, who to talk to, where to go. Almost down to the words I should say."

Again, the three girls glanced at each other. There was no need to ask who had written it.

Elsa said "And what did you stand to gain out of this?"

Ansel shrugged. "Its end justified the means. The ousting of a dangerous ruler and my own installation into power. Questionable good fortune, maybe. Perhaps I would end up owing my benefactor a favor. But the reason was sound, and I followed it." He sat back and smiled.

Ariel's eyebrows shot up. He was being way too generous with his revelations. Anyone behind bars had to be threatened or bribed to give up choice information like this. "Why are you telling us all this?"

"Because there's a reason the book you're talking about is not there." Ansel nodded toward the portrait. "It hasn't been in my possession since shortly after I arrived."

"Why not? Where is it?" Elsa asked.

"The book told me what to say to stave off the navies of Weselton and the Southern Isles... and how to affiliate with them for considerations. They never left Arendelle. They sailed deep into Odin's Fjord and are waiting there."

"Waiting for what?" Ariel asked.

"For my signal. Or lack of signal, I should say." Ansel smiled. "You could call it a contingency plan. Would that I were compromised. Which... well, look, here we are."

"Lack of signal?" Ariel asked.

"The book also included a recipe for a powerful explosive. Combining frozen hydrogen, aldehyde, and Tollens' reagent. Along with a complex mechanism for keeping these ingredient separate until a certain point. They're waiting for a coded message from me. If they receive the message, they remain. But if a certain amount of time goes by without hearing from me, they create a blockade and fire the bomb at the city."

The girls' breaths caught in their throats simultaneously.

"Arendelle should be quite ripe for annihilation. Your fleet is depleted, your soldiers are undernourished, your citizens are questioning their loyalty. No trace of this transgression should be discovered." Ansel grinned. "This kingdom will be a wasteland for cartographers to gray out and dismiss for centuries to come."

"How much time until they need the message?" Rapunzel asked.

Ansel said nothing. He grinned.

Elsa reached through the bars and grabbed Ansel's lapel. "How much time?"

Ansel grinned. "Do your worst, ice queen. I'm no longer afraid of death." He laughed. He laughed and laughed. The laugh of a madman with nothing left to lose. Who saw everything so perfectly that it gave an insane giddiness.

"Come on," Rapunzel said. "We have to take care of this now." The three of them rushed up the stairs. Kristoff, Anna, Flynn, Olaf, and Pabbie were waiting in the Queen's study.

"Well?" Flynn asked. "Was it a time thing?"

"It has to be," Rapunzel said. "Maybe all this time manipulation is letting us see the differences between what should be and what's changing."

"But it's worse," Elsa said. "Hans's navy has a bomb that could destroy all of Arendelle. And they're probably on their way now."

"Hans's navy? I thought he got rid of them," Kristoff said.

"He did. By recruiting them to his side," Rapunzel said.

"Well, we'll stop him. Can't we take out the fleet and stop him from getting close?" Anna wrung her hands.

Kristoff shrugged. "How? That blockade stretched wall to wall. And if they have any of Ansel's allies still on their side..."

"We can distract Hans-" Flynn started.

"That's not going to work a second time," Rapunzel said. "We've used up all our good will. They're only going to listen to Ansel."

"Maybe we can escape. If we go further into the mountains-" Anna said

"No," Elsa said. "I'm not escaping. And I'm not sacrificing anyone else."

Olaf shook his head. "If only you could turn yourselves invisible."

"Invisible..." Elsa turned to Pabbie. "Pabbie. The morimema. Could we use that somehow? You said it just needed something to focus on."

"That's genius." Ariel stood up. "We use it on Arendelle. They forget it ever existed."

Pabbie stuttered. "The artifact doesn't have nearly enough magic left. There's not enough to cover the kingdom."

Elsa rubbed her chin. "Maybe there's not enough to cover a city... could you cover a person?"

"What do you mean?" Rapunzel asked.

"Maybe we don't have to hide Arendelle. But if we can hide ourselves, we could sneak aboard and destroy the bomb."

Pabbie hummed. "I think I can summon enough power to focus on the three of you. But you would have to stay close to each other."

"We always do," Ariel said.

"But it's not enough to cover the boat, is it?" Flynn asked. "How are you going to float past them?"

"And there's no going around or under this time," Anna said.

"We can do it," Elsa said. "The Barefoot Maiden is sea-worthy. We just have to get past their blockade to the flagship."

"You're not leaving again without our help," Kristoff said. "You shouldn't have gone out alone in the first place."

"Same here," Flynn said. "We won't allow it. That's final."

"Well, I'm queen," Elsa said. "And only I get to say what's final. Otherwise, I can have you locked in the dungeon..." She gave her trademark smirk and cocky eyebrow.

Anna stepped forward. "Well, I'm the queen's sister. And I have the power to overrule the queen if she's doing something stupid or dangerous."

"I'm pretty sure that's not a law," Elsa said.

"It's the law of sisters," Anna said. "And you have to follow it. Or else... else..."

"Anna..." Elsa took Anna's hands in hers. "I know this is scary for you. But you need to stay. Evacuate the town. Get everyone in Arendelle to shelter."

"But..."

"If something does happen to us, I want a good ruler on the throne. A ruler who puts the well-being of her people before herself."

"We're not alone. It'll be the three of us," Rapunzel said.

"We can handle anything," Ariel said.

"They have cannons, guns. If they stop you, you're dead," Kristoff said.

"Then we'll have to make sure we're not stopped," Elsa said.