"Who are you? You… her accomplice, a dark mage?!" the same slick-looking man shouted, the one who had been chasing Elsa and trying to disguise a simple murder for power with pretty words.
"Who I am is none of your concern… but I really don't understand why some guy is chasing the queen of the kingdom. Where is the garrison? Where are your guards?" I looked at Elsa.
"So you're allies, I see… then you will die with her in the name of the glorious people of Arendelle and its salvation." He drew his sword.
"Who is this ridiculous dandy?" I asked Elsa.
At that moment, two rather large men with crossbows fired. One aimed at Elsa's head, the other at me. Elsa had every chance to defend herself with her magic, but right now she was too… too distracted by panic and overwhelming emotions.
But I was here.
In truth, a normal person can hardly catch a crossbow bolt with their hand, unless it's fired from a toy weapon. For me, it wasn't difficult at all. Even my spider-sense only lightly tingled, warning me of danger and nothing more.
So I simply stretched my hand slightly to the side and caught the bolt that would have struck the white-haired girl right in the eye, and stopped the second one that was flying toward me.
"Do you know that crossbows aren't toys for children?" I asked, raising an eyebrow. "For attempting to harm the rightful queen of the kingdom, there is only one punishment… death. Painful, very painful, because I can heal… I will break your legs, pull out your nails, and shatter your teeth, and then heal you so you can feel the full spectrum of pain all over again." I said it with a smile…
And the two brutes immediately rushed forward, drawing their swords. It was obvious that what I had just done surprised them greatly, but they were still focused on us, like predators...
"What a wonderful… stupidity." I said to that. I didn't have any real combat skills. Even back in that Hell, I fought mostly relying on instincts, and that was enough. I was stronger, faster, more agile, and not just a little, but dozens of times over… so this was almost amusing.
One of the "brothers"—they looked alike—charged at me head-on, and I immediately caught his sword with my hand, squeezing it between my fingers. It snapped and then crumbled into ice. I stepped forward slightly, grabbed him by the collar, and threw him into the second one. With such force that both of them were sent flying several meters and crashed into a snowdrift.
"Elsa, freeze the fools, they're just wasting our time." I looked at the stunned girl, who was watching two rather large men fly through the air. But after my words, she quickly came to her senses and nodded, freezing the rest of the "hateful eight" up to their necks.
"Where is Anna?" I asked, looking at the prince. I think that's what he looked like in the cartoon.
"Dead because of you, monsters!" the prince shouted.
"Wrong answer." I said lightly and struck his frozen leg.
Elsa hadn't frozen their bodies solid, she had simply encased them in ice. My blow shattered that ice… and his leg along with it. That had to hurt.
"Ah—ra-a!" he screamed, and everyone stared in shock, probably not expecting such cruelty.
"You know, I really don't like people like you… those who crave power and hide behind a mask of virtue. You wanted the throne from the beginning, didn't you? What was your name… Prince Huns? Horns? Doesn't matter. You've got a bunch of brothers, and the throne isn't meant for you…"
"I'll destroy you!" he shouted in rage, dropping the mask. "My family—"
"Ah-ha, sorry, but threats don't scare me… in the last few days I've seen so much shit… but never mind. Where is Anna? Or do you want me to send you back in pieces?" I pulled out the sword "Bloody Cleaver," and everyone swallowed nervously, except Elsa.
She… was looking at my back with unreadable emotions. I guess after this, she will start to fear me…
"S-she's in the castle… locked in a room… without heat… ah-r!" he cried out as I pressed on the same leg again.
"Alright, I didn't really need to ask, I just wanted to hurt you." I admitted, then pulled out the portal gun, fired it to the side, and a portal appeared instantly. Through it, a frozen room could be seen and…
"Anna!" Elsa shouted and rushed through the portal. To her surprise, she passed through and found herself beside her sister.
"I'll deal with you later." I glanced at the remaining frozen men and stepped through after her.
"Anna… little sister…" she dropped beside her.
"E… Elsa?" the redhead lifted her clouded gaze. "I… khm… I'm sorry… Hans… wants the throne… you… were right…"
"Vik!" Elsa cried out, looking at me as if hoping I could help somehow. And in that look there was no fear or caution toward me, only hope.
"Ahm, well… I'll try." I took out a Healing Potion, then a Regeneration Potion and a Warmth Potion. "Drink one of each… quickly, it should help at least for now."
Actually, Elsa herself could help her. After all, she had injured her sister with her own magic…
"Yeah… I feel much better." the girl said, much more lively now, after drinking only the first potion. After the second and third, she looked almost normal again, though her hair still had a white tint. "Are these your magic drinks?"
"They're called potions." I corrected her. "Glad you're okay…" I smiled at this naive girl.
"Thank you!" suddenly… Elsa hugged me. "Anna is the last family I have left, thank you!"
"Yes, thank you for saving my life!" Anna hugged me too.
"Girls… easy there, you'll suffocate me." I joked, feeling a bit awkward. "I don't mind helping good people. And Elsa." I looked at the queen. "Don't forget, this is your magic…" I ran my hand over Anna's hair. "That means you can fix this…"
"Oh, I feel great, so don't worry. And my hair… oh my, it's white! Does it look strange?" she took her braid and asked, looking at us.
"Elsa…" I glanced at the portal, where the blizzard was still raging. "I know we don't know each other well, but… you're not alone." I told her. "I know what it's like when you're afraid, when your own power scares you and makes your heart tremble at the same time, when you're afraid that one wrong move will hurt everyone around you. But… you have a sister who loves you with all her heart. I didn't even have that…" I finished, then pulled myself together, not wanting to show weakness. "Right now, you can fix everything easily. Believe in yourself, Elsa. Believe in me believing in you… and in your sister too!"
"Vik is right, I believe in you completely, and I know you can do it!" Anna assured her.
"Yes." she said, closing her eyes for a moment and… took my outstretched hand. Together we stepped through the portal again. Anna wanted to ask something but held back, watching her sister.
And then…
A miracle happened.
It truly looked magical and fairy-like. Magic swirled snowflakes in the air, the storm suddenly disappeared, and another kind of magic spread around—just as cold, but… gentle. Within seconds, the whole kingdom began to change. All the ice, all the snow started to vanish, spiraling into the sky, and the clouds parted, revealing the sun. Anna breathed much easier, and her hair began to return to its natural color.
"Your magic looks beautiful." I admitted, watching a massive snowflake "explode" in the sky.
"I agree! And… Hans!" Anna marched toward the prince, noticing he was still frozen in ice.
"O-oh, Anna… heh-heh, you know I was joking and—"
"Crack!"
She punched him straight in the face, knocking out a tooth.
"Ouch… that was worth it." she said, shaking her hand with a smile. "That's for my broken heart!"
"I told you not to trust strangers you've known for a few hours." I said. "Unless, of course, that stranger has saved your life twice… your sister's life… and the entire kingdom. In that case, that stranger deserves some praise." I couldn't help myself.
"Ha-ha…" Elsa covered her mouth with her hand and laughed softly. Her face clearly showed joy and relief that everything had worked out, especially for her younger sister.
"Your advisors are waving from the balcony… or whoever they are." I noticed people looking out from the palace.
Those same advisors were relieved that everything ended without bloodshed, and that the queen was safe… and had gained control over her powers. Of course, their concerns hadn't disappeared completely. I could see it deep in their eyes. They were also looking at me… questioningly, like, who even is this guy?
There were also many guests who had arrived by ship for the coronation of the new queen of Arendelle… which had almost turned into a tragedy. Fortunately, it all lasted only a day, and no one had truly frozen to death, only been frightened. They couldn't leave either, since the entire port and water had been frozen.
"I'm Olaf, and I like warm hugs!" a strange living snowman appeared, running out of the forest, according to witnesses. "And I think… I'm not feeling well…" he began to melt, but Elsa took pity on him and used her magic to give him some kind of protection from heat.
Arendelle is a relatively small kingdom, but with a good location for trade, which allows it to prosper and stay afloat. The kingdom trades in food—tea, sugar products, and fish. Because of that, Arendelle doesn't have a large standing army, only about a hundred guards and some reserves.
The advisors quickly learned that I, like Elsa, possessed magic… and became even more wary of me. Honestly, I didn't care at all.
Prince Hans was taken into custody, along with the Duke of Weselton, since those two brutes with crossbows were his bodyguards, and it was the duke who had ordered them to kill Elsa, thinking it would stop the storm. But they probably wouldn't be held for long, otherwise it could lead to a diplomatic scandal… and war.