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The Ice Queen Cometh

As Jack and his fellow pirates continued their small acts of thievery, the captain had managed to pinch another sack or coin off a grocery vendor without him noticing.

A little shake of the bag confirmed there were a few silver pieces inside, which he used to buy a handful of food. As he waited to have everything readied for him he looked about, seeing Mulan keeping most attention on herself as she browsed while Aladdin took handfuls of food and the like from the vendors before hiding them in his pockets.

Once he finished he turned only to be met by Abu, startling him for a moment before saying “Would you mind not doing that?” Abu screeched in confusion before Jack said “The whole sneaking up on me thing. Should put a bell on you. Or you could at least screech more.” Abu gave him an annoyed look before screeching more, to which he responded “Nothing? You haven’t gotten a thing?” Abu gave an awkward look before holding out an apple core, Jack asking “Where’s the rest of it?” More screeching along with hand gestures followed before he answered with “Look, I don’t care how many there were before, just try and actually use those sneaky little paws of yours to get something.” Abu gave a questioning screech to which Jack replied “I don’t know. Surprise me.” The monkey then leapt off to find something, Jack giving an annoyed “How there are times I wish you were a parrot.”

Jack walked off and, after a few minutes, had come to a pile of crates and barrels near the docks. He sat there with what he’d both stolen and bought, with stolen money that is, and waited until Mulan and Aladdin joined him. By the time they did he’d already eaten a banana and tossed away the peal. Both of them returned, Aladdin having half of what he stole stuffed in his pockets while Mulan only had a loaf of bread and a handful of carrots.

Jack looked at both, smiling at their success, before asking “Anyone manage any rum?”

Both of them looked to each other before Mulan commented “We thought YOU were going to get it, Captain.”

While Jack groaned at this Aladdin shrugged and said “I’ll be honest, captain, this place seems a little too…‘clean’ to be selling rum.”

Jack took a moment to look around, seeing how happy people looked and how actually ‘clean’ everything seemed, before commenting “You may have a point there, Mr. Aladdin.”

“Hey no worries.” Aladdin continued. “I’m sure, once were out to sea, we can stop back at….hey, where’s Abu?”

For a moment all of them looked and realized the monkey had not rejoined them. Jack, having the idea why, was about to answer before all of them heard his screech from behind. They looked and saw him pushing a big block of ice towards them, stopping once he was close enough and needing to catch his breath.

Abu spoke to Jack after a moment, to which he responded “This is your idea of a surprise?” Abu said more and Jack nodded before saying “Now I will grant you that. I did not expect a block of ice.”

“Question.” Mulan began. “Where exactly did you get that?”

Abut seemed awkward to answer before someone called out to them and the people. The pirates looked and saw a blonde haired man, accompanied by a reindeer, pointing at them.

“Hey!” he’d cried. “They stole some of my ice!”

Just as soon as the nearby people heard about this, others began to realize their things were stolen as well. The guards, catching wind of this, instantly made their way over and surrounded the group. Even Abu had to raise his hands, dropping a few pieces of jewelry hidden in his vest.

“I knew you were holding out.” Aladdin commented after seeing this.

Mulan then whispered back “Any ideas, Captain? ....Captain?”

They all looked back and realized Jack was gone, having slipped away before being seen, to which they both looked annoyed while Aladdin commented “I hate it when he does that.” Abu given the same sort of comment as well.

Jack, slipping his way behind more crates and barrels, kept peaking up to make sure he wasn’t spotted. He stopped behind a statue and looked once again, seeing the guards were still dealing with his crew. He turned to try and make back for the ship, only to be stopped by more guards who were waiting for him.

With an awkward smile Jack held up his hands and asked “Parley?”

********************

“Why did you lock yourself away?” Merida asked, still speaking with Elsa in her cell.

Elsa only answered “Can’t you tell?” before indicating the ice all over the place. “I’m dangerous. And I don’t want to risk hurting people with this….curse I have.”

At that point Elsa walked away from the barred window and further into her cell. Merida now had a chance to see the entire layout inside as she peaked through. She saw Elsa wearing a different dress from the one she’d known her for wearing, this one being more regal looking and not as colorful. (Her original coronation dress.) The cell was large enough for one person and only had a cot and bucket. There was a small window on the opposite wall, which was also barred, that looked out to the harbor and the horizon beyond Arendelle.

On the walls were pictures that were hand drawn and stuck against it to decorate the already cold and lonely looking cell. Some were of ships, ones seen from the harbor, others were of birds and another things. One Merida spotted was a picture she’d recognized from the hall earlier, the former king and queen and Elsa’s parents. There was another of a familiar looking snowman, who seemed to be just a snowman and not a living one as she remembered. And finally there were pictures of a young Elsa with another young girl, whom Merida assumed to be Anna. They were either standing together or playing.

As Elsa sat down on the cot near all the pictures Merida looked concerned as she asked “How…how long have you been in here?”

It took a moment, as Elsa looked around the room, before she answered “About five years now.” She sighed before adding “Funny. It sort of feels longer…”

“And you think this helps?” Merida asked. “Staying in a cell and just….sitting around and doing nothing while you let Hans rule?”

Elsa sighed and answered “Hans is a good leader. He’s taken care of Arendelle so far, and I trust him.” Merida gave an unconvinced look while she continued “Besides, as long as I’m in here it means no one risks getting hurt. Or….worse.”

Merida, starting to figure one or two things, asked “Is that what happened to Anna?”

At that Elsa looked to her, surprised, and asked “How do you know about her?” She stood before asking “And who are you anyway? You’re obviously not from Arendelle. Not with that accent.”

She answered “I’m Merida. The princess of the DunBroch lands. And you, Queen Elsa, aren’t helping anyone by staying in here when you should be ruling your kingdom.”

“I’m doing all I need right here.” She said, turning away from her. “You don’t understand. No one does…”

“I might know more than you think.” She said, making Elsa look back to her. “Before anything else, I need to know: what happened to Anna? Is she dead?”

“No!” Elsa said. “Of course not. I….I could never hurt her. But she is gone…”

“Gone where?” Merida asked. “Please. Tell me.” When Elsa asked why she wanted to know Merida answered in as serious a tone as she could “Because I’m trying to find someone too. And I think there’s a chance it might be connected. And if it is, I need all the help I can get.”

Elsa did not know but Merida was, in fact, referring to finding the Master of Worlds above anything else. While it was true Merida was seeking aid, her true intent was still to find whoever had caused all of this to begin with. Given how everything had changed because of the One World spell, she figured whatever was wrong with certain peoples histories had to be connected with him.

Now convinced enough to talk, Elsa sat back down on her cot as she told her story by starting with “Anna always loved playing in the snow. And with my powers…I could make it happen anytime we wanted. Even when it was so hot during the summer. Our parents made me keep it a secret from anyone else but sometimes….sometimes at night we would sneak downstairs into the ballroom and play. Throwing snowballs and building snowmen….” She stopped for a moment, it obviously being hard for her, before continuing “But one day I….I accidentally hit Anna with a spell. I thought I’d killed her but my parents took us to…”

“The trolls. And they healed Anna while wiping her memory so she knew you didn’t have your powers.” Merida finished for her. When Elsa looked back Merida said “Like I said, I known more than you think.” Before indicating for her to go on.

Elsa just accepted this before saying “After that I shut myself away. From everyone. Even my sister. While I was learning to control them Anna kept asking me to play with her…..and every time I told her to go away and leave me alone.” She was holding back tears at this point as she continued “And then….one day she was just gone. Like she just….disappeared. My parents went looking for her….but they never came back. I was left all alone to rule a kingdom while still trying to hide my curse. I stayed as shut up in the palace as I could while I sent search parties to look for Anna, just like my parents would’ve wanted. Even if there wasn’t any sign it didn’t stop me from trying.”

“What about the weather?” Merida asked, still curious. “They talk about how the winters here in Arendelle have been harsher over the years. I figured that was because of you, right?”

Elsa shied away before reluctantly answering “My powers are controlled by my emotions. The winter time…it always reminds me of Anna. All the fun we had, all the time we shared….but it was also around the time when she vanished. I...I try to keep everything in check but sometimes…”

Merida, seeing how upset Elsa was, began to feel the same way. She didn’t like that she had to bring up such distressing memories for her but it was all for a greater reason. One she hoped Elsa would understand at some point. Though one questioned remained on Merida’s mind.

“What about Hans?” she asked. “How does he fit into all this?”

“Well we first met during my coronation.” She began to explain while wiping tears out of her eyes. “He was such a sweet, caring man that I started to come around to him. So, after a while, I finally confide in him my secret. He was scared, at first, but understood why I was so distant from people. But as time went on I started to worry more and more about doing something wrong. Hurting someone by accident. So Hans had the idea to keep me locked away, safe and sound from anyone, while he acted as steward to the throne.”

“Steward?” Merida asked. “You mean like a stand-in?”

“Yes. Exactly. I’d help with whatever political issues would arise while he helped the people and continued searching for Anna. He convinced me staying in this cell would be better so no one would risk stumbling into me or something.”

Merida crossed her arms and said “Really? And what about the part where you’re declared dead?”

“W-Wait. What?” Elsa asked looking back to her.

Now knowing she had something for Elsa to hear Merida leaned against the door and said “What? Hans didn’t tell you about that? Everyone thinks you’re dead, Elsa. Hans said it happened because of some sickness you got. So he managed to take the throne for himself, even married some new girl too. And, I’m just guessing here, but I don’t think he’s bothered to search for your sister in a long time. I guess he thought you’d understand it was for the best, right? …..right? Elsa?”

Merida looked back into the cell and could see Elsa standing with her back turned. What she didn’t see was that her hands began to tighten into fists so hard they could practically crush anything she’d have held. Then the princess could see that the ice in the cell began to grow, even to where sharp icicles began to protrude from them.

Realizing what was happening Merida back away from the cell as she could see the ice began to fully cover the door now. She backed to the nearest corner as she felt the air grow colder than before, even needing to hold her arms again. More icicles began to spring forth until, finally, the door was blasted off its hinges but a heavy blast of cold.

The princess looked away for a moment before seeing Elsa step out, her eyes now burning with such rage that it made Merida shiver more than the cold.

********************

Mary Poppins had been droning on over the fake demands that many in the room, even Mickey, were either bored to the point of sleeping or ready to pass out or annoyed like Hans.

It was coming to the point where she was given what seemed like either too small or too ridiculous terms of agreement to the fake proposition that it some began to wonder if what she was saying was even true. In fact some were starting to get the idea that she was a mad woman. Hans, however, was groaning to the point where he was ready to snap at her, especially because every time he’d tried to make her stop she’d hold up a finger to indicate she still wanted to say more.

Finally Mary Poppins had come to saying “Item 52.”

“Enough!” Hans said, silencing her while waking some of the others like Queen Gabriella. He then stood before saying “I don’t know what Queen Minnie thinks of me for sending some batty woman like you, but I’m through hearing out these demands. And further more…” he stopped and then realized “Wait a minute. Where’s Princess Merida?”

Just after Mary Poppins and Mickey exchanged worried glances the guardsmen who Merida had knocked out stumbled into the room, via the left entrance, and said “My king! Someone knocked me out and took the keys to the dungeon!”

Hans, looking back to Mary Poppins and Mickey with a furious look, demanded “Who are you people? What are you really doing here? Tell me! Or I’ll….”

He trailed off when he, and everyone else, began to hear something from the back of the room. The sound of something freezing over with ice. Everyone looked back, some gasping, as they could see the large doors into the throne room were quickly being covered with ice. A chill began to sweep through the air as well, growing more violent to the point where it was equal to a wintery wind.

Finally the doors were burst open, sending more cold through, as everyone looked to see the so-called late Queen Elsa standing there. He eyes were blazing with rage while he body was practically shaking with it. Merida, who was behind her, kept a distance as the Ice Queen walked in, staring at Hans the entire time.

With a great shout she cried “HHAAAAAAAAANNS!”

The fake king, now looking scared beyond belief, gave a small “Oh dear…” before Elsa started walking towards him.

As they watched everyone in the room was surprised to see that the queen was alive. Some were even commenting her powers despite the fact she wasn’t trying to hide them any longer. As she approached closer Mary Poppins and Mickey stepped out of her way while Gabrielle stood to get a closer look at the approaching ice queen.

“Hey!” she said, pointing at her. “Aren’t you supposed to be…?”

Before she could finish her sentence Elsa had blasted her with a violent flurry of ice that sent her back against her throne. She fell to the ground, alive but unconscious, while everyone looked more worried about the violent queen. Hans has stood and tried to run only for the queen to create a wall of ice between him and the nearest exit.

“N-Now, Elsa, dear.” He began to plead. “J-Just…just calm down and I can explain.”

“Explain?!?” she shouted before using her magic to make ice form around his feet. As it began to creep further up his legs Elsa said “What do want to explain? How you lied to me? Tricked me into a cell for years? Telling everyone I was dead?” Hans tried to speak but she cut him off by saying “How about how you, the so-called loyal prince of the Southern Isle, decides to marry after you promised you’d be faithful to me no matter what?”

As Hans tried to warm himself with the ice at his waist he pleaded “P-P-Please. I…I just….just w-w-wanted my own kingdom to rule.”

Elsa, now-face-to-face with him, said “But that’s not what I’m angry at you for, Hans. I’m angry because you called off the search for Anna! You abandoned my sister!”

“Sh-She’s gone!” he tried to plea. “No one’s seen here in years! It was hopeless! You-You just couldn’t accepted the fact that she’d dead!”

Elsa, more angered at him than ever, growled lowly “Then so are you.”

With that she began to let the ice cover his body faster, to the point where it was over his chest. The ice queen kept that burning, hate filled look on him as the ice slowly reached his neck. Soon Hans would be encased in ice to freeze to death and that was what Elsa wanted.

Suddenly Merida, who’d been standing near Mary Poppins and Mickey while watching, stepped forward and said “Elsa, stop! That’s enough!” Elsa continued, ignoring her, before Merida continued “Don’t do this, Elsa. This is what you were afraid of, remember? Hurting people with your powers. I know you think Hans deserves it, and you might be right, but that doesn’t mean you should finish him off like this. Look around at the people you’re scaring. Is this what your parents would’ve wanted? Or Anna?”

After hearing all of that Elsa finally began to react, actually glancing back at Merida before looking around at what she was doing. She could see the frightened faces as people coward at her abilities. And then she looked at how close she was to killing Hans, the ice just reaching his chin.

Finally seeing how wrong her actions were Elsa waved her hand, dispelling the ice around Hans. She needed a more to take a few breaths, which slowly caused the rest of the ice in the room to fade away. When all was settled everyone calmed a little, looking to Queen Elsa as she turned and looked at all of them with a more bold tone.

“You. Guards.” She said, pointing at a trio of them nearby. “Take the prince to the dungeons. I think there’s a cell or two where they can spend the remainder of their days.” She then looked to Gabrielle and commanded “And take her home, where she belongs.” The false queen tried to say how she had nothing to do with it as she was dragged off. Then, looking to everyone Elsa proclaimed “And send word to all the kingdoms. Arendelle’s true ruler has returned!”

At first everyone was silent, uncertain of how to take this new unforeseen development, but Merida helped in Elsa’s favor by clapping. She was soon followed by Mickey and then Mary Poppins, obviously trying to help their new potential and powerful ally. Slowly others joined until everyone in the room was cheering at Elsa’s return, the ice queen smiling at their acceptance.

The queen approached Merida and her friends before saying “Thank you, Merida. Without you….things might’ve gotten a lot worse.”

“And, to be fair, you might’ve still been sitting in that cell.” She joked, Elsa laughing a little at this.

She then held Merida’s hands and said “If there’s anything I can do for you, name it.”

As Merida began to think of something more guards suddenly came through the door. They were not the same ones who’d taken Hans and Gabriella away but, at first glance, many recognized them as those who worked the docks.

“My Lord Hans,” the guard captain began “we…Queen Elsa? Can it be?” he stopped when he saw Elsa there.

“It’s alright, captain.” She said, trying to calm him. “You’re not seeing a ghost, if that’s what you’re worried about. Now then, what is it?”

The captain shook it off and tried his best to accept her return before saying “Well we’ve found these group of scoundrels raiding through the people’s market.” They pushed the imprisoned Jack and his group of pirates forward for all to see. They finally pushed Flynn out next to them as the captain added “And we found this one trying to make a run for it on their ship!”

“Should’ve figured it’d be harder to do by yourself.” Flynn commented in a defeated tone.

“What would you have us do with them, my queen?” the captain asked.

Jack, seeing Merida and the others, gave an awkward shrug and smile as he said “Knew it wouldn’t be too long before we saw each other again. Aye?”

While Mickey and Mary Poppins gave disapproving looked Merida hummed with curiosity before saying to Elsa “I think I just thought of something, your majesty.”

********************

Within an hour later men were loading supplies onto the Black Pearl while Merida explain to Jack and his crew the negations made with Queen Elsa.

After she’d finished Jack held up his hands and said “Let me see if we’re all clear on this. You her royal snowy fingers agreed to pardon us and supplies us, even granting us a crew of men, all for the sake that we help you with whatever mission-labor-adventurous errand you’re running. All for the sake of tracking down one bloke, whom you’ve never met, while trying to stop his lackeys along the way.”

Shrugging Merida answered “That about sums it up.”

He took a moment to lean back from her while saying “Might I had how incredibly fanatical this all sounds to me?”

“If I were you, Mr. Sparrow, I’d not act so ungrateful for princess Merida’s actions.” Mary Poppins retorted. “Not unless you were looking forward to a hanging.”

“Captain.” He corrected her before saying “And it’s not that I’m ungrateful. Far be it from that. But I really don’t feel we simple pirate folk should be engaging in any sort of adventuring. Especially when the fate of the world is apparently at hand.”

While some looked worried Merida, thinking quickly, asked “But Jack, haven’t you thought of the benefits? Like….the treasure?” He perked with a little interest when she mentioned it before continuing “Think about it. No telling where we’ll be off to. Probably some places even you haven’t been to. Or what about the respect you’ll gain too? Think about it. Captain Jack Sparrow! The pirate who saved the world. Could be lots of coin in it.” While he was still thinking on it she added “And rum.”

Everyone now looked to Jack who was obviously still thinking on it. He fiddled with his beard for a moment before finally turning around to look the princess in the face.
With a smirk he shrugged and said “You had me at ‘treasure’, darling.”

Merida smirked at this while some of the others laughed, Aladdin commenting “Doesn’t take much to change the captain’s mind.”

Mulan then said “Alright, enough standing around. We need to prep the ship and haul anchor while the tides still with us.”

She then walked off towards the ship, Aladdin and Flynn following with the latter saying “She always knows how to brighten up the day, doesn’t she?” Abu, following, said something to which Flynn sighed and explained “It was sarcasm.”

Merida shook her head at Mulan’s attitude before Mickey pointed out someone coming. Everyone looked as Elsa, surprisingly, approached them with a few nobles present. Already a crowd was gathered to see the pirate ship being supplied and man with their own men, but now seeing that the rumors of Elsa’s return were true made many whisper or gasp in surprise.

When she reached them Mickey asked “Come to see us off, your majesty?”

“Actually…” she said before indicating a servant who brought a bag over to her “…I was going to decide on my cabin.”

There was a collective confusion from everyone before Mickey asked “You’re coming with us? Why?”

“Because part of whatever mission you’re all on involves finding another missing girl which I’m pretty sure it’s connected with wherever Anna went. And after the fiasco with Hans, I can’t trust anyone but myself to see it done.”

“What other missing girl?’ Merida asked before Mary Poppins cleared her throat.

Once everyone looked to her she said “I may have mentioned something to her majesty before informing you, princess. Apologies for it having slipped my mind, but after you’d mentioned Anna missing earlier I felt the need to ask. But it pertains to that girl, Lilo. The one you’d mentioned seeing her sister before. Again, sorry I’d not brought it up sooner. I was a bit distracted with our little charade we had to play.”

While Merida groaned a little at this Mickey asked Elsa “Are you sure you’re alright to just leave your kingdom? Everyone’s still accepting the fact that you’re alive.”

Elsa, looking to everyone, explained “Right now all I care about is finding my sister and putting a stop to whatever greater threat is going on. Besides, I’ve left my kingdom in capable hands.” She turned back to the nobles and asked “Right, my lords?”

The bowed to her with one of them answering “Of course, Queen Elsa. We’ve more loyalty to you and your family than any others. Besides, Hans never really listened to us anyway.”

She bowed and thanked them before looking back to everyone else and asking “So where shall we be sailing to?”

After hearing that no one really had an answer. Even Mary Poppins was quiet when she realized there was no real way of knowing where to go next. Everyone turned to Merida who, after seeing their looks, asked why they were doing so.

“Well this is all your plan after all, isn’t it?” Mickey asked. “You’ve lead us this far.”

With that Merida asked “Are you saying you're okay with me leading? Me? The youngest one here?”

“Well you’ve been doing pretty much that up to this point, princess.” Mary Poppins pointed out. “And I don’t see anyone objecting.”

Everyone looked to Jack now who, after seeing this, put his hands up and explained “I’m just in charge of the ship. I have no problem with the little redheaded lass be the captain of everything else.”

They all then looked back to Merida who shrugged and said “Well okay then.” Before trying to think on where to go next. It took her a moment as she scratched her head while pacing for a bit before saying “Wait!” She turned and asked “Elsa? You said Anna kept coming to your door to try and play with you, right? Did she ever mention anything before she disappeared? Anything out of the ordinary?”

It took the ice queen a moment to remember before she said “Well….there was her imaginary friend she kept talking about.” When questioned about it Elsa explained “There were times where she told me about a boy who kept visiting her. Some boy who promised to….take her away to a place where she’d have fun all the time and not be alone anymore.” The tone in her voice made her realize how it might not have been what she thought. “She tried telling me so I would come with her. But I just thought it was a game or something.”

Merida began to see something familiar in her description before asking “This boy she mentioned. Did he have a name?”

Elsa, nodding, answered “Pan. She said his name was Peter Pan.”

The princess nearly smacked her cheek as she realized “That’s it! There’s where all the children have gone. Pan must’ve taken them to that place. What is it called…? Neverland!” she snapped her fingers.

“You think that’s where Anna is?” Elsa asked. “Well where is it?”

“Not some place easy to find.” Mary Poppins answered with a vague annoyed tone. “And neither is Peter Pan.” Mickey commented how she acted like she knew him to which she responded “We’ve never actually met, but I know that the boy Pan as much as he’s aware of me. We don’t exactly see eye-to-eye. Whereas I try to instill sensibility and responsibility, he sees fit to simple whisk children away to place where they’ll never have to grow up.”

“So I take it you wouldn’t know how to get to him then?” Merida asked.

When Mary Poppins confirmed this Jack stepped in and said “If I might step in for a moment, I think I know exactly who we need to speak to.” This garnered everyone’s attention as Jack explained “There’s talk of a man who managed to find Neverland on his own. A pirate. Met him once myself. Not the best of conversation starters. But if anyone knows the route to Neverland it’d be him.

“So where do we find him exactly?” Elsa asked.

Jack smirked and answered “The only place you’d find most pirates. The one place you’ll never feel unwelcomed. Tortuga.”