Chapter 2 (SORA): The Kingdom of Ice

Chapter 2 (Sora): The Kingdom of Ice

        In a crowded ballroom inside the palace of Arendelle, people dance and frolic around in celebration of the Queen's coronation.  However, two people were not in the highest spirits.  Queen Elsa of Arendelle and her sister, who had been estranged for quite some time, now stared each other down as the two sat on opposite sides over a matter Princess Anna begged to have an answer for.  By Anna's side sat her love, Prince Hans of the Southern Isles, who seemed surprised by Elsa's rejection of a blessing.  

        "Anna, what do you know about True Love?" Elsa asked her sister.

        Anna looked at her sister mournfully.  "I know more than you.  All you know how to do is shut people out!"  

         Elsa, hurt by her sisters words, shook it off and bitterly turned away from her sister.  "You asked for my blessing, and the answer is no!"  The young Queen of Arendelle turned towards her subjects.  "The party is over.  Guards, close the gates!"  As Elsa prepared to walk out of the throne room, Anna grabbed her wrist.  

        "Elsa, please!  I can't live like this anymore!" 

        Elsa, tears in her eyes, shook her head.  "Then leave, Anna."  

        "What did I ever do to you?"  Why do you shut me out?  Why do you shut the world out?"

        Elsa turned towards the door, freeing herself from her sister's grip.  "Enough, Anna!"  

        "What are you so afraid of?"

        "I said ENOUGH!"  Elsa threw her hand out in the air.  As she did, a shower of mist and icy spears appeared from thin air and separated herself from her guests.  Anna fell back into Hans arms, who looked as stunned as she was.  Several other guests also let out astonished yelps and screams.

        An elderly gentleman in the corner fell behind his wingmen.  "Sorcery?  I knew there was something dubious here!"  

        Elsa fell against the doors of the ballroom and fled from the party.  Anna jumped out of Hans' arms and followed her.  "Wait, Elsa!  Please!"  

        Sora walked through a nice wooded area.  Unlike the ride had let on, the world inside was warm and inviting.  There did not seem to be a cloud or snowflake in the forecast.  "I guess all that snow on the Matterhorn was misleading.  

        Sora looked down the hill to see a small village with a grand palace.  "I guess that's where I'll start.  I wonder where I am?"

        As Sora began down the hill towards the quiet little kingdom, he found himself surrounded by several dark beings.  All looked at Sora and his Keyblade with an odd appetite.  But Sora had dealt with these beings before.  

        "Heartless!" Sora shouted, pulling his Keyblade from thin air and charging against he horde.  

Defeat All of the Heartless!

        As Sora dealt with the last of the shadowy beings, he sighed.  "I guess Mickey and Master Yen Sid were right.  The Heartless are at large again.  It's a good bet that Maleficent and Pete are somewhere around here."  Sora looked down towards the kingdom and gasped.  Down by the water, he could see someone running atop the water.  Behind the being, the water in the Fjord was freezing solid.  Above the kingdom, he could see storm clouds gathering.  

        "I guess winter is coming" Sora sighed.  Without waiting a second, Sora hurried down the slope and towards the kingdom.  

        As Sora neared the gates to the castle, he saw more heartless harrassing a group of people.  Princess Anna, Hans, and the Duke of Weselton were being trapped by the Heartless.  As a Heartless crept closer and closer to Anna, Sora leapt from where he stood and smashed the evil entity down with his Keyblade.  Sora stood in front of the group and stared down his opponents.  "If you want to hurt these people, you're going to have to get passed me!"  

        "Who are you?" Anna asked Sora.  

        "I'll tell you later!" Sora shouted.  "Go and find some place safe!"  

        Anna nodded and led Hans and the Duke away from the horde of evil creatures.  Sora rushed forward as his enemies attacked.  

Defeat All of the Heartless!  

        As Sora dealt with the last Heartless, he was immediately surrounded by the people he had rescued.  The elderly gentleman strode forward and shook his hand vigorously.  "Congratulations, son.  You are indeed a worthy warrior.  Just what this kingdom needs now that we've been plagued with this winter!"  

        "Thank you" Anna graciously greeted Sora.  "If it weren't for you, those creatures would be terrorizing all of Arendelle right now.  I'm Princess Anna of Arendelle.  And you are?"

        "I'm Sora.  Tell me, have those Heartless been seen here before?"

        Hans walked up and stood by Anna.  "Those things are called, Heartless?"

        Sora nodded.  "They come out of the darkness in people's hearts.  They like to steal people's hearts and cast them into the dark."

        "Isn't this terrific?" the Duke sarcastically asked.  "Not only has Elsa plagued this land with winter, but she's also set loose these beings of darkness!"  As the Duke finished speaking, the sky began to fill with snow.  "Someone has got to stop the witch before she dooms us all!"

        "Elsa is not a witch!" Anna insisted.  "Tonight was all my fault.  If I hadn't pressured Anna, none of this would be happening."  

        "This was not your fault" Hans assured his beloved.  "I'm sure Elsa didn't mean to cause this.  And she certainly doesn't appear to be capable of unleashing these--what were they called?  Heartless?"

        Sora shook his head.  "The Heartless answer to this big fat guy named Pete and a witch named Maleficent.  Unless Elsa is working with them, she can't be responsible."  Sora looked towards the lake, where he had seen the being run on the water and stride into the woods.  "I wonder where she could have gone."

        "Sora" the Duke called.  "May I ask you to bring Elsa back as soon as possible?  If she caused this winter, she had better be able to fix it!"  

        Sora nodded.  "I'll do my best.  Where does that way lead?"  

        "The North Mountain" Hans answered.  "I'll go along as an escort."  

        "No, Hans!" Anna stopped the Prince.  "I need you here to look after Arendelle.  Elsa left because of me.  I need to go after her.  I'll go with Sora."  

        "But Anna--"

        "Let the Princess go!" the Duke shouted.  "We need to stop this before we freeze to death."  

        Hans looked to Sora.  "Please, don't let anything happen to her, Sora."

        Sora nodded.  "I won't, Prince Hans."  

        Hans turned towards the remaining citizens and began to rally them.  "Everyone into the hall!  We'll be serving warm soup and building a fire.  You can all warm yourselves there."  As Hans corralled all of the people towards the palace, Anna walked over to Sora.  

        "Thank you, Sora" she thanked again.  

        Sora shrugged.  "This is just something I do.  Let's go!"  Sora and Anna raced down the path and out of Arendelle.  

        Obtained Map of Arendelle

        Anna stumbled through the snow as she and Sora walked up the snowy hillside to find Elsa.  Occasionally, Sora would have to help the Princess out of the snow as they both trudged their way through the snow neither of them was dressed to explore in.  

        As Sora pulled Anna out of another deep snow pit, the princess called out into the sky.  "Elsa!  Where are you?  It's me, Anna!  You know, the sister who didn't mean for you to freeze the kingdom."  

        "Did you know she had these kind of powers?" Sora asked.  

        "No.  This wouldn't have happened if she had just told me her secret.  I guess she's a stinker like that."  Anna turned to Sora.  "But what about you?  You really saved us from those monsters.  Are you experienced against them?"

        "More than I'd like to admit" Sora sighed.  "They've been hurting people I know for too long, now.  I just wish there was a way to stop them for good.  But my master said that so long as there's darkness, they'll just keep coming."  

        "So, if everyone in the world was kind and good like you, the Heartless would go away?"

        "I thought that too" Sora laughed.  "But there is darkness in every heart.  In mine.  In Hans.  In yours.  Even in Elsa's."  Anna was about to fall into another pit of snow, but Sora plucked her out of the way before she could.  Sora could feel the Princess had goosebumps on her arm.  

        "Snow.  It had to be snow!" she grunted.  "She couldn't have had tr-tr-tropical magic?"  

        "I think you'll find" Sora revealed, "that the outcome is most likely bad than good."  

        "That's just gr-great!" she replied.   Anna looked ahead and cheered.  "A house!  Maybe they'll have some clothes!  Come on!"  As Anna hurried towards the house, she slipped and slid down the hill and into a creek.  Sora hurried down after her.  "Are you okay?"

        "I just lost all feelings in my legs" Anna replied.  "But sure!  I'm okay!"  Sora took Anna's hand and pulled her up once more.  Her dress had frozen solid.  

        "Come on, Anna" Sora smiled.  "Let's get you some clothes."  Sora led the princess towards the door of the house.  As they were about to reach for it, Sora could hear people arguing inside.  Sora pushed Anna to the side as the door flung open, knocking him into the snow.  A huge, burly man walked out, carrying a smaller man.  In a flash, he hurled the man out into the snow.  

        As the blonde haired man pulled himself out of the snow, he looked at Sora and laughed.  "Why are you out here wearing those?  Do you want to freeze out here?"  

        Anna moved her frozen dress from side to side to get to Sora and pull him up.  "Why were you thrown out of there?" she asked the mountain man.  

        "The guy's a crook" the man grunted.  "Don't bother with him."

        "Does he have anything winter related?" Anna asked.  

        "Not cheap.  You'd have to be a royal to afford to shop here!"  

        "Sora?  I think we're in luck."  Anna waddled her way over to the trading post and slipped inside.  

        Sora shook snow out of his spiky brown hair.  The mountain man laughed.  "Where do you think you two are going?"  

        "We need to find out where this winter weather his coming from" Sora explained.  "Princess Anna thinks she can solve it."

        "You mean by the North Mountain?" he asked.  "Good luck--Sora was it?  I'm Kristoff.  But seriously, you'd have to be desperate to go up there.  It's way too dangerous a hike for two people like you."  Kristoff looked towards his sled by the road, his reindeer trotting in place.  "I could take you, but there are two problems with that: one is that I don't take people places.  And two, we don't have the equipment.  All I have is ice."  

        "Why do you have ice?" Sora questioned.  

        "I sell ice for a living" he answered.  "Guess who's not paying rent this month" he groaned.  "Oh well, I guess it's better than going up there."  

        Sora was about to argue, when a grappling hook flung into his face.  Kristoff was hit in the head with the bag of supplies he had been trying to buy from inside.  "You know" Anna called from behind the two, "he's not as bad as you let on.  I want you to take me up the North Mountain."  Anna, who had changed from her dress into more suitable winter clothing, stood in front of Kristoff defiantly.  

        "I doubt Sora told you" he answered coldly, "but I don't take people places."  

        "Then I guess your reindeer doesn't want any carrots?" she asked, shaking a second bag she carried behind her.  "Take us up the North Mountain, now!"  

        Kristoff sighed and walked over to his reindeer.  "I guess we're taking these two up the North Mountain, Sven."  

        "But it's cold outside" another voice answered.  Anna and Sora looked at each other and back at Kristoff.  

        "Is he talking to his reindeer?" Sora asked.  

        "Um...I think so?"

         Sora shook his head.  What kind of world is this?  

        

        Kristoff drove the sled up the mountain at an incredible speed.  Anna sat alongside Kristoff in the sled while Sora held on to Kristoff's supplies in the back.  

        "How you holding up back there, Sora?" Kristoff asked.  

        "I could make room if you want" Anna called.  

        "I'm fine!" Sora replied, tightening his grip on the sled as it hit a bump.  

        "So" Kristoff asked Anna, "what made Elsa go all ice crazy?"

        Anna sighed.  "It was my fault.  I got engaged, but she freaked out because I had only just met him.  And she wouldn't bless the marriage, so--"

        "Wait!" Kristoff stopped the Princess.  "You got engaged to someone you just met that day?"

        "Yes, pay attention!" Anna snapped.  "She tried to walk away and I grabbed her glove and...well...she always wore those gloves.  I thought that she was just a germophobe, but--"

        "Didn't your parents ever warn you about strangers?" Kristoff stopped her once more.  

        Anna slid away from Kristoff, eyeing him cautiously.  "Yes, they did.  But Hans is no stranger."          "Oh yeah?  Sora, do you know him?"

         "I just met him today" Sora answered, "so I can't really say."  

         "Sora does not need to know him, because I do.  It's my love life, Christopher!"  

        "It's Kristoff!" Kristoff shouted.  "But do you even know his last name?  His favorite food?  His eye color?  His foot size?" 

         Anna scoffed.  "That's easy.  His last name is "Of the Southern Isles", his favorite food is sandwiches, his eye color is dreamy, and his foot size is irrelevant."  

        "What if you hate his family?  What if you hate the way he picks his nose?"  

        Anna looked disgusted.  "Excuse me, sir.  He is a Prince."  

        Kristoff shrugged.  "All men do it.  Right Sora?"

        "I know I don't" Sora shouted, as Anna glared at him.  

        "You see?  Sora and Hans are men, you are a child, and what Hans and I have is true love."  Anna folded her arms contently.  

        "Hold up, Sven!" Kristoff shouted.  As he reined his reindeer, Kristoff looked ahead.  "Excuse me, can I help you?"

         Anna looked ahead.  "Would you mind moving?  We're kind of in a hurry."    

        A loud, bombastic voice laughed cruelly at the group.  Sora looked ahead to see a huge fat cat blocking his way, flanked by a few Heartless.  "Well in that case, I guess I could just turn y'all into Heartless now and be done with it!"  

        "Heartless?" Anna cried.  

        Sora leapt in front of the sled and stood in between Anna and the new arrival.  "So you are here, Pete!"  

        Pete slapped his belly and laughed.  "Well well well!  If it ain't the little Keyblade brat!  I was hoping I'd be the one who found you first instead of Maleficent.  It's high time I paid you back for all that you've done to me!"  

        Sora raised his Keyblade.  "As if, Pete.  Get out of our way!"  

        Pete whistled.  "Heartless!  Attack!"  The shadows rushed at Sora.  Frightened, Sven galloped ahead, knocking Sora to the side.  Just in time, Sora grabbed Anna's hand and was hauled up onto the back of the sled.  As he recovered, several Shadows jumped onto the sled.  

        "Sven!  Calm down!" Kristoff called, petting the reindeer on his mane.  "I'll never be able to calm him with all these monster around!"  A shadow hopped onto the seat next to Kristoff and Anna, but Anna knocked it aside with the mountain man's guitar.  

        Sora turned to face the piling Heartless.  "Leave them to me!"  

Defeat All of the Heartless While Protecting Your Friends!

GET BONUS:

Sora: +5 HP (Total of 35)

        Sven galloped ahead at a quickening rate as the Heartless continued to pile up on the sled.  Anna looked ahead and cried out.  "Cliff!  Get ready to jump, Sven!"  

        Kristoff grabbed Anna and hurled her onto the reindeer.  "You don't tell him to jump!  I do!"

        "Why not?"

        "I don't trust your judgment skills!  Jump Sven!"  Kristoff chopped the reins clean with his knife and his steed and Anna to leap over the chasm and into safety.  Sora slammed his armor and brought his Lionheart Armor to life.  His Keyblade flung into action as well, transforming itself into a hoverboard and allowing him to glide over the chasm and landing at Anna's side.  Kristoff leapt off of his sled and grabbed ahold of the cliff side.  The sled and the remaining Heartless plummeted to the snowy ground below.  

        Sora deactivated his armor as Kristoff hauled himself over the ledge, breathing deeply and furiously.  Anna sheepishly approached the mountain man.  "I'm really sorry about your sled.  I'll replace everything on it, including it.  And, I understand if you don't want to take us there anymore.  Come on, Sora.  Let's go."  Sora followed Anna as they began to make their way up the mountain.  Kristoff took a deep breath.  

        "I know I'm going to regret this" he called, "but I'll go with you." 

        "You will?!  I mean, oh that's okay with me!"  Anna exclaimed.  

        As Kristoff and Sven approached Sora, he sighed.  "This girl is going to be the death of us, you know."  

        "But you're staying with her" Sora replied.  

        "You're good with that key of yours, Sora" Kristoff reasoned, "but she's gonna get herself killed before you could even help her.  I just hope you know what you're in for.  I'm bracing myself for it."  

        Sora shrugged.  "I've been through a lot, Kristoff.  There's nothing Anna could do that would surprise me."

        "Let's go, guys!" Anna shouted.  "Elsa could be close!"  

        Sora hurried up after her, while Kristoff and Sven followed at a distance.