Chapter 3 (SORA): A Heart of Ice and Fear

Chapter 3 (Sora): A Heart of Ice and Fear

        Sora, Anna, Kristoff, and Sven continued their march up the North Mountain, looking in vain for the missing Queen of Arendelle.  All they seemed to find as they scaled the greatest mountain in the entire world was Heartless.  Kristoff let out an annoyed grunt as Sora dispatched of a Shadow that lurked in the woods behind them.  "Why are these things following us?"

        "The Heartless are after your heart" Sora explained.  "So long as you have one, they'll keep coming after you."  

        "I thought they listened to that Pete guy?"

        "They do, but they're also trying to drag Pete and Maleficent into the darkness alongside them.  Trying to control the Heartless is playing with fire."  

        "That's why we have to find Elsa before it's too late" Anna reasoned.

        Sora looked back towards Arendelle and gasped.  The entire village was covered in a deepening snow and thick winter's flurry.  Anna and Kristoff looked back as well.  "Arendelle" Anna sighed mournfully.  

        "It's completely frozen" Sora exclaimed.

        "It's alright, though" Anna assured her friend.  "Elsa will thaw it."

        "Are you sure?" Kristoff asked skeptically.

        "Of course she will.  Now, let's go!"

        Anna stopped the group in a tranquil frosty meadow, where the beauty of the wintry storm could be seen.  Frozen dew drops illuminated the woods and sparkled like diamonds as they reflected the sunlight onto the heroes.  A nearby pond also shined in the morning light, showing off an array of different colors and patterns of snow.  "Wow.  I never knew winter could be so...beautiful."

        "Yeah, it 's beautiful isn't it?" a voice called out from the woods.  

        The three looked at each other, expecting the voice to come out of one of them.  But as quickly as they deduced that the voice was not one of them, a small pudgy white creature waddled towards them.  It was a walking and talking snowman.  "Am I right?"

        All three let out a collective scream.  Anna kicked the snowman.  It's head fell right into Sora's arms.  Sora threw it back at Anna, who flung it back at Kristoff.  The snowman's headless body ran around as the snowman head tried it's hardest to explain things to them.  "I think we got off on the wrong foot!  Please be careful with my head!  I only have one!"  

        "Why can this thing talk?" Sora asked.  

        "I can do more than talk, you know" the head answered as it ended back in his arms.  "Would you mind putting me back on my head so we could all start over?"  

        Sora gently put the head down on his body, while Kristoff studied the rest of the body.  "This can't be possible."  

        "Of course it is!" the snowman answered.  "I'm Olaf and I like warm hugs!" 

        Anna studied the snowman.  Lost in thought, she eyed him curiously.  "Olaf?"

        "Yes...that's me.  Have I mentioned that I like warm hugs?"

        Anna shook her head.  "Sorry, I just spaced out a little.  My name is Anna.  This is my friend Sora."  Sora waved at the snowman, who's tree branch limbs moved vigorously up and down.  

        "And who's the funky looking donkey over there?" he asked, pointing in Sven and Kristoff's  general direction. 

        "That's Sven."

        "Uh-huh.  And who's the reindeer?"

        Sora snickered.  Anna giggled under her breath.  "That's Sven."

        "Alright.  Sven and Sven.  That'll be easy."  

        Kristoff plucked Olaf's arm off and studied it.  "How are you even moving right now?"

        The branch flicked Kristoff in the nose and hopped back onto Olaf's body.  "Elsa built me."

        Anna's eyes widened.  "Elsa built you?  Do you know where she is?"

        "Yeah.  Why?"

        Sora fell down to his knee to talk to Olaf.  "Would you mind showing us the way?  We need Elsa to help bring Summer back to Arendelle."  

        Olaf gushed.  "I just love summer.  The thought of all of the sun and heat and the trips to the beach, campfires.  I just love it!"

        Kristoff chuckled.  "Really?  I'm gonna guess you have no experience with heat."

        Olaf smiled.  "Nope.  But I can dream right?"  Olaf waddled down the path and towards the woods once more.  "I can take you guys to Elsa.  Come on!"  

        "Wait" Sora called out.  "Olaf, you do know in summer, you'll probably me--"  Before Sora could finish, Anna covered his mouth with her hand.  

        "You'll probably enjoy the summer, Olaf" Anna encouraged.  

        Olaf continued down the path.  Anna took her hand off Sora's mouth and looked at him.  "Just let him dream.  He's so happy to think about summer."  

        "The path to Elsa is this way!" Olaf called.  "Let's go!"  

        Anna cheered.  "Come on, guys!  Let's go!"  Anna grabbed Sora once more and dragged him down the path.  

        Kristoff and Sven sat back in confusion.  "Someone's gotta tell him."

        As Olaf led the group higher and higher up the mountain, Sora and Kristoff finally worked up the courage to ask Anna about her plan as they neared a series of sharp and expansive icicles.  "So how are you planning to stop the winter?" Sora asked.  

        "I am gonna talk to my sister" Anna answered.  

        "My ice business rests on you talking to your sister?" Kristoff asked nervously, just missing a large icicle.  

        "Yup."

        "You're not at all afraid of her?"

        "Of course not.  We may not be as close as we used to be, but I know we can talk this out."

        "I bet she's the nicest and most gentle person in the world" Olaf proclaimed.  

        "You know" Kristoff added, "people who disappear into the North Mountains want to be left alone."  

        Sora nodded, remembering the extent that Riku had gone to to avoid Sora knowing he was alive to hide his shame of having transformed into Xehanort's heartless.  "Anna, she may have come up here to be alone.  People do that."

        "Elsa just needs someone to tell her how they feel" Anna argued, struggling up the icy path.  

        "My friend Riku went to incredible lengths just to be alone a long time ago.  He needed to sort things out for himself.  Maybe your sister needs the same thing."  

        "She wants to be left alone, Anna" Kristoff agreed.  

        "No one wants to be alone, Kristoff.  Except maybe you."

        "I'm not alone.  I have friends."  

        "Guys?" Olaf called.  

        "And how do I know it's not just you and Sven?" Anna argued.

        "Guys?"

        "It's not.  These guys are like family to me.  If you ever meet them--"

        "GUYS!  I think I found the place you were looking for."  

        Anna slid down the path and into Kristoff's arms.  "Nice catch.  Let's go!"  Anna hurried back up the slope.  "Come on, guys!"  Sora and Kristoff followed the princess up the hill.  As they turned the corner of the cliff, they stopped and stared in awe.  In front of them, was an enormous crystallized staircase that led to a beautiful palace made entirely of ice.  

        "A castle made of ice?" Kristoff asked, stunned.  "I think I might cry."  

        "Go ahead" Anna answered in equal astonishment.  "I won't judge."  

        As the group reached the staircase, Anna stopped them.  "I think you guys should wait outside.  The last time I introduced someone to Elsa, she froze everything."  

        "But it's an ice palace!" Kristoff begged.  "Ice is my entire life."  

        "What if something happens?" Sora asked.  

        "Nothing is going to happen to me, Sora" Anna assured.  "I need to talk with my sister alone."

        "Exactly" Olaf ordered.  "You guys wait outside and Anna and I will go talk to Elsa!"  

        Anna stopped the snowman from getting past her.  "You too, Olaf."  Anna, Sora, and Olaf walked up to the door and prepared to knock.  Anna raised her fist to knock but hesitated.  

        "Knock.  Just knock" Olad told her.  "Do you know how to knock?"

        Anna gulped and knocked on the ice doors, which flung open seconds later.  "It opened?  There's a first."  Anna turned to her friends.  "Really, you guys.  Wait outside.  Give us a minute, okay?"  Anna slipped inside and shut the doors behind her.  

        

        As Olaf began counting down the seconds, Sora slid down the ice stairs and sat impatiently waiting for Anna and Elsa to talk.  Having counted to sixty, Olaf walked in and shut the door behind him.  Sora and Kristoff sat outside, waiting for the talking to cease.  

        "This is taking too long" Sora grunted.  

        "There's nothing we can do" Kristoff reasoned.  "I'm as worried as you are about Anna, but she's made up her mind."  Kristoff looked up towards the top of the castle and gasped.  Sora did as well, in time to see a huge dark cloud gathering over the peak tower.  "ANNA!"  The mountain man rushed inside.  Sora was about to follow, when a familiar laugh stopped him in his tracks.  

        Sora turned to face Pete and a few Heartless rising to face him.  "Did ya think I was done with you, runt?"

        "Didn't learn your lesson the last time, did you Pete?" Sora asked bitterly, summoning his Keyblade.  "I guess you're gonna learn your lesson the hard way!"  Sora rushed at his old enemy.  

Boss Battle: Pete I

HP: 250

Battle Music: Rowdy Rumble

Get Bonus:

Sora: Learned Slapshot 

        Pete tumbled backwards as Sora blasted him back with the power of his Keyblade.  "Had enough?"

        Pete slowly rose to his feet and began to laugh again.  "No need!  I was going to go and make the little Queenie into a Heartless, but I think she did that herself!  I got no more business on this side of the world.  I'll deal with you next time, runt!"  Pete raced down the mountain.  Sora prepared to follow him, when the door to Elsa's frozen palace opened once more.  A huge snow monster flung Anna, Kristoff and Olaf into the snow away from the palace.  

        Anna pulled herself up and stared spitefully at the snowmonster.  "It is not nice to throw people!" 

        "Don't do anything stupid Anna!" Kristoff insisted, but too late.  Anna flung a snowball at the creature, causing it to chase after the group.  Sora dove out of the way as the beast charged at Anna and his friends.  Anna led Kristoff, Sven and Olaf away from the palace and thundered down the mountain.  

        Sora started to follow them, but when he noticed that the clouds did not dissipate atop the castle, Sora decided it was time he talked to Elsa himself.  

        Sora opened the doors of Elsa's palace and gasped.  Elsa had created a castle with almost every intricate detail necessary.  A chandelier shined above him as he walked through the foyer of the palace.  He looked through the icy floor and tried to see what was going on on the floor above him.  He could not see anything, but he could feel that the darkness was present.  What if I have to fight Elsa?  What if I hurt her?

        Sora hurried up the steps of the palace that led to the room upstairs.  As he neared the top of the flight, he stopped and began to listen in on what was going on inside.  

        "You don't understand" a young woman's voice uttered, shuddering in fear.  "I think my powers hurt Anna.  I can't just let my powers grow, Maleficent!"  

        Sora grunted.  "Maleficent?" he whispered. 

        "Don't try and cower away now, Elsa" Sora's nemesis replied coldly.  "Your powers are limitless, my child.  Why not use them with the powers of darkness, Elsa.  You could control your fears and with them, your powers."

        "Conceal, don't feel" Elsa told herself.  

        "How much has that helped you?" Maleficent asked bitterly.  

        Sora crept up the steps and peered into the room.  Maleficent stood over a young woman draped in a blue and silver dress that shined off of the sunlight reflected from the ice.  The young woman, Queen Elsa, was in distress.  Sora could only guess Maleficent would make it worse.  

        "I can't risk Anna or Arendelle" Elsa cried.  

        "You heard your sister, Elsa" Maleficent prodded.  "Arendelle is buried under countless feet of snow.  You cannot do much worse to Arendelle if you call forth the dark power within you.  Become one of us, and you will be unmatched.  Join us and regain your life!"  

       As Elsa began to brim with the power of darkness, Sora burst through the door.  "Don't!"  Sora drew his Keyblade and aimed it at Maleficent.  "I won't let you corrupt anyone again, Maleficent!"

        Maleficent smirked at Sora.  "You see, child?  Arendelle has sent this boy to destroy you.  They already fear and loathe you.  Unleash the powers within you and attack!"  Maleficent raised her scepter and aimed it at Sora.  "I will assist you, my child."

       Elsa looked at Sora curiously.  "Who are you?"

        "My name is Sora.  I'm a friend of Anna.  I want to help you save Arendelle.  Maleficent is just going to use you."

        "Do not listen to him, Elsa" the witch hissed.  "He seeks to destroy you."  

        Sora lowered his Keyblade and ultimately put it away.  "Elsa, I don't want to hurt you.  In fact, I won't hurt you.  I know that you and I can fix this spell on the kingdom.  You just have to trust me.  Maleficent is going to use you.  She always uses people.  You've got to believe me!" 

        The darkness swirling around Elsa began to clear.  "You don't want to hurt me?" 

        Maleficent scowled.  "Enough!  You will not interfere, boy!"  Maleficent fired a pulse of energy at the defenseless Sora.  As the hero braced himself for the full on blast of the witch's hate, Sora felt a rush of cold energy appear in front of him.  He looked and saw a wall of ice that had absorbed Maleficent's dark spell.  

        Maleficent snarled.  "How dare you!  I offer to change your life for the better and you choose the hero?  Fine!  Prepare to watch Arendelle sink into the abyss.  I have other things to attend to, so you have not seen the last of me, Sora!"  The Mistress of all Evil vanished into the shadows.  Sora sighed as he saw Elsa shrivel up into a ball and begin to sob.  

        Sora hurried over to her side.  "Thank you, Elsa.  If you hadn't done that, I'd be a goner."

        "I'm a monster!  I can't control this power inside of me!  The trolls told me that my powers could be beautiful.  But all I've ever seen is destruction and chaos.  Maybe Maleficent was right.  Maybe I should sink into the darkness."  

        Sora shook his head.  "The darkness is not going to help you.  It would only make things worse, Elsa.  One day, you'll be able to enjoy the powers you have.  But you have to learn to not be afraid anymore.  The more fear you have, the more bad things will happen."  

        "You don't understand" Elsa cried.  "You don't know what's like to have almost killed someone twice.  I'm a monster.  I almost killed my own sister, twice!"

        "Catch me, Elsa!" a younger Anna cheered as Elsa created small mounds of snow.  

        "Gotcha" the young future Queen laughed.  "Be careful!"

        Anna continued to climb higher and higher, until Elsa lost her balance and fired a small ice ball at her sister, striking her in the head.  As Anna slid down to the ground, her body had grown ice cold.  "Anna?  ANNA?"

        Elsa held her little sister close.  "Mama!  Papa!"  

        Sora sat himself next to the crying Elsa.  "Elsa, I have a friend who thought that darkness and fear were the only way.  It consumed him and almost killed him.  You have to understand that there are nice and helpful people out there who won't try to hurt you.  Anna just wants to help you."  

        Elsa shook her head.  "Not anymore.  I hurt her again.  And now--now no one will ever stand beside a witch like me!"  Elsa's head dropped into her arms as she cried once more.

        "What about me?" Sora asked.

        "What about you?" Elsa asked. 

        "I've helped people going through tough times" Sora proclaimed.  "Even in your darkest hour, Elsa, there's someone out there who will help you.  My friends taught me that.  So long as you hold onto the people you care about in your heart, they will always stand by you."

        "You really think so?" Elsa asked.  

        Sora hopped to his feet.  "I speak from experience.  Anna will stand by you too.  All we have to do is start trying to think of ways to fix the weather in Arendelle."  

        "And you'd help me?" Elsa asked, before being taken aback by Sora extending his hand to her.  

        "Does this answer it?"

        Elsa cracked a sweet smile.  She took Sora's hand and rose to her feet as well.  "Thank you, Sora.  That is your name, right?"

        Sora nodded.  Suddenly realizing he was once more standing in front of royalty, he dropped Elsa's hand and fell to his knee.  "I'm so sorry.  It's an honor to be in your presence, Queen Elsa."

        Elsa giggled.  "What are you doing?"

        Sora shrugged.  "Sorry.  I'm used to being yelled at for not addressing royalty properly."

        "You need to address royalty properly?" Elsa asked.  "Truth be told, I haven't been a Queen for a long time, so I'm not too comfortable with that."  Elsa knelt down, took Sora's hands and pulled him to his feet.  "So long as you are in my company, Sora, you don't have to address me as such."  

        Sora smiled.  "Thanks, Elsa.  Now if I could just get my friend Donald off of my back."  

        "What is your plan, Sora?" Elsa asked.

        "We should think about going back to town and trying to fix things there.  Are you ready?"

        "You'll be with me?"

       "Uh-huh!"  

        "Then I'm ready.  Let's go!"  

New Party Member: Elsa

HP: 35

MP: 100

Friendship: 60

Weapon: Icicle Staff (+3 ATK, +4 MAG)

Armor: N/A

Accessories: Frost Ring (+2 MAG, +4 DEF, +2 AP)

Items: x2 Potions

x2 Ethers

Abilities:

Ice Balls: Fire a series of frozen projectiles at the enemy (Costs 10 MP)

Swift Flurry: Fire a quick rush of Aero at an enemy (Costs 10 MP)

Diamond Dust: Unleash a powerful wall of ice to stun and damage opponents (Costs 12 MP)

Spell of Love: Use Curaga on the entire team (Costs 99 MP)

Ice Shield: Prevent Damage from Enemy Attacks (Cost 10 MP)

Winter Waltz: Sora and Elsa's joint Limit Attack that consumes all of Sora's MP

Blizzard Boost: Boost the power of Blizzard based attacks

Item Boost: Boost the healing effects of items used on the field

Shell: Halves the damage done by magical attacks in a pinch

Auto Limit: Makes Winter Waltz automatically accessible

Second Chance: Retain 1 HP after taking intense damage

Once More: Retain 1 HP after taking damage from a combo

Lucky Lucky: Increase the rate of rare item drops by enemies.