Winter Moon (Jelsa)

Chapter 21: Elsa

We have to tell North, don't we? I murmured down the bond. Bunnymund had marched us into North's office, where he and Tooth were waiting.

Unfortunately, Jack answered. If we don't come clean, they'll bring in a mind-reader, and that process will be much more painful.

Well, I suppose the Immortal Sword is worth mentioning to the Elites.

Jack laughed mirthlessly. And the Hidden World.

And our breach of protocol.

And the attack.

And the aegis.

And Astrid's powers.

I turned to North, who was sitting in a chair behind his desk, watching us expectantly. "You might want to brace yourself. You're not going to believe what we have to tell you..."

~ ~ ~

"I don't believe it," North exclaimed in disbelief. "You mean to tell me that the key to finding Imora's Sword was in Berk the whole time?" He turned to Bunnymund. "Do we have any agents in Berk?"

"No," Bunnymund answered. "When we first assigned kingdoms and cities, we were spread too thin to bother placing spies or delegates in a tiny Viking town."

"That needs to get fixed," North muttered.

"Of course," Tooth replied, ordering one of her little faeries to take notes of this meeting. "I can send a runner to ask Solen for permission."

"Back to the important part," Bunnymund interrupted.

"Pitch, the Sword, the Hidden World, the attack on Berk, the aegis — which one?" Jack summarized, ticking the points off with his fingers. 

"All of them, you little—" Bunnymund was cut off by North. 

"The Elites have been notified of the attack, and they are investigating it," North announced. "However, we will not pursue the Immortal Sword."

I narrowed my eyes. "Why?" 

"Because, darling," Tooth answered, "the Immortal Sword is the only thing that can hurt a god other than the others gods. If we launch a team to find it, then how do you think Moon will react? And Goldred, Vana, and Varda for that matter."

"No," I insisted. "That is not good enough. We are going to get everyone killed to protect their egos! Let's face it. We don't know how to defeat Pitch, and this is the solution."

North's expression was grave but unfaltering. "The Immortal Sword will remain hidden. You, Jack, and your friends will not go looking for it. As a matter of fact, you are confined to this school for the rest of the year as punishment. Your friend's memories will be wiped. You will not speak of this to any commoner. Break protocol again, and we'll have no choice but to re-station you."

I cringed internally. Jack had told me about re-stationing. When Elites defected, they were killed if the infraction was severe, or they were moved to a facility in the First Kingdom where they were disciplined. After Jack had pulled a particular stunt fifty years ago, he had been moved there for ten years.

"Please," Tooth begged gently, "don't do anything foolish. The Immortal Sword's other name is Godskiller."

"The gods are no better than us," I said quietly. "The only thing anyone wants these days is power. For both the right and wrong reasons."

Jack didn't seem to be listening. I eyed him, waiting for a snarky comment, but none came. 

Instead, his eyes locked on mine, and I felt his voice travel down the bond. You're right, Snowflake. Power is all anyone wants. And for us, Godskiller sounds like a good place to start.

I waited for uncertainty to enter me. For my fear of power to start overwhelming me. 

But there was only steely resolve. If we didn't do something, Pitch would kill us all. Anna. Iduna and Agnarr. Hiccup. Astrid. Merida. Rapunzel. Flynn. Jack. Everyone. 

Suddenly, the door flew open, and an Elite burst in. I recognized them from the Tower. Neren. They were tall and willowy, blessed with magical healing powers if I remembered correctly.

"Neren!" Tooth yelped nervously. "What is it?"

Neren braced their hands on their knees and panted for breath. "All of you best come quickly. Especially Jack and Elsa. The Experiment, Rapunzel, is dying."

A/N:

I'm so sorry for how long it took to write this chapter and for how short it is, but I wanted to end on a cliffhanger. I also wanted to thank you for the 1K reads as well as all the votes and (occasional) comments. Your support means a lot to me! See you next chapter!