Broken Hero

Chapter 11

Elsa's POV

My hard work throughout the day had paid off.  None of the sentries were on duty.  They all thought that someone else was.  Raul followed me as I placed each of the explosives.  He didn't say a word while we worked.  I guess he thought that I wasn't really going to go through with it.

"This is the last one," I told him.

"Impressive," was all he had to say in response. I frowned at him. Maybe he hadn't thought I was actually going to go through with this.

I put the bomb in place and stepped back.  That was it.  I had done it.  I turned back to Raul.  "Are you lighting to fuses or am I?"

"You are, obviously," he said. He started walking away.

"Where are you going?"

"Far away from the explosion."

Oh, right. He thought they were still going to be huge explosions that ripped the wall apart. He didn't know about the gunpowder. So I let him leave.

I knelt down and pulled out a match. A quick flick across the stone produced a glowing flame. I stared at it for a moment before pushing it against the wick. It sparked to life immediately.

The countdown had begun.

I threw aside the blackened match and ran for the next explosive.  One by one I struck the matches, and one by one the fuses began to burn.  Soon I only had one explosive left.  I ran for it, only to be forced to skid to a stop as I realized two people were blocking my path.  Two soldiers who I recognized.

"No," I said.  "No, you can't be here!"

"I want to help you," Jack responded.  Kristoff nodded.  "But we need to understand."

"I'm so close.  Just let me finish.  Please.  Go hide."

"Kristoff told me everything.  Now I need to hear it from you."

"I tried to stop him," Kristoff added.

I was trembling. Time was running out and I still had one fuse to light. My stress level was at the max. I couldn't hide this any more.

"I was captured by the invaders when they attacked the wall," I said. "Raul, the fake soldier from before, was the one who captured me. I couldn't escape no matter how hard I tried. They forced me to take explosives up onto the wall and light them. If I didn't, they were going to kill everybody. If I did, I was allowed to warn the soldiers so you could escape. Raul followed me here to make sure I didn't try and trick them."

I sank to my knees as tears began to drip down my cheeks. The stress from the last couple of days was too much. What had I been thinking? That somehow I could make everything work out? I wasn't the hero they needed. I was the broken hero in the back of the closet.

Warm arms wrapped around me. Jack smiled as he looked into my eyes. "Sounds like it's been a rough week. We should get off the wall if you lit all of the explosives already. The blast will probably extend for a good distance."

"N-no," I hiccuped. "We j-just need to go below. I emptied the g-gun p-powder. The explosions are t-t-tiny."

I heard a slow whistle and glanced up. Kristoff and Jack both drew their swords and took up defensive positions in front of me.

"I figured you'd try something," Raul said from his position on the edge of the wall. He had his bow out and drawn, pointing squarely at Jack. "I just didn't think you'd be so stupid to throw their lives away."

"You're the traitor here," Jack replied. "Drop you're weapon and we'll take you back to the capital for a fair trial."

"And what if I like it better here?" Raul gestured at our surroundings. "We're at a stalemate. If either of you charges me, I'd have time to shoot at least one arrow. Maybe even two. Same for if you try to run. If I fire first I'll be helpless, maybe even killed. And if we wait then we'll all die when the explosions go off."

"You seem pretty certain you can hit someone every time you shoot."

"I don't even have to try. I have a marked arrow for you, Commander Frost."

"I hate those things," Kristoff muttered.

"Is he bluffing?" Jack asked me. I shook my head.

"He was bragging about it to me the whole time I was tied up."

Jack's eyes darkened. He turned back to Raul. "So. What's it going to be? You must have conditions for us to fulfill so we can all escape alive."

"Aren't you a smart commander?" Raul grinned. "You'll throw your weapons over the edge of the wall. I'll put mine away. You give me a head start to get down the wall before the explosions." He paused for a moment. "And I take the girl as a shield in case you decide to try anything."

"Elsa isn't an option," Jack replied. "I've already seen what your people did to her. Everything else seems reasonable, but why do we have to throw our weapons when you only put yours away?"

"Because you outnumber me. It's only fair."

This was going horribly wrong. Even the weather recognize that fact as a fierce howling wind surged to life.  They could stay here all night negotiating, but we only had four minutes at most. My eyes scanned the area around us for anything I could use as a weapon. If Raul was closer to the edge then maybe the wind would blow him over, but the chances of that right now were low.  I paused as I saw the unlit explosive. I remembered this one clearly. It was the one I had spilled too much powder from. If I could light it and throw it at Raul . . .

It wouldn't be pretty, but war never was. I threw myself forward, past the protective barrier of Jack and Kristoff, and reached for the bomb.