Broken Hero

Chapter 12

Elsa's POV

As my hands closed around the explosive I heard the familiar snap of a bowstring.  I forced myself to keep going and ignore the battle around me as I fumbled for a match.  I just had to light it and throw it.  Then everything would be over.

I could hear the fighting nearby.  That meant at least one person was still alive, if not both.  The match trembled in my fingers as I lit it.  I lifted the flame to the fuse.

It blew out.

I hurled the blackened match away and reached for another one. This one flickered and died as soon as the flame appeared. I needed something stronger. Something more stable.

I glanced up. Further along the wall was a torch. It sputtered in the howling gale, but it was still burning. That was all I needed. I lunged to my feet and ran towards it.

"Elsa, watch out!"

I didn't have time to do anything before a rock slammed into my shoulde from behind. I fell to the ground. The torch was knocked free of its holder and rolled along the ground, scattering embers everywhere.

I thrust the explosive at one of the dying embers and watched as the fuse sparked to life. I was holding a live bomb. I turned towards the fighting.

Raul and Kristoff were fighting, but even as I watched Raul administered a kick to Kristoff's chest which sent him tumbling back several steps. He turned his attention to me just as I threw the bomb.

All eyes traced its path as it spiraled through the air, trailing sparks like fallen stars. Raul's eyes widened. He dropped his dagger and dove forward to catch the bomb before it could explode. The second his hands closed on it he stood and threw it as far over the trees as he could.

I could do nothing but watch in stunned disbelief as my last hope vanished among the trees.

Raul wasn't distracted by anything like that. He ran towards me and wrapped his arm around my throat. I could feel his panting breath on my neck.

"You put up a good fight," he called. "But it's over now. Jack is dead. You're exhausted. And I've got a hostage."

Jack couldn't be dead. I looked for his familiar form standing boldly beside Kristoff. But all I could find was a slumped form on the ground.

"I'd like to say it was fun, but it really wasn't," Raul continued. I clenched my fists. This man had killed Jack, made me blow up our wall, and was now using me as a hostage. He wasn't going to get away with this.

My eyes fell on the spray of embers at my feet. I might not have the bomb anymore, but I had something better. Something stronger.

I swung my head backwards and heard a snap and howl of pain. Raul's grip loosened on me. I reached down and scooped up one of the embers. Even as it was burning my fingers I pressed it against the front of my shirt.

In an instant the gunpowder I had spilled on myself caught fire. The front of my clothes were quickly evolving into a blazing inferno. I had to get us off the wall. Now.

I grabbed Raul's shirt and threw all of my weight to the side, off of the wall.

We were tumbling through the air. I could hear Raul screaming things, something about flaming demon women and all the curses upon my family. I kept a tight hold of him as the flames leapt between us. Now we were both on fire, but I wasn't finished. I didn't want to risk he could survive burning or the impact with the ground. I reached around for the second bag I had brought with me just in case of an emergency. Raul spotted what I was doing and ripped the bag out of my hands. I stopped fighting for it. It didn't make a difference who was holding it. We were both on fire. My vision started to go dark. I could see pinpricks of light. The angels of death?

They wrapped their arms around me. I lost my grip on Raul's shirt. There was a flare of white before everything exploded into darkness.

Anna's POV

Back. Forth. Back. Forth. I wouldn't have been surprised if my feet had worn grooves in the floor. That was how much I had been pacing the last few hours.

The front door opened and I spun around. Kristoff entered first, followed by Jack. Jack's leg was wrapped in heavy white bandages. He used a pair of crutches to walk anywhere.

"Any news?" I asked. Jack shook his head.

"They wouldn't let me even see her."

We all stood in silence. It wasn't looking good. I couldn't get out of my mind the day I received the news. The wall had been bombed. Jack was with the doctors. Elsa was in critical condition. Nobody was allowed to see her. It had been two weeks.

At first all I could do was cry. It wasn't fair. None of it was! Why did Elsa deserve this? Why couldn't she get her happily ever after?

I turned to resume my pacing as somebody knocked on the door. All eyes turned towards it.

"Come in," I called.

The door opened. A man walked in. I recognized him as a doctor. Why was he . . ?

Then I saw who he was walking arm in arm with. Elsa.

"Elsa!" I screamed. She didn't look too terribly worse for wear. Her face and arms were red, as if they had been sunburned, but she was walking ok. She wore a nervous smile.

I ran toward her, but the doctor held up a hand to stop me. He frowned. "Are you her sister?"

"Yeah, but she could tell you that." I looked at Elsa. She was still staring forward with that vaguely nervous expression. "What's wrong with her? Did she . . . did she lose her memories?"

"Oh no, nothing like that. But I'm afraid she has suffered extensively because of the explosion. She was fairly close to the explosion, if you remember."

"What kind of damage?"

"She's both blind and deaf."

I stared at Elsa, waiting for her to contradict him. She didn't make a move.

"How will she do anything?" Kristoff asked. "How will she talk?"

"We've been communicating with her by tracing letters on her palm." The doctor turned one of Elsa's hands so the palm faced upwards. He began to trace with his fingers. Gradually Elsa's face lit up.

"Hi everyone," she said. "I'm glad you're all ok." Her smile died. "I just wanted to say I'm sorry. Before I go."

"I've already talked with her," the doctor explained, "but she wanted to see you guys. After your goodbyes I'm taking her to a special facility where she won't be a burden."

"Won't be a-?" Jack's face started to turn red. He limped forward with his crutches. "Elsa is not a burden, and she never will be! We're engaged!"

"She's blind and deaf," the doctor repeated. "Do you want to marry a women like that? There are plenty of others that a war hero like yourself could marry if you desired."

"I don't care about other women. I care about Elsa."

"This is what she chose! She doesn't want you!"

Jack and the doctor stared each other down. Finally Jack limped forward and pulled Elsa's hand towards him. He began to trace as the rest of us watched Elsa.

First her expression was hesitant. Then anguished. She started to pull her hand away but Jack kept a firm grip. He kept tracing.

"You don't want that," she said softly. Jack kept tracing. Her blank eyes welled with tears. She laughed weakly. "Took you long enough to make up your mind."

Jack turned to the doctor. "We're getting married, and Elsa is staying with me. Goodbye."

And that was the happily ever after I was waiting for.

The End