Reborn

15 - Perception

Well, the outcome of the votes are: Reborn remains a stand-alone novel; not divided into a part 1 and 2. So, I can make the Fire & Ice story something separate (whether it's in the Frozen verse or not remains to be seen). So, on with the story!

Elsa jerked her eyes open for the thousandth time as she once again caught herself asleep on her feet.

Her chains rattled and jerked as the Ice Giant, as the others called him, who had overpowered her, yanked her back upright. She gritted her teeth and snarled at him. If he kept that up, he'd soon yank her arms out of their sockets.

The Ice Giant merely grunted. "You know what'll happen if you try it," he told her matter-of-factually, his voice a deep, rolling rumble. From what she had understood from the snatches of whispers she managed to catch, the Ice Giants were a race these people had as their warriors and guardians.

Her shoulders deflated, though the cold fury on her face did not subside. Why are we in chains? she wondered. They acted like we - or I or whatever - were their saviour, yet they are taking us to their village in chains. Elsa shook her head, now furious with herself for not being smart enough to see through their ruse. I should've found fought a way out of there as soon as I was free. But the Ice Giant would've stopped us, anyway.

Back in Arendelle...

Grand Pabbie's breath trembled as the hacking cough subsided. Chest heaving, he accepted the stone bowl of steaming herbs that Bulda held out to him. Taking a sip, he sighed in relief...then burst out coughing again. "Argh-haaack!" he half-cried out in frustration; half coughed as the steaming herb soup spilled over him.

His eyes watered - mostly from the coughing. His arms - in fact, his whole body - began shaking. Hard to believe for a rock, that's for sure.

He knew he wasn't going to last.

The prayers from the trolls in their Trollien language reached his ears, causing a grim smile to touch his face. They were praying every prayer they could think of to the Great Sun Soul to save their leader.

Not that it was going to have too much of an effect.

He sensed that it was his time.

He had already called his successor - one of his sons which he had judged to be a perfect fit for the job - and had anointed him as the next leader. It was him, Pabbie realized, that was leading the trolls in prayer for his father. He's afraid to lead, be in charge without my guidance, Pabbie realized. Give him strength, Great Sun Soul.

His chest suddenly constricted in torment and erupted into flames. Burning fingers gripped his chest, the flames snaking their way throughout his body, engulfing him.

A hand pressed itself to his forehead. Bulda's, he sensed. "He's fever's becoming worse!" Bulda shouted, panic lacing his voice. He was vaguely aware of Bulda running out, probably to find more water to cool him down or someone to come and help him.

The Evil.

It was entering him again. It was causing his illness. This time, though, Pabbie didn't have the strength to resist. He felt himself becoming hotter and hotter and then suddenly, like a sudden burst of cool air, the sickness seemed to leave him. He felt rested, like he did after a twelve-hour sleep.

Images began filling his mind. The vision. The vision he had warned Elsa and Kristoff about, that had sent them on their journey up north. The one he could never fully remember.

He now saw it all.

Remembered it all.

He had to tell Elsa. Forgetting about everything else but Elsa and this urgency to tell her the vision, he closed his eyes and relaxed his mind, focusing only on Elsa's face. His forehead furrowed as he focused on her face, calling her name over and over again in his mind.

Elsa jerked as she heard Pabbie's voice. "Elsa," he said, his voice seemingly whispering in the wind. Her head whipped from side to side, eyes frantically searching the darkness. Pabbie?

"Where are you?" she called out.

"Elsa?" This voice was different. It was Kristoff, though she barely even registered that he was talking to her. She needed to find Pabbie. What's he doing out here? Pabbie called out to her again, and then Elsa realized.

His voice wasn't coming from their surroundings.

It was coming from inside her head.

There was a sudden sharp burst of pain and Elsa's face instantly vanished, the connection lost. Pabbie clutched his chest...

...and suddenly everything became crystal clear.

The vision had vanished, but had been replaced with another. He saw Olaf and Sven being led somewhere by men and women with weapons. Kristoff and Elsa were behind. Elsa's face was frozen in fear and confusion as he heard her calling out to him in his mind. She was standing stock still. A large ox of a man came up to her, raising his hand, a raging storm of ice and snow billowing around the palm of his hand.

Then another image took it's place.

One of the future.

As everything fell into place, and new revelations peeled back their covers, baring themselves, guilt and fear crushed his heart. They're going to walk right into a trap! He tried to answer Elsa, but suddenly his whole body jerked violently and then everything started to go dark. He blinked, and everything went darker.

Elsa collapsed to her knees, hands clutching her chest as she found that she couldn't breathe. She wasn't sure what, but something had happened. Something terrible. She felt like something had been ripped out of her.

"GET UP!" thundered the Ice Giant. He tugged at her chains, but only succeeded in pulling her onto her side and dragging her a little along the rocks. Her body trembled and something wet tickled her cheeks, blurring her vision, accompanied with a metallic taste in her mouth, which she detachedly recognized as her own blood. What's going on? Pabbie?

Suddenly, Pabbie's voice filled her mind, echoing around. It left her paralyzed with fear. His voice was desperate. Raw. Terrified.

As he screamed Nooooo!

Then his voice was suddenly cut off.