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Amidst the cold night, the weak stone blocks of cell number eighty-eight began to move. With one final blow, Alex managed to break a hole big enough for him to pass through. Standing within the cell, which was now opened to the frozen fjord, he sighed,
“Took me slightly longer than I expected.”
A cold breeze blew its way in and put out the only torch within. He spoke to himself, teeth clattering, “It sure has become cold out here. That aside, I found my way out!”
He climbed out of the hole and began to ascend the rocky surface of the dungeon complex. It was located well below the castle walls. When he looked down, the water below had frozen to solid ice, covered by several inches of snow. Alex climbed the treacherous slope cautiously. Soon, he arrived at an open window. A peek inside showed him two foreign soldiers discussing.
“We should leave someone to look over this post too.” argued the more vigilant one from Weselton. The air outside was gelid, but Alex held on and listened.
“Relax! We’ve dropped a bombshell on those Arendellians. They can’t do a thing. Besides, their entire army is imprisoned. What could happen?” convinced the one from the Southern Isles. He opened the door and, through a friendly gesture, pushed the other man out.
“We’ll leave here for now and come back tomorrow. I haven’t slept in two days! Aren’t you dog-tired?” asked the jolly man from the Southern Isles.
“Alright, alright. We’ll go for now. But we have to return before sunrise tomorrow, understand?”
He nodded and shut the door firmly as they left. When he felt the time was right, Alex hopped in quietly from the window and looked around. The room was a captured office within the dungeon. Not far away stood a covered table. He lit a lantern that was left on it. Alex found a drawer under the tablecloth. Very carefully, he opened it and held the lantern above to see what was on the inside. To his surprise, there were a bunch of keys next to a folded Arendellian flag.
Alex acquired the keys and got moving. But something stopped him—the flag. He returned, staring at the symbol of his occupied kingdom. It kindled a flame in his tired eyes. Without wasting too long, he stuffed it into his pocket and moved covertly. Outside the office was the dungeon corridor. It wasn’t long before he came across the first cell door. He silently searched the bunch of keys and attempted to open the cell door. Fortunately, it opened on his second try.
Within, several soldiers rested in despair—their belts and caps too were taken away, and they sat like prisoners of war. When the door opened, they were spellbound. They got up and moved toward him. A corporal came up and told quietly,
“Thank goodness you are here, sarge! The whole army has been locked up.”
Alex sounded serious, “I know, corporal. But now we need to get them out of there.”
The soldiery fell silent as the corporal inquired, “Royal Sergeant Alex, what must we do?”
Alex took а deep breath and then formulated, “I have the keys to the cells on this floor, but we have to move carefully. We must take advantage of the night and utilize the element of surprise. We have to go floor by floor; cell by cell, and make Arendelle ours again. Do you understand?”
The soldiers behind the corporal nodded, knowing they must not make a noise, and the corporal complied with a, “Yes, sergeant!”
Alex looked once again at all the men and women before him and commanded, “Soldiers, let’s go!”
In a matter of minutes, they cleared the first floor. As more of their comrades joined in, the group split up into smaller troops. Enemy soldiers were never directly engaged at—to maintain secrecy, they were ambushed from behind and tied up. Soon, the second floor too was extricated, and more groups formed. Alex ensured that the actions were coordinated and the plan was maintained. After clearing the third floor or so, Arendellian soldiers reached the royal armory; they entered with such unison that the enemy guards felt like a tremendous tidal bore had broken onto the door. They surrendered instantly.
Now, the soldiers picked up their weapons and got back their accouterments. Alex, too, reclaimed his belt, badge of rank, and the royal sword. They moved up and began to retake the castle. At the break of dawn, the royal sergeant’s troop arrived at a flag post that protruded out the castle wall. Taking out the flag from his pocket, Alex hoisted it where it belonged: flying full staff on the flagpole. All of them saluted the standard. With the rising sun, the guards retook most of the castle.
Amidst the chaos and confusion, Kai found his way out of captivity but was stopped as he encountered hostile guards. They confidently raised their spears and moved toward him. He gulped but stood firm. Then, to everyone’s surprise, Arendellian soldiers marched in from the darkness. Overpowered in all respects, the two intruders promptly submitted themselves. Before long, the posts at turrets, walls, and gates were all reclaimed. As the day unfolded, the surrendering enemy troops were thrown into the dungeons and their weapons confiscated: Arendelle was liberated.
As this covert upheaval took place, the ministers who gathered in the council chambers grew worried about the evolving snowstorm.
“It’s getting colder by the minute. If we don’t do something soon, we’ll all freeze to death!” commented the Duke of Weselton as the other foreign dignitaries wore worried faces. Just then, Prince Hans came in, putting on his most distraught face. The Spanish dignitary called out, “Prince Hans!”
Looking lifeless, he declared, “Princess Anna is… Dead.”
The gathering was aghast.
“What?” “No…” “Mon Dieu.” many of them expressed.
Hans stumbled with grief. The men helped him to a chair. “What happened to her?” wondered the duke.
“She was killed by Queen Elsa.”
The duke dramatized the situation, “Her own sister.”
Prince Hans put on a real show, “At least we got to say our marriage vows… Before she died in my arms.”
He bowed his head and kept up the brilliant display of grief. The duke took the occasion he longed for, and accused boldly, “There is no doubt now, Queen Elsa is a MONSTER, and we are all in grave DANGER!”
He said these words aloud to get the dignitaries quaking in their boots deliberately. Demoralized, the Spanish dignitary confessed,
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“Prince Hans, Arendelle looks to you.”
Prince Hans nodded. He knew exactly what he was being asked to do, and he’d do it with perfect authority and gravitas.
He gave his statement, “With a heavy heart, I charge Queen Elsa of Arendelle with treason and sentence her to death.”
Two guards of the Southern Isles complied with the order and left. Within a few moments of their going, the door was kicked open with a resounding bang. The crowd stood with their jaws hanging as Sergeant Alex and a section of guards wielding spears and swords entered.
“TRAITOR!” the sergeant yelled aloud—this time, he made sure the door was kicked as thunderously as the boys’ deck back on the ship of the Exploration Corps.
Hans was startled and instinctively gave up his act. He got up from the chair and stared at Alex while the Duke of Weselton watched in disbelief. Hans shouted without thinking,
“What?! I had locked you all up in the dungeons!!”
Prince Hans realized he had spilled the beans and nervously bit his lip. The men in the room were shocked.
“What?!” the Spanish dignitary wondered aloud. Sergeant Alex took his chance and agreed,
“Yes! You’ve heard it straight from the horse’s mouth.”
He took a few steps in and addressed the dignitaries, “Gentlemen, soldiers of the Southern Isles and Weselton captured the Castle of Arendelle and locked its army up in its own dungeons!” The dignitaries were shocked. The French dignitary expressed, “Quelle folie!”
Alex finally resolved, “Therefore, I charge Prince Hans of the Southern Isles with treachery and sentence him to temporary imprisonment.”
Prince Hans was speechless, but the Duke of Weselton protested, “Insolence! I cannot stand this injustice!”
Alex glowered at him, “The Duke of Weselton had been warned against spreading RUMORS about the queen! And yet I could hear him cry out ‘MONSTER’ and ‘DANGER’ all the way from the corridors! For repeatedly casting such BLATANT aspersions on the queen, he too is sentenced to imprisonment.”
The sergeant turned to Prince Hans. Before Alex could say a word, Hans cried, “No! This can’t be happening, guards! Seize them!”
The lone guard who stood beside him looked at the armed Arendellian soldiers and gave the prince an incredulous look. With a sly grin, Alex asked, “Or do you mean ‘guard’?”
He said so with a humorous inflection to his voice, mocking him. Assuming a more severe tone, he continued, “Guards from the Southern Isles as well as Weselton are spending their time in the dungeons because of YOU! I hope you have a good justification ready for them.” Turning to the Arendellian soldiers, Alex commanded, “Guards, seize them!”
Two soldiers arrested the duke. But when a guard proceeded to arrest Hans, he resisted. “Ha! There’s nothing you can do, sergeant. I have already ordered Queen Elsa’s execution!” he smiled sadistically. Taking the guard by surprise, he pushed him down and snatched his sword.
Without wasting a second, he turned and ran toward the window, breaking it open. He then quickly jumped out and slid down the roof. The sergeant and his troop were astounded—his first instinct was to give chase, but he had set his priority.
“Forget about him; the queen is in danger. I’m going to get Her Majesty. Corporal Henrik! Take charge; get the dignitaries and guests to safety.”
The corporal followed, “Yes, sergeant!” Acknowledging his compliance, Alex ran down the corridor toward the dungeons. A private in the ranks asked the corporal,
“Shouldn’t we send help? Sergeant Alex left all by himself.”
“You’re right. You and Private Mikkel escort him; go now!”
The two nodded and got ready to go. As the three men turned to see where Alex was, he had disappeared. “Where did he…?!” The corridor was pretty long; could he have run that fast?
The truth was that he took a secret passage that led straight to the dungeons. Alex reached Elsa’s cell door in a matter of minutes, even before Prince Hans’ executioners!
He tried to open the door but in vain. Then after tugging, pushing, and kicking it multiple times, the door began to weaken. Even though he was tired, he knew it was no time to rest. After pausing briefly, he delivered the coup de grâce with a forceful kick. This gave Elsa a jolt. She maneuvered a few steps back but was later at ease when she saw who it was.
“Oh, it’s just you, Alex.” she sighed with relief. Elsa was bound in chains that were freezing over; she looked worried. Alex was overwhelmed by her condition.
“Elsa! What have they done to you?” He drew out the royal sword and, with one precise blow, broke the shackles away from Elsa’s handcuffs. The action elicited a smile from her face. Alex reciprocated but very soon heard the footsteps of approaching guards.
“We need to get out of here. Elsa, can you blow out this wall?” he asked, pointing at the wall with a window, outside which was the frozen fjord.
“I think.” Elsa positioned her handcuffed arms and began to put in immense effort. The handcuffs froze over—so much that it looked like the metal was replaced entirely by ice!
Alex heard the footsteps closing in. “Any time now, Elsa…” he nervously warned her as she tried even harder.
Then just as the guards stepped in, an enormous blast of ice broke the wall and opened the cell to the chilly fjord outside.
As the white particles of snow settled, three men lay on the floor holding their heads. Elsa and Alex stood right where they were, staring bemusedly at the three so-called executioners: it was evident they didn’t have what it takes to do the job. The three men from the Southern Isles got up, embarrassed, and drew out their sabers. One man towered over the other two, while the other was short as a dwarf. There was nothing eye-catching about the last one, save the prominent nose—a silly resemblance to the Three Musketeers.
“We’re here for the queen!” proclaimed the stubby one. Alex smirked and disregarded him, turning to Elsa, “My Queen, I will take care of them. You must leave.”
He drew out the royal sword. Even though she knew Alex was an accomplished swordsman, she was concerned. “Are you sure, Alex?”
Looking at her, he replied, “You know I can. Don’t worry!” Elsa nodded and disappeared into the frozen fjord. The little man grew impatient,
“Didn’t you hear me? I said we’re here for the queen!”
Alex cleared his throat and replied belligerently, “If you want to hurt the queen, you’ll have to get through me first!”
The men broke a sweat and hesitantly raised their weapons. Alex paused and observed the hilarious trio for a moment and then swung his sword swiftly, right above their knees. Down from their knees, their pants fell off. They dropped their sabers to grab their torn pants, a futile effort. Alex shot the helpless men a wicked smile,
“Begone! Or I’ll cut your shirts into underwear!” Wearing a grave expression, he told, “Take your weapons and LEAVE! Do not come BACK!”
This scared the living daylights out of the three ‘executioners’, and they hurriedly sheathed their weapons. They ran for it, holding onto their pants—or whatever was left of it.
As the men walked, disillusioned through the dungeon corridor, the tallest man urged the shortest, “Corporal, we should go back and face him!”
The corporal replied sadly, “But he told us not to come back.”
The third man inquired, “Corporal, if I may, how many was he?”
“One?” he answered, a little unsure.
“And how many are we?”
Turning to his men with a desire for retribution, “Three. That’s right. We can get him!”
They headed back. But as they took the last turn to the dungeon door, a sight had convinced them that luck wasn’t on their side: almost the entire Arendellian army; men, women, royal guards, and regulars stood facing them. With a committed, or even infuriated look, Alex reminded,
“I thought I told you don’t come back!”
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Hymn of the Enlisted Soldier
|1| Rise, rise, Arendelle, our kingdom is dear.
We’ll fight like a vixen in the forest!
We’ll fight like a bull,
But in the dark of the night.
|CH1| Say,
Faster, quick, but stronger!
Aah, aah-aah, ha
Aah-aah, ha, aah-ha
Hey!
|2| Awake, now Arendelle, our kingdom is dear.
The whirlwinds of danger are raging!
But shall we be silent,
To this righteous call?
(Repeat CH1)
|3| Arise, now Arendelle, our kingdom is dear.
We’ll pounce like a leopard from the grassland!
We’ll pounce like a shark,
But from the depths of the sea.
|CH2| Say,
Faster, quick, but stronger!
Aah, aah-aah, ha
Aah, ha-haa,
Ha-haa,
Hey!
|4| Arise, now Arendelle, our kingdom is dear.
We’ll fight like a vixen in the forest! —
We’ll fight like a bull,
But in the dark of the night.
(Repeat CH1)
|Bridge| Attention! Arendelle, our freedom is near.
We’ll rise like the magma from a mountain!
We’ll rise like a forest fire,
Burning bright!
|CH3| (include with bridge)
Say,
Faster, quick, but stronger!
Aah, aah-aah, ha
Aah-aah, ha, aah-ha
Hey!
Hey, hey! Hey, hey!
Aay-hey! Aay-hey! Aay-hey!
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