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gryfon-spanish-werewolf · 3 years

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okay @themountainsays I’m more awake now and can write the thing. The thing being my tags regarding this post by @hella-amberpricefield about Anna leaping from the collapsing dam in Frozen 2 and being caught on the other side by Lt. Matthias

I think there’s something significant about how it’s Lt. Matthias who catches Anna, and not Kristoff. I wouldn’t say I have a ‘correct’ answer as to why that is, but narratively speaking, I DO think it’s intentional that it was Lt. Matthias

To be fair, he was right there. The last thing we see Matthias do is rescue a fellow soldier from being crushed by the thrown rocks, which actually puts him marginally closer to the dam than it did when he was banging his shield. In comparison, Kristoff is left off screen needing to find a way up to Anna after boosting her onto the ledge level with the dam. She has a full (though brief) conversation with Lt. Matthias, THEN runs onto the dam itself, then it starts breaking, and then she jumps. This, by the way, takes 1m35s in the movie: from when Anna reaches to top of the ledge, converses, rushes past Lt. Matthias onto the dam, and is then successfully rescued and pulled to safety. We have no way of knowing how difficult the terrain was to navigate, or what Kristoff and Sven had to do to reach Anna in time but...

But it’s also... irrelevant. Because if the writers had wanted Kristoff to be the one catching Anna then they would have just done it. We would have accepted the fact that he’d found a way up in time to save her. In fact you could easily argue that it would have made MORE SENSE for Kristoff to save her because it could have culminated into this moment of, “I’m here for you, I’ve got you, you can lean on and trust me,” and then later on, the proposal would have had an even deeper meaning to it. He already had the, “I’m here, what do you need?” line from before and then he has the, “My love is not fragile” line like - I find it very clear that they wanted Kristoff to be putting Anna’s needs and wants above his own when it mattered most, regardless of his own insecurities and fears.

I can see an alternate scene in my head where Kristoff is the one whose hand saves her and Lt. Matthias is secondary, helping pull her up into Kristoff’s secure embrace. In fact it’s so easy to imagine it, that I think people forget that it WASN’T Kristoff at all!

So why is it Lt. Matthias?

Could be a couple of reasons

For starters, he is (or was) the Captain of the Guard for Arendelle. It’s literally his job to protect Arendellian Royalty and the town itself. In his failure to protect King Runeard the day of the betrayal (not that he knew it was Runeard’s fault) and being uncertain of Prince Agnarr’s location post-fight, his mission became the abstraction of “Arendelle” as a whole, which can I think fairly be summed up as his troops and the dam. To him the dam symbolizes the protection of Arendelle, so damage to the dam is damage to his purpose, the thing that has kept him going for 30 years. When Anna requests that one of these things be taken from him too, he’s understandably distraught. He questions her information (though just as easily accepts Anna’s “my sister [the queen] gave her life for the truth [which puts me in charge by default]” which... sure okay, the plot’s gotta keep pace, we DO have Earth Giants inbound). Saving Anna from falling re-establishes Lt. Matthias’ role as a protecter of the living Arendelle; not the past, not the symbol, but the present and the TRUTH

Also, Lt. Matthias could be interpreted as one of the last remaining personifications of Old Arendelle. Of Runeard’s Arendelle. He is quite literally the last person that needs to be convinced of Runeard’s selfish and horrendous acts against the Northuldra. Old Arendelle physically stands in front of Anna as her final barrier to “fixing the past”

There’s a lot going on here! There’s informational conflict, there’s loyalty conflict, there’s rank and power conflict, there’s personal bias conflict, there’s lived experience and just plain age conflict, there’s generational conflict, LIKE?!?!

It’s literally a conversation that stuffs,

“What you believe is painfully wrong but you didn’t know,”

and,

“This new information is correct, comes at great sacrificial cost, and damages what you know about yourself and your country,”

and,

“I need you to reconcile this and the last 30 years of belief ASAP because that dam needs to come down NOW”

into 55 seconds. ANYONE would have some strong feelings about that xD

But you know what? Shout out to Matthias, because he not only decides to believe Anna, but to facilitate the destruction of the dam (WHICH HE WAS GOING TO STOP HER FROM DOING, may I remind y’all), FASTER, by personally getting the giants’ attention

It is significant that Lt. Matthias catches Anna because it is literally the past reaching out to the present in order to seek the future. It is the past obliterating itself to clutch tightly to the present, hoping for a better tomorrow. Lt. Matthias makes the difficult choice to ACT in the face of his country’s wrong-doing by physically grasping the future of Arendelle by the hand so as to not drown in the mistakes of the past

Kristoff saving Anna removes all of that context and subtextual weight, and I for one and so SO glad that it is not Kristoff who saves Anna. It’s not that, as a character, Kristoff doesn’t deserve to save the love of his life, it’s what we’d expect, actually

But it’s not. It’s Lt. Matthias. It’s the old guard, the father figure, the proud and the traditional

The man who says to do the Next Right Thing

Even when it’s hard. Even when you may not have all the facts. Even when the facts fly in the face of everything you thought was true

When you see the future struggling to escape the flood of the past, of mistakes and lies, and what might feel like an impossible weight to overcome... make the choice. Act

Lt. Matthias, in a few short moments, shows that: he acknowledges Arendelle’s dark past, acknowledges the part he played in it (both in a leadership and follower role aka active and passive), acknowledges his continued participation in inflicting pain on the Northuldran people and land, and acknowledges that all of that requires him to act justly, here and now

And I really hope that the writers were trying to convey that sentiment by having Lt. Matthias, and not Kristoff, save Anna. To say: “You have can have pride in your past and understand that it is filled with harm towards others, intentional or not. And you can recognize that the structures that give you power and status can and have harmed others, with or without your consent. But none of that should paralyze you from acting towards the proper course of action now.”

Lt. Matthias saves Anna because Arendelle cannot be saved otherwise. It’s.. it’s kind of the whole premise for the movie, actually. The past MUST be reconciled with the present for there to be a future, but the past cannot simply be forgotten or swept away. Acknowledgement is key. Past AND Present are key. Kristoff carries none of that weight on his shoulders, and therefore the only remaining option is to have Lt. Matthias there, arm out, waiting to grasp the future

#this has been Stream of Consciousness About Frozen 2 Themes with your host: me #look I actually think Lt. Matthias is actually a REALLY symbolic character despite his extremely small amount of screentime and ALL of it #has to do with with how he represents Old Arendelle #this whole thing is a very thinly veiled metaphor for historical reparations #which Disney could hardly pull the trigger on loudly bc... well.. money and profit #but some of it still made it in I swear - even if it wasn't executed all that well over all #anyway uhhhh I hope this #satisfies your curiosity #themountainsays #apparently I had a lot to say about it HAHA #Frozen 2 meta #Lt. Matthias #Anna #Kristoff #the dam scene #Frozen 2 themes

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kakitysax · 3 years

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Okay so I just watched the first Frozen movie with my youngest sister because we’re both home sick? And. We STAN this whole thing being a mental health allegory???

Like, this movie is deeply relatable and like, resonant? To me. Specifically. Both of my younger sisters can attest to how scary and mean I was before I got help, and the sister closest to me in age (actually, the sister who has the same age gap with me that Anna has with Elsa) DEEPLY relates to Anna’s struggle to reach her older sister.

But what I actually want to talk about is the symbolism. Below the cut. This will literally destroy your dash, be warned.

Elsa’s ice powers represent something about herself - about her MIND - she feels the need to repress. That could be any number of things. Neurodivergence, emotion in general, maybe a personality disorder. Elsa doesn’t necessarily HAVE any of these things. The point is that the viewers might, and whatever this unnamed thing is, it can be both beautiful and harmful.

Her parents don’t understand, and unwittingly teach Elsa to be afraid of herself.

As a result, Elsa starts to LOSE CONTROL OF HER POWERS. By teaching Elsa that this thing about her is something to be repressed, she becomes less and less able to ACTUALLY control them.

This increases her sense of isolation from other people, and she develops MAJOR anxiety and depression as a result. I mean, just look at the separation anxiety she felt when her parents had to leave.

“Do you have to go?”

Elsa is 18 here - terrified of herself and completely reliant on her parents to protect her and everyone around her from her powers.

ALRIGHT let’s skip the boring stuff

Blah blah blah, Anna’s lonely too, she needs love, falls in love too quickly, is desparate to marry Hans because she thinks this is the only day she’ll be able to form actual connections with other people...

All that stuff is really important, but what I want to talk about is the frozen kingdom that Elsa creates.

Overcome by feelings of freedom and joy, Elsa finally begins to regain control of the creative part of her powers, and one of the first things she creates is Olaf.

For everyone’s annoyance at Let It Go, it’s actually an amazing sequence and I relate to it a lot.

But what I find to be a BETTER reflection of the journey through Elsa’s psyche is Anna and Kristoff’s journey up the North Mountain.

I say “Journey,” but there’s really only three environments I want to talk about.

This is where Kristoff and Anna meet Olaf - a frozen wonderland of weeping willows. As they walk through it, Anna says “I never knew that Winter could be so beautiful.”

That line got me. Anna doesn’t actually know her sister. She likes a version of Elsa that exists in her head - a 13-year-old altered memory of a perfect older sister. But Elsa isn’t the warm fuzzy friend that Anna idealizes - she’s always been dignified, composed, and wonderfully creative - loving, yes, but in a cool kind of way. Anna expects Elsa to be a goofy playmate, and writes off the “wintery” parts of her as something bad, just like Elsa does. But walking through this wonderland, she sees a different aspect of the same Elsa - the good parts of the REAL Elsa. And THIS, fittingly, is where she meets Olaf.

Now something I noticed this time around is that during this scene, Olaf consistently looks towards Anna.

“I like warm hugs,” he says, turning to her, and he asks her for her name first.

He then relies on ANNA to tell him the names of Kristoff and Sven.

Elsa made Olaf for Anna. And because of this, Olaf is the EMBODIMENT of Elsa’s childhood love for her sister.

This is why he always goes back to Anna. This is why it didn’t count as an act of true love when Olaf was willing to melt for her, and why he is able to tell Anna what love is. Olaf’s love for Anna is Elsa’s love for Anna. Olaf IS love.

“Some people are worth melting for.”

Olaf loves summer. Thawing. Melting things. And it’s because, as we learn later in the movie, LOVE is the secret to melting Elsa’s ice, and breaking down her barriers.

Right okay back to environments.

The NEXT icy place they come across is THIS bitch

A hillside full of icy spikes that point towards whoever approaches. Another wall between Elsa and the people trying to reach her. Elsa consistently uses outward-pointing spikes to keep other people away.

Finally, they reach the CENTER of Elsa’s psyche: a palace made of ice.

Elsa’s ice palace is the culmination of Elsa’s creative powers, a reflection of her own mind.

But what’s really, REALLY interesting, is that like ice, it’s reflective. And after her conversation with Anna, the castle starts to change.

Immediately after hurting Anna, darkness spreads rapidly down the castle walls. The darkness is reminiscent of the fragile “dark ice” like the kind you would find on a fragile frozen pond. The ice is becoming less stable.

And later, when we see Elsa trying to regain control of herself, the color of the walls has changed completely to reflect her fear.

The spikes reappear, this time pointing inward - towards HERSELF.

Elsa’s mind is no longer a safe place for Elsa herself to be - and holy SHIT do I relate.

The last thing I want to talk about is the blizzard at the end of the movie.

Elsa is back in Arendelle, the very place she’s been trying to avoid the whole movie - the place she’s afraid of destroying with her powers. The whiteout is Elsa’s terror, furious and opaque. It’s BLINDING, not only to herself, but to everyone around her.

But the second Hans tells Elsa that Anna is dead

Everything Stops.

The wind stops, the storm receeds, snowflakes freeze in thin air. The world stops moving. Elsa stops feeling.

Hans drew his sword pretty loudly. But Elsa doesn’t care. She believes herself to be a monster, and no longer cares if she lives or dies.

This is basically the end of what I want to talk about, but I can’t exactly leave it here, so.

Anna saves Elsa, sacrificing herself in the truest form of love.

She does the Big Freezy thing and turns into an epic ice sculpture, which Elsa then wraps in what is likely the world’s most uncomfortable hug.

And then, starting from the heart first, Anna unfreezes.

The secret to Elsa’s powers is revealed to be love, not fear. And, sealing my love for Elsa with a fucking kiss, Elsa IMMEDIATELY latches on. She’s been searching for an answer for this for her entire life, and is able to apply the one she finds INSTANTLY. She lets her love for Arendelle and everyone around her reshape her mind into a place of safety and wonder.

Everyone lives happily ever after, my sister cries, I nod stoically because I’m almost incapable of genuine emotion, Elsa is the most relatable Disney Princess and I adore her forever.

I know that none of this is a hot take but I really wanted to ramble about it anyway. This is a really good movie. Friendly reminder that just because something is mainstream doesn’t mean that it sucks. One time I was talking about how much I related to Elsa and Dad said that I was “a demographic.” Like. Okay? What’s the fucking issue with that? So Disney created a story that can resonate with a wide group of people, what’s the shame in being one of the people it touches? The real issue here is that so many young people can relate to repression and mental illness, like, what the fuck?

Anyway, thank you for coming to my Ted Talk. Join me next time (never) while I talk about the equally relatable Frozen Two’s arc of delving deeper into the knowledge of what you’ve repressed, Elsa’s obvious aromanticism, and the fact that the Trolls are evil masterminds who have deeply wronged both of the first movie’s male protagonists.

#karkles stop #disney frozen #frozen #frozen elsa #elsa analysis #frozen analysis #just saying stuff that's been said before #don't mind me

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themountainsays · 4 years

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So i just realized I never propperly talked about my frozen balto AU so let me ramble at the wall for a few minutes:

It's called balto AU but it's not REALLY a balto AU (though a literal retelling of the story would also be interesting 👀). No furries here no sir. The story is about Princess Elsa, a half Northuldra (rumored to be) bastard who will never touch the throne if her grandfather, the King, has any say in the matter. Her Northuldra heritage is visible to anyone she meets, as it manifests in her white hair and uncontrollable winter magic. Her mother died when she was seven. She's feared and shunned by the people she's destined to lead, no matter how hard she tries to be a perfect Arendellian princess. She belongs nowhere. As violence and political intrigues arise in the castle, her father, Prince Agnarr, discreetly sends her to the countryside while he sorts things out in order to protect her. She'll stay in an old farm by herself for a few months, under the guise of quarantine and the doctor's recommendations during an epidemic.

Worldbuilding time: Let's say Arendelle has 4 or so provinces, and Elsa moves to the northernmost one, mostly dedicated to muskox farming. Why muskox you say? I just think they're neat. Arendellians consume mostly muskox meat and idk mushrooms because the lack of sun prevents the growth of plants, most of which are imported from Corona. The sky hasn't been seen in at least 35 years, as it is permanently hidden behind a thin layer of white clouds. There's also a small epidemic going on (no relation to current events) and the Northuldra are being blamed for it as they're the only ones not getting sick. Spoilers: this is because of a parasite the muskox have, and the reindeer have a similar but weaker one and the Northuldra have developed immunity from herding them. Of course, according to King Runeard, it's all witchcraft. He does seem weirdly interested in expropriating the reindeer from them though. The illness itself is probably some very magical realism thing. Frozen hearts or whatever.

Meanwhile there's the Mist. What is the Mist? More magical realism that's what it is. It's not a literal mist, just... something that causes anyone who travels north of the Black Mountains to get lost. Uncommunicated. Practically no one who leaves returns. Two small Northuldra siiddat are currently living south of the Black Mountains (aka inside the borders of the State of Arendelle), in mountain valleys away from the cities. One siida has an economy based entirely around ice harvesting. The other one herds reindeer.

Enter Honeymaren. She's destined for greatness and she knows it. Has spent every day since she was a child climbing the mountains, charting maps from above and exploring the north trying to find the other northuldra siiddat trapped in the Mist. Her nation is divided and broken into dozens of lost pieces. Has a hiccup-style map that she's constantly working on. Every now and then she'll meet someone from a different siida (someone who by luck wandered south of the Black Mountains, an old person who has been hiding in Arendelle ever since before the Mist fell etc) and she'll do an oral history interview thing. She's trying to put all of the pieces back together and understand what happened. She greatly resents Arendelle and has zero sympathy for Arendellians, even the ones dying from frozen hearts. Oh you want some reindeer milk to vaccinate your kid? That will be $10,000.

Anna us like 17 y.o at the beginning of the story. Her mother is high key an important person in her siida. She represents the northuldra siiddat living in Arendelle in Zhdan, a russian-inspired OC country east of Arendelle, which is going through a civil war. So she's rarely in Arendelle and her daughter is pretty much alone. She herself gets along better with the herding and mushing dogs than with the reindeer, so she's kinda in charge of training them. Her favorite dog is a big lapponian herder (gonna have to change the name of the breed or smth) called Marshmallow (nickamed Marsha or something), and she happens to be pregnant. She dies while giving birth and only one of her pups survive, an tiny (not so tiny) albino wolfdog that Anna names Olaf. The people in her sidda aren't very keen on keeping a wolfdog around but this Arendellian girl she's recently befriended has sort of a farm and she lives alone. Surely Olaf can stay with her while Anna trains him and proves to everyone that he can be a good herding dog. He's not dangerous. He's a good boy.

I want to put so much magical realism in this one. I'm getting rid of some magical elements (Ahtohallan, talking snowmen, the trolls, a big portion of Elsa's magic, the most highkey elements of the spirits etc) to replace it with a more symbolic magical realism a la hundred years of solitude. Kinda.

Snow Sisters with a side of Elsamaren. Kinda enemies to lovers but not in a racist pocahontas way. Low key cottagecore. Too many thoughts too little time.

#jk furries are cool #elsamaren #snow sisters #balto AU #frozen AU #ara writes #worldbuilding

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thelittlehansy · 4 years

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How many signs of Narcissistic abuse can we catch in a the book "A Frozen Heart" ?

i took a article from psychology today : here the point of view is of course not partner but hans/ his narcissist father and worst bro.

I hope my reasoning are gonna fit and unfortunaly i m gonna used quote from À Frozen Heart several time for Hans family appeared only at the start of the book.

What is Narcissistic Abuse : Abuse may be emotional, mental, physical, financial, spiritual, or sexual. Here are a few examples of abuse you may not have identified:

Verbal abuse includes belittling, bullying, accusing, blaming, shaming, demanding, ordering, threatening, criticizing, sarcasm, raging, opposing, undermining, interrupting, blocking, and name-calling. Note that many people occasionally make demands, use sarcasm, interrupt, oppose, criticize, blame, or block you. Consider the context, malice, and frequency of the behavior before labeling it narcissistic abuse.

Hans on his everyday life At the start of the book :

Belittling( undermining i think also) : "you should apologize to your mother she is after all the only one who would have ever noticed you were missing"

Bullying : "like sharks smelling blood in the water a few more of the brothers began to join in the "teasing" "

Accusing : "did you not think your mother birthday is worthy of your presence?"

Blaming : " Westergaard are lion not mice hans you should listen to your brother maybe you could learn a thing of two from them if you stopped acting like you were better than them"

Shaming : Rudy and Runo : "whats thats ? We cant hear you really should learn how to speak up father abhors mice"

Demanding : "dont disappoint me...again !"

ordering : "his father had requested his presence and when the king made a request you did whatever was asked"

threatening : i think “dont disappoint me...again” can work also because Hans knew that what kind of treatment he receive if he dont follow his father belief thats the reasons his brothers bully him. So there is an idea of punishement if he dissapoint his father i think.

Criticizing : as you might imagine i dont have time to listen to you whine about your brothers being bullies again

interrupting : “the king did not waste time to the point Hans , always just get to the point he would say whenever he deemed Hans had stay too long in his presence” i thought i will find nothing for this one but guess i was wrong 😅

Raging : " he didn't care if his father would be mad later it wasnt worth the torment to sit through of this assault" later

Fighting Marsmahllow : " thats all you got ? You big snowy beast ? Hans thought as he pulled out his sword and began to swing it skillfully. Compared to my father when he is angry you seem like a cuddy bunny"

Sarcasm : not any quote but very much possible with that environment !

Manipulation: Generally, manipulation is indirect influence on someone to behave in a way that furthers the goals of the manipulator. Often, it expresses covert aggression. Think of a “wolf in sheep’s clothing.” On the surface, the words seem harmless – even complimentary; but underneath you feel demeaned or sense a hostile intent. If you experienced manipulation growing up, you may not recognize it as such. See my blog on spotting manipulation.

“Dont disappoint me...again " i think works too for this one ! This is what hans father told him after he ask if he can help him and before he go help him with a citizens that criticize him.

it has an effect on Hans who is upset and therefore wants to please and prove himself to his father even more.

the effect are there and the goal of course of the king was only for his own interest. Stopping his people To criticize him by emotionally manipulating Hans to be effective.

Emotional blackmail: Emotional blackmail may include threats, anger, warnings, intimidation, or punishment. It’s a form of manipulation that provokes doubt in you. You feel fear, obligation, and or guilt, sometimes referred to as “FOG”

one example i think : " his father had requested his presence and when the king made a request you did whatever was asked" Hans end up having a sense of obligation to come at a place where he know his brothers are gonna bully him. After when he decide to leave he talk about his father anger implying he is gonna be mad and punished him. so that an example i think we can spot also !

Competition: Competing and one-upping to always be on top, sometimes through unethical means. E.g. cheating in a game.

"You know you fit quit well in the southern isles everything is a competition back home " Hans to Anna during the coronation party big clue !

Negative contrasting: Unnecessarily making comparisons to negatively contrast you with the narcissist or other people.

" you should listen to your brothers you could learn a thing or two if you stop acting as if you were better that them "🤔

Exploitation and objectification: Using or taking advantage of you for personal ends without regard for your feelings or needs.

After hans works during 3 years for his father as his gofer on his way to arendelle " getting to this point had not be easy. It had taken nearly three years to convince the king that he was responsible enough.(..) all the begging, pleading and generally making himself a lapdog to his father To procure a spot as the representative would pay off"

= indication the king exploit Hans during 3 years and what is sad is that he still dont trust him at the end. So yeah deftntly take advantages of hans to me.

Sabotage: Disruptive interference with your endeavors or relationships for the purpose of revenge or personal advantage.

The princes : “after each well placed jab they would look to their father to gain his approval even at the expense of their youngest brother”

i think that quote can reflect this one because there we see the reasons why Hans relationship with his brothers is broken and the reasons is because they all want to have their father attention/approval. that’s a situation the king voluntary let happen between his son for personal advantages.( boots his ego i beleive) the king defitnly sabotage Hans relationship with his brothers and even i would say all the relationship between his sons.

Neglect: Ignoring the needs of a child for whom the abuser is responsible. Includes child endangerment; i.e., placing or leaving a child in a dangerous situation.

“it wasnt as thought he had woken up that morning to found out he was the youngest of thirtheen son with a distant and careless father that had been his ife always and that would be his life forever” this is what hans say about his life at 17 years old 20 years old with his true age.

Character assassination or slander: Spreading malicious gossip or lies about you to other people.

“ So ? any new of when i might become an uncle again ? i m hoping your child might like me at least ?” Hans to Lars

So here thats interpretation ! i could be wrong but to me its kind of imply the niece and nephew he got so far do not like him a lot. so now the question is how little kids may end up disliking their uncle ? unpleasant gossip from their fathers or even grandfather about their uncle !

Violence:This includes blocking your movement, pulling hair, throwing things, or destroying your property

“at least they had thrown bread this time not glassware”

Isolation: Isolating you from friends, family, or access to outside services and support through control, manipulation, verbal abuse, character assassination, or other means of abuse.

"For him the southern isles and it castle was a prison and his father the jailer"🤔

Withholding: Withholding such things as money, sex, communication or affection from you.!

Hans dad is volountary distant and cold with him and show less affection to him in order "to toughten him up "

Gaslighting: Intentionally making you distrust your perceptions of reality or believe that you’re mentally incompetent.

to be honest i didn't catch exactly what is gaslighting i have understand the definition but each time i see someone used the word i m confuse because cannot connect it with the definition.

so here no sign of gaslighting ( distrust perception) i don't know if this one works for "make believe you are mentally incompent"

"hans could hear the voice of his brothers (..) you dont have the guts to do anything. Princess elsa what she want is a man not a boy. What about we go find her and you stay here where you belong."

3 are no present on the book with the last one very much possible because the king of the southern isles abuse financially his poeple :

-Lying: Persistent deception to avoid responsibility or to achieve the narcissist’s own ends.

-Privacy invasion: Ignoring your boundaries by looking through your things, phone, mail; denying your physical privacy or stalking or following you; ignoring privacy you’ve requested.

-Financial abuse: Financial abuse might include controlling you through economic domination or draining your finances through extortion, theft, manipulation, or gambling, or by accruing debt in your name or selling your personal property.

I think lying and privacy invasion can both be things Hans and even his brothers are submit since little by their father.

#prince hans #hans #hans westergaard #prince hans of the southern isles #narcisistic abuse #A Frozen Heart #hans's father #Frozen hans #disney hans #frozen #narcissim #ndad #golden child #scapegoat #disney #domestic abuse #child abuse

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razieltwelve · 3 years

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By the time of Final Effect, is there a law stating "If a Dia-Farron says 'I can neither confirm nor deny', it means that they are guilty" ?

It's basically Dia-Farron speak for 'you can't prove it was me and we both know it'.

The standard response to this is to unleash Farron-level of tyranny.

Amusingly enough, Vanille I (so far the only half Dia-Farron empress) was more than capable of blaming things on her hamster... so that she could then pardon him for his crimes using her powers as empress. It was the perfect plan, and they came up with it together after realising they could rules-lawyer their way out of any problem using that strategy. The hamster accepting blame is key because the emperor/empress cannot technically pardon themselves (that clause dates back to Arendelle when a less benevolent monarch decided to render themselves immune to the law by pardoning themselves for every crime they committed). However, they can pardon other people.

Basically:

She didn't do it, so she can't be held responsible.

The hamster did it, so he should be held responsible.

She is the empress, so she can pardon the hamster.

Rinse and repeat as needed.

This would later lead to her successor passing a law limiting how frequently someone could receive a pardon, as well as setting a limit on the maximum number of pardons that someone could receive.

It's been dubbed the 'hamster loop' since it involves looping the same steps over and over again to do whatever you want. It became common parlance for exploiting the rules/laws of a system to get the desired outcome.

Imperial Law is actually a fascinating subject since it draws influences from many places. For instance, Arendelle had its own legal tradition, but so did the Four Great Kingdoms, as well as each of the clans. The resulting legal framework is both highly flexible but also incredibly complex in certain areas.

The foundation of Imperial Standard Law by Emperor Claw II was a pivotal moment in the Empire's history since it represented a gigantic leap forward in integrating the various legal frameworks into one framework that could be widely and easily understood by the average Imperial citizen. It was said that Claw II did this because he was a legal scholar who had served as a prosecutor, defender, and a judge at various points of his life. As a result, he was well aware of the need for reform.

The Empire's legal code has largely followed the framework he set ever since, which is a testament to how good a job he did of it. To the dismay of legal scholars, he is often less revered than his more martially inclined kin. However, portraits of him are typically found in places of honour in courts and other buildings where the law is a subject of interest. Likewise, statues of him are found in every law school in the Empire, and he is widely considered the most important and influential jurist in galactic history.

Some of the most widely cited and read texts legal texts in the galaxy include his correspondence with Winter Schnee (I've simplified her name here due to how long it would be), who was one of the finest legal minds in the Alliance's history. The pair did not always agree, but their correspondence is required reading for anyone with an interest in law due to the detail and cogency of the arguments put forward regarding a range of different topics and positions. Indeed, the pair were such close friends that he was the one who gave the eulogy at Winter's funeral. It is generally believed that the reason the Alliance and Empire have fairly similar legal systems is due to the exchange of thoughts and ideas between these two.

Claw II also clarified and detailed what has come to be called Adamantine Law. Adamantine Law is essentially the set of laws and concepts that are considered foundational to the Empire's legal system and thus basically impossible to change.

The most commonly cited section of Adamantine Law is the Statement of Rights and Responsibilities, which clearly enumerates both the rights and responsibilities of Imperial citizens. Another document of immense importance is the document which outlines the way trials ought to be conducted and the standards of evidence required for conviction, etc. It is called Achieving a Just Verdict.

One of the reasons Claw II's reign is often overlooked by non-legally-inclined historians is how peaceful it was. His reign was relatively free of large-scale Grimm incursions or internal strife, which allowed him to turn his considerable intellect to legal matters. Moreover, the system he devised became a victim of its own success. Nobody really thinks about the legal system much anymore because it works really well. It's kind of like trains. Nobody notices if the trains run on time, but you better believe people will notice if they're running late.

As an old man, Claw II was asked about this. At that point he had long-since retired allowing his successor to take over, but he spent his retirement further contemplating legal issues and writing extensively on judicial matters. His response has since become legendary amongst members of the legal profession.

"If I can leave behind a legal system so fair and just that nobody feels the need to complain about it, then I'm more than happy to become a historical footnote. Like a good emperor, a good set of laws, ought to protect and serve the people rather than the other way around."

As an aside, Claw II has experienced rising popularity during Averia VII's reign. This largely stems from a series of articles that Averia VII has written regarding her predecessors and how she views their achievements and legacies.

She rates Claw II extremely highly as a ruler. Indeed, she rates him as arguably the third most influential due to the importance of the legal framework he established. Her spirited defence of his importance did wonders for his popularity.

#final effect #final codex #fanfiction

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lovelysheree · 4 years

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In These Quiet Moments

**FROZEN 2 SPOILERS BELOW**

In These Quiet Moments

Setting: this one-shot takes place seven years after Frozen II. Anna is Queen of Arendelle and happily married to Kristoff, and Elsa is still living in the Enchanted Forest.

Quiet moments were hard to find in the castle these days, so when a much needed pause somehow weaved itself into a particularly busy afternoon, Anna was quick to take advantage of it. She had just finished attending a weekly brief with Mattias when Gerda informed her that the Jarl of Thorunn’s representatives were expected to arrive a few hours late. This meant she had a few hours of freedom. And so, Queen Anna of Arendelle spent that treasured time doing her absolute favorite thing: being with her family.

She sat on the grass in a secluded corner of the castle’s garden, leaning against Kristoff’s shoulder while gently brushing her hand through their son’s reddish blond hair who lazily laid in her lap. She watched as their daughter clumsily stepped from flower to flower. Kristoff had just finished showing her how to carefully smell them without picking them and now she was curiously examining each one before bending down and breathing in lightly with an innocence only a toddler could possess.

“Hey Mama?” she heard Erik call quietly from her lap. She looked down to see his blue eyes looking brightly back up at hers. “When are we gonna see Auntie Elsa and the forest again?” he asked.

“Soon, sweetie. Auntie Elsa is going to come over in a few days to visit, remember?” she answered, twirling her finger around the tuft of hair that always curled at the nape of his neck.

“But when are we gonna go there?” he clarified, shifting in her lap so that he could look at her more easily.

“To the Enchanted Forest?” she asked with a faint air of surprise. When she saw him nod, she turned to Kristoff who looked between their son and her.

“The last time we went to the forest was before your sister was born,” Kristoff said. “You were only two then. Do you remember going?”

Erik looked to his dad before shaking his head, “Not really,” he sighed, “But I remember a little bit. Like how the trees were all orange and red and there were lots of reindeer,” he said smiling widely at the memory.

Anna laughed and looked at Kristoff. “We took him to an enchanted forest and the two things he remembers are the leaves and the wildlife,” she said in mild bewilderment, “and not the magical spirits.”

Kristoff grinned at his wife and son, “Well reindeer are pretty cool, right bud?” he said while ruffling Erik’s ginger hair, causing him to squirm out of Anna’s lap and away from his dad’s teasing hand.

“P-papa, stop!” Erik laughed, fumbling to his feet. “You messed up my hair,” he said as he patted the top of his head in an attempt to smooth it back into place, but it was clear he wasn’t all that bothered.

“Do you want to go to the forest again, Erik?” Anna asked, pulling him gently towards her so she could straighten his hair herself (because he had somehow managed to make it worse). Erik’s hair always had a habit of ruffling in whatever direction it felt like no matter what they did to tame it. Kristoff said it came with the color and Anna couldn’t disagree. She had similar hair problems herself.

“I want Josephine to see it,” Erik said, tearing away from his mom’s hands and looking at his sister who remained enraptured by the flowers. “When I was tellin’ her about it, I don’t think she believed me,” he explained.

Kristoff scoffed good-naturedly. “I don’t think she’s old enough to make an opinion on that kind of thing,” he said.

“You’ve clearly never had to sell her on eating her peas and let me tell you, she most definitelyhas opinions,” Anna said. The moment the words left her mouth, Josephine turned her little blond head around and locked eyes with her mother. Her small brow furrowed as she stepped away from the flowers she had been smelling and started tottering towards her parents and brother.

“She’s out to get you,” Kristoff laughed. Anna rolled her eyes and playfully swiped at his arm. “H-hey hey! I think it’s good she’s got opinions. It means she thinks for herself,” he said.

“That she does,” Anna sighed but smiled as she turned back towards Josephine. It quiet for a brief second before she and Kristoff both speak again.

“She definitely has your stubbornness,” they said at the same time before going wide-eyed and turning back to look at each other. “My stubbornness?” they both responded incredulously, pointing at themselves. Realizing their ridiculousness, they broke out into a fit of laughter.

“Ok, maybe both of our stubbornness,” Anna amended, leaning onto his shoulder.

“Probably so,” Kristoff said, bending down to kiss the top of her head. “But who’s to say,” he shrugged, “Ibet she got it from Elsa,” he laughed.

“I’ll be sure to tell her that next time she visits,” Anna says and hears Kristoff’s laugh immediately die off.

Erik left his parents and walked over to Josephine. He held out his hand to help her move more stably in her pursuit. “Jose, see? When I asked Mama and Papa about the forest, they said the forest is real too,” he tried to tell her, watching her as she stared intently at the ground and carefully moving her feet.

Josephine looked from the ground and up at her brother, holding out both her arms. “Up!” she said, bouncing onto her tiptoes and falling back on her heels to make sure she got her point across.

Erik bent his knees and tried his best to pick up his sister, but it always proved to be a difficult task considering he wasn’t too big himself.

“We’ll definitely have to wait a while before visiting the forest,” Anna said, “But maybe after kid number three, hm? I have to admit, I do miss visiting her ourselves,” she offered, subconsciously placing her hand on her newly forming baby-bump.

Kristoff grinned, placing his larger hand over her own, “I’m sure Sven would love to see all the reindeer again.”

“Are you kidding? Sounds like Erik’s more excited about the reindeer than you and Sven combined,” Anna laughed, weaving her fingers between his.

She sighed, enjoying this moment. This quiet, peaceful moment. This perfectly blissful moment—

“Your Majesty, your guests have arrived,” Kai announced, turning the corner of the garden.

#Kristanna #Anna #Princess Anna #Queen Anna #Kristoff #Frozen 2 #frozen 2 spoilers #fanfiction #one-shot #one shot #frozen #kristoff bjorgman #OC #kristanna family #kristoff and anna #arendelle

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fortitudinem · 4 years

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THE CREATION OF THE UNITED KINGDOMS OF AURADON

When the small Kingdom of Auradon re-emerges after a decade of being missing and yet, unmissed, there is a lot of confusion all around. The ruler of the Kingdom, Prince Adam, now King Adam, reveals himself to the world once more, exclaiming that he was cursed by an enchantress for ten years to take on the form of a hideous beast, but that the curse has been broken with the power of true love and he can now resume ruling his kingdom.

The curse itself had been woven in such a way as to make people forget that Auradon had ever had a ruler, or to bypass it completely. It had kept it safe, but also relatively undisturbed for over ten years. Adam had a lot of catching up to do, so despite having found his True Love, in the form of a common girl from the nearby village by the name of Belle, they put the wedding on hold until he has a better grip on what it means to be a King.

He takes to it like a duck to water, learning politics and economics with a surprising amount of ease. He sets up trade routes, funds local businesses and starts funnelling money into the local area and forging alliances with nearby kingdoms. Belle is inducted into Adam’s court as Lady Belle and starts learning what it means to be a queen, having never been involved in court before.

Over the next few years, technology begins to spread at an ever-increasing rate. Hot running water is invented and spreads through all the kingdoms and with this, steam is easily harnessed to create the steam engine.

Adam approaches his closest neighbours to propose an alliance, something that could help them all fight back against even the most dangerous foes. He speaks to the King of Verrelac (who is trying to secure a good future for his kingdom for his son Prince Christopher and his new wife Princess Ella), King Stephen of Solaria (who is still very protective of his daughter, Princess Aurora), King and Queen of the Summerlands (the recently integrated kingdoms of Queen Snow and King Florian), Queen Eilonwy of North Riding, King Arthur of Camelot, King Richard of Westerly and Prince Regent Eric of Tirulia. After nearly a year of discussion, they write up an agreement to all operate under King Adam’s banner in exchange for better trade deals, better protections and more political powers. Tirulia is the last to sign, but with the presence of a new threat- the sea witch Morgana, and their daughter’s safety on the line, it is seen as the best choice to make. Adam brings the Fairy Godmother into his council and she agrees to help him with his goals.

For a year their prosperity grows, they develop even more technological marvels, first gaslight then electric lighting (after finding out how to harness electricity, aided by magic), better metalsmithing processes. Many factories are built, buildings are climbing higher than ever before, cities are developing rapidly into commercial and economic hubs, highly populated by citizens who are flooding in from villages on the outskirts for the new jobs and opportunities of city life. Automobiles are invented, making travelling easier. This presents Adam with the opportunity to travel to kingdoms outside of his banner-lands and start negotiations afresh. He enters negotiations with King Frederic of Corona and King Hubert of South Riding, Emperor Kuzco of East Riding, Emperor Qui of Northern Wei, The Sultan of Agrabah, Prince Naveen of Maldonia and Queen Anna of Arendelle. These talks take over a year but are also eventually finalised.

Cities are ever expanding in the heart of what will be Auradon. Places like London and Auradon Central are thriving metropolises and people are flocking to them. Businesses are booming, Auradon is more prosperous than ever. Add to that the invention of a mundane way to talk across long distances so that everyone can access it and not just those with magic, otherwise known as the internet, and the development of computers, based around the idea of magic mirrors but smarter and much less magic. Plane technology allows for transportation across even longer distances and over otherwise dangerous terrain.

This allows Adam to progress even further. He speaks to Simba, Tarzan and Louie in the deep jungles, King Edward of Faraway, King Fergus of The Borderlands and Chief Tui of Motunui, they all agree to sign up under his protections. With the rest of the Kingdoms now behind him, Adam can push his final, slightly more difficult goals, speaking to the gods that rule Olympia and the elemental spirits of Schwartzwald. He creates a treaty with the gods, allowing him control over the mortals in their lands. The elemental representative of Schwartzwald, Elsa of Arendelle agrees; driven by the strong desire to protect the people of her enchanted land (and with Arendelle already signed on and a promise of being left relatively alone, there seems to be few reasons to refuse).

The final stage of his uniting of the kingdoms is to remove the magic that cloaks Neverland, placing it firmly within the real world. He attempts to do the same for Wonderland but finds this exceedingly difficult, instead managing to convince many of its residents to instead simply retire to Auradon. Neverland enters into the agreement with Auradon, taking its place amongst the kingdoms. Atlantica is also drawn into the treaty.

With the entirety of the known world having agreed, King Adam finally consents to marry Lady Belle, who becomes Queen Belle. Each Kingdom is invited to a public vote for High King and Adam wins with an 85% majority. All the kingdoms sign a fresh new treaty document, declaring the unification of their kingdoms under one banner and one King. The calendars are reset, to herald a new age of union, years become marked as AU or ante unionem for anything from before or as IB or imperium bestia for this point onwards.

Adam unveils his master plan for getting rid of threats to the kingdom, a prison off the coast, where human criminals and magical villains alike can be placed as there will be a magic-nullifying barrier around it. The idea of a prison to store their most dangerous enemies that can safely contain them, particularly one that is being marketed as having no cost to them, is seen as a good thing and The Isle of The Lost is created.

Adam enters into arrangements with the gods of Olympia, taking away Hades to lock him on the Isle for the crimes he committed against Zeus, and with Hades removed from the underworld, all of the previously dead villains are brought back to life to be placed under lock and key on the Isle. This is met with mixed opinions, but Adam smooths over any worries.

He passes the Recycling Act through his royal council, a law that will send unused food from Auradon to the Isle, saving on food costs and preventing waste, as well as providing a place to recycle old furniture for use, again reducing the costs. The council agrees and the goblin-barge system is altered to take waste from Auradon. Citizens are encouraged to send any surplus of goods (food, clothes, furniture) to drop-off points are set up for the Isle. This is marked as doing a good deed and so everyone contributes.

He begins renovations on a disused castle in Auradon, to turn it into a private preparatory school for the upper echelons of Auradonian society. Fairy Godmother is named headmistress and the class schedules and curriculum passes through both Adam and Fairy Godmother before being approved. They have blanket control over what the students will be learning.

However, something unexpected happens. A rebellion starts, the villains on the Isle are not content with being locked in a prison. Outside the barrier, there are those still sympathetic to the villains and a group of witches, including the daughter of one Madam Mim, decide to free the villains. Working together, they manage to punch a hole in the barrier, allowing some of the villains to escape. Maleficent leads them to Auradon and they fight against the royals, with the intention of overpowering them, dethroning them and enslaving them. However, they are beaten back by Fairy Godmother and Adam’s forces and they are transported back to the Isle. The barrier is immediately strengthened, and the people are told it was a magical mishap, rather than given the whole truth about the barrier having previously been vulnerable to synchronised magical attacks. Yen Sid volunteers to go to the Isle and make sure that nothing like this ever happens again.

Following this attempted rebellion, Adam declares that magic should no longer be used as a quick solution. It should not be used at all where possible, as most functions of magic have now been replaced with a suitable technology. He encourages all Good Citizens of Auradon to abandon their magic/magical devices/magical natures and instead embrace life at a level more challenging, but also more rewarding.

The Offscourings Act is passed, declaring that as the villains have thrown their charity back in their face with their attempted takeover, the food they are being sent will no longer be in the form of unused and unopened goods, but in the form of scraps. Citizens are no longer encouraged to send whole packets of food but are instead given special recycling bins, the contents of which are collected and sent to the Isle.

Not long after this, Queen Belle announces the joyous news that she is pregnant and several months later, King Adam and Queen Belle welcome a healthy baby boy into the world. They name him Benjamin Florian.

Over the next year Adam passes a new set of laws make his line of succession the automatic line of succession and to eliminate the voting aspect of becoming High King. As the Kingdom has seen nothing but prosperity and happiness, as well as the prevention of a rebellion, everyone agrees. Prince Ben is named heir to the crown and throne of Auradon.

With the passing of King Hubert of South Riding and the insistence of Phillip and Aurora that they wish to stay in Solaria and not take on more responsibility, South Riding is merged into the Kingdom of Corona, though they keep the name South Riding.

Nine years into Adam’s reign, the last of the known villains/criminals are caught and imprisoned on the Isle of the Lost. A huge celebration is thrown around the Kingdoms, as well as the campaign to Keep Auradon Good. Every citizen is encouraged to Be Good and to be the best person they can possibly be. This includes leaflets, billboards and posters. Some of these posters are shipped over to the Isle of the Lost, to try and encourage the residents to rehabilitate and reform. They are regularly replaced due to high levels of graffiti.

Over time the royal council is relegated to a more advisory role, but they still hold sway and political pressure, however the King gets final say on laws and regulations.

Criminal activity in Auradon is practically non-existent. Trade is good. Every nation is prosperous and happy. The skies are always blue, and the sun is always shining. Birds help princesses dress in the morning and life is good. The people are good. Everything in Auradon is perfectly good.

#disney descendants #disney's descendants #descendants #auradon #HISTORY | AURADON.#ABOUT | AURADON.#long post under the cut #not entirely sure i like it but we're coping

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spartanguard · 4 years

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(love will see us through these) Dark Days [CSRT; 1/7]

Summary: A century ago, the United Realms of Pomem had been a land of peace, prosperity, and magic. Until war tore the land apart, leaving behind cruel leaders and even crueler laws regarding the use of magic. And each year, the youth of each realm are subjected to a fight to the death, both for entertainment and to weed out anyone capable of wielding magic. In the 99th Magic Games, past victors Emma Nolan and Killian Jones find themselves serving as mentors, while Alice Gothel and Robyn West end up representing their realm. Everyone has secrets; everyone has something to lose. Who will win? Who will die? Just don’t forget: all magic comes with a price.

rated M | 2.8k words | AO3

A/N: In case this sounds sort of familiar, this is a reworking of Once Upon A Time in Panem, which I've done as part of the Captain Swan Rewrite-A-Thon (@captainswanbigbang). Thanks to the mod crew for putting on this awesome event! And to @optomisticgirl for being the greatest beta in the history of betas.

A note before you read: in this story, Alice is Killian's daughter with Eloise. But the circumstances surrounding her conception are NOT what they were in the show; while Gothel isn't exactly a great person, she's not the main villain and every effort has been taken to illustrate consent. But if the Knightrook relationship isn't your thing, it might be best to pass this one over. Also, as it was inspired by The Hunger Games, there is some mild violence.Story title comes from "Dark Days" by the Punch Brothers; chapter title from “Run Daddy Run” by Miranda Lambert + Pistol Annies.

part 1: Oh how I've dreaded this god forsaken day

Alice fidgeted with the hem of her skirt. It was a nervous habit and she knew what her mother would say about it—what she was probably trying to say telepathically from her seat on the stage. But Alice had never mastered the cool composure of Eloise; her emotions tended to carry her off with them.

But even her mum had to have some nerves today. It was the Reaping for the annual Magic Games, and at 16—and the daughter of Sherwood’s only past Victor—she knew the odds weren’t in her favor. Statistically, she didn’t have a higher or lower chance of her name being drawn than any other 16-year-old, but Olympus loved a good story, and one they could never resist was seeing how a Victor’s child fared in the Games.

It was why her mother never really wanted to have her. Not generally something a parent told a child, but it’s not like there was anything all that normal about their relationship anyways.

So she continued to tug nervously on her skirt, her mother’s thoughts be damned.

“Welcome, welcome all,” announced the district escort from Olympus, Victoria Tremaine. She’d been in that role for years but was seemingly ageless; Olympus had some skilled plastic surgeons, apparently. “Thank you for joining me today at the Selection for the 99th Annual Magic Games.” As if they had a choice: attendance was mandatory for everyone, no matter how young or old. Even the textile factories were shut down from their normal ‘round-the-clock grind; the air was eerily quiet without their constant hum. “Before we get to the main event, allow me to present a brief program on the history of the Games, so we can reflect on where we’ve been, and see just how far we’ve come.”

Alice sighed and shifted her weight impatiently; it was the same video every year—the same propaganda.

“Once upon a time, the realms of magic were at peace, and a harmonious existence was enjoyed by all,” the narration told. “It was so idyllic that they decided to join as one so as to better share their prosperity.”

She probably had it memorized at this point.

“And so the most skilled magic users in each realm got together and wove the strongest spell anyone had ever seen, joining the worlds in one land: the United Realms of Pomem, from the Latin for apple—representing their hopes to share knowledge and for a fruitful future.”

Alice shivered; she was always leery of apples.

“There was a land without magic, though, which had landed in the middle of Neverland, one of the most magical. This was decided to be the capital of this new world, and it was given a name that all the realms knew as mythical: Olympus.

“For years, Pomem flourished, sharing ideas and trade and becoming one of the most technologically advanced civilizations in history. Eventually, it became hard to tell where the magic stopped and science began.”

And this was where the video took a turn for the worse, as far as Alice was concerned.

“Those with magic grew jealous of the advancing technology, despite the fact that it put everyone on equal footing. They preferred to be seen as higher than their peers, and more skilled; they didn’t want to lose their power. What once had brought people together was now a point of division.”

Oh, someone was definitely clamoring for power, Alice knew; but it certainly had not been magic-users.

“Harsh penalties were put in place for anyone caught practicing or using magic—a fair law—” Alice couldn’t suppress her snort of derision “—which many didn’t appreciate, even if they didn’t possess it themselves. Tensions built, and the ungrateful citizens of the realms revolted.”

I would have, too, Alice thought; she didn’t dare voice that opinion out loud, though—not when the armor-plated Black Knights from Olympus were standing guard over the proceedings.

“Four leaders emerged in the rebellion: sorceresses known as the Wicked Witch of the West, the Evil Queen of the East, the Guardian in the North, and the Savior in the South. They led the insurrectionists against Olympus.” The grainy image of four women in old-fashioned cloaks, standing together in a defensive pose, was the only part of this that Alice even sort of enjoyed. She always wanted to know more about them, but any record of who they were outside of the rebellion had been destroyed.

“But they didn’t stand a chance. Olympus knew something they didn’t: how to destroy magic. Through their advanced technology and incredible force, Olympus obliterated the insurgents, and nearly rid the realm of the offending sorcery. Completely destroyed was the realm of Wonderland, which had been another stronghold of magic.”

That part always bothered Alice the most—as if genocide wasn’t enough, the fact that an entire realm had been destroyed...god. There was an image of the annihilated ruins on the projection—burning shrubbery, charred homes, and what she could only imagine had been plants of a fantastical nature reduced to ashes. What a waste.

“So, to make sure the citizens remembered their place and that magic never gained power again, Olympus took two known magic users from each realm and locked them into an arena in the depths of Neverland, forcing them to fight to the death. The inherent magic in the land made it all the easier to determine who was the most powerful—and ensure they couldn’t unleash their sorcery on the world again. The lone Victor was granted immunity, and was rendered safe for the world by wearing a computerized cuff that blocked their use of magic.”

That part always hit too close to home; Alice glared at the bracelet her mother had to wear.

“To ensure the continued suppression of magic, the Magic Games continue each year, with each of the realms—Phrygia, Oz, Arendelle, Agrabah, Sherwood, Atlantica, Erebor, Misthaven, DunBroch, and Stormhold—” the scenic views of each that flashed overhead were definitely altered; she’d never seen a cotton field in Sherwood look so photogenic “—required to send two tributes each from their young people. Only one can emerge victorious—and those with magic rarely survive.

“Now, Pomem is once more that land of expanding knowledge and growing prosperity, with no magic to be seen. We continue the games to ensure our lasting peace. Now, let the Reaping begin, and remember: All Magic Comes With A Price.” The crest of Olympus—an apple hanging off a branch—appeared onscreen, along with the strains of the anthem, and then faded away. A few government officials clapped, most enthusiastically being Tremaine, who took the mic again.

“Let’s not drag this out any longer, shall we? Let the Reaping for the 99th Magic Games commence!” How she could be so cheery when she was essentially sentencing children to death was something Alice couldn’t comprehend.

The woman placed her well-manicured hand in the bowl that held the name of all the youth of the realm, everyone from age 12 to 18. Everyone around Alice joined in her restlessness; they all had their names in there five times—once for every year since they became “eligible” (as if it was some kind of honor—ugh).

Carefully, Tremaine pulled out a slip and made a production of opening it. Alice held her breath.

“Our first tribute is...Robyn West.”

“No,” Alice gasped under her breath, and her eyes darted around to find the other girl. Robyn was her classmate, though they weren’t all that close. The thing was: she wanted to be close with her—had for ages—but never worked up the nerve. The butterflies she felt whenever she looked at the strawberry blonde girl were dancing a sad flutter in her stomach as she watched the other girl confidently march up to the stage. God, that sucked.

“Thank you, Miss West,” Victoria said once she’d reached the podium. “And now for our second tribute...Nicholas Zimmer.”

Okay, that was worse; it may not have been her name called, but she felt no relief. Nicholas was only 12, and he and his twin sister were probably the closest thing she had to friends—at least, they were the only ones to take pity on the weird girl who lived practically alone in Victor’s Village. Well-socialized, she was not. That, and she knew the family was struggling—she could see his mother breaking down in tears as he shyly stepped forward to head up.

No, she wasn’t okay with that at all. But there was only one thing she could do about it.

Good thing everyone already thought she was crazy, because what she did next was pure insanity.

Steeling her nerves, she squeezed her hands into fists, tamping down the sparks of magic that were trying to escape. Then she stepped into the aisle between everyone.

“I volunteer!” she shouted. Gasps surrounded her, and Nicholas froze in his spot.

She jogged up to him, placed her hand on his shoulder, and gave him a look that she hoped told him it was okay. Then she faced Tremaine and said again, “I volunteer as tribute.”

Behind the escort, her mother was giving a stern look that she couldn’t exactly read. But Victoria carried on. “Well, this is quite the surprise! Come on up, then, and tell us your name.”

Before her mind could catch up with what she’d just done, she ran up the steps to the microphone. “I’m Alice; Alice...Gothel.”

“Why, you must be Eloise’s daughter!” Tremaine exclaimed. “How wonderful!” That wasn’t the word Alice would have chosen.

In no time at all, Alice was being escorted off the stage and into the city hall behind them. She threw a glance toward Robyn as they entered the building, only to find the other girl nearly gaping at her. Maybe she would get a chance to tell her how she felt after all. Not that it would do much good.

Neither of them had great chances of getting out of this alive, coming from a poor realm like Sherwood. But Alice was the daughter of not one, but two victors; that had to count for something, right?

◇─◇──◇────◇────◇────◇────◇────◇─────◇──◇─◇

Emma Nolan could hear her mother gasping from downstairs.

“David! Look at that—she volunteered to save that boy! No one ever does that!”

“I’m sitting right next to you, Snow.”

“I know, but—oh my god, isn’t that Eloise’s daughter?”

“Damn, I think it is.”

God, it was like they’d never seen a Reaping before, even though that couldn’t be further from the truth. Not that anyone’s lives were free of the annual anguish, but her family in particular was extra intimate with the affair.

Snow Nolan and her husband, David—who were victors in back-to-back years, and were basically local royalty—had long served as Misthaven’s mentors, with one main exception: the year their daughter, Emma, was reaped (one of their former mentees, Graham Humbert, had the honor that year).

Which made her wonder—why would the child of a victor who hadn’t been selected enter the Games voluntarily? If she somehow managed to escape that fate, why go chasing it? She didn’t need Henry seeing stuff like that; his odds were terrible enough as it was. At least he was still only 11.

God, even the thought of that made her magic prick at her fingertips. She took a few calming breaths until it subsided; few knew about it, least of all Olympus, and she needed to keep it that way if she was going to have any success this year.

Her mother had been chosen as Mayor of Misthaven a few months ago, which was how Emma found herself rushing to pack a suitcase in anticipation of her first year as a mentor, alongside Graham, who had come to be one of her closest friends in the ensuing years. To the rest of the world, they were more than that—as far as Olympus and its citizens were concerned, Emma and Graham were True Loves, capital letters and all, just like her parents, living happily with their son, Henry.

And she did love Graham, but more as a brother than a lover, and she knew he felt the same toward her. Their shared experiences in the Games brought them together as friends and Henry had united them as parents, but she had long since vowed to never fall in love again; not after what happened with Neal.

“Mom, hurry up! Dad’s already packed. You don’t want to be late!” Henry shouted from downstairs. Truthfully, she was supposed to be watching the other realms’ Reapings before attending Misthaven’s, but she wouldn’t be her if she wasn’t procrastinating. It was as good an excuse as any to avoid the inevitable crowd shots of weeping parents and terrified kids.

Henry apparently gave up waiting and just ran into her room. Despite Graham not being his biological father, he looked more like Graham’s son than Emma’s, with their shared dark, messy hair; she’d hoped Henry would inherit her green eyes, but they were definitely Neal’s deep brown. He knew the truth about his father, but Graham was as much his parent as Emma was.

“I’m almost done,” Emma replied, zipping up her bag. “Just missing one thing: a hug.” She walked over to her son and wrapped him tight. “I’m going to miss you, kid.”

“I’ll miss you, too, Mom. Are you sure you have to go?”

“You know I don’t have a choice, Henry; it’s my turn,” she answered; there were only a handful of other Victors in their realm, but they had all done the mentor thing before her parents. “Plus, I think your grandparents are looking forward to having you to themselves for a few weeks.” Henry laughed at that, but hugged just a bit tighter. “I love you, Henry.”

“Love you, too.”

Graham poked his head into the room. “Ready?” he asked.

“As I’ll ever be.”

“Shall we, then?”

◇─◇──◇────◇────◇────◇────◇────◇─────◇──◇─◇

From his home in Atlantica, Killian Jones, victor of the 82nd Magic Games, watched the events in Sherwood as they were broadcast. He was about to make his way to his own town square for their Reaping, and from there would head with this year’s tributes to Olympus as one of their mentors.

He was nursing his glass of rum with extra careful attention this year. The Reaping always had a way of bringing up unpleasant memories—being reaped twice will do that to a man—but it’d gotten worse each of the past few. The rum didn’t really help, but he supposed it didn’t hurt either. It wouldn’t change the outcome, but he’d gotten so used to the vice over the years that it was something of a comfort—especially given that his only true source of comfort was presently out of reach.

The same familiar churning in his gut began to coil as he watched the mouthpiece from Olympus stick her fingers in that bowl. The image was nearly identical to the one 23 years ago, when his 12-year-old self was first called up. That one was clearer in his memory than the one six years later, because of what followed.

But he shook his head, trying to dislodge the memory; as much as it still hurt, it was in the past. He turned his focus back on the television, and let out a deep breath when the first name was called, even if it was slightly familiar. It wasn’t the one he was most concerned with.

It was the same with the second name, and he finished his drink. He stood to start to make his way out, but then an all-too-familiar voice rang out from the television, and that memory that had threatened to take over played through his head without restraint.

“I volunteer!” the voice shouted, and its echo rang out in his head—his brother’s voice, all those years ago.

He watched in horror as the blonde girl from Sherwood took the boy’s place, just like Liam had taken his. No—no, this couldn’t be happening, not again. Gods, he couldn’t watch.

“I’m Alice; Alice...Gothel,” the girl said.

(“I’m Liam Jones,” the memory echoed.)

In a weird way, being chosen again for—and then somehow winning—the games when he was 18 had ended up giving him a reason to go on, instead of the aimless drift he’d been on in those intervening years. But in one moment—one more absurd display of nobility and bravery—that was all at risk of crumbling again, and spectacularly so.

With a primal yell, he punched his tv with his hook, shattering the screen and cutting his clothing, but that was the least of his cares.

The Games had already taken his hand, his love, and his brother.

They weren’t taking his daughter, too.

◇─◇──◇────◇────◇────◇────◇────◇─────◇──◇─◇

thanks for reading! the rest of the chapters will be much longer, I assure you. tagging some people who might be interested; please let me know if you/don’t want a tag! @kat2609 @thesschesthair @xpumpkindumplingx @shipsxahoy @amortentia-on-the-rocks @mryddinwilt @cocohook38 @annytecture @wingedlioness @word-bug @distant-rose @wellhellotragic @welllpthisishappening @let-it-raines @pirateherokillian @its-imperator-furiosa @killianmesmalls @sherlockianwhovian @ineffablecolors @laschatzi @ive-always-been-a-pirate @nfbagelperson @stubblesandwich @killian-whump @phiralovesloki @athenascarlet @kmomof4 @ilovemesomekillianjones @whimsicallyenchantedrose @snowbellewells @idristardis @scientificapricot @searchingwardrobes

#cs ff #captain swan rewrite a thon #csrt 2020 #mad archer ff #knightrook ff #my ff #the magic games #(love will see us through these) dark days

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everlastingcaptainswan · 4 years

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Contractual Attraction (1/?)

Enchanted Forrest AU

Notes: Okay so I have been working on this for a while and I am super excited to share it with you guys! This is story is one of enemies to lovers filled with magic, war, betrayal, love, and loyalty. I hope you guys like it.

@teamhook here it is, hope you enjoy!

Thanks to @granny-snek-7673 for help with the title!

Summary: The war had raged on for many years, the people of Misthaven would say too many, and there was only one way to end it, only one way to quiet talks of rebellion. Princess Emma of Misthaven would have to marry the enemy, Prince Killian of Montave.

FF Ao3

Chapter One: The Proposal

Emma paced back and forth around the war room, her arms crossed tightly over her chest, her skirt flowing out behind her. There had to be another way. This simply could not be the way to end the war. He’s their enemy, their forces were in a stalemate and have been for months now, neither side showing any weakness. All the while men are dying on both sides. Far too much death. There had been talk in the villages if the war was even worth it anymore. The war against the kingdom of Montave had been dragging on for almost thirteen years now. Most of Emma’s life had been spent in wartime and not peace time. There were many ways to end a war, but Emma couldn’t imagine this could be the best way, the only way.

Emma turned on her heel to face her parents. How Queen Snow and King David, the epitome of true love, could bring this to their own daughter was beyond Emma. The war had aged them significantly. Snow had salt and pepper hair and crow’s feet in the corners of her eyes that weren’t present when this war began. David’s blond hair had been able to hide the gray hair more efficiently, but he was injured in the early years of the war and required a cane to move about the castle.

“There has to be another way!” Emma threw her hands in the air. This was not the answer to all their problems. It couldn’t be.

“Emma,” her mother said reproachfully.

“Whose idea was this anyway?” Emma’s eyes flitting between her mother and father.

“Theirs, a message came from Queen Elsa,” David said, bitterness in every word. Elsa, who used to be their ally. That was until Montave surrounded Arendelle’s capital and Elsa surrendered to protect her people. She was married off to the King of Montave and Arendelle was absorbed into Montave. The castle was kept in Arendelle for Anna to live in, and supposedly the married couple visited her often. At least that was what the Misthaven spies reported.

“That’s not what I was referring to, which one of you thought I should accept this?” Emma asked her father.

“Emma, this war has to end. If it doesn’t the people will turn on us if they haven’t already. Everyday more men return home to be buried. They cannot take much more and I’m not sure I can either. This is the only clear way out!” Snow pounded her fist against the old oak table. Her mother’s words struck Emma. It seemed silly that a marriage could end a war, could lead them to peace, could change their world.

“Emma, we always wanted you to choose like we did, but I’m afraid choices aren’t the same in wartime as they are in peacetime. We need you to marry him for the kingdom, but more importantly for our family. The people will revolt and kill us soon, if this is allowed to continue on,” David said sternly. Her shoulders slumped, if her father, her greatest protector, the biggest champion of her freedom was telling her to do this then there were no other options.

Emma looked down at her scarred, right arm, the black and blue markings trailing down from below her elbow to the palm of her hand. She clenched her fist before clearing her throat, “Send a message stating that I accept the terms of the treaty and will marry Prince Killian in an attempt to unify the kingdoms.” Relief washed over her parent’s faces, but before they could say another word Emma stormed out.

Emma left Misthaven two weeks later on a ship with a small crew and a couple knights headed for Arendelle. The two kingdoms agreed to meet there since David refused to send his only daughter to Montave’s capital. Emma was to sign the treaty in Arendelle as Misthaven’s representative, then return with Prince Killian for a royal wedding which would occur in the spring when the King and Queen of Montave could attend (Elsa is with child at the present moment and cannot travel outside of the kingdom in her current state). The thought made Emma’s stomach roll. She knew soon she’ll be expected to bear the prince’s children, they’ll be the future bloodline of Misthaven after all. She pushed the thought out of her mind for the moment. Many hard choices had been made in this war, but this choice had been the hardest of all for Emma. If this truly stopped the needless bloodshed, she’ll do it. The kingdoms had agreed to a ceasefire while the treaty was being signed, that gave her some small shred of peace.

Her knights, August and Graham were sent to ensure her safety. Graham had been adamant that this is an elaborate trap to kill Emma, heir to Misthaven’s throne. Emma still isn’t convinced it is a trap, but she definitely felt better with them by her side.

Their journey was lengthened at sea when a storm threatened to capsize them. The ship’s crew is talented and vigilant and guided them through to the best of their ability. The ship met Arendelle’s shore just ten days after their departure from Misthaven. Emma nearly threw up when they docked because she finally has to meet her fate, she has to marry her enemy. Before the war she only met Montave’s royal family once and she barely remembered the dark-haired brothers who grew into their roles as Prince and King of Montave. She only knew them as her enemy, as the ones who killed her people, burned their crops, and sunk many of their ships. Now, she has to marry the enemy. She almost laughed at the notion still, it’s ridiculous that she has to marry a man who has caused such harm to her people. Perhaps he felt the same way about her though.

Emma collected herself enough to place a tiara in her hair and pull on the white gloves to cover up her scars. She finally left the ship and found a welcome party comprised of Anna and her fiancé, Kristoff, a duke from up north who has improved ice trade with Montave’s capital.

“Emma!” Anna cried out practically jumping up and down, “It’s been too long. You’re so beautiful! I’ve missed you and I know Elsa has too. You’ll see her at dinner. You brought knights?” Her rapid-fire speech screeching to a halt, one eyebrow lifted.

“Anna, it’s good to see you. Yes, I did. Don’t worry your King approved them,” Emma said with her shoulders thrown back, her stance tall and head held high.

“I’m not worried about that. Emma, you’re safe here, you didn’t need to bring them.” Anna shook her head in disbelief. Anna had always been a little naive, but Emma can’t believe that Anna had managed to keep that during the war. Of course, Emma needed them! Emma didn’t feel safe here. Not anymore, she’s in the middle of enemy territory. The war changed that. Montave changed that.

“Your Highness, King David wanted to ensure Princess Emma’s safe passage. He meant no offense.” Graham kindly came to her defense when words failed Emma. Anna smiled at this.

“Oh of course, how silly of me. By the way this is Kristoff,” Anna introduced them as they walked down the docks and toward the castle. Anna’s gaze kept flitting to gloves, curiosity growing.

“Nice to meet you,” Emma nodded to him.

“You as well, Anna has been excited about your arrival. She considers you a friend,” he said kindly.

“I wasn’t sure after all this time, but I’m glad she does. I’ve always considered her and Elsa to be one as well.” Kristoff nodded and he and Anna led the way in. Anna still talking at a mile a minute. Graham and August fell in line with Emma. Graham’s hand brushed hers, catching her attention.

“You can’t freeze like that again. This peace is fragile, and you will not die on my watch,” he whispered.

“Her naivete surprised me, I don’t know how it lasted through the war. It won’t happen again.” Emma kept her gaze forward; she couldn’t look at him now. They stayed silent so Emma could answer all of Anna’s many, many questions. The eager princess led them through the castle doors.

“I had them place you in the west wing, it has a beautiful view of the harbor and your knight’s room is next to yours of course. The west wing is also where Prince Killian’s rooms are,” Anna informed her. Emma nodded and made a mental note of that. She could feel the gears grinding in Graham’s head.

“Have you met him before?” Anna asked her as they walked down a long hallway.

“I think once when we were little at one of Ariel’s balls. Not that I remember much I couldn’t have been more than seven.” Emma frowned, unsure. They came to a stop at the end of the hallway. Emma’s room was the last door with Graham and August’s room being the one before hers. No sign of Prince Killian’s room, thankfully.

“Oh well you’ll officially meet everyone at dinner. I’ll let you rest until then, it’s good to have you here.” Anna hugged her and Emma tentatively patted her back. Kristoff simply waved goodbye before vanishing with his fiancé. Graham and August led the way into Emma’s suite, clearing it making sure no one was lying in wait for her. When the door shut the three of them breathed a little easier.

“So far no attempts on your life, that’s good,” August mumbled to himself.

“They could be lulling us into a false sense of security. Keep your guard up,” Graham warned them.

“That’s enough,” Emma told them, “I’m going to lie down until dinner.”

“Of course, Princess,” they both nodded before leaving her suite. None of her trunks were there yet so she’d have to wait to change into her gown for the night. Emma took off her tiara and set it on the vanity, hoping to catch a quick nap, hopefully that would help her collect herself.

Graham insisted on walking her to dinner and Emma found it completely ridiculous and a little insulting.

“Graham, I can walk on my own, do you think my future husband will strike me down the moment he meets me? They need this as much as we do.” Emma placed her tiara back on her head, the metaphorical weight of it bringing her down.

“He might, cannot be too careful with these Montavians,” he bristled. Emma stood from her spot at the vanity, smoothing out her silk, pale green dress. She quickly pulled on the pearl colored gloves that covered the blue and black scars that creep up her arm.

“You’re ridiculous, but fine do what you want.” Emma shook her head, unsure what had gotten into her most trusted knight.

“I will do what it takes to protect you.” Emma had no response to this because she expected nothing less from him, he’s stubborn and not afraid of her and that was the exact reason her father sent him with her. They stalked out of her room in silence. They met no one along the way and don’t see a soul until they descend the grand staircase. The duo were directed by a valet to a sitting room with Anna, Kristoff, Elsa chatting in one corner and King Liam and Prince Killian whispering by the fireplace. All eyes rested on Emma. No one moved for what felt like several long moments. Emma stood before her enemies not on the battlefield as she had imagined many times, but in her old friend’s castle in a dress about to have dinner with them. The choices made in war will never stop shocking Emma.

Anna clapped and rushed over to Emma, “Oh Emma, you’re beautiful! I mean of course you were earlier, but this dress is much nicer than your traveling one.” Oh, if only Anna knew how wrong she was, Emma thought to herself. Not many outside of Misthaven have seen her scars, not many knew how they marred her pale skin.

“Princess, I’ll be leaving you now,” Graham whispered, and she nodded. The door clicked shut behind him and Emma turned back to the room. She noticed that Elsa stepped forward, one hand over a small baby bump.

“Thank you, Anna. You look beautiful tonight as well,” Emma forced out a smile. Elsa held out a hand.

“Old friend, how long has it been?” Elsa asked her as Emma moved forward and accepted her hand. Emma squeezed her hand.

“Too long, you look well. Motherhood will suit you I can already tell.” In the past years she had missed Elsa dearly. Hopefully one good thing from this marriage will be she’ll gain back friends she thought were long lost.

“You’re too kind,” Elsa blushed slightly before turning to her husband, “I’ll be making the introductions it seems. King Liam of Montave, Great Protector of the Sea and of course my husband this is Princess Emma, heir to Misthaven’s throne.” Liam walked forward, no emotion discernible on his face, his curly, dark hair is neatly trimmed, and his eyes are a piercing blue. Emma curtsied and Liam took Emma’s gloved hand in his.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Your Majesty. Thank you for your warm welcome and generous hospitality,” Emma managed to get out without sounding hostile. He dropped her gloved hand gracefully.

“You are most welcome, thank you for making the journey. Now, Killian will you please stop sulking by the fire and meet your bride,” Liam said only in the way an older sibling could.

“There was no sulking, merely standing out of the way of His Majesty,” Killian jested as he swaggered up to the trio. Anna and Kristoff stood back, quietly watching and waiting.

“Your Highness may I introduce, Prince Killian of Montave, Chief Commander of the Seven Fleets and your future husband,” Liam said slyly. Emma curtsied then Killian took her hand and brushed his lips across the back of her gloved hand. One of his hands had an expansive scar across the back of it. Emma almost laughed maybe they are more well matched than previously thought. Killian is a little shorter than his brother, his hair is straight where his brother’s is curly. His dark, almost jet-black hair somehow making his deep blue eyes seem brighter than possible. Everyone failed to mention how attractive the enemy was.

“A pleasure, Princess. Ready to bring peace to the realm?” he asked her.

“Yes, war is an ugly thing.” Killian dropped her hand and gave her an appraising look. A look that made one feel like they were about to be sold off to the highest bidder

“Elsa, you underplayed how beautiful she is,” he teased. Emma had to restrain her eye roll at his attempt at flattery. This was a political marriage he didn’t need to seduce her. Would he still want this marriage when he realized he was getting a scarred bride? Would the end of the war be worth it to him or did he merely want a pretty face? Elsa swatted at his arm.

“Killian, I did no such thing and you know it.” That’s when it dawned on Emma that Elsa may not have been forced to marry into this family at all, she may have wanted it. Thankfully a valet came in and told them that dinner is ready. This was only the beginning of her trip and Emma knew it would take all her considerable wit and charm to make it home.

#cs ff #cs ff au #cs #cs au fic #cs au ff #enchanted forest #enchanted forest au #emma swan #killian jones #Princess!Emma #Prince!Killian #enemies to lovers #war #I hate you but I have to marry you #captian swan #captain swan ff

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yumeka36 · 5 years

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WARNING: MAJOR FROZEN 2 SPOILERS AHEAD

The ending for Frozen 2 was leaked last night and I wanted to post my thoughts.

–IF YOU DON’T WANT TO BE SPOILED, SKIP THIS POST AND DO NOT READ FURTHER–

But if you’ve also read the leaks and want to know what I think, proceed…

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In less than two days of me posting this where I describe the apprehension I have about learning the plot of Frozen 2, possibly in less than a week due to the merchandise release on the 4th, and how my fandom may dwindle if the ending doesn’t satisfy me and Disney offers no certainty of future sequels, the ending of the movie was suddenly leaked last night. I won’t post the pictures but you can find the link here if you want to see.

As expected, fan reactions have been mostly negative, but some more positive and some trying to be neutral until we have more information. I’ve read through many comments and understand the emotions on all sides @justlookatthosesausages @hereisisa @tenshichan1013 @breckstonevailskier @basssuperpower @jabs-wocks @beingpassionateabout @bigfrozenfan @mike5579-t3a I had to take some time to get my thoughts together and let the shock process in my mind. But my initial reaction was and still is, yes, I’m disappointed now, but I don’t want to throw in the towel until I see the movie myself, or at least learn more information from other sources that describe the plot a bit better, like some of the books that will release on the 4th. What we have in these leaked pages is very vague and begs tons of questions: What are the “sacrifices” each of them has to make? Is going their separate ways the sacrifice, or something else? How do they destroy the dam? Can’t Elsa just easily destroy it with a bunch of ice pillars? I can’t imagine just destroying a dam would be the big, epic conclusion. What is Pabbie’s “prophecy”? In the trailer he just tells Elsa to find who’s calling her, we didn’t see him prophesize anything. The leaks say that Elsa leaves Anna and Olaf, but where are Kristoff and Sven when all this is going on? I can understand Elsa being the only one who can cross the sea but why would Anna have to be totally alone for her journey? How does the dam harm the Northuldra and how would King Runeard benefit from it? What is the “curse” exactly and why is it now becoming a problem as opposed to the 3 years after the events of the first movie? There are many more questions than answers that the leaks provide, which shows how we really need more information to judge the quality of this ending.

But yes, the major facts that we do learn are Anna becomes queen of Arendelle and Elsa becomes the fifth spirit/Snow Queen. But again, there are just so many things we still don’t know: what does being the “fifth spirit” even mean? Is she just gonna hang out in the enchanted forest all day doing…what? Does the “Snow Queen” mean the queen of the Northuldra? Of Ahtohallan? Of the other four spirits? Of the world in general? The leak fails to mention where Elsa will be residing in the end. Being with the other spirits in the enchanted forest makes sense, but if she’s the fifth one who’s supposed to be the bridge between the two worlds, it would make more sense if she’s somewhere different, like maybe just living in her ice palace between Arendelle and Northuldra. Heck, wouldn’t it be funny if she ends up staying in Arendelle with Anna after all, and the reason Anna becomes queen is because Elsa can’t be the queen of both worlds so she decides she’s more fit for being the Snow Queen. Or she’s just too busy doing “fifth spirit” stuff to rule a kingdom…again, until we know what kind of duties being a spirit entails, confirming her status at the end of the movie is still very up in the air. But the bottom line is that there’s no inference that they won’t be able to see each other again even if they end up living in separate places. Now that there’s peace between the two lands, that’s even more reason to conclude that they can freely visit each other whenever they want. The leaks state that Anna and Elsa are the ones who create the bridge between the two worlds…isn’t that what bridges are for, keeping people together? @taniahylian I also have to wonder what this will mean for Frozen’s representation at Disney Parks - I think this is the first time such popular characters have gone through such a radical change in canon material (since this is their only official sequel beside Rescuers Down Under and Wreck-It Ralph, and even the direct to video sequels didn’t have this level of change) so representing Anna and Elsa the way they have in Disney Parks, with Elsa being the queen of Arendelle, their outfits, etc., will become obsolete, plus Frozen 2 merchandise will clash with merchandise from the first movie, so will they get rid of the old stuff? I’m really curious how Disney Parks will address this, if they feel the need to.

One part of the leak that made me a little nervous is that Elsa has “transformed” in the end, which leads to Anna changing her role. I’m assuming it means more of a figurative transformation and not to the extent that she’s no longer human or becomes immortal or takes the form of that snowflake compass in the movie poster. Anything that infers that Anna can no longer interact with her normally would be terrible…that’s an ending for an anime, not a Disney movie!

But personally I think we’ll see a more happier ending like what I mentioned earlier where they’ll still see each other and have their same relationship, just not live together. I recall something Jennifer Lee said at D23 Expo where she said “nothing will ever be the same” and then, more lightly, “but some things will” which I feel illustrates this kind of ending. But we also have to wonder about the fate of the other main characters: will Olaf end up staying with Anna or Elsa? And the leaks say nothing about Kristoff and the engagement ring, which makes sense since it’s from a book focused purely on the mythology of the movie, so we have to wonder if Anna ends up accepting his proposal or not, and if she does, does that make him king or prince consort? If Disney intends to make this the final installment of the Frozen franchise, I can’t imagine them leaving Anna and Kristoff’s relationship so open ended (the elsanna fans are already disappointed, at least satisfy the kristanna fans, lol). I’m kind of imagining an epilogue that, after we get solid confirmation that they’ll be able to visit each other freely in their separate lands whenever they want, we get a scene after the end credits, maybe 5+ years later, of Anna and Kristoff visiting Elsa in the enchanted lands (of course Olaf and Sven are there too), and after a heartfelt reunion, they show her a baby and say “we thought you’d like to see your niece/nephew,” then que scenes of all of them playing and hanging out together. I think this route of closing Anna’s relationship with both Elsa and Kristoff while still reinforcing their togetherness and family dynamic would satisfy me.

To conclude, I agree with many others that this was definitely not my first choice for an ending and would have preferred this be the ending of Frozen 3, with Frozen 2 focusing on Anna and Elsa getting to know each other as sisters. But at the same time, this does not mean it will be bad. As I described in this post, there are way too many details we don’t know to make major claims like “Elsa and Anna won’t be together” and “Elsa becomes a goddess.” It does seem like the separation ending is a new trend, or perhaps it’s just coincidence that Frozen 2 is following Ralph 2 and Toy Story 4 which also had this kind of ending. I recall an article from a while back stating that Jennifer Lee and team planned the ending of Frozen 2 first before the rest of the story, so maybe this is really the route they wanted without any big corporate suits pulling the strings (Jennifer Lee is the head of Disney Animation after all). I’m now more interested than ever to see that Frozen 2 documentary on Disney+ to understand why she chose this ending. Even if books released on the 4th shed more light, seeing the movie for real with all its many details in dialogue, character interactions and expressions, visual illustration of plot and setting, etc., is the only way to make true judgement. I’m hopeful I won’t have to eat these words two months from now~

#frozen 2 spoilers #frozen2 #frozen 2

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that-shamrock-vibe · 4 years

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Movie Review: Frozen II (Spoilers)

Spoiler Warning: I am posting this review a couple of days after it first airs in the U.K, so if you haven’t yet seen the movie, and I strongly recommend you do, then don’t read on until you have.

LGBT Representation:

Alright so I’ll get into character analyses shortly but first of all I just want to talk about the LGBT representation in this movie, because my takeaway from it in this movie is completely different to what seems to be everyone else’s takeaway from it. LGBT representation is very important to me particularly in an all-age property so I wanted to spotlight it.

Now the main issue I see is that people are still insisting that the LGBT representation is that of Elsa being a member of the LGBT community. This is something that emerged after the first movie with Elsa being one of few “Disney Princesses” (despite the fact she is a Queen and neither she nor Anna are official members of said brand) not to have a love interest in the first movie or even this movie, outwardly.

Yes, while no one is openly depicted as an LGBT character in this movie, good old Disney, Elsa is still being shown in that LGBT light to some fans because of two or three character traits.

Firstly there’s the theory that her not feeling like she belongs in Arendelle is because she is, sorry for this, the only gay in the village and not knowing how to handle it. Secondly there’s her new outfit which she acquires at the start of the third act in the movie which is white with rainbow accents...fans believe this is a clear nod to the rainbow flag but to be fair it could just simply be to represent the Aurora Borealis aka the Northern Lights.

Thirdly, despite the first teaser trailer giving fans the completely wrong idea about Elsa’s potential love interest in this movie, who turned about to be a young version of her mother, Elsa does get close with new very minor girl Honeymaren. There is no evidence that either Honeymaren is an LGBT character but people have suggested that their cosy chats border on the flirtatious.

However, I personally do not think the LGBT representation is on Elsa or Honeymaren. I think the LGBT representation in this movie is in fact Honeymaren’s brother Ryder voiced by Jason Ritter. I swear he flirts with Kristoff at least three times in this movie for the brief time he is in it.

Of course all of this is just speculation, but the theory of Elsa, Honeymaren and/or Ryder being potential members of the LGBT community is a major plus both for Disney and for this movie.

Characters:

Elsa:

It can’t be not true that Elsa is the best character not only in this movie but also this franchise as a whole. Not only is she the first real instance of the combination between Disney Princess and Superhero, but also there is no denying the journey and the transformation Elsa goes on from care free child to fearful teenager to in-control young woman.

This character development alone is not only relatable and representative for many if not all young girls coming of age, but also she is both stylish, humble and flawed in a realistic sense...as realistic as someone with ice powers can be I mean.

Now by flaws, I am mainly referring to her inept ability at ruling Arendelle, three times now she has effectively abdicated her throne either for her own reasoning or to actually protect the kingdom, I am more annoyed with Anna for these decisions which I’ll get into when talking about her, but it was quite clear from the first movie alone that Elsa never wanted to be queen. She runs away when her powers are discovered by the people, she then goes off to find out the mystery of her past, she finally abdicates completely and makes Anna queen so she can go off and live in the Enchanted Forest amongst the Northuldra people while not exactly joining them.

Having said that, she absolutely does the right thing by her because, not only is it important to both understand and be completely comfortable with yourself, but also this was where she was always meant to be.

Elsa’s fashion in this movie steps up from the first movie not only in colour but also in style. Gone are those heavy, coverall gowns and now we have light, bright and flowing gowns. Also leggings, Elsa is really only the second “Disney Princess” to wear leggings after Jasmine and it is really good to see someone in that “Disney Princess” role be versatile in fashion.

My favourite three outfits of Elsa’s are her vivid pink nightgown, her travelling outfit and her last outfit when she embraces her role as the fifth spirit. Something about Elsa with her hair down and flowing that really added another layer of power to that transformation “Show Yourself” scene.

Her powers are also plused here, the lady gets a freekin’ water horse which she could freeze to ride on water! Seeing Elsa riding her new steed across the water to stop the tidal wave from flooding Arendelle is the most fiercely stunning sequence I have seen in any movie animated or live-action.

Also her crystal manifestation, which emulated the elemental runes, bursting out from her like an outcry after she sings about wanting to know what it all means and then having them all fall to the ground effectively like hail. I thought her creating the ice palace in the first movie couldn’t be topped but her powers are kicked up here.

She even has a sort of attack move with her powers as she was shown to briefly create an ice snowflake to combat the water spirit who later becomes her steed.

When she finally finds Ahtohallan and discovers she is the fifth element and starts seeing all those memories of her past and singing “Show Yourself” with her mother, just watching her literally walk through memory lane with all those frozen versions of her memories and reacting different to different ones, like with the Duke of Wesselton where she laughed and Hans who she instantly crumbled and even her singing “Let It Go” which she reacted awkwardly to, all of this was just splender and made me particularly well up.

Then you have her discovering the truth of the past where her grandfather was revealed to have villainous tendencies, I’m not going to say he’s an outright villain but he did kill the Northundra leader and start the war which hid the Enchanted Forest from the world, the fact she literally went to far down and froze to death just like the opening song foreshadowed was also very emotional.

But on that note of finding out there is that darkness in her family, it did remind me a lot of the Once Upon a Time Frozen arc when they introduced the Snow Queen Ingrid as Elsa and Anna’s aunt who had the same powers as Elsa and who was villainous for being misunderstood. They could have copped out and done a similar story but the fact it was routed into Elsa and Anna’s own history in terms of their family was a nice touch.

However, it did give me possibly my favourite line of the movie which is “Fear is the true enemy” in retaliation to hearing her grandfather say that magic is evil. This line can be true of any type of prejudice, I’m thinking of Homophobia but it can also be racism and even sexism, that for an animated Disney movie rated U to accomplish this level of thought is outstanding.

Idina Menzel may not be the most emotive actress but I love her, and what she may lack in her speech she more than makes up for in her singing. Also the fact that Elsa has such emotive facial expressions and the animation and character designs here are so fluid, that it makes Elsa almost seem like a real person.

Olaf:

Josh Gad as Olaf was definitely something I’ve been looking forward to revisiting especially after Olaf’s Frozen Adventure received a very icy reception. I didn’t really care for it, much like any of the Frozen shorts that have come but I’m really happy with him here.

I really liked the idea of exploring Olaf being a child because, I think with this movie taking place a couple years after the first one, Olaf is really only a toddler, so he acts like a toddler.

The fact Olaf sees the world in such innocence and beauty really resonates with little kids watching this movie and hopefully allows them to get out of it what Olaf gets out of it which is not understanding the world as a child but having to grow up and face reality.

I wasn’t crazy about his song, again like the first movie I feel it wasn’t as grand as the rest of the songs but I did like the message behind it of things not making sense to Olaf now but will make sense when he grows up.

By far the funniest moments of this movie are when Olaf reenacts the events of the first movie for the people trapped in the Enchanted Forest and also at the very end after the credits when he reenacts the events of this movie for Marshmallow and the Snowgies. I just loved again that child-like interpretation and bluntness of events. “Anna and Elsa separated but it’s okay because at least they still have their parents! Their parents are dead!” My screening could not stop laughing at that point.

Speaking of death, there is death in this movie, both what you see and what is open to interpretation. Elsa effectively dies as she is frozen solid much like how Anna is in the first movie, but Olaf’s death came as a consequence of Elsa’s death due to him being enchanted by Elsa. Possibly because this whole thing takes place after the “Show Yourself” scene and Elsa finally being true to who she is and of course because Olaf is the innocent dying, it really made me sad.

I was thrilled he came back, of course I knew he was going to come back. However, I did hear that early scripts had him staying dead but I don’t think that would have gone down very well with audiences and particularly merchandising because after Anna and Elsa merch I know Olaf is up there, although I think he may have competition after this movie...we’ll get to Bruni.

Also in keeping with the idea of Olaf being a child, I found it fascinating that he was experiencing new emotions in this movie such as anger, without actually getting angry he just felt it and didn’t know how to handle it. A little bit like with Groot in the MCU, I do hope we maybe see Olaf age or mature and experience the emotions that everyone experiences growing up. I know snow can’t really age in that way but it would be very interesting to see.

Speaking of the properties of snow, I also found the concept of water having memory interesting. It does play into the Disney/Fantastical element of the almost absurd but in a sense you want it to be true, like Aladdin’s flying carpet or even how woodland animals can help clean.

I’m not so certain about the cop-out of no longer giving Olaf his own flurry, yes they explained it as rather than it being a cloud simply being a kind of coat which was beautiful to see lit-up and everything, but it just seemed like the animators not wanting to animate a snow cloud constantly, even using the excuse that it only appears in hot weather was proven false because it was sunny numerous times in this movie and nothing appeared.

Olaf is still one of my favourite characters both in this movie and in Disney in general, I think he’s fun, I love his innocence and a lot of that is down to Josh Gad’s vocal performance. I can no longer think of Josh Gad without thinking of Olaf but in a way that’s not a bad thing.

Anna:

There was a massive opportunity missed from this movie which was not spotlighting the fact that Anna almost had PTSD from the events of the first movie. She wanted the status quo to remain how it was in the moment at the start of the movie and was desperate to keep her loved ones safe.

I don’t particularly know what purpose Anna served in this movie outside of living in denial of everything going on. Yes it is a noble deed to want to keep your loved ones safe, however, Anna should have known that not only Elsa discovering her origins but also the two sisters finding out about their mother’s history was not only important but I feel necessary. Finding out what happened to their parents, why they went off, even how they met.

But instead we have Anna constantly wanting to be the mother of the group and look after everyone, except for Kristoff. I will talk about Kristoff in his section but seriously these two went from being the ideal couple in the first movie to “Why the heck are you to together?” in this movie.

All of this is why what made her hitting rock bottom after both Elsa and Olaf had “died” so important and her realising that and building herself back up. Again, like Olaf, I didn’t really like her song but I appreciated the meaning behind it.

It was from this point that Anna showed true signs of not only being a leader but also actual competency. I mean once again both Elsa and Anna abandon Arendelle, yes Anna has done it twice in the hopes of saving it which is noble, but she goes from leaving a man she just met and got engaged to in charge without knowing him for more than five minutes, to leaving Rock Trolls in charge. Yes Grand Pabbie is at least responsible for an entire tribe but seriously?

However, after she realises what has to be done to right the wrongs of the past, her selfless decision to destroy the dam and flood Arendelle to free the Enchanted Forest was impressive because obviously the kingdom can be rebuilt and the people were safe in the Rock Troll Valley.

Now of course, everything turned out fine because Anna unknowingly revived Elsa by getting the dam broken down and she stopped the tidal wave from destroying Arendelle, but Anna didn’t know that when she decided to do it and she still chose to it, and made the old Arendelle guard listen to her.

This is how she proved herself as queen, so that when Elsa made her queen so she herself could go and live in the Enchanted Forest, she earned it. She’s queen, she has Kristoff as a fiancé and obviously she and Elsa will keep a strong bond between Arendelle and the Enchanted Forest.

Kristen Bell is Kristen Bell, you know she was born for this type of role and this type of world. Having said that, again she was almost pushed to the background or was making me want to push her to the background because of her constant complaining. But she was still very good and the main core four cast continue to be a big selling point for this franchise.

Kristoff:

I find it ironic that the title of this franchise is Frozen and that he is an ice seller because they effectively fridged Kristoff in this movie.

Kristoff’s role in this movie is pretty much the one-note version of Bernard’s from The Rescuers Down Under, in that his story throughout this movie was trying to propose to Anna and yet constantly failing. Now granted, he goes to greater extravagance to do so than the mouse did but it takes them both the length of their movies to simply learn it’s now how you say it it’s just saying it.

On that note, I felt no chemistry between Anna and Kristoff in this movie. They both think the other one abandoned them part way through this movie and Anna particularly doesn’t really seem to care.

As I said before, when Kristoff and Ryder had their scenes together, I felt more chemistry between them than I did from Kristoff for Anna. Also Kristoff and Ryder are more suited. They both love reindeer, they both talk for their reindeer, and also I got the sense that maybe Ryder actually liked Kristoff in that way, as he seemed upset that Kristoff didn’t ride off with him.

Kristoff did give me one of the best moments of the movie though which was his song in the form of an 80s/90 pop balled video. It was one of the most bizarre choices this movie could have made, but considering you have Jonathan Groff and didn’t let him do what Jonathan Groff is known for doing in the first movie it more than makes up for that.

Once again I don’t feel like he contributed much to the actual story and genuinely felt like he could have been cut and nothing would change, but it is good having a male presence in this movie who is human so I give him credit for that.

Northundra:

I really enjoyed this tribe, the native-american qualities they had really helped separate them from the citizens of Arendelle. Both Native-American and Australian Aborigines I feel were portrayed rather well in the tribe.

Yelena, Ryder and Honeymaren were really the only three spotlighted in the tribe and I felt that is all they really needed.

However, we also know from this movie that Elsa and Anna’s mother, Queen Iduna, was Northundra...which kind of makes sense as a child because she has some colouring, but as an adult she’s Caucasian...and Anna and Elsa are clearly Caucasian.

I mean it’s slightly obvious the Northundra weren’t on the cards in the first movie, however simply having Iduna being of that race would have made more sense.

Speaking of the first movie. The Northundra here have a chant they perform when Elsa and Anna realise they have Northundra heritage, but this sounds like the same chant from the opening of the first movie which leads into “Frozen Heart”. So maybe they were foreshadowed?

Spirits:

Alright so I didn’t know how much there was to talk about the four spirits that seemingly guard the Enchanted Forest and whom Elsa awakened and apparently made angry towards the start of this movie so I thought I would talk about them collectively here in the order they appear in Elsa’s vision during “Into the Unknown”.

Fire:

Two things I love about the fire spirit, the first is that it’s fire form is this very vibrant pink colour and I’m always a fan of fire having different colours, I prefer green but pink works well here I guess.

The second thing I love about it is Bruni, who is the actual fire spirit and I don’t think named ever in this movie by name. However, I have loved Bruni since his one main shot in the trailer, I love how cute he is, I love the fact he’s another reptilian being a salamander, after Pascal from Tangled being a chameleon.

Also, Bruni may have about as much screen time here as Pua the pig from Moana but he is just one of Elsa’s new animal sidekicks and unlike most of the Disney Princesses, this queen has two magical creatures as animal sidekicks. I think the only princess in that category is Mulan with Mushu.

As I mentioned before with Olaf’s merch, I do feel that Bruni is a potential competitor for beating him in merch sales. I think Olaf, Sven and Bruni all have plush toy qualities, but Bruni has that added cuteness and he’s new.

Water:

Elsa’s other magical animal sidekick is the water spirit known as The Nøkk, who is a mythological Scandinavian water spirit in the shape of a horse...with a waterfall mane.

Not only is this a cool pet anyway the fact Elsa can freeze and ride it is just epic. Who wouldn’t want a water spirit horse.

Earth:

Alright so I can’t remember when the Earth Giants first appear, whether or not they emerge during the earthquake that took over Arendelle or if they appeared in the Enchanted Forest but I did enjoy them.

I don’t exactly know when Elsa tamed them, it did seem that if anyone did Anna did by getting the dam broken.

Air:

I enjoyed Gail, I thought giving what is essentially a tornado that turns into a light breeze a name also gives it character.

But once again, while Elsa broke free of the tornado, Olaf was the one who named it and as such wasn’t he the one to tame it?

I did like how Gail became the messenger for the two kingdoms also.

Songs:

Alright so like always, I’ll be talking about these songs in order of my favourites.

Into the Unknown:

While not as groundbreaking as “Let It Go” but it is powerful, moving and delivered beautifully by both Idina Menzel and AURORA who is credited as “The Voice” that do that “Ah-Ah-Ah-Ah” sound that I want as an alarm tone.

I loved how Idina managed to match AURORA and almost harmonise with it, I love the message of being scared of the unknown but pushing yourself into it, the presentation of the performance was beautiful particularly when she went into that black space with the production going on around her.

It’s my favourite song in the movie and everything about it was just brilliant.

I do also enjoy the Panic! At the Disco version that plays over the end credits, it’s definitely a better pop version of a movie song to Demi Lovato’s version and I feel has a better mainstream future than it too.

Show Yourself:

This song made me emotional, and not many songs do that. I feel maybe it was the build-up to Elsa finally discovering who she was meant to be, the duet with her mother, or the fact she had that walk through her history in ice sculptures, but something welled up inside me and I love it.

The song is about realising who you are and being true to who you are. It’s something I feel anyone can relate to and the fact it’s in a duet with her deceased mother is just the icing, pardon the pun.

Also, this is where Elsa gets her new look, starting off with her taking her hair down and then her updated ice-blue dress transforming into her final white dress with rainbow accents.

Idina Menzel once again dominates with her vocals here but also Evan Rachel Wood matches her quite well.

Lost in the Woods:

I loved Jonathan Groff’s singing in Glee, from “Highway to Hell” and “Bohemian Rhapsody” to “Rolling in the Deep” he had such a range vocally that, despite hating the character, I loved him singing.

This is why it was criminal that the only “singing” Kristoff did in the first Frozen was that “Reindeer are better than people” lullaby song which made a comeback here at the start of this song and made me almost give up on Kristoff completely.

However, when you get passed that and Sven actually singing, you have a rather good song in the style of an 80s/90s pop ballad music video. Instantly I thought of “Everything I Do” by Bryan Adams and, despite not liking that particular song, I loved this and the arrangement of the performance.

Having Kristoff lean up against a tree as a wide shot while having his full face fade in to the side of him was so cheesy, so cringy and yet so good. I couldn’t help but enjoy it.

The Next Right Thing:

Now again, I didn’t particularly enjoy this song but I did enjoy and appreciate the message behind it.

When Anna is at her lowest edge having lost Elsa, Olaf and potentially Kristoff...again she doesn’t really give him a second thought at this point, she remembers advice that both her mother gave her and that Sterling K. Brown’s character enforced and builds up the strength to get herself out of the cave.

It’s a song about reaching rock bottom and figuring out where to go from there, it’s something I can definitely relate to and I am sure others can to, whether or not that’s in school, college/university, work or personal lives.

Kristen Bell is a good singer but for some reason something didn’t click here for me.

When I Am Older:

I love Olaf and thought his song was a very nice and fun sidetrack to the movie, however in terms of it being memorable...”In Summer” was a lot better and had the funny beats of irony to it.

As I said when talking about his character, the song did help define Olaf’s story through the movie of being young and immature.

Also the funny beats to this song of ending it in complete denial of “This is fine” before being crushed by a boulder were great.

Some Things Never Change:

This was possibly the most cringe-worthy few minutes of the entire movie. This happens right near the start originally between Anna and Olaf before become an ensemble piece.

Again, I understand the message behind the song of how people don’t like change but it just came out of nowhere and had no real tie-in to the rest of the movie other than Anna’s unrealised story arc of wanting things to remain how they are.

All Is Found:

As a lullaby this was an okay song, however I don’t think it did much to progress the story despite being the start of the movie. “Frozen Heart” had more of a beginning quality to it rather than this.

Overall I rate the movie a 9.5/10, it’s a near perfect movie but there is still room for improvement as always. I loved the characters, the songs, the animation. It all just felt very Disney.

So that’s my review of Frozen II, what did you guys think? Post your comments and check out more Movie Reviews as well as other posts.

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lilacmoon83 · 5 years

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Finding You Always

Also on Fanfiction.net and A03

Chapter 190: I'll Make a Man Out of You

At dinner last evening, Snow and David detailed their plan to Phillip and Aurora, only to be met with overwhelming support and excitement from the other royal pair. In addition, Red was so excited that she could barely contain her joy. She loved her life with Mulan and being with her, but she missed her them, Granny, and her Godchildren very much. So naturally, Mulan was on board as well, knowing how happy it was going to make Red.

They graciously enjoyed Phillip and Aurora's hospitality and got a good night's sleep in the guest wing of their castle, before awakening the next morning to enjoy breakfast with them. And before they knew it, it was time to move on.

"We'll see you soon," Snow said, as she hugged Aurora and David shook hands with Phillip.

"We are excited for this new direction," Phillip stated, as Phillip Jr. and Bobby said their goodbyes too. The boys were about the same age and fast friends.

"Us too," David agreed.

"Where will you go now?" Aurora asked curiously.

"Well...we were hoping Mulan could get us an audience with the Emperor of her land and then I suppose we'll have to visit King Francis in the Southern Isles. As much as we never cared for him, we don't feel it's right to exclude a Kingdom solely based on their ruler," Snow explained.

"Oh...King Francis passed away two years ago. His eldest son rules now," Phillips said.

"Do you know much about him?" David asked curiously.

"He seems to be a more just ruler than his father, but I'm afraid I have not met him directly, only representatives of his. He seemed to be appalled by what his youngest brother Hans tried to do in Arendelle, but I don't know if that was because he got caught and it reflected badly on his Kingdom or if he was truly appalled by his acts," Phillip advised. David nodded.

"We'll go into that one carefully," he said. They nodded and gathered with their children, while Mulan and Red joined them.

"The Emperor does not take meetings from outsiders often, but he is well versed in the legend of the Dragon King. If I explain that you are the next pair to hold the title of truest loves, he may grant you an audience," Mulan explained.

"And if he doesn't?" Snow asked.

"I will present your case for you," Mulan answered. They smiled.

"Thank you Mulan," the raven haired beauty said, as her husband toss a bean and a swirling orange portal appeared before them. With that, they, their children, Red, and Mulan stepped through to their intended destination.

~*~

Nephilim

Regina and Mim followed Seth, as he led them to a chamber in the bowels of his palace. Once they walked in, it was clear that it was a treasure room. It was filled with gold, silver, precious jewels, ancient artifacts, diamonds, and acquired items that Regina assumed were probably significant pieces.

"So...is there something in here that can help us?" Regina asked.

"I believe so," Seth responded, as he retrieved a helm from the highest shelf.

"And what exactly is this?" she asked.

"You uneducated fool...you don't recognize such an ancient prize?" Mim snapped.

"Easy Mim...I obtained this helmet long before she was even thought of, let alone born," Seth eased, as he put the cap on to demonstrate its power and Regina was astonished to see him disappear. He removed it and reappeared again.

"Hades' cap of invisibility. I took it from him centuries ago, before my banishment. You see, before they ousted me from my home, I put many things I acquired in a sort of magical dimensional pocket and when I arrived here, I found that I was able to retrieve everything I had stashed away." he replied.

"That's a fascinating trick. Care to teach it to me sometime?" Regina questioned.

"Pff...you're barely worthy enough to polish his boots, let alone become an apprentice," Mim protested.

"Your ambition is very refreshing. Perhaps a lesson or two is in order, but first, we need to figure out how to conceal this land and the curse from Storybrooke," he purported.

"We need to be hidden in plain sight so we may infiltrate our enemies and only reveal ourselves when we are ready," he continued.

"And you think the answer is in Hades' invisibility cap?" Regina inquired.

"I think if we melt this helm down and add its magical invisibility properties to the curse...then yes, I think it will work," Seth responded. She smirked.

"I don't see why it wouldn't. This is a powerful artifact...it could be exactly what we need," she agreed. He smirked back.

"Then let's proceed with our plan," he said.

~*~

"Order up!" Frankie called, as he finished the last of the breakfast rush. He and Joe were thoroughly enjoying their new lives in this extraordinary little town. They were still astounded at how the Charmings had basically adopted them into their large family and they had never been so grateful.

The last order, being that of apple pancakes and other breakfast and lunch items, went out to Regina's table. They were enjoying a late family breakfast that morning. Joining her was Robin and Roland of course, along with Chad, Zelena, Jade, Alice, who naturally brought Emma and Killian with her.

"Thanks Joe," Emma said, as she dug into her grilled cheese and onion rings.

"You're very welcome. So...how do you think things are going for your parents?" Joe asked curiously.

"Oh, I actually talked to them last night through magical Skype," she replied. His brow furrowed.

"Magical Skype?" he asked. She smirked.

"Also known as an enchanted looking glass. With the chalice, it allows them to talk to us through an enchanted looking glass, no matter where they are," she clarified. He shook his head.

"Amazing…" he said.

"Yeah, so they've visited Agrabah, the Maritime Kingdom, and were in King Phillips Kingdom last night. All three are overall excited and on board with it all," Emma reported.

"Agrabah...that's Aladdin, right?" Joe asked.

"Of course it is. His knowledge of fairy tales is embarrassing," Frankie complained.

"And yours is a little scary," Joe retorted.

"Right. And the Maritime Kingdom is ruled by King Eric and Queen Ariel. My Mom and Ariel go way back as friends," Emma added.

"Snow White and the Little Mermaid...now how come Disney never made that movie?" Frankie joked.

"You did see what they did to my parent's story, right?" Emma reminded.

"Very true...I read the book version and the mouse didn't even come close to doing them justice," Joe agreed.

"So King Phillip...we talking the Sleeping Beauty thing?" Frankie questioned.

"Yep and today, they're going with our Aunt Red and Mulan to see if they can get an audience with the Emperor of China...not this Earth's China...but that China," Emma explained. Joe shook his head.

"Mulan...unreal," he said in amazement, as the bell on the diner chimed and Mr. Hyde walked in.

"Mr. Hyde...I see you're back from the Land of Untold Stories. I hope you have good news," Regina stated.

"I do...I was weary about any of the residents that still remain there putting their faith in me. Thankfully, I had the foresight to take Aesop with me," he reported.

"And?" Robin asked.

"They were leery of course, but Aesop used his own experience to convince them. He told them that he too was afraid to resume his own story, but that doing so was the best thing he ever did, because Storybrooke allowed him a fresh start," Hyde replied.

"So...the Land of Untold Stories is on board?" Killian asked. He nodded curtly.

"Yes...thanks to Aesop's help, they are welcoming this new endeavor," Hyde answered.

"That's good news," Regina agreed, with a smile.

"Yeah...and if Mulan's Kingdom is on board, that just leaves the Southern Isles, the Land Without Color, Oz, and Neverland," Emma said.

"Yes and we might as well already count Neverland in. Your parents have a good relationship with Tigerlily and the tribes," Killian added.

"Zelena says that Glinda will likely get on board fairly easily too. Let's hope then Whale has good luck and that the Southern Isles are ruled by a better ruler than Hans," Regina stated.

"Sounds like things are on track," Frankie mentioned.

"Yeah, but I'm still trying to wrap my head around the fact that Mr. Hyde is the good guy. That's not the book I read, Joe joked. Regina smirked.

"Oh there's always a twist around here," she responded, as they continued to eat and enjoy each other's company.

~*~

The Nine Realms

Midgard or Earth

New Asgard

Rose and Fandral, along with the children, followed Valkyrie and Sif to a modest dwelling within New Asgard.

"I feel I must warn you one more time. He's in quite a state," Sif said, as she turned to them.

"To be fair, I've seen Thor drunk before," Fandral replied, but she gave him a dire look.

"Not like this. No one has ever seen him quite like this," she admonished, as she and Valkyrie went inside. Rose squeezed his hand, as he took a deep breath and their eyes met.

"I'm here, my love...no matter what," she promised, as she kissed his cheek and they followed them inside.

The first thing they noticed was how utterly messy the place was and it appeared that Thor already had company in the form of a couple of creatures, the species of which he was unfamiliar. They all held game controllers and he recognized the devices as items he had seen in Storybrooke in the Charming household around the television.

His old friend, looking as disheveled as he had ever seen, jumped up and cheered in victory, though Fandral could see that the victory was something happening on the screen.

"Yes...the strongest Avenger strikes again," he boasted, as he took another swig of beer and stumbled slightly.

"Okaaay...you were right," Fandral told Sif.

"Out you two," Sif ordered to Korg and Miek.

"But we're on the verge of winning the whole thing," Korg complained.

"He's right...and victory shall be ours!" Thor boasted, as he slammed the beer bottle down and it shattered to pieces.

"Now morons," Valkyrie ordered and the two aliens quickly scurried out of the house. Neither was stupid enough to cross Valkyrie or Sif.

"S'okay...I shall take on this valiant quest alone," Thor slurred drunkenly. Valkyrie rolled her eyes and shut the television off.

"Hey...I'm Thor Odinson, King of Asgard. You can't just turn the King's television off," he complained.

"Sit your drunk…" Valkyrie started say.

"Valkyrie...they're are children present," Sif warned. She looked annoyed by that. Not at the children, but rather at the fact that she had to watch her mouth.

"Just sit," she snapped and he did so, as he finally looked up and saw the people with them. He squinted his eyes and then shook his head, before squinting again. He looked at the beer in his hand with scrutiny.

"Okay...someone definitely spiked this stuff, because now I'm seeing ghosts," he drawled. Fandral sighed.

"You're not seeing a ghost...I'm real," he confirmed, as he knelt down at eye level with his troubled friend.

"But how…" he wondered, as one could practically see the mental gymnastics his brain was performing in trying to figure out exactly how a member of the Warriors Three was alive.

"It's a very long story; one of which I am eager to tell you. But it is also one that you are not sober enough for," Fandral replied. Thor chuckled.

"Yeah...I'm pretty drunk," he agreed, as he looked up and fought the tears in his eyes. Fandral had known him a long time and could see past his bluster and drunken stupor. His oldest friend was in a lot of pain.

"Are they part of your story?" Thor questioned, as clarity started to break through. Thankfully, the ale on Midgard was about as weak as he remembered, compared to that of true Asgardian ale. And that meant Thor would sober up much faster.

"Very much so," Fandral replied.

"Here...coffee," Sif said, as she handed a mug to him.

"Two creams and three sugars?" he asked. She gave him a stern look.

"No black...now drink it," she ordered and he didn't disobey, as he sipped at the scalding liquid. While he was sobering up, they all found chairs and prepared to hear Fandral's tale and learn about the family he had with him.

~*~

New Orleans

2018

Cecily walked along the docks in the reclusive Bayou marina and approached one empty stall, which was being manned by a lone deck hand. The deck hand looked up to see her and looked surprised.

"Ms. Clayton...you're alive," the man said.

"Yes...unlike father, I survived that fiasco in Seattle. I need the submarine. We're leaving this land, Sykes," she replied. He nodded nervously, as he spotted the Military officials with her.

"Something wrong, Major?" Cecily asked the other woman, who seemed glued to her phone.

"The fall out from Seattle is not going away. Social media is still on fire with the whole thing and the news outlets are discussing it to death. The magic is real thing isn't going away," she revealed.

"And it probably won't," Cecily responded.

"There are even civilians conducting expeditions in the woods of Maine, looking for the source. We never mentioned anything in the news about Storybrooke or Maine. How did they even know to explore Maine as a possible source?" she questioned.

"Rumors and whispers of Storybrooke, magic, and its existence, as well as the people that might dwell there have been on the dark web for years now," Cecily answered.

"But trust me, Snow and Charming have the town well protected. They're not going to find anything. There is only two ways into Storybrooke these days, short of an actual curse," Cecily revealed.

"And those are?" the Major questioned.

"Portal or through the barrier. And for that, we'll need mermaid scales, which is what the outer coating of my father's submarine is made of," Cecily answered.

"Fine...where is this submarine?" the Major snapped. Sykes fished something out of a net kept in the water and revealed it to be a control of some kind, obviously waterproof. He pressed a button and a massive submarine surfaced.

"Impressive," the Major stated.

"Tell me, Mr. Sykes, is it?" the Major questioned.

"Yes Ma'am," the nervous, scraggly man replied.

"How does this Submarine know which land to go to?" the Major inquired.

"The Submarine crosses realms through the All World River and the Collector had me program all the significant ones of interest into the GPS system on board," Sykes answered.

"Sykes was my father's technical guru," Cecily confirmed.

"Is that so? Then it's safe to say that you know much about these realms we're about to visit?" the Major questioned.

"Yes Ma'am...I have an entire database on all the realms the Collector ever visited. I also have an entire scope of Storybrooke and complete records of all the prominent members in the town. Add to that, I have the Collector's blueprints of Atlantis and a database of every item and person he ever collected," Sykes revealed. The Major smirked.

"That is excellent news," she stated, as she pulled a gun with a silencer out of her inside jacket pocket and shot Cecily in the head. Sykes put his hands up in surrender.

"Don't worry, Mr. Sykes. You work for me now and will be paid well for your complete cooperation, if so choose," she said. He nodded.

"I'm at your service, ma'am," he agreed.

"Tell me...are these waters infested with alligators?" she questioned. He nodded.

"Heavily, ma'am," he answered.

"Good…" she replied, as she kicked the body into the water. The animals would smell blood and there wouldn't be a body left soon.

"You're now our guide, Mr. Sykes. We have five years to find everything I need to take control of this magic and town concealed from us by the Charmings," she stated. Sykes nodded.

"I helped the Collector build his Empire...I can help you too," Sykes responded, as they boarded the Submarine and left the Land Without Magic.

~*~

While Mulan requested a meeting with the Emperor, Snow, David, the kids, and Red experienced the vibrant and lively Marketplace in the Capital city. Summer and Bobby were enthralled by the sights and sounds, especially the paper dragons and hand crafted lanterns. They got to sample some of the local cuisine too, which they all enjoyed.

It wasn't long before Mulan returned and seemed in good spirits.

"I have presented your request to the Emperor and he has accepted with an invitation for us all to join him for evening meal. He actually seems very eager to meet you," she reported.

"That's wonderful...thank you Mulan. Can you help us with proper attire?" Snow asked. The last thing she wanted to do was offend the Emperor.

"Actually, normally it would be required for you to dress in traditional robes of this land. But since you and David are royal dignitaries, the Emperor requests that you dress in traditional attire from the Kingdom from which you hail. He likes to experience other cultures when he the opportunity arises," she explained.

"Oh, then we'll still need a bit of time to conjure up some with the Chalice," Snow said. Mulan nodded.

"We have been granted a suite in the Emperor's palace," Mulan confirmed.

"Does this mean I have to wear another uncomfortable outfit?" Bobby complained.

"You'll get by," Snow assured, as she ruffled his hair and kissed his cheek.

"Mom…" he complained in embarrassment. David chuckled, as they followed Mulan into the palace and they were led to the suite.

Since Red was Mulan's consort and considered a citizen of the Emperor's Kingdom now, she dressed in a traditional silk Chinese dress, which was red in color, with a pink floral pattern. Mulan shed her armor and exchanged it for the traditional dress uniform that a member of the Chinese army would wear.

Snow chose Charming's red coat for him with his white tunic and black leather pants. And she had a lot of fun putting her son in a mini version of his father's outfit. Bobby endured his mother and Aunt Red gushing over how cute he looked. For Summer, she kept with her daughter's favorite color and chose a beautiful orchid colored gown for her and she and Red enjoyed giving her caramel colored hair princess curls.

Finally, Snow chose a white gown for herself that had a silver sheer overlay, which complimented her husband's attire well. She donned her tiara as well and Mulan led them to the dining hall where they would meet the Emperor.

When they entered, they were met by the steely gaze of the Emperor's top councilor, who looked none too happy about impromptu visitors, especially outsiders.

"Chi-Fu, I present Queen Snow and King David of Misthaven and their children, Princess Summer and Prince Bobby," Mulan announced. Snow and David bowed to the sour looking man and their children followed suit.

"You have been granted an audience with the Emperor, but his dining chamber is no place for children. They can eat in the servants dining nook," he stated.

"No...our children will eat with us," Snow refuted and the man fumed. It was painfully clear that this man not only didn't like outsiders, but he didn't particularly care for women, especially a woman in power.

"You are a visitor on this land...and you do not wield any power here," he refuted.

"Chi-Fu...your attitude dishonors us all and reflects badly on us," a voice said, as they looked behind the man to find a man in golden silk robes with a hat that signified his position of power.

"E...Emperor…" Chi-Fu squeaked, as he bowed deeply.

"The children are most welcome at my dining table," he stated.

"Thank you Emperor," Snow said graciously, as they all gave a deep bow.

"You must excuse Chi-Fu. I am afraid he is very much stuck in the past and chooses tradition over innovation much of the time," the Emperor stated.

"Tradition is important, but not at the price of making us stagnant," he continued.

"We couldn't agree more, Emperor and we are honored that you have accepted our request for a meeting," Snow said graciously. The Emperor gave a small smile.

"We once kept our gates closed tightly to outsiders and we were invaded anyway. Closing our gates only led to fear of outsiders and that is one tradition that I do not want to continue," the Emperor stated.

"I get the feeling that you somehow have an inkling of why we're here," David mentioned. The Emperor nodded at the younger man.

"I have studied ancient scrolls that detail this land's history quite thoroughly and within those scrolls foretells a prophetic future. As we dine, perhaps you will allow me to regale a tale to you that I believe you may find very interesting," the Emperor stated.

"We would love to hear it, Your Majesty," Snow agreed eagerly. The Emperor nodded and began to tell his story.

~*~

Flashback

Rose Red gasped, as she saw the injured man, who had seemingly dropped out of the sky. She had heard of such occurrences though; portals from other places and wondered if this man had come from such. As she got closer, she noticed how serious his wound was and called for the dwarf that lorded over her.

"He might as well be dead already. What do you want me to do about it?" he snapped at the girl.

"No...he's alive! He still draws breath, however faintly. You must heal him with your magic!" she pleaded.

"Oh...and just why would I do that? He has done nothing for me," the dwarf griped.

"Please...I will owe you the favor!" she begged. And the evil dwarf smirked deviously. He had just received word that there was a very rich Lord that wished to have Rose Red's hand in marriage. Just the riches a deal like that could barter him was too tempting and having her owe him ensured that he would benefit greatly.

"Fine stupid girl...I'll save this stranger and then you shall repay me with whatever favor I desire," he growled, as he used his magic and healed the handsome stranger's wound.

As the man opened his eyes, Rose was captivated by the bluest eyes she had ever seen. The stranger saw the beautiful woman kneeling over him and was also captivated by her beauty.

"Where...where am I?" he asked.

"You are in my garden...you were gravely injured. I bartered a favor from this dwarf to heal your wound," she replied. His brow furrowed.

"But you don't even know me? Why would help me?" he asked in awe. She looked down shyly.

"I could not let you die…" she said, as he sat up and their hands brushed, as an electricity passed between them.

"What is your name?" he asked.

"Rose Red…" she answered.

"I am Fandral of Asgard...or at least I was," he introduced himself, as he stood up and towered over her.

"Was?" she asked.

"I'm afraid Asgard is gone...I was fatally wounded in an apocalyptic battle or so I thought," he replied.

"You must have fallen through a portal as your world collapsed," she surmised.

"And then you saved my life," he added.

"It seemed like the honorable thing to do," she said, as they stared at each other.

~*~

"And that's how I found myself in a new land. As far as we can figure, a portal was opened up as Asgard collapsed and I fell through it into the All World River, which would have killed a normal sentient being. But somehow, I clung to life, though unconscious and was deposited into the realm I now call my home," he explained.

"Extraordinary. We always suspected there were more than our nine realms, but never knew for sure," Sif stated.

"And you've been there for over twenty years now?" Valkyrie questioned.

"Yes...we have learned that time passes much faster in our realm than some others," he replied, as he looked at his wife.

"Rose and I fell in love, defeated her evil Uncle and took back her Kingdom from him, and started a family," he added. Sif smiled gently.

"I see that...care to properly introduce us?" she asked.

"Of course, this is my wife, Queen Rose Red, our eldest daughter Carina, and our twins Benjamin and Arianna," he said.

"A pleasure to meet all of you, though you seem to know quite a lot about us. And you seem to have knowledge of what has happened here. How is that possible?" Sif asked.

"My Kingdom has been tasked with guarding and maintaining the Library of Story for all the realms, a responsibility tasked to us by the Goddess Hermes. She even granted me an Asgardian lifespan so that I could live as long as Fandral and our children," Rose answered.

"Naturally, I became curious about the fates of those that survived Ragnarok and we retrieved the storybook for this realm. And to our horror, that's when we learned about the snap," he stated, watching his old friend, who had been silent, carefully.

"We wanted to come sooner, but I couldn't risk my family while that monster was still alive," Fandral explained.

"A wise decision," Thor finally spoke and Sif noticed the tension.

"Perhaps a tour of New Asgard is in order for Rose and the children," she suggested. Rose smiled and nodded.

"That would be lovely," she agreed, as she gave her husband a quick, encouraging gaze, before shuffling the children out, leaving Fandral and Thor alone.

"You have a beautiful family…" Thor mentioned, which brought a smile to Fandral's face.

"Thank you...they're my life," he agreed.

"As they should be," Thor agreed in return.

"I'm sorry...I thought that everyone was lost. I didn't come back…" Fandral started to say, but Thor put his hand up.

"You don't have to apologize for being happy and finding a life. I am happy for you," Thor said and Fandral's shoulders relaxed a bit in relief.

"Do you really think I would begrudge you such?" Thor questioned.

"No...I guess I'm just dealing with a bit of guilt since learning what really happened after Ragnarok. First, I was overjoyed that some of our people survived and that you killed Hela. And then…" Fandral said, trailing off.

"Thanos...you couldn't have known and by the time you did, judging by the difference in the passage of time, you had a family already," Thor replied.

"I know...Rose says I have survivor's guilt," he added. Thor smiled slightly.

"A friend told me that I have the same, especially since I could have stopped him," Thor added, as he got up and looked out the window, before turning back.

"I had him...I was so close to stopping him. I had my axe in his chest!" Thor ranted.

"You couldn't have known exactly what he was going to do," Fandral reminded.

"Oh but I did. He had all the stones and I could have cut the head off the monster himself, but I didn't," Thor responded.

"And when I did...it was too late. The damage was already done," he lamented.

"But you can still live. You can help other survivors move on," Fandral advised.

"How can I help them when I can't help myself?" Thor questioned brokenly. Fandral put a hand on his shoulder.

"Because I'll be there to help you," he assured. Thor smiled slightly.

"I appreciate that, my friend. But you have a family to care for and from what I hear, a Kingdom to protect now," he replied.

"And you have the bi-frost and I know a Goddess that can bring me here for frequent visits. Travel is not all that difficult between the realms anymore," Fandral said.

"I am not good company," Thor warned. Fandral chuckled.

"I'm familiar with your moods and I assure you that my wife and children can cheer up even the saddest sack," Fandral mused.

"Well then...perhaps we join that tour and I get to know your family," Thor suggested. Fandral smiled.

"An excellent idea," Fandral agreed, as they left the house.

~*~

And when the dust settled and the Gods finally banished the vicious and evil Typhon, there was peace in the realms for a time. But the damage was done. The battle was so catastrophic and so earth shattering that all the lands had been severed and broken apart from each other. Portals had swallowed up many of the lands and scattered them across the stars of their sector. Now, instead of one realm with many Kingdoms, they now had ten realms and a division that was never intended. But not even the Gods had the power to repair this.

However, Athena decreed a prophecy on that day that there would be hope. She prophesied that there would one day be a pair with the power to reunite the realms and end the division. They would not be Gods, but mortals that shared an incredible true love and many of the Gods scoffed at such a notion. But one Goddess did not, for she knew it would come to pass. The Goddess Aphrodite knew that one day, she could champion a pair with a love so powerful that they would bring light to the darkness and unite all. They would be hold the greatest amount of light magic ever and in turn create such magic into a bloodline that would flourish.

~*~

"Then it was this creature, Typhon, that caused all the realms to break apart?" Snow questioned with fascination.

"Yes...mother Gaia bore him from Tartarus itself as revenge for the Gods imprisoning the Titans and killing the Giants. He was so powerful that the Gods knew they could not kill him," the Emperor regaled.

"So they banished him," David surmised. The Emperor nodded.

"They suspended him with a powerful spell and then cast him into Oceanus where he would remain suspended for all eternity in the harsh oblivion of the All World River," he continued.

"And the prophecy...you think it speaks of us?" Snow questioned. The Emperor smiled gently.

"You and your husband seek to do just what the prophecy says, do you not?" he questioned in return. They exchanged a glance and then nodded.

"Yes Emperor…" David answered.

"There was a time that my ancestors thought that it would be your predecessors that would do this. But I am afraid, as powerful as their love was, they were not the ones chosen for this. But I believe, after everything the two of you have faced and accomplished, that you will be the ones to reunite the realms," he stated.

"Then we would be honored if your Kingdom agreed to be a part of the United Realms," Snow said eloquently. He smiled.

"My people and I will be honored," he said.

"Sire...are you sure this is a wise move?" Chi-Fu questioned.

"I know how leery you are of outsiders, Chi-Fu, but inclusion breeds ignorance. We learned that when the Huns almost destroyed us and we will not make the same mistake again," the Emperor decreed.

"We will join the United Realms and forge a prosperous path to a new future," he added. They smiled.

"Thank you Emperor…we are truly honored," Snow said graciously.

"The honor is mine," the Emperor said, as Bobby whispered something to his father. David smiled.

"Emperor...my son would like to ask you a question," David said.

"Of course young one, please," he replied.

"Can you tell us about the war with the Huns?" Bobby requested.

"Certainly...we faced a threat to our way of life in the form of Shan Yu. Now, there was once a Shan Yu that served in the Dragon King's army, over a thousand years ago. But when he betrayed the King, he was cast out and his descendants swore revenge for their leader's punishment," the Emperor said.

"They were exiled to Mongolia and their hatred of our Kingdom was harbored for a thousand years until Shan Yu's descendant, a man of the same name in honor of the man they considered their greatest leader, rose up and invaded us," he continued.

"Fortunately, thanks in large part to Mulan, he did not succeed," the Emperor said.

"Can you tell us more about the Dragon King and Queen?" Bobby requested. The Emperor chuckled.

"Our children love their stories," Snow said, smiling at him.

"As do I. It is not often that I find someone that wants to listen to my telling of the ancient scrolls. But yes, I can tell you much about those ancient times," the Emperor said, as he continued to regale them with tales.

~*~

"You know, I don't see why this is necessary. I'm fine," Emma complained, as she sat on her sister's exam table.

"Your heart was poisoned," Eva reminded, as they waited for the results of Emma's routine blood tests.

"But you just said that physically I'm in perfect shape," the blonde complained.

"And you are, but I want to make sure your insides are just as healthy. You may have been cured, but you know magic can be tricky. Just humor me, please," Eva replied.

"Mom and Dad put you up to this, didn't they?" Emma questioned.

"Maybe...but I would have wanted to do it even if they didn't suggest it, so hush," Eva retorted. Emma huffed impatiently.

"Honestly, you're a worse patient than Leo and that's saying something," Eva chided.

"You know I hate hospitals," Emma retorted, but Eva just shook her head at his older sister's antics, as the nurse delivered the test results. Eva took them and began looking them over.

"So…?" Emma asked.

"Everything is normal," Eva replied.

"Told you…" Emma said, as she grabbed her jacket and noticed the beaming smile on her sister's face.

"Except one anomaly," Eva said.

"What? What anomaly? And why are you smiling like you just one the lottery?" Emma asked.

"Because you, big sister, are pregnant…" Eva announced, bringing a look of shock to Emma's face.

"What?" she questioned.

"You heard me," Eva replied.

"But...I don't really have any symptoms at all!" Emma cried.

"I mean, I've felt a bit sick here and there, but nothing like I was with Henry. I was barfing all the time with him," she replied. Eva shrugged.

"All pregnancies are different. Remember, Mom could barely get out of the bathroom with Summer and then the morning sickness she had with Bobby was fairly mild," Eva reminded.

"Yeah...wow…" Emma said, letting it sink in.

"Are you happy?" Eva asked, watching a smile slowly eclipse her sister's face.

"Uh...yeah I am," she realized, as they hugged.

"Congratulations...when are you going to tell Killian?" Eva asked.

"Tonight I guess...and Mom and Dad will be over the moon, I know," she replied. Eva nodded.

"Oh yeah...another grand baby for them to spoil," the younger said with a laugh, just as Whale came in.

"There you are," he said, addressing Emma.

"Excuse me, but she's my patient and you can't just barge in here," Eva scolded him.

"Easy mini Snow...it's important," Whale replied. Emma rolled her eyes.

"Well, since you're back, then you must have news from the Land Without Color?" Emma questioned, as she crossed her arms over her chest.

"Uh yeah...I kind of blew it. Turns out, they all still pretty much hate me and think I'm some kind of mad scientist," Whale responded.

"You are," Emma reminded. Whale winced.

"Fair point, but maybe this is for the best. They're all scared of anything they don't understand. I'm not sure they'll ever accept any of this," he stated.

"Maybe...but I think we should give it one more try and this time Eva and Paul should go with you," Emma suggested.

"Us?" Eva asked in surprise.

"Yeah...you're both doctors too. And you have magic and amazing healing abilities. You can show them that this is a land of opportunity and they have nothing to fear," Emma replied.

"What makes you think she and Paul can convince them when I couldn't?" Whale asked.

"Because you're you," Emma deadpanned.

"Another fair point...well, I'll be off then," Whale said, intending to head for the Rabbit Hole.

"Wrong Frankenstein...you're going with them and the three of you leave in the morning," Emma said. Eva nodded.

"Fun...a trip with Whale. I'll go tell Paul. He'll be thrilled," Eva said sarcastically, as she went to find her husband.

"Hey...I'm a lot of fun!" Whale claimed. Emma rolled her eyes and walked out of the exam room, thinking about her news. She smiled from ear to ear and left to the hospital in search of Killian to tell him her news.

#Snowing #SnowxCharming #Charming family #OC Charmings #AU #original season 8 storyline #Fandral the Dashing #Rose Red #Dashing Rose #background Rumbelle #background OQ #background glass believer #background cs #romance #adventure #family #finding you always #the epic continues

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