Chapter 17

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Anna's scream pierced the mountain air and echoed off the chasm walls, its reverberations amplifying its intensity. She fell to her knees and it descended into the guttural cry of a tortured animal, accented by each sharp intake of breath.

"ELSAAA!"

The rope bridge hung like a dying snake from its quivering supports, shuddering from its sudden exertion and sending a cloud of dust and rocks tumbling off the face of the cliff. Elsa hung upside down near the bottom of the structure, her legs snarled in the loose ropes and cords which clung to the wooden planks like vines. Despite the danger, she didn't move or make any sound as she dangled far above the canyon floor.

John and Kristoff fell to their knees beside Anna. Olaf and Sven peeked over their shoulders.

"ELSA!" Anna called again, but her sister didn't respond.

Kristoff leapt to his feet.

"Pumpkin, pull her up!"

The giant snowman bounded forward and leaned over John and Anna who were crouched at the mouth of the broken bridge. His massive hands reached for the sides of the fallen structure which hung from the creaking posts.

"No!" John yelled, shooting up and driving his shoulder into the monster's chest. The beast staggered back, stunned. When it regained its balance it lunged, snatching at him with a gigantic hand; but John ducked, rolled forward, and leapt to his feet, driving his shoulder into the creature's knee. The leg buckled and the snowman collapsed to the ground, tumbling backward down the mountain. Kristoff was on John in an instant, grabbing his shirt and yanking him around to face him.

"What are you doing?"

"Kristoff," John said, catching his breath, "her leg could come loose from those ropes at any moment. The slightest disturbance could release her."

Kristoff let go.

"If she falls, we lose her forever," John said.

Kristoff slapped his forehead, astonished.

"You're right. What do we do?"

"We have to go down after her."

Anna jumped up.

"I'm going!"

Kristoff shook his head.

"No, it's too dangerous."

"Try and stop me!"

"I'll go," Kristoff said.

He ran past John to pick up the brown bag next to Sven, jerking a roll of rope out and slinging it over his shoulder. The massive snowman regained its feet and marched up the mountain, it's yellow eyes burning into John.

"STAY!" Kristoff said, raising his hand. "Stay, Pumpkin!"

The snowman stopped, looking back and forth between John and Kristoff as if struggling to heed the command. It made a growling sound before dropping its arms and sliding its feet together. Satisfied, Kristoff headed back toward the ledge, but John grabbed his arm.

"No, I'll go."

"We don't have time to argue about this. I have the most climbing experience and you're terrified of heights."

"Maybe so, but you've got someone who needs you to stick around. You're far too valuable to Arendelle to be risking your life, not when I can go in your place."

"It's not your duty," Kristoff said, pulling his arm away.

"Perhaps not. But if the crown falls to Anna she'll need you by her side. There's no reason to jeopardize that, just because I'm afraid."

John grabbed one end of the rope and wrapped it around his chest, fastening it under his arms with the strongest sailor's knot he knew. He went to the ledge and peered down, his arms and legs trembling, his muscles seized by convulsions. He lowered himself to the edge to steady his shaking body, sitting next to the broken bridge with his feet dangling below him. He sat with his head bowed and his body shivering.

Anna touched him on the shoulder and he looked up.

"I know you can do this."

John nodded.

Kristoff looped the other end of the rope through Sven's collar and handed the slack to Pumpkin.

"Don't let him fall," he said, and the creature gave a grunt in response. He walked them both backward until the slack was gone and it lay in a straight line between them and John. Then Kristoff went back to the ledge and picked up the rope, motioning for Anna to go to the cliff's edge.

"You need to be my eyes," he said, and she obeyed, kneeling next to John between the wooden posts, supporting herself on her hands. Sven and Pumpkin stood ready, awaiting Kristoff's command.

"Don't worry," Kristoff told John, "We won't let you fall." He braced his foot against the spike in the ground and held the rope with cocked elbows. "Ready?"

John nodded.

"Go," Kristoff said.

John closed his eyes and pushed himself over the edge. The rope jerked against his body, cutting into his tender ribs like a razor blade. Sven dug his hooves into the ground, holding steady.

"Ok, Sven!" Kristoff said. "Come forward, slowly!"

The reindeer took small steps forward, shuffling his hooves and kicking up clouds of dust as he advanced. Kristoff fed John the slack, dispensing it a little at a time, hand over hand.

John opened his eyes and grabbed for the lifeline connecting him to the ground above. He tried to take a deep breath to steady his nerves but his body rebelled, and his breathing berated his ears like the pant of an overworked dog. He closed his eyes again, trying to get his breathing under control.

When he opened them he forced himself to look down, finding Elsa. He saw where the ropes had entwined themselves around Elsa's calf and ankle, the only thing which prevented her from plummeting to her death. Her sparkling blue dress twisted and bunched beneath these thick cords and her other leg bent at the knee, protruding from the slit of her dress at an awkward angle, her heel cradled in a loop of ropes. Her arms hung over her head as if she'd been frozen while attempting the most suicidal dive imaginable. John focused all his energy and attention on her, trying to block out the menacing landscape which surrounded them.

That's when he noticed she was slipping.

It was subtle, he could barely discern any change in her position, but the closer he got the easier it was to notice even these subtle changes. The tangled rope was getting further from her knee and crawling toward her foot, where it intended to let her go.

"Kristoff!" John said. "We have to hurry, we're losing her!"

Kristoff responded with "Faster Sven!" and then John was tumbling down the cliff, his back bouncing and scraping upon the jagged rocks behind him. His head ricocheted off a rock and for a moment he saw stars. Gritting his teeth, he dug his heels into the cliff, sending a spray of dust and pebbles which just missed Elsa as they cascaded past her and out of view. His vision was clouded with sweat and he wiped at his eyes, focusing again on her leg. The ropes had retreated from her calf and were bunching around her ankle, her heel disappearing within the folds of the tangled lines as they worked their way off her foot. Another moment and she'd be gone.

"He's there!" Anna said, her voice leaping down at him from above, and the line jerked to a stop, squeezing the air out of him with a violent tug. He recovered and reached for Elsa, but his sudden movement sent him swinging in the opposite direction, even as he saw her shoe being pried off her foot as the ropes prepared to release her. He kicked against the cliff and swung back, wrapping his arms around her waist just as her foot slipped from the cords. Her shoe was left tangled in the loose ropes.

"He's got her!" Anna said. "He's got her!"

His grip was hasty and he struggled to make it firm. She hung limp from his arms, his hands in the small of her back as her feet and arms dangled behind her, dead weight threatening to upset her precarious balance. He laced his fingers together, locking his grip around her waist, and pulled her upright, squeezing her body against his. Her head lolled on her shoulders and her eyelids fluttered open, then she gasped, throwing her arms around John's neck.

"It's okay, I've got you."

She buried her head into his shoulder and tried to hang on, but her arms didn't have the strength to obey her. John's arms were trembling, but they didn't falter.

******

"What happened?" Elsa asked, her voice wavering on the edge of a whisper. It was the sound of someone who'd just awoken and wasn't sure if they were still dreaming.

"The bridge broke and you fell. You must've hit your head, but it's okay now, I've got you."

Elsa looked down, saw they were suspended high above the ground, bare trees like tiny sticks blanketing the canyon far below. How'd she get here? What in the world was she doing? She couldn't remember.

Anna's voice shouted down at them.

"John, are you ready?"

Elsa tried to look up, to follow the sound of Anna's voice, but it made her dizzy. John raised his head, projecting his voice upward.

"Yes."

"Pull Sven, pull!" she heard Kristoff say and they lurched into motion. John grabbed Elsa's shoe before securing his grip on her again, holding her tight against his body with one arm slung around her waist and the other looped under her arm, his hand supporting her head. She hung on as best as she could, but her arms trembled with the effort. She had so many questions but she didn't have the energy to speak, and so she remained silent as she clung to John's neck.

John placed himself between her and the cliff face, his back scraping against the sharp rocks as they ascended, hanging his head forward to protect her arms from the rocks behind him, resting his face in the crook of her neck. The journey was slow, and she wondered if they'd ever reach the top, but they did. Kristoff instructed Sven to hold the rope steady as he took Elsa from John, pulling her into the waiting arms of Anna. Anna dropped to the ground, holding her sister who collapsed in her lap. Elsa lay still, her head cradled on Anna's shoulder. Kristoff went back to assist John, helping him to his feet. After loosing the rope from his body John stumbled away from the ledge, his legs shaking so bad he collapsed to the ground. Kristoff put a hand on his shoulder.

"You did good. You did real good."

Anna stroked Elsa's hair, kissing her on the cheek, eyes and temple. Then she held her head between her hands, studying her face for any sign of injury.

"Are you alright? Are you hurt?"

Elsa shook her head, but pain exploded from the base of her skull when she did, and she gripped the back of her head, grimacing.

"Oww!"

Anna ran her fingers along her sister's scalp and frowned.

"You've got a pretty nasty bump there, but I think you'll be okay."

She pulled Elsa close again, rocking from side to side. Elsa was trying to figure out where they were and what they were doing and how she'd ended up at the end of a rope hanging off a cliff, but she couldn't remember. Kristoff bent down next to them.

"Is she okay?"

Anna nodded. After a moment Elsa sat up, drawing her legs beneath her until she was on her knees. Anna knelt across from her, holding Elsa's elbows and watching with concern as Elsa blinked, trying to clear her vision.

"I'm so dizzy."

"Just take your time," Kristoff said. "You're going to be okay."

Elsa's thoughts were a jumble of mismatched memories, half-images, and garbled sounds. She tried again to recall what happened but the last thing she remembered was John getting off his horse and Kristoff leaving the sled behind. John said the bridge broke, but why was she the only one on it? She couldn't remember, but it was fortunate no one else was.

"She probably hit her head on the bridge," Kristoff said. "That's a good thing."

"How is that a good thing?" Anna asked.

"If she'd hit her head on the rocks, she wouldn't be here."

Olaf came over and put his hand on Elsa's shoulder as Sven nuzzled her cheek. The tickle of his whiskers made her chuckle and she scratched him under the chin.

"Are you alright?" Olaf asked.

Elsa mustered her best smile.

"Yes, I'll be okay."

She planted one foot on the ground, leaning on her knee with both hands.

"I want to stand up."

Anna grabbed her by the wrist and elbow as she helped her to her feet. Elsa waited for her head to stop swimming then became aware of a sharp pain gripping her calf like the claws of a wild animal. It shot up her thigh and she doubled over, squeezing her leg above the knee.

"Oww!"

"What? What's wrong?"

"My leg."

Elsa lifted her dress to inspect the throbbing limb. Red marks traced a criss-cross pattern around her calf and ankle, but she found no other sign of injury. She limped forward with Anna's help, testing how much weight she could put on her foot. Anna held on to her as she walked in a circle, her limp diminishing with each step.

"How's your head?" Kristoff asked.

"Better. Everything's still a little blurry, but the pain isn't so bad."

That was a lie, but she didn't want to worry them. The truth was, her head was pounding so hard it felt like the blows of a blacksmith's hammer, her vision distorting with each strike. And her leg burned as if it were on fire. But she pushed the pain away, forced the knots out of her brow so her expression wouldn't betray her charade. Despite the pain, she realized it could've been worse. Much worse. She'd been rescued from a fate that made her pain seem like paradise, and she had them to thank for it.

Bits of lost memories flashed through her mind, coalescing from where they'd been scattered. The snap of the ropes, the sudden drop, John clinging to Anna's horse for dear life. Then she remembered why she'd been on the bridge alone. John was afraid, no, terrified, and she'd tried to allay his fears.

"Where's John?"

Kristoff pointed to a patch of bare ground behind her where he sat with elbows on knees. Elsa went to him and he rose to meet her.

"Thank you," she said as they shared an embrace. Then she drew back, giving him a smile. "I know how hard that must've been for you."

John made a clicking sound with his tongue.

"Easiest decision I ever made."

"Would you like to do it again, then?"

John laughed.

"Perhaps another time. I think we've all had enough excitement for one day."

Elsa turned to Kristoff and Anna.

"Thank you. I owe my life to all of you."

"Well, if we're keeping track," Kristoff said, "I'd say you're still ahead of the game."

Kristoff went to the ledge, calling for Pumpkin to follow.

"Pull that bridge up."

The giant snowman grabbed the sides of the bridge and heaved it up, hand over hand, spooling the slack into a pile next to the chasm. When he reached the end Kristoff grabbed the frayed pieces of rope and inspected them. John joined him, but was careful not to get too close to the edge.

"What are you looking at?"

"These rope ends," Kristoff said, pointing to the damaged material. "I don't think they broke, they look like they were cut."

"What?" John said, stepping closer. "How can you be sure?"

"Look how smooth the end is," Kristoff traced a finger around the severed line. "It looks like someone cut around this and left just enough to hold the bridge up, until any weight was added."

"I'm such a fool," John said. "I should have expected as much." He looked back at Elsa. "Is there another way to the North Mountain?"

Elsa went to shake her head, then remembered the pain.

"No. Well, not close by, anyhow. There's another route that begins near Oaken's Trading Post, but it's quite a ways south and east from here. Why?"

"Would your guards have taken this route if they'd gone to the North Mountain?"

"Yes."

John looked back at Kristoff.

"If the bridge was sabotaged, why didn't it break when Elsa's guards crossed it?"

"Because it wasn't sabotaged until they were on the other side!"

John nodded.

"You think the guards did it?" Kristoff asked.

"It's the only plausible explanation. They must've known Elsa would come after them."

"Do you think they're all in on it?"

"I don't know."

Kristoff turned back to Elsa.

"How are you feeling? Can you go on or should we turn back?"

Anna grabbed her sister's hand.

"We need to get her back to Arendelle."

"No. I'm fine. I don't want to stop now."

"Elsa. You're hurt, we need to get you back home."

"I said no." She was more curt than she intended, a result of the pain in her throbbing head. "I want to go on."

Kristoff hesitated, as if he wasn't sure who to listen to. On the one hand, he had his fiancée, who he wasn't accustomed to defying. On the other hand, the queen of all the land. Perhaps it would've been an easy decision for another man, but he seemed to struggle for a few moments before saying, "Okay. If you want to keep going, can you get us across this gorge?"

Anna shot a look at Kristoff, as if she felt betrayed.

"Of course," Elsa said.

She went a few steps down from the bridge that lay in a heap next to the cliff, then raised her hands, sending a shower of glowing white crystals shooting out over the canyon. The icy spray swirled and spiraled in a stream of magical bursts, a gleaming sparkle of white light that left glowing trails in their wake. In the next instant a bridge appeared across the expanse, a two-man wide walkway bordered by a waist high railing laced with geometric patterns. The entire thing was covered with a thick white frost, a blanket of fuzzy ice crystals.

Elsa touched the railings and the frost disappeared beneath her hands. Then she flung her arms out and the frost peeled off the rest of the bridge, leaving behind a glassy structure glinting in the sunlight.

"There!" Elsa said, stepping back to admire her work. "That should do."

"It's beautiful!" Anna said.

Kristoff ran his hands across the smooth, incandescent railings.

"I never get tired of that."

"So you're an architect, too?" John said.

"I dabble a little," Elsa said with a smile.

Kristoff collected the horses, handing one to Anna, and they led them over the bridge, followed by Sven, Olaf and finally, John and Elsa. John gripped the railing as they crossed, his knuckles as white as the ice it was made of, even while Elsa held on to his arm for support. Once they were over everyone turned to Pumpkin who was still standing where they left him.

"C'mon Pumpkin!" Olaf said. "You can do it!"

The giant snowman looked at the bridge and then back at Olaf, who was beckoning from the other side.

"You can do it Pumpkin!" Anna said.

The snowman tested the bridge with one foot, but was too large to fit. He turned sideways and, while holding his arms out like a scarecrow, shuffled his feet from side to side. He continued to shimmy this way until he joined the rest of the company. Olaf patted him on the leg.

"See? That wasn't so bad, was it?"

John helped Elsa back onto her horse before mounting his own. Kristoff lifted Anna onto Sven's back and led them up the steep incline ahead. The trees gathered around them, silent spectators growing in number as they ascended, their branches joining hands above their heads, forming a network of dark tunnels twisting and turning in every direction. Elsa guided them without hesitation through the thickening forest until they found a narrow ridge which rose at a sharp angle, taking them above the tops of the trees.

The

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