“No, not me.” Donald’s head swiveled back and forth anxiously. “Well, we just gotta find one,” Sora said reassuringly. “Elsa’s in real trouble now.” Goofy was right. For now, they had to keep on pushing ahead. “Yeah. Larxene promised not to hurt her, but I trust those guys as far as I can throw ’em.” Elsa could definitely hold her own against the Heartless, but if the Organization was involved, that was another story. Donald didn’t want to abandon Elsa, either. “They’ve gotta be up to no good!” “Let’s go, then!” Sora and crew set out to find an exit to the maze. No one understands me. Elsa was trudging through the snowy mountains alone. She possessed a special power, a magical ability to create and control snow and ice. She’d had these powers ever since she was born as the first princess of Arendelle, although no one knew why. As a child, she used to play with her ice and snow, but ever since she’d hurt her younger sister with it, she had come to fear her power. There was no telling when it might harm someone else… Her sister’s life had been saved thanks to the trolls, but her power grew stronger with each passing day, until Elsa had begun to lock herself away in the castle in terror of what it might do. When her parents, the king and queen, perished in a tragic accident at sea, the time came for Elsa to assume her role as ruler of this land. Today was meant to be her coronation. However, she had failed to control her magical ability before all the visiting dignitaries who had come to see her take the throne. They had called her a monster, and she fled the castle. Now, the verdant countryside of Arendelle was covered by ice and snow. And it was all because of her… Elsa walked on in solitude. As long as I have this power, I’ll never be able to live with other people. I’ll always be at risk of hurting someone. And if that’s how it must be… After dealing with tons of annoying tricks and tedious numbers of Heartless, Sora, Donald, and Goofy finally burst through the exit of the icy labyrinth. They took a breather on the mountaintop, where the snow was still falling. “See her?” “I think she mighta gone in that direction,” said Goofy, who was looking down a path leading farther into the mountains. Any footprints Elsa might have left had been covered up by the snowfall, but Sora and his comrades weren’t about to let that deter them. “Okay, c’mon!” They continued making their way up the snow-piled ridges, and as soon as they reached the summit, they were blasted by a full-on blizzard. “Man, what gives…?” Sora groaned, just as he heard singing coming from somewhere. The snowy winds were carrying the voice from far away. The snow glows white on the mountain tonight Not a footprint to be seen A kingdom of isolation And it looks like I’m the queen The wind is howling like this swirling storm inside Couldn’t keep it in, heavens know I’ve tried “…What?” Goofy with his sharp ears was the first to recognize the singer. Sora and Donald quickly perked up as well. “That’s Elsa’s voice!” The melancholy in her singing made their hearts ache, but it was also truly beautiful. Don’t let them in Don’t let them see Be the good girl you always have to be Conceal, don’t feel Don’t let them know Well, now they know Sora took off running against the winds of the storm and toward the song—and he soon found Elsa not much farther ahead, up near the very top of the mountain. She threw away her single remaining glove, and countless snowflakes, each as beautiful as flowers, danced in and out of existence on her bare palm. Then, she created a little snowman. Let it go! Let it go! Can’t hold it back anymore Let it go! Let it go! Turn away and slam the door The look on Elsa’s face was far more peaceful than when they had first met her. The little crystals of ice around her glittered like jewels. I don’t care what they’re going to say Let the storm rage on The cold never bothered me anyway Elsa shed her cloak with radiant joy, and the wind carried it away. The melancholy was gone from her song, and the blizzard had subsided as well. It’s funny how some distance Makes everything seem small And the fears that once controlled me Can’t get to me at all Elsa broke into a run toward a place where she would be truly alone. It’s time to see what I can do. To test the limits and break through No right, no wrong, no rules for me I’m free! She created a frozen stairway from her hands and placed her foot on the first step. Snow became ice, and with a flash the stairs became a magnificent sculpture. Elsa raced up its steps with glee. Let it go! Let it go! I am one with the wind and sky Let it go! Let it go! You’ll never see me cry Here I stand and here I’ll stay Let the storm rage on Sora and crew stared up at her handiwork in awe. When she reached the top of the stairs, Elsa stomped her foot. A crystal of ice like a royal crest formed out around her foot, and from it, a castle began rising from the ground to greet her. My power flurries through the air into the ground My soul is spiraling in frozen fractals all around And one thought crystallizes like an icy blast Most people saw ice as something frigid and lifeless, but these structures were like beautiful flowers welcoming her home. Sora, Donald, and Goofy watched, breathless. I’m never going back The past is the past Let it go! Let it go! And I’ll rise like the break of dawn Let it go! Let it go! That perfect girl is gone Elsa abandoned her tiara, and her beautiful, exquisitely arranged hair tumbled to her shoulders as a braid. Her clothes transformed, too, into a gleaming blue dress and a swirling cape with thousands of tiny ice crystals like diamonds. Here I stand in the light of day Let the storm rage on! The cold never bothered me anyway With the last line of her song, the sun broke through the horizon. Elsa strode to the balcony as a true snow queen, full of confidence, gazed at the breaking dawn, and grinned. With a swirl of her cape, she marched back into her castle, and the doors of the balcony slammed shut behind her. “Wow. I don’t know what we just saw but…wow. That…was Elsa?” Sora whispered in awe as he took in the view of the castle. “She looked different…,” said Donald. “And a lot happier, too…,” added Goofy. His friends seemed as starstruck as he was, and they were having trouble even finding the words. Still, the Organization was up to something in this world, so they had to speak to Elsa. Unfortunately, Larxene chose that very moment to appear right in their way from a Corridor of Darkness. “Please don’t tell me that you’re spying on her now.” “Larxene! Don’t turn this around on us. You’re following her,” Sora retorted, ready for a fight. Larxene answered with a mocking snort. “Ooh. Look at you get all sassy. Okay, I’ll admit Elsa is a person of interest to us. Maybe she’s one of the seven pure lights we need—the New Seven Hearts. Gotta make sure though. Fortunately, we’re in the best position to tell. Can’t pick out that special ‘glimmer’…unless you’re standing in the shadows.” The New Seven Hearts—that Marluxia guy mentioned them, too. Larxene turned and admired Elsa’s bastion. “And maybe…Elsa doesn’t have it. I mean, just look at how icy her palace is—made of magic she forced herself to keep hidden until now. What if it’s dark magic?” She seemed fascinated by the idea. “Elsa would never rely on the darkness!” Sora rejected that possibility immediately. Dark magic? No way. “Actually, it’s still too early to call. Depends on how she sees it. If she believes her magic is darkness, that’s what it will become. Accepting her power, whatever it is, is the only way she can set her heart free. So what will Elsa accept? Light or darkness? I know I wanna know!” Elsa’s power was undeniable; she could even take out Heartless in an instant. But that didn’t mean anything. “Well, good for you, but guess what? I won’t let her fall to darkness!” Sora vowed. “It’s her choice, not yours. You know, I’m starting to understand why she gave you the cold shoulder.” Larxene held up her left hand, crackling with lightning, and then blasted them with a powerful gust of wind. “Larxene!” Sora, Donald, and Goofy tried their hardest to resist, but… “You wanna help her? Then stop trying to be her hero! Let her figure things out her own way!” The crackling electricity around Larxene grew brighter, and the gust hammered against the trio with renewed force while it sucked up the snow nearby. Sora, Donald, and Goofy could hardly keep their eyes open, and when the bolts of lightning started battering them, too, it was no surprise when the storm sent them right off the edge of the mountain. Next time, remember. I said that—but I feel like I’ve forgotten something important myself. Not that remembering’s done much good for me. But…some things, you shouldn’t forget. In fact, I’m pretty sure I’ve let a lot slip away already—things I really shouldn’t have. There’s a lot of those. Recently, it’s been hard to tell if I really remember or not. This isn’t the first time, either. I don’t know how many times it’s happened before—but I can tell it’s more than one. It feels…weird, like waking up from a dream. Or maybe it’s all in my head. Ugh, they all look so stupid, scrabbling around to accomplish their little goals. Just like in the castle, when we were trying to take over the Organization. To this day, I still wonder why Marluxia chose me as his partner in crime. I can’t remember, if he ever told me at all, and I can’t even begin to guess. Ah well. Maybe it’ll come back to me one of these days. Sora, Donald, and Goofy regained consciousness in the mountains. “Donald! Goofy! Are you okay?” Sora pushed himself up as he spotted his friends. Donald was stuck headfirst in the snow, and he had to kick his feet for a moment before finally managing to pull himself out. “I’m okay…” Goofy was completely buried in a drift except for his arms. Sora took hold of his hands and pulled. “All good!” Thankfully, the snow was soft enough that none of them had any injuries. “I think we should probably go check on Elsa,” Sora said. He never was one to give up. “And make sure Larxene was wrong about her magic,” Goofy added. While Elsa’s power was a cause for concern, Sora also wanted to be sure to tell the queen to watch out for the Organization. “But don’t you tell her what Larxene said,” Donald warned him. “Huh? Why not?” “Well, to keep the order,” Goofy reminded. Sora thought it over for a moment. “Oh… Okay.” Guess I’ll just have to let her know she’s in danger without bringing up anything Larxene said. “All right, let’s get moving.” Sora had just turned to head back to the castle when one of Goofy’s ears twitched. “Wait, fellas. Do ya hear that?” He stood stock-still with one ear up. “Look!” Donald exclaimed as he looked toward the source of the noise—a wall of powdery snow barreling down from the mountaintop at tremendous speed. “Avalaaanche!” the trio screamed. Goofy swiftly grabbed his shield and threw it on top of the snow. “Quick, climb aboard!” Sora and Donald hopped on, and Goofy quickly joined them. They were going to use the shield as a sled to stay ahead of the falling snow. “Here we go!” To make matters worse, a Heartless shaped like a dragon made of ice called a Frost Serpent emerged from the snow and began chasing them as they raced down the mountain. “Ack!” The Frost Serpent’s icy breath hit them full blast, and Donald would have fallen off the shield if Sora hadn’t grabbed hold of his shirt. “C’mon, c’mon!” Sora and Donald fired off spells at the Heartless as they wove their way through the trees. They managed to stop the Frost Serpent, but the avalanche finally overtook them and knocked out the three friends yet again. “Wow! Look at all the pretty colors. There’s blue, and green—ooh, I love green! And look, black.” Sora heard a strange voice. “Just like my buttons. Hmm?” He felt something weird on his head, too. Sora blinked his eyes open and saw landscape covered with the same familiar snow, except— “Silly spiky grass. Give me back my foot.” Something plucked a ball of snow from Sora’s head and attached it as its own foot, then tromped off. From behind, it looked like…a snowman? Sora sat up, confused. “Huh? Uh…did you see that snowman?” “Snowman?” asked Donald, who had just regained consciousness himself. “Yeah. And here’s the funny thing: He was walking and talking.” “Everybody knows snowmen can’t walk. You must have imagined it,” Donald argued, and now Sora wasn’t so sure anymore. “Huh… I thought he was real.” I wonder what it was, then. Goofy had apparently noticed the visitor, too. “Well, maybe we’ll see him again. But if we don’t get goin’, we’ll never reach Elsa’s palace.” Oh yeah, we were on our way to talk to Elsa. “C’mon!” Sora and his friends started making their way through the forest. Tiny, twinkling crystals of ice hung from the trees like new blossoms. It wasn’t long before they saw some people crossing their path up ahead. There was a man in the lead, followed by a woman, a reindeer, and then— “I can’t wait to meet Elsa. I bet she’s the nicest, warmest, best person ever.” —the snowman! He seemed very excited about something. “See? I told you!” Sora crowed. “A walking, talking snowman.” “Well, whaddaya know? You were right!” Goofy nodded next to Donald, who was paralyzed with shock. “I wanna look!” Sora rushed over and jumped out in front of the snowman. He had a carrot nose and sticks for arms, and even a few small twigs in his head for hair. “Wow! You really are alive! What’s making you walk?” “Um, well, I guess…my feet.” The snowman showed Sora one of the two snowballs he used to walk. Then, the girl who had been traveling with the group approached. For someone who was friends with a snowman, she seemed like a very normal young woman, with auburn hair she wore in two braids. “Hello. Olaf, are these your friends?” “Nope! Never met ’em. Don’t know anyone blue, green, or who’s oddly spiky,” said the snowman named Olaf, shaking his head. “‘Spiky’? My hair? Wait, why don’t I get a color, too? My name is Sora.” “And I’m Donald Duck!” The two stepped closer to Olaf, not particularly pleased by his choice of description. “Oh,” replied Olaf. Goofy, on the other hand, introduced himself as calmly as ever. “And I’d be Goofy the Green!” “I’m Anna,” said the girl. The man next to her crossed his arms and eyed them suspiciously. “And I know they’re strangers, but…they seem pretty nice to me,” Anna told him. Finally, he nodded to her and then dipped his head in greeting to Sora and crew. “I’m Kristoff, and this is Sven,” he said, introducing the reindeer next to him. “Nice to meet ya,” Goofy said back. “So, where are all you guys headed?” Sora asked, and Anna and Kristoff shared a look. Kristoff was the one who answered first. “We’re going to try and put an end to this crazy winter.” “And to do that, we need to find my sister, Elsa,” Anna added, much to Sora’s surprise. “Elsa’s…your sister?” Now that you mention it, Anna and Elsa do look alike. “What a coincidence. We’re going to see her, too,” Goofy told her. An apprehensive look passed over Anna’s face. “You know Elsa?” “Yeah, we ran into her up the mountain. Do you mind telling us what’s going on here?” Sora wanted to tell them everything he could, especially since she was one of the New Seven Hearts the Organization kept talking about. But he wasn’t allowed to talk about anything Larxene had mentioned. “We’re worried. We think your sister might be in some trouble.” “Trouble? Are you sure?” Anna’s calm expression quickly turned to worry, and she looked at Sora closely. “All right. I know we just met, but…Sora, was it? I get the feeling that you’re someone to trust.” “I’m right there with ya,” Kristoff agreed. “I just hope you like long stories.” Kristoff patted Sven the reindeer on the head. “Ya know, I should go find some moss for Sven. He’s looking a little hungry. C’mon, Sven.” Olaf started scampering around excitedly. “Hey, w-w-w-wait, what’s going on? Tell me. Is something happening?” he asked, but Kristoff just picked him up, too. The situation was complicated, he knew, and he wanted to give Sora and Anna some space to talk. “C’mon, Olaf. You’re with me.” “Sure, Sven. Reindeer Sven, too?” “The reindeer is Sven.” The two of them bantered back and forth as they walked away. Once Anna saw they were gone, she sat down on a fallen tree nearby, and Sora joined her. “When we were little, my sister and I used to be really close,” she said, beginning her tale. “But then, one day, for some reason, Elsa just shut me out. We used to build snowmen together, but now Elsa hardly ever left her room. Years passed and we barely saw each other. Then, finally, it was time for her coronation. Let’s just say I was more than a little excited. I thought we’d finally have a chance to talk. But at the party, I did something that made her mad. We got into an argument, and I lost my temper. I was just so frustrated! And then, well…that’s when she used her magic to push me away. It was all my fault.” Anna lowered her eyes, trying not to cry. “I shouldn’t have upset her the way I did. Elsa ran away because she was frightened. I have to bring her home.” “I’m sure she knows how much you love her.” Sora did some reminiscing of his own. Elsa looked like she was carrying some awful burden when I saw her before, and now I remember where I saw it. It was the expression Riku had when he disappeared and we closed the door to Kingdom Hearts. Sometimes you push people away because they matter so much to you. I know Elsa loves Anna a whole lot. “If anyone can help her, it’s you.” That was what Sora wanted her to know, that she and her sister could be as close as they once were, just as he and Riku were fighting alongside each other now. “Thanks,” she replied with a smile. Suddenly, they heard Kristoff calling out to them. “Hey, guys! I need some help!” With a quick look at each other, Sora and Anna stood up from the log and hurried over to Kristoff and the others. “What’s the problem?” “This.” Kristoff had a single thin branch in his hand. “A stick problem?” Donald asked. “It’s not a stick,” Kristoff replied. “Well, it is a stick, but it—it’s Olaf’s arm.” This is Olaf’s arm? Kristoff let out a weary sigh. “He’s fallen apart again.” “Uh, how come you’re not upset?” Donald asked uneasily. “Oh, it’s no big deal. He’s a snowman. We’ll just…put him back together,” Anna said in a reassuring tone. Would that really be enough? Sora and his friends didn’t seem so certain. “The pieces can’t be too far from here,” said Kristoff. “Could you guys help us look for ’em?” “’Course!” The three heroes accepted the task readily and got straight to searching. Unfortunately— “Everything’s all white; I can’t see Olaf anywhere,” Goofy was the first to complain. How were they supposed to find the parts of a white snowman in a field of white snow? “Let’s just search everywhere,” Sora suggested, and the three of them got to work. Now that the snowfall had stopped, the sunlight reflecting off the white terrain was almost blinding. “There’s a big snowball over here!” Donald called. “That one’s too big!” Sora replied after taking a look. “It’s so big, you can even ride it!” Goofy hopped on top of the ball and began rolling it around with his feet. “C’mon, Goofy! This is no time to play around!” Donald scolded, hopping around angrily, but Goofy was having a great time. “A-hyuck!” That was when they heard Olaf’s voice. “Oh, I’m so dizzy! The world’s spinning around and around and around!” Aha, so he was inside the snowball! Goofy rammed the ball into a stone embankment, and the snowman’s head popped right out. “There you are!” Sora scooped up Olaf’s head from the ground. “The world’s still spinning…” This wasn’t going to be enough, though. Sora and the others ran all over the snowfield carrying Olaf’s very talkative head. “Whoop, careful, now! Gently, please!” “Now for his body.” “Wak? I see something weird over there.” Donald rubbed his eyes to be sure, but those lumps of snow were definitely moving around. “It’s a foot!” “My foot!” Sora chased after it, still carrying Olaf’s head. “Can’t you make them stop?” “Huh, my feet? Maybe… Hey, feet!” Olaf shouted, and the feet came to a halt. Goofy jumped over and grabbed them. “A-hyuck! Maybe we can just stick ’em on his head.” “No! This is too low. I need my body!” complained Olaf, who was now just a head on top of a pair of feet. Yeah, it wasn’t a great look for him. “You help, too, Olaf!” “Okay!” Sora and the snowman had just started the search again when Donald called to them from a ways off. “What about this? I think it got kinda dirty rolling around.” “Pffft, silly! I’m clean and snowy, and that’s a ball of mud.” “Might still work, though,” commented Goofy as he inspected the clod, much to Sora and Donald’s amusement. “Nuh-uh!” “No? Okay then, on to the next!” Sora said brightly to Olaf. But they didn’t have much luck. “Do you remember where it fell off?” Sora finally asked. The armless and bodiless snowman fell into thought. “Hmm…” “There it is!” Goofy was the one who finally discovered Olaf’s body at the base of an iced-over tree. “Yay! But wait, what about my arms?” “Anna probably has them. Let’s head back!” Sora told him, and then everyone walked back over to her. “And that should…do it,” Anna said with an approving nod as she put the last stick in Olaf. “You sure something’s not missin’?” “Nah. Looks right,” Kristoff said with satisfaction, but Goofy still wasn’t so sure. Yeah, there’s definitely something missing. Now that he was supposedly whole again, Olaf was checking himself over. “Wow, I feel so much better. Wait! Where’s my new cute nose? The one Anna gave me!” “Uh, Sora… Do you have his nose?” Anna asked. Sora and Donald looked to each other for confirmation. “I don’t think so.” “Nope, didn’t see it.” Meanwhile, Olaf was fixated on the state of his face. That was when an idea came to Kristoff, and he turned to his reindeer friend. “Sven…” The reindeer blinked as Kristoff leaned in to look him dead in the eye, and then the jig was up. He opened his mouth, and out popped a big carrot. “‘Someone had to pick it up!’” Kristoff said in the silly voice he used to speak for Sven. “You’re right, buddy. Thanks for finding it…and not actually eating it. ‘Aw, you’re welcome.’” While he was busy acting out a conversation between himself and the reindeer, Anna put the carrot back where it belonged on Olaf’s face. “My nose, it’s back! Oh, I love having a nose!” he exclaimed, rubbing it happily. Actually, I wonder why he came apart in the first place? “Hey, Kristoff,” Sora said, “how’d all this happen, anyway?” “You know, I’m not sure. These weird animals—well, they were more like monsters—they just crashed into Olaf.” Monsters? Needless to say, Sora and his friends had a good hunch who those might be. “The Heartless again!” exclaimed Donald, putting a name to the culprits. “The ‘Heart-less’? Hmm… And I thought the wolves around here were bad.” Kristoff crossed his arms, thinking over the situation, when… “Kristoff, look!” Anna shouted as she noticed something. She was pointing at a pack of Heartless a short distance away. They were making a beeline right for them. “They’re back!” exclaimed Kristoff. Olaf waved his hands. “No… I’ve already fallen apart today!” Sora stepped out in front of the three non-combatants and got his Keyblade ready for battle. “We know how to handle them! Anna, Kristoff, keep going!” “Okay!” answered Kristoff, leading Anna away as Sora and his friends rushed into the fight. Not long after parting ways with Sora, Donald, and Goofy, Kristoff and Anna arrived at the ice palace. With Kristoff and Olaf at her side, Anna climbed the staircase so she could speak with Elsa. It was a beautiful castle like nothing she had ever seen before—her big sister had created this magical place. The quarrel between them had begun when Anna told Elsa she wanted to marry someone. She knew all this had started with her, but Anna never meant for her sister to leave home completely. Anna asked her companions to stay in the front hall, then ventured deeper inside alone to find Elsa. And then…there she was. Anna looked anxiously at her sister. Elsa wouldn’t turn around. “You kind of set off an eternal winter…everywhere,” Anna told her haltingly. Shocked, Elsa finally looked at her. “Everywhere?” They were indoors, but snow was beginning to fall between them. “Well, it’s okay. You can just unfreeze it,” Anna said hopefully, but Elsa only shook her head. The snow was coming down thicker now. “No, I can’t. I don’t know how.” “Sure you can. I know you can,” Anna continued encouragingly. Elsa wasn’t convinced, though, and the falling snow inside was becoming a storm. Anna stepped closer to Elsa, but her sister clutched her head in pain. “I can’t!” she shouted, unintentionally flinging out ice. The snowfall ceased in an instant as the magic pierced Anna’s heart. A sudden burst of stabbing pain shot through Sora’s chest. When Sora, Donald, and Goofy had arrived at the palace to meet Elsa, they had found Sven at the bottom of the stairs and decided to wait for Anna and the others there. That’s when the pain hit. “Sora?” “Are ya hurt?” Donald and Goofy huddled around Sora when his hand clutched at his chest. Why does it hurt so bad? “No, I’m fine. But…I think something terrible must have happened.” Sora looked up at the castle of ice where Anna and Elsa were probably speaking right now. Ngh, and it still really hurts. I just hope everyone’s okay— The doors of the palace abruptly flew open. “What?” the three friends cried out in surprise as an enormous snow giant, Marshmallow, came out with Anna and Kristoff in his left hand and Olaf in his right. “Go away!” Marshmallow rumbled, then hurled Anna and Kristoff away. They slid down the steps and came to rest against a snowdrift. Olaf followed shortly after, in three pieces again. “Hey! It is not nice to throw people!” Anna shouted furiously, winding up to throw a snowball at Marshmallow. “Whoa-whoa-whoa, feisty-pants,” Kristoff said as he held her back. “Let me go!” “Okay, relax. Just calm down. Calm down.” “Okay! All right! I’m okay.” “Just let the snowman be.” “I’m calm.” “Great.” Kristoff let go, believing he had calmed Anna down—and that was a mistake. She launched the snowball, and Marshmallow answered with a bellow of rage. “Aw, see? Now you made him mad.” “I’ll distract him. You guys go,” Olaf declared courageously, although it was hard to see how he would be much help in pieces. Still, he must have bought at least a little time, because Anna and Kristoff were able to get away safely. “We’ll take it from here!” Now it was Sora and his friends’ turn to confront Marshmallow—but the snow giant’s terrifying, thunderous roar overwhelmed them. Never mind—we gotta run for it! Sora, Donald, and Goofy headed for the hills at top speed. Their sprint brought them to the snowy field, where they weaved their way through the trees with Marshmallow hot on their heels. He was much faster than they had imagined. Well, at least we’re doing a good job as decoys. I hope Anna and the others got away—I don’t think we’ll be so lucky. “Huh? Where’s Goofy?” “Hey, Sora! I got an idea!” Sora suddenly realized that somewhere in the middle of their mad dash, Goofy had changed course. He was waving at them from beneath a tree—a tree that had bent all the way to the ground under the weight of the snow piled on top of it. Donald managed to lose his temper, even while he was running. “Goofy, what are you doing?” “Over here!” “Huh? Oh, I get it!” Sora said as he realized what Goofy wanted him to do. Marshmallow was almost on top of them. Sora and Donald hurried over to the tree where their friend stood. Goofy took hold of the top of the tree, and it tried to spring back upright again. Sora grabbed onto Goofy and pulled to bend it down again. Marshmallow was almost close enough! “Get ready…Okay, now!” Goofy let go, and the tree snapped up and smacked Marshmallow right in the face, knocking the colossal snow monster for a loop. He wouldn’t be going anywhere for a bit. “Oh, yeah!” Sora and Goofy gave each other a high five, but then Donald butted in between them with his staff. “He’s not done…” Sora and Goofy responded by holding up Keyblade and shield, respectively. “Bring it, snowball!” Marshmallow had come back to his senses, ready to threaten Sora and his friends once more. Sora dodged an attack and tumbled through the snow, sending up thick plumes of white powder. The snow giant replied with a blast of icy breath at them. “Wak!” Donald yelped as he was frozen solid. “Donald!” Sora shouted, just as the frigid spray turned in his direction. Marshmallow wasn’t a Heartless, but he was still a tough opponent nevertheless. Relief filled Sora once he saw Donald moving again (albeit stiffly) and cast some fire magic at the snow giant. “Sora, let’s give ’im another bonk on the head!” Goofy called to him from the bottom of another tree bowed over with snow. “On my way!” When Marshmallow reared back for a stomp, Sora dashed by underneath his foot and grabbed onto Goofy. They waited for just the right moment, then let go and dealt another blow to Marshmallow’s noggin with the tree. The snow giant roared—and icy spikes sprouted from his body. He stomped and flailed around the snowfield, laying waste to everything nearby, “Whoa-whoa-whoa!” Sora and Goofy frantically ran this way and that and finally hid behind a boulder. Donald hurried over to join them. Marshmallow stopped his rampage to hunt for his three targets. “Now!” cried Sora as he jumped out of cover, but the snow giant had a blast of ice breath ready for him. Sora just barely managed to dodge it, but Marshmallow kept on the attack. Gasping for breath, Sora, Donald, and Goofy glared at the snowy goliath. He was gradually forcing them farther and farther back toward the precipice behind them. They had to do something— But then Marshmallow slammed his arms into the ground, filling the air with powdered snow. And that was when they realized the ground itself beneath them was crumbling. “Uh-ohhh!” “Gwawawaaak!” “Yaaa-hoo-hoo-hoo-hooey!” The trio yelled as they plummeted down headfirst. “Good thing snow’s so soft. We could do this a hundred times,” Sora mumbled, sprawled out in a daze. “No! Let’s not,” Donald quacked irritably as he shook the snow off. As always, Goofy took everything in stride. “Ya sure you don’t wanna go again?” Sora huffed out a big sigh and clambered to his feet. “Nooo, thank you!” They looked around, but there was no sign of Marshmallow. “Do you think everybody else made it?” I certainly hope so. Goofy and Donald were thinking the same thing. “I don’t think the snow monster got ’em.” “They probably went back to the palace.” They can knock us down to the bottom all they want; we’ll still try to help Anna and Elsa. I’m sure it’s the same for them—they still care about each other, too, even after everything. “Makes sense. For us, too. We still need to talk to Elsa.” So maybe we’ve never managed to stay at the top of the mountain for very long, but whatever! “Back to the ice palace!” Sora declared, steeling himself for what would be their third trip to Elsa’s castle. I’m getting used to trekking through these snowy mountains, and the slopes are kinda fun to slide down. I think I’ve had enough of falling off the top, though. Once they reached the snowfield, Sora spied someone in the distance. “Is that Elsa…?” He peered more closely and saw a man carrying the limp form of a woman over his shoulder—a woman who looked like the queen. “Who’s that guy?” Something wasn’t right, here. Sora had never seen this man before; he was nothing like Kristoff. “Do ya think someone from the castle came to escort her home?” Goofy proposed. Sora got the feeling that was only half right. “That doesn’t look like an escort job to me.” Yeah, if she was going back home willingly, she wouldn’t be unconscious. The three of them took another hard look. “Wak, get a load of that!” Donald cried A dark mist was emanating from the man’s body. “Darkness?” Goofy asked with a grim expression. Sora set his lips in a firm line. “We have to go after them!” Sora, Donald, and Goofy tried to catch up, but the man was surprisingly quick. They couldn’t seem to gain any ground. Just as Sora was starting to panic a little, Marshmallow appeared again in a plume of snow. Everyone prepared for a fight, but oddly enough, the giant snowman passed right by as if he couldn’t see them at all. He seemed to have his sights set on something else. “Hey! You’d better not have hurt our friends!” Sora shouted, but Marshmallow ignored him and kept on walking. “Elsaaa!” the giant bellowed. Sora called after Marshmallow. “Hey, wait up! Are you looking for Elsa, too?” The snow giant came to a halt and raised his arms in a threatening manner, and Sora realized his guess was right. “Whoa! Eeeasy! Do you wanna save her from the bad guy? We’re on the same side,” Sora said. Marshmallow lowered his arms, and his expression turned to something sad. The colossal snowman sighed her name dejectedly. “Elsa…” “I guess all he ever wanted to do was keep Elsa safe,” Goofy surmised. Yeah, I bet he’s right. Marshmallow had thrown Anna and the others out of the castle, then chased down Sora and his friends just to keep Elsa away from harm. Sora took a deep breath and called out to him. “Hey. We should team up, big guy.” Marshmallow nodded slowly. “Team up?!” Donald quacked in protest. He wasn’t a fan of the idea; after all, they had been enemies until just recently, and their second fall off a cliff was Marshmallow’s fault. Sora was not about to be dissuaded, though. “C’mon,” he chided. “We wanna help her, too. Why not?” He looked up at Marshmallow. “So, whaddaya say?” This time, the giant snowman’s nod was much more enthusiastic, and with that, the four of them set off as a team. “Sora!” Donald still wasn’t convinced, so Goofy ambled over to him. “One great thing about Sora—he can always make friends with anybody,” he whispered. “Yippee…” Donald sighed with a smile, accepting that he’d lost this round. “Donald! Goofy! C’mon.” The two of them hurried off after Sora. Since they were buddies with Marshmallow now, their new recruit gave them a ride on his big shoulders. “What an amazing view!” Sora stood up and surveyed the gorgeous snow-covered vista. “This is no time for sightseeing! We’ve got to catch up to Elsa!” Donald snapped in an attempt to hurry them up. “We know that, don’t we?” Sora said to Marshmallow, who nodded and began to pick up the pace. Soon enough they heard a voice. “Stop it. Put me down!” That’s Kristoff. We finally found them! But what about Anna? “Do me a favor and wait here. If you come along, Kristoff might freak out.” Marshmallow lowered everyone to the ground as Sora asked. “No, Sven! We’re not going back. She’s with her true love.” Sora, Donald, and Goofy came running up to Kristoff and Sven and found them arguing about something. Was Sven trying to get Kristoff to go somewhere? The reindeer kept butting up against him. “Kristoff!” “Sora.” “You all right?” The quarrel briefly ended as Sora walked over. “Yeah, I’m fine. I’m glad you guys are safe.” “Where’d Anna go?” Sora asked. She should’ve been with them, but there was no sign of her. Sven lowered his head sadly. “She’s back at home.” “Something happen?” The pain on Kristoff’s face remained as he answered. “Anna was struck in the heart by Elsa’s ice magic. If the ice isn’t removed, she’ll freeze forever. Only an act of true love can thaw a frozen heart. So I took her back to Arendelle and her true love, Hans.” True love…? Hans…? What’s going on here? Confused, Sora asked the first question that popped into his head straight out. “But…what about you?” Kristoff answered Sora’s question with one of his own. “What about me?” “Uh, I sorta assumed you guys were…” “Nooo! I just keep her from getting lost.” “Really? Oh, but you seem so…” The two of them were both surprised, so Goofy finished the sentence. “Perfect together!” “Yeah, like me and Daisy!” Donald added. Daisy was his girlfriend back at Disney Castle. As Kristoff’s face flushed bright red with embarrassment, a powerful gust of snowy wind howled by. “What?” Kristoff raised his head and looked down the mountain at Arendelle Castle, where the blizzard was coming from. What was going on down there…? “Anna,” he murmured, then took off running. Sven hurried after him. Marshmallow arrived next to the trio, who were still a little stunned. “Elsa…,” the snow giant grunted, a finger pointed at Arendelle. “Is that where Elsa is?” Marshmallow answered with a roar. So Elsa’s at the castle—! Sora looked toward Arendelle, then set off at a run. “Let’s go!” Donald, Goofy, and Marshmallow followed him into the swirling headwind. The four of them tried to slide down the slope all the way to Arendelle, but the snow and wind was getting worse. They tried making their way forward one step at a time, but that didn’t go as planned, either. What’s worse, the snow was beginning to sting. They were almost out of ideas when Marshmallow stepped to the front to shield the others from the elements. That made things a little easier. “Thanks.” The giant snowman roared. Still, this blizzard isn’t stopping. Actually, it’s getting worse. We’ve got to hurry. The sea around Arendelle was frozen solid. Several ships were moored there, stuck fast in the ice at odd angles. Anna trudged weakly across the icy surface, fingertips trembling slightly, and each breath left her mouth in a cold white cloud. She was about to freeze solid herself. That was how Kristoff found her. “Anna!” Hearing her name, she realized who had come. “Kristoff…” He ran toward her, but she heard the soft shing of a sword leaving its sheath. A man was about to strike down her sister—a man named Hans. Anna gave another wistful look at Kristoff, running desperately to save her, then turned away from him and rushed toward Elsa. Hans’s sword slashed down, but just before the blow landed, Anna leaped between them to protect her sister, her right hand outstretched. “Nooo!” Anna screamed—her last word as she turned to ice. Just as her fingertips froze, the blade shattered on contact with her hand, and the shock sent Hans hurtling back. “Anna…” When they finally arrived, Sora, Donald, and Goofy spotted the statue of ice that had once been Anna. We were too late…! Hans lay unconscious on the frozen sea, and a pitch-black shadow swirled up from around his body, flowing around Sora and his friends until it had completely swallowed them. When they opened their eyes, they were face-to-face with a Heartless in the form of an enormous white wolf—Sköll. Sora readied his Keyblade, while Goofy raised his shield. “Do ya really think this will help Anna?” he asked. “I don’t know…but we’d better try something!” Sora replied with a steely glare at their foe. “Let’s get it!” Donald shouted. That was when an unexpected ally appeared behind the trio with a mighty bellow—Marshmallow had apparently come to aid them in the battle. The snow giant quickly picked up Sora and placed him on his back, and the two of them went after Sköll together. The wolf Heartless raked Marshmallow with its sharp claws, but the giant snowman didn’t even flinch. Instead, he brought down his arms like hammers, stunning Sköll. Donald used the opening to fire off spells, while Goofy rammed it with his shield. Sora leaped off Marshmallow and brought his Keyblade down on the Heartless. Sköll howled and whirled its tail around, and Sora went on the defensive, flinging himself out of the way. “We’ve got more company!” warned Goofy. Sora looked up to see several smaller Heartless that looked like smaller, autonomous versions of Sköll’s head. “Leave these guys to me!” Donald shouted as he intercepted the new arrivals. Marshmallow joined in, too, and the two of them took care of the Wolf Heads while Sora focused on Sköll. The Heartless let out yet another howl, warning Sora to lower his center of gravity into a defensive stance and brace for another ferocious tail attack. But instead, the wolf leaped high into the air and transformed into a gigantic black orb. Inky drops poured from its surface. Marshmallow came and stood over Sora to shield him as the dark sun came crashing down like the sky itself. The black rain was still falling all around them. “Gwoooorgh!” Marshmallow took the full brunt of the attack with an ear-shattering roar. “You got this!” Sora shouted, cheering him on as he whirled his Keyblade to wound Sköll. “Come on…!” Finally, he broke through! The vicious barrage ended as the Heartless turned back into its wolf form and glared menacingly at its foes. With its last bit of strength, Sköll turned back into a black sphere, rose into the air, and exploded with a dark flash. Marshmallow planted himself in front of Sora, Donald, and Goofy, protecting them from that final attack, but it was too much even for him. As the blast knocked all four of them away, the shadows dispersed with a gust of wind. The next thing Sora knew, he was back. But here, even time itself seemed to be frozen. All he could hear was Elsa sobbing as she clung to the icy form of her sister. Kristoff, Sven, and Olaf stood watching over her, unable to do anything else. Elsa sobbed and sobbed—and then, a miracle occurred. Anna began to thaw, bit by bit, in her sister’s arms. Olaf was the first to notice, a huge grin spreading on his face. Then Sven nudged Kristoff, urging him to look up. When he finally raised his head, his face lit up with hope.
Chapter 20
38 min read