The winds were picking up as the storm raged throughout Arendelle. The snow continued to fall, and the air was frigid. The ice blocks in the fjord were beginning to shift, which made walking on the frozen surface dangerous.
The snow hit Anna’s face hard, blinding her, but she and Olaf continued. She held her hand up to shield her eyes when she reached the shore. It broke her heart to see the fjord waters frozen into solid blocks and the ships turned on their sides.
“Kristoff!” she called out weakly. She couldn’t see him, but she knew he was coming over the fjord — and she knew he was her last chance for survival. The ice was still spreading through her heart, making her weaker and weaker. She was determined, but was losing strength with each step.
The snow was swirling wildly now, covering everything. “Whoa!” Olaf cried as the wind lifted him up and took him from Anna.
Not far away, but completely engulfed in the snowstorm, Kristoff was riding on Sven’s back, racing desperately toward Anna. As he passed over the fjord, a ship that was wedged in the thick ice in front of him began to shift and wobble . “Come on! Come on!” Kristoff urged Sven.
At that moment, the ice in front of Kristoff shifted again and caused the ship to drop, splintering the surface. Sven bravely jumped over the frigid waters and bucked his rider off to safety. Then the reindeer fell into the water.
“Sven!” Kristoff screamed. “Sven!”
With a mighty effort, Sven leaped out of the water and landed safely on a floating piece of ice. He nodded, signaling that he was all right.
“Good boy,” Kristoff called. He turned back to find Anna.
Hans was also out on the frozen fjord, struggling through the storm. He was pursuing Elsa, however — and he nearly had her. “Elsa!” he yelled loudly through the howling winds. “You can’t run from this!”
“Don’t try to stop me,” Elsa called back to him. “Just take care of my sister.”
“Your sister?” Hans laughed. “She returned from the mountain weak and cold. She said you froze her heart.”
Elsa gasped. “No!” She was overwhelmed by what her powers had done. Her worst fears had come true. “I tried to save her,” Hans lied. “But it was too late. Her skin was ice. Her hair turned white. Your sister is dead because of you.”
Elsa dropped to her knees and put her head in her hands.
The storm stopped abruptly in response to Elsa’s overwhelming despair. The winds and the driving snow ceased, leaving snowflakes suspended in the air.
In the sudden stillness, Kristoff finally spotted Anna. She was clutching her chest and her skin was pale, almost white. Her strength was decreasing with each passing moment.
Barely able to speak, she uttered his name and fell to her knees. “Kristoff.”
“Anna! Anna!” Kristoff called desperately as he ran toward her.
In the quiet air, the people of Arendelle gathered at the shore, staring out at the frozen fjord. The view was finally clear, and they could see their queen kneeling on the ice, her head bowed. Prince Hans stood just behind her.
第21章
暴風雪依舊肆虐著艾倫戴爾,寒風的凜冽絲毫不減。大雪繼續(xù)下著,空氣似乎都被凍住了。峽灣里的冰塊開始移動,在上面行走變得很危險。
大雪撲面而來,安娜快睜不開眼睛了,但她和雪寶還在繼續(xù)前進。當她到岸邊的時候,她抬起手保護眼睛。當看到峽灣的海水都凍成了堅硬的冰塊,船只都翻倒了,安娜傷心極了。
“克斯托夫!”她虛弱地喊道。她看不見他,但她知道他正往峽灣這邊奔來,她知道他是自己活下來最后的希望。冰雪在她的心臟上繼續(xù)蔓延,她變得越來越虛弱了。她意志堅定,但每走一步都十分費力。
暴風雪變得異常凜冽,一切都被冰雪包裹住了。“啊!”雪寶被風刮到了半空中,離開了安娜。
盡管克斯托夫在不遠處,但他完全被暴風雪所淹沒,他騎在斯特的背上,不顧一切地向安娜飛奔過去。在他經(jīng)過峽灣的時候,他前方一艘困在厚厚冰層里的船開始晃動起來。“快!快!”克斯托夫催促斯特說。
此時,克斯托夫前方的冰塊再次移動了,使得上面的船只開始翻倒,冰面裂開。斯特勇敢地躍過冰冷的海水,用力把克斯托夫甩到了安全地帶。之后, 馴鹿掉進了水里。
“斯特!”克斯托夫尖叫道,“斯特!”
斯特奮力從水里跳出來,安全地爬上了一塊漂浮的冰塊。它點點頭,表示自己安然無恙。
“好樣的。”克斯托夫說完轉(zhuǎn)身繼續(xù)向安娜奔去。
漢斯也跑到了冰凍的峽灣上,在暴風雪中步履維艱。他一路追趕著艾莎,眼看就要追上了。“艾莎!”他在呼嘯的風雪中叫喊著,“你不能就這樣逃跑!”
“不要攔我,”艾莎對他喊道,“照顧好我的妹妹。”
“你妹妹?”漢斯大笑,“她從山上回來,又冷又虛弱。她說你冰凍了她的心臟。”
艾莎愣住了。“不!”她被自己魔法造成的后果徹底擊垮了。她最擔心的事情終究還是發(fā)生了。“我嘗試過救她,”漢斯謊稱,“但是為時已晚。她的皮膚結(jié)成了冰,頭發(fā)也都變白了。你妹妹是被你害死的。”
艾莎一下跪倒在地,雙手抱住了頭。
由于艾莎絕望過度,暴風雪突然停止了,雪花靜止在空中。
在突如其來的寂靜中,克斯托夫終于看見了安娜。她手捂在胸前,臉色蒼白,越來越無力。
她快沒有力氣說話了,掙扎著喊出了他的名字,倒在了地上。“克斯托夫。”
“安娜!安娜!”克斯托夫拼命地跑向她。
整個世界都安靜了下來,艾倫戴爾的民眾聚集到岸邊,看著冰封的峽灣。視線終于清晰了,他們看見他們的女王正低著頭跪在冰面上,漢斯王子就站在她身后。