The king's hand remained away from the Holy Sword.
For several seconds, nobody moved.
The Dragon King watched him carefully.
Jack stood between the royal army and Elsa.
The villagers remained behind them.
And Elsa...
stood alone in the middle of two worlds.
---
The king finally spoke.
"You don't want war."
Elsa shook her head.
"No."
"You don't want humans to die."
"No."
"And you don't want dragons to die."
"No."
The king looked into her eyes.
"Then what do you want?"
---
Elsa hesitated.
The answer should have been simple.
But it wasn't.
She had spent her entire life running from questions like this.
What was she?
Where did she belong?
Who was her family?
What did she want?
---
Finally, she answered.
"I want to live."
The king said nothing.
"I want to live without hiding."
Her voice became steadier.
"I want to remember my father without being ashamed of him."
She looked toward the villagers.
"I want the people who knew him to remember him as a good man."
Then she looked toward the Dragon King.
"And..."
She paused.
"I want to know my mother."
---
The Dragon King's eyes softened.
---
"I want to know what she looked like."
"I want to know what she liked."
"I want to know what she was afraid of."
"I want to know why she chose my father."
A tear slipped down Elsa's cheek.
"And I want to know why nobody came for me."
---
The Dragon King lowered his head.
---
"I can answer some of those questions."
He paused.
"But not all."
---
Elsa nodded.
"Then tell me what you can."
---
Before the Dragon King could answer—
The king stepped forward.
"There is something you must know first."
---
Jack immediately moved.
"Your Majesty—"
The king raised his hand.
"I am not here to attack her."
Jack remained suspicious.
"You brought the Holy Sword."
"I did."
"Why?"
---
The king looked at Elsa.
"Because I came prepared to kill you."
Silence.
---
The villagers stiffened.
The dragons growled.
Jack's hand went to his sword.
---
But Elsa didn't move.
She simply listened.
---
"I believed that if you survived..."
The king continued,
"...you would eventually become the calamity our ancestors feared."
---
Elsa lowered her gaze.
"So you wanted to kill me before I became one."
"Yes."
---
"Even after I saved the village?"
The king's expression tightened.
"That was when I began to doubt myself."
---
He looked toward the people standing behind Elsa.
"I watched reports change."
"The soldiers I trusted began refusing orders."
"Villagers defended you."
"Even priests questioned the kingdom."
---
He looked at Jack.
"And the man Edward called his brother stood against me."
Jack lowered his eyes.
---
The king sighed.
"Then I realized something."
---
He looked directly at Elsa.
"I was asking everyone to fear what you might become."
---
A pause.
---
"Instead of looking at what you already were."
---
Elsa's eyes widened slightly.
---
The king reached behind him.
Everyone tensed.
He slowly removed the Holy Sword.
But he didn't draw it.
---
He placed it on the ground.
---
The sword landed with a heavy sound.
---
"I won't kill you."
---
The Dragon King narrowed his eyes.
"Yet."
---
The king nodded.
"Yet."
---
Elsa understood.
He wasn't suddenly her friend.
He hadn't abandoned his fears.
He was simply willing to question them.
And that was enough for now.
---
Then—
A scream came from the village.
---
Everyone turned.
---
A young soldier stood at the edge of the crowd.
An arrow protruded from his shoulder.
He collapsed.
---
Jack immediately ran toward him.
"Where did that come from?"
---
Another arrow struck the ground.
---
The villagers screamed.
---
The dragons spread their wings.
---
"Enemy!"
Someone shouted.
---
The king looked toward the forest.
His expression changed.
---
"That's not my army."
---
More arrows flew.
---
Black-robed figures emerged between the trees.
No royal crest.
No dragon insignia.
Only white masks covering their faces.
---
The spear warrior's expression became grim.
---
"The Church."
---
Rowan stepped forward.
"Not the Church."
He stared at their robes.
"The Purification Order."
---
The king's face hardened.
---
"I thought they were disbanded."
---
"They were."
The spear warrior tightened his grip.
"Officially."
---
Elsa stared at the masked figures.
One of them stepped forward.
---
"Dragon-Blood."
His voice echoed across the village.
"You have been given countless opportunities to surrender."
---
Elsa said nothing.
---
"You have rejected the will of mankind."
---
The Dragon King growled.
---
The masked man continued.
"You have corrupted soldiers."
"You have deceived villagers."
"You have turned the kingdom against itself."
---
Elsa looked confused.
"I didn't do any of those things."
---
The masked man raised his sword.
---
"That is exactly why you are dangerous."
---
He pointed at her.
"You make humans believe that monsters can be loved."
---
Elsa froze.
---
The masked man smiled beneath his mask.
---
"And that..."
His voice became cold.
"...is the greatest threat of all."
---
The Purification Order charged.
---
Jack drew his sword.
Rowan raised his weapon.
The spear warrior stepped forward.
The Dragon King opened his wings.
The royal soldiers raised their shields.
---
And Elsa—
stood at the center.
---
For the first time...
Humans and dragons stood together.
Not because they trusted each other.
Not because their hatred had disappeared.
---
But because one girl had given them something worth protecting.
---
A chance.
---
Elsa slowly raised her hand.
Golden flames gathered around her fingers.
---
She looked at the masked army.
Then at the humans beside her.
Then at the dragons behind her.
---
And remembered Edward's final lesson.
---
**Don't become what they believe you are.**
---
Elsa smiled.
---
"Nobody dies today."
---
The battle began.