The Southern Isles

Followed by the Duke of Weselton and his bodyguards, and by Ambassador Thoran, Hans walked nonchalantly, his face closed. Escorted by guards, they entered a huge room with brown walls and a long red carpet decorating the floor. Pillars supported the ceiling and were decorated with laurels. At the end of the hall was a magnificent throne, on which stands a man above fifty with a grey beard, dressed richly and wearing a crown on his long graying hair. The king, and father of Hans, saw his last son arrived in the room and gave him a neutral gaze. Beside the throne stood the twelve brothers of Hans, all standing straight, their swords at their waist and looking at their little brother with some disdain.

_ "Good evening .... Father." Hans said in a rather cold tone. The old king noticed it.

_ "Who are these individuals, my son?" asked the king, pointing to the duke and the ambassador. Hans introduced them as it should.

"Allow me to introduce the Duke of Weselton, as well as Thoran, the ambassador of Arendelle."

The two did not even bother to bow to greet the king, which surprised him, as did the twelve brothers.

_ "And, what are they doing here?" asked the king, more suspicious. Some of the brothers had put, in case, their hands on the pommels of their swords. Hans noticed it and smiled softly.

_ "They are here to support me."

_ "Explain yourself clearly!" ordered the king.

_ "It's simple, father ..." Hans continued "... Godzilla and the titans are a threat that we must eradicate ... So I decided to do what you never had the strength to decide."

One by one the torches of the throne room began to waver, and a gloomy atmosphere invaded the hall. The shadow became more and more present, disturbing the old king as well as the twelve brothers. Suddenly the great doors of the throne room opened abruptly, and two guards were thrown several yards back, and fell to the ground, dead. Under the horrified eyes of the king, Maleficent walked slowly but confidently into the room, a demonic smile on her lips. Hans, the duke, and Thoran showed no surprise in seeing her here.

_ "Who ... who are you?" asked the king, his voice slightly trembling.

_ "A friend of your son, majesty .... You can call me .... Maleficent."

The twelve brothers took their swords and formed a barrier in front of their father, ready to fight.

_ "Father, save yourself!" said one of the older brothers. Maleficent sneered. The brothers took their swords and were about to attack.

_"Stand back, you fools!" Maleficent said without fear, and with a gesture of her scepter, turned all the brothers into a heap of ashes, falling on the carpet, under the gaze of the horrified king. Hans showed a semblance of regret at seeing that, but he thought it was necessary. While Maleficent laughed at what she had done, the King of the Southern Isles wanted to flee, but Hans seized him by the shoulder, forcing him to turn to him, and pierced the heart with a dagger. With breathlessness and pain in his face, the king saw his white tunic blush with his blood, while Hans looked at him, with a look very sorry.

_ "Forgive me, father ..... But I do it, for the sake of Southern Isles and the world."

The king could scarcely express a sound from his mouth, and collapsed to the ground, a pool of blood forming around him, impregnating the carpet. Hans remained frozen, staring at his father's corpse, teeth clenched and bloody dagger in his hand. Blowing a big blow, he turned to Maleficent, who just smiled.

_ "The first phase of the plan went as planned .... Majesty." she said, cavernous and satisfied. Hans does not smile, climbing the steps and coming to sit on his father's throne.

_ "I now control the power over the Southern Isles, but the hardest thing is to be done...Are you sure your new" friend" can defeat Godzilla?"

_"Oh, not just Godzilla, my king ..." said Maleficent, a spark of slyness in his eyes "... He will kill all your enemies, wherever they are across the world."

The prince appeared satisfied with this statement and nodded nonchalantly, he moved towards the throne, followed by the Duke of Weselton and his henchmen, while Maleficent remained a little behind. Without showing it to the others, she seemed perplexed .... In spite of Godzilla's power, she had felt another one, also very strong but being in a body much smaller than that of a titan ..... A power from ancient times, which she had already felt before, and which made appear a malicious smile on her lips..... "Thus, she is still alive ...." she thought, satisfied but keeping it for herself.

*********

Arendelle

_"AAAAAH! AAAAAAAH!!"

In the castle, the atmosphere was very tense. For several hours now, Anna had been lying in bed, struggling with pain as best she could to give birth to her child. A group of experienced midwives were standing around her, some supporting Anna morally in this ordeal, and others helping her to give birth under the best conditions.

_ "Breathe well, and push!" asked the midwife who was ready to take the baby out. Anna, her face dripping with sweat and tears in her eyes, took several breaths and pushed, suffering terribly. Outside the room, in the corridor, Kristoff was pacing, more than nervous and very worried when he heard his wife's moans of pain. Olaf was sitting in a chair and watching him, showing some concern too. Elsa was standing by the door, showing the same anxiety. More than once women had died giving birth, and the mere thought that it could happen to her sister haunted her. And seeing Kristoff moving around all the time added to her nervousness. The door opened, and a midwife came out, carrying with her a bowl of water a little red. Elsa called to her.

_"How is she?" she asked anxiously.

_ "She stands up well, your majesty, but the hardest thing remains to be done."

This answer did not really reassured.

_ "I should be with her to support her." Kristoff said, trying to stay calm.

_ "You would only interfere with the work of midwives. We have to wait and be patient." Elsa answered, with good reason, although the urge to enter to support her sister also crossed her mind. Kristoff was frustrated.

_ "Do you think it will be a boy or a girl?" Olaf asked, trying to find a happier topic of conversation. Kristoff did not look in the mood and showed it. Olaf changed his mind, preferring to look at the hands of the clock in front of him. He said eighteen hours. Through the windows, the first colors of twilight were noticeable.

In the bedroom, Anna seemed exhausted, breathing with great difficulty, and a midwife gently blotting her face with a towel.

_ "I see the head ..." says the midwife standing at the foot of the bed "... One last effort, push with all your strength."

Breathing a big blow and preparing herself mentally, Anna pushed as hard as she could, screaming with great suffering ....

Anna fell heavily on her pillow, catching her breath and recovering from the excruciating pain, as baby cries began to ring in the room. In the hallway, Elsa, Kristoff and Olaf heard the baby crying, and smiles appeared on their faces. A midwife opened the door, also smiling.

_ "Mother and child are doing very well ..... Congratulations, Mr. Kristoff ... It's a girl."

She moved aside to let them in. Kristoff was the first to enter, with great haste, and approached the bed where Anna lay. The young princess smiled, tears of joy running down her cheeks, and holding a little pink baby in her arms snuggled up against her. She was a perfectly healthy little girl. Kristoff sat on the bed, and with his hand touches Anna's cheek. He too could not stop the tears of joy from flowing.

_"My love..." he said softly to his wife. "...You're okay?"

Anna smiled at him and looked at her daughter in her arms.

_ "I think that .... I have never felt so happy in my life." she said with a very tired voice. Kristoff and she gave each other a little kiss, and then the young man gently took the baby in his arms to see her better. Olaf watched all this with a softened air.

_ "The miracle of life ..." he says.

Elsa, also reassured, went to her sister. Both smiled at each other and Elsa even took her hand. In the darkening sky, an aurora borealis began to appear and dance, covering the fjord with its blue-green colors, and as coming to celebrate the birth of the baby.

_"Congratulations, little sister ..." Elsa said, shedding a small tear. Kristoff, after saying hello to his first child, gave her back very gently to Anna. The baby cried, indicating that she was hungry. It was time for her first meal. Anna gave her the breast, and the baby started to suckle.

_ "And how will you name her?" Kristoff asked, wanting to let his wife choose the name. Anna had already made her choice for a while, if it was a girl.

_ "Iduna." Anna says like her first and last decision. Kristoff already knew that and accepted that name. Elsa seemed surprised at first, but she was touched by the idea that Anna chose the name of their deceased mother, in her honor, to name her first child. With her hands and her magic, Elsa fashioned a small ice-shaped pendant in the shape of a polar star, and deposited it carefully with the baby.

_ "Welcome to the family, Iduna, second of the name." Elsa said softly with a big smile. Olaf had approached Kristoff to see the baby better. The midwives who had stand back, suddenly showed faces a little less reassured, their eyes turned towards the window. A low, recognizable roar was heard outside. Elsa and Anna understood.

_ "I think someone else wants to welcome Iduna."

She went to the window and opened it, to see Zilla's huge head facing her, and standing in front of the small balcony facing the bay. The titan had his feet in the water, but with his gigantic size, had no trouble reaching the floor. Having decided to come back, the young titan had felt Anna's suffering and came to make sure she was fine, emitting a slight, neutral rumble and trying to peek inside the room. The baby having finished eating and falling asleep, Anna gave her to Elsa.

_ "Show her to him." Anna asked, speaking softly, and being too tired to get up from the bed. Kristoff did not look very convinced and obviously was still suspicious of Zilla's impulsive behavior.

_ "Do you think that's a good idea?"

Anna reassured him, taking his hand in hers.

_"I know you have trouble admitting it, Kristoff, but Zilla is not what you think .... Look."

Elsa advanced, holding her niece in the arms, and went out on the balcony, facing the huge titan who watched with curiosity and put his reptilian eyes on the baby that the queen held in her arms.

_ "Zilla ..." Elsa said softly so as not to wake the baby "... I introduce you to the new family member .... Iduna."

Zilla kept looking, approaching very slowly and with the utmost caution, his head to see better. The tip of his muzzle was less than a meter from Elsa and the baby. Seeing all this from the bed, Anna, Olaf and Kristoff were watching. Zilla sniffled very softly, as if to smell the baby's smell and identify her. The titan, despite all his power and size, seemed to be cautious, avoiding any rumblings that could awaken Iduna. Anna smiled to see that, while Kristoff seemed very surprised at Zilla's attitude. Elsa also smiled to see the titan standing very calm and even puzzled by the baby, which he might see as his "half-sister", if it could say so. In Zilla's eye, Elsa could see as a spark of affection from him to Iduna. The guardian titans were decidedly more human than most thought, and Elsa was even more aware of it now. Most humans had wrong ideas about them. Cohabitation was possible, she was sure of it.

After a few minutes looking at the newborn, Zilla pulled back, very gently trying to make as little noise as possible, which was quite complicated for him, and returned to the deep waters of the bay to return to his underwater cave near the fjord. Elsa watched the titan gradually disappear into the water, with an encouraging feeling growing in her. Iduna did not wake up, hopefully, and was given back to Anna. Kristoff had no word to describe what he had just seen and had to admit that Anna was right about Zilla.

One of the midwives insisted that Anna and the baby be left to sleep so that they both rest, and they all left the room. Olaf decided to join Sven in the stables, while Elsa and Kristoff walked side by side down the hall.

_ "She was right, it seems that even monsters have a heart." said Kristoff, rather reassured.

_ "Monsters are misunderstood creatures ...." added Elsa "... they are born too tall, too powerful, too heavy ... Whatever their origin, they will all be perceived as threats, this is their burden.... That's what Ishiro wrote on the first page of his book."

Kristoff listened as she walked, until they reached the door of the Queen's bedroom. Before opening the door, Elsa spoke again.

_"When one thinks of all the atrocities that humanity has committed in history, one sometimes wonders who the real monsters are."

Kristoff admitted that she was not entirely wrong on this point. Wishing good night to Elsa, he left, leaving the queen to enter her quarters alone and closing the door behind her. Leaning back against the door, the young queen sighed tired after this long day and evening. She undid the knots of her wick and dropped her long blond hair on her neck and upper back. The rays of the moon were filtering through the windows, adding an almost mystical atmosphere to the room. Elsa's gaze landed again toward the bay, as once again hoping to see Godzilla appear on the horizon and come to her balcony. But nothing, only the sleeping ocean, as far as the eye can see. Opening her window, Elsa held out one of her hands, creating a flock of snowflakes and blew on them, to watch them, with some hope, fly off towards the ocean.

********

At hundreds and hundreds of leagues from Arendelle, somewhere in the middle of the ocean under the night sky, Godzilla had emerged, raising tons of water around him, and halted near a small island after having swim several hours. The monster king stood up, putting his first foot on the island and looked all around him sniffing and emitting loud rumblings. No presence of other titans nearby, for now. He then looked at the night sky, at the stars, then at the moon, gazing at her with a certain calmness. Although he was the greatest and most powerful creature on earth, he had sometimes felt small in the face of the majesty of the beauty of the sky. He who lived now for millions of years, who had seen more than any other living being, he had never tired of observing the sky.

Something on the island then caught his attention. On a cliff was carved from the rock, a large statue of about fifty meters high, and representing a man dressed in a large white toga, with long hair and beard, and wearing on his head a crown of laurels. Godzilla approached to better contemplate this very old statue, a vestige of an ancient human presence on this island. Although he was not interested in the religions of humans, he could see many times during his travels around the world, the effigies of this man who was to be a strong symbol for humans. He had even been able to see his name engraved several times: Jesus Christ, that humans seemed to consider as a god. Godzilla also remembered the certain cults venerating him, and seeing him as the true lord of the earth. Godzilla never cared to be revered or not, to be seen as a god or not, and he did not care about. All that mattered to him was to protect this earth, his earth, and to reign as any good king would.

Suddenly, tiny floating things passed and stopped in front of his big yellow eye. He recognized then .... Flakes of snow, dancing in the air. Emitting a growl of curiosity, he felt in these flakes a very powerful and recognizable magic ..... Elsa ..... He felt a tiny part of her presence in these flakes, as a message from her being addressed to him. The flakes evaporated into the air, leaving Godzilla to his thoughts. Emitting another satisfied growl, he turned his gaze northward, towards Arendelle, and as if to send an answer to the young snow queen, uttered a loud roar that rang for miles around and shook the water of the ocean. After all, watching over the earth was not the only thing that mattered to him. During his long sleep after his win against Leatherback and Otachi, he had dreamed a lot about Elsa. The connection between them was real, he was aware of it. He was attracted by her powers, her personality and her devotion to protect her people, she was even a very beautiful human, and although he did not develop a feeling of love towards Elsa, for obvious reasons, he was attracted by her. Like him, she was a protector of nature, misunderstood and seen by all as a potential threat.

She reminded him about another person he had known more than four hundred years ago ... A young woman named Awa, living in a small coastal town in England. Awa possessed very powerful telekinetic powers, which caused the fear and misunderstanding of the people around her. One evening, by the sea, she had met Godzilla, who was on the hunt for a destructive titan on the run. At first scared by the king of the monsters, Awa and he had felt connected to each other and a strong feeling developed between them. But one day, Awa was caught by the inquisitors of the church and was burned alive as a witch in the town square. Although he was miles away from her, Godzilla had felt her pain and the life was slowly leaving her. Returning to the shores of England, Godzilla found an isolated burial, with the inscription "Awa, witch, may her soul came back to hell". Understanding that he had arrived too late, Godzilla became mad with rage and unleashed his anger on the small coastal town that he judged as responsible for the death of Awa. With his power of destruction, Godzilla completely destroyed the city in barely two hours, and left no survivors, just ruins and ashes, before disappearing into the depths of the ocean. Realizing what he had done, he vowed never again to use his power to harm humans unless absolutely necessary. Godzilla came back to reality after this painful and distant memory that had been engraved in his memory. He growled softly, with some pain in his heart. He had lost Awa, 'cause he was not enough strong and aware to protect her, and now he would do everything to not lose Elsa...

However, this same bad feeling continued to haunt him, the omen of the return of a very old and dangerous enemy. His millennial instinct had never deceived him. He felt it, in the atmosphere, in the earth, in the water .... Something very serious was getting ready and he felt that this time he could not face it alone .... He was going to need help, and knew what to do. Taking a deep breath, Godzilla lifted his muzzle to the sky, his dorsal spines shining with a bluish glow. He opened his jaws and spit a powerful stream of blue flames toward the sky, piercing the clouds, as sending a signal.