Chapter Seven: The Snowman of Hoth
Leave me alone! Go
away! You’re not my Granddaddy! You’re not my Granddaddy!
“Benji!”
Vanessa screamed out the second she snapped awake from
the nightmare. Only it was not a nightmare – it was a memory. A memory that she
cared not to think about. It was the reason why she was there in that galaxy
far, far away. It was the reason why she spent a night in that ice-cold wampa
cave, sleeping in the most awkward, stiffening position. It took a great
effort to peel her body off the icy floor, being slow and careful to do so as
not to shred any fabric off her clothes.
(Narrative Note: Vanessa's flashback is a flash-forward in the case of our point of view, as it is events that will unfold in the fifth installment of the World of Disney series.)
Adrienne and the young woman they found in the snow were
still asleep, both lying in better positions than Vanessa. The advantages those
shorter in stature have in closed spaces, she thought.
The tall redhead took a moment to stretch out the kinks
in her stiffened body. With each joint she stretched out, there were loud pops
that resonated throughout the cavern. Despite the sounds, it
nonetheless was a marvelous feeling and way to start off the day.
The makeshift fire that Adrienne started died out. It was made mostly for the benefit of the young lady, who
appeared to have thawed out entirely either from the fire or on her own. Her
resilience to Hoth’s harsh climate was impressive – a little too impressive. Was she even human? Or
was she some type of creature that had the ability to look human while
possessing a physiology adaptable to any climate? Whatever the case, Vanessa
was just glad to know she lived to see the morning sunshine.
Sure enough, it shined through the wall of ice that encased
the entrance to prevent the wampa from entering and inevitably killing them
all. However, the towering creature was nowhere to be seen on the other side, much to Vanessa’s relief. With this discovery, she rushed to
Adrienne, kneeling beside her sleeping form and waking her up by gently shaking
her right shoulder.
“Adrienne. Adrienne, wake up. We made it.”
Responding to the wake-up call, Adrienne’s body
jolted with a start, her left hand reaching for one of the lightsabers on her
belt. Vanessa felt guilty for waking her out of whatever bad dream that evoked such a reaction, having just come out of one herself.
“What’s going on?” Adrienne cautiously questioned.
Vanessa moved aside, so that she could see the unoccupied
space beyond the ice wall. “Look. Big, White, and Scary is gone!”
Adrienne got up from her icy spot, peeling herself off a
lot faster than Vanessa but managing to retain every fabric from the cloak she slept on. There was a sound akin to that of wallpaper being
peeled off that made Vanessa cringe. Once she got past it, she noticed Adrienne
going to the ice wall and placing her hands on the chilling structure.
It melted down in a matter of seconds. Vanessa was not
certain how Adrienne did it, yet she still was not able to understand how she
made it in the first place.
“Wait here with the girl, while I go out and make sure
the coast is really clear.” Adrienne
instructed.
Vanessa acknowledged the command with a nod. Shortly
after Adrienne left the cave, Vanessa heard moaning behind her and turned to
see the young woman in the oversized red plaid shirt and grey leggings starting
to regain consciousness. She went to her side and instinctively placed a hand on her forehead, checking for a fever; fortunately, there was not one.
Her eyes gradually opened – a pair of sparkling green
staring right at the smiling face of Vanessa.
“You alright, hon?” Vanessa asked.
Much like Adrienne and Vanessa herself did, the young
olive-skinned woman’s body jolted and quickly sat up, accompanied by that
cringe-worthy peeling sound that was like daggers to Vanessa’s ears.
Staring all about the cave she was in, the young woman
inquired in panic, “W-Where am I? How did I get here?”
“Whoa, whoa. Relax, honey. Relax.” Vanessa coolly
beckoned. “You’re on another planet called Hoth, a big snowy place. We found
you buried out there. You were almost frozen solid.”
The young woman lightly touched her forehead. “Man. I
can’t remember what I did before I ended up here.”
“Do you remember your name?”
“Yeah, it’s Sean. No. Wait. Sorry. It’s Natalie.”
Vanessa frowned a little. “Why did you say ‘Sean’ at
first?”
“It’s the other side of me. The one who loaned me all of
this.” Natalie gestured to her frost-ridden body.
Intrigued by her response, Vanessa wished to continue on with the topic, but she was interrupted by snow-crunching footsteps.
She looked to the entrance and spotted Adrienne returning from her reconnaissance.
“The coast is clear.” She confirmed. “No sign of that—”
She stopped once she took notice in the fully-conscious Natalie. “Well, now.
Look who’s up. I suppose you’ll have plenty to share with us on the way.”
“On the way to where?” Natalie curiously asked.
(Biographical Note: All three characters in this scene are based on/inspired by women who have acting experiences. Adrienne Wilkinson has acted in film, television, and video games since 1996, Vanessa Marshall has done voice work for film, television, and games since 1994, and Natalie Nicole has been featured in independent films and a few small roles in major studio films, such as Road Hogs and Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter. All three women also have modeled outside of their acting careers.)
--------------------
The three women traversed over the snowy landscape with
the morning sun barreling down on them. Vanessa realized how much warmer it was
on the planet during the daytime, prompted to remove her leather jacket and
hang it over her shoulder. She proceeded to whistle a happy tune that, after
some time, Adrienne recognized.
“Are you seriously
whistling ‘Let It Go’ right now?”
(Disney Note: Since its debut in Frozen, "Let It Go" has received universal acclaim from film and music critics and audiences. Some have compared it to the Wicked song "Defying Gravity," which was performed by Elsa's vocal performer, Idina Menzel. The Rochester City has called it the best song of the film's soundtrack. It has earned a Golden Globe Award nomination for "Best Original Song" and won the Academy Award for that category at the 86th Academy Awards, where it was performed live by Menzel.)
Vanessa innocently smiled. “I can’t help it. The thought
of going to see Elsa and her palace. It’s like a dream come true.”
Adrienne grimaced quizzically. “How you’re able to know who Elsa is and where that song comes from is beyond me. You’re not even from this
world, are you?”
“By ‘this world,’ you mean Hoth or…?”
“I’m talking about this whole universe.” Adrienne stopped
walking, encouraging Vanessa and Natalie to do the same. She stared harshly
into the eyes of Vanessa. “The time for secrets is over. I wanna know who and
what you really are and where it is you come from.”
Vanessa shook her head empathetically. “I really wish I
could, Adrienne. But you’re just not ready yet.”
“Ready for what?” Natalie queried.
“Oh, don’t you
start asking questions.” Adrienne demanded. “I’m still trying to figure you out as well. An ‘amalgamated reincarnation’?”
Natalie nodded in testimony of the story she shared
earlier. “Yeah, that’s right.”
“You’re two different people sharing one living body – you’re
an abomination.” Adrienne scolded.
(Narrative Note: Look for the term "abomination" used two more times through the story. It is used in particular regard to characters who are a fusion like Natalie.)
Natalie drew offense from the labeling. “Really? And how
would you know?”
“Because I am a
reincarnation of the same man whose body you fused with – at least a version of
him from another timeline.” Adrienne answered. “I’m a pure-blood, while you’re
just a pile of mismatched garbage!”
“Alright, that’s enough!” Vanessa angrily exclaimed.
“There’s no need to be so harsh, Adrienne. If anything, I think Natalie’s
amalgamation is a blessing.”
“A blessing, huh?” Adrienne refuted. “The man who’s
somewhere beneath this shell…” She
gestured up and down at Natalie in disgust. “…he is in agony at every moment she’s walking in his
genetically-altered flesh. How is that
a blessing?”
Natalie looked down, sighing in sadness. “She’s right.
The amalgamation is a painful one for both Sean and me, especially during the transformation between us. It used to
happen at random, but I’ve learned to control it, with a little help from a guy
who shares in a similar condition.”
(Narrative Note: Natalie refers to Bruce Banner, a.k.a. "The Hulk," who she met in the events of Marvel Mayhem. There is no scene in that story depicting any training between the two, as it happens outside the narrative. We are only led to believe that Natalie did receive some pointers from Banner on controlling her transformations, most of which she managed from keeping in harmony with the spirit of Sean Thomas.)
“I still don’t like the idea of a reincarnated form
combined with the original host. It’s dangerous.” Adrienne professed. “I’m
amazed that you hadn’t killed him.”
“Hey, it’s not my fault!” Natalie exclaimed in defense.
“I was just a pile of dust – what else could I have done?”
“That’s right. What else could she have done?” Vanessa corresponded.
Adrienne glared at the redhead, obviously annoyed.
“Shut the hell up!”
On these words, a fire lit within Vanessa, who threw her
leather jacket to the snow and walked right up to Adrienne. She stood robustly
over her, almost appearing taller than she was next to the so-called Jedi, with
hands resting firmly upon her hips.
“You are so rude.” Vanessa said with power in her voice,
the tone of which changed dramatically. “You could use a serious lesson in manners.”
Adrienne stifled a laugh that turned into a snicker. “For
real? You are gonna threaten me? Let me remind you of how I went
face-to-face with Vader back in the Death Star, while the rest of you were
being saved by a group of misfits. You? You’re a cupcake compared to the
nightmares I’ve had to deal with in this godforsaken world. I will bury your
butt in this snow deeper than Natalie’s was before you can lay a finger on—”
POW!
Natalie barely caught it when it happened but, in the
blink of an eye, she sure enough witnessed one of the fiercest right hooks
Vanessa delivered across the face of Adrienne, who limply fell face-first into
the snow. After the outstanding punch, Vanessa winced in pain, rubbing her aching
knuckles.
(Authorial Note: This violent exchange was written in homage to Vanessa's Rebels character, Hera Syndulla, who made the same move against Gail Trayvis in the episode "Vision of Hope.")
“Aw, dayum!” Natalie yelled with great amusement. “I have
never seen a knockout that sick
before!”
“Yeah, ‘sick’ is right.” Vanessa said, still nursing her
hurt hand, planting it into the snow for cooling. “I honestly don’t take
any delight in being so violent, but she had to learn a lesson in respect.”
“Well, I think she definitely got her degree.” Natalie
noted, gazing over Adrienne’s inert form as it laid face down in the snow.
“She’s out cold – no pun intended. We’ll have to carry her the rest of the way
to the palace.”
Vanessa regretfully knew this for a fact. Had she thought
about it beforehand, she would
have thought twice in committing it.
A couple of bickering voices in the distance drew their
attention away from the unconscious Adrienne and towards three figures emerging
atop a large snowbank just a mile away. Right away, Vanessa and Natalie
recognized the three as Anna (Elsa’s sister), Kristoff, and Sven – more
characters from the Frozen realm that
managed to find their way into Hoth.
Vanessa smiled. “Natalie…our worries are
over.”
--------------------
It helped that everyone headed in the same direction
to convince Anna and Kristoff to allow Vanessa and Natalie to join their party.
The still-unconscious Adrienne was drooped over the back of Sven while the
others continued to trek across the frozen tundra on foot. Anna made good
conversation with Vanessa, finding a bit of a kindred spirit in the tall
redhead, ultimately discovering where she, Kristoff, and Sven were.
(Authorial Note: Initially, the other Frozen characters were not planned to be written into the story, in risk of overcrowding the story with Disney characters that served no purpose to the overall plot. But I figured these characters worked as moral support for Elsa, who would need a familiar face in Anna to help maintain control over her power, just like in the film.)
“Hoth?” She questioningly uttered the name with some
emphasis on the last syllable. “It’s certainly not anyplace I’ve ever heard of.
Must be a long way from Arendelle.”
“I know the mountains like the back of my hand. I don’t
get how we could’ve gotten this lost.” Kristoff said. “How far off-course are
we?”
Vanessa coyly smirked. “Far…far away.”
“You said my sister and this palace she made for herself
with her new ‘powers’ are near.” Anna said in reference to information Vanessa
shared earlier. “That can only mean we’re still well-enough close to Arendelle.”
Vanessa sighed, feeling ashamed for being unable to let
Anna, Kristoff, and Sven in on the truth of their presence there. She knew if
she did tell them, they would not
have understood or thought she was crazy.
“Just…trust me.” Vanessa pleaded. “Everything will make
sense after we’ve rescued Elsa.”
“Rescue?” Anna noted the usage of the term, growing
concerned. “Rescue Elsa from what?”
Real smooth, Vanessa thought to herself.
She made a move to cover her blunder until the
opportunity was robbed by a sudden monstrous roar echoing the
heavens.
Anna unknowingly threw herself to Kristoff in reaction to
the sound. “W-W-What was t-that?”
“Sounds like a…bear, maybe?” Kristoff presumed.
The group journeyed up a snowbank nearest to the
heavy sound, keeping their bodies down low once they reached the top. The
distant sight they were met with alarmed them all: an enormous icy snowman
engaged in battle with four quadrupedal Imperial walkers, better known as an
All-Terrain Armored Transport (“AT-AT”) walkers. They were designed for the
dual purpose of crushing and demoralizing enemy forces, including monstrous
snowmen.
(Disney Note: This monstrous snowman is "Marshmallow," the personal bodyguard of Elsa and guardian of the North Mountain in Frozen. His name comes from Olaf, who - in the original cut of the film - deemed Marshmallow as his brother. This would meant that, though Elsa created Marshmallow, she never named him.)
The one they did battle with put up a great fight,
hurling giant snowballs at them but causing no damage whatsoever to their outer
shells. It then fired massive ice shards from its fingertips, which did only
minimal damage. Having enough of the ridiculous conflict, the pilots of the
four Imperial walkers brought it to a devastating end by unleashing a barrage
of laser fire upon the enormous snowman, turning it into nothing more than a
pile of melted snow and ice.
Vanessa mourned the creature’s demise. “That poor thing
didn’t deserve this.”
“Are you kidding?” Kristoff uttered. “Those giant metal
elephants – or whatever they are – just did us a huge favor by killing that monster.”
“Don’t be so quick to judge.” Vanessa told him. “He was
only doing what he was made to do and protect Elsa.”
Anna gawked at her in surprise. “You mean…my sister made that?”
“She sure did.” Vanessa confirmed. “And there’s another
out there somewhere.”
“There are more?”
A terrified Kristoff reacted.
“Not all are vicious monsters.” Vanessa informed. “There’s
one who’s really nice, cute, and loves warm hugs.”
“I’d love to
meet someone like that!”
All heads turned at the sound of the voice speaking outside their party. Directly behind them stood a three-foot-tall typical
snowman with three black stones, stick arms, three twigs as “hair,” and buck
teeth. At first it seemed rather ordinary, until it blinked, waved its left
stick arm, and said, “Hi.”
Vanessa, Natalie, Anna, and Kristoff all gasped, albeit
in two different ways. Whereas Vanessa and Natalie were overjoyed to see the
familiar living snowman, Anna and Kristoff were startled by him.
“Wow. You’re creepy.” Kristoff said of the snow-made
being.
Vanessa and Natalie approached him, and Vanessa went as
far as shaking his right stick arm. “It is such
an honor to meet you.”
“It is? Wow! I’ve never had someone honored to meet me!”
The snowman joyously remarked. “I’m so honorable, and I don’t even know why!”
Vanessa and Natalie both laughed.
Natalie soon noticed one particular trait about the
snowman that was missing. “Oh, wait. Hold up a sec. Ya gonna need a lil’
somethin’, buddy.” She went to Kristoff’s sack of items to retrieve a carrot
that she used to stick into the snowman’s lively head.
Staring over his new “nose,” the snowman grew ecstatic.
“I…love it! I’m so perfect now!”
“You sure are, Olaf.” Vanessa said with a smile.
Anna heard the name and frowned with familiarity. “Olaf?”
(Disney Note: Much in lieu with most of the scenes that reintroduce familiar Disney characters in the World of Disney series, this one is a close reenactment of Olaf's introductory scene from Frozen, with some lines and actions swapped between the film's characters and the ones originated from this tale.)
“Excuse me, but how is it that you both know the freaky,
living snowman?” Kristoff questioned to Vanessa and Natalie.
“I was gonna ask the exact
same question. How crazy is that?” Olaf told Kristoff. “Are you some type of
psycho?”
“Psychic.” Vanessa whispered.
“Are you some type of psychic?” Olaf reiterated.
Anna’s face lit with recognition. “Olaf! That’s right.”
Olaf nodded. “Yeah, it is. And now that you all know me
so well, you can tell me what your names are.”
“I’m Vanessa and these two young ladies are Natalie and
Anna.”
“Uh-huh. And who’s the funky-looking donkey over there?”
Olaf asked.
“That’s Sven.” Natalie answered.
Olaf nodded before looking towards Sven. “And who’s the
reindeer?”
Vanessa couldn’t hold in her laughter. Having Olaf around
was just the right amount of levity she needed after the morning she had.
“Olaf,” Anna addressed, “did Elsa build you?”
“Yeah. Why?”
“Do you know where she is?”
“Yeah. Why?”
“Do you think you can show us the way?”
“Yeah. Why?”
During the interrogation, Kristoff curiously took one of
Olaf’s stick arms off the living snowman’s body, analyzing it closely. It felt
like a regular stick but bended like an actual human arm. “How does this work?”
Suddenly, the stick turned alive and slapped him in the face while it was still
in his grasp. “Ow!”
“Stop it, Sven!” Olaf snatched his arm away from
Kristoff, placing it back onto his body. “Tryin’ to focus here.” He then
brought his attention back to Anna and said without missing a beat, “Yeah.
Why?”
“I’ll tell you why.” Kristoff said. “We need Elsa to
bring back summer.”
“Summer?” The snowman’s large eyes grew even larger. “Oh!
I don’t know why but I’ve always loved
the idea of summer and sun and all that’s hot.”
“Really? I’m guessing you don’t have much experience with
heat?” Kristoff asked with amusement.
“Nope.” The ill-informed Olaf responded. “But sometimes I
like to close my eyes and imagine what it’d be like when summer does co—”
“Sorry, Olaf.” Natalie politely interrupted. “I know
you’ve got this sudden urge to go into song about how much you love summer, but
I’m afraid we haven’t got the time right now.”
(Narrative Note: This isn't the first time in the series that a Disney character is interrupted before going into a memorable song number. In Tales of the Disneyverse, Sebastian was cut off from his lead-in to "Under the Sea" by Mindy, under similar circumstances.)
“Oh, no problem. I think I’ll just wait ‘til the moment
Elsa brings it back.” The snowman then began to lead in the direction of the
palace. “C’mon, everyone! Let’s go bring back summer!”
(UP NEXT: Letting go is hard to do!)
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